CHINA –Henlius and Getz Pharma have partnered to commercialize Henlius’ adalimumab biosimilar in 11 emerging markets in Asia, Africa and Europe.

Getz Pharma will be able to market the product in Pakistan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, as well as any other territories mutually agreed upon.

Henlius’ first self-developed monoclonal antibody in autoimmune treatment is HLX03. The biosimilar refers to Humira, which had US$20.7 billion in sales in 2021, making it the highest-grossing drug in the world that wasn’t a COVID-19 vaccine.

Humira has been approved for more than ten indications worldwide and is listed as a recommended drug in North American and European autoimmune disease management guidelines.

The National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China approved HLX03 in December 2020 for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, uveitis, and plaque psoriasis.

Jiangsu Wanbang is in charge of HLX03 commercialization in China.

In the same space of biosimilars business, Indian drugmaker Biocon will add a portfolio of biosimilars – estimated to bring in US$875 million in 2022 sales – through the planned acquisition of Viatris.

The deal will see Biocon Biologics pay up to US$3.34 billion for its partner Viatris’ biosimilars division, consisting of US$2.34 billion in cash and US$1 billion in Compulsorily Convertible Preference Shares (CCPS).

Once the transaction is completed, Viatris will own at least 12.9 percent of Biocon Biologics.

Biocon is also developing biosimilars in the field of immunology with Novartis’ generics unit Sandoz, which is currently undergoing a strategic review, as part of a 2018 agreement.

Due to patent disputes with Regeneron, Biocon is currently excluding the Eylea biosimilar from the full acquisition, but the Indian company retains an option to acquire the drug’s rights.

Still staying on the biosimilar market front, Novartis is weighing whether to sell Sandoz, with biosimilars cited as a key pillar of the unit’s growth potential.

Merck & Co. recently spun off its biosimilar projects, as well as women’s health medications, into Organon.

Samsung Biologics is paying US$2.3 billion for Biogen’s nearly 50% stake in their biosimilar joint venture, Samsung Bioepis.

Getz pharma online medical training

In other news, Getz Pharma has announced the launch of the first three courses on their brand new online medical learning platform MEDACE, in collaboration with Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS).

Getz Pharma’s MEDACE initiative aims to make it easier for medical professionals to gain access to certified online courses.

The online platform is intended to enhance and improve their knowledge and practice, with the goal of becoming the one platform for the medical community where they can learn from CME courses, watch webinars and videos, and read blogs on recent medical updates to improve their medical knowledge.

Throughout the year, medical professionals can enroll in an unlimited number of certified courses.

The goal of this initiative is to teach healthcare professionals how to treat their patients in a variety of ways.

Identifying risk factors and differentiating patient symptoms for better treatment outcomes and optimizing patient care, as well as providing healthcare professionals with a platform to develop courses for young doctors to enhance their knowledge and experience with local experts.

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