Swiss pharmaceutical company Sandoz (SWX: SDZ) has entered into an agreement to purchase Cimerli (ranibizumab), a biosimilar referencing Roche (SWX: RO) unit Genentech’s Lucentis, from US-based Coherus Biosciences (NASDAQ: CHRS). This transaction, valued at a USD 170 million upfront payment, is anticipated to conclude in the first half of 2024.
Both Cimerli and Lucentis, as VEGF inhibitors, are indicated in the US for the treatment of a range of ophthalmic conditions including wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), macular edema following retinal vein occlusion (RVO), myopic choroidal neovascularization (mCNV), and diabetic retinopathy (DR).
According to the public report, Cimerli competes in the US biosimilar market with Samsung Bioepis’s Byooviz, a product from South Korea. However, Byooviz has not received approval for the DME and DR indications.- Flcube.com
