Boehringer Ingelheim axes biosimilars development outside US

Boehringer Ingelheim has said it has axed development of its biosimilars outside Europe, focusing instead on getting its Humira near-copy on the US market as soon as possible. BI got its biosimilar of AbbVie’s inflammatory diseases drug Humira (adalimumab) approved by the FDA last summer but is unable to launch because of the legal defenses surrounding the originator drug in the US. Humira’s global sales exceed $18 billion, generating revenues of $4.4 billion in Europe in the year ended in June according to figures from IQVIA.
However BI has its eyes on the $12.3 billion annual sales AbbVie is raking in from Humira in the US, where a thicket of patents has so far staved off any cheaper biosimilar competitors until 2023. In Europe, the patent expired last month, which will lead to a series of launches from a gang of companies with biosimilars approved and ready. Even though BI has got its biosimilar, Cyltezo, approved by European regulators it has decided not to launch in Europe and to ax further development of biosimilars outside of the US.