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Sandoz, the global leader in affordable medicines, has announced a major license, development and commercialisation partnership agreement with South Korea-based Samsung Bioepis, marking a significant step to broaden patient access to high-quality biosimilar medicines worldwide.
The agreement paves the way for the two companies to partner on up to five biosimilar assets. The first asset will be a vedolizumab biosimilar, which is in early-stage development. The reference medicine, Entyvio® (vedolizumab), is used to treat adult patients with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis or pouchitis.
Under the terms of the agreement, Sandoz will have exclusive rights to commercialise globally, except in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau and Republic of Korea. Samsung Bioepis will be responsible for development, regulatory submissions in key markets and manufacturing. Both companies have agreed to keep the financial details of the agreement confidential.
The partnership could expand the leading Sandoz pipeline to up to 32 assets and reinforces its commitment to capturing a significant share of the projected global biosimilar loss-of-exclusivity market opportunity, estimated at around $320 billion over the next decade.
Sandoz continues to develop its leading pipeline of biosimilar medicines, building on its experience as the pioneer and global leader with a portfolio of 13 molecules available in nearly 100 countries.
