Basel: Sandoz has completed the acquisition of the US biosimilar CIMERLI (ranibizumab-eqrn) from Coherus BioSciences, Inc, ahead of anticipated timelines.
"The acquisition builds on the leading Sandoz ophthalmic platform in the US and lays an even stronger foundation for future product launches," the Company stated.
Keren Haruvi, President Sandoz North America said, “We further expand the Sandoz biosimilar portfolio, while advancing our mission in the US of pioneering patient access to more affordable and much-needed medicines. With the addition of CIMERLI to our existing ophthalmology franchise, we can now offer even more treatment options for US patients with vision impairment and loss.”
CIMERLI is indicated for the treatment of certain retinal diseases that, if left untreated, can cause vision loss, which ranks among the top 10 causes of disability in the United States. It is an anti-VEGF therapy within a class of biologics that helps retinal patients maintain or gain vision.
CIMERLI solution for injection (6 mg/mL and 10 mg/mL) is an FDA-approved biosimilar to reference product LUCENTIS (ranibizumab injection) indicated for the treatment of multiple retinal diseases, including neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (AMD), macular edema following retinal vein occlusion (RVO), diabetic macular edema (DME), diabetic retinopathy (DR) and myopic choroidal neovascularization (mCNV).
CIMERLI was approved by the FDA in August 2022, having met FDA’s rigorous standards of biosimilarity to the reference product, including safety, efficacy and quality.
Launched in October 2022, it is the first and only FDA-approved biosimilar interchangeable with LUCENTIS for all indications.
Sandoz and Coherus entered into an agreement in January 2024 through which Sandoz agreed to acquire the full CIMERLI business for an upfront cash purchase price of USD 170 million. The transaction includes a biologics license application, product inventory, ophthalmology sales and field reimbursement talent, as well as access to proprietary commercial software.
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