The United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today
approved Celltrion’s INFLECTRA™ (biosimilar infliximab) across all
eligible indications of the reference product, Remicade® (infliximab).1
INFLECTRA is now the first and only biosimilar monoclonal antibody (mAb)
therapy, and only the second biosimilar, to be approved in the U.S.
Hospira, now a Pfizer company, entered into an agreement with Celltrion
Inc. and Celltrion Healthcare, Co., Ltd. in 2009 for several potential
biosimilar products, including INFLECTRA. Pfizer holds exclusive
commercialization rights to INFLECTRA in the U.S. and certain other
jurisdictions.
“The introduction of high-quality, effective biosimilars provides an
opportunity to expand access to important medicines,” said Salomon
Azoulay, MD, senior vice president and chief medical officer, Pfizer
Global Established Pharma Business. “As a leading global biologics
company with several biosimilar products in our pipeline, we appreciate
the significance of this milestone in developing a pathway for
biosimilars to come to market in the U.S., and in helping advance their
adoption in the healthcare system.”
INFLECTRA is a treatment indicated for reducing signs and symptoms in
patients with rheumatoid arthritis, adult ulcerative colitis, plaque
psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and adult and
pediatric Crohn’s disease.
The FDA approval was based on the comprehensive data package submitted
by Celltrion demonstrating a high degree of similarity between INFLECTRA
and the U.S. reference product, Remicade. The FDA’s decision follows the
February 9, 2016 FDA Arthritis Advisory Committee’s recommendation to
approve proposed biosimilar infliximab across all eligible indications,
by a vote of 21-3.
“Our experience in other markets across the globe demonstrates that
biosimilars can be a welcome option for patients, physicians and
others,” said Jenny Alltoft, head of global biosimilars, Pfizer Inc.
“Pfizer is proud to play a leading role in preparing the U.S. market for
biosimilars. We are committed to bringing these important medicines to
patients in the U.S. as quickly as possible. While launch timing for
INFLECTRA will ultimately depend on a number of factors such as
marketplace dynamics and intellectual property considerations, we are
continuing with the preparation of our launch plans for 2016.”
Pfizer Inc.: Working together for a healthier world™
At Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to bring therapies
to people that extend and significantly improve their lives. We strive
to set the standard for quality, safety and value in the discovery,
development and manufacture of healthcare products. Our global portfolio
includes medicines and vaccines as well as many of the world's
best-known consumer healthcare products. Every day, Pfizer colleagues
work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness,
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DISCLOSURE NOTICE: The information contained in this release is as of
April 5, 2016. Pfizer assumes no obligation to update forward-looking
statements contained in this release as the result of new information or
future events or developments.
This release contains forward-looking information about INFLECTRA and
our biosimilars pipeline, including their potential benefits, that
involves substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such
statements. Risks and uncertainties include, among other things,
uncertainties regarding the launch timing and commercial success of
INFLECTRA in the United States; the uncertainties inherent in research
and development; whether and when any applications for INFLECTRA or
label updates for INFLECTRA may be filed with regulatory authorities in
any other jurisdictions and whether and when regulatory authorities in
other jurisdictions may approve any such other applications that are
pending or that may be filed for INFLECTRA, which will depend on the
assessment by such regulatory authorities of the benefit-risk profile
suggested by the totality of the efficacy and safety information
submitted; intellectual property and/or litigation implications;
relationship with the application sponsor; decisions by regulatory
authorities regarding labeling and other matters that could affect the
availability or commercial potential of INFLECTRA; and competitive
developments.
A further description of risks and uncertainties can be found in
Pfizer's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December
31, 2015, including in the sections thereof captioned "Risk Factors" and
"Forward-Looking Information and Factors That May Affect Future
Results", as well as in its subsequent reports on Form 10-Q and Form
8-K, all of which are filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission and available at www.sec.gov
and www.pfizer.com.
1 Remicade® is a registered U.S. trademark of Janssen
Biotech, Inc.
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