Biogen Inc. and its partner Samsung Bioepis announced an agreement with AbbVie for the commercialization of Imraldi, a biosimilar referencing Humira (adalimumab).
Under terms of the agreement, AbbVie will grant patent licenses for the use and sale of Imraldi in Europe, on a country-by-country basis, and Biogen and Samsung Bioepis will make royalty payments to AbbVie. The companies have agreed to dismiss all pending patent litigation.
Biogen expects to launch Imraldi in Europe on October 16, 2018, which will complement its existing portfolio of anti-TNF therapies, Benepali (etanercept) and Flixabi (infliximab).
“Biogen is a leader in the emerging field of biosimilars through Samsung Bioepis, our joint venture with Samsung BioLogics,” said Ian Henshaw, global head of biosimilars at Biogen. “Biogen already markets two biosimilars in Europe and the planned introduction of Imraldi on October 16 could potentially expand patient choice by offering physicians more options to meet the needs of patients while delivering significant savings to healthcare systems.”
According to a company press release, the precise terms of the agreement with AbbVie are confidential.