Mycenax sells tocilizumab biosimilar to Richter

Home/Pharma News | Posted 08/05/2020 post-comment0 Post your comment

Taiwanese biosimilars developer Mycenax announced on 28 April 2020 that it had made a deal with Hungary-based Gedeon Richter (Richter) regarding its tocilizumab biosimilar.

Anaemia 2 V13J18

Tocilizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody against the interleukin-6 receptor (IL-6R). It is an immunosuppressive drug used mainly for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, a severe form of arthritis in children. In Japan, tocilizumab is also approved for the treatment of Castleman’s disease, a rare benign tumour of B cells.

The agreement means that Mycenax will sell its LusiNEX (tocilizumab) biosimilar project, including cell banks, chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC) technology, intellectual properties and clinical trial results to Richter for a total of US$16.5 million.

Mycenax has already received a payment of US$2 million from Richter for exclusive negotiation rights and will receive an additional US$3 million as the signing fee. The company will receive additional payments as it completes the stages of asset transfer.

Mycenax intends to use the money from this agreement for operation and facility expansion to further strengthen the company’s capacities as a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO). The decision to focus on the CDMO business was taken in 2019 and the company says that it intends to become one of the best CDMOs in Asia.

Mycenax started developing LusiNEX in 2013 and announced positive phase I results for the candidate tocilizumab biosimilar in 2019 [1], which the company says ‘demonstrated its bioequivalence’ to the originator biological Roche’s Actemra.

Richter is expected to start a phase III trial for LusiNEX and receive marketing approval for the biosimilar in the near future.

Related article
Biosimilars of tocilizumab

Reference
1. GaBI Online - Generics and Biosimilars Initiative. Positive phase I results for Mycenax’s tocilizumab biosimilar [www.gabionline.net]. Mol, Belgium: Pro Pharma Communications International; [cited 2020 May 8]. Available from: www.gabionline.net/Biosimilars/Research/Positive-phase-I-results-for-Mycenax-s-tocilizumab-biosimilar

Permission granted to reproduce for personal and non-commercial use only. All other reproduction, copy or reprinting of all or part of any ‘Content’ found on this website is strictly prohibited without the prior consent of the publisher. Contact the publisher to obtain permission before redistributing.

Copyright – Unless otherwise stated all contents of this website are © 2020 Pro Pharma Communications International. All Rights Reserved.

Source: Mycenax

comment icon Comments (0)
Post your comment
Most viewed articles
About GaBI
Home/About GaBI Posted 06/08/2009
EU guidelines for biosimilars
EMA logo 1 V13C15
Home/Guidelines Posted 08/10/2010