Samsung Bioepis and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries have entered into a global license, development, and commercialisation agreement for up to 6 potential biosimilar candidates, with 2 confirmed investigational biosimilar candidates, SB41, a biosimilar candidate referencing Fasenra (benralizumab), and SB44, a biosimilar candidate referencing Ilaris (canakinumab).

Under the terms of the agreement, Samsung Bioepis will be responsible for the development, regulatory registration, and manufacture of the biosimilars, while Teva will be responsible for commercialisation in global markets, including the US, Europe, and Canada.

The companies have agreed to an option for expanding the partnership to other territories.

This agreement reinforces the long-standing and successful partnership between Samsung Bioepis and Teva, which has already resulted in the successful commercialisation of EPYSQLI (eculizumab-aagh) in the US. The companies have also expanded that agreement further to include OPUVIZ (aflibercept) in Canada.

Kyung-Ah Kim, President and Chief Executive Officer, Samsung Bioepis, said, “We are thrilled to expand our successful partnership with Teva with these new biosimilar candidates. This agreement marks another milestone in our shared journey to improve patient access to life-changing medicines. At Samsung Bioepis, we will continue to demonstrate our enduring commitment to biosimilars by further strengthening our pipeline and widening their availability for patients and healthcare systems across the world.”

The expanded collaboration reflects a shared approach to combining complementary capabilities for broadening access to biosimilar medicines across global markets.

Richard Francis, President and CEO, Teva, said, “Biosimilars are an increasingly important part of our Pivot to Growth strategy and our ambition to transform into a leading biopharmaceutical company. This global multi-product agreement is a significant step in scaling our biosimilars business, adding greater breadth to our pipeline and building on the strong foundation we have established with Samsung Bioepis in the US. By combining a strong and growing portfolio and our excellent global commercial capabilities, we are strengthening our leadership position in biosimilars and our ability to bring more treatment options to patients around the world.”