Press Release // September 27, 2024
Formycon and Fresenius Kabi receive European Commission approval for FYB202/Otulfi® (ustekinumab) for the treatment of serious inflammatory diseases
- FYB202/Otulfi® received European Commission (EC) approval for both subcutaneous and intravenous formulations, providing a high-quality treatment option for European patients treated with ustekinumab
- FYB202/Otulfi® is approved in the indications of moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease, moderate to severe plaque psoriasis and active psoriatic arthritis
Planegg-Martinsried, Germany – Formycon AG (FSE: FYB, “Formycon”) and its commercialization partner Fresenius Kabi jointly announce that the European Commission (EC) has issued a marketing authorization for FYB202/Otulfi®1, a biosimilar to Stelara®2. The centralized marketing authorization is valid in all European Economic Area (EEA) countries, including the 27 European Union (EU) Member States as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.
Ustekinumab is a human monoclonal antibody that targets the cytokines interleukin-12 and interleukin-23 which play an important role in inflammatory and immune responses. The European Commission’s decision to issue a marketing authorization came after the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) within the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) adopted a positive opinion in July 2024 to approve FYB202/Otulfi® in the indications of moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease, moderate to severe plaque psoriasis and active psoriatic arthritis. The EC decision is based on a thorough evaluation of a comprehensive data package including analytical, pre-clinical, clinical and manufacturing data. FYB202 demonstrated comparable efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics to the reference drug Stelara® in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis vulgaris (plaque psoriasis).
In February 2023, Formycon and Fresenius Kabi entered into a global license agreement providing Fresenius Kabi with commercialization rights for FYB202 in key global markets. Semi-exclusive commercialization rights that cover Germany, parts of the MENA region and Latin America remain with Formycon. In March 2024, Formycon and Fresenius Kabi reached a settlement agreement with Johnson & Johnson concerning the commercialization of their ustekinumab biosimilar in Europe and Canada. The terms of the agreement are confidential. Stelara® ranks among Europe’s top-10 medicine brands by value with annual sales in Europe in excess of €2.5 billion.
Dr. Stefan Glombitza, CEO of Formycon AG, said: “FYB202/ustekinumab is our second biosimilar with market approval in Europe, and this marks another very important step on our way to a leading, profitable and sustainable pure-play biosimilar company. Chronic inflammatory diseases are globally on the rise and negatively impact the quality of life of millions of people. This especially relates to Europe, which has the highest prevalence of psoriatic diseases in the world.3 With FYB202/Otulfi® we are – together with our partner Fresenius Kabi – committed to providing a safe, effective and cost-efficient treatment option for this large number of patients.”
Dr. Sang-Jin Pak, President Biopharma and member of the Fresenius Kabi Management Board, said: “With the approval of Otulfi® in Europe, we expand our biosimilar portfolio with the fourth biosimilar to better support patients’ treatment experience and clinical outcomes. Our ustekinumab biosimilar is a testament to our dedication and commitment to patients across Europe, and we are proud to continue to deliver high-quality and affordable therapies for autoimmune diseases, while striving to ease the burden on local healthcare systems.”
1) Otulfi® is a registered trademark of Fresenius Kabi Deutschland GmbH in selected countries
2) Stelara® is a registered trademark of Johnson & Johnson
3)) https://cms.ifpa-pso.com/tools/20072022_IFPA-FORUM_Briefing-Book_Speaking-up.pdf
About Formycon:
Formycon AG (FSE: FYB) is a leading, independent developer of high-quality biosimilars, follow-on products of biopharmaceutical medicines. The company focuses on therapies in ophthalmology, immunology, immuno-oncology and other key disease areas, covering almost the entire value chain from technical development through clinical trials to approval by the regulatory authorities. For commercialization of its biosimilars, Formycon relies on strong, well-trusted and long-term partnerships worldwide. With FYB201/ranibizumab, Formycon already has a biosimilar on the market in Europe and the USA. FYB203/aflibercept-mrbb received FDA approval, and FYB202/ustekinumab was approved in Europe. Another three biosimilar candidates are currently in development. With its biosimilars, Formycon is making an important contribution to providing as many patients as possible with access to highly effective and affordable medicines. Formycon AG is headquartered in Munich and is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange: FYB / ISIN: DE000A1EWVY8 / WKN: A1EWVY. Further information can be found at: https://www.formycon.com
About Biosimilars:
Since their introduction in the 1980s, biopharmaceutical drugs have revolutionized the treatment of serious and chronic diseases. By 2032, many of these drugs will lose their patent protection – including 45 blockbusters with an estimated total annual global turnover of more than 200 billion US dollars. Biosimilars are successor products to biopharmaceutical drugs for which market exclusivity has expired. They are approved in highly regulated markets such as the EU, the USA, Canada, Japan and Australia in accordance with strict regulatory procedures. Biosimilars create competition and thus give more patients access to biopharmaceutical therapies. At the same time, they reduce costs for healthcare providers. Global sales of biosimilars currently amount to around 21 billion US dollars. Analysts assume that sales could rise to over 74 billion US dollars by 2030.
About Fresenius Kabi:
Fresenius Kabi is a global healthcare company that specializes in lifesaving medicines and technologies for infusion, transfusion, and clinical nutrition. The company’s products and services are used for the therapy and care of critically and chronically ill patients.
Its product portfolio comprises a range of highly complex biopharmaceuticals, clinical nutrition, medical technologies, and I.V. generic drugs. Within biopharmaceuticals, Fresenius Kabi offers, among others, biosimilar drugs with a focus on autoimmune diseases and oncology. The company’s clinical nutrition offering includes a wide selection of enteral and parenteral nutrition products. In the segment of medical technologies, its offering includes vital disposables, infusions pumps, apheresis machines, cell therapy devices, and more. Fresenius Kabi puts essential medicines and technologies in the hands of people who help patients and finds the best answers to the challenges they face.
Following its strategy “Vision 2026”, which is a key part of the #FutureFresenius program of the Fresenius healthcare group, the company is furthermore committed to increase efficiencies in the therapy and care of patients and improve access to high-quality healthcare around the globe. Fresenius Kabi aspires to be leading globally in its product segments – all for the benefit of patients, its customers, and its stakeholders.
For more information visit the Fresenius Kabi’s website at www.fresenius-kabi.com. For more information about the company’s work in biosimilars, please visit https://biosimilars.fresenius-kabi.com
Contact:
Sabrina Müller,
Director Investor Relations & Corporate Communications,
Formycon AG
Fraunhoferstr. 15
82152 Planegg-Martinsried
Germany
Tel.: +49 (0) 89 - 86 46 67 149
Fax: + 49 (0) 89 - 86 46 67 110
Sabrina.Mueller@formycon.com
Disclaimer:
This press release may contain forward-looking statements and information which are based on Formycon’s current expectations and certain assumptions. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, performance of the company, development of the products and the estimates given here. Such known and unknown risks and uncertainties comprise, among others, the research and development, the regulatory approval process, the timing of the actions of regulatory bodies and other governmental authorities, clinical results, changes in laws and regulations, product quality, patient safety, patent litigation, contractual risks and dependencies from third parties. With respect to pipeline products, Formycon AG does not provide any representation, warranties or any other guarantees that the products will receive the necessary regulatory approvals or that they will prove to be commercially exploitable and/or successful. Formycon AG assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements or to correct them in case of developments which differ from those anticipated. This document neither constitutes an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe for securities of Formycon AG. No public offering of securities of Formycon AG will be made nor is a public offering intended. This document and the information contained therein may not be distributed in or into the United States of America, Canada, Australia, Japan or any other jurisdictions, in which such offer or such solicitation would be prohibited. This document does not constitute an offer for the sale of securities in the United States.
