Sandoz Announces Biosimilars for Oncology, Immunology Branded Drugs

Sandoz, a Novartis company, recently announced its plans to launch 5 biosmilars of oncology and immunology drugs by 2020.

They are planning to create biosimilars of Enbrel, Humira, Neulasta, Remicade, and Rituxan.

The company will rely on regulatory submissions of 11 filings from 2015 to 2017 to accomplish this, according to a press release from Sandoz. The company has already announced 6 of the 11 filings.

They also estimate they will invest over $1 billion in biomanufacturing facilities by 2020, and predict global healthcare savings.

"Despite the impressive medical advances of the past century, access to medicines remains the single largest unmet healthcare need in developed and developing countries alike,” concluded Richard Francis, division head and CEO of Sandoz. “Biologics have revolutionized treatment of many disabling and life-threatening diseases but far too many people who need these medicines are not able to access them. At Sandoz, we are committed to significantly broadening patient access to biologics with a series of major biosimilar launches over the next few years.”