Aurobindo Pharma forays into biosimilars segment

Aurobindo said the transaction is a strategic investment for future growth and will position it as a strong player in the rapidly evolving biosimilars landscape.TNN | Updated: February 10, 2017, 07:52 IST

Hyderabad: City-based pharma major Aurobindo Pharma Limited on Thursday announced that it has forayed into the development of biosimilars with the acquisition of four cell culture derived biosimilar products from Swiss player TL Biopharmaceutical AG.

Aurobindo said the transaction is a strategic investment for future growth and will position it as a strong player in the rapidly evolving biosimilars landscape. "This acquisition is in line with our strategy of investing in complex products and is an important first step towards establishing Aurobindo's global biosimilars portfolio," Aurobindo Pharma Limited managing director N Govindarajan explained. TL Biopharmaceutical will supply all the developmental data for four molecules and Aurobindo and its affiliates will develop, commercialize and market these products globally. "The branded market size of these four biosimilars, three of which are monoclonal antibodies, in oncology is very promising. Regulatory filings for these products are intended in the 2020-22 period," it said. The company said it is preparing to take its lead molecule from this transaction, a Bevacizumab biosimilar, for clinical trials in 2017. Bevacizumab is an anti-antiogenesis drug used in treating multiple-cancers including metastatic colon or rectal cancer, non-squamous and non-small cell lung cancers.

Meanwhile, Aurobindo reported a 6.2% rise in the consolidated net profit for the third quarter ended December 31, 2016, at Rs 578.58 crore as compared to Rs 544.31 crore in the year ago period.

Only in India the healthcare financing is very small when compared to the financing by the other forces rather than the patient himself or herself paying out of pocket. Having 70-75% of the expenses as out-of-pocket, in my opinion, is not a right approach to managing healthcare in a country where the patients tend to sub-optimally purchase healthcare if he/she has to pay out-of-pocket.