Aurobindo acquires four biosimilar products under development

They were acquired from TL Biopharmaceutical AG of Switzerland

Aurobindo Pharma Limited announced today that it has acquired four cell culture derived biosimilar products from TL Biopharmaceutical AG of Switzerland. The company, however, did not disclose the deal value.

As part of the agreement, TL will supply all the developmental data for four molecules and Aurobindo and/or its affiliates will develop, commercialise and market these products globally . The branded market size of these four biosimilars, three of them monoclonal antibodies in oncology is very promising, the company said.

Regulatory filing for these products is intended in the period 2020-22. Aurobindo 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.

The transaction is a strategic investment for future growth and will position Aurobindo as a strong player in the rapidly evolving biosimilars landscape, according to the company.

Building on these first four products licensed from TL, Aurobindo is expanding its diverse portfolio of eight more next wave of biosimilars ensuring a strong and diverse products pipeline, it said.

Aurobindo has set up a fully functional R&D center for biologics development and is also establishing a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Hyderabad and is expected to be ready by the second quarter of the financial year 2017-18.

"We are impressed with the TL product development as these products are developed to the highest standards of biosimilarity. This acquisition is in line with our strategy of investing in complex products and is an important first step towards establishing Aurobindo's global biosimilar portfolio," Aurobindo managing director N Govindarajan said in a statement.