Health Canada approves Mylan & Biocon's biosimilar of cancer drug Herceptin

Biotechnology major Biocon and Mylan NV Wednesday said Canadian health regulator Health Canada has approved Mylan's biosimilar Ogivri co-developed with Biocon, used for the treatment certain breast and stomach cancers.

Ogivri is a biosimilar to Hoffmann-La Roche's Herceptin.

Mylan plans to launch the product this quarter and anticipates potentially being the first company to offer a trastuzumab biosimilar in Canada, the companies said in a joint statement.

Ogivri is the first trastuzumab biosimilar approved in Canada and the second biosimilar from Biocon and Mylan's joint portfolio approved in the market, it added.

Biocon Biologics Chief Executive Officer Christiane Hamacher said, "We are pleased to enable access to Ogivri, a high-quality biosimilar trastuzumab co-developed and manufactured by Biocon as an affordable treatment option for HER2- positive breast and gastric cancer patients in Canada."