Posted by Michael Wonder on 23 Sep 2017
FDA clears biotech drug copycats, but buying them isn’t so easy
18 September 2017 - Basically, there’s a gazillion patents,’ says consultant.
In 2016, Roche Holding AG sold $3 billion worth of its blockbuster biotechnology drug Avastin. Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved what’s expected to be a less-expensive version.
Patients and insurers won’t be able to start counting the savings any time soon.
Of seven so-called biosimilar drugs the FDA has cleared since the first approval of one of the drugs in 2015, only three are available for sale. The rest are tied up in legal disputes that can block the cheaper versions for years.
