Mylan has set its sights on bringing generic versions of three top-selling insulin brands to market.
The company has signed a collaboration deal with Biocon to develop and commercialise the Indian biotech firm’s versions of Sanofi’s Lantus, Lilly’s Humalog and Novo Nordisk’s NovoLog.
Together the three ‘fast-acting’ insulin brands are worth approximately $11.5bn and all three are expected to lose patent protection in the next couple of years.
Mylan hopes its deal with Biocon will allow it to be one of the first companies to launch generic versions of the insulins in developed pharma markets like the US.
Mylan’s CEO Heather Bresch said: “This collaboration further expands and diversifies our pipeline of complex, difficult-to-manufacture products with strong future growth potential.
“Importantly, we believe we have the opportunity to be one of the first generic entrants in developed markets into the rapidly growing diabetes area, helping to address unmet needs and reduce the economic burden to those battling the disease and to the global healthcare system.”
The collaboration, which adds to the US generics company’s existing generic biologics partnership with Biocon, will see the firms share development, capital and certain other costs in order to bring the products to market.
Mylan will then have exclusive commercialisation rights in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the EU and European Free Trade Association countries through a profit-share arrangement with Biocon.
Mylan will also have co-exclusive commercialisation rights with Biocon in certain other markets around the world.
Biocon’s chairman and managing director Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw said: “We are confident that together we can build a strong global presence in generic insulin analogs and provide access to affordable therapy options to physicians, healthcare providers and diabetes patients worldwide.”
Established in 1978, Biocon is India’s largest biotechnology company by revenue and its product portfolio includes the world’s first Pichia-based recombinant human insulin, Insugen.