Pfizer’s trastuzumab becomes US biosimilar number 18

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Trazimera, Pfizer’s version of Roche cancer drug Herceptin (trastuzumab).

Trazimera has been approved as a biosimilar version of Herceptin to treat human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) overexpressing breast cancer and HER2 overexpressing metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.

It is the fourth version of the Roche bestselling monoclonal antibody (MAb) to receive the regulatory thumbs up in the US. Mylan’s Ogiviri received approval in December 2017 and in the past three months Celltrion and Samsung Bioepis/Merck & Co. have seen regulatory success with their respective trastuzumab programs.

Image: iStock/chatsimo

So far none of these trastuzumab biosimilars have launched in the US and Roche’s monopoly remains unthreatened. In 2018, the MAb pulled in CHF 2.9 billion ($2.9 billion) in US sales for the Swiss biopharma firm.

“Pfizer is working to make Trazimera available to patients as soon as possible,” Pfizer spokesperson Jessica Smith told BioProcess Insider. When asked, Smith was unable to offer further details regarding launch, specific pricing or commercialization strategies.

“However, by introducing biosimilars like Trazimera to the US market, Pfizer hopes that patients and their physicians will have improved access to a high-quality, potentially lower-cost alternative trastuzumab treatment option within its approved indications.”

US biosimilars by numbers

Trazimera is Pfizer’s fifth biosimilar to be approved by the FDA and its first biosimilar MAb.

It is the eighteenth biosimilar to be granted approval and the fourth trastuzumab biosimilar.

The full list is as follows: