Samsung Bioepis, a subsidiary of Samsung Epis Holdings, said on the 18th that it signed a strategic partnership with Swiss drugmaker Sandoz to develop and sell follow-on biosimilar pipelines.
The deal is an early-stage collaboration for "Entyvio (ingredient name vedolizumab)" biosimilar "SB36," which Samsung Bioepis is developing. The pipeline is currently in the preclinical stage.
Entyvio is an inflammatory bowel disease treatment developed by Japan's Takeda Pharmaceutical that targets the "alpha4beta7 integrin" protein acting on intestinal tissue to suppress excessive immune responses. Its global annual sales are known to be about 9 trillion won.
Under the agreement, Samsung Bioepis will handle product development, manufacturing and supply, while Sandoz will have the rights to sell in global markets excluding China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau and Korea after commercialization. The two companies also plan to pursue cooperation on up to five follow-on pipelines, including SB36.
The agreement expands the collaboration the two companies have already built. In 2023, they signed a North America and Europe sales partnership for the "Stelara (ustekinumab)" biosimilar "SB17."
Samsung Bioepis CEO and President Kim Kyung-ah said, "By signing a partnership for early development collaboration on follow-on pipelines, we once again confirmed our company's research and development capabilities at a global level."