8 July 2021 - - Poland-based biopharmaceutical group Polpharma Biologics Group's joint venture company with Santo Holding (Strüngmann Group), Bioeq, has concluded a commercial partnership with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. for their biosimilar candidate of the ophthalmological drug Ranibizumab (Lucentis) in Europe, Canada, Israel and New Zealand, the group said.

The reference product is a monoclonal anti-angiogenic antibody fragment that has been approved to treat the "wet" type of age-related macular degeneration, a common form of age-related vision loss. Worldwide, at least 25 to 30 m people are affected by age-related macular degeneration.

The launch of a biosimilar Ranibizumab can increase market competition, reduce cost and expand patient access with proven analytical and clinical similarity to the original product.

This agreement with Teva complements an existing agreement concluded with Coherus BioSciences, Inc. for commercialisation in the United States.

Dr Joerg Windisch, CEO of the Polpharma Biologics Group, said on the achievements of the joint venture:

The Ranibizumab biosimilar, FYB201, was originally licensed in from Formycon AG (FRA: FYB/ WKN A1EWVY), a leading German biosimilars company, and subsequently developed by Bioeq AG, a joint venture between Polpharma Biologics and Santo Holding AG (Strüngmann Group). Phase III clinical trials for FYB201 have clinically demonstrated that the efficacy of FYB201 in patients with nAMD is comparable to that of Lucentis.

Biosimilars are intended for use in place of existing, branded biologics to treat a range of chronic and often life-threatening diseases, with the potential to reduce costs and expand patient access. Biosimilars exhibit proven analytical and clinical similarity to their respective branded reference products.

Polpharma Biologics Group is a biopharmaceutical group focused on the development and manufacture of biosimilars.

It provides fully integrated solutions along the biopharmaceutical value chain including cell line development, product and process development and clinical and commercial scale manufacturing to support the development of its proprietary portfolio of products and those of industry partners around the globe.

Polpharma Biologics has two sites in Poland, an advanced research and development center in Gdansk and a commercial scale manufacturing facility in Warsaw.

It also has a research center in the Netherlands.

It is the largest Polish biotechnological firm developing and manufacturing biosimilars. It has been active for over 10 years on a scale previously unknown in the Polish biotechnological sector, investing not only in labs and production lines, but also in know-how, creating highly specialised work places and developing co-operation between business and science.

The group currently employs over 800 people in Poland, including top-class specialists from the country and from around the world.

Bioeq AG is a Swiss biopharmaceutical joint venture between the Polpharma Biologics Group and the Strüngmann Group. Bioeq develops, licenses and commercializes biosimilars.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. has been developing and producing medicines to improve people's lives for more than a century.

Teva is a leader in generic and specialty medicines with a portfolio consisting of over 3,500 products in nearly every therapeutic area.

Around 200m people around the world take a Teva medicine every day and are served by one of the largest and most complex supply chains in the pharmaceutical industry.

Along with an established presence in generics, they have significant innovative research and operations supporting a growing portfolio of specialty and biopharmaceutical products.