Europe could recommend second biosimilar arthritis drug this week

By Ben Hirschler LONDON (Reuters) – Europe could soon gain a second biosimilar antibody drug for rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases, with regulators due to decide by Friday whether to recommend South Korean company Samsung Bioepis’s copy of Enbrel. Biosimilar copies of expensive biotech drugs are gaining momentum in Europe, which has been faster to adopt their use than the United States, and antibodies are the big prize because these products are among the world’s top-selling drugs. Worldwide sales of Amgen’s Enbrel, which is marketed outside North America by Pfizer, totalled $9 billion last year, with Europe accounting for about $2.5 billion.
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