持田製薬 has expanded its partnership with Chinese company Qilu Pharmaceutical on biosimilars and will jointly pursue the development and commercialization of multiple products in Japan. The companies also partnered in March on a biosimilar of follitropin alfa, and the contract value was not disclosed.
持田製薬 announced that it had entered into a partnership agreement with Chinese pharmaceutical company Qilu Pharmaceutical covering follow-on biologics (biosimilars). The companies will jointly pursue the development and commercialization of multiple products in Japan.
In March, 持田製薬 entered into a partnership agreement with Qilu for a biosimilar of follitropin alfa, a drug used in fertility treatment. It plans to expand the partnership to additional products to drive business growth. The contract value was not disclosed.
Biosimilars are products that offer efficacy broadly equivalent to that of biologic medicines whose patents have expired, at a lower price. 持田製薬 aims to grow by expanding its biosimilar portfolio. Qilu is developing more than 60 biosimilars.