RxTrials Institute Drug Pipeline Alert

Biogenerics, Not Just Biosimilars (GoozNews)
In his blog, Merrill Goozner discusses Merck’s and Eli Lilly’s plans to expand their drugmaking divisions to create drugs that are similar to existing medications but are not true generics. Goozner says “biosimilar” drugs will require their own patent protection. “Their clinical usefulness may be no different or only slightly improved from the original,” he writes. “But, because they have been put through their own clinical trials and have patent protection, they can be marketed to physicians as unique products and priced accordingly.”