Following the patent expiry of Sanofi’s diabetes drug Lantus, Eli Lilly has announced it plans to launch its biosimilar version in Europe later this year.
Global pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly & Co., plans to launch its biosimilar version of Sanofi’s Lantus insulin for diabetes in Europe in the third quarter of 2015, president of Lilly Diabetes, Enrique Conterno, announced.
BloombergBusiness reports that Lantus is Sanofi’s best-selling product: “In 2014, the company reported 6.34 billion euros (USD$7.05 billion) in sales from the drug, up 12 per cent from the previous year”.
However, the patent on Lantus expired in May, according to Lilly. Meanwhile, the FDA has granted tentative approval for Lilly’s biosimilar version, which is being developed with Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH and will be called Abasaglar in Europe and Basaglar when eventually marketed in the U.S.
David Kendall, vice president of medical affairs for Lilly Diabetes, said in an interview that this drug has other benefits, with better blood sugar control and less weight gain in patients with adult-onset Type 2 diabetes compared to those taking Lantus.
