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EMA ponders biosimilar guideline

pharmafile | May 14, 2013 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing EMA, biosimilars 

The European Medicines Agency is thinking about changes to its guidance on similar biological medicines and has published a draft for public consultation.

The initial guideline on biosimilars was put out in September 2005 to establish the regulatory framework by which such drugs would be approved under Directive 2001/83/EC: 14 have so far been authorised in the European Union, with five applications currently under review.

Biosimilars contain a version of the active substance of a drug that has already been given the green light: the EMA’s new draft is meant to provide clarification on the terminology used to describe biosimilars and to sharpen up the principles of biosimilarity, especially with regard to safety and efficacy.

It will also clarify what is required from companies seeking such approval regarding the posology – that is, the science of dosage around that medicine – how they are administered and on the formulation of biosimilars.

Comparability is key to the whole process and the EMA is suggesting a little more wriggle room for companies when it comes to the choice of the reference product when they conduct trials of their biosimilar.

As things stand, European marketing authorisation can only be given to developers of biosimilars if they conduct comparability studies which show their product is similar – in terms of quality, safety and efficacy – to a drug which is authorised in the European Economic Area (EEA).

The new draft says: “It may be possible for an applicant to compare its biosimilar in certain clinical studies and in vivo non-clinical studies with a comparator authorised outside of the EEA.”

The idea behind this, the EMA explains, is to make the global development of biosimilars easier and to avoid unnecessary repetition of trials – but this other drug would still “need to be authorised by a regulatory authority with similar scientific and regulatory standards to those of the EMA”.

Comments on the EMA’s draft revised guideline can be made until 31 October.

Adam Hill

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