REDWOOD CITY, CA, USA I November 02, 2018 I Coherus BioSciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHRS), today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved UDENYCA™ (pegfilgrastim-cbqv), the first pegfilgrastim biosimilar approved by both the FDA and the European Commission (EC) for patients with cancer receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy.  UDENYCA™ is Coherus’ first drug to receive FDA or EC approval. 

“We are excited to announce that Coherus has received FDA approval for UDENYCA. I want to thank the Coherus team, our strategic partners, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for this extraordinary achievement,” said Denny Lanfear, Chairman, CEO and President of Coherus BioSciences. “The list price of Neulasta has nearly tripled since approval in 2002 and now represents a $4 billion annual cost burden in the U.S. We believe that competition is essential in controlling burdensome price increases, and UDENYCA will play an important role in curbing that spend when launched. Our in-depth understanding of the market will allow us to deliver significant value to patients, payors, and providers in the U.S., including 340B hospitals, small clinics and small hospitals.”

“For a number of reasons we believe the oncology marketplace is ideal for biosimilars, and we are committed to a vigorous product launch,” said Chris Thompson, Senior Vice President of Sales. “Our oncology-focused, highly capable and fully-staffed commercial team is in place. We are confident that our U.S.-based manufacturing network has the finished goods in inventory to meet our highest expected demand for an extended period.”

The approval of UDENYCA™ was supported by a comprehensive analytical similarity package, as well as pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and immunogenicity studies, including over 600 healthy subjects.

“UDENYCA’s robust clinical package includes a dedicated immunogenicity similarity study in over 300 healthy subjects,” said Barbara Finck, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Coherus BioSciences. “In support of that study, and as part of our commitment to ensuring patient safety, we deployed a battery of sensitive immunogenicity assays. This effort not only supported the biosimilarity of UDENYCA, but also advanced the understanding of the immunogenic response of pegfilgrastim products.”

The European Commission approved UDENYCA™ on September 21, 2018.

The company will provide additional details with respect to pricing and launch timing on the November 8 earnings call.

About UDENYCA™
UDENYCA™ (pegfilgrastim-cbqv), formerly CHS-1701, is a PEGylated growth colony-stimulating factor indicated to decrease the incidence of infection, as manifested by febrile neutropenia, in patients with non-myeloid malignancies receiving myelosuppressive anti-cancer drugs associated with a clinically significant incidence of febrile neutropenia. UDENYCA™ drug substance manufacturing is located in Boulder, Colorado. Pegfilgrastim is one of the largest selling oncology biologics with worldwide revenues in excess of $4.5 billion in 2017.

INDICATION
UDENYCA is a leukocyte growth factor indicated to decrease the incidence of infection, as manifested by febrile neutropenia, in patients with non-myeloid malignancies receiving myelosuppressive anti-cancer drugs associated with a clinically significant incidence of febrile neutropenia.

About Coherus BioSciences, Inc.
Coherus is a leading biosimilar company that develops and commercializes high-quality therapeutics for major regulated markets. Biosimilars are intended for use in place of existing, branded biologics to treat a range of chronic and often life-threatening diseases, with the potential to reduce costs and expand patient access. Coherus is positioned as a leader in the global biosimilar marketplace. Coherus is commercializing UDENYCA™ (pegfilgrastim-cbqv), advancing two late-stage clinical products towards commercialization, CHS-1420 (adalimumab biosimilar) and CHS-0214 (etanercept biosimilar), as well as developing a robust pipeline of future products in ophthalmology (including CHS-3351, a ranibizumab biosimilar, and CHS-2020, an aflibercept biosimilar), and CHS-131, a small molecule for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and multiple sclerosis.  For additional information, please visit www.coherus.com.

SOURCE: Coherus BioSciences