Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim receive EU approval for biosimilar insulin

Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim have been granted European regulatory approval for their groundbreaking new insulin glargine product for diabetes patients.

Indicated to treat diabetes in adults, adolescents and children aged two years and above, the product is the first insulin treatment approved through the European Medicines Agency's new biosimilar pathway.

A basal insulin with the same amino acid sequence as Sanofi's currently-marketed insulin glargine product Lantus, the drug provides long-lasting blood sugar control between meals and at night. It will be available in a prefilled pen and cartridges for a reusable pen.

The companies were able to demonstrate the efficacy of the new therapy in a comprehensive clinical data programme that showed the benefits it can offer type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients.

Enrique Conterno, president of Lilly Diabetes, said: "We believe that insulin glargine will continue to be widely used for many years, and Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim are committed to addressing the needs of people living with diabetes."

This is the fourth diabetes product approved in the EU generated by Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim's diabetes alliance. They received approval for their type 2 diabetes treatment Jardiance earlier this year.