Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim launch biosimilar insulin product

Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim have announced the launch of a new biosimilar insulin product for the treatment of diabetes in the UK.

Based on Sanofi's insulin glargine product Lantus, the new biosimilar abasaglar was approved by the European Commission back in December and is the first insulin treatment approved through the European Medicines Agency's biosimilar pathway.

Biosimilar products are an important new frontier in medicine, being structurally complex compounds that are similar but not identical to biologic medicines that have already been approved and demonstrated their efficacy.

They are designed to be much cheaper than the reference products, potentially reducing the financial burden on public health systems.

Jeremy Morgan, international vice-president at Lilly Diabetes, said: "While basal insulin has been a mainstay of diabetes treatment for many years, there are still challenges for patients when it comes to embracing and beginning insulin treatment as part of their daily routine."

Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim have been working together closely in the field of diabetes research since 2011.