Merck commences phase III trial of biosimilar adalimumab

Merck has announced the commencement of a new phase III trial of MSB11022, a proposed biosimilar version of the established therapy adalimumab.

The AURIEL-Psoriasis will evaluate the efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of MSB11022 compared to the original branded therapy Humira in patients with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis.

Around 400 patients are expected to be recruited across Europe, Asia and the Americas, with the first patient in the study having already received treatment.

Adalimumab is part of a class of therapies called anti-TNFs. The original version, Humira, is sold by AbbVie and is also used in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Michael Soldan, head of the biosimilar business of Merck, said: "With the first patient now treated in our adalimumab biosimilar candidate study, we are moving closer to expanding access to affordable high-quality biologics for people living with serious diseases."

This comes as part of the company's wider strategic effort to broaden its offering of biosimilar therapies.