Novartis and Sandoz receive EU approval for new biosimilar Erelzi

Novartis and Sandoz has announced that its new biosimilar therapy Erelzi has been approved in Europe for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

The drug is a biosimilar version of Enbrel and is approved for use in the same indications, including rheumatoid arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis, plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, as well as juvenile idiopathic arthritis and paediatric plaque psoriasis.

This approval was based on a comprehensive development programme demonstrating that the new biosimilar is able to match its reference medicine in terms of safety, efficacy and quality.

Erelzi is available in a pre-filled syringe and an auto-injector pen, SensoReady, which has been optimised to provide maximum patient safety, comfort and convenience.

Carol Lynch, global head of biopharmaceuticals for Sandoz, said: "Erelzi further expands the offering to healthcare professionals and patients in Europe. Its availability is expected to result in more patients being treated with much-needed biologics."

Following the launch of Erelzi, Sandoz now has five biosimilars approved in Europe, and intends to launch three more biosimilars of major oncology and immunology biologics by 2020.

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