Novartis launches first US ‘biosimilar’ drug at 15 percent discount

LONDON/ZURICH: Novartis kicked off a new era in U.S. medicine on Thursday with the launch of the first “biosimilar” copy of a biotechnology drug approved in the United States, at a discount of 15 percent to the original.

The Swiss drugmaker’s generics unit Sandoz said Zarxio, its form of Amgen’s white blood cell-boosting product Neupogen, would increase access to an important treatment by offering a “high-quality, more affordable version”.

U.S. biotech group Amgen had tried to stop the sale of Zarxio, also known as filgrastim-sndz, but the Washington-based appeals court rejected its attempt to block the launch…..http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/health/novartis-makes-history-wi/2097550.html