Amgen and Allergan announced the submission of a Biologics License Application (BLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for ABP 798, a biosimilar candidate to Rituxan® (rituximab). Amgen and Allergan are collaborating on four oncology biosimilar medicines, two of which have already been approved by the FDA.

"The U.S. filing for ABP 798 marks an important milestone for Amgen, as it affirms our commitment to providing high quality biosimilars that offer more life-altering biological treatment options and contribute to the sustainability of healthcare systems," said David M. Reese, M.D., executive vice president of Research and Development at Amgen. "We look forward to working with the FDA to bring ABP 798 to market."

ABP 798 has been developed as a biosimilar candidate to Rituxan. Rituxan is a CD20-directed cytolytic antibody that has been approved in many regions for, among other things, the treatment of adult patients alone or in combination with chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, in combination with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide for chronic lymphocytic leukemia, granulomatosis with polyangiitis and microscopic polyangiitis with glucocorticoids.

"We are excited about the progress that we've made to date through our partnership with Amgen, which includes the launch of the first two oncology therapeutic biosimilars in the U.S.," said David Nicholson, Ph.D., chief research and development officer at Allergan. "With ABP 798, we look forward to the opportunity to continue to provide additional treatment options to patients suffering from serious illnesses."

The BLA submission includes analytical, pharmacokinetic and clinical data, as well as pharmacology and toxicology data generated in two clinical studies. The results of these studies confirmed no clinically meaningful differences between ABP 798 and Rituxan.

ABP 798 has been developed as a biosimilar candidate to Rituxan. Rituxan is an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody that has been approved in many regions for the treatment of, among other things, adult patients alone or in combination with chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, in combination with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide for chronic lymphocytic leukemia, granulomatosis with polyangiitis and microscopic polyangiitis with glucocorticoids. The active ingredient of ABP 798 is a monoclonal antibody that has the same amino acid sequence as Rituxan.

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