REYKJAVIK, Iceland & PARSIPPANY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alvotech (NASDAQ: ALVO), a global biotech company specializing in the development and manufacture of biosimilar medicines for patients worldwide, and Teva Pharmaceuticals, a U.S. affiliate of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE: TEVA), today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review a Biologics License Application (BLA) for AVT04, Alvotech’s proposed biosimilar to Stelara® (ustekinumab), which is prescribed to treat a variety of inflammatory conditions. The companies anticipate that the FDA’s review will be completed in second half of 2023.
"The progress of AVT04 helps to validate the end-to-end biosimilars development and manufacturing platform that we have built at Alvotech," said Joseph McClellan, Chief Scientific Officer of Alvotech. "Our approach is multi-product, and we look forward to broadening our portfolio as we continue to focus on expanding access to affordable biologic medicines."
“We are pleased to be one step closer to making AVT04 available to patients and providers as a biosimilar treatment option to Stelara® for indicated inflammatory conditions,” said Christine Baeder, SVP, Chief Operating Officer US Generics, Teva. “Teva continues to remain focused on our commitment to lower healthcare costs and expand the availability and access of biosimilars.”
In August 2020, Alvotech and Teva announced a strategic partnership for the exclusive commercialization in the U.S. of five of Alvotech’s biosimilar product candidates. In May 2022, Alvotech announced that a confirmatory clinical, safety and efficacy study for AVT04 had met its primary endpoint, in demonstrating therapeutic equivalence between Alvotech’s biosimilar candidate and the reference product in patients with moderate to severe chronic plaque-type psoriasis. Earlier in May 2022, Alvotech also announced positive top-line results from a pharmacokinetic (PK) similarity study for AVT04.
About AVT04 (ustekinumab)
AVT04 is a monoclonal antibody and a biosimilar candidate to Stelara® (ustekinumab). Ustekinumab binds to two cytokines, IL-12 and IL-23, that are involved in inflammatory and immune responses [1]. AVT04 is an investigational product and has not received regulatory approval in any country. Biosimilarity has not been established by regulatory authorities and is not claimed.
* Stelara® is a registered trademark of Johnson & Johnson
[1] https://www.janssenlabels.com/package-insert/product-monograph/prescribing-information/STELARA-pi.pdf
About Alvotech
Alvotech is a biotech company, founded by Robert Wessman, focused solely on the development and manufacture of biosimilar medicines for patients worldwide. Alvotech seeks to be a global leader in the biosimilar space by delivering high quality, cost-effective products, and services, enabled by a fully integrated approach and broad in-house capabilities. Alvotech’s current pipeline contains eight biosimilar candidates aimed at treating autoimmune disorders, eye disorders, osteoporosis, respiratory disease, and cancer. Alvotech has formed a network of strategic commercial partnerships to provide global reach and leverage local expertise in markets that include the United States, Europe, Japan, China, and other Asian countries and large parts of South America, Africa and the Middle East. Alvotech’s commercial partners include Teva Pharmaceuticals, a US affiliate of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (US), STADA Arzneimittel AG (EU), Fuji Pharma Co., Ltd (Japan), Cipla/Cipla Gulf/Cipla Med Pro (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa/Africa), JAMP Pharma Corporation (Canada), Yangtze River Pharmaceutical (Group) Co., Ltd. (China), DKSH (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan), YAS Holding LLC (Middle East and North Africa), Abdi Ibrahim (Turkey), Kamada Ltd. (Israel), Mega Labs, Stein, Libbs, Tuteur and Saval (Latin America) and Lotus Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. (Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, and South Korea). Each commercial partnership covers a unique set of product(s) and territories. Except as specifically set forth therein, Alvotech disclaims responsibility for the content of periodic filings, disclosures and other reports made available by its partners. For more information, please visit www.alvotech.com. None of the information on the Alvotech website shall be deemed part of this press release.
About Teva
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE: TEVA) has been developing and producing medicines to improve people’s lives for more than a century. We are a global leader in generic and specialty medicines with a portfolio consisting of over 3,500 products in nearly every therapeutic area. Around 200 million people around the world take a Teva medicine every day and are served by one of the largest and most complex supply chains in the pharmaceutical industry. Along with our established presence in generics, we have significant innovative research and operations supporting our growing portfolio of specialty and biopharmaceutical products. Learn more at www.tevapharm.com.
Forward Looking Statements (Alvotech)
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Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events and may include, for example, Alvotech’s expectations regarding regulatory review and interactions, the timing and results of the facility inspection by the FDA, satisfactory responses to the FDA’s inspection findings and resolution of deficiencies conveyed following the inspection of Alvotech’s manufacturing site, the potential approval and commercial launch of its product candidates, the timing of the announcement of clinical study results, regulatory approvals and market launches, the estimated size of the total addressable market of Alvotech’s pipeline products, competitive advantages, business prospects and opportunities including pipeline product development, future plans and intentions, results, level of activities, performance, goals or achievements or other future events. 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Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: (1) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Alvotech or others following the business combination between Alvotech Holdings S.A., Oaktree Acquisition Corp. II and Alvotech; (2) the ability to maintain stock exchange listing standards; (3) changes in applicable laws or regulations; (4) the possibility that Alvotech may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; (5) Alvotech’s estimates of expenses and profitability; (6) Alvotech’s ability to develop, manufacture and commercialize the products and product candidates in its pipeline; (7) the ability of Alvotech or its partners to respond to inspection findings and resolve deficiencies to the satisfaction of the regulators; (8) actions of regulatory authorities, which may affect the initiation, timing and progress of clinical studies or future regulatory approvals or marketing authorizations; (9) the ability of Alvotech or its partners to enroll and retain patients in clinical studies; (10) the ability of Alvotech or its partners to gain approval from regulators for planned clinical studies, study plans or sites; (11) the ability of Alvotech’s partners to conduct, supervise and monitor existing and potential future clinical studies, which may impact development timelines and plans; (12) Alvotech’s ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval or authorizations of its products, including the timing or likelihood of expansion into additional markets or geographies; (13) the success of Alvotech’s current and future collaborations, joint ventures, partnerships or licensing arrangements; (14) Alvotech’s ability, and that of its commercial partners, to execute their commercialization strategy for approved products; (15) Alvotech’s ability to manufacture sufficient commercial supply of its approved products; (16) the outcome of ongoing and future litigation regarding Alvotech’s products and product candidates; (17) the potential impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the FDA’s review timelines, including its ability to complete timely inspection of manufacturing sites; (18) the impact of worsening macroeconomic conditions, including rising inflation and interest rates and general market conditions, war in Ukraine and global geopolitical tension, and the ongoing and evolving COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s business, financial position, strategy and anticipated milestones; and (19) other risks and uncertainties set forth in the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in documents that Alvotech may from time to time file or furnish with the SEC. There may be additional risks that Alvotech does not presently know or that Alvotech currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Nothing in this communication should be regarded as a representation by any person that the forward-looking statements set forth herein will be achieved or that any of the contemplated results of such forward-looking statements will be achieved. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Alvotech does not undertake any duty to update these forward-looking statements or to inform the recipient of any matters of which any of them becomes aware of which may affect any matter referred to in this communication. 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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements (Teva)
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are based on management’s current beliefs and expectations and are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, that could cause our future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from that expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. You can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “target,” “may,” “project,” “guidance,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe” and other words and terms of similar meaning and expression in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance. Important factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include risks relating to our ability to develop our biosimilar products pipeline; our ability to successfully compete in the marketplace, including our ability to develop and commercialize biopharmaceutical products, competition for our innovative medicines, including AUSTEDO®, AJOVY® and COPAXONE®; our ability to achieve expected results from investments in our product pipeline, our ability to develop and commercialize additional pharmaceutical products, and the effectiveness of our patents and other measures to protect our intellectual property rights; our substantial indebtedness; our business and operations in general; costs and delays resulting from the extensive pharmaceutical regulation to which we are subject to, or delays in governmental processing time due to travel and work restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic; compliance, regulatory and litigation matters, including failure to comply with complex legal and regulatory environments; other financial and economic risks; and other factors discussed in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the third quarter of 2022 and in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, including in the section captioned “Risk Factors.” Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or other information contained herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You are cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.
