Watson, Amgen partner to develop biosimilars

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Generic drug maker Watson and biotech manufacturer Amgen will work together to develop biosimilar antibodies for treating cancer, the two companies said.



The companies said their partnership was based on the idea that biosimilars will take a different form from branded and generic drugs, requiring significant expertise, infrastructure and investment. Most responsibility for developing, manufacturing and initial commercialization of the drugs, while Watson will contribute up to $400 million in co-development costs and work on commercialization and marketing of products in specialty and generic markets. The companies will not, however, make biosimilars of Amgen drugs.



"The pairing of Amgen's 30 years of experience in biologics, together with Watson's substantial generics and specialty pharmaceutical experience and complementary commercial and distribution capabilities, provides great potential for worldwide patient access to high-quality oncology biosimilar medicines," Amgen COO and president Robert Bradway said. "Biosimilars provide an exciting long-term growth opportunity for Amgen, We have a dedicated team to leverage existing capabilities and capacity and drive the success of the collaboration."

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