The Food and Drug Administration has approved a second biosimilar to pegfilgrastim (Neulasta) to decrease the chance of infection in patients with nonmyeloid cancer who are receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy and are at risk of febrile neutropenia.
Approval of pegfilgrastim-cbqv, previously known as CHS-1701, was based on analyses establishing biosimilarity, including pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and immunogenicity studies. Clinical trial results were presented at the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting.
The most common adverse reactions with pegfilgrastim-cbqv are bone pain and pain in extremities.
The FDA approved the first pegfilgrastim biosimilar, pegfilgrastim-jmdb (Fulphila) in June.
Pegfilgrastim-cbqv will be marketed as Udenyca by Coherus BioSciences.
“Udenyca’s robust clinical package includes a dedicated immunogenicity similarity study in over 300 healthy subjects,” Barbara Finck, MD, chief medical officer of Coherus BioSciences, said in a press release.
“In support of that study, and as part of our commitment to ensuring patient safety, we deployed a battery of sensitive immunogenicity assays. This effort not only supported the biosimilarity of Udenyca but also advanced the understanding of the immunogenic response of pegfilgrastim products.”
Coherus BioSciences plans to provide details about pricing and the launch of pegfilgrastim-cbqv during an earnings call on Nov. 8.