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| Source: Pink Sheet Pharma Intelligence |
Pfizer filed suit against Johnson & Johnson (J&J) on Wednesday for allegedly using anticompetitive practices to prevent less expensive versions of its rheumatoid arthritis (RA) drug to thrive in the budding biosimilar market.
J&J has sold the injectable biologic Remicade for nearly 2 decades, generating $4.8 billion in US sales last year alone. This injectable biologic drug is widely used to treat RA, Crohn’s disease, and other inflammatory disorders, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Pfizer’s Inflectra was the second biosimilar to receive FDA approval.
If Pfizer wins the case against J&J, it could pave a new path that would discourage brand name companies from cutting deals with insurers to limit competition in the biosimilar marketplace, according to the Chicago Tribune. However, if J&J comes out on top it could continue to fuel strategies that thwart competition, according to the article.
Tyrone’s comment: While this is a first in the biologics industry, these types of lawsuits (generic vs brand manufacturers) are not uncommon. It’s a clear indication biosimilars are a serious threat to brand competitors and will soon come to market in mass. J&J knows the future of biotech includes biosimilars so they are delaying the inevitable in an attempt to hold on to the cash cow for as long as possible. Because cost will eventually come down as a result of these lawsuits and innovation, this is a good thing for self-funded plan sponsors – stay tuned.
“This is the first lawsuit that is challenging anti-competitive behavior in the biologics industry, and that is very important because this is the wave of the future––this is where a lot of the innovation is taking place today,” Michael Carrier, law professor at Rutgers Law School, told the Chicago Tribune. “It really is an uncharted path, in terms of what competition should look like going forward.”
