Russia Drug Maker Accuses Roche of Sabotaging Biosimilars

June 23, 2016

Russia-based biotech, BIOCAD, is accusing Roche of deliberately setting low drug prices in Russia and using illegal tactics to thwart competition.

According to BIOCAD, Roche dropped prices on cancer medicines — Avastin, Herceptin, and Rituxan/MabThera — in Russia, where BIOCAD sells biosimilar versions of the three drugs.

“While Roche and Genentech keep raising prices in the US, they engage in predatory pricing in Russia, where (they) sell such drugs at a loss — all to destroy (Biocad) and prevent it from entering the US market with cheaper biosimilars,” said BIOCAD.

Read Ed Silverman's STAT news story