AbbVie has signed a deal with Samsung Bioepis and its joint venture partner Biogen, that will delay U.S. competition of a biosimilar version of Humira until June 2023, but allow Samsung Bioepis to launch in the EU in October 2018.
Under the terms of the agreement, Samsung Bioepis will pay royalties to AbbVie for licensing its Humira patents once its adalimumab biosimilar product is launched.
Additionally, all litigation pending between the parties, as well as all litigation with Samsung Bioepis' European partner, Biogen, will be dismissed.
The deal comes as Humira biosimilar approvals pile up and AbbVie continues to do everything it can to keep them off the market. This deal follows a settlement with Amgen in September, through which Amgen will be allowed to launch its Humira biosimilar in the U.S. in January 2023. Boehringer Ingelheim and Amgen both have approved Humira biosimilars, and Novartis/Sandoz have a version which has been filed in Europe.
