Enzene Biosciences launches Cetuximab, biosimilar of cancer drug Erbitux

Enzene Biosciences has launched Cetuximab as the first biosimilar to cancer. Sold under the brand name Erbitux, Cetuximab is a therapeutic chimeric monoclonal antibody that is used as a targeted therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) and cancer of the head and neck, with eight weeks of treatment costing about $30,000 for a single patient.

Enzene’s Cetuximab is produced in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cell line; resulting in glycosylation profiles that are more human-like. This has led to a lower incidence of adverse effects in clinical trials in India, informed the company.

Commenting on the launch of Cetuximab, Dr Himanshu Gadgil, CEO, Enzene Biosciences, added, “Recognising the fact that biosimilars are an innovative alternative to expensive biologics as a treatment option for a wide range of ailments like cancer, we at Enzene Biosciences have been developing a range of biosimilars for the US, EU, APAC, MENA and LATAM regions. Cetuximab is our latest offering in our pipeline of biosimilars, which is being manufactured using our patented continuous manufacturing platform and will considerably bring down the treatment costs for mCRC and cancer of the head and neck for our Indian patients.”

The company also informed, Cetuximab binds to specific cancer cell surface receptors (EGFR) and competitively inhibits the epidermal growth factor (EGF) binding. Acting like an inhibitor to prevent cell growth and metastasis, Enzene’s Cetuximab has potentially less risks for patients and will be marketed at a cost, several folds lower than the usual cost of the biologic Cetuximab.

Sandeep Singh, MD, Alkem Industries stated, “Alkem has been at the forefront to bringing drugs into the Indian market for many years. With the strongest pipeline of biosimilars in the country, Enzene Biosciences has already launched five such biosimilars in a short span of 24 months and is on track to launching two more in the next few months. We aspire to aggressively promote Cetuximab, an affordable option to Erbitux for our Indian patients with head and neck cancer.”