Amgen Cancer Biosimilar Approved in Europe

Amgen Inc. and partner Allergan plc announced Thursday they were given marketing authorization by the European Commission for the drug Mvasi to treat certain types of cancers. The Thousand Oaks biotech has collaborated with Ireland-based Allergan on the international development and commercialization of four oncology antibody biosimilar medicines. Mvasi is a biosimilar of bevacizumab, and is approved to treat adult patients with colorectal, brain, lung, kidney and cervical cancers in Europe. “The European Commission’s approval of Mvasi marks a significant milestone for both Amgen and the oncology community, providing a biosimilar for a medicine which is used across multiple types of cancer,” Dr. Sean Harper, executive vice president of research and development, said in a statement. In September, Mvasi became the first anti-cancer biosimilar, and first biosimilar bevacizumab to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Shares of Amgen (AMGN) closed Friday up $1.69, or nearly 1 percent, to $189.28 on the Nasdaq.