Mylan N.V. and Biocon Ltd. has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted Mylan’s biologics license application (BLA) for MYL-1401O, a proposed biosimilar trastuzumab, for filing through the 351(k) pathway. This product is a proposed biosimilar to branded trastuzumab, which is indicated to treat certain HER2-positive breast cancers. The anticipated FDA goal date set under the Biosimilar User Fee Act (BsUFA) is Sept. 3, 2017.

Mylan President Rajiv Malik commented: "The FDA acceptance of our BLA for proposed biosimilar trastuzumab marks an important step toward increasing access to this treatment option for patients in the U.S. We believe that our comprehensive package of analytical similarity, non-clinical and clinical data submitted with the BLA will demonstrate similarity of the proposed biosimilar trastuzumab to the reference product. We are committed to bringing this product to market and look forward to working with FDA over the next months. This is Mylan and Biocon’s first U.S. regulatory submission through the 351(k) pathway and this reinforces the strength of our collaboration to increase access to a broad portfolio of high-quality, affordable biosimilars worldwide."

Dr. Arun Chandavarkar, CEO and Joint Managing Director, Biocon, said: "We are delighted by the FDA’s acceptance of the BLA for our proposed biosimilar trastuzumab. It is a major milestone for the Mylan and Biocon collaboration since it is the first U.S. regulatory submission through our joint global biosimilars program. This development positions Biocon and Mylan among the first companies to be able to address the critical need of U.S. patients for a high-quality biosimilar to treat certain HER2-positive breast cancers in the near future."

Mylan and Biocon’s proposed biosimilar trastuzumab is also under review by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Worldwide, nearly 2 million women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, making it the second most common cancer in the world. HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer is an aggressive form of breast cancer that tests positive for the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), which promotes cancer cell growth. Approximately 20% to 30% of primary breast cancers are HER2-positive.