Alvotech and DKSH Partner to Bring Key Biosimilar to Asia

March 24, 2020

Alvotech Hf and DKSH, a leading healthcare provider across 36 emerging countries in South-East Asia, today announced that Alvotech Hf and DKSH have entered into an exclusive license partnership for the commercialization of AVT02, an adalimumab biosimilar, in selected APAC markets.

AVT02 is a biosimilar monoclonal antibody to AbbVie’s HUMIRA®, which is a leading drug indicated for the treatment of several autoimmune diseases, including Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), Plaque Psoriasis (PP), Psoriatic Arthritis, Ulcerative Colitis (UC), and Crohn’s Disease (CD) amongst other indications. It neutralizes Tumor Necrosis Alpha (TNF-α) which is a cytokine involved in the systemic inflammation associated with the labelled indications. AbbVie’s HUMIRA® recorded sales of about US$20 billion in 2018, making it the largest-selling blockbuster medicine worldwide.

Under the partnership, Alvotech Hf will be responsible for the development and supply of AVT02, while DKSH will be responsible for its registration and commercialization.

AVT02 will be filed in the second half of 2020 with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and with United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) (through Alvotech Hf’s US affiliate).

“We are very proud to announce our new partnership with DKSH, a leading healthcare company with deep market experience in Asia. Through the partnership, Alvotech gains access to DKHS’s strong commercial network, which will ultimately benefit patients who will get better access to high-quality biosimilar medicines.”

MARK LEVICK

Chief Executive Officer of Alvotech

“We see this partnership with Alvotech as a great opportunity to accelerate our development in the biosimilar space and strengthen our position in this fast-growing segment with tremendous promise across Asia. We are extremely excited to soon be able to enrich the lives of Asian patients and their loved ones by providing them with access to a state-of-the-art cost-effective biologic.”

BIJAY SINGH

Global Head of Business Unit Healthcare, DKSH

About DKSH

DKSH is the leading Market Expansion Services provider with a focus on Asia. The Group helps companies to grow across the Business Units Healthcare, Consumer Goods, Performance Materials and Technology. The service portfolio covers sourcing, market insights, marketing and sales, eCommerce, distribution and logistics as well as after-sales services. Publicly listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, the Group operates in 36 markets with 33,350 specialists, generating net sales of CHF 11.6 billion in 2019. With its Swiss heritage, DKSH has been deeply rooted in Asia Pacific since 1865. The DKSH Business Unit Healthcare distributes pharmaceuticals, consumer health and overt-the-counter (OTC) products as well as medical devices. With around 8,220 specialists, the Business Unit generated net sales of CHF 6.0 billion in 2019.