Months after obtaining the first US FDA designation of interchangeability, for its Semglee biosimilar to Sanofi’s Lantus, Viatris has seen a return on its investment, with the biosimilar scooping preferred status on one of the largest national formularies in the US.

As Boehringer Ingelheim’s Cyltezo has become the second-ever interchangeable biosimilar approved by the US FDA – as well as the first monoclonal antibody to garner the designation and offering the first published data from a switching trial to support interchangeability – the debate around the potential impact for interchangeable products in the keenly-watched adalimumab space and beyond continues to grow.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia treatment indoramin topped the UK’s steepest generic price rises in September with an average price that more than trebled, according to the latest figures from WaveData.

Celltrion has indicated that it intends to leverage its ability to compete on cost to gain a foothold in the bevacizumab market, despite being a “latecomer” in the wake of firms that have previously launched and filed biosimilar rivals to Avastin.

Three civil settlements worth more than $447m in total have been reached with the US Department of Justice by Sandoz, Apotex and Sun’s Taro to resolve allegations over price-fixing. The deals follow criminal penalties previously paid by the three companies.

New Zealand’s Pharmac pharmaceutical management agency is considering funding Amgen’s Amgevita adalimumab biosimilar rather than the Humira reference brand from early 2022.

The AAM has applauded US proposals to lower drug prices, following the development of the HHS’s 45-day plan in response to president Joe Biden’s executive order on promoting competition. However, AAM chief executive Dan Leonard has criticized Congressional proposals to weaken the 180-day incentive for first generics and curtail patent settlement agreements as “misguided.”

Timolol eye drops saw their prices leap in August while sildenafil’s slide saw prices cut in half, according to the latest UK generics pricing figures from WaveData.

Ivabradine, lercanidipine, donepezil and aspirin led the steepest price rises seen for UK generics in July 2021, with all of these molecules experiencing triple-digit average increases in certain presentations, according to WaveData.