Biocon Biologics Ltd announced a settlement and license agreement with Regeneron that clears the way to commercialize Yesafili (aflibercept-jbvf), an interchangeable biosimilar aflibercept, in the United States. Yesafili, a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor, is used to treat several different types of ophthalmology conditions and is a biosimilar of its reference product Eylea (aflibercept), the company said in a press release.
According to the company, Biocon Biologics and Regeneron executed the settlement agreement to dismiss the pending appeal at the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (USCAFC) of patent US11084865 (‘865 patent) and the pending litigation at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia, Clarksburg Division.
This agreement enables the company to launch in the United States in the second half of calendar year 2026 or earlier in certain circumstances. The terms of the settlement are confidential, Biocon Biologics Ltd said in the press release.
“This settlement clears the path for Biocon Biologics to be among the first to bring a reliable, high-quality aflibercept biosimilar to patients and health care providers in the United States," said Shreehas Tambe, CEO and managing Director, Biocon Biologics Ltd., in the press release. "As the first-to-file interchangeable biosimilar to Eylea, Yesafili affirms our scientific strength and marks our strategic entry into Ophthalmology, expanding our footprint in the US and advancing our mission to increase access to life-changing treatments.”
Previously, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Yesafili (aflibercept-jbvf), an interchangeable biosimilar aflibercept in May 2024. Additionally, Biocon Biologics secured a settlement agreement in Canada with Bayer Inc. and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., for the launch of Yesafili no later than July 1, 2025, Biocon Biologics Ltd said.
According to Biocon Biologics Ltd, Yesafili is intended for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD), visual impairment due to macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion (branch RVO or central RVO), visual impairment due to diabetic macular edema (DME), and visual impairment due to myopic choroidal neovascularisation (myopic CNV). It is highly similar to the reference product Eylea (aflibercept). Data shows that Yesafili has comparable quality, safety, and efficacy to Eylea, the company said.