Alvotech and Cipla Partner on 5 Biosimilars for South Africa

Reykjavik, Iceland-based Alvotech has partnered with Cipla Medpro to bring 5 biosimilar candidates to South Africa.

The portfolio will include 2 biosimilar candidates for oncology and 3 for autoimmune diseases; however, the 5 molecules that the biosimilars will reference were not publicly disclosed.

Alvotech will be in charge of development and supply of the products and Cipla will be responsible for commercialization and regulatory registration.

“We’re delighted to establish this important partnership with Cipla…an ideal commercial partner, with a leading presence in the South African pharmaceutical market,” Mark Levick, CEO of Alvotech, said in a statement.

Alvotech’s Other Partners

Alvotech does not have any biosimilars approved yet, but it has been setting other deals for biosimilar distribution with diverse business partners, possibly involving the same biosimilar candidates but in different geographic areas.

In September 2020, Alvotech extended its partnership with DKSH to include distribution of multiple biosimilar products in Asia, the United States, and Europe. Alvotech said this would involve distribution of an adalimumab biosimilar candidate (AVT02).

In August 2020, Alvotech announced a partnership with Teva Pharmaceuticals to commercialize 5 biosimilar candidates for the US market.

Additionally, Avotech has a partnership with JAMP Pharma to market 5 biosimilar candidates in the Canadian market and with Kamada for 6 biosimilar candidates in the Israeli market.

Except for AVT02, Alvotech and its partners have not disclosed any of the molecules included in the deals and there is no information on whether any of the candidates are the same between the deals.

More on Cipla Medpro

Cipla Medpro was founded in South Africa in 1995 under the name Enaleni Pharmaceuticals. Cipla Medpro mostly focuses on over-the-counter and generic medications.