BioCND to Develop Lucentis Biosimilar

BioCND, a South Korean biopharmaceutical company, announced on Monday that it will begin clinical development in Korea of ranibizumab, a biosimilar of Genentech’s Lucentis® injection for patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD), macular edema following retinal vein occlusion (RVO), and diabetic macular edema (DME).

Globally, other companies have already begun clinical development of ranibizumab.

In January 2016, California-based Pfenex completed Phase I and II trials on PF582, its ranibizumab product. Munich-based Formycon AG and bioeq GmbH announced in February 2016 that they had begun enrollment for a Phase III study involving FYB201, Formycon’s biosimilar of Lucentis. Intas Pharmaceuticals also launched its Lucentis biosimilar, Razumab, in India in June of last year.