Sandoz Finalizes Acquisition of Biosimilar Cimerli from Coherus BioSciences

Sandoz has successfully completed the acquisition of the United States biosimilar, Cimerli (ranibizumab-eqrn), from Coherus BioSciences. This strategic move underscores Sandoz's commitment to expanding its portfolio in the biopharmaceutical sector, particularly in the area of biosimilars.

The transaction, initially announced in January, comes as part of Coherus BioSciences' strategic decision to reduce its debt and concentrate on its core oncology business. Coherus agreed to sell its Cimerli ophthalmology franchise to Sandoz for a total consideration of $170 million in cash, in addition to the costs associated with Cimerli inventory.

This comprehensive divestiture package includes Coherus' biologics license application for Cimerli, the ophthalmology sales and select field reimbursement teams, the existing product inventory, and access to proprietary commercial software.

Cimerli stands out in the market as an FDA-approved biosimilar to the reference product Lucentis, offering a new treatment option for multiple retinal diseases. These include wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), macular edema following retinal vein occlusion (RVO), diabetic macular edema (DME), diabetic retinopathy (DR), and myopic choroidal neovascularization (CNV).

Cimerli was approved by the FDA in August 2022 and was launched in October 2022, marking it as the first and only FDA-approved biosimilar interchangeable with Lucentis for all indicated uses.