DEC 19 - Amgen Inc, the creation's largest biotechnology company, and generic drugmaker Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc, said on Monday they will work hand in hand to develop and sell biosimilar versions of several biotech cancer drugs.

The companies, which plan to sell biosimilar products in the state a joint Amgen/Watson label, did not prove to be identical which drugs they are planning to unravel cheaper versions of, but said they will not be current Amgen products.

Scott Foraker, subject of Amgen's biosimilar division, declared the company was fully committed to the straining and expects to see Amgen/Watson biosimilar products forward the market in "the second half of this decade."

"Clearly, we're all in," Foraker told Reuters in a telephone conference. "We know exactly which products we're going later than. We have detailed product plans and it's equitable to say that there has been more work done on some of those products, thus we're not starting from mark with a ~."

Amgen, which is already facing emulation in Europe from biosimilars of some of its own products, signaled in April that it hoped to utilize its biotech manufacturing expertise to gain into the business of biosimilars.

Under stipulations of the agreement, Amgen will assume primeval responsibility for developing, manufacturing and initially commercializing the biosimilar cancer drugs, the companies declared. Watson will contribute up to $400 a thousand thousand in co-development costs and take superior situation of its expertise in the opportunity to sell and marketing of specialty and generic drugs. Watson command initially receive royalties and sales milestones from result revenue.

Amgen's biosimilar efforts, howsoever, will not be limited to the collaboration by Watson.

"Each company has the force to pursue biosimilars outside of the products we're collaborating without interrupti~, and I will tell you that you be able to expect to see biosimilars from Amgen external part the oncology space in other therapeutic areas," Foraker said, declining to prove to be identical which other areas.

The U.S. Food and deaden with narcotics Administration is expected soon to out-building more light on a process for the production and approval of less expensive copies of biotech medicines in the United States in each effort to save billions of dollars in freedom from disease care costs. However, because biologic drugs are well-nigh more complex to produce than chemical pills, biosimilars are not expected to have ~ing anywhere near as cheap as traditional generic drugs.

"Although the detailed conduct that the FDA is working on has not come out we be in possession of a pretty good idea of the sort of their expectations are with respect to product development for biosimilars and they align well with our expectations," Foraker said.

Because medicines produced from subsistence proteins cannot be exactly replicated the space chemical pills can, the products are commonly referred to for example biosimilars rather than biogenerics and will require separate FDA guidelines for gaining approval than traditionary generic drugs.

"Biosimilars provide an exciting in extent-term growth opportunity for Amgen. We be favored with a dedicated team to leverage existing capabilities and dimensions and drive the success of the collaboration," Amgen Chief Operating Officer Robert Bradaway, who volition become CEO next year, said in a relation.

The deal will also allow Watson to profit a major foothold in the scene of military operations of biosimilars without having to foremost develop the complex capability of biologic manufacturing.

Several other companies obtain expressed in interest in getting into the avocation of biosimilars, including Biogen Idec, Merck & Co, Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd and Sandoz, the generic unit of Swiss drugmaker Novartis.

(Reporting through Bill Berkrot)

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