Novartis’ Neupogen Knockoff Now First U.S. Biosimilar
Swiss pharma Novartis (NVS) won the first FDA approval for a biosimilar drug Friday, as the agency cleared a knockoff of Amgen’s best-seller Neupogen. The drug, called Zarxio, was approved for the same five indications for which Neupogen is approved, boosting the white-blood-cell count in patients suffering from cancer and other diseases. Although Neupogen’s patent expired in 2013, the fact that it’s a biologic drug, rather than a pharmaceutical