|Articles|June 28, 2007

EMEA Recommends Epoetin Alfa Biosimilars for Approval

London, UK (June 22)-The competition between biosimilars and branded drugs intensified this week thanks to favorable reviews of three biosimilar products for a popular treatment for anemia.

London, UK (June 22)-The competition between biosimilars and branded drugs intensified this week thanks to favorable reviews of three biosimilar products for a popular treatment for anemia. During a June 18–21 meeting, the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommended the granting of marketing authorization for three products shown to be similar to “Eprex/Erypo” (epoetin alfa) manufactured by Janssen-Cilag, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson (New Brunswick, NJ). CHMP granted positive opinions to “Binocrit” from Sandoz GmbH (Holzkirchen, Germany), “Epoetin alfa Hexal” from Hexal Biotech Forschungs GmbH (Holzkirchen, Germany), and “Abseamed” from Medice Arzneimittel Puetter GmbH & Co.

Epoetin alfa is an injectable protein drug for treating anemia associated with chronic kidney disease and in oncology patients. It also is the active ingredient in Epogen (epoetin alfa recombinant) from Amgen (Thousand Oaks, CA) and Procrit (epoetin alfa) from Ortho Biotech (Bridgewater, NJ), a Johnson & Johnson Company.


Related to this article

PharmTech Weekly Roundup—October 2, 2026
This week on PharmTech, Merck diversified its pipeline, USP emphasizes supply chain security, AI systems are examined, and speakers preview their presentations at CPHI Milan and AAPS PharmSci 360.
CPHI Milan 2026: Nitrosamine Risk Mitigation, Part 1
Capsugel's Bram Baert and Sandrine Picco argue that chasing zero nitrite in pharmaceutical excipients is often impractical and costly. They recommend setting scientifically justified, risk-based limits and consistently staying below them.
Regulatory Roundup—September 2026
The FDA opened an expedited IND pilot, tightened scrutiny of foreign trial data, and finalized a rule recognizing non-animal testing methods. In Europe, the EMA advanced pharmaceutical legislation reform, restricted 2 legacy products, and opened an injectable-iron safety review.