Novartis to launch 5 new biosimilars

Novartis's generics unit, Sandoz, plans to nearly triple its number of biosimilar drugs on the market by 2020.

Sandoz expects to be selling 8 cheaper versions of blockbuster cancer and immune system medicines compared with three now, as patents on original drugs expire.

Novartis CEO Joe Jimenez predicts biosimilars may cost 75% less than the drugs they mimic, a deeper discount than originally expected.

Sandoz was the first company to receive FDA approval for a biosimilar (filgrastim-sndz) in the US in 2015. CEO Richard Francis said his versions of AbbVie's Humira (adalimumab), Amgen's Enbrel (etanercept) and Neulasta (pegfilgrastim)‎, Johnson & Johnson's Remicade (infliximab) and Roche's Rituxan (rituximab) are expected to arrive in pharmacies over the next 4 years. These 5 drugs generated nearly $44 billion in 2015 global sales.

However, Sandoz will likely meet resistance. AbbVie has repeatedly told its investors that it has a robust patent defense system in place for Humira, the world’s best-selling medicine.