BIOCARE Lifesciences Inc. (BLI), a Philippine-based pharmaceutical company that brought the brands Remdesivir and Favipiravir in the country in 2020, announced the launch of the first branded generic of tocilizumab (Temziva) 400mg/20ml solution for infusion.
Temziva is approved as a Drug Product for Emergency Use Only (DEU). SRS Life Sciences holds the registration for tocilizumab in the Philippines, while AryoGen will produce the therapy and Biocare Lifesciences will distribute the therapy to hospitals in the Philippines.
“We’re excited in bringing Temziva in the country. This is another milestone for our company Biocare Lifesciences Inc.,” said Dileep Tiwari, managing director. “I am particularly pleased with this partnership that has come to us and we assure the healthcare practitioners with the high standard quality of Temziva. AryoGen is known for producing several biopharmaceuticals vital for saving the lives of many patients. Launching high-quality, affordable biosimilars serves as a new possibility for treatment of people who have not had access to the life-saving drugs. With this development, the shortage in supplies coming from the original brand will somehow be addressed as Temziva would be available in the country,” he added.
Temziva is manufactured by AryoGEn Pharmed, an EU-GMP certified facility located in Iran. Established in 2010 by well-experienced scientists, AryoGen Pharmed has focused on providing biopharmaceutical products meeting world standards. The production facility is configured to manufacture some of the latest biopharmaceutical compounds to hit the local and international markets.
“We are eager to launch Temziva out to the market,” said Ronald Palacio, business unit head. “Tocilizumab can be used to treat Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS) as the main danger cause of Covid-19 in adult patients with confirmed diagnosis of the disease. We are grateful for the opportunity to initially distribute Temziva to over 200 hospitals in the country. And as the cases of Covid-19 are continuously increasing, and with the availability of Temziva, hopefully this life-saving product can help save patients and improve their quality of life. Moreover, after we successfully launched the Covid-19 medicines last year, Biocare has several new products in its pipeline, thanks to our business development staff and well-equipped regulatory department. This is our commitment to have a contribution in the improvement of our nation’s health especially this time.”
At a glance, Temziva had the highest development phase III clinical trials in Covid-19 infections (in adults) in Iran (SC) (IRTCT2015033021315N17) on March 15, 2020 and Clinical trials in rheumatoid arthritis in Iran (SC), prior to June 2018. SPONSORED CONTENT