Biocon secures nod for its first biosimilar in US

A biosimilar is a copy of an innovator biologic drug and is made of living cells

Biocon has secured the regulatory approval to market a biosimilar for anti-cancer drug Herceptin in the US. This will boost the Indian drug major's drug development capabilities and enhance profitability.

Herceptin (molecule name Trastuzumab) has been developed by Swiss drugmaker Roche and is used for treatment of breast cancer and metastatic stomach cancer. It had sales of around $ 2.6 billion in the US.

Biocon sells biosimilar of Herceptin in India and other emerging markets but the US Food and Drug Administration's approval is a significant move for the Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw-led company, which has charted a different growth path from other Indian