Amgen and Simcere announce strategic collaboration to co-develop and commercialize biosimilars in Ch

Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) and Simcere Pharmaceutical Group have announced the execution of an exclusive agreement to co-develop and commercialize four biosimilars in China. The collaboration includes undisclosed biosimilars in the areas of inflammation and oncology.

Under the terms of the agreement, Amgen will remain responsible for the co-development, marketing approval applications and manufacturing of the biosimilars. Simcere will be responsible for distribution and commercialization in China, while Amgen will have a limited right to co-promote the products. The biosimilars included in the agreement are a part of Amgen's existing biosimilars portfolio.

"We are pleased to enter this strategic collaboration with Simcere as we continue to enhance patient access through broader adoption of more competitive therapeutic options worldwide," said Scott Foraker, vice president and general manager of Biosimilars at Amgen. "This agreement brings together Amgen's long-standing development and biologics manufacturing expertise with Simcere's local development experience and strong commercial presence in China in the areas of inflammation and oncology."

"This agreement furthers Amgen's efforts to reach more patients in Asia by bringing high quality biosimilars medicines to patients suffering from debilitating and potentially life-threatening conditions," said Penny Wan, regional vice president and general manager of Amgen's Japan and Asia-Pacific Region. "We look forward to working with Simcere on these four biosimilar programs where we can build on their network and experience in China to make a big difference for patients."

"This strategic partnership between a world-renowned biotechnology company and a leading Chinese pharma will help to accelerate development and launch of United States and European approved biosimilars in China. By leveraging our sales network, it will also help to improve the accessibility of high quality therapeutic antibodies for Chinese patients," said Honggang Feng, president of Simcere. "This collaboration will allow both companies to further penetrate inflammation and oncology markets in China."

Dr. Hua Mu, chief scientific officer of Simcere said: "Recently, China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) has formally joined the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) and implemented major reforms on drug evaluation and approval systems, encouraging and supporting research and development of innovative, high quality medicines. This strategic alliance combines Amgen's leading global research and development capabilities in biosimilars and Simcere's domestic drug development and registration experience. It aims to bring more high quality and effective medicines to Chinese patients to meet the pressing unmet medical needs. It is also another important milestone in our international collaboration strategy to enrich Simcere's biologics pipeline."

Specific financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

About Amgen Biosimilars
Amgen Biosimilars is committed to building upon Amgen's experience in the development and manufacturing of innovative human therapeutics to expand Amgen's reach to patients suffering from serious illnesses. Biosimilars offer the potential to increase patient access to vital medicines, and Amgen is well positioned to leverage its more than 35 years of experience in biotechnology to create high-quality biosimilars and reliably supply them to patients worldwide.

About Amgen
Amgen is committed to unlocking the potential of biology for patients suffering from serious illnesses by discovering, developing, manufacturing and delivering innovative human therapeutics. This approach begins by using tools like advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and understand the fundamentals of human biology.

Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages its expertise to strive for solutions that improve health outcomes and dramatically improve people's lives. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen has grown to be one of the world's leading independent biotechnology companies, has reached millions of patients around the world and is developing a pipeline of medicines with breakaway potential.

About Simcere Pharmaceutical Group
Simcere is a research and development-driven Chinese pharmaceutical company committed to bringing high quality and more effective therapies to patients by combining in house R&D with partnerships. Simcere focuses its efforts on therapeutic areas of oncology, neurology, inflammation/immunology, cardiovascular and infectious diseases.

Simcere is dedicated to research & development of innovative pharmaceuticals and branded generic drugs in China, with a State Key Lab of Translational Medicine and Innovative Drug Development. By leverage of its commercial capability, all top products of the company have leading market share in China.

By leveraging partnering experience with multinational pharmaceutical companies and innovative biotech companies, Simcere continues to advance [international medical scientific achievements transformation] and create value for partners in China.