GBI SOURCE
source.gbihealth.com
Bio-Thera’s adalimumab biosimilar to be turned on COVID-19
Website chictr.org.cn indicates that China-based Bio-Thera Solutions Ltd’s Qletli, a biosimilar version of AbbVie's auto-immune disease drug
adalimumab (trade name: Humira), has been filed for a clinical study treating severe and critically ill patients with COVID-19. Filed by Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, a Class 3A hospital, the trial is designed to assess the safety and efficacy of the drug.
Qletli gained market approval in China in November 2019, as GBI reported, to treat ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. It is the first official
adalimumab biosimilar approved in China.
Humira is the world’s first-in-class anti-
tumor necrosis factor ɑ (TNF-ɑ) monoclonal antibody (mAb). It specifically binds to soluble human TNF-ɑ and blocks its interaction with cell surface TNF receptors p55 and p75, thus blocking the inflammatory effects of TNF-ɑ. AbbVie has enjoyed Humira’s status as the world’s top-selling drug for the last seven years, generating USD 20.5 billion in sales during 2018.