Corporate Magazine 2012 - Boehringer Ingelheim

our businessesperspectives for better health#3.4BIOSIMILARSBIOSIMILARS –PERSPECTIVES FOR PATIENTSThe proportion of the population over 65 years old is growing acrossthe globe. This means that in coming years the demand for high-qualitymedical care will rise, as will treatment costs. At the same time,healthcare systems are subject to more stringent cost controls. Withbiosimilars we can help to meet the challenge.With more than 30 years of experiencein biopharmaceutical research and developmentand with a sophisticatedtechnological infrastructure, we arewell-positioned to enter the biosimilarsmarket.Doing the same in a different wayA biosimilar is a very close but nonidenticalre-creation of an approved biologicalmedicine that has lost patentprotection or exclusivity. Biosimilarsare derived from the same gene sequenceas the original, but the cell lines andprocess steps differ from one manufacturerto another. Unlike generics, a biosimilaris not an exact chemical copy,but a similar-as-possible re-creation ofthe originator product.A patient-orientated pipelineThe biosimilars pipeline at BoehringerIngelheim is aligned to patients’ needsfor various indications in which biopharmaceuticalsplay a role. In particular,our focus is on monoclonal antibodiesfor oncology and immunology.We have three mono clonal antibodiesin clinical development: adalimumab,bevacizumab, and rituximab.OUR BIOSIMILARS PIPELINEWe are currently conducting studiesin adalimumab (pictured above),bevacizumab and rituximab.Bringing better health to more peopleBiosimilars create better perspectivesfor patients, and also for physicians andfor payers in the healthcare sector. Theyoffer the same standard of care as theoriginator products, but with a lighterburden on healthcare budgets.Biosimilars – perspectives for patients 97