No Roferon for You! Another Way for Biotech to Play FOBs Defense?
This article was originally published in RPM Report
Executive Summary
At the beginning of October, Roche announced the discontinuation of the alpha interferon brand Roferon-A. That decision is unremarkable, except that it may have an interesting consequence: protecting Pegasys--Roche's second-generation pegylated recombinant interferon product--from competition once Congress completes work on follow-on biologics. Alpha interferon is sure to be an early target of generic drug manufacturers looking at biosimilar opportunities, along with EPO. A lower-cost interferon alternative certainly wouldn't help Roche's prized Pegasys franchise. In that context, the withdrawal of Roferon-A raises an interesting question: will generics companies be able to pursue follow-on versions of that product now that Roche has withdrawn the product?
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