Sandoz Licenses Emicizumab Biosimilar From mAbxience, Adding First Haemophilia Asset to 40-Drug Pipeline
核心洞察
Sandoz will hold exclusive global commercialisation rights to a proposed emicizumab biosimilar, excluding Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, while mAbxience (搜索) handles development and manufacturing.
The reference medicine Hemlibra (emicizumab) treats haemophilia A (搜索) and generated an estimated USD 5.7 billion in global sales, making it the first haemophilia asset in Sandoz's biosimilar pipeline.
The deal lifts the Sandoz biosimilar pipeline to 40 assets and follows earlier agreements with Henlius for up to 10 assets and Samsung Bioepis (搜索) for up to five.
Sandoz announced a licensing, development, manufacturing and commercialisation agreement with mAbxience (搜索) covering a proposed emicizumab biosimilar, a deal that adds the first haemophilia medicine to the company's biosimilar pipeline and brings that pipeline to 40 assets. The agreement was announced on 18 September 2026 from Basel.
The proposed biosimilar is in early-stage development. Its reference medicine, Hemlibra (emicizumab), is used to treat patients with haemophilia A (搜索) and holds an estimated USD 5.7 billion in global sales, according to Sandoz. Hemlibra is a registered trademark of Chugai Seiyaku Kabushiki Kaisha (搜索).
Under the terms of the agreement, Sandoz will hold exclusive global commercialisation rights for the proposed emicizumab biosimilar, excluding Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. mAbxience (搜索) will be responsible for development and manufacturing. Both parties agreed to keep the financial terms confidential. The agreement also provides a basis for the two companies to evaluate potential future collaboration opportunities, based on what Sandoz describes as a shared commitment to expanding patient access to biosimilar medicines worldwide.
Rare disease focus
Richard Saynor, Chief Executive Officer of Sandoz, framed the deal around access and cost sustainability. "This agreement with mAbxience (搜索) reflects our continued commitment to our Purpose of pioneering access for patients," he said. "The addition of emicizumab strengthens our pipeline and expands our presence in rare diseases, an area where we believe biosimilars can play an important role in addressing unmet patient needs while supporting the long-term sustainability of healthcare systems in the face of rising treatment costs."
Haemophilia A (搜索) is a rare genetic disorder caused by inadequate or defective factor VIII (搜索) (FVIII), a blood-clotting protein, which causes prolonged bleeding in patients. It is the most common form of haemophilia, accounting for approximately 80% of all cases, and more than half of patients have a severe form of the disease, according to the sources cited by Sandoz.
Pipeline and prior deals
The collaboration expands the Sandoz biosimilar pipeline to 40 assets. It builds on earlier agreements with Henlius, covering up to 10 assets, and with Samsung Bioepis (搜索), covering up to five assets. Sandoz describes the move as another step in its strategy to capture a significant share of the upcoming biosimilar loss-of-exclusivity market. The company states it has a portfolio of 13 molecules available in nearly 100 countries.
Sandoz reports approximately 1,300 medicines in its portfolio and net sales of USD 11.1 billion in 2025. The company, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, traces its heritage to 1886 and in 2026 marks 20 years of biosimilar development, 80 years of antibiotics manufacturing and 140 years of heritage.