Ustekinumab-kfce

Bengaluru: Biocon Biologics , a subsidiary of Biocon announced that its commercial partner in Japan, Yoshindo Inc. , has launched the psoriasis biosimilar Ustekinumab BS Subcutaneous Injection in the country. The biosimilar is developed and manufactured by Biocon Biologics, and was approved by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) of Japan in December 2024. Ustekinumab, is approved for the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and will be commercialized and marketed in Japan by Yoshindo Inc. The launched drug is a biosimilar version of blockbuster drug Stelara (ustekinumab) marketed by Janssen Biotech, a subsidiary of US giant Johnson and Johnson and is one of the key sales drives of the company. In 2023, Stelara generated approximately $10.9 billion in net sales across global markets. However, in 2024, sales decreased to around $10.4 billion, reflecting a decline of 4.6 per cent from the previous year figures. The reduction in revenue has been attributed to the introduction of biosimilars in the US drug market. In April 2024, the Indian drugmaker inked a licensing agreement with Janssen Biotech Inc., Janssen Sciences Ireland, and Johnson & Johnson (collectively known as Janssen) to commercialize Ustekinumab in Japan upon regulatory approval, the release stated. Biocon Biologics has already launched Ustekinumab in the United States and Europe in February 2025 under the brand name ‘Yesintek’. Notably, Japan features among the seven major drug markets in the world and offers a lucrative sales opportunity to drugmakers. Yesintek is a monoclonal antibody that targets two proteins—Interleukin-12 (IL-12) and Interleukin-23 (IL-23)--- to regulate the immune response and control chronic inflammation . As per Biocon, clinical studies showed that Yesintek has similar pharmacokinetic (a key metric to prove similarity with the RBD) safety, efficacy and immunogenicity profile compared with Stelara. By Online Bureau ,