Events Details
Sandoz announces strategic collaboration with Henlius on up to 10 biosimilars, expanding its pipeline
Monday, August 17, 2026
Sandoz has entered into a development, manufacturing and commercialisation agreement with Shanghai Henlius Biotech to collaborate on up to 10 biosimilar medicines. The partnership aims to expand access to affordable biosimilar treatments worldwide.
Under the agreement, Sandoz will hold global commercialisation rights for the agreed biosimilars outside China, while Henlius will lead their development and manufacturing. The milestone-based agreement has a total potential value of up to USD 322 million, including near-term payments of up to USD 100.5 million for the initial assets.
One of the initial products is a proposed cetuximab biosimilar, which is currently in clinical development. Cetuximab is an oncology treatment targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor and is used for selected patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
The collaboration also includes proposed biosimilars of evolocumab and belimumab. Evolocumab is used to manage high cholesterol and reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events in adults at increased cardiovascular risk. Belimumab is used to treat active systemic lupus erythematosus and lupus nephritis in eligible patients.
The companies also have an option to develop a recombinant human hyaluronidase for use with a subcutaneous biosimilar formulation. The proposed evolocumab biosimilar and recombinant human hyaluronidase are in technical development, while the belimumab biosimilar is in early development.
The agreement increases Sandoz's biosimilar pipeline to 39 assets, with the potential to reach up to 46. It also supports the company's strategy to expand its position in the global biosimilar market as more biological medicines lose market exclusivity over the coming decade.
The partnership builds on the existing relationship between Sandoz and Henlius, which began in April 2025 with a global collaboration covering the oncology medicine ipilimumab.
Sandoz currently has 13 biosimilar molecules available in nearly 100 countries and continues to expand its portfolio of affordable medicines.
Source: sandoz.com
