The FDA recently announced its approval of BYOOVIZ™ as a treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration making the drug the first ophthalmology biosimilar to gain FDA approval in the United States. Biosimilar drugs are very close in structure and function to a biologic drug. Biologics are manufactred in a living system such as a plant or animal.
BYOOVIZ™ is a biosimilar referencing ranibizumab and has been found to be similar in efficacy ad safety to ranibizumab. Biosimilar therapies have the advantage of offering a cost savings to patients and will provide an additional treatment option for people unable to access current biologic therapies.
The drug is expected to make it to market in the United States by June 2022.