Daiichi Sankyo has signed an exclusive agreement with Coherus BioSciences to develop and commercialize biosimilar candidates in certain Asian countries including Japan.
The collaboration will focus on the development, manufacturing and commercialization of biosimilar forms of etanercept and rituximab developed by Coherus.
Daiichi president and CEO Joji Nakayama said, "By creating an opportunity for an early entry into the biosimilars market, this agreement will strengthen our internal platform for manufacturing and developing biopharmaceuticals, leading directly to the introduction of other biosimilars therapies in the future."
As per the agreement, after receiving the approval, Daiichi will commercialize the products in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
All the additional development and commercial rights outside the licensed territories were retained by Coherus.
Sagent Advisors acted as the exclusive advisor in the deal for Coherus. Specific financial terms of the agreement were kept confidential.