EC approves Celltrion's Vegzelma, a biosimilar bevacizumab

South Korea-based Celltrion Healthcare (KRX: 068270) announced today that the European Commission (EC) has approved Vegzelma (CT-P16), a biosimilar bevacizumab referencing Roche’s (ROG: SIX) European Union-approved Avastin, for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, advanced and/or metastatic renal cell cancer, metastatic carcinoma of the colon or rectum, ovarian cancer and cervical cancer.

“The European Commission’s approval of Vegzelma will increase access to treatment for patients living with certain types of cancer at an affordable price,” said Kevin Byoung Seo Choi, senior vice president and head of marketing division at Celltrion Healthcare, adding “With proven similarities in efficacy and safety compared to the reference product Avastin, Vegzelma will be available to treat some of the most commonly diagnosed cancers, which collectively affect hundreds of thousands of European patients each year.”

The EC approval of Vegzelma follows the recommendation for marketing authorization issued by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in June 2022.