Russia’s Axelpharm demands compulsory license on Pfizer’s cancer drug Bosulif

The Russian drugmaker Axelpharm is demanding a compulsory license for an antitumor drug based on Bosulif (bosutinib), marketed by US pharma giant Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent.

The drug’s purchases at state auctions level in Russia in 2023 were 681 million roubles ($75 million) and in high demand among local customers.

According to Russian Kommersant business paper, recently the Moscow Arbitration Court accepted Axelpharm’s claim against Wyeth Holdings (which Pfizer acquired in 2009) and Rospatent for a compulsory license of the drug. Among the Axelpharm’s registered generics, there is a drug developed by Wyeth Holdings - bosutinib, which is used for chronic myeloid leukemia.