Life sciences firm, Avesthagen, said on Friday that it has signed an agreement with Bangalore based Kemwell Biopharma to leverage the latter’s expertise for large scale manufacture of biosimilars.

As per the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the two firms, “Kemwell will perform technology transfer, process improvement, scale—up and manufacturing of pre clinical, clinical and commercial material of Avesthagen biosimilars,” Avesthagen Ltd said in a statement.

Biosimilars are subsequent versions of innovator biopharmaceutical products made by a different firm following patent and exclusivity expiry on the innovator product.

Kemwell’s 15,000 sq mt facility in Bangalore would be used for producing biosimilars for Avesthagen, it added.

The company, however, did not provide any financial details of the MOU saying that they were being worked out.

Avesthagen at present has eight biosimilars under various phases of development in the areas of auto—immune diseases, cancers, anaemia and cardiovascular disorders.

“Kemwell is well placed to accelerate Avesthagen’s projects to get its biosimilars to the global markets,” Avesthagen Founder and Chairperson, Mr Villoo Morawala Patell, said in a statement.

The agreement comes at a time when many blockbuster and high—priced biologics are to go off—patent in the next decade and biosimilar makers are expected to reap the benefits.

Commenting on the occasion of signing the MOU, Kemwell CMD, Mr Anurag Bagaria, said: “We are excited to begin work for Avesthagen from our new biologics facility and are confident of extending our record of high customer service to this new foray.”

Avesthagen is one of India’s leading healthcare biotech companies focusing convergence between food, pharma and population genetics.

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