GP2013: A Rituximab Biosimilar

<div>Compliance with Ethical Standards</div><div><br></div><div><i>Disclosure:</i> The preparation of this review was not supported by any external funding. Hannah Blair is a salaried employee of Adis/Springer, is responsible for the article content and declares no relevant conflicts of interest.</div><div><br></div><div>Additional information about this Adis Drug Review can be found <b><a href="http://www.springer.com/gp/adis/products-services/adis-journals-newsletters/adis-drug-reviews">here</a>.</b></div><div><br></div><div>Abstract</div><div><br></div><div>GP2013 is the second biosimilar of the reference monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody rituximab to be approved in the EU. It is approved for use in all indications for which reference rituximab is approved, including follicular lymphoma (FL), diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), granulomatosis with polyangiitis and microscopic polyangiitis. GP2013 has similar physicochemical and pharmacodynamic properties to those of reference rituximab, and the pharmacokinetic biosimilarity of the agents has been shown in patients with RA. GP2013 demonstrated clinical efficacy equivalent to that of reference rituximab in patients with FL, and was generally well tolerated in this population. The tolerability, immunogenicity and safety profiles of GP2013 were similar to those of reference rituximab. The role of reference rituximab in the management of cancers and autoimmune conditions is well established and GP2013 provides an effective biosimilar alternative for patients requiring rituximab therapy. Access to the full article can be found <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40259-017-0245-2"><b>here</b></a>.</div><div><br></div><div>© Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2017