Samsung Bioepis Partners with Sandoz for Biosimilar Development of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Treatment

Early-Stage Collaboration Agreement for Preclinical SB36

Expansion to Up to Five Follow-Up Pipeline Products

Tailored Commercialization Strategies by Region and Product

Samsung Bioepis announced on March 18, 2026, that it has signed a partnership agreement with Sandoz, a global pharmaceutical company based in Switzerland, for the development and commercialization of follow-up biosimilar pipeline products.

Incheon Songdo Samsung Bioepis Headquarters Building View. Samsung Bioepis

This is an early-stage collaboration agreement for the preclinical pipeline of SB36, a biosimilar of Entyvio (ingredient name: vedolizumab), currently under development by Samsung Bioepis, for its research and development as well as commercialization.

Entyvio is a treatment for inflammatory bowel disease that works by suppressing an excessive immune response of the 'alpha4beta7 integrin' protein, which binds to the intestine. Its annual global sales amount to approximately 9 trillion won (914.1 billion yen).

According to the terms of the agreement, Samsung Bioepis will be responsible for product development, manufacturing, and supply, while Sandoz will obtain the global commercialization rights except for China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, and Korea. The companies plan to pursue a strategic partnership for up to five follow-up pipeline products, including SB36.

With this agreement, the two companies are further strengthening their strategic collaboration in the global biosimilar market, following their 2023 partnership for the commercialization of SB17, a biosimilar of Stelara (ingredient name: ustekinumab), in North America and Europe.

Kyung-Ah Kim, CEO of Samsung Bioepis, stated, "The signing of this early-stage development partnership for our follow-up pipeline demonstrates our world-class research and development capabilities. We will continue to provide more patients with access to high-quality medicines through our leadership in the immunology biosimilar market."

Samsung Bioepis is also diversifying its regional and product sales strategies. In Europe, the company began direct sales of four biosimilars, starting with SB12, a biosimilar of the rare disease treatment Soliris (ingredient name: eculizumab), in 2023. In the United States, Samsung Bioepis signed supply agreements for SB17 private-label products with two of the three largest PBM companies in 2025.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.