“I’ve never launched a drug quite like this,” Sandoz’s CEO Richard Saynor has admitted frankly, as the firm spoke about its plans to launch GLP-1 assets in the future, starting with semaglutide in markets including Canada and Brazil as early as 2026.

Sandoz’s Strategic Review 2024 event gave the firm the chance to speak at length about its aspirations in the development of highly complex antibody-drug-conjugates, as well as the opportunity to build on its strong analytical characterization and regulatory experience in biosimilars and peptide development to offer oligonucleotides.

The latest figures on uptake of rivals to AbbVie's Humira in the US show adalimumab biosimilars beginning to capture significant market share from the originator after an initially slow start in 2023.

Sandoz’s withdrawal of its ANDA referencing Axsome Therapeutics’ Sunosi sleep disorder drug leaves potential competition years in the future, although other ANDA filers continue to circle.