About Biologic Medicines

At Juno, our goal is twofold: increase patient access to high quality, lifesaving medicines and increase value within the Australian healthcare system.

Biosimilars and interchangeable biologic products present an opportunity to patients, healthcare professionals and the government, by providing increased patient access to therapies, whilst helping maintain the long-term viability and financial sustainability of the Australian and New Zealand healthcare systems.

We believe that we have the right expertise and strategies to effectively partner with biologic developers whose brands are reaching their patent expiry, plus biosimilar developers with plans to launch in Australia and New Zealand.

 

What Is A Biologic?

A biologic medicine is a medicine whose active substance is derived from a biological source (i.e. a living organism)1 and include a wide range of products such as vaccines, blood and blood components, allergenics, somatic cells, gene therapies, tissues, and recombinant therapeutic proteins2. Biologic medicines form an essential part of modern medicine3 and have revolutionised the treatment of many disabling and life-threatening diseases1. They are highly specific and targeted therapies4, which generally have a larger and more complex molecular structure than chemically synthesised medicines1.

Due to their molecular complexity and the way they are manufactured, producing biological medicines tends to be more difficult than producing chemically derived medicines1. The biologic origin of these medicines also results in them possessing an inherent degree of minor structural variability, which is tightly controlled through manufacturing and quality processes to ensure consistent safety and efficacy1. A typical manufacturing process for a chemically synthesised medicine may involve 40-50 critical tests, whereas the manufacturing process for a biologic medicine may involve over 250 critical tests4.