Corporate Publications

Biosimilars Image Brochure

Pioneering breakthroughs have turned many ideas that once seemed incredible into everyday realities.

The first Moon landing 40 years ago remains one of the ultimate symbols of human achievement, summed up by astronaut Neil Armstrong’s famous words: "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

A recent, if more "down-to-earth", example of this pioneering spirit is the leading role played by Sandoz in broadening access to state-of-the-art medicines through the development of biosimilars. Biosimilars are follow-on products of existing biopharmaceuticals – the complex medicines that play an increasingly indispensable role in the treatment of diseases ranging from cancer to autoimmune disorders – following loss of patent protection.

For Sandoz, with its decades of experience in biotechnology, the breakthrough can be seen as a relatively small step in technological terms. Looking back, it was the logical extension of our existing business to a new field. However, it represented a considerable stride for humanity, opening up nothing less than a new chapter in the history of modern medicine (comparable to the launch of the generics industry 25 years ago).

Our Biosimilars Image Brochure tells the story of biosimilars, based on "pioneering" imagery ranging from the Moon landing to some more familiar surroundings.