BioMilk-mAb aims to make biotherapeutics more available and affordable by bridging the biomanufacturing gap with the production of biosimilars with its alternative technical platform. Bio-Sourcing specializes in producing biotherapeutics, in particular monoclonal antibodies, in the milk of specialized goats. Bio-Sourcing’s BioMilk platform leverages the natural ability of goats to produce complex proteins in their milk. This method allows very large volume production, is much more cost-effective than traditional approaches and significantly reduces the environmental footprint of production. The European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator grant funding will enable Bio-Sourcing to bring the first biosimilar developed from the company’s platform BioMilk™ to clinical trials by 2027. It will also be used to expand the company premises, including the scaling-up of a goat facility and the building of an industrial milk processing plant.
Biosimilars, i.e. generics for biotherapeutics, still miss their main mission, being giving a much broader access to those essential medicines through a significant price discount. Indeed, the price discounts is still very modest, given that those drugs are still produced using a very expensive and unaffordable technology (CHO)
The first biosimilar the company will bring to trials is adalimumab (reference product being Humira (r)), a widely used treatment for rheumatic and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn’s disease,… Thanks to the use of its BioMilk platform, Bio-Sourcing will be able to bring its biosimilars at very attractive / accessible price, opening new and large markets, especially within the LMICs. Given Bio-Sourcing business model (licensing around Phase 1) , its biosimilar developments are expected to generate upfront payments followed by long-term royalties, which will would reinvested into further research and development. This will enable Bio-Sourcing to scale its operations and bring additional biosimilars to market such as trastuzumab and golimumab, two other blockbuster biologics, creating an opportunity for Europe to position itself as a leader in the global biopharmaceutical market.
The strategic significance of Bio-Sourcing’s BioMilk platform extends beyond cost reduction. By enabling the domestic production of biosimilars, Bio-Sourcing sees an acute role in contributing to Europe’s sovereignty in biopharmaceutical manufacturing. This is particularly important in light of recent global health crises, which have underscored the need for greater self-sufficiency in critical pharmaceutical supplies.
