India Pharma Outlook Team | Monday, 22 September 2025
Biocon Biologics Ltd. (BBL), a world leader in biosimilars and part of Biocon Ltd., announced today an important achievement with the inclusion of Yesafili biosimilar on the Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) Formulary/Comparative Drug Index.
Beginning August 29, 2025, the formulary listing will provide publicly funded access to a treatment for patients living with advanced retinal diseases across Ontario, Canada’s largest province.
Yesafili, which comes in both a vial and pre-filled syringe—2 mg/0.05 mL, was the first aflibercept biosimilar to Eylea approved by Health Canada. The inclusion of this product on the ODB Formulary will provide improved access to advanced eye care for our patients and reduce strain on the healthcare system.
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Ramy Ayad, Head of Canada at Biocon Biologics, said: “Ontario’s public funding of Yesafili, Canada’s first biosimilar to…for patients with retinal diseases, delivers substantial savings to the healthcare system, and ensures broader access to essential care.”
Yesafili is approved in Canada for a range of important retinal diseases including, neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (AMD), visual impairment due to macular edema secondary to central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO), diabetic macular edema (DME), and myopic choroidal neovascularization (myopic CNV). With retinal diseases, especially wet AMD, affecting over two million Canadians and a leading cause of irreversible vision loss worldwide, the provincial funding of Yesafili represents a step forward in improving patient outcomes and reducing long-term healthcare burden.
This development reinforces Biocon Biologics’ commitment to delivering high-quality, affordable biosimilars that strengthen healthcare accessibility in Canada and beyond.