Yesafili, an Eylea biosimilar, launches with a price of $1,445

Biocon has launched Yesafili (aflibercept-jbvf), a biosimilar that references Regeneron's Eylea 2 mg. Like Eylea, Yesafili is a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor used to treat various types of ophthalmology conditions, including neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration, macular edema following retinal vein occlusion, diabetic macular edema and diabetic retinopathy.

“The launch of Yesafili in the U.S. marks an important step in expanding the global availability of biosimilar Aflibercept 2 mg for patients with eye conditions,” Shreehas Tambe, CEO and managing director, Biocon, said in a news release.

wAMD occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow and leak fluid under the macula, the part of the eye responsible for sharp central vision and seeing fine detail. It can result in vision loss in people over the age of 60. An estimated 1.4 million Americans have wAMD.

Aflibercept works by inhibiting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which prevents abnormal blood vessel growth within the eye. By blocking VEGF, aflibercept products can slow down or reduce damage to the retina and help preserve vision.

Yesafili was approved as an interchangeable biosimilar in May 2024. The wholesale acquisition cost for Yesafili is $1,445, according to a Biocon spokesperson. Effective July 1, 2026, the published WAC for Eylea 2 mg is $2,038.61. The company expects to have broad coverage with payers, the spokesperson said.

Yesafili’s approval was based on evidence demonstrating that it is highly similar to Eylea. This includes analytical tests and biological assays, as well as a comparative clinical study in patients. The phase 3 INSIGHT study found that there were no clinically meaningful differences between Yesafili and Eylea 2 mg in terms of pharmacokinetics, safety, efficacy, and immunogenicity.

Yesafili is the second Eylea biosimilar to launch in the United States. Amgen’s Pavblu (aflibercept-ayyh). Pavblu launched in November 2024 and has a list price of $2,220.93 for four vials of 1 ml. Amgen offers a $0 copay for patients with commercial insurance, and patients may receive up to $1,000 toward administration costs.

Several additional Eylea biosimilars are expected to become available, including Sandoz’s Enzeevu, expected to launch in the fourth quarter of 2026, Celltrion’s Eydenzelt in late December 2026; and Samsung Bioepis/Harrow’s Opuviz, expected to launch in January 2027. Another approved but not yet launched biosimilar is Formycon’s Ahzantive. Alvotech/Teva's biosimilar AVT06 is awaiting approval from the FDA.

Pavblu’s entry into the market has already begun to impact Eylea sales. In 2025, sales of Eylea 2 mg were $2.7 billion, a drop of 42% from 2024 sales of $4.7 billion. However, sales of Eylea HD, the 8 mg version of aflibercept, increased 36%.

The latest biosimilar market report from Samsung Bioepis finds that both the wholesale acquisition cost and the average sales prices of aflibercept are decreasing.