Bengaluru-based biopharmaceutical major Biocon Limited has widened the global runway for its immunology biosimilar Yesintek, signing a licence agreement with Janssen Sciences Ireland that clears the product for commercialisation in nine additional markets with immediate effect.

The new territories are Australia, Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, South Korea and Kazakhstan. The company disclosed the agreement to the stock exchanges on 26 October 2026.

Building on earlier settlements

Yesintek is Biocon’s biosimilar to Johnson & Johnson’s blockbuster Stelara (ustekinumab). The latest licence extends a series of earlier agreements with Janssen that had already fixed market-entry timelines for the product in the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom, Canada and Japan. Taken together, the deals now give Biocon access to most of the major ustekinumab markets worldwide.

Ustekinumab is a monoclonal antibody that blocks interleukin-12 and interleukin-23, two signalling proteins that drive immune-mediated inflammation. Yesintek has been approved for Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

A large, maturing reference market

Stelara recorded worldwide sales of USD 6.08 billion in 2025, according to Johnson & Johnson’s reported figures, down from a peak of more than USD 10 billion as biosimilar competition has intensified following patent expiries across regions. For biosimilar developers, that maturing franchise represents a sizeable opportunity to offer lower-cost alternatives to health systems and patients.

Biocon said the additional rights would allow it to offer “an affordable and effective treatment option” to patients living with autoimmune conditions in the newly covered countries.

What comes next

The company noted that actual launches in each of the nine markets remain subject to local regulatory approvals. Biocon did not disclose the financial terms of the agreement, specific launch dates, or the status of regulatory filings in the new territories.

The move underlines how Indian biologics makers are increasingly using negotiated settlements with originator companies to secure predictable, litigation-free entry into high-value markets, a strategy that is becoming central to the growth of India’s biosimilars industry beyond its traditional strength in small-molecule generics.

India’s pharma and life-sciences ecosystem, from biosimilars and APIs to manufacturing and regulatory innovation, comes together at India Pharma Expo 2027 and the NextGen Pharma Summit & Awards.

Image: Biocon Park, Bengaluru. Photo: Namkeen_ninja / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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