Verizon Frontline provides critical Unmanned Aircraft Systems support for New Orleans PD during Mardi Gras
Rhea-AI Summary
Teva Pharmaceuticals and Alvotech have announced the U.S. launch of SELARSDI™, their second biosimilar under their strategic partnership. SELARSDI, a biosimilar to Stelara® (ustekinumab), received FDA approval in October 2024 for treating multiple conditions including psoriatic arthritis, plaque psoriasis, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis in both adults and children.
The FDA has provisionally determined SELARSDI's interchangeability with Stelara® following April 30, 2025. The drug is available in four presentations matching Stelara's approved formats. This launch follows their first biosimilar SIMLANDI®, approved in February 2024 and launched in May 2024.
Under the partnership, Alvotech handles development and manufacturing, while Teva manages U.S. commercialization. Their collaboration, initiated in August 2020, now covers seven biosimilar products.
Positive
- FDA approval for multiple high-value indications
- Provisional interchangeability status with Stelara®
- Multiple approved presentations matching reference product
- Strategic partnership expansion to include 7 biosimilars
- Potential for healthcare cost reduction
Negative
- Interchangeability status delayed until April 30, 2025
Insights
The U.S. launch of SELARSDI™ (ustekinumab-aekn) marks a significant milestone in Teva and Alvotech's strategic partnership. As the second biosimilar launched under their collaboration, SELARSDI targets the same indications as Stelara® (ustekinumab), including psoriatic arthritis, plaque psoriasis, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.
What makes this launch particularly noteworthy is the FDA's provisional determination of interchangeability that will take effect after April 30, 2025. Interchangeability status represents the highest regulatory standard for biosimilars, allowing pharmacists to substitute SELARSDI for Stelara without physician intervention once active, potentially accelerating market penetration.
The product approval across multiple presentations matching Stelara's offerings (45 mg/0.5 mL and 90 mg/mL prefilled syringes, 45 mg/0.5 mL vial, and 130 mg/26 mL intravenous vial) demonstrates Alvotech's manufacturing versatility and positions the product competitively.
For Teva, this launch aligns with their broader strategy of leveraging partnerships for biosimilar development while utilizing their established U.S. commercial infrastructure. For Alvotech, it validates their fully integrated development and manufacturing approach focused exclusively on biosimilars.
The complementary business model—Alvotech handling development and manufacturing while Teva manages commercialization—appears to be working effectively, as evidenced by this second successful launch following SIMLANDI® in May 2024. With seven additional biosimilars in their collaboration pipeline, this partnership appears well-positioned in the growing biosimilars sector.
The introduction of SELARSDI™ represents a meaningful development for healthcare stakeholders, particularly for patients with chronic inflammatory conditions. The biosimilar has secured FDA approval across multiple therapeutic areas including psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis—conditions that impose substantial quality-of-life burdens and often require lifelong treatment.
Critically, biosimilars like SELARSDI fulfill the dual purpose of expanding treatment access while potentially reducing healthcare expenditures. As explicitly stated by Thomas Rainey from Teva, these products "create opportunities for cost savings across the healthcare system." Similarly, Alvotech's CCO highlighted their contribution to "lowering healthcare costs world-wide."
The provisional interchangeability designation (effective April 2025) represents a significant regulatory achievement that could streamline adoption. Interchangeability reduces administrative barriers by allowing pharmacy-level substitution without prescriber intervention.
SELARSDI's approval across all age groups and indications matching the reference product is noteworthy—the biosimilar is approved for adults and pediatric patients 6 years and older for certain conditions, which maximizes its potential utility across patient populations.
The biologic manufacturing approach using Sp2/0 cells and continuous perfusion mirrors the reference product's production method, which may inspire confidence among clinicians regarding the biosimilar's comparability. By increasing competition in the ustekinumab market, this launch represents a positive step toward sustainable healthcare economics while maintaining treatment quality.
What you need to know:
- The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team supported the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) with Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) support during the busiest week of Mardi Gras.
- The NOPD requested the support of the Verizon Frontline team due to their experience with advanced UAS technology and long-standing commitment to meeting the mission-critical communications needs of the public safety community.
- The team conducted more than 140 flights, totalling over 45 hours in the air, to assist NOPD in its mission of keeping officers and festival attendees safe.
NEW ORLEANS, April 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team recently completed a deployment in support of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) during the city’s annual Mardi Gras celebrations.
To help enhance situational awareness for first responders during Mardi Gras, the NOPD requested the Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team provide UAS overwatch support during the busiest week of festivities. The team conducted more than 140 flights, totalling over 45 hours in the air, to assist NOPD in achieving its mission of keeping the festivities safe.
UAS overwatch missions assist public safety agencies with threat assessment and real-time decision making while helping reduce risk to personnel and increasing efficiency of operations.
“We’re honored to be asked to support New Orleans first responders during a large-scale event like Mardi Gras,” said Chris Sanders, a senior manager who leads the Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team’s UAS program. “This is the first time UAS is being used on a large scale during Mardi Gras, and to be asked for by name speaks to how much our public safety partners trust us and how Verizon Frontline remains on the cutting edge when it comes to leveraging technology to support our nation’s first responders.”
“Mardi Gras is one of the largest events the NOPD manages each year, and ensuring the safety of our residents and visitors is our top priority,” said Officer Reese Harper, NOPD director of communications. “Utilizing Unmanned Aircraft Systems during this year’s festivities provided our officers with enhanced situational awareness, helping us monitor crowds, respond more effectively to potential concerns, and keep the celebration safe for everyone. We are always exploring ways to strengthen public safety through innovation and strategic resources.”
Held annually, the Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans date back to the 16th century and the city’s origins. The multi-day celebration consists of parades and carnival festivities, where millions of people attend. Mardi Gras also generates over
The mission of the NOPD is to provide professional police services to the public in order to maintain order and protect life and property. In order to accomplish this mission, the NOPD is committed to the philosophy of Community Oriented Policing as a means to inform organizational decisions and prioritize crime fighting and quality of life initiatives by engaging each neighborhood and community organization in collaborative problem-solving partnerships.
The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team provides on-demand, emergency assistance during crisis situations to government agencies and emergency responders on a 24/7 basis at no cost to the supported agencies. Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team members set up portable cell sites, Wi-Fi hotspots, charging stations and other Verizon Frontline devices and solutions that enable communications and/or improve network performance.
Verizon Frontline is the advanced network and technology built for first responders – developed over three decades of partnership with public safety officials and agencies on the front lines – to meet their unique and evolving needs. Learn more at our site.
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) powers and empowers how its millions of customers live, work and play, delivering on their demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity and security. Headquartered in New York City, serving countries worldwide and nearly all of the Fortune 500, Verizon generated revenues of
VERIZON’S ONLINE MEDIA CENTER: News releases, stories, media contacts and other resources are available at verizon.com/news. News releases are also available through an RSS feed. To subscribe, visit www.verizon.com/about/rss-feeds/.
Media contact:
Chandler Baker
chandler.baker@verizon.com
757 725 4806
FAQ
When will SELARSDI become interchangeable with Stelara?
What conditions can SELARSDI treat?
How many biosimilars have Teva and Alvotech launched in the US market?
What are the available presentations of SELARSDI?
