Celltrion's Remsima SC grabs 40% market share in Germany

Celltrion is quickly expanding its presence in Germany, with its rheumatoid arthritis copycat drug Remsima SC grabbing nearly 40 percent of the local market, more than a 10-fold surge in just four years.

Celltrion's Remsima SC, a rheumatoid arthritis copycat drug. [CELLTRION]

Celltrion is quickly expanding its presence in Germany, with its rheumatoid arthritis copycat drug Remsima SC grabbing nearly 40 percent of the local market, more than a 10-fold surge in just four years.

Remsima SC, a biosimilar of Janssen Biotech's Remicade, held a 39 percent market share of the rheumatoid arthritis drug sector in Germany in the fourth quarter of last year, compared to 3 percent in 2020, according to data from market tracker IQVIA.

Celltrion's Remsima SC is the only subcutaneous formulation of infliximab for the treatment of patients with inflammatory bowel disease available on the market. A subcutaneous injection formulation of infliximab allows patients to self-administer the medication at home, while an intravenous formulation requires administration at hospitals, Celltrion explained.

The company's Vegzelma also held 24 percent of the German bevacizumab market, becoming the second most commonly used drug among eight options. Vegzelma is an identical copy of bevacizumab, better known as Avastin, the name it is marketed under by Switzerland’s Roche. It is used to treat metastatic colorectal cancer, metastatic breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and glioblastoma.

Celltrion's Herzuma, a treatment for stomach and breast cancers, also clocked in a notable market share in Germany, dominating the Trastuzumab market with a 40 percent market share. The medicine is an identical copy of Trastuzumab, better known as Herceptin, from California-based Genentech.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]