Celltrion's breast cancer med Herzuma dominates half of Japan market in 18 mos

Korean biosimilar giant Celltrion Inc.’s antibody biosimilar Herzuma has come to command nearly half of the Japanese market in two and a half years since its launch.

According to Celltrion Healthcare, the distribution arm of Celltrion, Herzuma, a biosimilar trastuzumab for breast and gastric cancer treatment, accounted for 47 percent share in Japan as of the end of first quarter, nearly on par with its reference drug Herceptin of Roche.

Herzuma was launched in the Japanese market in August 2018 by Celltrion and its Japanese distribution partner Nippon Kayaku. It gained clearance from Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare to market the three-week cycle method for the treatment of breast cancer.

The biosimliar use jumped sharply as more than 90% of breast cancer patients receiving trastuzumab in Japan opt for a three-week cycle in treatment.

Herzuma is marketed in 77 countries.

Shares of Celltrion finished Thursday down 0.74 percent at 270,000 won while shares of Celltrion Healthcare up 0.95 percent at 116,700 won in Seoul.

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