Celltrion expects 90 percent surge in Australian sales of Remicade clone

Celltrion expects a nearly 90-percent on-year surge in its Remicade copycat drug sales in Australia in 2023 to 15 billion won ($11.4 million), the biopharmaceutical company said Thursday.

Celltrion's Remsima SC infliximab, a biosimilar to Janssen's Remicade [CELLTRION]

Celltrion expects a nearly 90-percent on-year surge in its Remicade copycat drug sales in Australia in 2023 to 15 billion won ($11.4 million), the biopharmaceutical company said Thursday, ahead of the injectable autoimmune disease treatment’s launch in the United States.

Celltrion’s Remsima SC, a biosimilar to Janssen Biotech's Remicade, is the only subcutaneous formulation of infliximab for the treatment of patients with inflammatory bowel disease available on the market.

Remsima SC entered the Australian market in July 2021, and generated 8 billion won of sales in 2022. As of September last year, its sales increased 48 percent to 11.8 billion won compared to the previous year’s annual figure. The yearly sales of Remsima SC are estimated to surpass 15 billion won in 2023, up more than 87.5 percent year-on-year, according to Celltrion.

Remsima SC represented 17 percent of the market in Australia as of the third quarter last year, compared to 2022’s 8 percent and 2021’s 1 percent.

The subcutaneous injection formulation of infliximab allows patients to self-administer the medication at home, while the intravenous formulation requires administration at hospitals, Celltrion explained.

Remsima SC will begin sales in the U.S. market on Feb. 29 under the brand Zymfentra.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]