Samsung Bioepis said Monday it has signed a partnership agreement with Yuhan Corp. to sell Adalloce™, the biosimilar of AbbVie’s autoimmune therapy, Humira.

Adalloce is the first biosimilar of Humira to be marketed in Korea. It treats autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and Chron’s disease. The drug works by inhibiting the expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha in the body, Samsung Bioepis said.

The company has been preparing to launch the drug with Abbvie after acquiring the local sales permit in September 2017. 

Samsung Bioepis said it had discussed with several domestic pharmaceutical firms to select a marketing partner ahead of the planned launch of Adalloce in the first half of this year. The company has selected Yuhan Corp. as its partner as the latter has high expertise and abundant experiences in the domestic prescription drug market, it added.

With the partnership between Samsung and Yuhan, Samsung can sell three biosimilar types of TNF-alpha inhibitor blockbuster drugs, including Humira, Enbrel, and Remicade. The domestic market for these biosimilars is about 200 billion won ($176 million), and the company said it would enhance patients’ convenience using various product portfolios. 

Samsung Bioepis has also been selling its autoimmune disease treatment Etoloce and Remaloce through Yuhan, and the addition of Adalloce will strengthen the partnership, the company said. 

“I am happy to provide the most widely used biosimilar drug in Korea, and I will step up efforts to expand treatment opportunities to patients with high-quality treatments,” Samsung Bioepis CEO Ko Han-seung said.

Adalloce was released in Europe as Imraldi™ in October 2018 and recorded sales of 450 billion won in sales, leading the Humira biosimilar market in the region, the company said.