Celltrion Healthcare, negotiating the export of Regkirona with 56 countries, said Monday that it has signed a supply contract with nine European countries.

The company did not provide details on the nine European countries that import Regkirona, citing a contractual term. Under the accord, the company plans to ship the initial volume of 150,000 vials this year.

"We are accelerating negotiations with 47 more countries and plans to supply the first volume as early as this year," the company said. "The company is negotiating based on the fact that Regkirona is the first Covid-19 antibody treatment that received approval for its safety and efficacy by the European Medicine Agency (EMA) through large-scale global clinical trials."

The company said that the recent surge of Covid-19 cases in Europe has also favorably affected the supply of Regkirona to the continent.

According to the World Health Organization's weekly epidemiological report, the number of new Covid-19 cases reported in Europe from Nov. 15-21 totaled about 2.43 million, an 11 percent increase from the previous week while accounting for 67 percent of the global cases.

The WHO expressed concerns that the spread of Covid-19 across the globe, including Europe, could worsen as indoor activities increase significantly in winter.

"Regkirona is drawing a lot of attention as it received official product approval just one after the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the EMA recommended Regkirona for authorization," a company official said. "We plan to expand global supply by actively publicizing Regkirona's strength, focusing on its easing of medical burden as patients can expect a therapeutic effect with just one administration."