Celltrion Healthcare said that more than 10 U.S. insurers have included its Avastin biosimilar Vegzelma (ingredient: bevacizumab), indicated for in their formulary listings.

Vegzelma is indicated to treat six types of cancer -- metastatic colorectal cancer; recurrent or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (nsNSCLC); recurrentglioblastoma; metastatic renal cell carcinoma; persistent, recurrent, or metastatic cervical cancer; and epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer.

Since the launch of Vegzelma in the U.S. in April, Celltrion Healthcare has been negotiating with American insurers to expand coverage to the private insurance market.

The company said Vegzelma has been added to the formularies of more than 10 private insurers, including one of the top five insurers in terms of patient enrollment.

However, the company provided neither the exact number of private insurers that listed Vegzelma on their formulary nor their names.

The latest formulary listing covers approximately 30 percent of the U.S. population, Celltrion Healthcare said.

With positive negotiations underway with several other U.S. insurers, the company will aggressively pursue commercial activities and increase prescriptions to achieve coverage of more than 60 percent of the U.S. population by early next year, it said.

Aside from the formulary listing, Celltrion Healthcare gained direct sales competitiveness in the U.S. as a result of a locally-specific commercial strategy developed by professionals with extensive experience and know-how in the U.S. biosimilar industry.

Notably, the company has been actively leveraging its extensive network to strengthen communication with key stakeholders in the U.S. healthcare market, including insurers and group purchasing organizations (GPOs).

The company expects that such a network will help a successful market establishment of its follow-up products, such as the autoimmune disease drug Zymfentra, also known as Remsima SC in the EU. 

Celltrion Healthcare is seeking approval for Zymfetra in the U.S.