Celltrion said Friday that its Remicade biosimilar, Remsima SC (infliximab), for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, is showing rapid sales growth in Australia.

Launched in Australia in July 2021, Remsima SC generated approximately 8 billion won ($6.1 million) in sales in 2022, followed by cumulative sales of 11.8 billion won in the first nine months of 2023, an increase of more than 48 percent year-on-year.

Based on sales trends, Celltrion expects Remsima SC to generate annual sales in Australia of more than 15 billion won in 2023.

Australia is the world's sixth-largest country by land size, with a sparse population and long travel distances to hospitals. For this reason, contactless distribution systems that deliver medicines to patients’ homes are common in Australia.

Celltrion drove the shift from infliximab IV to Remsima SC by actively promoting the benefits of the subcutaneous formulation, Remsima SC, which patients can easily self-administer at home, compared to the IV formulation, which can only be administered in a hospital.

For healthcare providers, Celltrion presented Remsima SC’s clinical study data, prescription data, and evidence of efficacy and safety to build trust and preference for Remsima SC, leading to increased prescribing.

According to healthcare research firm IQVIA, Remsima SC has continued to grow steadily in Australia, capturing 17 percent of the infliximab market share in the third quarter of last year, up from 1 percent in 2021 and 8 percent in 2022.

Celltrion believes that the success of Remsima SC in Australia could serve as a preliminary validation for Zymfentra (Remsima SC's U.S. trade name), which is set to launch in the U.S. on Feb. 29 this year.

The U.S. pharmaceutical market has similar characteristics to Australia's, with a large landmass, a well-developed distribution network, and a preference for self-administered treatments over costly hospital visits.

The fact that infliximab has ample efficacy and safety data, being the most prescribed treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients in the U.S., is also expected to be a motivation for the U.S. healthcare industry to select Zymfentra.

"Having established itself as a leading treatment for autoimmune diseases in Europe, Remsima SC has continued to grow steadily in Australia, with a 17 percent market share within two years of launch," said a Celltrion official. "As we look forward to launching Zymfentra in the U.S. this year, the world's largest pharmaceutical market, we will leverage our success in Australia to drive sales of Zymfentra."