Celltrion Healthcare said on Monday that it supplied its anti-cancer antibody biosimilar Herzuma (ingredient: trastuzumab) for the treatment of breast and stomach cancer to Ukrainian patients via the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

The drug supply was led by KOICA, Korea’s development cooperation agency, at the request of the Ukrainian government. KOICA purchased Herzuma worth a total of 5 billion won ($3.9 million) from Celltrion Healthcare and donated it to Ukraine.

Noting the unstable situation in Ukraine, a Celltrion Healthcare official remarked, “In a situation where the supply of therapeutics for breast and stomach cancer patients is interrupted due to the continuation of the war, the Ukrainian government selected Herzuma based on a comprehensive consideration of its proven therapeutic efficacy and safety, the trust of European physicians, and product preferences.”

Trastuzumab is a representative anticancer drug that has been widely used in Europe for years, showing excellent therapeutic efficacy for human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2) benign breast cancer and stomach cancer. In Europe, where several trastuzumab products have been released and are competing, Herzuma recorded a 12.7 percent share in the second quarter of this year, maintaining the lead in biosimilar prescriptions from 2018 to the present.

"We hope that Ukrainian patients in poor medical conditions will overcome diseases through Herzuma and have an opportunity to live a peaceful life,” an official from Celltrion Healthcare said, “We are also operating Remsima SC (ingredient: infliximab) donation programs in Turkey and Pakistan and will continue to take social responsibility to lead the promotion of global medical welfare."