Celltrion continues its prescription expansion in Peru, a key Latin American market, with a series of public tender wins.

The company's autoimmune disease treatment, Remsima (infliximab), won a Peruvian Workers' Insurance System (EsSalud) tender. The tender is the largest of its kind, accounting for 81 percent of the total infliximab volume in Peru, Celltrion said Thursday.

Celltrion will supply Remsima for one year starting later this month. Including volumes supplied to some private markets, Remsima is expected to have an 86 percent market share in Peru.

The order wins extend beyond autoimmune disease treatments to anticancer products. Herzuma (trastuzumab), a biosimilar for treating breast and gastric cancer, won a tender from the Peruvian Ministry of Health (Centro Nacional de Abastecimiento de Recursos Estratégicos en Salud, or CENARES). The tender represents about half of the trastuzumab market in Peru and will provide a one-year supply of Herzuma starting in July.

Celltrion has won all four of its products in Peru in this year's tender, consolidating its market leadership after winning public tenders for Truxima (rituximab) and Yuflyma (adalimumab) in February.

According to Celltrion, as the Peruvian biopharma market is dominated by government tenders, a marketing strategy that comprehensively analyzes the size of supply, bid unit prices, and other factors by keeping track of competitors' past bid participation data and trends is essential.

Through its local subsidiary, the Korean company has focused on building a network of contacts with healthcare providers, regulators, and government officials in Peru. Based on these activities, Celltrion has optimized and tailored its strategy for each tender, resulting in the winning of all of its products.

Celltrion said it plans to continue building on its bidding success with subsequent products. The company is set to launch Vegzelma (bevacizumab), a biosimilar of an anticancer drug used to treat colorectal cancer and non-small cell lung cancer, in Peru this month.

"In Peru, a major country in Latin America, we have recorded bidding results for all of our products based on the direct sales competitiveness of our local subsidiary, and we are focusing on preparing strategies to achieve good results in public bids scheduled to be held in the second half of this year," said Lim Byung-yeol, head of Celltrion Peru & Chile. "We will strengthen our marketing capabilities so that the results achieved in Peru can be expanded throughout Latin America, as our follow-up products, including Remsima SC and Vegzelma, are scheduled for launches in various parts of Latin America this year."