Celltrion's Remsima attains 74% market share in 5 key European countries

Celltrion's Remsima (infliximab) line of products continues to demonstrate market impact with expanded prescriptions in five major European countries—the U.K., Germany, France, Spain, and Italy—also known as EU5.

According to pharmaceutical market research firm IQVIA, as of the fourth quarter of 2023, Remsima and Remsima SC held a combined market share of about 74 percent in the EU5, which accounts for approximately 60 percent of this particular market. Remsima SC, in particular, has seen quarterly growth driven by the convenience of self-administering infliximab, a highly prescribed treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), conveniently available anywhere.

Celltrion said Tuesday that the "dual formulation" effect of switching from a competing infliximab intravenous (IV) formulation to Remsima and again to Remsima SC has led to share gains for both products. The combined share increase of 12 percentage points in the three years since Remsima SC's launch in 2020 has been impressive.

Since transitioning to direct sales, the company has also demonstrated its sales capabilities by consistently outperforming the competitors in key tenders. According to Celltrion, this is due to increased trust and prescribing preference for the company and its products in Europe.

In addition, the continued publication of study results demonstrating the efficacy and safety of Remsima SC at global conferences, including the European Crohn's and Colitis Organization (ECCO) in February, and the accumulation of real-world prescribing data, will continue to drive share growth for the Remsima product line.

As the sales of Remsima SC continue to expand in Europe, the success of Zymfentra (the U.S. name for Remsima SC), which launched last month in the U.S., the world's largest pharmaceutical market, is also expected to be strong, it said.

European prescription is also expanding for all of Celltrion's products, including autoimmune disease and cancer drugs. As of the fourth quarter of last year, Vegzelma (bevacizumab) had a 9 percent share, Yuflyma (adalimumab) had a 7 percent share, and Herzuma (trastuzumab) had a 19 percent share, up 9 percentage points, 6 percentage points, and 4 percentage points, respectively, from 2022. Truxima (rituximab) maintained its share at 24 percent, the same as the previous year, with a significant increase in actual prescriptions.

Celltrion said these performances result from a customized sales strategy and bidding plan that considers country-specific healthcare market characteristics across the 16 entities it has established across Europe.

According to Celltrion, in Europe, pharmaceutical supply is divided into tender and retail (sales), and the tender process is further divided into national, state, and hospital associations by country, so it is necessary to implement strategies that effectively reflect this. It added that Celltrion is positioned as a top-tier biosimilar company that can realize this based on its experience and know-how in selling biopharmaceuticals in Europe for more than 10 years.

"The ease of dosing of Remsima SC has been well-received by European physicians and patients, driving share of the Remsima family, while sales of all Celltrion products are expanding, further solidifying our market leadership in Europe," a Celltrion official said. "We look forward to building on this European performance and expanding our growth with Zymfentra in the U.S., as well as continuing our progress in our pipeline of upcoming launches."