Celltrion Exports COVID Antibody Treatment to Pakistan... First Global Sale

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] Celltrion Healthcare announced on the 10th that it has commenced its first global sales by signing an export contract for the COVID-19 antibody treatment 'Rekkirona' with Pakistan.

Celltrion Healthcare has completed a sales contract for 100,000 vials of Rekkirona with a subsidiary of POF (Pakistan Ordnance Factories), the largest defense industry company under the Pakistan Ministry of Defense, and plans to ship the contracted quantity.

The first batch of Rekkirona to be sold will be administered to COVID-19 confirmed patients among Pakistani soldiers and civilians, and the contracted 100,000 vials are sufficient to treat approximately 30,000 people.

Celltrion Healthcare has decided to dispatch medical personnel to Pakistan to support training for local doctors and nurses responsible for administering Rekkirona.

Pakistan, with a population of 216.6 million, the fifth largest in the world, is currently experiencing about 4,000 new COVID-19 cases daily on average, and the cumulative number of confirmed cases has exceeded 850,000, which is seven times that of South Korea, indicating severe difficulties.

Additionally, the cumulative death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed 18,000 and is rapidly increasing, with daily deaths exceeding 150 since the end of March, worsening the COVID-19 situation. In response, the Pakistani government has continued stringent quarantine policies, including announcing lockdown measures to restrict public movement.

A Celltrion Healthcare official said, "We expect Rekkirona to support Pakistan's COVID-19 quarantine policies while significantly alleviating the workload of local medical staff."

Rekkirona received conditional approval from the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in February for use in high-risk mild and moderate patients and has been prescribed to over 2,700 patients to date.

The company explained that as a result, the rate of progression to severe cases has significantly decreased, and deaths have also declined.

Furthermore, the company has recently completed recruitment and administration of 1,300 patients in global Phase 3 clinical trials across 13 countries, including South Korea, the United States, Spain, and Romania, and is currently analyzing the data. If the Phase 3 results ultimately prove the safety and efficacy of Rekkirona, global export expansion is expected to accelerate.

A Celltrion Group official stated, "Currently, export negotiations for Rekkirona are underway not only with Pakistan but also with multiple countries. Considering the limited production capacity of the antibody treatment, we plan to focus Rekkirona support on countries with medical infrastructure capable of early diagnosis and treatment to prevent progression to severe illness and death, as well as countries with high numbers of COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths."