Celltrion Achieves Direct Sales Performance and Speed... Continues Winning European Bids

Celltrion continues to achieve success in winning bids for anticancer drugs in major European countries.

Celltrion's anticancer drug 'Herzuma'
[Photo by Celltrion]

On the 18th, Celltrion announced that it recently succeeded in winning bids from multiple public hospital alliances in France, one of the five major European countries (EU5). In the GRAPS and GAULoYS alliances, 'Herzuma' (generic name: trastuzumab) and 'Bevacizelma' (bevacizumab) were awarded, while Bevacizelma was selected in the GRECAPS, Niot alliance, and Phamsera alliance bids. These five public hospital alliances account for a total of 10% of the French anticancer drug market. According to contracts with each institution, product supply is expected to continue for the next 2 to 4 years.

Success in bids has also continued in Italy, another EU5 country. In government bids from the northeastern Friuli-Venezia Giulia (FVG) region and Sicily, all three of Celltrion’s anticancer drugs?Herzuma, Bevacizelma, and 'Truxima' (rituximab)?were awarded. Products will be supplied for 2 years in Sicily and for 4 years and 6 months in the FVG region. Notably, in Italy, bids for not only anticancer drugs but also autoimmune disease treatments are continuing to be won, raising expectations for faster expansion of prescriptions.

Additionally, Celltrion succeeded in winning the Hospirim bid, a hospital alliance in the Limburg region of Belgium, and plans to supply Herzuma and Bevacizelma for the next 4 years. In the Netherlands, Celltrion also won the Santeon bid, an alliance of the top seven hospitals, and plans to supply Truxima and Herzuma for 2 years. Santeon is a major organization accounting for about 10% of the Dutch pharmaceutical market.

According to IQVIA, a pharmaceutical market research firm, as of the third quarter of last year, Truxima maintained a leading position in biosimilar prescriptions with a 23% market share in Europe, and Herzuma held the number one prescription rate among trastuzumab biosimilars with a 29% share. Bevacizelma has also continued its growth, reaching a market share of 7% just over a year after its launch in 2022.

Kim Dong-sik, head of Celltrion’s France branch, said, “With the launch of Bevacizelma in 2022, our anticancer drug portfolio in Europe has been significantly expanded. Leveraging Celltrion’s global direct sales capabilities and the synergy between products, we are continuing to achieve bidding successes across Europe. We will further strengthen our marketing activities to ensure that Celltrion’s biopharmaceuticals, proven for therapeutic efficacy and safety, are prescribed to more patients throughout Europe.”