Celltrion Accelerates European Expansion Led by Remsima SC

Celltrion's autoimmune disease treatment product line, Remsima, is continuing to expand prescriptions and increase market share in the five major European countries (EU5) including the UK, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy.

Model of Remsima SC exhibited at the European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) event venue
Photo by Lee Chunhee

On the 23rd, according to data from IQVIA, a pharmaceutical market research firm, Remsima and RemsimaSC, autoimmune disease treatments, recorded about 74% market share in the EU5 as of the fourth quarter of last year. The related market in the EU5 accounts for approximately 60% of the entire European market. In particular, RemsimaSC has continued its growth each quarter based on the advantage of being the only subcutaneous (SC) injection formulation that allows convenient self-administration of infliximab, which is highly preferred for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), regardless of location.

Especially, there is an explanation that a ‘dual formulation’ effect is occurring, where patients who previously received competing infliximab intravenous (IV) formulations switch to Remsima and then switch again to RemsimaSC, resulting in increased market share for both products. In fact, since the launch of RemsimaSC in 2020, the combined market share has increased by 12 percentage points over three years. Additionally, even after switching to direct sales through overseas subsidiaries, Celltrion has continued to demonstrate its sales capabilities by consistently winning bids that outperform competing products. Moreover, at global conferences such as the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) held last February, research results proving the therapeutic efficacy and safety of RemsimaSC have been continuously presented, and actual prescription data is steadily accumulating, raising expectations that the market share expansion of the Remsima product line will continue.

The company expects that since RemsimaSC sales continue to grow in Europe, the recently launched Zimpenetra (the US product name for RemsimaSC) in the world’s largest pharmaceutical market, the United States, also has a high potential for success.

In Europe, not only the Remsima product line but also other autoimmune disease treatments and anticancer drugs sold by Celltrion are seeing expanded prescriptions. As of the fourth quarter of last year, the anticancer trio Truxima, Herzuma, and Vegzelma recorded market shares of 24%, 19%, and 9%, respectively. In particular, Vegzelma succeeded in increasing its market share by 9 percentage points within one year after its first launch at the end of 2022, and Herzuma also increased by 4 percentage points. Truxima maintained the same market share as the previous year, but the actual prescription volume increased. The autoimmune disease treatment Uplyma also grew by 6 percentage points to a 7% market share.

A Celltrion official said, “RemsimaSC, which offers dosing convenience, is highly praised by doctors and patients in Europe, raising the market share of the Remsima product line, while the sales of all Celltrion products are expanding, further solidifying our market dominance in Europe. Based on our achievements in Europe, we will strive to expand growth with Zimpenetra, which is sold in the US, and continue to achieve results with upcoming pipeline products.”