Celltrion Healthcare to supply Yuflyma to five regional gov’ts in Italy

South Korea's Celltrion Healthcare Co. announced on Monday that it will supply its biosimilar Yuflyma (active ingredient: adalimumab) for the treatment of autoimmune diseases to five regions in Italy.

Celltrion Healthcare participated in the bidding held in the third quarter of this year by the regional governments of Campania, Umbria, Piedmont, Molise and Valle d'Aosta in Italy and won the bid. These five regional governments account for approximately 20% of the Italian adalimumab market. Yuflyma supply has already begun in some regions from last month, and it is expected to continue for the next one to three years.

Previously, Yuflyma also won bids for adalimumab in the Emilia-Romagna and Veneto regions of Italy in the first quarter of this year. It is the only high-concentration biosimilar sold in an 80 mg dosage, which provides a competitive advantage, according to the company.

Yuflyma is a biosimilar of the blockbuster biopharmaceutical Humira by the US pharmaceutical company AbbVie Inc. It is used to treat conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and Crohn's disease.

Celltrion Healthcare explained that with expanded prescriptions in Europe, Yuflyma has recorded sales of 54 billion won ($40.7 million) in the first half of this year.

Write to Jeong Min Nam at peux@hankyung.com