Celltrion'a autoimmune disease drug Zymfentra makes US debut

South Korean biopharmaceutical giant Celltrion Inc. said on March 17 that it has launched its new autoimmune disease treatment Zymfentra in the US market.

The drug is a subcutaneous injection of Celltrion’s infliximab Remsima, a treatment for adults with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. It won US Food and Drug Administration approval last October.

The drug blocks the action of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), a protein that can be overproduced and cause the immune system to attack certain parts of the body. A patient can self-administer the medicine subcutaneously without needing to visit a medical center, Celltrion said.

Celltrion said it expects Zymfentra to have long-term profitability in the US as the drug will be under patent protection through 2040.

The drugmaker aims for more than 1 trillion won ($749.9 million) in revenue from Zymfentra by 2025, exceeding 10% of prescriptions for the target diseases in the US market. The wholesale price of Zymfentra, for two doses administered for four weeks, is set at $6,181.1.

The company said some pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) in the US have registered the medicine to their formularies so that the drugs can be covered by prescription plans.

The TNF-alpha market in the US reached 62.1 trillion won in 2022, including inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) – ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease – for 12.8 trillion won, Celltrion cited healthcare market research firm IQVIA’s data. Infliximab is the most common drug for IBDs, Celltrion added.

“The novel subcutaneous administration represents an important advancement in patient care that can offer a convenient treatment option, allowing patients in the US to have greater flexibility in managing their disease,” said Celltrion USA Chief Commercial Officer Thomas Nusbickel.


Write to Dae-Kyu Ahn at powerzanic@hankyung.com
 


Jihyun Kim edited this article.