Celltrion Healthcare, the distribution and marketing unit of Korea's biosimilar giant Celltrion, said that it held a symposium to launch Remsima SC in the United Kingdom.

Celltrion headquarters in Incheon.

The company introduced the biosimilar product, and presented its primary clinical data results at the conference, participated in by more than 100 experts. Professor Martin Perry at Royal Alexandra Hospital, Professor Mike Ehrenstein at University College Hospital, and Daniel Casey, director of medical science in the company’s U.K. offshoot, made presentations.

"Remsima SC, the world's first infliximab subcutaneous injection, will help both patients and medical professionals expand treatment options as it allows them to select between intravenous (IV) and SC formulations depending on the patient's condition," Professor Perry said.

Celltrion Healthcare has built an infrastructure for direct sales of the treatment since it established the U.K. branch in November 2018, securing professional staff for sales and marketing.

The company has achieved substantial results by signing a framework agreement with the U.K. National Health Service (NHS) to supply the biosimilar.

For hospitals and patients to receive medical reimbursement from the government, pharmaceutical companies and NHS must conclude an agreement, and based on this, detailed regional contracts. The company has completed making contracts in England and Scotland, and plans to expand it across the U.K. before launching the product.

"The U.K. has a higher preference for SC over IV, which will help Remsima SC succeed in the country," the company said. "Celltrion Healthcare plans to strengthen the key patient support services program to expand the Remsima SC regimen in light of these characteristics of the U.K. market."

To this end, Celltrion Healthcare plans to provide nurse consultancy programs, personalized monitoring kits that allow patients to check their anti-drug antibody, and systematic management according to their medical conditions. The company also plans to provide Remsimate, a mobile application dedicated to Remsima SC.

"In the U.K., the TNF-α market is worth 1.5 trillion won ($1.2 billion), which means that Britain and Germany account for more than 30 percent of the European sales," a company official said. "We are planning to launch Remsima SC in the Netherlands and Ireland in the first half of this year and will expand the target area throughout Europe by the end of the year."

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