Celltrion’s autoimmune disease biosimilar wins further approval in Europe

SEOUL, Feb. 22 (BNA): The South Korean pharmaceutical company “Cell Trion” said Tuesday that a highly concentrated version of its biosimilar to autoimmune diseases “Euvlima” has received approval from European pharmaceutical authorities.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has given the green light for Celltrion to sell Yuflyma, a drug similar to Humira biosimilars from AbbVie Inc.

And the South Korean news agency (Yonhap) reported that the drug is used to treat patients with multiple chronic inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.

Marketing authorization follows EMA’s previous approval in February 2021 for the low-concentration version of Yuflyma.

The higher concentration Euphlima will be priced similarly to other biosimilars to Humira, potentially giving Celltrion an advantage in pricing and market reach over lower-concentration versions of the biosimilars.

Celtrion said Euphilima requires only half the solution given to patients compared to current biosimilars to Humira and is also citrate-free, reducing discomfort during injections.

The marketing authorization granted by the agency is valid in all member states of the European Union, as well as in countries of the European Economic Area such as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

HF