Celltrion announced on the 31st that ‘Omriclo’, an allergy treatment launched at the end of last year, is now being sold in 15 regions in Italy. Among these, it has signed supply contracts with the regional governments in 7 regions, as the sole supplier among omalizumab product providers.

The autoimmune disease treatments ‘Steqima’ and ‘Aptozma’ have also won consecutive bids in the local tenders, and sales expansion of new biosimilars in the second half is expected.

Omriclo is an omalizumab biosimilar used for chronic idiopathic urticaria and allergic asthma, among other indications.

In Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, the cumulative sales volume of Omriclo from January to May this year exceeded the total omalizumab prescription volume in those regions during the same period last year.

In Apulia and Umbria, the company expects Omriclo to account for more than 80% of the annual total omalizumab supply volume by the end of this year. It anticipates that prescriptions will increase further if supply is expanded to regions where bidding and contract procedures are currently under way.

The autoimmune disease treatment Steqima is being sold after winning tenders in 9 regions in Italy. Aptozma has secured contracts in 7 out of the 9 regions where tenders have been held.

Aptozma supply and prescriptions are expected to gain full momentum from the second half of the year, once contract procedures are completed.

Existing products, the autoimmune disease treatment ‘Yuflyma’ and the anticancer drug ‘Vegzelma’, are also maintaining high market shares locally.

According to pharmaceutical market research firm IQVIA, in the first quarter of this year Yuflyma and Vegzelma recorded market shares of 46% and 66%, respectively, in Italy. Both products ranked first in local market share.

Celltrion explained that winning bids for new products and expanding supply contributed to performance growth in the second quarter of this year. It projected that the sales growth trend will continue into the second half as product supply begins in the recently awarded regions.

Yoo Won-sik, head of Celltrion’s Italian subsidiary, said, “As Omriclo and other new products achieve bidding results in key regions, supply and sales are expanding,” and added, “In the second half, we will strengthen the presence of new biosimilars in the local market by continuing to participate in tenders and expanding the regions where we supply products.”

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