Samsung Bioepis announced on the 2nd that it has signed a partnership agreement with Boryung for the domestic sales of 'Xbryk,' a biosimilar (a replica of a biopharmaceutical) for the treatment of bone diseases, which is based on the drug 'Xgeva' (active ingredient denosumab).
Accordingly, Samsung Bioepis will be responsible for the production and supply of Xbryk as the developer, while Boryung will handle exclusive sales and marketing activities in Korea.
'Xgeva' is a blockbuster drug developed by Amgen in the United States that earned a global revenue of 3.3 trillion won last year for the prevention of skeletal-related symptoms in cancer patients with bone metastases and for the treatment of giant cell tumor of bone. Giant cell tumor of bone is a rare type of bone tumor characterized by the aggregation of dozens of cells into a large mass that gradually destroys bone. Samsung Bioepis received domestic product approval for Xbryk in May and approvals in the United States and Europe in February.
Through this contract, Samsung Bioepis and Boryung have expanded their domestic partnership product line to include the biosimilars 'Onbevzi' for the anticancer drug Avastin, 'Samfenet' for Herceptin, and now the Xgeva biosimilar Xbryk.
According to the company, the actual quality strength of Samsung Bioepis combined with Boryung's expertise in anticancer sales and marketing has led to sustained rapid growth of partnership products. The sales of Onbevzi last year reached 45.2 billion won.
Kim Kyung-a, CEO of Samsung Bioepis, said, 'I am pleased to be able to sell Xbryk in cooperation with Boryung, which has expertise in the field of anticancer drugs. We will collaborate closely to provide more domestic patients with treatment opportunities through biopharmaceuticals based on our product capabilities and Boryung's sales competitiveness.' Boryung CEO Kim Jung-kyun stated, 'Based on the synergies proven through the existing partnership with Samsung Bioepis, we will do our best to ensure the early market penetration of Xbryk.'