Celltrion said on the 19th that its autoimmune disease treatment "Zympentra" (U.S. brand name of Remsima SC) has been listed as a preferred drug in the formulary of Evernorth Health Services, a medical services corporations under the major U.S. healthcare corporations Cigna Group.
Going forward, Cigna-affiliated insurance enrollees will be able to receive prescriptions for Zympentra without the complex administrative procedures that are typically required for drug prescribing.
The company said it expects sales to accelerate as patient access to Zympentra improves significantly and physicians' prescribing preference rises.
Zympentra is the world's only infliximab subcutaneous (SC) formulation therapy that Celltrion first launched in the United States in Mar. 2024. A biosimilar (generic) product in an intravenous (IV) formulation was developed into an SC formulation and recognized as a new drug in the United States. The SC formulation shortens the administration time of the infliximab IV formulation, which used to take more than 90 minutes, to within 5 minutes.
According to the company, since Zympentra's initial U.S. launch, it has recorded an average monthly prescription growth rate of 31%, maintaining steep quarter-over-quarter growth. As of Dec. last year, institutional prescription volumes at hospitals and other facilities were nearly five times higher than the same period a year earlier.
A Celltrion official said, "Following last year's launch of high-margin follow-up products, our autoimmune disease portfolio is set to expand this year with new products such as Aptosma SC formulation and OMLYCLO, and we will move quickly to secure the U.S. autoimmune disease market through more aggressive marketing."