Samsung Epis Holdings subsidiary Samsung Bioepis said on the 20th that it has launched the autoimmune disease treatment SB17 (ustekinumab) in the Japanese market. It is the company's first biosimilar product introduced in Japan.
Samsung Bioepis launched SB17 through its Japanese marketing partner Nipro Corporation. SB17 is a biosimilar to Johnson & Johnson (J&J)'s autoimmune disease treatment Stelara and is used to treat plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
SB17 works by inhibiting the activity of interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-23, which are involved in immune responses. Samsung Bioepis received marketing approval from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Dec. last year for plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. It was officially launched after being listed on the Japanese National Health Insurance drug price list on the 19th.
The company plans to use this launch as a springboard to expand biosimilar commercialization in Japan in earnest. Samsung Bioepis signed a strategic partnership with Nipro in June last year and has been promoting entry into the Japanese market for multiple biosimilars, including SB17.
Jeong Jin-han, executive director of the commercial business division at Samsung Bioepis, said, "By providing high-quality biosimilar treatment options to patients with autoimmune diseases in Japan, we have improved access to care," and added, "We will continue working to address unmet needs across various therapeutic areas."
Meanwhile, Samsung Bioepis sells the Stelara biosimilar under the product name Pyzchiva™ in Europe and the United States and Epyztek® in Korea.