Celltrion(068270) said on the 31st that OMLYCLO, which treats asthma and hives, is expanding its market in Italy. OMLYCLO is a biosimilar of XOLAIR developed by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis.
Celltrion is introducing OMLYCLO in 15 regions (states) in Italy. Of these, seven regions signed supply contracts with the State Governments. In Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, OMLYCLO prescriptions from January to May this year were counted as surpassing XOLAIR prescriptions in the same period last year.
The company said it is seeing the effect of direct sales in Italy. The autoimmune disease treatment Yuflyma and the anticancer drug Vegzelma recorded Italian market shares of 46% and 66%, respectively, in the first quarter of this year. The autoimmune disease treatment Steqeyma won bids in nine regions.
Yoo Won-sik, head of Celltrion's Italian subsidiary, said, "We will participate in bids in the second half and expand biosimilar supplies."