Celltrion’s anti-cancer biosimilars win multiple tenders in Europe

Celltrion’s anti-cancer biosimilar Vegzelma (Celltrion)

Celltrion said Thursday that the company’s three oncology biosimilar products -- Herzuma, Truxima and Vegzelma -- are making their foray into key European markets after winning multiple bids there.

Celltrion secured bids in France to supply its cancer-fighting biosimilars to five regional drug purchasing organizations for public hospitals.

Both Herzuma and Vegzelma will be supplied to two French public health agencies -- Graps and GAULoYS -- while Vegzelma alone won tenders from Grecaps, Groupement Niort and Groupement PharmSERA. These organizations together account for some 10 percent of the French anti-cancer drugs market, the company said.

Depending on individual contracts, Herzuma and Vegzelma will be provided to France for the next two to four years.

All three biosimilars also won state bids in Italy, another main European market, for 4 1/2 years in the northeastern region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia and for two years in Sicily.

Recognized for its product competitiveness, Celltrion said the company has been continuing to ramp up its presence in Italy, following successive deals to supply its biosimilar treatments for autoimmune diseases, such as Yuflyma.

The biosimilar giant continues to win bids in Belgium and the Netherlands, too. Celltrion said that the company recently won a tender to deliver Herzuma and Vegzelma to HospiLim, the regional hospital organization for Belgium’s Limburg, for four years.

The company’s Herzuma and blood cancer biosimilar Truxima also won a two-year contract from Santeon, the group of top seven clinical hospitals across the Netherlands as well as a key supply channel that makes up one-tenth of the Dutch pharmaceutical market. The anti-cancer drugs will be supplied to the Netherlands for two years.

“Since Vegzelma’s launch to Europe in 2022, Celltrion has achieved consecutive contracts with a diversified anti-cancer drug portfolio,” said Kim Dong-sik, Celltrion’s regional general manager in France.

“Ensuring therapeutic efficacy and safety of our products, Celltrion will strengthen marketing strategies in a bid to reaching out to more European patients out there.”