South Korean pharmaceutical giant Celltrion Inc. said Thursday its new biosimilar of the arthritis drug Humira has won approval from Canadian authorities.

Yuflyma, an adalimumab biosimilar with a high concentration, is used to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and inflammatory diseases.

Yuflyma requires only half the solution administered to patients compared with the existing Humira biosimilar and is also citrate-free, which lessens discomfort during injection.

Celltrion received authorization for Yuflyma in Europe in February and is preparing to roll out the biosimilar in South Korea after getting approval in October.

Humira was the second most-sold biologic drug in Canada last year with total sales reaching 1 trillion won ($842.5 billion). Celltrion said it plans to actively target the Canadian market with the authorization of Yuflyma. (Yonhap)