An affiliate of South Korean biopharmaceutical firm Celltrion Inc. said Tuesday that its biosimilar drug Truxima accounts for 30 percent of the Britain market.
Truxima, a reference to Roche's Mabthera, also known as Rituxan, has become a presence in the European country since its launch in April, Celltrion Healthcare said.
Celltrion`s headquarters in Songdo, Incheon (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)
In February, the European Medicines Agency accepted Celltrion's application to sell the antibody biosimilar which is used in the treatment of a number of diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of leukemia.
The drug is sold in Britain at a 30 and 40 percent discount to the current list price of Rituxan, the company said.
Biosimilars are officially approved copycat medicines developed after patents for the original biopharmaceuticals expire. (Yonhap)