South Korea’s Celltrion said Friday that it had tapped Baxter BioPharma Solutions as its new contract manufacturing partner for Remsima in a move to cover growing demand and ensure stable supplies in the US.
Under the new CMO agreement, the US-based biopharma company will produce Celltrion’s Remsima in the form of finished drugs.
Celltrion’s headquarters in Songdo, Incheon (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)
Remsima is Celltrion’s biosimilar drug referencing Johnson & Johnson’s autoimmune disease treatment Remicade. Biosimilars are cheaper, near-replicas of biologic drugs whose patents have expired.
“With the latest agreement, Celltrion has secured a local drug producer in the US, the world’s biggest biopharmaceutical market,” a Celltrion official said. “The firm expects to meet local demand in a more flexible manner.”
Baxter Biopharma Solutions is set to produce Celltrion’s Truxima and Herzuma at its facilities as well once they are approved. The two drugs, referencing Rituxan and Herceptin respectively, are currently awaiting marketing authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration.
By Shim Woo-hyun (
ws@heraldcorp.com)
