Sales of biosimilars developed by Samsung Bioepis in European countries reached 866 billion won ($795 million) last year, the South Korean drugmaker said Friday, citing an earnings report from US partner Biogen.

Samsung Bioepis is a joint venture between Biogen and Samsung Group’s biopharmaceutical unit Biologics. Its biosimilar sales are shared by the two companies.

According to Biogen’s earnings report, sales of Samsung Bioepis’ three major autoimmune biosimilars -- Benepali, Flixabi and Imraldi -- increased 7.8 percent from a year earlier.

Benepali’s revenue posted 524 billion won, a 0.9 percent decrease on-year. Benepali, a biosimilar of Enbrel developed by US-based Amgen, is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Benepali currently has a 40 percent market share in Europe.

Sales of Flixabi, which is used to treat Crohn’s disease, surged 43.8 percent on-year to 107 billion won. The drug was originally developed by Janssen Pharmaceuticals.

Shipments of Imraldi, a copy of Humira, reached 235 billion won, up 17.6 percent from a year earlier. Imraldi is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.

While sales of Samsung Bioepis biosimilars continued to post an improved performance last year, Humira’s sales outside the US fell 13.6 percent from a year earlier.

By Shim Woo-hyun (ws@heraldcorp.com)