Celltrion's headquarters in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon (Celltrion)

Korean biosimilar giant Celltrion said Monday that its Zymfentra, the world’s first subcutaneous formulation of infliximab called Ramsima SC outside the US, has been included in the preferred formulary of Express Scripts, one of the top three pharmacy benefit managers or PMBs in the US.

In the US, PBMs act as negotiating entities in the prescription drug supply chain. Insurers work with PBMs as third-party contractors that manage their prescription drug benefits. PBMs create and update formularies of preferred drugs, deciding which medications they can access through their insurance.

Express Scripts is a Missouri-based PBM that negotiates on behalf of health plans covering more than 100 million people in the US. Its preferred formulary covers around 21.9 million insured people.

“With the latest agreement with Express Scripts, Celltrion has significantly increased Zymfentra’s access to the US people,” an official from Celltrion said.

Adding to the previous contracts with smaller PBMs, Celltrion’s Zymfentra has now secured access to almost 40 percent of the insured population in the US.

Celltrion added the company would continue to engage with national and regional health plans, as well as PBMs and Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs), to promote the value of its FDA-approved therapies including Zymfentra to secure broad coverage.

"This agreement opens up an important pathway for access to treatment for millions of patients with chronic diseases," said Francine Galante, vice president of market access at Celltrion USA. "We will continue to work with providers, patients and physicians to build upon our mission of developing transformational therapies that meet the needs of our patients living with chronic debilitating pain."

Zymfentra is a treatment developed by Celltrion as a subcutaneous injection formulation of infliximab for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. The medication has been recognized for its efficacy and convenience in major global markets, including Europe. It was approved as a new drug by the US Food and Drug Administration in October last year.

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