Celltrion's autoimmune disease treatment, Remsima, has surpassed 1.2 trillion won ($837 million) in annual sales, making it the first product in Korean biopharmaceutical history to exceed the 1 trillion won global sales milestone.

The biosimilar giant reported annual sales of 3.55 trillion won last year and an operating profit of 492 billion won. Its flagship product, Remsima, contributed 1.26 trillion won, making up around 35.6 percent of total sales, the company revealed on Wednesday.

After its European launch in September 2013, Remsima achieved a 52 percent market share by the end of 2017, according to pharmaceutical market research firm IQVIA, overtaking the original product’s market share for the first time among antibody biosimilars.

In 2022, it also set a milestone as the first developed drug in Korea to receive regulatory approval in over 100 countries. Through its 40 overseas subsidiaries, Celltrion directly distributes pharmaceuticals and executes tailored sales strategies for each country.

Meanwhile, the rapid growth of Remsima SC, the world’s only subcutaneous formulation of infliximab, is also attracting considerable market attention.

When Remsima SC was introduced in Europe in 2020, its market share was just 1 percent, but by the third quarter of last year, it had risen significantly to 21 percent, according to the company.

Last year, Remsima SC was launched in the US under the brand name Zymfentra, and successfully set the stage for expanding prescriptions by securing listing agreements with three major pharmacy benefit managers controlling 80 percent of the country's insurance market.

“We will accelerate the launch of follow-up biosimilars, including Remsima SC, and continue pursuing successful new drug development in areas such as antibody-drug conjugates and multi-specific antibodies, aiming to create the second and third ‘Remsima,’” a Celltrion official said.

By Kim Hae-yeon (hykim@heraldcorp.com