April 26, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] Korean pharmaceutical firm Samsung Bioepis has started research on a biosimilar for the drug Soliris, used to treat paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, industry sources said on Oct. 31.

According to sources, Samsung Bioepis plans to develop and release a more affordable version of the product -- originally developed by US-based Alexion Pharmaceuticals -- under the name SB12. 

Samsung Bioepis will carry out clinical tests on 240 adults in Germany. The project is estimated to run through April next year.

PNH is a disease in which the destruction of red blood cells leads to a red discoloration of the urine. Being a rare disease, there are only approximately 750 patients in Korea.

The local price of a single 30-milliliter dose of Soliris costs 6 million won (US$527). The average cost of the original Soliris is estimated at around 500 million won for a one-year supply.

The annual global sales of Soliris came to US$3.1 billion in 2017.

By Song Seung-hyun and newswires (ssh@heraldcorp.com)