April 25, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] Korean biopharmaceutical firm Celltrion said on Jan. 2 that it has registered patents for its autoimmune disease therapeutic antibody biosimilar in over 90 countries.

Remsima SC -- the subcutaneous version of Remsima, referencing Janssen Biotech’s Remicade -- will be under patent protection until 2037, corporate insiders said. 

The patents will enhance Celtrion’s competitiveness in the global autoimmune disease therapeutic agent market through a twin-track strategy with the existing Remsima, they said.

Remsima, administered through intravascular injections, is used in the treatment of a number of diseases ranging from rheumatoid arthritis to Crohn‘s disease, Celltrion said.

The SC version allows patients to conveniently inject it by themselves, unlike the intravenous formulation, which requires patients to visit a hospital, officials said.

Celltrion said the market share of Remsima surpassed that of the original drug, Remicade, during the fourth quarter of last year to take 52 percent of the market.

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