A Biosimilar-friendly Country

Celltrion’s Breast Cancer Treatment Herzuma

Celltrion Healthcare announced on August 23 that it began sales of Herzuma, Celltrion's biosimilar (a biologic medical product that is almost an identical copy of an original product) for the treatment of breast cancer and stomach cancer in Japan.

Celltrion Healthcare is a subsidiary in charge of overseas sales of Celltrion’s biosimilars. The local sales in Japan will be jointly handled by Celltrion Healthcare and Nippon Kayaku, a Japanese distribution partner.

Herzuma's original drug is Herceptin, developed by Genentech, a subsidiary of multinational pharmaceutical company Roche, and sold by Roche. Herceptin's Japanese market is estimated to be around 400 billion won (US$ 333 million).

An official from Celltrion Healthcare said, "Due to rapid populating aging in Japan, it is likely that there will be continuous discussions on cutting medical costs at the government level. By conducting marketing strategies and sales activities befitting the biosimilar-friendly policy of Japanese government, we will do our best to expand the market for Herzuma.”

Copyright © BusinessKorea. Prohibited from unauthorized reproduction and redistribution