Celltrion is expanding its sales base in the United States by exclusively supplying the allergy treatment Omliclo (ingredient: omalizumab) and the autoimmune disease treatment Aptozma (ingredient: tocilizumab) to a major healthcare company.
On October 26, Celltrion announced that its U.S. subsidiary signed an exclusive supply agreement for Omliclo and Aptozma with a large healthcare firm earlier this month. Both products were selected as exclusive supply items, and distribution and insurance reimbursement began this month. Omliclo and Aptozma are biosimilars of the original drugs Xolair and Actemra, respectively.
The contract is with a healthcare company that operates large hospitals, insurance companies, and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The two products will be listed as preferred drugs in the company's formulary and supplied to its affiliated medical institutions. This establishes a distribution network that ensures simultaneous insurance coverage and hospital supply. Previously, Celltrion has built a cooperative relationship by supplying its osteoporosis treatments Stoboclo and Osenbelt to the company's large hospitals.
Omliclo has also secured a supply contract with a major U.S. retail chain. Sales have begun in the pharmacies within these stores, and it has entered the prescription market through health insurance covering approximately 350,000 employees. Except for certain cases requiring a vial formulation, it has been listed as the preferred drug, surpassing the original. It has also been included in a drug discount program utilized by about 74 million members, allowing uninsured consumers to purchase Omliclo at a discounted price. This sets the stage for targeting both the insured prescription market and the uninsured sales market.
Celltrion is also negotiating additional formulary listings with multiple large PBMs. The company expects these negotiations to conclude soon, with contracts anticipated to be finalized in the fourth quarter. If successful, this will broaden the scope of insurance coverage in the U.S.
Celltrion plans to leverage its existing direct sales network in the U.S. and its relationships with insurance companies, medical institutions, and distribution firms to expand its portfolio with new products, aiming for both growth in scale and improved profitability.
Kim Bon-jung, CEO of Celltrion's U.S. subsidiary, stated, "Omliclo and Aptozma are entering the supply channels of major healthcare and distribution companies from the outset of their U.S. launch. We will connect confirmed supply contracts to actual prescriptions and sales growth, and finalize the listings with large PBMs under negotiation to broaden the growth foundation for new products."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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