Celltrion accelerates European market share with new biosimilar wins in Italy

Celltrion is rapidly expanding its direct-sales footprint in Italy — one of Europe's five major pharmaceutical markets — by securing a growing stream of orders and supply contracts for its new biosimilar lineup.

The company said Friday that Omriqlo (omalizumab), its treatment for chronic spontaneous urticaria and allergic asthma launched late last year, has begun sales in 15 Italian regions. In seven of those regions, Celltrion is the sole omalizumab supplier under exclusive contracts with regional governments, giving it an early grip on the market.

The commercial momentum is already showing up in sales figures. In Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, Omriqlo's cumulative sales from January through May this year already surpassed total omalizumab prescriptions recorded in the same period last year. In Puglia and Umbria, Omriqlo is projected to account for more than 80 percent of the entire annual omalizumab supply volume by year-end.

Celltrion's newer autoimmune treatments are also racking up tender wins. Steqeyma (ustekinumab) has been awarded contracts in nine regions and is already on sale, while Aptuzma (tocilizumab) won tenders in seven of the nine regions where bids were held. Full supply under those Aptuzma contracts is set to begin in the second half of the year once contract procedures are finalized.

The company's established products continue to hold dominant positions. According to IQVIA, as of the first quarter of this year, Yuflyma (adalimumab) — an autoimmune disease treatment — and Vegzelma (bevacizumab), an anticancer drug, held market-leading shares of 46 percent and 66 percent, respectively, in Italy.

The string of tender wins in Italy, a key European market, is driving Celltrion's push to generate high-margin revenue — not just by cementing its direct-sales model, but by rapidly penetrating the market with successive biosimilar launches.

Celltrion said new high-margin product orders and rising prescriptions for existing products created a synergy that drove record earnings in the second quarter of this year. "New products such as Omriqlo are quickly capturing local markets by delivering strong tender results in key regions," said Yu Won-sik, head of Celltrion's Italian subsidiary. "In the second half, we will continue to strengthen the position of our new biosimilars and sustain our growth trajectory by expanding tender participation and broadening our supply regions."