Celltrion's Remsima SC, Zymfentra post combined H1 sales of W456.2b, putting annual W1tr target in sight

Celltrion's subcutaneous infliximab treatment Remsima SC and its US counterpart Zymfentra posted combined first-half sales of 456.2 billion won ($330 million), putting the products on track to surpass the 1 trillion won annual sales mark.

Celltrion said Thursday that Remsima SC generated 356.7 billion won in sales across global markets including Europe and South Korea in the first half of this year, while Zymfentra — sold in the United States as a new drug — recorded 99.5 billion won. Year-on-year growth rates reached 20.3 percent and 176.4 percent, respectively. The results reflect a successful diversification of the product line's growth drivers, with steady European performance now complemented by rapid sales expansion in the world's largest pharmaceutical market.

Celltrion plans to develop the Remsima SC product line into its second blockbuster drug with annual sales exceeding 1 trillion won — following the original intravenous Remsima — by expanding prescriptions in existing markets, increasing supply volumes in the second half of the year, and entering new global markets.

In its core European market, Remsima SC set a new quarterly market-share record. According to IQVIA, the drug held approximately 32 percent of the market across the five major EU countries in the first quarter of this year, the result of consistently expanding prescriptions since its European launch in 2020.

By country, Remsima SC captured a 49 percent share in Germany, meaning roughly one in two infliximab patients there now receives the drug. It also held 35 percent in France and 31 percent in Italy, demonstrating strong market dominance across major European markets.

Analysts attribute the European performance largely to Celltrion's "dual formulation" strategy — simultaneously supplying the intravenous Remsima for hospital administration and the subcutaneous Remsima SC for self-injection at home. The approach allows clinicians to choose flexibly between the two forms based on each patient's condition and treatment setting. Celltrion has maximized synergies between the two products by encouraging patients who switched from competing infliximab drugs to Remsima to continue maintenance therapy with Remsima SC.

The broader European infliximab market is also expanding steadily, providing an additional tailwind. According to IQVIA, the market grew at an average annual rate of about 9 percent from 2019 to 2024, as more than two decades of accumulated clinical efficacy data in autoimmune and inflammatory bowel disease treatment, combined with the convenience of the subcutaneous formulation, have broadened treatment options for both clinicians and patients.

In the United States, Zymfentra's growth as an approved new drug has accelerated. Unlike conventional intravenous treatments that require lengthy hospital visits, Zymfentra allows patients to self-administer at home or wherever they choose — a convenience advantage that drove sales up 176.4 percent year on year. Celltrion said it is strengthening targeted marketing efforts, backed by insurance reimbursement listings and its retail and distribution network, to boost prescription preference.

The company is also accelerating its global expansion. Celltrion plans to launch Remsima SC in Japan — a key Asian market — in 2027, and to gradually extend sales to major Latin American countries in line with regulatory approvals and local conditions, solidifying its medium- to long-term growth engine.

"The Remsima SC product line is entering a new phase of growth, driven by the combination of stable European expansion and the sharp sales increase of Zymfentra in the United States," a Celltrion official said. "We will push ahead without delay on new market entries in Japan and Latin America, alongside expanding prescriptions in existing markets, to build this into a drug with annual sales of 1 trillion won."