Celltrion's 'Herzuma' Surpasses 50% Market Share in Japan

Celtreon anticancer drug 'Herzuma' finished product process scene. / Incheon Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] Celltrion Healthcare's biosimilar for breast and stomach cancer treatment, 'Herzuma' (generic name 'Trastuzumab'), has surpassed the original drug by securing a majority market share in Japan.

According to Celltrion Healthcare, Herzuma's market share in Japan reached 51% in June, solidifying its position as the market leader. The company explained, "The strength of being the 'first mover' launched earliest in the market, along with the proven product reliability through global prescription expansion, played a significant role."

In particular, it is evaluated that Herzuma succeeded in preempting the market by securing the indication for the three-week regimen, which accounts for over 90% of the Japanese breast cancer market, earlier than competitors in August 2019, thereby establishing a foundation for Herzuma to be prescribed at key cancer treatment hospitals. Furthermore, amid the spread of COVID-19, the stable supply safety of the drug, compared to competing biosimilar products, emerged as a major strength, increasing preference among frontline Japanese medical professionals.

Incheon Songdo Celltrion Plant 2 Overview. / Incheon - Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Currently, Herzuma is supplied through different channels where Celltrion Healthcare's Japan subsidiary and its distribution partner Nippon Kayaku each have strengths. Since last year, Celltrion Healthcare's local subsidiary has expanded communication with the Japanese Red Cross and focused on targeted distribution networks by channel, resulting in strengthened marketing activities aimed at key opinion leaders (KOLs) who influence drug prescriptions.

The company expects Herzuma's growth trend in Japan to continue. Despite frontline hospitals facing operational difficulties such as decreased patient visits due to the spread of COVID-19, it is explained that since Herzuma is included in the DPC system and helps improve hospital revenue, prescription preference is expected to increase further.

The DPC system is a Japanese-style bundled payment system where the government sets a rate for the total treatment cost, including drug costs, medical fees, and hospitalization fees for specific diseases. Since hospital profitability under the DPC system is affected by drug prices, prescribing competitively priced drugs increases hospital revenue by the amount of cost savings. Additionally, patient co-payments and government reimbursements are also reduced, making it a policy favorable to biosimilars.

Celltrion Healthcare also explained that the biosimilar for autoimmune disease treatment, 'Remsima' (generic name 'Infliximab'), is continuously expanding its prescriptions. Remsima has also shown steady growth by surpassing a 20% market share in Japan in the second quarter of this year. The increase in demand for competitively priced drugs due to the spread of COVID-19 and improved perception of biosimilars following the expansion of Herzuma prescriptions are analyzed to have positively influenced the expansion of Remsima prescriptions as well.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.