Samsung Bioepis-Samil Pharmaceutical, Domestic Sales Partnership for Lucentis Biosimilar 'Amelibu'

Heo Seung-beom, Chairman of Samil Pharmaceutical, and Go Han-seung, President of Samsung Bioepis (from left), are taking a commemorative photo after signing a marketing partnership agreement.

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] Samsung Bioepis and Samil Pharmaceutical have joined hands to sell the biosimilar of the ophthalmic disease treatment drug 'Lucentis (active ingredient 'ranibizumab')', named 'Amelivu (SB11)', in South Korea.

Samsung Bioepis and Samil Pharmaceutical announced on the 21st that they signed a domestic sales partnership agreement for Amelivu at Samsung Bioepis headquarters in Songdo, Incheon.

Lucentis is an ophthalmic disease treatment drug for macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema that works by binding to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A to inhibit neovascularization. It was developed by Genentech and is currently marketed by Roche and Novartis, with global sales exceeding 4 trillion KRW last year, making it a blockbuster drug. According to IQVIA, the domestic market size also reaches approximately 34 billion KRW.

Samsung Bioepis previously obtained product approval under the name 'Byooviz' in Europe and the United States between August and September last year and launched the product in the U.S. market in June. In South Korea, it received sales approval in May and has partnered with Samil Pharmaceutical as a market entry partner ahead of its domestic launch.

Samsung Bioepis's ophthalmic disease treatment 'Lucentis' biosimilar 'Byooviz' (domestic release name 'Amelibu')

The two companies plan to build a close cooperative relationship to provide patients with opportunities to receive high-quality biopharmaceuticals at more affordable prices.

Go Han-seung, CEO of Samsung Bioepis, said, "We are pleased to collaborate with a specialized partner, Samil Pharmaceutical, for the sales of our first ophthalmic disease treatment drug. We will work closely to ensure that domestic patients can experience more benefits through biosimilar prescriptions."

Heo Seung-beom, Chairman of Samil Pharmaceutical, also stated, "Following our provision of ophthalmic disease treatments in various fields through in-house development and cooperation with global partners, we have signed the domestic sales rights contract for Amelivu with Samsung Bioepis, realizing total care in the ophthalmic disease field. We will offer more choices to domestic patients."

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