Celltrion Healthcare Signs Exclusive Supply Agreement for 'Uplima' with US Specialty Pharmacy Chain

Contract Signed with Specialty Pharmacy 'Care Partner Pharmacy'
Only Adalimumab Medication
Covers Over 10 Million Patients
Channel Expansion from PBM to Specialty Pharmacies

Celltrion Healthcare has successfully signed a supply contract for 'Yuflyma' (active ingredient adalimumab) with specialty pharmacies, a major pharmaceutical supply channel in the United States.

Biosimilar of the autoimmune disease treatment Humira, 'Yuflyma' is a US product.
[Photo by Celltrion Healthcare]

On the 16th, Celltrion Healthcare announced that Yuflyma has been added to the supply program managed by CarePartners Pharmacy, a major specialty pharmacy chain in the U.S.

Accordingly, starting at the end of this month, Yuflyma sales are expected to be conducted through specialty pharmacies operated nationwide by CarePartners. Notably, through this contract, the original product previously sold by CarePartners has been excluded, and competitive biosimilar products are also not included in CarePartners’ list of sold pharmaceuticals, making Yuflyma the only adalimumab drug to be sold, Celltrion Healthcare emphasized.

CarePartners is a specialty pharmacy that handles prescription drugs for chronic and rare diseases. In the U.S. healthcare market, specialty pharmacies are considered a key channel providing drug sales and patient support services in connection with small- and mid-sized Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) and others. CarePartners holds licenses to supply pharmaceuticals across Washington D.C. and all 50 states.

With this contract, Yuflyma now covers more than 10 million patients enrolled in CarePartners and channels linked to CarePartners. Celltrion Healthcare added that by contracting to supply Yuflyma directly to CarePartners, the distribution steps are reduced, which is expected to positively impact profitability.

Celltrion Healthcare highlighted the significant meaning of this contract in that Yuflyma’s distribution channels have expanded from PBMs to specialty pharmacy chains. This enables increasing brand awareness and preference for Yuflyma among pharmacists and patients linked to CarePartners, as well as numerous stakeholders including PBMs and organizations. A Celltrion Healthcare representative stated, "As accessibility to Yuflyma for U.S. autoimmune disease patients has improved, prescription expansion is expected to accelerate."

At the same time, they added that additional achievements are expected in ongoing negotiations for formulary listings with multiple PBMs. Celltrion Healthcare plans to strengthen sales and marketing activities to secure about 40% of the U.S. insurance market for Yuflyma by the end of this year.

Kam Gazvini, CEO of CarePartners, said, "We are very excited to provide Yuflyma, a high-quality, high-concentration product, replacing Humira which we previously supplied through collaboration with Celltrion Healthcare. We are pleased to partner with Celltrion Healthcare, which is establishing itself as a leader in the biosimilar industry with a rich pipeline including blockbuster therapies, and we will realize cost-saving plans for payers through CarePartners’ programs."

Meanwhile, Yuflyma has improved patient convenience by removing citrate, which can cause pain, and latex (natural rubber), which can cause allergies. It also has the advantage of being favorable for market capture with a high-concentration (100 mg/mL) formulation that reduces the drug dose by half compared to low concentration. Last month, it expanded its dosage lineup with approvals for 80 mg and 20 mg doses.

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