Among the '3 Major PBMs,' Celltrion's 'Jimpentra' Passes First Hurdle... Accelerates US Market Push

Celltrion's new autoimmune disease treatment drug, Jimptetra (the U.S. launch name for Remsima SC), is accelerating its entry into the U.S. market by successfully targeting major U.S. pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).

On the 29th, Celltrion announced, "We have signed a listing contract for Jimptetra with Express Scripts (ESI), one of the major PBMs, which has 100 million subscribers nationwide in the U.S." Although the contract signing was announced earlier on the 8th, the specific PBM was not disclosed at that time.

Jimptetra is intensifying its PBM targeting by leveraging its convenience as the "world's only subcutaneous injection form of infliximab." The active ingredient in Jimptetra, infliximab, has proven efficacy and safety for inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Existing drugs with this ingredient have only been available as intravenous injections administered at hospitals or clinics. Given the difficulty of visiting medical institutions in the U.S., there has been strong market demand for a subcutaneous injection form that patients can self-administer.

Listing on PBMs is essential for practical market penetration. In the U.S. pharmaceutical market, drugs that are not included in the "formulary," a list of drugs managed by PBMs on behalf of public and private insurers, are practically difficult to sell. If Jimptetra is not listed on the formulary of the insurance company a patient is enrolled in, the patient must bear the full cost of the drug. Typically, listing on PBM formularies requires negotiations after launch, as with the recent ESI deal, but Jimptetra was also listed on formularies of various small and medium PBMs, including Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) Minnesota, which recognized its innovation at launch.

Currently, the U.S. PBM market is dominated by the so-called "Big 3 PBMs"?ESI, CVS Caremark, and OptumRx?with a combined market share of about 80%. Among them, ESI holds approximately 24% market share with 100 million subscribers nationwide. Including the recent ESI contract and existing small and medium PBM contracts, it is analyzed that Jimptetra has secured coverage of about 40% of the entire U.S. private insurance market.

Celltrion is also implementing various patient support programs to accelerate Jimptetra prescriptions. For patients enrolled in PBMs where formulary listing has not yet been achieved, a "Start Program" is operated. In cases where contract signing is imminent, the product is temporarily provided free of charge until listing is completed. The company explained, "Actual patient registrations through the Start Program are already underway," and "we continue to receive numerous registration inquiries." Additionally, some patients who meet contract conditions receive support for their out-of-pocket expenses.

This ESI contract is considered the first major achievement in Jimptetra's U.S. market entry project, personally led by Celltrion Chairman Seo Jung-jin. Chairman Seo previously stated about Jimptetra, "It can generate annual sales of up to 3 trillion KRW within three years," and "even conservatively, it is a product that can reach up to 5 trillion KRW." Since before the launch, Chairman Seo has been stationed in North America, leading local sales efforts. Vice Chairman Kim Hyung-gi of Celltrion, encouraged by these efforts, expressed confidence that "Jimptetra will be listed on all three major PBMs within this year."

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