Samsung Bioepis Unveils Latest Research on Autoimmune Disease Treatments at Domestic Conference

Samsung Bioepis Headquarters. Photo by Samsung Bioepis

Samsung Bioepis will unveil the latest research findings related to autoimmune disease treatments currently marketed globally at the 8th International Meeting of the Korean Association for the Study of Intestinal Diseases (IMKASID 2025), held in Seoul from the 10th to the 12th.

Samsung Bioepis disclosed two abstracts: one on domestic patient prescription data (real-world data) for its self-developed adalimumab biosimilar drug (domestic product name Adaloche®), and another on the potential cost-saving effects related to the introduction of ustekinumab biosimilars (original drug Stelara) in Europe.

First, Samsung Bioepis conducted a real-world data study on 238 patients prescribed Adaloche in South Korea from September 2017 to June 2024.

Among them, data from 213 patients eligible for drug efficacy evaluation were analyzed. The average disease activity scores at 24 weeks for patients newly treated with adalimumab biosimilars for axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and Crohn's disease (CD) decreased compared to baseline (pre-treatment scores). Additionally, the average disease activity scores of axSpA and RA patients who switched prescriptions from other adalimumab biosimilars to Adaloche were found to be similar before and after the switch.

As a result, Adaloche demonstrated efficacy without new safety issues in domestic patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Crohn's disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC), and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). This was consistent with the results of related clinical studies previously conducted by Samsung Bioepis.

Samsung Bioepis also revealed data on expected cost savings in major European countries following the introduction of ustekinumab biosimilars for autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis (PsO), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and Crohn's disease (CD).

This analysis compared the actual expected drug payment costs in real-world medical settings over three years in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Sweden, assuming scenarios with the introduction of ustekinumab biosimilars ("World with Ustekinumab biosimilar") versus scenarios with only the original drug and no biosimilar introduction ("World without").

The study estimated that the expected healthcare cost savings from the introduction of ustekinumab biosimilars over three years amounted to 440 million euros (approximately 650 billion KRW) in Germany, 49.5 million euros (approximately 73 billion KRW) in the UK, and 36.8 million euros (approximately 15 billion KRW) in Sweden, confirming the potential for cost reduction through biosimilar prescriptions.

Gil Ji-hoon, Head of the Medical Team at Samsung Bioepis (Executive Director), stated, "The research on biosimilar efficacy and healthcare cost savings disclosed at this international conference held domestically is a meaningful example of our continuous efforts to expand patient access to high-quality biopharmaceuticals."

Meanwhile, Samsung Bioepis plans to open a corporate booth at this conference to introduce a diverse product portfolio in the field of immunology to visiting medical professionals and industry stakeholders, actively communicating to raise awareness of patient benefits through biosimilars.

Currently, Samsung Bioepis has launched a total of nine biosimilar products domestically, among which four autoimmune disease treatments (Etoloce®, Remaroce®, Adaloche, Epiztec) are sold directly to customers without separate partners.

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