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Hospira Launches Remicade Biosimilar Inflectra in Additional EU Countries

February 23, 2015

Injectables giant Hospira is launching its Remicade biosimilar Inflectra in at least 10 new European markets, nearly doubling the product’s presence on the continent.

Inflectra (infliximab), which Hospira says is the first biosimilar monoclonal antibody to be marketed in Europe, will soon be available in Austria, Sweden, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Spain.

That brings the total number of European countries where Inflectra is marketed to 24, Hospira says. Inflectra is already sold in Central and Eastern Europe and a number of other western European countries where patents on the reference product have expired, spokeswoman Ann Fahey-Widman said.

Inflectra mimics Janssen's Remicade (infliximab), which treats inflammatory diseases such as psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, adult and pediatric Crohn's disease, plaque psoriasis and ulcerative colitis.

Remicade had European sales of $2.3 billion in 2013. Hospira predicts Inflectra could save European governments $23 billion in healthcare costs by 2020.

An FDA advisory committee is set to take up Hospira partner Celltrion’s Inflectra application on March 17. — Lena Freund