[Edaily Reporter Hong Ju-yeon ] On the 3rd, Celltrion(068270)announced that its high-margin product portfolio has been successively listed in the formularies of major U.S. pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).

“Aptozma” (active ingredient: tocilizumab), an autoimmune disease treatment launched in the U.S. last October, has been listed as a preferred drug in the formulary of the three major U.S. PBMs—Express Scripts (ESI), CVS CareMark (CVS), and Optum. Patient reimbursement began in the first quarter of this year for ESI and Optum, and last month for CVS.

Following its inclusion in the public and private insurance formularies of “Prime Therapeutics”—one of the leading PBMs—last December, Aptozma has successfully established a foothold for expanding prescriptions by securing reimbursement coverage from the three major PBMs in just over seven months. According to Celltrion, including the coverage secured this time, Aptozma has now secured reimbursement coverage for more than half of the entire U.S. insurance market.

Aptozma’s growth momentum is expected to continue in the second half of the year. Celltrion’s U.S. subsidiary is already in discussions with a major PBM regarding the inclusion of Aptozma’s subcutaneous (SC) formulation—scheduled for launch this year—in its formulary, bringing early market penetration for that formulation within reach. The company expects that the recent inclusion of the intravenous (IV) formulation in the formularies of these three major PBMs will have a positive impact on negotiations for the SC formulation’s inclusion as well. Celltrion plans to boost performance through channel-specific sales strategies tailored to the characteristics of the IV formulation—which is primarily used in medical institutions—and the SC formulation—which is primarily used in pharmacies.

Celltrion’s bone disease treatment “Stovoclo-Osenbelt” (active ingredient: denosumab) has also been listed as a preferred drug in the public insurance formulary of ESI, one of the three major PBMs, and reimbursement began in the first quarter of this year.

Stovoclo-Osenvelt was already listed in the CVS private insurance formulary and the Optum public and private insurance formularies from late last year through early this year. Since Osenvelt was already listed in ESI’s private insurance formulary, the inclusion in ESI’s public insurance formulary means that Stovoclo-Osenvelt has effectively secured coverage across most of the market covered by the top three U.S. PBMs.

Apart from these PBM listings, Celltrion plans to continue targeting the “open market,” which accounts for approximately 30% of the U.S. denosumab market. The company intends to leverage the product credibility gained from securing PBM reimbursement coverage, as well as the direct sales competitiveness of its local subsidiary, to drive growth for Stovoclo-Osenvelt in the open market as well.

A Celltrion official stated, “Our high-margin product lines, launched last year, have achieved consecutive successes in securing listings in the formularies of major U.S. PBMs, thereby achieving both enhanced brand credibility and expanded reimbursement coverage.” The official added, “With major events—including new product launches—scheduled for the second half of the year to further boost growth in the U.S., we expect sales performance for our key product lines to continue.”