Data show equivalence of Celltrion's copycat to reference drug rituximab

South Korean biopharmaceutical firm Celltrion (Kosdaq: 068270) has showcased data supporting the efficacy and safety of Truxima (biosimilar rituximab) in advanced follicular lymphoma and rheumatoid arthritis.

The data is being presented at the International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma (ICML) and the annual meeting of EULAR, the leading rheumatology conference.

The data show that Truxima is non-inferior to reference drug rituximab in advanced follicular lymphoma, a form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Sustained efficacy was also shown over 48 weeks, irrespective of BMI, in a Phase III rheumatoid arthritis study investigating the equivalence in efficacy between Truxima and rituximab, the reference product marketed  by Swiss pharma giant Roche (ROG: SIX) as MabThera and Rituxan.

Prof. Coiffier, head of hematology at Hospices Civils de Lyon, France, said: “The data presented demonstrate that CT-P10 was non-inferior in terms of efficacy and comparable in pharmacokinetics and safety to the reference rituximab for patients with advanced stage follicular lymphoma.”

Celltrion’s medical director Dr Kwon said: “Our studies consistently demonstrate the equivalence and comparability of our biosimilar rituximab, CT-P10, to reference rituximab.”

“We are the only company that is able to proudly state that we have conducted phase III clinical trials looking into the safety and efficacy of its biosimilar in two indications – rheumatoid arthritis and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which is a testament to our commitment to providing quality biosimilar treatments for patients supported by robust clinical data.”