Takeda's Entyvio SC and Celltrion's Remsima SC EU5 Launches Have Benefitted from Parent Brand Reputation, New Clinical Data, and COVID-19 Restraints, According to Spherix Global Insights

Two 2020 European Medical Agency (EMA) approvals, Takeda's Entyvio SC and Celltrion Healthcare's infliximab biosimilar, Remsima SC, have captured notable shares among EU5 IBD patients, according to Spherix's recent report, RealTime Dynamix™: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (EU). The report sampled 246 EU5 gastroenterologists in November and December of 2020. While both new, subcutaneous market entrants have mostly gained prescribing momentum by cannibalizing their corresponding IV formulations, AbbVie's Humira stands out with its continual decline in EU5 IBD utilization.  

Entyvio SC has managed to capture a sizeable portion of both the EU5 ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) markets. This uptake is supported by the established familiarity that gastroenterologists have with Entyvio's IV formulation. Not surprisingly, Takeda is experiencing some cannibalization of Entyvio IV with the introduction of their new subcutaneous product. According to Spherix's recent report, Entyvio SC prescribing in biologic switch patients is most likely to come from patients treated with the IV formulation, with over one-third of Entyvio SC prescribing in UC and CD originating from the IV brand.

Similar to what was seen with the Entyvio SC introduction, Celltrion's Remsima SC launch has benefitted from cannibalization of the IV formulation prescribing (Remsima IV). In both the UC and CD indications, EU5 gastroenterologists report decreased prescriptions for Remsima IV compared to previous waves of data. As a result, Remsima SC was able to achieve an 8% patient share among UC infliximab biosimilar patients and a 7% brand share among CD infliximab biosimilar patients.

Despite a relatively short period of availability, Remsima SC's average familiarity rating among EU5 gastroenterologists placed it fifth out of ten therapies assessed in both UC and CD. This level of familiarity for the new-to-market SC drug is based on gastroenterologist's previous experience or knowledge of Remsima IV, along with increased levels of Remsima (IV and SC) sales representative contact compared to previous waves.

The launches of both Entyvio SC and Remsima SC have been aided by their at-home administration, enabling patients to better maintain social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. At least one-third of EU5 gastroenterologists report that self-injection of UC and CD therapies is occurring more often than in-office administration due to COVID-19. Specifically, for Entyvio SC and Remsima SC, roughly one-half of physicians suggest that self-injection has been occurring more during the pandemic.

Spherix's Q4 2020 report includes EU5 gastroenterologists' awareness of clinically relevant data released from the 2020 United European Gastroenterology Virtual Week (UEG). More than one-half of respondents reported being generally aware of relevant data from the conference, though only 13% could cite any specific product data unaided. When respondents were provided with a brief synopsis of the data that was released during UEG, the highest familiarity ratings were provided for Janssen's Stelara, Entyvio SC, and Remsima SC. These higher levels of familiarity likely impacted respondents' preference ratings for the actual clinical data, as Entyvio SC, Stelara, and Remsima SC were also the agents most likely to rank in the top three in terms of clinical data preference among those that released during the conference.

Spherix will continue to monitor the impact of new clinical data and new formulations on EU5 IBD prescribing as 2021 progresses. Two more reports included in the RealTime Dynamix™: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (EU) services are scheduled for publication this year, as well as the patient audit data contained in the RealWorld Dynamix™: Biologic/Small Molecule Switching in IBD (EU) service.

About RealTime Dynamix™

RealTime Dynamix™: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (EU) is an independent service providing strategic guidance through rapid and comprehensive twice-yearly reports, which include IBD market trending, launch tracking, and a fresh infusion of unique content with each wave. The report captures responses from ~250 EU5 (France, Italy, Germany, Spain UK) gastroenterologists.

A companion service, RealTime Dynamix™: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (US), tracks the evolution of the IBD market in the US through a quarterly report series.

About Spherix Global Insights

Spherix Global Insights is a hyper-focused market intelligence firm that leverages our own independent data and expertise to provide strategic guidance, so biopharma stakeholders make decisions with confidence. We specialize in select immunology, nephrology, and neurology markets.

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