Singapore: Korea's Food and Drug Safety has approved BRENZYS, a biosimilar of the immunology medicine Enbrel, for the treatment of arthritis. The approval marks Samsung- Merck's first biosimilar win in Korea. Merck plans to launch BRENZYS in South Korea by the end of this year or early next year.

"We are excited by the opportunity to deliver on the promise of biosimilars overall--and on the promise of Brenzys--by combining Merck's deep global customer expertise with the extensive development and manufacturing capabilities of Samsung Bioepis," Merck Biosimilars General Manager Ms Dora Bibila said in a statement.

"The approval of BRENZYS in Korea is especially gratifying, and underscores our commitment to advancing healthcare through innovation and groundbreaking technology. We look forward to building on this progress in our collaboration with Merck, said, Mr Christopher Hansung Ko, CEO of Samsung Bioepis."