Passion for health: How Samsung Bioepis is using innovation to meet growing health care needs
- Science and technology are driving innovations to increase patient access to cost-effective treatments
- Amid the pandemic, strategic positioning of manufacturing and storage sites allowed Samsung Bioepis to respond quickly to market dynamics
With the prolonged impact of Covid-19 across the health care sector and throughout the globe, everyone has been affected in some way. The pandemic has tested our economies and our health care systems, as well as our everyday lives.
The unprecedented impact of Covid-19 on health care systems has changed the landscape of the pharmaceutical industry. The need for cost-effective treatments to ease the financial burden is greater than ever, and limited financial resources must be allocated to protecting health.
There will always be a need for individuals to have access to affordable, reliable health care systems and the treatments they can provide.
Samsung Bioepis is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of biosimilar medicines, and is committed to improving the accessibility of treatments for patients around the world. The company’s mission is reflected in its name – “bio” is taken from the Greek word for life, while “episteme” is the Greek word for science.
Biologic drugs are composed of compounds and molecules taken from living organisms; biosimilars are biologic products that are highly similar to existing biologic drugs – known as reference products, and have no clinically meaningful differences when compared to their reference products in terms of safety, purity and potency, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Biosimilars typically cost less than reference products to produce as the path to their approval is shorter, which reduces their development costs. This is because biosimilars take a step-by-step approach to demonstrate biosimilarity, and do not require as many expensive and lengthy clinical trials.
Biosimilars can help increase patient access to biologic medicines and create greater cost savings by driving market competition.
Since it was established in 2012, Samsung Bioepis has been tirelessly expanding its biosimilar portfolios and developing its process innovation in efforts to sharpen its competitiveness. In just nine years, it has become one of the fastest-growing, global biopharmaceutical companies that has gained regulatory approval for six biosimilar products from the European Medicines Agency and five biosimilar products from the US Food and Drug Administration.
Lessons learned
Throughout the global pandemic, Samsung Bioepis has gone the extra mile to ensure there is no disruption in product supply and to help mitigate the impact of Covid-19. The pandemic was an unseen and unprecedented situation, and had an impact on the way the company worked.
With stricter global travel restrictions, the company was forced to move away from its conventional working patterns and switch to virtual workspaces, such as teleconferences and online meetings.
Samsung Bioepis emphasises the importance of making sure its products are delivered on time, so that patients can receive treatments at the right time. Supply chain and product continuity are the most important aspects of its mission, and it has made a promise to its patients that it will deliver medicines.
Biologics are sensitive to external conditions as they are produced from living cells, and Samsung Bioepis prides itself on its ability to maintain consistent quality for every single commercial batch. Producing biosimilars with consistent quality, through stringent quality control – from pre-clinical development to large-scale manufacturing – is a key aspect of its process innovation and a major factor in the company’s ability to maintain quality assurance despite the challenges of the pandemic.
Samsung Bioepis has geographically diversified its manufacturing and storage sites across three continents – North America, Europe and Asia – and this “near-market” strategy gives the company an edge that allows it to remain vigilant and respond quickly to market dynamics.
The pandemic has taught the industry that it needs to be better prepared for unforeseen events, and understand that supply continuity and quality is crucial for patients.
Science and technology provide the confidence and ability to drive new innovations, to develop the next generation of biologic medicines and to deliver them efficiently and with quality assurance. Technology is the key to increased access to medicines for patients around the world.
Samsung Bioepis’ passion for health and for patients has prompted the company to think more broadly about the importance of patient-centricity in the health care industry. It is taking steps to address the needs of patients, both now and for the future.
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