South Korean drugmaker Samsung Bioepis Co. said Thursday sales of its three biosimilar products in Europe climbed nearly 8 percent in 2020 from a year earlier.

Combined sales of the three autoimmune biosimilars -- Benepali, Flixabi and Imraldi -- stood at $795.8 million last year, up 7.8 percent from a year earlier, the company said.

The company cited an earnings report of its US partner Biogen. Samsung Bioepis is a joint venture between Samsung Biologics -- a biopharmaceutical unit of South Korea's top conglomerate Samsung Group -- and US partner Biogen.

Sales of Benepali, a biosimilar based on Enbrel developed by US-based Amgen Inc., came to $483.8 million, down 0.9 percent on-year. The drug is used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and claims a 40 percent market share in Europe.

Shipments of Flixabi, used to relieve rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, spiked 43.8 percent on-year to $97.9 million. The drug was originally developed by Janssen Pharmaceuticals.

Sales of Imraldi, a copy of Humira by AbbVie Inc., reached $216.3 million, up 17.6 percent from a year earlier. The drug is used to combat various autoimmune diseases.

A Samsung Bioepis official said the company will redouble efforts to cement its leading status in the European market for autoimmune biosimilars. (Yonhap)