Sales of biosimilars developed by Samsung Bioepis in Europe reached $205.1 million in the first quarter this year, the South Korean drugmaker said Friday.

Sales of Samsung Bioepis’ three major autoimmune biosimilars -- Benepali, Flixabi and Imraldi -- increased 3.9 percent on-quarter but decreased 6.3 percent on-year, the company said, citing an earnings report of its US partner Biogen released Thursday, local time.

Samsung Bioepis is a joint venture between Biogen and Samsung Group’s biopharmaceutical unit Samsung BioLogics.

“There was a sudden jump in sales during the first quarter last year as hospitals and wholesalers in Europe tried to stockpile products amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” a Samsung Bioepis official said, explaining the on-year decrease.

Samsung Bioepis said that Benepali accounted for the largest share in the European market by sales at 44 percent. Flixabi and Imraldi each accounted for over 10 percent in market share, the company added.

According to Samsung Bioepis, the total number of patients who have been treated with the company’s three biosimilars reached around 240,000 to date.

By Shim Woo-hyun (ws@heraldcorp.com)