Georgiadis: “We welcome Samsung Bioepis to Greece” – What it means for patients

Greece’s Health Minister welcomed Samsung Bioepis’ presence in the Greek market through its strategic partnership with Pharmachim, putting the potential benefit for patients at the center of his message. The biosimilar portfolio spans major therapeutic areas from oncology and hematology to ophthalmology and nephrology, while wider biosimilar use can expand access to biological therapies and help health systems use available resources more efficiently.

Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis has welcomed Samsung Bioepis’ entry into the Greek pharmaceutical market through its strategic partnership with Pharmachim.

In a short but clear social media post, Georgiadis highlighted two elements: Greece being selected as one of the European markets where the company will establish a presence and, above all, the potential benefit for Greek patients.

“We welcome the presence of Samsung Pharmaceuticals in Greece. We are among the few European countries where it will be present. Good for our patients,” Georgiadis wrote.

Behind his post lies a significant pharmaceutical agreement, with particular relevance for Greek health policy because of the role biosimilars can play both in expanding patient access and in supporting the sustainability of pharmaceutical spending.

Pharmachim–Samsung Bioepis: The agreement for Greece

Pharmachim has announced a strategic and exclusive partnership with Samsung Bioepis NL B.V., securing exclusive commercial rights in Greece for a broad portfolio of products.

The division of responsibilities is clear.

Pharmachim will lead:

• market access activities in Greece,
• medical affairs,
• commercial operations.

Samsung Bioepis will retain full responsibility for:

• development,
• manufacturing,
• regulatory activities.

The products covered by the portfolio have European Union marketing authorization as biosimilars.

From oncology to ophthalmology

The breadth of the therapeutic portfolio is particularly significant.

According to Pharmachim, it includes products across several important therapeutic areas, including:

• hematology,
• oncology,
• endocrinology,
• ophthalmology,
• multiple myeloma,
• orthopedics,
• internal medicine,
• nephrology.

Not all products will become commercially available at the same time, as each therapy is at a different stage in terms of pricing, reimbursement and commercial preparation.

The two companies aim to begin launching the first products in Greece as soon as possible while ensuring smooth patient access.

Why biosimilars matter for patients

This is also the central health-policy dimension behind Georgiadis’ intervention.

Biosimilars are not simply “cheap copies” of biological medicines.

They are biological medicines demonstrated to be highly similar to an already approved reference biological medicine. Under the European regulatory framework, an approved biosimilar has no clinically meaningful differences from its reference product in terms of quality, safety and efficacy.

Their wider availability can increase competition and potentially allow more patients to gain access to biological treatments.

That becomes particularly important in therapeutic areas where treatment costs are high.

The second benefit: Creating room for new treatments

There is also a major economic dimension.

For years, Greece’s pharmaceutical system has operated under significant pressure from mandatory rebates and clawbacks, while at the same time having to finance access to increasingly sophisticated and expensive innovative treatments.

Biosimilars can form part of the response.

Ki Hyun Lee, Managing Director of Samsung Bioepis, said:

“Biosimilars are vital tools for healthcare systems in every market because they can generate cost savings and expand access to high-quality biologic medicines.”

According to Lee, savings generated through increased biosimilar use can then be reinvested in healthcare, potentially creating additional capacity for next-generation therapies and innovation.

The Georgiadis equation: Access and sustainability

This is one of the most difficult equations facing Greece’s Health Ministry.

On one side is the need to ensure that new and effective treatments reach Greek patients quickly.

On the other are finite public resources and the need to maintain sustainable pharmaceutical expenditure.

Greater competition through biosimilars can contribute to both objectives: broader treatment options and potentially more efficient use of available resources.

It is not, by itself, a solution to every pressure facing the Greek pharmaceutical market.

But it is a tool already widely used across Europe.

Samsung Bioepis chooses the Greek market

For Pharmachim, the partnership also represents a significant vote of confidence in the potential of the Greek market.

Michalis Tsatsaronis, CEO of Pharmachim, said:

“The fact that such a major pharmaceutical company as Samsung Bioepis has placed its trust in us and decided to expand its presence in the Greek market is a particularly important development for us.”

Ki Hyun Lee, meanwhile, described Greece as an important market and left open the possibility of further expansion of the portfolio in the future.

“Good for our patients”

That is why Georgiadis’ phrase encapsulates the health-policy significance he assigns to the development:

“Good for our patients.”

The key test now will be whether the agreement translates in practice into treatment availability, timely patient access and measurable benefits for the healthcare system.

European experience shows that biosimilars can strengthen competition and expand access to biological therapies.

For Greece — where balancing innovation, pharmaceutical expenditure and patient access is becoming increasingly demanding — the arrival of another major international player in the biosimilars market adds another option.

And that explains why the Health Minister publicly welcomed the agreement.

Source: pagenews.gr