Samsung Group, the largest company in South Korea, plans to enter the drug trade by competing directly with Amgen Inc. in Thousand Oaks.

According to a Bloomberg report Monday, Samsung plans to begin selling a biosimilar version of Amgen’s arthritis drug Enbrel in 2016 in Europe.

Biosimilars are medicines made by living cells that try to copy proprietary drugs when their patent protection expires. Because small differences in environment or manufacturing processes may alter the final product, the drugs are called similar – but not identical – to the original drug.

In an email, Amgen responded to the Bloomberg story by saying that it supports regulations to ensure biosimilars are a good alternative for patients.

“As a manufacturer that is currently developing six biosimilar monoclonal antibodies, Amgen understands that the successful development of monoclonal antibody biosimilars is scientifically challenging and a capital intensive process,” the email stated.

Shares of Amgen closed up 25 cents or a fraction of 1 percent to $111.73 in trading on the Nasdaq.