Seoul: Celltrion Inc., a major South Korean biopharmaceutical company, announced its expectations for its annual operating profit to surpass 1 trillion won (US$693 million) for the first time this year. The company attributes this projected financial success to strong sales of its high-end products.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Celltrion forecasts that its operating profit will more than double to 1.16 trillion won in 2025, compared to 492 billion won a year earlier. This growth is anticipated on sales of 4.11 trillion won, up from 3.56 trillion won in 2024. The company highlighted that increased global sales of its flagship biosimilars-Remsima SC, Yuflyma, and Vegzelma-have continued to bolster its full-year earnings.
For the October-December period, Celltrion projected an operating profit of 472.2 billion won on sales of 1.28 trillion won. The biosimilars, including Remsima SC, Steqeyma, Yuflyma, and Vegzelma, are expected to have achieved double-digit sales growth in global markets, making up 60 percent of overall sales.
To maintain its growth trajectory, Celltrion plans to focus on promoting high-margin products while reducing the share of products with high raw material costs. Additionally, the company intends to introduce contract manufacturing organization (CMO) products for U.S. biopharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly, alongside its own biosimilar products for the U.S. market through its New Jersey plant.
The acquisition of the plant from Eli Lilly, valued at 460 billion won, is nearing completion by Celltrion USA Inc. The company has been expanding its global biosimilar portfolio, increasing the number of approved products from six to 11, with a target to commercialize 18 biosimilars by 2030 and 41 by 2038.
Celltrion's only original drug, Zymfentra, is currently available in the United States for treating autoimmune diseases and is marketed as Remsima SC in Europe and other regions.