This undated file photo provided by Celltrion Inc. shows one of its three plants in Songdo, about 40 kilometers west of Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 31 (Korea Bizwire) — Celltrion Inc., a major South Korean biopharmaceutical company, said Wednesday it expects its annual operating profit to exceed 1 trillion won (US$693 million) for the first time this year, driven by strong sales of high-end products.
The company forecast its operating profit will more than double to 1.16 trillion won in 2025 from 492 billion won a year earlier, on sales of 4.11 trillion won, up from 3.56 trillion won in 2024.
“Increased global sales of its flagship biosimilars — including Remsima SC, Yuflyma and Vegzelma — continued to buoy full-year earnings,” the company said in a press release.
For the October-December period, Celltrion projected an operating profit of 472.2 billion won on sales of 1.28 trillion won.
Biosimilars such as Remsima SC, Steqeyma, Yuflyma and Vegzelma are projected to have posted double-digit sales growth in global markets, accounting for 60 percent of overall sales, the company said.
To sustain growth, Celltrion said it will focus on promoting high-margin products while reducing the share of products with high raw material costs.
The company also plans to roll out contract manufacturing organization (CMO) products for U.S. biopharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly, as well as its own biosimilar products for the U.S. market through its plant in New Jersey.
Celltrion USA Inc. will soon complete the acquisition of the plant from Eli Lilly for 460 billion won, it added.
Celltrion has been expanding its global biosimilar portfolio, increasing the number of approved products from six to 11. The company aims to commercialize 18 biosimilars by 2030 and 41 by 2038.
Its only original drug, Zymfentra, is currently sold in the United States to treat autoimmune diseases. The same product is marketed as Remsima SC in Europe and other regions.
(Yonhap)
