Celltrion Surpasses 1 Trillion Won in H1 Sales... Dual Drive from Biopharmaceuticals and Chemicals

Q2 Sales 596.1 Billion KRW, Operating Profit 199 Billion KRW

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Celltrion has achieved sales of 1 trillion KRW for the first time in the first half of the year. The expansion of the global biopharmaceutical market and increased sales in the chemical business division drove the growth.

Celltrion announced on the 5th that its consolidated sales for the second quarter of this year reached 596.1 billion KRW, with an operating profit of 199 billion KRW. Compared to the same period last year, sales increased by 38.1% and operating profit by 21.3%, and consolidated half-year sales exceeded 1 trillion KRW for the first time in history.

In particular, while major biosimilar products secured a solid market share in Europe, the supply volume of Remsima in the United States rapidly expanded, significantly increasing biosimilar sales. Growth in the domestic chemical business division and international procurement sector also continued, driving sales and operating profit growth.

Celltrion's main biosimilar products, including Remsima, Truxima, and Herzuma, have consistently maintained stable market shares in the European autoimmune disease treatment and anticancer drug markets. According to pharmaceutical market research firm IQVIA and Celltrion Healthcare, in the first quarter of this year, Remsima recorded a 52.3% market share, Truxima 26.5%, and Herzuma 12.6% in the European market.

The fact that Remsima's market share in the United States surpassed 30% and made significant progress was also a major factor in the improved quarterly performance. According to medical information provider Symphony Health, Remsima (sold under the name Inflectra in the U.S.), an autoimmune disease treatment sold through Pfizer, recorded a market share of 30.8% in the second quarter of this year, achieving a significant growth of about 13.6 percentage points compared to the same period last year. Additionally, Truxima, a blood cancer treatment sold through TEVA, recorded a market share of 26.7%, growing more than 3 percentage points compared to the same period last year.

RemsimaSC successfully entered the market, achieving a 9.1% market share in the European market in the first quarter of this year, just two years after its launch. Yuflyma, a biosimilar of Humira, has already obtained approval for all indications held by Humira and started sales in major European countries, with expectations for FDA approval in the United States within this year. An agreement on patents with AbbVie, the developer, was completed to enable sales in the U.S. starting July 1 next year, and recently, a global Phase 3 clinical trial plan (IND) for interchangeability with the original drug Humira was also submitted to the FDA.

A Celltrion official said, “We achieved significant sales growth compared to the same period last year due to increased demand for existing antibody biosimilars centered on Remsima in major global markets such as the U.S. and stable growth in the chemical business division,” adding, “We will do our best to continue steady growth through the development of follow-up biosimilar pipelines and continuous discovery of new growth engines.”