Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
Celltrion forecasts 137% year-on-year growth in 2025 profits
Celltrion's Remsima SC / Courtesy of Celltrion
By Nam Hyun-woo
Celltrion said Wednesday it expects to post record-high earnings for the fourth quarter of 2025, raising expectations that its annual operating profit will grow 137 percent year-on-year to surpass the 1 trillion won ($693 million) mark for the first time in its history.
The biopharmaceutical firm released its earnings guidance for the fourth quarter, projecting 1.28 trillion won in sales and 472.2 billion won in operating profit.
The figures represent year-on-year growth of 20.7 percent in sales and 140.4 percent in operating profit, marking the company’s highest-ever quarterly earnings. The operating margin also reaches 36.8 percent.
If the figures are confirmed after an auditors’ review, the company’s annual sales would reach 4.12 trillion won in 2025, up 15.7 percent year-on-year, while operating profit would stand at 1.17 trillion won, up 136.9 percent from a year earlier. This would mark the first time that annual revenue tops 4 trillion won and operating profit surpasses 1 trillion won.
Celltrion attributed the brisk numbers to rapid growth in global sales of its new high-value products, along with steady expansion of its existing portfolio.
In the fourth quarter, new products such as Remsima SC, Yuflyma, Vegzelma and Steqeyma are all expected to record double-digit growth, with their combined share of sales projected to exceed 60 percent, according to the company.
To ensure sustainable growth, the company said it has been steadily expanding its production capacity. It plans to close the acquisition of Eli Lilly’s biopharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Branchburg, New Jersey, by the end of 2025, and will begin full-scale contract manufacturing from 2026 to supply products to the U.S. market.