Celltrion posts record first-quarter results

SEOUL, May 6 (UPI) -- South Korean pharmaceutical company Celltrion on Wednesday reported first-quarter sales of $790 million, up 36% from a year before. Its operating profit more than doubled to $222 million for an operating margin of 28.1%.

Celltrion said that margin would have topped 30% excluding the impact of regular maintenance at its U.S. facility during the first three months of this year. The New Jersey plant, which makes biopharmaceuticals, completed that maintenance in February.

The company said strong growth in high-margin biosimilar products and expanding global market penetration underpinned solid performance during the traditionally slow first quarter.

Celltrion noted that all 11 biosimilar products currently available in global markets brought about stable revenue streams. It plans to expand the biosimilar portfolio to 18 products by 2030 and further to 41 by 2038.

In the innovative drug sector, the company said it also aims to broaden its pipeline to around 20 candidates by 2027 through the development of competitive platforms.

It said that its first-quarter results marked a strong start toward potentially exceeding annual targets of $3.6 billion in sales and $1.2 billion in operating profit.

"This quarter's results include about $69 million in recurring R&D expenses, showing our proactive investments to secure future growth engines amid solid profitability," Celltrion said in a statement.

"As prescription volumes continue to expand for newly launched products along with continued success in tender wins, earnings growth is expected to speed up even further going forward," it said.

The share price of Celltrion dropped 1.57% on the Seoul bourse Wednesday.

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This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 7:52 AM.