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SEOUL, July 27 (Yonhap) -- Celltrion Inc., a major South Korean biopharmaceutical company, said Monday its second-quarter net profit jumped nearly sixfold from a year earlier, driven by strong sales of its expanding biosimilar portfolio.

Net profit for the three months that ended in June soared to 371.3 billion won (US$254.8 million) from 63.3 billion won in the same period last year, the company said in a press release.

The company attributed the strong performance to increased sales of newer biosimilars, including Remsima SC, Steqeyma, Yuflyma and Vegzelma.

An improved product mix and greater cost efficiency in the production process also helped boost profitability, the company said.

Operating profit jumped 86.3 percent to 451.8 billion won in the second quarter from 242.5 billion won a year earlier.

Sales also rose 45 percent to 1.39 trillion won from 961.5 billion won over the same period.

For the first six months of the year, net profit more than quadrupled to 721.2 billion won from 171.6 billion won a year earlier.

Operating profit surged 97 percent to 773.7 billion won in the January-June period from 391.9 billion won a year earlier, while sales climbed 40.7 percent to 2.54 trillion won from 1.8 trillion won.

For 2026, Celltrion said it is targeting an operating profit of 1.8 trillion won on sales of 5.3 trillion won, supported by the further expansion of biosimilar sales in major markets, including the United States and Europe.

The company plans to increase the share of newer biosimilars in total sales to 70 percent this year from 54 percent last year.

Celltrion has been expanding its global biosimilar portfolio, increasing the number of approved products to 11 from six. It aims to commercialize 18 biosimilars by 2030 and 41 by 2038.

Its only original drug, Zymfentra, is currently sold in the United States for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and is marketed as Remsima SC in Europe and other markets.

kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr

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