Celltrion’s returning chief doubles down on novel therapy pipeline

Seo Jung-jin, the founder and chairman of Celltrion Inc. [Photo provided by Celltrion]

Korean biosimilar developer Celltrion Inc. is aiming to increase the share of its original medicines to 40 percent of total revenue by 2030 to boost profitability from its copy and novelty product mix, according to the company’s chairman who returned to management after a two-year absence.

“We will adjust the revenue ratio to 60 percent for biosimilars and 40 percent for original new drugs to compete with multinational players also in the novel therapy market,” said Seo Jung-jin during an online conference held on Wednesday, adding the company will develop new medicines based on a new drug delivery platform to change the public’s perception of Celltrion as a biosimilar-focused company.

“This year’s sales are expected to increase by 25-30 percent compared to last year, and similar data is expected in the first quarter, but we will grow big next year and complete the preparation of our remote medical service platform,” he explained.

Regarding the upcoming therapeutics, the chairman said, “We are preparing to have 21 products in the pipeline by 2030, and six of them will be approved or launched this year, and six bispecific antibody drugs and four oncology drugs will enter clinical trials next year.”

“Since it is difficult to develop all 10 drugs on our own, we will use methods of joint development or out-licensing deals with multinational companies in the clinical phases 1 or 2,” he added.

He also mentioned remote medical services as part of Celltrion’s mid- to long-term plan for growth. “We are preparing for telemedicine business mainly in overseas markets rather than in Korea. The domestic market is not compatible with Celltrion’s R&D principles due to the small market size against the investment cost.”

“If a platform is created based in the U.S. or Europe, such services can naturally be provided in Korea as well,” he said, adding that “we will pursue an M&A deal in the telemedicine field if necessary.”

Seo also presented Celltrion’s strategy for quasi-drug markets, where the company will strengthen its sales and marketing to achieve sustainable growth although the profit margin is low compared to revenue.

As for Celltrion’s three-way merger, he said that “the three Celltrion companies are almost ready for implementation and will provide a milestone once the financial markets stabilize. We hope to close the merger this year as shareholders want.”