CELLTRION
Celltrion (KRX:068270) announced today that it has signed an agreement to acquire product assets for the Asia Pacific region from Takeda Pharmaceuticals International AG (“Takeda”) in an effort to strengthen its R&D capabilities in the Global Small Molecule Drug sector.
This signing allows Celltrion to acquire Takeda’s Primary Care businesses in the Asia Pacific region and secure rights for patent, trademark, approval and sales of a total of 18 prescription and over-the-counter brands currently available in 9 markets in the region, namely, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia and Australia. These products grossed a combined sale of approximately $140 million USD (approx. KRW 170 billion) in Fiscal Year 2018 in these markets. These products are expected to be distributed by Celltrion Pharm, a Celltrion affiliate company, in Korea and by Celltrion Healthcare in other AP territories leveraging their distribution and marketing capabilities.
Celltrion agreed to acquire these rights for USD 278.3 million. It will acquire the business through its wholly owned subsidiary in Singapore. Subject to approval from relevant local and/or foreign authorities, Celltrion plans to complete the transaction by the end of the fourth quarter this year.
The acquired product portfolio includes global new drug Nesina, Actos (both for diabetes) and Edarbi (hypertension) and also well-known OTC drugs such as Whituben (cold remedy) and Albothyl (stomatitis). Among them, Nesina and Edarbi are protected through product patents until 2026 and 2027, respectively.
Takeda and Celltrion have also entered into a manufacturing and supply agreement under which Takeda will continue to manufacture the portfolio of divested products and supply them to Celltrion. Celltrion plans to receive relevant technology transfer to start local manufacturing at Celltrion Pharma’s cGMP production facilities for some of the key acquired products for sales in local and foreign markets.
Celltrion’s first large-scale M&A deal, this acquisition gives Celltrion a pivotal opportunity to establish a robust presence as a local original drug provider in the Korean market. Demand has been high for treatments for chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia in Korea. Despite this trend, multinational pharmaceuticals have constituted a majority of the local supplies. Celltrion hopes to position itself as a stable supplier of high-quality, made-in-Korea original drugs and contribute to the reinforced financial strength of the national health system.
The deal also provides significant potential for the company’s sustainable growth. Celltrion plans to quickly land these products in the Asia Pacific market, tapping into Takeda’s established brand power for prescription drugs.
Celltrion expects this acquisition to allow the company to mature as a comprehensive global pharmaceutical company, as it adds a powerful small molecule product lineup to its already strong biopharmaceutical pipeline, which includes autoimmune disease and anti-cancer drugs.
The competitive over-the-counter drug brands added through this deal will also help raise Celltrion’s brand awareness among consumers.
Meanwhile, diabetes and hypertension drug markets in the Asia Pacific region were worth KRW 3 trillion and KRW 2.76 trillion1 last year, respectively. The combined market size of these two segments is expected to double to KRW 11 trillion by 2030.
This deal is expected to strengthen Celltrion’s global R&D capability and help spur the development of new drugs and insulin biosimilars. Celltrion will utilize the new drug pipeline to complete its portfolio for diabetes and hypertension treatments. Based on these efforts, Celltrion will continue to tap the U.S. and global procurement markets to provide high-quality and cost-effective pharmaceuticals around the world.
Celltrion CEO Kee Woo Sung said, ”With 17 million diabetes and hypertension patients in Korea alone and more than 60% of the elderly population have three or more chronic diseases, the market for chronic disease drugs is becoming more important. By acquiring the rights for a selection of Takeda’s products in Asia Pacific, Celltrion will be able to localize essential drugs for diabetes and hypertension, for which many local patients had to depend on imported drugs. This transaction will help us contribute to improved public healthcare and more resilient National Health finance in this super-aged society. Celltrion will take a big step to become a comprehensive global biopharmaceutical company.”
About Celltrion, Inc
Headquartered in Incheon, Korea, Celltrion is a leading biopharmaceutical company, specializing in the research, development and manufacture of small molecules, biosimilars and innovative drugs. Celltrion strives to provide more affordable biosimilar mAbs to patients who previously had limited access to advanced therapeutics. Celltrion received FDA and EC’s approval for INFLECTRA® and Remsima® , respectively, the world’s first mAb biosimilar approved from regulatory agencies in developed countries. For more information, visit www.celltrion.com .
1. IQVIA, 2019, Market size of diabetes treatments in 8 APAC countries and hypertension treatments in 6 APAC countries
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200611005429/en/
Link:
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
From Pilots to Profit: NTT DATA's 2026 Global AI Report Shows How Top Performers Turn AI Vision Into Value8.12.2025 14:00:00 CET | Press release
Study reveals how the top 15% of companies are 2.5x more likely to post >10% revenue growth and over 3x more likely to achieve ≥15% profit margins from AI deployments NTT DATA, a global leader in AI, digital business and IT services, today released the 2026 Global AI Report: A playbook for AI leaders. The playbook is based on the company’s new benchmark research and reveals how “AI leaders” are separating from competitors through strategy and execution. The analysis is based on a survey of 2,567 senior executives across 35 countries and 15 industries. Only 15% of participating organizations qualified as “AI leaders,” defined by clear AI strategies, mature operating models and focused execution. These leaders report significantly higher revenue growth and profit margins than other organizations. “AI accountability now belongs in the boardroom and demands an enterprise-wide agenda,” said Yutaka Sasaki, President and CEO, NTT DATA Group. “Our research shows that a small group of AI leader
AdvanCell Receives First Delivery of High-Activity Thorium-228, Highlighting a Unique Industry Capability and Expertise Essential to Scaling Lead-212 Production for Targeted Alpha Therapies8.12.2025 14:00:00 CET | Press release
Thorium-228 (228Th) is the parent isotope and key starting material to produce the alpha-emitter Lead-212 (212Pb) The established capability to receive and process high-activity 228Th, provides a key competitive advantage in scaling up 212Pb production to support the rapid advancement of 212Pb-ADVC001 (ADVC001) clinical development and the expanding pipeline The received 228Th will be processed into sources for our proprietary generator and installed in production systems first in Australia and subsequently in the US, as part of the planned expansion AdvanCell, a clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical company developing innovative targeted alpha therapies for cancer, today announced it has received the first delivery of high-activity 228Th, the parent isotope of 212Pb and a key starting material to produce the alpha-emitter 212Pb, used to manufacture ADVC001, the company’s lead asset, and other 212Pb-based radioligand therapies in the pipeline. This delivery marks a major milestone for the
BRUKINSA Delivers Landmark 74% 6-Year PFS in Patients with Treatment-Naïve Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia8.12.2025 14:00:00 CET | Press release
Multiple long-term follow-up studies confirm BRUKINSA’s superior efficacy and favorable tolerability versus ibrutinib in relapsed or refractory CLLAdditional ASH data from investigational BTK degrader, BGB-16673, highlight potential first- and best-in-class activity with durable responses in heavily pretreated patients with CLL BeOne Medicines Ltd. (Nasdaq: ONC; HKEX: 06160; SSE: 688235), a global oncology company, reaffirms its position as the leader in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) innovation by showcasing the depth, quality, and momentum of its hematology portfolio at the 67th ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition in Orlando, Florida. The totality of BeOne’s ASH data reinforce BRUKINSA® (zanubrutinib) as the foundational Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi) of choice. “At ASH 2025, we will present new data from across our CLL franchise, highlighting both the strength of BRUKINSA and the potential of BGB-16673,” said Amit Agarwal, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer, Hematology,
Pink Changing Lives®: Mary Kay Builds 11th Preschool in Sri Lanka, Turning a Dream Into Thousands of New Beginnings8.12.2025 14:00:00 CET | Press release
Each year, Mary Kay supports causes that enrich millions of women’s lives globally, including access to education Mary Kay Inc., a global champion for women’s empowerment, is turning pink into purpose through its Pink Changing Lives® Program to raise awareness and funds to support life-changing programs advancing cancer research, support survivors of domestic violence, protect our planet’s most precious resources, and create opportunities that help women and their families thrive. Since 1996, the multi-faceted Pink Changing Lives® Program has donated over $230 million in monetary and in-kind donations to improve the lives of women and their families in communities around the world. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251208554750/en/ Mary Kay Inc., a global champion for women’s empowerment, is turning pink into purpose through its Pink Changing Lives® Program to raise awareness and funds to support life-changing p
IonQ Expands in EU With Slovakia’s First National Quantum Communication Network8.12.2025 13:05:00 CET | Press release
Partnering with the Slovak Academy of Sciences, IonQ bolsters national security and European quantum communications infrastructure IonQ (NYSE: IONQ), the world’s leading quantum company, through its subsidiary ID Quantique (IDQ), today announced the deployment of Slovakia’s first national quantum communication network. Developed in partnership with the Institute of Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences (IPSAS), the new system features a resilient hybrid architecture designed to strengthen the country’s cybersecurity infrastructure and support Europe’s quantum digital programs. The Slovak Quantum Communication Infrastructure (skQCI) project represents a major milestone in Slovakia’s contribution to the European Quantum Communication Infrastructure (EuroQCI) initiative, which seeks to establish a secure quantum-resistant communication backbone covering all European Union (EU) member states and territories. By integrating quantum-safe technologies at a national scale, Slovakia will directly
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom