According to Yonhap News,

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Park Sang-hyun – South Korean companies' pharmaceutical exports surpassed USD 10 billion (approximately KRW 15.5 trillion) for the first time in history last year.

Pharmaceutical production also hit an all-time high, exceeding KRW 33 trillion. Meanwhile, imports of obesity treatments shot up by 531 percent compared to the previous year.

[Continuous Growth in Pharmaceutical Production… Number of Companies Exceeding KRW 1 Trillion Increases from 3 to 4]

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) announced on the 2nd that the pharmaceutical production volume for 2025 was tallied at KRW 33.8466 trillion, marking a 3.0 percent increase year-on-year.

This figures as the highest record since 1998, when related data was first compiled, illustrating that pharmaceutical production performance has steadily expanded over the past ten years.

The MFDS analyzed that the growth trends for finished pharmaceuticals and prescription drugs were particularly prominent.

The production value of finished pharmaceuticals increased by 3.7 percent year-on-year to KRW 29.5028 trillion, while prescription drug production rose by 5.3 percent to KRW 25.5206 trillion.

Pharmaceuticals are broadly classified into finished pharmaceuticals and raw materials, and finished pharmaceuticals are further divided into prescription drugs, which require a doctor's prescription, and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, which can be purchased without one.

Last year, the production values for raw materials and OTC drugs decreased slightly.

The MFDS relayed that the average annual growth rate of pharmaceutical production performance over the past five years stood at 7.3 percent, outpacing the nation's average Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of 4.6 percent during the same period.

The number of companies exceeding KRW 1 trillion in pharmaceutical production rose by one from the previous year to a total of four: Celltrion, Hanmi Pharm, Chong Kun Dang, and Daewoong Pharmaceutical.

Celltrion logged a 27.6 percent increase in production to reach KRW 3.2254 trillion, becoming the first domestic enterprise to surpass the KRW 3 trillion production milestone.

By item, Celltrion's 'Steqma Prefilled Syringe Injection' registered the highest production volume among finished pharmaceuticals. Among raw materials, 'Remsima Substrate' ranked first.

[Pharmaceutical Exports Up 12.4 percent · Imports Up 5.9 percent]

Last year's pharmaceutical export value grew by 12.4 percent year-on-year to reach USD 10.438 billion, while imports rose by 5.9 percent to hit USD 8.93219 billion.

The pharmaceutical trade balance surplus expanded by 41.9 percent from the previous year to USD 1.50581 billion, renewing its historic peak.

The MFDS explained that biopharmaceuticals heavily driven the growth in exports.

Last year, biopharmaceutical production increased by 11.2 percent from the previous year to KRW 7.0214 trillion, while exports also grew by 17.5 percent to log USD 7.64 billion.

While domestic biopharmaceutical production hovered around the KRW 2 trillion level in 2016, it has expanded more than threefold in nine years.

An MFDS official remarked, "The increase in last year's biopharmaceutical production performance is analyzed to be a result of expanded production centered on recombinant DNA drugs and toxin/antitoxin products."

Regarding recombinant DNA drug production expanding by 14.2 percent to surpass KRW 4 trillion, the official further explained, "An increase in biosimilar demand and growing preferences for subcutaneous injection formulations—which enhance patient administration convenience—appear to have driven the production growth."

Among toxin and antitoxin products, botulinum toxin formulations saw a 17.2 percent growth in production.

Rising biosimilar market shares by domestic companies and expanded competitiveness in contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMO) were cited as major factors behind the biopharmaceutical export surge.

In terms of pharmaceutical imports, inbound shipments of obesity and type 2 diabetes treatments soared by 531 percent to reach USD 550.84 million.

Looking at finished pharmaceutical imports, 'Wegovy' and 'Mounjaro' products occupied six out of the top ten spots. 'Wegovy Prefilled Pen 2.4,' which recorded imports exceeding USD 200 million, secured the top rank.

[Quasi-Drug Market Also Expands… Exports Decline]

The market size for quasi-drugs grew by 4.9 percent year-on-year, propelled by the growth of toothpaste and sanitary products.

Last year's quasi-drug production rose by 3.5 percent to reach KRW 1.6602 trillion. Exports dropped by 10.2 percent to USD 73.68 million, while imports increased by 4.5 percent to USD 201.15 million.

The top five items in quasi-drug production performance were toothpaste, restorative tonics, sanitary pads, adhesive bandages, and face masks.

Among these, toothpaste production rose by 11.5 percent and sanitary pads expanded by 13.6 percent, whereas face masks dropped by 9.1 percent due to declining demand following the COVID-19 endemic.

Among quasi-drugs, mouthwashes and stomachic digestives recorded export growth rates of 337 percent and 588 percent, respectively.

psh59@yna.co.kr



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Source Text

Source: Yonhap News (July 02, 2026)

** This article was translated from Korean.