As the cancer treatment drug Lecraza gains traction in both domestic and international markets, Yuhan Corporation is accelerating the development of its new drug pipeline to secure future growth.
According to industry sources on June 17, Lecraza, a treatment for non-small cell lung cancer, recorded sales of 99.6 billion won ($84 million) in 2025, marking a 17% increase from the previous year’s 84.6 billion won. This growth is attributed to the approval of its combination therapy with Johnson & Johnson's (J&J) Librium by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in August 2024, which helped establish its presence in the global market. J&J's first-quarter earnings report indicated that the combined sales of this therapy reached $257 million (approximately 389 billion won), an 82% increase compared to the same period last year.
Industry attention is now shifting to Yuhan Corporation's 'post-Lecraza' strategy. The company is focusing on developing pipelines centered around allergy treatments, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASH) treatments, and cancer therapies.
A Yuhan Corporation representative stated, "We currently view five pipelines as potential post-Lecraza candidates. Instead of concentrating on a single candidate, we are pursuing a strategy of developing multiple pipelines simultaneously."
The most notable pipeline at present is the allergy treatment Resigercept (code name YH35324). Like Lecraza, Resigercept is noteworthy for being an asset acquired through open innovation. Yuhan Corporation has been co-developing this candidate since acquiring it from GI Innovation in 2020. The global rights, excluding Japan, are held by Yuhan Corporation.
The company began global Phase 2 clinical trials for Resigercept earlier this year, aiming to produce key results in the fourth quarter following the conclusion of the last test subject in the second half of next year. A company representative remarked, "We have been in discussions regarding technology transfer with global pharmaceutical companies since Phase 1, and we are currently focused on accelerating development through technology exports or establishing new companies based on domestic and international funding."
The MASH treatment candidate YH25724 is also a core pipeline. This dual-action drug works on both glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21).
Notably, YH25724 is recognized as a self-developed pipeline by Yuhan Corporation. Although this candidate was licensed to the German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim in 2019, it returned to Yuhan Corporation in 2025, which has continued its development. If successful in commercialization, it could generate revenues exceeding those of Lecraza, making it a promising candidate for profitability. YH25724 received approval for its Phase 1 clinical trial application (IND) last month. Three cancer drug pipelines are also currently in Phase 1 trials.
An industry insider commented, "The cash generation and development experience gained from Lecraza are leading to the development of subsequent pipelines. The cultivation of post-Lecraza candidates will determine the company's next growth phase."
Meanwhile, Yuhan Corporation, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, invested the most in research and development (R&D) among South Korea's top five pharmaceutical companies last year. Its annual R&D investment reached 242.3 billion won, accounting for 11% of its total revenue of 2.1866 trillion won last year.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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