Celltrion signs biologics CMO deal, says backlog tops $680M

The agreement adds to rising global demand for CDMO partnerships and may drive further capacity expansion, according to the company.

March 20, 2026

2 min read

South Korea’s Celltrion announced a contract manufacturing organization agreement (CMO) with an undisclosed global pharmaceutical company to supply biologic drug substance from 2027 through 2029.

According to the announcement, the contract is valued at approximately KRW 294.9 billion (about $200 million) and could increase to KRW 375.4 billion (about $255 million) subject to mutual agreement. Celltrion said it plans to finalize production arrangements early to ensure stable supply.

The agreement follows continued momentum in Celltrion’s contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) business, including a previously announced contract with Eli Lilly. With the addition of the latest deal, the company said its cumulative CMO order backlog has exceeded KRW 1 trillion (about $680 million USD), reflecting increased demand for its manufacturing capabilities.

In November 2025, Celltrion announced plans to expand its U.S. manufacturing capabilities with a $478 million investment in a recently acquired Eli Lilly facility in Branchburg, New Jersey. The expansion at the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) plant will be rolled out in phases and is aimed at positioning the company to build an integrated U.S.-based manufacturing supply chain.

Celltrion’s global manufacturing network includes facilities in Songdo, Incheon and Branchburg, New Jersey, totaling 316,000 liters of capacity. However, the company noted that expanding sales of its own products alongside growing CDMO demand is expected to increase pressure on available capacity, prompting evaluation of additional manufacturing investments.

“Global sales of Celltrion’s own products, including Zymfentra, are expected to expand alongside the addition of new pipeline products,” the company said. “Consequently, a significant portion of existing production capacity is likely to be allocated to the manufacturing of Celltrion’s own products. At the same time, rapidly increasing CDMO demand from global pharmaceutical companies is further raising the need for additional manufacturing capacity in the mid- to long term.”

Celltrion said it plans to continue expanding its CDMO services, including technology-driven offerings such as formulation conversion, while strengthening global project management and sales capabilities through its subsidiary Celltrion BioSolutions.

This piece was created with the help of generative AI tools and edited by our content team for clarity and accuracy.