Shares of Yuhan Corp. climbed after Johnson & Johnson reported that its lung cancer combination therapy using the Korean company’s Leclaza achieved $179 million in global sales during the second quarter, marking a dramatic expansion for the treatment that secured U.S. approval last year.
The combination of Leclaza—marketed as Lazcluruz in the U.S.—and J&J’s Rybrevant generated 248.3 billion won ($179 million) in Q2 sales, representing a 159% increase from 95.8 billion won a year earlier. First-half sales reached $320 million (443.8 billion won), underscoring the therapy’s rapid adoption since establishing itself as a first-line treatment for non-small cell lung cancer.
The combination delivered sequential growth of 26.5% and continues to capture market share in both first and second lines of therapy, according to J&J’s earnings call. J&J previously set an annual sales target exceeding 7 trillion won for the Leclaza-Rybrevant combination.
Yuhan receives royalties from Janssen based on sales revenue under a 2018 licensing agreement worth 1.4 trillion won, while retaining development and sales rights for Leclaza only in Korea. The drug was originally developed by Korean biotech Oscotec before being licensed to Yuhan in 2015.
J&J CEO Joaquin Duato described the combination as “the new standard in lung cancer treatment” and a core growth driver within the company’s oncology portfolio. The pharmaceutical giant projects its entire oncology portfolio will exceed $50 billion annually by 2030.
Despite achieving record-breaking revenue of over 2 trillion won in 2024, Yuhan’s operating profit declined 16.4% to 47.7 billion won due to increased R&D expenses. The company expects revenue growth from Leclaza’s global expansion to improve profitability this year.
