First-Half Bio Company Sales Reach KRW 19.6 Trillion, Up 13% Year-on-Year

KoreaBIO Analyzes Semi-Annual Reports of 82 Listed Companies
Domestic Sales Up 13.4%, Exports Up 12.6%—Growth in Both Sectors
Growth Slows... Profitability of Pharmaceutical Segment Also Declines

Listed biohealthcare companies in Korea recorded double-digit sales growth in the first half of this year, driven by simultaneous growth in both exports and domestic demand. Research and development (R&D) investment also increased by nearly 20%.

On September 30, the Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization (KoreaBIO) released the results of its "2026 Second Quarter and First Half Trends of Listed Biohealthcare Companies" survey. The analysis was based on semi-annual reports from 82 listed companies included in the biohealthcare sector of the Korea Exchange (KRX) industry index as of August.

Sales for the companies surveyed in the first half of this year reached KRW 19.623 trillion, a 13.1% increase compared to the same period last year. Domestic sales rose by 13.4%, exports by 12.6%, resulting in double-digit growth for both domestic and overseas revenue.

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By segment, pharmaceuticals saw sales growth of 12.5% and medical devices 18.7%. In the pharmaceutical sector, improved performance was driven by growth in contract manufacturing exports by large companies, as well as increased exports of biopharmaceuticals and new drug active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) from mid-sized firms.

R&D investment also expanded. R&D expenses in the first half reached KRW 2.1968 trillion, up 18.7% year-on-year. The pharmaceutical sector increased its R&D spending by 19.9%, and the medical device segment by 2.5%. Even when considering only the second quarter, sales rose by 10.4% year-on-year, and R&D expenses increased by 18.9%.

Total employment reached 48,725, up 3.7% year-on-year. Of these, R&D personnel totaled 8,055, accounting for 16.5% of total employees. The number of R&D staff rose by 1.1% over the same period.

Trends and Changes in Listed Biohealthcare Companies in the First Half of 2026. Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization (KoreaBIO)

Although sales and investment grew, the pace of growth slowed somewhat compared to last year. Based on figures from financial statements, the half-year sales growth rate stood at 10.6%, maintaining double digits but 7.2 percentage points lower than a year earlier. The operating margin in the first half was 19.6%, down 0.3 percentage points year-on-year.

Performance varied by segment. The operating margin in the medical device sector increased by 5.0 percentage points year-on-year, driven by improved results from mid-sized and small companies.

In contrast, the pharmaceutical sector saw slight declines in operating margins for large and mid-sized companies, while operating losses widened for small firms, resulting in an overall operating margin decrease of 0.8 percentage points.

Kim Eunhee, Head of Industry Statistics at the Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization, stated, "In the first half of the year, listed biohealthcare companies saw increases in both domestic and export sales, along with double-digit growth in R&D investment." She added, "However, as the pace of sales growth has moderated compared to the same period last year and profitability trends have diverged by sector, it is crucial to closely analyze management performance according to company size and business area."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.