Kyowa Kirin Revenue Rises 13.1% to ¥118.467 Billion in First Quarter
Key Facts
Kyowa Kirin recorded revenue of ¥118,467 million in the three months ended March 31, 2026, up 13.1% year on year, while core operating profit rose to ¥20,014 million, a 78.3% increase, according to its first-quarter consolidated financial summary. The figures were disclosed for the first quarter and do not support the draft’s figures attributed to the nine months ended in September. The company’s investor relations page lists materials for the first and second quarters of 2026, and the available materials do not include a disclosure confirming nine-month results. Profit was ¥12,034 million, compared with ¥6,167 million in the same period of 2025. The verified financial news, therefore, is growth in first-quarter results; the revenue and profit growth rates for the nine months cited in the draft cannot be confirmed.
The company attributed revenue growth to higher sales of global strategic products, particularly in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, as well as increased technology licensing revenue, according to its first-quarter results presentation. Product figures showed varying growth rates: Crysvita revenue was ¥45.7 billion, up 8% from the year-earlier period, while Poteligeo revenue reached ¥12.1 billion, up 23%. The comparison indicates that growth in both products contributed to the quarter’s revenue expansion, with Poteligeo growing faster. In licensing, deferred revenue related to rocatinlimab was ¥9.7 billion in the first quarter, compared with ¥2.0 billion a year earlier. The company said the one-time recognition of deferred revenue lifted technology licensing revenue, making it one of the factors supporting the period’s total alongside product growth.
On its financial outlook, Kyowa Kirin kept its revenue forecast for fiscal 2026 at ¥520 billion but raised its core operating profit forecast to ¥130 billion from ¥100 billion previously. It also kept its profit forecast at ¥75 billion. The company linked the increase in its core operating profit forecast to lower research and development expenses and preparatory costs following the discontinuation of the rocatinlimab program. It expected profit to remain unchanged, however, because of program closure costs and other expenses. The revised outlook reflects the impact of cost reductions on core operating profit, while the company maintained its profit forecast at the previous level.
Kyowa Kirin announced on January 30 that it was ending its development and commercialization collaboration for rocatinlimab with Amgen and said it would take control of the global program. It then announced on March 3 that it was halting all ongoing clinical trials of the treatment. According to a program update, Kyowa Kirin and Amgen concluded after a safety review in late February that potential risks could outweigh the benefits. The presentation said a September 2025 review of neoplasms, including one case of Kaposi’s sarcoma, found no causal relationship with rocatinlimab, and that a January 2026 assessment confirmed a favorable benefit-risk profile before the subsequent conclusion. The company said stopping the program would reduce related research and development, selling and administrative expenses in the short term, but expected some negative impact on earnings in the medium to long term.