Strong growth in CSL's influenza vaccine business and the successful integration of an iron deficiency therapy company helped Australia's third-biggest company beat earnings forecasts in the first half, despite flagging profit from its blood products division.
CSL said on Tuesday it made $US1.82 billion ($2.6b) in underlying net profit after tax for the six months to December 31, up 10 per cent from a year ago after adjusting for currency fluctuations.
It made $US7.6b ($19.9b) in revenue, up 25 per cent on a constant currency basis.
"CSL delivered a solid performance in the first half of the financial year demonstrating the strong fundamentals of the company and the disciplined execution of our patient-focused strategy," chief executive and managing director Paul Perreault said.
CSL completed its $A18.8b acquisition of Switzerland-based Vifor Pharma in August and the renal disease and iron deficiency company contributed five months of earnings.
Its vaccine business, CSL Sequirus, grew revenue nine per cent despite reduced rates of global immunisations.
Building works are also well advanced for CSL's new $A800m cell culture facility in Melbourne Airport Business Park, CSL said.
The facility will produce influenza vaccines with more modern laboratory techniques, rather than the egg-based manufacturing process used since the 1940s.
RBC Capital Markets analyst Craig Wong-Pan wrote in a note that the results "exceeded our forecasts and consensus, with the earnings beats driven by better margins and lower overhead costs".
While CSL's blood products company, CSL Behring - which makes bleeding disorder therapies from blood plasma - missed profit expectations, Seqirus and Vifor outperformed, with Behring growing plasma collection by 36 per cent, Wong-Pan said.
"The impacts of COVID are largely behind us at this point," Mr Perreault told analysts, referring to how the pandemic had hampered plasma collection in the United States.
"This acceleration in plasma collections underpins our ability to manufacture our plasma products going forward, which is excellent news for patient care."
In November, the US Food and Drug Administration approved CSL's Hemgenix therapy, a one-time infusion that uses a modified virus to protect patients with severe hemophilia B, the hereditary bleeding disorder.
Mr Perreault said CSL would launch the $US3.5 million therapy in the second half, calling it "an exciting, groundbreaking new therapy that will change people's lives".
In November, CSL also licensed "self-amplifying" mRNA vaccine technology from California-based Arcturus for $313m.
The next-generation platform could be used to make mRNA vaccines with far lower doses than current ones.
"We have a multitude of late-stage programs that are all well advanced coming to fruition over the next few years, which will be a super-exciting time for CSL," said Mr Perreault, who is stepping down as CEO in March and retiring in September after 10 years in the role and 25 years with the company.
"In all of my time at CSL, I have never seen it in such a strong position and it really sets the company up for sustainable and profitable growth," he said.
He'll be replaced by Dr Paul McKenzie, CSL's current chief operating officer.
CSL declared an interim dividend of $US1.07 ($A1.55) per share, up nine per cent from a year ago.
At 11.52am, CSL shares were up 1.6 per cent to $309.76.
