One of Asia Pacific's biggest names in the pharmaceutical industry, CSL, retained its second position in BioSpectrum Asia's Top 20 list. The pharmaceutical giant recorded net profit of $1 billion for the fiscal year 2012, marking a growth of 4.5 percent from the previous year. The billion-dollar achievement of the company is credited to its high performing immunoglobulin products, Privigen and Hizentra, in the US, Canada and European markets.

CSL's immunoglobulin portfolio experienced strong demand across the product range resulting in 15 percent increase in business, clocking revenue of $1.7 billion for immunoglobulin products and $448 million for albumin products. Continuing with its strategies to develop new drugs for better healthcare, CSL has developed a new drug candidate to prevent development of type 2 diabetes, which is reported to reverse its progression in animal models of the disease. Adding icing on the cake for CSL is the fact that it experienced strong growth in Asia, driven by demand from China, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

CSL, which is the only manufacturer of influenza vaccine in the Asia Pacific, with a capacity to produce 80 million doses of vaccine per annum, bagged a significant project in 2012, to supply pre-pandemic and pandemic vaccine antigens and related services to United States Department of Health and Human Services.

CSL achieved a strong return from intellectual property licensing, earning $143 million, a leap of 43 percent. During the fiscal year 2012, royalty contributions from human papillomavirus vaccines totaled $111 million and the sale of intellectual property associated with enzyme replacement treatment for mucopolysaccharidosis contributed $20 million towards revenue.

CSL is now working at strengthening its recombinant coagulation portfolio and specialty products including fibrinogen and pro-thrombin complex for treatment of pre-operative bleeding. Banking on its fiscal 2012 profit of $1,024 million, CSL is anticipating growth of approximately 12 percent in the coming year.