What Samil Pharmaceutical Co Ltd does

Samil Pharmaceutical Co Ltd is a South Korea-based pharmaceutical company founded on October 7, 1947, and listed on the Korea Stock Exchange (KOSPI) since May 29, 1985. The company operates across three primary revenue streams: domestic pharmaceutical sales through a Medical Representative (MR) network targeting hospitals and clinics; contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) services at a Vietnam-based GMP-certified facility specializing in sterile ophthalmic products; and international product licensing with global pharmaceutical partners. With 614 employees as of December 2025, Samil reported consolidated revenue of 210,253 million KRW in 2025, down from 219,700 million KRW in 2024, and operating losses of -22,212 million KRW in 2025 against +113 million KRW in 2024.

The company's core technological asset is its Vietnam manufacturing facility, which features formulation capacity up to 2,000L batch size, aseptic filtration, micro-milling, high-speed bottle filling at 250 units/minute, and rotary Blow-Fill-Seal (BFS) filling at 30,000 units/hour within a fully enclosed isolator system. Samil has built specialized R&D infrastructure centered on ophthalmology, anchored by the Samil Ophthalmology Innovation Center (SEIC) co-located at Catholic University of Korea, with active pipeline programs targeting dry eye, conjunctivitis, and glaucoma (ZVT, KSR-001, SIF-1002). Additional pipeline programs address hepatology (Aramchol for NASH, SIF-2002 for fatty liver) and musculoskeletal disease (SM04690, a disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug in-licensed from Biosplice Therapeutics).

Samil's go-to-market combines direct sales through its domestic MR network, retail pharmacy distribution for OTC products, e-commerce platforms (Naver Smart Store, Interpark, G Market) for consumer health brands like Ililhow, and international licensing/CDMO partnerships with over a dozen multinational pharmaceutical companies including Pfizer, Abbott, Allergan, Thea, Viatris, Sandoz, Samsung Bioepis, Aspen, GSK, Galmed, EA Pharma, Nicox, and Biosplice. Recent strategic actions include exclusive licensing agreements with Formosa for APP13007 in Korea (January 2026) and Vietnam (June 2026), a distribution MOU with KC Pharmaceuticals for North American market entry (May 2026), and multiple 2026 product launches including the preservative-free glaucoma drug Elarafri and the MFDS-certified MediTwo PDRN B5 Cream functional cosmetic.

Name

Samil Pharmaceutical Co Ltd

Legal name

삼일제약(주) / SAMIL CO. LTD.

Website

https://samil-pharm.co.kr

Company type

Public

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Samil Pharmaceutical Co Ltd is a South Korea-based KOSPI-listed pharmaceutical company specializing in ophthalmic products, operating a Vietnam GMP-certified CDMO facility and a domestic MR sales network while licensing products internationally to global pharma partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

NAICS

Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412), Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing (339115)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834), Ophthalmic Goods (3851)

akta.pro primary industry

Ophthalmology Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Drug Substance–Drug Product Integrated CDMO (HLAGABAG), Ophthalmology Pharmaceuticals (HLAIAAAL)

Keywords

• Ophthalmic pharmaceutical products
• Prescription drug manufacturing
• CDMO contract manufacturing
• Eye drop sterile manufacturing
• Pharmaceutical licensing partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul (Seocho-gu)

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Pharmaceutical product sales (Korea): Sale of prescription and general pharmaceutical products in the Korean domestic market through hospital/clinic MR network and retail pharmacy channels.
2. CDMO manufacturing services: Contract manufacturing and technology transfer services for global pharmaceutical partners at Vietnam facility, providing formulation, aseptic filling, and quality testing for eye drop products.
3. Product licensing (international): Exclusive licensing agreements for proprietary products in international markets, including agreements with Formosa (Vietnam and Korea for APP13007) and KC Pharmaceuticals (North America for eye drops).

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Samil Pharmaceutical manufactures and sells prescription pharmaceutical products (with strategic focus on ophthalmology), over-the-counter consumer health products, and health supplements under the Ililhow brand. The company also operates a Vietnam-based GMP-certified CDMO facility providing contract manufacturing of sterile ophthalmic products (eye drops) to global pharmaceutical partners, and licenses proprietary products internationally to companies including Abbott, Pfizer, Allergan, Thea, Viatris, and Sandoz.

Product overview

Samil Pharmaceutical Co Ltd is a Korean pharmaceutical company operating as both a product manufacturer and CDMO (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization). Their product portfolio includes prescription pharmaceuticals across therapeutic areas (ophthalmology, neurology, gastroenterology), over-the-counter products including children's medications and cooling sheets, health supplements under the IlilHow brand, and functional cosmetics. The company also provides contract manufacturing services for ophthalmic products through their Vietnam facility. Key products include eye treatments (Elarafri, Afilibu, Amelibu), pain relief medications (Brufen), and various tablet formulations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 일일하우 (Ililhow): Health supplement and functional food brand producing products such as 슬로우워터 (Slow Water) and 아이좋은 영양바 (Kids Nutrition Bar).
• 부루펜 (Brufen)
• 티어실원스 (Tearsil Once)

Products and services

• Elarafri Eye Suspension (1-dose) Preservative-free glaucoma treatment combination drug in single-dose form for ophthalmic use.
• AltzDuo Tablets 10/20mg Prescription tablets available in 10mg and 20mg dosages, packaged in 30 or 100 tablet quantities.
• Afilibu Pre-filled Syringe Pre-filled syringe formulation for macular degeneration treatment.
• Amelibu Pre-filled Syringe 0.5mg/0.05mL Pre-filled syringe formulation for eye disease treatment.
• ActiFlunoze Capsule Capsule formulation in 10-pill PTP packaging.
• Topact Tablets 5mg Prescription tablets in 5mg dosage, packaged in quantities of 30 tablets.
• Topact Tablets 10mg Prescription tablets in 10mg dosage, packaged in quantities of 30 tablets.
• Won Topa Tablets 50/200mg Prescription tablets in 50/200mg dosage strength, packaged in 30 or 100 tablet quantities.
• Won Topa Tablets 25/100mg Prescription tablets in 25/100mg dosage strength, packaged in 30 or 100 tablet quantities.
• My Melody X Children's Brufen Syrup Children's fever and pain relief syrup in collaboration with My Melody character brand, available in 80ML and 90ML sizes.
• Buruburu Cooling Sheet Cooling sheet product for family use providing comfort and cooling sensation.
• Chikachika Plus Liquid Children's oral cleanser solution in 360ML size, reformulated and relaunched.
• IlilHow Slow Water Health supplement beverage under the IlilHow brand, including variants such as Green Coffee Bean & Grapefruit and Banana Leaf & Cheonggyul.
• IlilHow Eye-Friendly Nutritional Bar Nutritional bar product under the IlilHow brand for eye health support, available in chocolate and caramel variants.
• MediTwo PDRN B5 Cream MFDS-certified functional cosmetics product with PDRN and B5 ingredients for skin care.
• CDMO Services Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization services including formulation, bottle filling, and BFS (Blow-Fill-Seal) filling for ophthalmic products at Vietnam facility with global GMP standards.

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• FormosacoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 11 June 2026Samil entered an exclusive licensing agreement with Formosa (Formosa Pharmaceuticals) for the commercialization of APP13007 (a corticosteroid eye drop formulation) in Vietnam. A separate exclusive licensing agreement for APP13007 in Korea was signed in January 2026.
• KC PharmaceuticalscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 22 May 2026Samil signed a business MOU with KC Pharmaceuticals (USA) for the North American distribution of Samil's eye drop products. This represents a new market entry through a regional pharmaceutical distributor.
• AbbottmajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerGlobal licensing partnership. Abbott distributes Brufen (ibuprofen) products licensed from Samil. Abbott is headquartered in Abbott Park, Illinois, USA.
• PfizermajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerGlobal licensing partnership. Pfizer distributes Fori-B products licensed from Samil. Pfizer is headquartered in Manhattan, New York, USA.
• Biosplice TherapeuticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSamil in-licensed SM04690, a novel knee osteoarthritis drug candidate from Biosplice Therapeutics (San Diego, CA, USA). Samil is responsible for Korean development and commercialization. SM04690 targets disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug (DMOAD) classification.
• TheamajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerGlobal licensing partnership with Laboratories Thea (France). Thea distributes ophthalmic products including Hiabak, Monoprost, Dualcobo, Nabak, and Blefazol licensed from Samil. Thea is headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France.
• ViatrismajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerGlobal licensing partnership. Viatris (Canonsburg, PA, USA) distributes Zolput, Zoldox, and Janax products licensed from Samil.
• AllerganmajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerListed as a global partner under the Global Partners section. Allergan (now part of AbbVie) is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.
• Nicox S.A.majorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership for Zerviate (zerbiate) eye drop product. Nicox is headquartered in Sophia Antipolis, France.
• GSKmajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership for Actifed and Sudafed products. GSK is headquartered in Brentford, UK.
• SandozmajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership for zolpidem, olanzapine, and Zateven products. Sandoz (a Novartis division) is headquartered in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
• Samsung BioepismajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership for Amelibo injection. Samsung Bioepis is headquartered in Incheon, South Korea.
• AspenmajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership for Zairol, Imuran, Florinef, Septrin, and Alkeran products. Aspen Pharmacare is headquartered in Durban, South Africa.
• Galmed PharmaceuticalscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership for Aramchol (aramcol) tablet, a novel NASH treatment targeting SCD1 enzyme. Galmed is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel.
• EA PharmamajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership for Ribakt product. EA Pharma is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/samil-pharmaceutical-co-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Samil Pharmaceutical Co Ltd