BeiGene, a global biotech firm founded in 2010 in Beijing, is strengthening its global presence by expanding its workforce and boosting sales.

The company is waiting for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve its anti-PD-1 immuno-oncology drug Tevimbra (tislelizumab) this year, drawing the industry’s attention to its future moves.

According to a briefing by KoreaBio, a biotech industry group, on Tuesday, BeiGene employs 10,600 people, up 1,400 from last year, with 1,600 in the U.S. The company's R&D and commercial success in hematologic and solid tumor cancer treatments drive the expansion.

BeiGene's key pipelines with approval include Tevimbra, the BTK inhibitor Brukinsa (zanubrutinib), and the PARP inhibitor Patrubix (pamiparib). In addition, BeiGene has an internal clinical team of more than 3,000 people and is conducting more than 130 clinical trials involving more than 22,000 subjects worldwide.

BeiGene’s revenues grew 75 percent to $2.2 billion last year. While the company is not yet profitable, growth was driven by sales of its lead product, Brukinsa, which reached $1.3 billion.

Tevimbra has won approval from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), but sales in Europe have yet to begin, with all sales occurring in China.

However, despite the recent growth, approval for the new drug in the U.S. market remains uncertain.

BeiGene signed a global rights agreement for Tevimbra with Novartis in 2021, but the deal was terminated last year, and the rights were returned. Since then, BeiGene has been working on its own FDA approval application for Tevimbra and expects a decision in the first half of this year.

BeiGene is also building a biopharmaceutical manufacturing and R&D facility worth $800 million (about 1 trillion won) in New Jersey, U.S., which is expected to be operational in July.

"BeiGene’s growth and expansion demonstrate the increasing competitiveness of Chinese companies in the global biopharmaceutical market and is expected to have a significant impact on the future development of the biopharma industry," KoreaBio said.