CSL slams a 184% plunge in net profit, wiping out earnings as restructuring costs and weak flu vaccine demand hit the bottom line. The biotech giant reported a net loss after tax of US$2.6 billion for the 2026 financial year.
Staff at CSL are seen working in the lab in Melbourne, Australia on Nov. 8, 2020. Darrian Traynor/Getty Images
CSL posted total revenue of US$15.8 billion, a 1% decline, and NPATA of US$3.1 billion, down 2%. One‑off restructuring and impairment charges produced a net loss after tax of US$2.6 billion.
Sequirus, CSL’s vaccine arm, saw revenue fall 8% to US$2 billion. The decline reflects the loss of non‑recurring avian influenza sales from the prior year.
Global seasonal influenza sales rose 4% despite lower U.S. immunisation rates, according to CSL’s ASX announcement.
The vaccine division expects low single‑digit revenue growth in 2027, noting U.S. immunisation rates will fall but at a slower pace than recent seasons.
In CSL Behring, albumin sales dropped 17% to US$1.1 billion, blamed on government cost‑containment measures in China.
Interim CEO Gordon Naylor called 2026 a ‘year of reset’ and said decisive action has set a clear path to sustainable growth.
Plasma market fundamentals remain strong and momentum is building behind newer therapies such as Andembry and Hemgenix.
The company kept its full‑year dividend at US$2.92 per share.
Drop in US Flu Vaccination Rates
U.S. flu vaccination coverage fell to 41.9% of adults and 50.2% of children in the 2024‑25 season, with early CDC data showing a rebound to 46.5% of adults in 2025‑26, still below the 2020‑21 peak of 50.2%.
