VIetnam pharma companies expect revenue growth thanks to COVID-19
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Employees enter the entrance gate of DHG Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company (DHG). The company recorded highest profit among the listed pharmaceutical firms in Q1. (Photo cafef.vn)

Increasing demand for medicine amid the COVID-19 pandemic has helped most pharmaceutical enterprises report positive business results in the first quarter of this year.

Pharmaceutical stocks have attracted investors since the outbreak of the disease due to rising need for medical equipment and drugs, as well as forecasts that the pandemic may be prolonged due to the long timeline of vaccine manufacturing.

DHG Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company (DHG), the largest Vietnamese pharmaceutical firm by market capitalisation and revenue, recorded the highest profit among the listed pharmaceutical firms in Q1 at VND177 billion (US$5 million).

This represented an increase of 31 per cent year-on-year, fulfilling 27 per cent of the yearly target.

DHG was followed by Pymepharco Joint Stock Company (PME) and Imexpharm Corporation (IMP) with VND75 billion (US$ 3.2 million) and VND41 billion (US$ 1.7 million), up 8 per cent and 13 per cent against last year, respectively.

Imexpharm expects its business to grow strongly thanks to the ethical or prescription drugs (ETC) channel. Revenue in 2020 is expected to reach VND1.75 trillion (US$ 7.5 billion), up 23.3 per cent from the same period last year.

Pre-tax profit is estimated to reach VND260 billion (US$ 1.1 million), up 17 per cent. Therefore, the company has completed 17 per cent of this year’s revenue plan and 20 per cent of the profit plan.

Most pharmaceutical enterprises report positive business results (Photo: Investment News)

Shares of IMP decreased by 14.5 per cent from an all-time high of VND62,000 (US$ 2.66) per share, recorded on February 24, to VND52,900 (US$ 2.27) per share on Monday.

In Q1, Agimexpharm Pharmaceutical JSC (AGP)'s revenue increased slightly by 1.2 per cent year-on-year to VND131 billion (US$ 5.6 million).

However, profit dropped by nearly 12 per cent to VND8.2 billion (US$ 3.5 million).

The pharmaceutical industry is also expected to grow strongly thanks to the ageing Vietnamese population and the increasing demand for health care services, especially in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak.

However, the pandemic may bring advantages to the industry in the short term, but if it is prolonged, it will harm supplies of imported raw materials from China. This will force pharmaceutical enterprises to switch to importing from other regions at higher prices.

Binhdinh Pharmaceutical and Medical Equipment JSC (DBD) said more than 80 per cent of the main raw materials for the company's products were imported from China.

But due to the disease, many factories in China had to halt operation, it said.

Domesco Medical Import-Export JSC (Domesco) also said it was facing a production halt and interruptions in some products that rely heavily on imported raw materials from China.

Price movements in the short term will be unpredictable (Photo: Bao dau thau)

Backward trading

Although recording positive earning results, many pharmaceutical stocks could not maintain the uptrend and have been retreating recently.

After reaching early VND100,000 per share at the end of January, shares of Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company (DHG) quickly decreased to hover at around VND90,000.

Compared to early this year, DHG has recorded a decrease of about 6 per cent.

Ha Tay Pharmaceutical JSC (DHT) surprised investors as it surged to nearly VND60,000 (US$ 2.57) per share in early February while in previous months, its shares hovered at a price of less than VND50,000 (US$ 2.14) per share.

However, DHT has dropped deeper since then, closing Monday at VND45,000 (US$ 1.93) per share.

According to Nguyen Hong Khanh at Vietnam International Securities Co (VIS), pharmaceutical shares are often traded thinly as most stay in the hands of a few insiders, which makes it easier to push prices.

“As pharmaceutical stocks have a low free transfer rate, price movements in the short term will be unpredictable, especially if the demand increases sharply,” Khanh said.

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