Jacobson Pharma Announces FY2020 Interim Results

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  • Profit Attributable to Shareholders Lifted by 30.5%
  • Portfolio and Market Expansion to Harness Growth Potentials

 

HONG KONG, CHINA – Media OutReach – 26 November 2019 – Jacobson Pharma Corporation Limited (“Jacobson Pharma” or
the “Company”; Stock Code: 2633)
, a leading company
engaging in research, development, production, marketing and sale of generic
drugs and proprietary medicines, today announced its unaudited interim
results of the Company and its subsidiaries (collectively the “Group”) for the
six months ended 30 September 2019 (the “reporting period”).

 

During the reporting period,
the Group maintained a steady growth with its revenue and gross profit increased
by 6.8% and 12.5% to HK$871.7 million (1H2018: HK$816.3 million) and HK$358.5
million (1H2018: HK$318.7 million) respectively. Profit from
operations rose by 18.3% to HK$187.7 million (1H2018: HK$158.6 million). Profit attributable
to the shareholders of the Company leapt by 30.5% to HK$127.2 million (1H2018: HK$97.5
million). Basic and diluted earnings per share were HK6.32 cents (1H2018:
HK5.28 cents).

 

The Group maintains a healthy financial
position with cash and cash equivalents of HK$718.2 million at
the end of the reporting period. The Board has declared payment of
an interim dividend for the six months ended 30 September 2019 of HK2.0 cents per
share (1H2018: HK1.5 cents).

 

Mr. Derek
Sum, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
of Jacobson Pharma, comments,
“Focusing on our strategic growth plan, we have achieved promising progress on
the business development front in terms of enhancing our product offerings and establishing
a competitive regional commercial platform. Riding on our established
competences and growth momentum, we have further strengthened our position as an
eminent market player and have been successfully forging strategic
collaborations with multinational partners covering in-licensing, technology
transfer and representation of both generic drugs and branded healthcare
products in the Greater China and Asia Pacific region.”

 

Sustained
Growth for Generic Drugs

The Group’s
generic drugs business delivered a stable growth of 5.3% for a revenue at approximately HK$626.9
million during the reporting period which was mainly driven by the expanded
product offerings of the Group along with the rising healthcare demands
resulted from aging population and prevalence of chronic diseases. Nonetheless,
growth in the private sector has been undermined to certain extent by weakened
retail performance across Hong Kong in the past few months.

 

Emerging demand for generic drugs from private
sector will be catalyzed by the evolving government programs aiming to
integrate certain primary healthcare services with private practices in the
attempt to alleviate strains in public healthcare system, such as the General
Outpatient Clinic Public-Private Partnership Program which has now been participated
by around 30,000 public hospital patients suffering from hypertension, diabetes
mellitus or hyperlipidemia since its launched in 2014. The Glaucoma Public-Private
Partnership Program was newly introduced in 2019 aiming to provide choice to
patients for receiving private specialist services in the community.

 

Resilience
of Proprietary Medicine Brands

Referring to the sales performance of the Group’s proprietary medicines
business, a modest growth was maintained during the reporting period despite
the continued turmoil to the local retail industry. With the incorporation of a
newly acquired proprietary Chinese medicine business, the total revenue from
this segment of the
Group amounted to HK$130.3 million, up by 17.7%.

 

In particular, Po Chai Pills, the Group’s leading Chinese
gastrointestinal medicine brand, delivered a decent growth of 11.0% in its Hong
Kong and Macau business in terms of sales revenue during the reporting period.
Ho Chai Kung, a widely recognized heritage brand in the analgesics category of
the Group, also delivered a notable growth of 27.3% in Hong Kong and Macau.
Shiling Oil, a medicated oil brand of the Group, has been delivering a strong
growth momentum in overseas markets presenting a 28.8% increase in sales
revenue during the reporting period.

Portfolio
Enhancement for High Value-added Offerings

To supplement the R&D pipeline and broaden the portfolio of
specialty drugs for tapping new potentials of the market, the Group has been
actively forging collaborations with strategic partners in exploiting market
opportunities in the Asia Pacific region. During the Reporting Period, the Group has signed exclusive in-license agreements
for a total of 19 specialized drugs with reputable manufacturers in Greece,
Spain, South Korea and Taiwan. Among them, 12 items are eligible for tender
bidding in the coming years.

 

The Group has also had a head start for the launch of two medical
nutrition products in Hong Kong, namely Aterinorm from Difass in Italy and
Gynositol from Indigo in France, targeting the functional food and Food for
Special Medical Purpose (FSMP) markets. While in the consumer nutrition arena,
the Group has entered into an in-license agreement with Smartfish from Norway
in a strategic collaboration to launch its clinically-tested health and sports
nutrition drinks in Asia. In addition, the recently-formed
joint venture alliance with Weisen-U「胃仙-U」and Flucur Nebuliser「呼佳噴霧劑」, as well as the exclusive distributorship
for the highly recognized medicated nail and foot care
brand Excilor「恢甲清」, have also enhanced the Group’s portfolio and further strengthened its
market position in capitalizing on the rising consumer demand for quality
branded healthcare products in the burgeoning China and Asia markets.

 

Mr. Sum remarks “Looking ahead, we
will continue to build momentum  with the
strategically-aligned growth plans  driving us forward. We aspire
to be an eminent player in essential medicines and consumer healthcare
solutions in Asia. We remain well-positioned with a balanced portfolio, a
strong R&D pipeline and a sound commercial platform  which will facilitate the delivery of
sustainable growth for our businesses over the long term.”