- Benefitted from Years of Huge Investment in R&D
- Sales of New Products Accounts for 43.5% of Revenue
Sino Biopharmaceutical Limited (Sino Biopharmaceutical or the Company, together with its subsidiaries, the Group) (HKG:1177), a leading innovation-driven pharmaceutical conglomerate in the PRC, has announced its unaudited Interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2022 (the Period).
Development Highlights
— The Group achieved considerable sales growth from a number of new products and oncology products, with sales of new products launched within five years accounting for approximately 43.5% of the Group’s total revenue in the first half of 2022, up from approximately 36.9% for the same period last year.
— As of 30 June 2022, the Group had a total of 40 innovative drug candidates in the oncology field, 8 innovative drug candidates in the field of liver disease, 9 innovative drug candidates in the respiratory system field in the development process for clinical application, and 1 innovative drug candidate in the field of surgery/analgesia in phase III clinical trial. Furthermore, the Group had a total of 23 biosimilar or generic drug candidates in the oncology field, 9 other biosimilar or generic drug candidates in the surgical/analgesic field, 5 biosimilar or generic drug candidates in the field of liver disease and 20 biosimilar or generic drug candidates in the respiratory system field in the development process for clinical application.
— Focus V (Anlotinib Hydrochloride Capsules) was approved for the fifth indication-differentiated thyroid cancer in the first half of 2022. To date, Anlotinib has been approved for five indications: third-line non-small cell lung cancer, third-line small cell lung cancer, soft tissue sarcoma, medullary thyroid cancer and differentiated thyroid cancer.
— TDI01 is a highly selective inhibitor of ROCK2 and is currently in the development process of phase I clinical trial for the target indications of pneumoconiosis, pulmonary fibrosis and graft versus host disease. There is no approved drug for pneumoconiosis worldwide, TDI01 is expected to fill this gap and be a boon to pneumoconiosis patients.
— SFT-1001 and SFT-1003 are two soft mist inhalation products that are currently in the late clinical stage. As of 2021, there are only five soft mist inhalation products available worldwide, with a global market size of over US$3 billion and a compound growth rate of over 35% in the past five years, and the global soft mist market is expected to reach US$7 billion by 2030.
During the Period, the Group recorded revenue of approximately RMB15.19 billion, an increase of approximately 5.9% from last year. Profit attributable to the owners of the parent company was approximately RMB1.92 billion. Earnings per share attributable to the owners of the parent company were approximately RMB10.30 cents. Excluding the share of profits and losses of associates and a joint venture (net of related tax and non-controlling interests), certain non-cash items and one-off adjustments, adjusted non-HKFRS profit attributable to the owners of the parent was approximately RMB1.66 billion, an increase of approximately 4.5% over that in the same period last year. Sales of new products accounted for approximately 43.5% of the Group’s total revenue for the period, while it was approximately 36.9% for the same period last year. The Group’s liquidity remains strong, with cash and bank balances classified under current assets of approximately RMB7.77 billion, bank deposits classified under non-current assets of approximately RMB6.84 billion, and wealth management products of approximately RMB7.64 billion in aggregate, the Group’s total fund reserve was approximately RMB22.25 billion at the period end.
The Board of Directors has declared the payment of an interim dividend of HK6 cents per share. (2021: HK4 cents).
Sales: Harvested years of R&D results, sales of new products as a percentage of revenue climbed
The Group has obtained significant benefits from years of high research and development and continues to focus on the development of related products in the areas of specialist therapeutic. During the period, the sales revenue of new products launched within five years was approximately RMB6.61 billion, accounting for approximately 43.5% of the total revenue of the Group from approximately 36.9% last year.
During the Period, the Group’s oncology, liver disease and cardio-cerebral vascular medicines continued to lead in sales contribution. Sales of oncology medicines increased by 16.7% year on year to approximately 4.96 billion, accounting for approximately 32.6% of the Group’s revenue. Sales of liver disease (hepatitis) medicines and cardio-cerebral vascular medicines increased by approximately 11.1% and 13.8% year-on-year to approximately 2.01 billion and 1.55 billion, respectively, accounting for approximately 13.2% and 10.2% of the Group’s revenue. In addition, the sales contributions of products in various areas such as surgery/analgesia, respiratory system and others went up hand-in-hand. Sales of surgery/analgesia and respiratory system medicines accounted for approximately 16.6% and 10.0% of the Group’s revenue, respectively.
In the area of oncology, since its launch in 2018, the revenue from sales of Anrotinib has continued to grow rapidly and is expected to grow at a compound rate of 46% in the period between 2018 and 2022. During the Period, sales of Annike (Penpulimab monoclonal antibody injection) increased significantly against the same period last year. F-627 (Efbemalenograstim alpha, long-acting granulocyte colony-stimulating factor) is currently in the marketing application stage. It provides a safety advantage over mainstream second-generation products currently on the market, is expected to be approved in China in the first half of 2023.
In the area of surgery/analgesia, the Group focused on hospital access and high-potential area development, specifically on developing and increasing coverage of secondary hospitals and community healthcare facilities, driving the rapid growth of Debaian (Flurbiprofen) Cataplasms in the first half of the year.
In the area of liver disease, the Group made efforts to strengthen academic promotion so as to expand doctor coverage and enhance expert recognition, as well as actively identified new patients and new markets to develop, driving the rapid growth of sales revenue of Tianqing Ganmei Injection during the Period.
R&D: Continued to focus on new products in specialist therapeutic areas
The Group has continued to focus R&D efforts on new oncology, surgery/analgesia, hepatitis, respiratory system and cardio-cerebral vascular medicines. As of 30 June 2022, a total of 418 pharmaceutical products had obtained clinical trial approval, or were under clinical trial or applying for production approval. Of them, 29 were for under hepatitis, 230 for oncology, 31 for respiratory system medicines, 9 for endocrine, 16 for cardio-cerebral medicines, 3 for surgery, 4 for analgesia and 96 for other medicines.
Prospects: Two-pronged approach of independent research and development, focusing more on products with high innovation and market potential
In the future, the Group will build a healthier, more diversified and sustainable revenue structure by continuing to build on traditional public hospital sales, investing more resources in new marketing channels and new marketing tools, and gradually expanding its share of the revenue. In view of the potential impact of the national volume-based procurement policy on generic drugs, the Group has re-evaluated and optimised its product lines under development from the perspective of innovation and market value, focusing more on products highly innovative and with market potential.
The Group will continue to invest more resources in innovative R&D facilities, personnel and projects. Innovation has become a key driver of growth for the Group, with the share of the revenue from innovative medicines expected to reach 24% by 2022. Looking ahead, the Group plans to attain revenue exceeding the RMB10 billion mark from innovative medicines by 2023, further increasing the share of the revenue from them in the Group’s total. The Group aims to become a world-class innovative pharmaceutical group by 2030, with a revenue target of HK$100 billion, of which over 60% is expected to be contributed by innovative drugs.
Looking ahead, the Group is focusing on four therapeutic areas, namely oncology, surgery/analgesia, liver disease and respiratory system, and will strive to achieve its 2030 target by adopting a two-pronged approach – pursuing independent research and development and innovation-driven business development.
About Sino Biopharmaceutical Limited (HKG:1177)
Sino Biopharmaceutical Limited is a leading, innovative R&D-driven pharmaceutical conglomerate in the PRC. Its business encompasses a fully-integrated chain that covers an array of R&D platforms, a line-up of intelligent production and a strong sales system. The Group’s products have gained a competitive foothold in various therapeutic categories with promising potential, comprising a variety of biopharmaceutical and chemical medicines for oncology, surgery/analgesia, hepatitis, and respiratory system.
Sino Biopharmaceutical is a constituent stock of the following indices: MSCI Global Standard Indices – MSCI China Index, Hang Seng Index, Hang Seng China Enterprises Index, Hang Seng Composite Index, Hang Seng Healthcare Index, Hang Seng SCHK Mainland China Healthcare Index, Hang Seng Composite LargeCap Index, Hang Seng Composite LargeCap & MidCap Index, Hang Seng China (Hong Kong-listed) 100 Index and Hang Seng Stock Connect Hong Kong Index, etc.. Sino Biopharm was ranked as one of “Asia’s Fab 50 Companies” by Forbes Asia for three consecutive years in 2016, 2017 and 2018.