Beximco Pharmaceuticals Limited has procured a substantial loan of €24.9 million (over Tk300 crore) from the German financial institution ODDO BHF SE, intended to augment its manufacturing capabilities, thereby amplifying its presence in both domestic and international markets.
As per the company's disclosures, Beximco Pharma formalized an agreement with the German bank in February to secure the loan for procuring machinery and equipment by 31 December. The loan will predominantly be allocated towards replacing and maintaining machinery, with a segment earmarked for the expansion of the company's production facilities.
Furthermore, Beximco Pharma has attained authorization from the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida) to secure the foreign loan, the company announced.
In its disclosure, the company specified that the loan, which will be remitted directly to the suppliers of the machinery and equipment, carries an interest rate of the 6-month Euribor (Euro Interbank Offered Rate) plus a margin of 1.3%. Repayments are scheduled to be made in semi-annual installments over a five-year period, commencing in June 2025.
The 6-month Euribor interest rate is the rate at which a consortium of European banks lends funds to one another, denominated in euros, for a tenure of six months.
Previously, Beximco Pharma had acquired a loan of €19.05 million from the same bank for business augmentation, which was completely repaid in January this year.
The company has persistently enhanced its production capacity, including the establishment of a third manufacturing facility, Unit-3, which commenced operations in 2021 following an investment exceeding Tk1,000 crore. Additionally, Beximco Pharma has acquired the local operations of multinational pharmaceutical companies Nuvista Pharma and Synovia Pharma, both of which now operate as its subsidiaries.
An equity analysis on Beximco Pharma by EBL Securities noted that the company derives a significant portion of its revenue from domestic drug sales, which constituted an average of 90% of its total revenue from FY19 to FY23. During this period, the company earned an average of 9.4% of its total revenue from exports and 0.2% from contract manufacturing.
Zuhaier Shams, a senior research associate at EBL Securities, conveyed to The Business Standard that Beximco Pharma is the foremost pharmaceutical exporter in the country, reaching 68 destinations, including highly regulated markets such as the US and Europe. From FY19 to FY23, Beximco Pharma contributed an average of 20% to the total pharmaceutical exports of Bangladesh.
He predicted that the company's profitability would improve due to a recent 50% reduction in the price of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) in the Chinese market, marking the most significant decline since the pandemic. Beximco Pharma primarily imports APIs from China and India.
Consequently, the gross profit margin for Beximco Pharma, along with other pharmaceutical companies, is anticipated to increase this year due to the lower API prices, he added.
The EBL Securities equity report stated that the pharmaceutical industry in the country is valued at Tk31,200 crore as of March 2024 and is predominantly concentrated among the top ten pharmaceutical companies, which collectively held a 71.6% market share during this period.
Beximco Pharma has consistently ranked third among the top ten pharmaceutical companies over the past decade, holding a 9.6% market share as of March 2024, the report added.
The company's consolidated net revenue surged by over 13%, reaching Tk3,305 crore in the July-March period of FY24 compared to the same period the previous year. It also recorded a 23% growth in consolidated profit, reaching Tk437 crore during the same timeframe compared to the previous year.
The company had disbursed a 35% cash dividend to its shareholders for FY23.
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