Below is a list with tagged columns and company profiles.

Today's Headlines Pharmaceutical Industry

  • Pharmaceutical Firm Kalbe Farma Facing Macroeconomic Headwinds

    Indonesia's largest pharmaceutical company, Kalbe Farma, felt the impact of macroeconomic headwinds. The company, one of the largest public pharmaceutical companies in Southeast Asia, today announced its indicative performance (unaudited) for the year 2015. While its net sales grew 3 percent year-on-year (y/y) to IDR 17.4 trillion (approx. USD $1.3 billion), the company's net income fell 4.3 percent (y/y) to IDR 1.98 trillion (approx. USD $147 million). Kalbe Farma's performance in 2015 was plagued by weaker purchasing power in Indonesia and the depreciated rupiah exchange rate.

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  • Healthcare Indonesia: Boosting Local Production of Medicines' Raw Materials

    In one of the next economic stimulus packages of the Indonesian government the focus will be on increasing domestic production of raw materials for medicines and medical devices. Currently, these industries are still highly dependent on imports of raw materials. It is estimated that around 90 percent of raw/basic materials for medicines and medical devices need to be imported from abroad and therefore cause additional pressure on Indonesia's balance of payments.

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  • Pharmaceutical Company Merck Indonesia Plans Stock Split in 2015

    Indonesian pharmaceutical company Merck, controlled by German consumer healthcare Merck Holding GmbH, plans to conduct a stock split in 2015 in a move to boost liquidity as well as increase trading of the company’s shares. Merck is currently discussing the stock split plan with the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) and the Financial Services Authority (OJK). Bambang Nurcahyo, Finance Director at Merck, said that the ideal ratio for the split is 1:20. An extraordinary general meeting (to discuss the plan) will be held in mid-2015.

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  • Shares of Indonesia’s Kalbe Farma Hurt by Fatal Medicine Scandal

    Shares of Kalbe Farma, Indonesia’s largest pharmaceutical company, have been under pressure over the past couple of days due to the deaths of two hospital patients after they had taken a medicine manufactured by Kalbe Farma. According to the Indonesian Pharmacy Association (GP Farmasi Indonesia) Buvanest Spinal, an anesthetic, was wrongly packaged and hence did not contain bupivacaine but instead tranexamic acid, which aims to stop or reduce heavy bleeding (usually used during surgery).

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  • Kalbe Farma: a Profile of Indonesia's Largest Pharmaceutical Company

    Indonesia Investments has updated the company profile of PT Kalbe Farma Tbk. Kalbe Farma is the largest listed pharmaceutical company in Indonesia and Southeast Asia (listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange/IDX). The company’s main business focus rests on four divisions: prescription pharmaceuticals, consumer health products, nutritionals as well as distribution & logistics. Its a leading provider of “comprehensive healthcare solutions”, from pharmaceuticals, nutrition, health foods and beverages to medical devices, including primary healthcare service.

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  • Phapros to Conduct Initial Public Offering on Indonesia Stock Exchange

    Phapros, subsidiary of state-owned Rajawali Nusantara Indonesia, intends to conduct an initial public offering (IPO) on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2015 by offering 10 to 20 percent of its enlarged capital to the public. Through this corporate action, Phapros, a pharmaceutical products manufacturer, aims to raise IDR 500 billion (USD $42.3 million) which will be used to finance the company's capital expenditure in the next two years. The company expects to grow on the implementation of Indonesia’s social security program per 1 January 2014.

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  • Kimia Farma will Construct Indonesia's First Pharmaceutical Salt Factory

    Indonesian state-controlled pharmaceutical company Kimia Farma will construct Indonesia's first pharmaceutical salt factory in Jombang (East Java) in an attempt to supply the domestic market and curb imports of this type of salt. Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Dahlan Iskan said that the plant can commence operations near the end of 2014 and will have an annual production capacity of 2,000 tons of pharmaceutical salt (approximately two thirds of domestic demand).

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  • Indonesia´s Largest Herbal Medicine Producer SidoMuncul Plans IPO

    SidoMuncul Herbal, Indonesia´s largest herbal medicine producer, is expected to conduct an initial public offering (IPO) on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) in the fourth quarter of 2013. The company, established in 1951, is a fully-modernized herbal company that strives to produce and market products that support the people´s health and well-being. The company will release 20 percent of its shares on the IDX and targets to raise IDR 1.5 trillion (USD $130 million). Kresna Securities acts as underwriter for the IPO.

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Latest Columns Pharmaceutical Industry

  • Pharmaceutical Industry of Indonesia; a Healthy Economy Needs Healthy People

    The pharmaceutical industry has been a center of focus in the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis because it has an important role to play. This industry discovers, develops, produces, and markets (pharmaceutical) drugs for use as medications, with the aim to cure the patients, vaccinate them, or alleviate the symptoms. Hence, developing a vaccine or cure to COVID-19 is the responsibility of the pharmaceutical industry.

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  • How Big Indonesian Pharmaceutical Firms Cope with Rupiah Weakness

    One of the national industries that is heavily affected by the weak rupiah exchange rate is Indonesia's pharmaceutical industry. Considering around 90 percent of raw materials in the pharmaceutical industry need to be imported from abroad (in US dollars), production costs rise sharply in times of significant rupiah depreciation. It is estimated that materials imported from abroad account for about 75 percent of pharmaceutical companies' total production costs.

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  • Developing Upstream Facilities in Indonesia's Pharmaceutical Industry

    Vincent Harijanto, Head of the Indonesian Pharmaceutical Association (GP Farmasi) business development committee, said about 95 percent of raw materials used in Indonesia's pharmaceutical industry need to be imported from abroad. This dependence on imports causes several problems, for example prices of pharmaceutical products are relatively high on the Indonesian market, while Indonesian pharmaceutical companies (and Indonesian consumers) can suddenly face rising prices in times of rupiah depreciation.

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  • Pharmaceutical Exports Indonesia Remain Under Pressure in 2017

    Exports of pharmaceutical products from Indonesia have declined due to increasing competition from China on the international market. Chinese pharmaceutical companies dominate export markets supported by China's low production cost environment and the availability of raw materials at home. However, despite this situation, the Indonesian Pharmacy Association (GP Farmasi Indonesia) remains optimistic that Indonesia's pharmaceutical exports can climb in 2017.

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  • Indonesian Pharmaceutical Companies in Focus: Kimia Farma

    State-controlled pharmaceutical company Kimia Farma is expected to show steadily improving corporate earnings in the years ahead supported by Indonesia's universal healthcare scheme (in Indonesian: Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional or JKN) that was implemented by the social security agency Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Sosial Kesehatan (BPJS) in early 2014. The scheme aims to provide all Indonesian citizens with access to a wide range of health services. Obviously, local pharmaceutical companies are in a great position to benefit from this program.

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  • Pharmaceutical Industry Indonesia: Plagued by Weak Rupiah

    Companies active in the pharmaceutical industry of Indonesia need to find strategies to overcome sharp rupiah depreciation. Indonesia’s pharmaceutical industry is still - to a large extent - dependent on the import of raw materials, hence a weakening rupiah raises the costs of imports thus eroding profit margins. Since May 2013, when the US Federal Reserve started to hint at monetary tightening, the US dollar has experienced bullish momentum. Between the May 2013 and July 2015, the rupiah depreciated around 37 percent against the US dollar.

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Associated businesses Pharmaceutical Industry