PETALING JAYA: Pharmaniaga Bhd is back in the black, posting a net profit of RM85.5mil in the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2021, compared to losses of RM6.33mil a year earlier.

       Its revenue for the quarter surged 12.2% to RM711.72mil from RM634.58mil previously.

       In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, the pharmaceutical group attributed the topline and bottomline’s stellar performance to the supply of Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine to the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the private sector, followed by higher contributions from the group’s concession, non-concession and Indonesian operations.

       Cumulatively, for the full financial year 2021 (FY21), Pharmaniaga’s net profit surged more than six times to RM172.15mil from RM27.49mil, on the back of a 77% jump in revenue to RM4.82bil from RM2.73bil previously, thanks to the Covid-19 vaccine supply business.

       The company has declared a fourth interim dividend of five sen per share, which will be paid on April 5 to shareholders.

       In a statement, Pharmaniaga group managing director Datuk Zulkarnain Md Eusope said the group had supplied a total of 20.4 million doses to the National Immunisation Programme (NIP), and approximately 2.5 million doses to the private sector.

       “With the strong support by MoH, we have successfully fulfilled the contract 4.5 months earlier than scheduled,” he said,

       Zulkarnain said the group expected that the demand for the Covid-19 vaccines will remain high going forward, especially with the vaccination programme for children.

       “With the current capabilities that we have, we intend to supply the vaccine to countries in this region.

       “Myanmar was the first country in the region that supplied about 30,000 doses, en route to other Asean countries,” he added.

       Moving forward, Pharmaniaga aimed to maintain the growth momentum of its consumer healthcare segment and achieve double-digit growth in FY22 by ramping up marketing for its consumer healthcare products.

       Zulkarnain pointed out that Pharmaniaga will continue to place emphasis on the research and development of biopharmaceuticals, vaccines and insulins to bolster its product portfolio.

       “Besides that, we had inked a memorandum of collaboration with the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council in November last year to supply and distribute Hepatitis C drug to the designated hospitals and clinics, which will provide another source of recurring income,” he said, and added that the 10-year logistics and distribution concession business with MoH was currently being finalised.

       In addition, Zulkarnain said the group was exploring the use of drones in delivering medical supplies to remote areas.

       Towards this end, he said Pharmaniaga had conducted two trials in Pangkor Island and Kuala Langat.

       “We are also exploring the use of green energy for our fleet of vehicles in the logistics and distribution division. Currently we are in discussion with several parties for a trial using our vans and also motorcycles,” he said.

       Pharmaniaga told Bursa Malaysia in notes accompanying its results that the year 2021 had been challenging for every business, regardless of industry.

       “The venture into vaccine manufacturing with Sinovac Life Sciences Co Ltd signified a key milestone, not only for the group but for Malaysia, as the first human vaccine to be filled and finished locally.

       “The move has given the group a record performance that will continue to be sustained via various strategies and plans for 2022 and beyond,” it said.