Pharmaceuticals sector remained the top turnover leader in the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) in recent months due to its enhanced profitability and disbursement of better dividend yield among the investors.
Pharmaceutical sector captured 15.6 per cent of the total turnover in the week ended Thursday. The sector grabbed 15.0 per cent of the total turnover in the week ended September 3 last.
Among the listed companies under pharmaceuticals, ACI, Beacon Pharma, Reckitt, Ibne Sina, Beximco and Square showed 1415.2 per cent, 105.5 per cent, 90.9 per cent, 60.0 per cent, 43.3 per cent and 39.3 per cent respectively year on year growth in net profit at the end of the latest quarter, according to the available data from DSE and IDLC Investments Ltd.
ACI, Beacon Pharma, Reckitt, Ibne Sina, Beximco and Square earned Tk 2398.8 million, Tk 14.9 million, Tk 20.7 million, Tk 137.5 million, Tk 54.1 million, Tk 1,009.2 million and Tk 1816.3 million respectively as net profit in the latest quarter.
The sector's turnover gained momentum in recent months as US Food and Drug Administration or FDA in late-June gave its approval to Square Pharmaceuticals and Beximco Pharmaceuticals after inspecting the oral solid dosage facilities of the two companies in Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh pharmaceutical market showed signs of recovery in 2014 after a worst year in 2013, affected by political troubles in its last quarter.
The country's pharmaceutical market grew by 11.37 per cent in 2014 to US$ 1.4 billion mainly driven by anti-ulcer drugs, according to US-based IMS Health.
As a sign of recovery, the first quarter of 2015 - January-March --- was more than 2.0 percentage point higher than the average 2014 growth rate.
However, the characteristics of pharmaceutical market in terms of quarterly growth varied during the whole 2014--- January to December. The third quarter --- July-September growth helped archive the double digit yearly growth in 2014.
The first quarter-January-March of 2014 growth rate was merely 9.81 per cent, second quarter 7.73 per cent and the fourth quarter 9.74 per cent.
The country's pharma market had grown at its slowest pace in 2013 in eight years following political programme in October-December in 2013.
The growth rate was just over 8.0 per cent in 2013.
However, there is no change in the position of market players in terms of retail sales in 2014.
Square Pharmaceuticals as usual had the highest market share in 2014 at 18.68 per cent of the total $1.4 billion market.
Incepta Pharmaceuticals founded in 1999 grabbed market share worth 10.4 per cent.
Beximco Pharmaceuticals founded in 1980 grabbed market share worth 8.51 per cent, said IMS Health which calculates its estimation on the basis of retail sales.
There is another type of sales called institutional sales but its share meagre than that retail sales.
Opsonin had marker share worth 5.61 per cent, Renata 5.07 per cent, Eskayef 4.5 per cent, Aristopharma 4.48 per cent, ACI 4.14 per cent, Acme 3.98 per cent and Healthcare 2.72 per cent.
There are around 10 multi-national pharmaceutical producing company and they account for around 10 per cent of the total market.
