Sanjay Shah, Chairman & Managing Director, Sakar Healthcare Ltd. (Changodar)
Sakar Healthcare, established in the year 2004 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat-India, is engaged in the manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceutical finished dose formulations in Liquid Orals, Cephalosporin Tablets, Capsules, Dry Powder Syrup, Dry Powder Injections, Liquid Injectables & Lyophilized Injections categories.
The new state of the art research-driven and vertically integrated Oncology plant is all set to start its operations. This facility has been designed according to the USFDA standards and will help the company to sell its Oncology products into regulated markets in the future. The capital expenditure for Oncology expansion was funded by a mix of debt & equity.
The R&D, F&D and ADL laboratories will start commercial production by Sep-21. These will cater to research and partner services globally. The third party research revenues will start reflecting in the topline by end of this calendar year.
Oncology Oral Solid Dosage unit (Tab.,Cap) and API manufacturing unit to get operational as planned by October-2021. While its Oncology Oral Solid Dosage unit (Tab., Cap) manufacturing unit will go on stream by Oct-21, the plan has been to initiate functioning of API manufacturing unit in the same month with mandated approval which has been initiated by the company. Oncology API is a low volume and high value proposition. Import substitution from Chinese players is a large opportunity which the company is trying to exploit. The government too has launched incentive schemes to give a push to bulk drugs/API manufacturing in India.
Swiss based HBM Healthcare Investments; a leading global healthcare private equity recently invested INR 148.50 millions in Sakar Healthcare through its wing COBRA. HBM Healthcare Investments through COBRA actively invests in the human medicine, biotechnology, medical technology and diagnostics sectors and other healthcare related
Aarsh Shah, Joint Managing Director, Sakar Healthcare Ltd. (Bavla) – Oncology Plant
areas. The company holds and manages an international portfolio of high growth companies and the funding from HBM will help Sakar expand and scale its Oncology manufacturing operations.
Sakar Healthcare announced stellar results for FY21 with consolidated revenue growth exceeding 14% compared with the same period a year ago. This was mainly due to rise in sales across both exports and contract manufacturing segments. The company based at Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India has maintained a stable EBITDA margins over 25%. Despite the challenges posed by the ongoing pandemic its balance sheet remains robust and its working capital cycle continues to improve.
Export to European countries has been initiated; new dossiers under preparation to submission for EU GMP approved Injection unit. After getting EU GMP approval last year for its Liquid & Lyophilised Injection unit, Sakar is in the process of filing new dossiers for submission to EU countries. Exports to European countries have been initiated too.
The company expects the European region to start contributing to the revenues in a meaningful way in the current fiscal year. These exports to the regulated markets will also help to expand margins across the board.
Liquid & Lyophilised Injection unit boost up sales post EU GMP approval. As the EU approved Liquid & Lyophilised Injection unit is running at a capacity utilization of less than 60%, huge operating leverage will kick in as the company continues to ramp up its sales. The company has already built a healthy order book from the European countries and is in the process to tie up with some large multinational pharma companies of the region.
The management firmly believes that the Oncology business will help the company revenues grow exponentially in the next few years and will also aid margin expansion. Oncology remains the largest and fastest growing therapeutic segments with high entry barriers leaving a few players operating in the category.
Therefore, the twin engines of expansion into European region selling injectables and Oncology manufacturing will catapult the company into a different league in the coming years.