STADA Philippines shows resilience with triple-digit growth in 2020
Newly-established pharmaceutical player STADA Philippines showed resilience amid the coronavirus pandemic by achieving triple-digit sales growth of 478% in 2020.
Fueling the growth is the expansion of the STADA Philippines portfolio, with the banner acquisition of the FERN-C line (consisting of the established, 15 year-old vitamin c brand FERN-C, and two children’s vitamin products – FERN C Kidz and Kiddimin). Total sales growth of the Fern-C portfolio in 2020 reached 100% compared to the previous year.
STADA Philippines’ revitalization of the Oilatum brand, likewise, established the company as a major player the Philippine skin care market, with Oilatum sales growing 1012% versus the previous year. Acquired from GSK in 2019, Oilatum is a full emollient range that generates significant sales in Europe, as well as helping to build up growth in the Asia Pacific region.
The acquisition of these products is in line with our strategy of strengthening our portfolio with well-established consumer healthcare brands and also expanding in selected emerging markets, states Carsten Cron, STADA EVP for Emerging Markets.
Sharmaine Abarientos, General Manager of STADA Philippines, adds: “With our successful portfolio expansion activities, we are able to offer quality medicines at reasonable prices, across all segments of healthcare; specialty, generics and consumer health.”
PH performance mirrors STADA Worldwide’s strong growth journey
STADA Philippines’ performance contributed significantly to the strong global STADA growth journey, with the Germany-based parent company posting 18 percent sales growth. This performance, even in the midst of a stagnating market, is testament to the agility and entrepreneurship with which STADA’s diverse global workforce acted under difficult circumstances to keep supplying medicines to patients and healthcare professionals.
“Throughout 2020, ensuring the health and safety of all employees and their families has been STADA’s utmost priority,” explains STADA’s CEO Peter Goldschmidt. “While STADA has responded with agility to the pandemic, we have continued to strengthen our supply-chain infrastructure for a sustainable future. I am proud of how STADA has worked tirelessly with hundreds of partners amid the pandemic to keep supplying medicines and deliver on our purpose of caring for people’s health as a trusted partner,” said Goldschmidt.
Synergies derived from acquisitions, as well as ongoing efficiency measures in areas such as supply chain, procurement and sales and marketing contributed to the growth of the company.
“Our above-market sales increases reflect the extraordinary engagement and entrepreneurship of our diverse global workforce”, Goldschmidt stated. “Our strategy to position STADA as the go-to-partner for consumer healthcare, specialty pharmaceuticals and generics is succeeding.”
STADA closed multiple acquisitions and in-licensing deals in 2020, building a wider base in the Philippine consumer healthcare market with such brands as FERN-C, Oilatum, Zoflora and Zerochol.
STADA’s optimistic outlook in 2021
Through a clear growth strategy that is based on a shared purpose, vision and set of values, the business expects a continuation of its growth journey in 2021. Outlining reasons for this optimistic outlook for 2021, Goldschmidt observed that STADA enjoys a wellstocked Generics pipeline, while the group’s Specialty presence is expanding through biosimilar partnerships and through launches such as the entry of a novel patented product for late-stage Parkinson’s disease. Newly-acquired Consumer Healthcare brands are gaining traction in several countries, and are set to enter the Philippine market in the near future.
With STADA continuing to evaluate further acquisitions, in-licensing and business-development opportunities, the group is confident of delivering further organic and inorganic growth in 2021. “As a go-to-partner for consumer healthcare, specialty pharmaceuticals and generics, STADA is broadening its portfolio and delivering on our purpose of caring for people’s health as a trusted partner,” Goldschmidt concluded.
About STADA Arzneimittel AG
STADA Arzneimittel AG is headquartered in Bad Vilbel, Germany. The company focuses on generics, including specialty generics, and non-prescription consumer healthcare products. Worldwide, STADA Arzneimittel AG sells its products in approximately 120 countries. In financial year 2020, STADA achieved group sales of EUR 3,010.3 million and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of EUR 713.3 million. As of 31 December 2020, STADA employed 12,301 people worldwide.