VANCOUVER, May 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Dragon
Pharmaceutical Inc. ("Dragon Pharma" or the "Company" TSX: DDD;
OTCBB: DRUG), an international manufacturer of antibiotics, today
announced its financial results for the first quarter ended
March 31, 2010.
Results for the Quarter Ended March 31,
2010
The Company recorded $49.06
million of revenues for the quarter ended March 31, 2010, representing 33% growth from
$36.96 million for the same period of
2009. Net income was $1.58 million,
representing 9% increase from $1.45
million for the same period of 2009. Earnings per share
(basic and diluted) were $0.02
compared to $0.02 for the same period
of 2009.
Sales from the Penicillin Division increased 17% from the same
period of 2009 to $14.69 million,
accounting for 30% of the Company's total revenues for the first
quarter of 2010. The Company expanded its production capacity of
Clavulanic Acid in the fourth quarter of 2009 to 135 tons,
therefore during the first quarter ended March 31, 2010, sales volume increased 42% to 31
tons from 22 tons for the same period of 2009. Sales from Cefalexin
and Cefadrozil, two other main products in the division, decreased
3% from the same period of 2009 mainly due to lower selling prices
resulting from oversupply of such products in the Chinese
market.
Sales from the Cephalosporin Division increased 41% from the
same period of 2009 to $34.37
million, accounting for 70% of the total sales of the
Company for the first quarter of 2010. This was mainly due to the
market price of 7-ACA rose 27% during the first quarter of 2010 as
compared to the same period of 2009, since the price then was
depressed due to the financial crisis. The production level of
7-ACA remained same since it was running at full capacity. During
the quarter, the Company continued to use more of its 7-ACA
production for in-house downstream applications. As a result, the
sales volume of 7-ACA reduced 21% from 135 tons to 107 tons while
the sales of Cephalosporin crude bulk APIs and formulation drugs
increased 348% and 9% respectively as compared to the same quarter
of 2009.
Cost of sales for the quarter ended March
31, 2010 was $36.96 million
compared to $30.55 million for the
same period in 2009. The increase in the cost of sales was mainly
due to the increase in production output and sales of products from
both Penicillin and Cephalosporin Divisions. Gross profit and gross
margin for the quarter ended March 31,
2010 were $12.09 million and
24.7% compared to $6.41 million and
17.4% for the same period of 2009. The increase in overall gross
margin was mainly due to the margin improvements for Clavulanic
Acid as well as 7-ACA for the first quarter of 2010.
Net income was $1.58 million,
representing 9% increase from $1.45
million for the same period of 2009. Earnings per share
(basic and diluted) were $0.02
compared to $0.02 for the same period
of 2009.
For further information, please refer to the Company's 10-Q,
which has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission and the Ontario Securities Commission. The full
financial statements are also available on Dragon's website at
http://www.dragonpharma.com.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
As previously disclosed, the Company has entered into an
agreement and plan of merger with Chief Respect Limited, a
Hong Kong corporation, Datong
Investment Inc., a Florida
corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Chief Respect Limited,
and Mr. Yanlin Han. The Company has
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") a
Schedule 13E-3, and a preliminary proxy statement for the meeting
of stockholders of the Company to be convened to approve the
merger. BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING OR INVESTMENT DECISION, THE
COMPANY'S STOCKHOLDERS AND INVESTORS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY
STATEMENT (INCLUDING THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT, WHEN IT
BECOMES AVAILABLE) AND OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY
AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION
ABOUT THE PROPOSED MERGER. When completed a final proxy statement
will be mailed to our stockholders. Investors and stockholders may
obtain a free copy of the proxy statement when it becomes
available, and other documents filed by us with the SEC, at the
SEC's web site at http://www.sec.gov. Free copies of the proxy
statement, when it becomes available, and our other filings with
the SEC may also be obtained from us. Free copies of our filings
may be obtained by directing a request to Dragon Pharmaceutical,
Inc., 650 West Georgia Street, Suite 310, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6B 4N9
Attention: Maggie Deng,
Secretary.
The Company and certain of its directors, executive officers and
other members of management and employees may, under SEC rules, be
deemed to be "participants" in the solicitation of proxies from our
stockholders with respect to the proposed merger. Information
regarding the persons who may be considered "participants" in the
solicitation of proxies will be set forth in our proxy statement
relating to the proposed merger when it is filed with the SEC.
Information regarding certain of these persons and their beneficial
ownership of our common stock as of March
15, 2010, is set forth in our preliminary proxy statement
which was filed with the SEC on April 1,
2010. Additional information regarding the interests of such
potential participants will be included in the proxy statement and
the other relevant documents filed with the SEC when they become
available.
About Dragon Pharmaceutical Inc.
Dragon Pharmaceutical, incorporated in Florida and headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, is a leading manufacturer
and distributor of a broad line of high-quality antibiotic products
including Clavulanic Acid and 7-ACA, a key intermediate to produce
cephalosporin antibiotics and formulated drugs. Dragon Pharma is
the third largest 7-ACA producer and the dominant manufacturer and
market leader of Clavulanic Acid products in China. Dragon Pharma utilizes its nationwide
sales distribution network, close customer relationships,
understanding of local markets and customer needs and low cost
structure to outperform its international and domestic peers. With
an annual capacity of 780 tons, Dragon Pharma is the largest
exporter of 7-ACA in China. To
learn more about Dragon Pharmaceutical Inc., please visit
http://www.dragonpharma.com.
SOURCE Dragon Pharmaceutical Inc.