Drug manufacturer Actavis Romania (formerly Sindan) this year aims to double export levels to 30m euros, up from 15m euros last year. Concerning domestic sales, the company has budgeted a similar level to last year's (107m euros).
"For 2008, we haven't budgeted a turnover increase domestically. Practically, the budget for Romania will remain at 107m euros and it is only turnover structure that will change, in that we want to boost the weight of retail products," said Laurentiu Scheusan, country manager with Actavis Romania.
In RON, turnover is expected to rise, but the increase will be wiped out by RON decline. Last year's figures were 10% above the initial budget and 25% above 2006 levels. In consolidated terms, however, Actavis Romania reached sales worth 122m euros.
In 2006, the company's exports hit 10m euros, 2007 saw a 50% increase and the company hopes exports will account for 50% of turnover within three years. At present, Actavis is the biggest Romanian drug exporter to consider export activities to all EU countries.
"We've got the green light for our first product in the US, with sales planned to reach several million euros, while registration is underway for another 7 products here, which are in various stages," Scheusan explained.
Actavis already exports 13 products, while another 5 are involved in various phases of registration across Europe. Epirubicin is the product that boasts the biggest sales abroad.
"At present, our current production capacity allows us to meet the export demand we have targeted this year. In parallel, production capacities are being raised," explained Scheusan.
Actavis entered the domestic market in 2006 after it acquired Sindan, a producer of drugs for cancer treatment and subsequently embarked on the more aggressive expansion of its own portfolio in retail. Thus, 10 products were launched last year.
"Actavis policy is to launch at least 15 products per year. Last year, we planned to launch a similar number, but unfortunately we had delays in price registration and the introduction on subsidised drug lists," specified Scheusan.
"There's room for growth in oncology as well, but I don't expect the budget, which has yet to be approved, to increase by more than 10%," said Scheusan.
Actavis Romania's sales force will include 75 people at the end of this month in retail and 15 in hospitals.
At the level of production, Actavis holds 2.2% of the market and targets 2.5% this year.
Earlier this year, the group acquired a production facility specialised in oncology products in Nerviano, Italy, a move that made Actavis drop its plan to invest 50m euros in Romania. Still, the operations of the former Sindan remain "Actavis' growth engine in oncology".
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