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Summary
- The healthcare sector has performed relatively well in the past few months on account of increased demand
- Some of the British pharmaceutical companies are on the forefront of the vaccine research being carried out against the coronavirus pandemic
- Just as the NHS had launched its efforts on a war footing to contain the pandemic the pharma companies have also doubled their efforts in support
The past few months have seen the activity levels in the British pharmaceutical industries increase substantially. Just as the NHS had launched its efforts on a war footing to contain the pandemic the pharma companies have also doubled their efforts in support of the NHS. Below we look at five British pharma companies and how they have performed in the recent past and what business prospects lie before them in the coming one-year time.
- AstraZeneca Plc - AstraZeneca PLC (LON:AZN) is the Cambridge United Kingdom domiciled Anglo- Swedish multinational biopharmaceutical company. The company is involved in the entire value chain of pharmaceutical development including research, commercialization and manufacturing of prescription medicines, vaccines, and other therapeutics. The shares of the company trade on the NASDAQ, the London Stock Exchange, and the Nordic Nasdaq of Stockholm.
Though after the outbreak, the company had stated that there could be a significant impact on its revenues in 2020 as it has significant exposure to the Chinese market, in its half-yearly report published on 30 July 2020 it has reported that its revenues for the first half of the year have increased by 12 per cent over the corresponding period last year.
The company has also tied up with Oxford University Jenner institute for the coronavirus vaccine that is being developed there. Currently, the Jenner institute vaccine candidate is far ahead of its competitors in terms of clinical trials and has scheduled the public availability of the vaccine by September of this year. AstraZeneca has already manufactured millions of doses of this vaccine and is only waiting for the regulatory approval before hitting the market. Apart from that, the company has also made some high-value addition to its oncology portfolio.
- GlaxoSmithKline Plc - Glaxo SmithKline Plc (LON:GSK) is a British origin global pharmaceutical major. The company has a wide presence in the entire pharmaceutical value chain, including research, medicinal formulations, and vaccines with some of its important formulations featuring amongst the WHO list of essential medicines. The company is amongst the largest pharma companies in the world having a presence across most developing as well as developed countries. The shares of the company trade on the main market of the London Stock Exchange, as well as on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) with the ticker name GSK.
The company has entered into two agreements in the recent past for the coronavirus vaccine development, first with French pharma major Sanofi and the second with Medicago of Canada. Both of these vaccine candidates are in various stages of clinical trials. The company’s vaccine in a joint venture with Sanofi has received support from the US government Operation Warp Speed for the speedy development of the vaccine, additionally, it has also entered into an agreement with the British government for the supply of 60 million doses of its vaccine.
The company on 29 July 2020 came out with its half-yearly results, where it has reported that it’s revenues have increased by 8 per cent during the period compared to the same period last year.
- Hikma Pharmaceuticals Plc - Hikma Pharmaceuticals Plc (LON:HIK) is a British pharmaceuticals major engaged in the development, manufacturing, and marketing of generic drug formulations of both branded, as well as in-licensed therapeutics. The company has three product streams Injectables, Generics and Branded formulations. The company mainly operates in the United Kingdom, Africa, the Middle East and the United States of America, while also having a presence across various other territories.
The company in its half-yearly report published on 7 Aug 2020 has reported that its injectable medicine portfolio has performed exceedingly well delivering more than double-digit revenue growth, as there was increased demand for its products from the US as well as EU during the period. The company’s core revenues also jumped 9 per cent compared to the core revenues of the corresponding period last year.
- Smith & Nephew Plc - Smith & Nephew PLC (LON: SN.) is a British medical technology services company. The company’s innovative product and services are offered in three categories, namely Orthopedic, Sports Medicine & ENT and Advanced Wound Management. The company was founded in 1856 and had operations in more than 100 countries, and it generated total revenue of $2.035 billion in the first half of the financial year 2020. The shares of the company are identified and traded on the main market of the London Stock Exchange under the ticker name SN. and also form part of the FTSE 250 index.
The company’s business was impacted by the coronavirus pandemic as a majority of elective surgeries were stopped in the UK because of the lockdown. However, after the lockdown has opened, there has been a rush in demand for these surgeries, which will drive the demand for the company's products for the next few months.
The company, in its half-yearly report released on 29 July 2020, has reported an 18.1 per cent drop in its revenues compared to the corresponding period of the last year.
- ConvaTec Group Plc - ConvaTec Group Plc (LON:CTEC) is a British Healthcare company that makes medical devices for critical care, wound care, continence, and ostomy care. The shares of the company are listed on the Main Market of the London Stock exchange and form part of the FTSE 250 index.
The company came out with its half-yearly results on 6 August 2020. Despite the disruptions caused by the pandemic, the company has been able to register a growth of 2.1 per cent in its reported revenues from $889 million in the corresponding period last year to $908 million this year.
The company also expects a better performance in the second half of the year on account of the release of pent up demand from elective surgical procedures.
