Bulgarian drug Bulgarian pharmaceuticals maker Sopharma has completed the first stage of the upgrade and certification of its Ukraine-based plant Vitamini OAO, the company said in a bourse filing on Tuesday. The facility's laboratory has been granted a quality certificate, which has already been approved by the Ukrainian authorities, it added. Sopharma acquired the drug factory in 2008, which then ranked 12th in terms of market share in the country. In 2009, Vitamini's license for producing pharmaceuticals was extended till 2012. Currently, the company is building two plants, one each located in Sofia and Belgrade.
Source: Dnevnik (05.01.2011)

Commission for Protection of Competition allowed Sopharma to acquire shares of Unipharm JSC through the Bulgarian Stock Exchange, shows a message of the blue chip Sopharma to the investment community. According to the latest report of Sopharma the company owns over 49% of the capital of Unipharm. Seller of the securities will be Ognyan Donev, who is executive director and major shareholder in Sopharma and Unipharm. The decision for the move was made on the general meeting of shareholders of the blue chip on June 23.
Source: Pari (06.01.2011)

Bulgaria's competition watchdog has given the thumbs-up to local drug maker Sopharma's future integration of peer Unipharm, the regulator said on Thursday. The transaction will take place in the long-term term and will not trigger immediate changes at the two companies, Sopharma said. As at end September, Sopharma had a 49.85% stake in Unipharm. Meanwhile, the drug producer recorded a 4% decline in December sales on an annual basis, with domestic and foreign sales dropping 6% and 1%, respectively. For the full 2010 however, the company's sales marked a 13% growth, it added.
Source: Dnevnik (06.01.2011)

Bulgarian drug distributor Sopharma Trading, part of pharma group Sopharma, posted today a pre-tax profit of BGN 4.9 million for the full 2010, despite negative goodwill of BGN 2.2 million due to the integration of Sopharma Logistics, another unit of the group. In December alone, the company booked earnings of BGN 504,000. Sopharma Trading's sales grew 14.4% on the year to BGN 401 million in the period, of which 10% was generated in the last month of the year.
Source: Dnevnik (19.01.2011)

Bulgarian drug maker Sopharma will acquire Belorussian pharmacy chain Interfarm through its Latvian unit Briz, Sopharma said Thursday without disclosing the deal size. On January 27, the company completed the first stage of the acquisition by gaining control over 44% of Interfarm's capital, according to the statement. The Belorussian chain, which reported a turnover of EUR 3.7 million in 2010, runs 19 pharmacies across Belarus and ranks eighth in terms of retail sales of pharmaceutical products in the country. Apart from Interfarm's takeover, Briz initiated a series of negotiations to purchase other pharmacy chains last year, with some of the deals expected to be finalised in the first half of 2011, Sopharma said. As at end-September, Sopharma held a 51% stake in its Latvian subsidiary.
Source: Dnevnik (28.01.2011)

Bulgarian pharmaceuticals maker Sopharma recorded a 21% annual increase in non-consolidated net profit to BGN 40.66 million in 2010, according to the company's report published on Monday. The company's sales stood at BGN 209 million in the period, up 12% compared with a year earlier. Sopharma's sales in Russia rose 20%, while sales in Ukraine and Poland increased 28% and 39%, respectively. Sales on new markets such as Turkey and the Balkan countries jumped 47% in the past year, but domestic market sales deteriorated, accounting for 30% of its revenue from 35% in 2009. The company's market share on the Bulgarian market stood at 6%, placing it second among sector players after rival Actavis. Due to the rebound in sales abroad, operating expenses went up by 12%, while labour costs increased 8%.
Source: Dnevnik (01.02.2011)

Sales of Bulgarian pharmaceuticals maker Sopharma on the domestic market continued to deteriorate in January, which was however mitigated by the growth in revenue registered abroad, the company said. Sopharma's total sales rose by 13% in January compared with the same period of 2010. The company's exports jumped by 23% on the year, while sales in Bulgaria marked a 6% decline. Orders from Russia registered a considerable growth in the period, which was in line with the company's projections, CEO Ognyan Donev said. In 2010, Sopharma's sales on the local market decreased by 1.6% to BGN 63.3 million, accounting for 30% of its revenue, down from 35% in 2009.
Source: Dnevnik (07.02.2011)

Bulgarian pharmaceuticals producer Bulgarian Rose-Sevtopolis completed a 4.0 million levs project for plant upgrades and purchase of new equipment, the company said on Wednesday. The project for the purchase of a new tablets press and blister packaging machine and repairs at the plant in Kazanlak, in central Bulgaria, was part of the company's 2010-2011 investment programme, Bulgarian Rose-Sevtopolis said in a statement filed with the Bulgarian Stock exchange. The statement was released before the end of the trading session. The project was co-financed through the EU Operational Programme Development of the Competitiveness of the Bulgarian Economy 2007-2013, the company added. Bulgarian Rose-Sevtopolis is 49.99%-owned by local blue-chip drug maker Sopharma
Source: Dnevnik (10.02.2011)

The pretax profit of Bulgarian drug distributor Sopharma Trading, part of pharma group Sopharma, more than doubled to BGN 480,000 in February 2011 versus the same period of the previous year, the company has said. Sopharma Trading generated BGN 36 million in net sales in the period, up 23.2% in annual terms. For January to February, sales rose by 23.5% to BGN 73 million. The strong growth was attributed to the overall rebound in the pharmaceuticals market.
Source: Dnevnik (21.03.2011)

Sopharma Business Towers Features First Eco Facade in Bulgaria Sopharma Business Towers, an office development in Bulgaria's capital Sofia, has completed its eco facade, the Sopharma Properties company has announced. The hi-tech eco facade of Sopharma Business Towars is a revolutionary technology in the construction of sustainable and energy efficient Class A office buildings; it is a combination of solar panels, glass and cladding panels allowing the buildings to use the energy from the sun and the natural environment. "We are very glad that the facade of the two towers has been completed. With its notable architecture, Sopharma Business Towers is a unique development in Bulgaria precisely because of its last generation "double screen" glass facade specially designed for it by Koester Lichtplanung, Germany, and Reynaers, Belgium," explained Boris Borisov, CEO of Sopharma Properties. The eco facade of Sopharma Business Towers has an all-out area of 10 000 square meters. The installment of the facade started in November 2010 but progressed with a varying speed depending on the weather. Sopharma Business Towers has focused on using natural light – which will be available 82% of the working time throughout the year. Even in the event of a cloudy whether, the natural light available inside is 800 lux with 500 lux needed. The flexible facade concept is designed to provide for a very high energy efficiency and substantial savings from heating, lighting, and air conditioning. The carbon emissions savings will be about 1000 tons annually. In addition to being energy efficient, the eco facade is soundproof. Sopharma Business Towers has a grass roof of 7 decares. The eco facade will be cleaned with special cranes installed on the sides of the building, and are available for the first time in Bulgaria. The entire facade will be cleaned by two people for two days. Sopharma Properties is a subsidiary of the largest Bulgarian producer of pharmaceuticals Sopharma; it specializes in commercial, office, and residential real estate.
Source: 1kam1.com (21.03.2011)

The new owners of WAZ Mediengruppe assets in Bulgaria, which include the two wide-circulation Trud and 24 Hours newspapers, have clashed in an open conflict just three months after sealing the deal. A 83% stake in the holding, which is now called Media Group Bulgaria, have been transferred to Ognyan Donev, chairman and majority owner of Sopharma, the biggest Bulgarian generic drugmaker, and Lyubomir Pavlov, former chairman of the Sofia-based Municipal Bank, show documents in the Business (Trade) Registry of Bulgaria's Registry Agency. According to local media reports the deal was concluded without informing Vienna-registered BG Privatinvest Ltd, which until recently held a majority stake – 53% - in the press group. Learning about the sale, Hristo Grozev, one of the partners in the company, was quick to block all transfers in the trade registry until the circumstances of the deal are clarified. Vienna-registered BG Privatinvest Ltd acquired a majority stake in the publisher of the two wide-circulation Bulgarian Trud and 24 Hours newspapers in the middle of December last year, while the remainder was held by local businessmen Ognyan Donev and Lyubomir Pavlov. The new owners acquired 100% in WAZ Zeitungsgruppe Bulgarien (ZGB). The price of the deal was not disclosed, but reports said it ranged from BGN 60 M to BGN 120 M. The transaction included Trud and 24 Hours daily newspapers, 168 Hours weekly newspaper, Trud weekly, a few magazines, eight regional newspapers, a printing house, distribution company Strela and ZGB's headquarters in downtown Sofia and across the country. At the beginning, BG Privatinvest was controlled by Karl Habsburg, Daniel Rutz and Hristo Grozev. Austrian Karl Habsburg held a 33-percent stake in the newly-established company. A check in the Austrian Business Registry has shown that recently German national Daniel Rutz has quit BG Privatinvest and now the other two partners hold a 50% stake each. The Bulgarian partners of BG Privatinvest include Ognyan Donev, chairman and majority owner of Sopharma, the biggest Bulgarian generic drugmaker, and Lyubomir Pavlov, former chairman of the Sofia-based Municipal Bank. Even before the deal the two are known to have been on good personal and professional terms since Pavlov holds a 16% stake in Sopharma via a financial consultancy.
Source: Pari (30.03.2011)

Sopharma Properties, the real estate investment trust (REIT) of Bulgarian pharmaceuticals maker Sopharma, plans to increase its capital to BGN 12.87 million, the company said in a filing with the Bulgarian Stock Exchange (BSE). The REIT will issue 1.17 million new shares with a nominal value of BGN 1 and an issue price of BGN 2 apiece. One old share gives one right, while 10 rights entitle to the subscription for one new share. The capital hike, approved at a meeting of the company's board of directors on Monday, will be considered successful if at least 50 per cent of the shares are subscribed for. Sopharma Properties has hired investment intermediary Sofia International to handle the issue.
Source: Dnevnik (12.04.2011)

Bulgarian pharmaceuticals maker Sopharma has acquired Belorussian pharmacy chain Tabina through its Latvian unit Briz, it said in a statement to the Bulgarian stock exchange on Wednesday. Sopharma has bought 99% of Tabina's capital, which has 14 pharmacies operating under the Doctor Do brand. Tabina, which has a staff of 75, ended 2010 with a turnover of EUR 3.78 million. In January 2011, Sopharma took over via Briz another Belorussian pharmacy chain, Interfarm, which runs 19 pharmacies. Briz now operates a network of 33 pharmacies in the eastern European country, which have an annual turnover of EUR 7.5 million, according to the statement. "This allows the Breeze to become the third largest privately-owned pharmacy in Belarus," Sopharma said.
Source: Dnevnik (14.04.2011)

Bulgarian pharmaceuticals producer Sopharma expects to register a 12% increase in revenue this year, CEO Ognyan Donev said on Monday during the company's third annual meeting with investors. The company ended 2010 with a revenue of BGN 209 million and a net profit of BGN 41 million. The upward trend has been maintained in the first quarter of the current year, as Sopharma recorded a rise of between 12% and 13% in sales revenue thanks to stronger exports. Sopharma's major markets include Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan, but it is also enjoying a rebound in sales in the Baltic countries and Poland. In 2011, the company will focus on the development of its business in the Baltic states and Poland, a region which has started to emerged as a market with significant contribution to the company's foreign operations, Donev said. In addition, Sopharma will continue with the overhaul of its Ukrainian subsidiary, as well as with the expansion on the Belorussian market via its Latvian unit Briz. Separately, the company will take steps to reinforce its presence in the Balkan region, in particular Turkey and Greece. Donev also said that as a company shareholder he would back the disbursement of dividend this year, but within a reasonable amount. As to Sopharma's dual listing on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, the CEO said the company was prepared to carry out the transaction in the summer, adding that the move was mainly contingent on the willingness of the central depositories in Bulgaria and Poland.
Source: Dnevnik (19.04.2011)

Bulgaria's competition watchdog said it has given the green light to the acquisition of WAZ Mediengruppe assets in Bulgaria by Ognyan Donev and Lyubomir Pavlov, who were recently accused of an attempted corporate mini-coup. The ruling cements the decision of Bulgaria's Business Registry Agency to register 83% of the wide-circulation dailies "Trud" (Labor) and 24 Chasa (24 Hours) as property of Ognyan Donev, chairman and majority owner of Sopharma, the biggest Bulgarian generic drugmaker, and Lyubomir Pavlov, former chairman of the Sofia-based Municipal Bank. It comes just ten days after the two partners requested that the regulatory body come up with a statement on the enterprise concentration control, one of possibilities how to avoid or liquidate abuse of dominant position. The move was interpreted as the first indication that Donev plans to increase his stake in the holding, which is now called Media Group Bulgaria. The ownership of WAZ Mediengruppe assets in Bulgaria, which include the two wide-circulation Trud and 24 Hours newspapers, changes hands just four months after Vienna-registered BG Privatinvest Ltd acquired a majority stake in the publisher, while the remainder was held by local businessmen Lyubomir Pavlov. At the time Donev was not a shareholder, but just a financial investor, who secured the money for the purchase of WAZ assets. The new owners acquired 100% in WAZ Zeitungsgruppe Bulgarien (ZGB). The price of the deal was not disclosed, but reports said it ranged from BGN 60 M to BGN 120 M. The transaction included Trud and 24 Hours daily newspapers, 168 Hours weekly newspaper, Trud weekly, a few magazines, eight regional newspapers, a printing house, distribution company Strela and ZGB's headquarters in downtown Sofia and across the country. The conflict between the former partners flared up at the end of last month after Hristo Grozev, who represents the Vienna-registered BG Privatinvest Ltd, controlled by him, Austrian Karl Habsburg, and German Daniel Rutz, accused their Bulgarian partners of an attempted illegal corporate take-over of the newspapers. Donev and Pavlov say the changes are aligned accordingly to the investment amount contributed by different partners. Bulgaria's trade registry initially blocked the allegedly illegal transfer of a 83% stake in the holding at the insistence of Grozev, but later, following the intervention of the Justice Ministry, gave it the green light. Owners of Bulgarian alcohol producer "Vinprom Peshtera" and of "New Bulgarian Media Group," mother and son, Irena Krasteva and Delyan Peevski, publishers of the dailies "Monitor" and "Telegraph," were also involved in the conflict with Pavlov accusing Grozev of attempting to include them in the business as shareholders. Grozev, who firmly denied the accusations, is set to fight for his rights in the court room.
Source: econ.bg (19.04.2011)

Executive Director of Sopharma Ognyan Donev was unanimously re-elected Chairman of the Board of the Bulgarian Generic Pharmaceutical Association, known as "BGPharmA. The Branch organization unites 16 companies - both Bulgarian and foreign, operating in our market. Sopharma reported a 13% sales growth in the first quarter of the year, reaching BGN 53.713 million, shows the unconsolidated report of the company. The main factor for the increase is the increased export sales by 21 percent. The largest share is held by the Russian market with 42 per cent, followed by the Bulgarian (29%) and the Ukrainian (17%).
Source: 24 chasa (03.05.2011)

Sopharma JSC - Sofia has appointed Annual general meeting on 23.06.2010. Meeting agenda includes: adoption of the Annual Report for Year 2009.
Source: Registry Agency (05.05.2011)

Bulgarian pharmaceuticals producer Sopharma has submitted for approval to the country's Financial Supervision Commission its prospectus for floating shares on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE), the company said. The move paves the way for the launch of Sopharma's stock on Poland's regulated market, making it only the second Bulgarian dual-listed company after real estate investment trust (REIT) InterCapital Property Development. On a separate note, the company said it plans to pay out 10.56 million leva in dividend on its 2010 earnings, or 0.08 leva a share. The move will be discussed during Sopharma's shareholders' meeting, which will take place on June 29 2011. The stockholders will also vote on issuing a corporate guarantee to a bank loan taken out by REIT Sopharma Properties, the real estate division of the drug maker. On May 9, Sopharma Properties' board of directors revoked a decision taken several months earlier, which stipulated an increase in the REIT's share capital to 12.87 million leva.
Source: Dnevnik (16.05.2011)

Bulgaria's former privatisation fund Doverie Obedinen Holding, controlled by pharmaceutical group Sopharma, plans to raise 8.05 million leva from its shareholders through a capital increase, the company said. The move, approved by Doverie's board of directors on July 19, envisions boosting the company's capital to 16.3 million leva from 14 million leva. The company will issue 2.3 million new shares at a price of 3.5 leva each. The capital hike will be considered successful if at least 1.5 million of the shares are subscribed for. The transaction will be managed by investment intermediary Sofia International Securities. The capital hike is currently pending approval from the Financial Supervision Commission.
Source: Dnevnik (20.07.2011)

Bulgarian drug distributor Sopharma Trading, part of pharmaceuticals group Sopharma, reported a 17.36 per cent annual increase in sales to 217 million leva in the first half of 2011. Its pre-tax profit increased by 54 per cent on an annual basis to 3.15 million leva in H1 2011, the company said on July 19. Sales were 35.9 million leva in June alone, 13.8 per cent higher than in June 2010. Sopharma Trading emerged as the top pharmaceutical company in terms of turnover in the Kapital 100 annual ranking drawn up by business weekly Kapital. The company retained its top position for 2010, ending the year with a turnover of more than 400 million leva. Sopharma Trading's market capitalisation is estimated at slightly more than 62.5 million leva. Since the start of 2011, its stock has gained 8.38 per cent to 1.90 leva a share.
Source: Dnevnik (20.07.2011)

Bulgaria's pharmaceuticals producer Sopharma recorded a seven per cent year-on-year decline in sales in August because of lower exports, the company said in a statement on September 6 2011. Sales on the domestic market remained unchanged in August 2011, while sales abroad were nine per cent less than in August 2010. In the first eight months of the year, Sopharma's sales grew by an annual five per cent, with sales at home falling by two per cent. Exports went up by nine per cent on the year. According to the company's first-half report, sales on the local market contributed slightly more than 70 per cent to its total revenue. The group's consolidated sales were 318.3 million leva up to June, up 13 per cent on the year. Its consolidated profit dropped to 21.4 million leva from 26.3 million leva in the corresponding period of 2010. The lower result came as a result of increased costs, including labour and raw material expenses.
Source: Dnevnik (07.09.2011)

Bulgarian pharmaceutical giant Sopharma will open a new tablet manufacturing plant in Serbia's capital Belgrade, it has been announced. The Bulgarian company has invested in the new plant together with "Ivanchich ans Sons LTD", the Bulgarian Dnevnik daily has informed, with the total investment estimated at EUR 8 M. A total of 120 people will be hired at the plant that is to be officially opened on September 28. The Bulgarian company is not seeking to outsource its production but aims at increasing its production capacity, Sopharma officials have pointed out in a media statement. Sopharma CEO and owner Ognyan Donev recently made it clear that the large Bulgarian pharmaceutical producer is embarking on an ambitious program to expand its sales and presence throughout Eastern Europe, especially the Baltic states, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Serbia, and Turkey and possibly Greece. Sopharma is known as one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in Bulgaria.
Source: 24 chasa (27.09.2011)

Bulgaria's financial regulator said on Friday it gave the green light to drug distributor Sopharma to list on the Warsaw Stock exchange. The Commission for Financial Supervision approved Sopharma's trading admission prospectus for an issue of 132,000,000 shares with a par value of one lev each, the commission said in a statement.
Source: Dnevnik (24.10.2011)

Shareholders in Bulgarian pharmaceutical company Sopharma will vote on November 30 2011 on the bonus award to chief executive Ognyan Donev. The resolution calls for additional remuneration amounting to one per cent of the company’s 2010 profits, according to documents accompanying the invitation to a general meeting. Donev will also be allowed to distribute, at his discretion, two per cent of the profits among members of Sopharma’s top management. The company’s consolidated 2010 financial report shows profits of 42.5 million leva, which means that the chief executive is in line to receive 424 000 leva and will distribute close to 850 000 leva among senior managers. The extraordinary general meeting will also vote on amending a decision taken at the regular meeting held late in June 2011 and related to dividend payments. The proposal is to reduce the amount allocated for that purpose from 11.220 million leva to 11.082 million leva, with the difference used to bolster the company’s reserves. Another resolution that will be put to the vote concerns the share buy-back period, the proposal being to have it extended to three years.
Source: Dnevnik (31.10.2011)