Sinovac Biotech Ltd. Reports Unaudited Third Quarter 2012 Financial Results

BEIJING, Nov. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sinovac Biotech Ltd. (NASDAQ: SVA), a leading provider of vaccines in China, announced today its unaudited financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2012.

Third Quarter 2012Financial Highlights (year-over-year comparisons to third quarter 2011)

• Hepatitis vaccines sales in private pay market rose 31.2%; total sales decreased 7.0% to $14.3 million.
• Gross margin was 52.6%, compared to 56.8%.
• Net loss attributable to common stockholders was $3.0 million, or $0.06 per basic and diluted share.
• Cash and cash equivalents totaled $82.0 million as of September 30, 2012, compared to $104.3 million as of December 31, 2011.

Recent Business Highlights

-- Sales and Marketing

Both Bilive sales and Healive sales in the private pay market continued to exhibit solid year-over-year growth in the third quarter compared to the same period of 2011. In addition to the private pay market sales growth, Sinovac continues to execute its sales plan in the public market. In the past few months, the Company was awarded multiple provincial tender awards for both Healive and Anflu. Besides the tender awards in Gansu Province, Beijing, and Shanghai previously announced, in October, Sinovac was selected by Jiangsu Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Jiangsu CDC) as one of the two vaccine manufacturers to supply inactivated hepatitis A vaccine for the EPI in Jiangsu province in 2013. In the third quarter, total sales were mainly impacted by the decrease of Healive revenue in the public market, and sales are expected to increase in the coming quarters after vaccine delivery.

-- Phase III Clinical Trial for EV71 Vaccine Candidate

The EV71 vaccine Phase III clinical trial is progressing on schedule. The hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) case surveillance is ongoing, and documentation collection, data input, data review, and quality control on the database are well underway and progressing on schedule.

-- Mumps Vaccine Progress

In the third quarter, Sinovac Biotech received Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certification from the China SFDA for the Company's dedicated mumps vaccine production plant at its Sinovac Dalian facility. 

-- 2012 Annual General Meeting

On August 22, 2012, Sinovac held its 2012 Annual General Meeting of shareholders. During the meeting, four proposals, including the 2012 Share Incentive Plan were approved, while a fifth, a proposal to amend the Company's by-laws, was not approved.

Dr. Weidong Yin, Chairman, President and CEO of Sinovac, commented, "During the third quarter 2012, our hepatitis vaccine business grew in the private pay market, while the Healive sales in the public market decreased compared to the same period of last year, impacting our total sales. In the coming quarters we expect sales of Healive in the public market will pick up, as we continue to improve our capabilities and expand our presence in that market."

Dr. Yin continued, "We expect the commercialization of our EV71 vaccine to become our key future growth catalyst. Currently, the Phase III clinical trial of our EV71 vaccine is being executed smoothly and moving forward well on schedule. We remain in close communication with the relevant authorities and experts on the expected schedule for trial conclusion and data unblinding, and we will share that information when appropriate."

Dr. Yin concluded, "Our cash position and credit line facilities with local commercial banks provide us with the resources to commercialize our EV71 vaccine being developed for HFMD.  We are in the position to drive the future growth of our business with a combination of commercialized vaccines and vaccine candidates."

Financial Review for Third Quarter Ended September 30, 2012

An analysis of sales and gross profit is as follows: