R&D Growth
According to the 68th business report at a regular general shareholders meeting on March 18, Dong-A Socio Holdings Co. said it posted 704.7 billion won (US$606.19 million) in consolidated sales and 64.4 billion won (US$55.4 million) in consolidated operating profits in 2015, and decided to execute cash dividends of 1,000 won (US$0.86) per share.
Dong-A Socio Holdings president Park Chan-il, vice president Lee Dong-hoon and managing director Chae Hong-ki were newly appointed as its internal directors, Dong-A Pharmaceutical president Lee Won-hee and Otsuka Korea Pharmaceutical chairman Um Dae-shik as non-executive directors, and part-time auditor Han Suk-kyu as a new full-time auditor. Dr. Cho Bong-soon, a professor at Sogang University, was reelected as an outside director.
Dong-A Socio Holdings vice president Lee Dong-hoon, chairman at the annual shareholders meeting, said during a welcome speech, “Dong-A Socio Group had a meaningful year in 2015 as its efforts for change and innovation had finally paid off in earnest. It established a professional business system in each sector at the drugs unit through business coordination and its business firms evenly put up a good show.
Dong-A ST's Suganon Tab, a new oral diabetes drug, obtained domestic approval and various overseas R&D projects. Dong-A Pharmaceutical's Bacchus achieved 200 billion won (US$172.04 million) of annual sales for the first time in the pharmaceutical industry as a single product. Also, ST Pharm saw a massive growth in overseas sales of hepatitis treatment raw materials.”
He added, “The group will not be content with last year’s achievements but will make every effort to strengthen its global capability based on the stable holding company system, secure its new growth engine through the effective R&D investment, and maximize its shareholder value based on high ethical standards and transparency as its key strategy to have a bigger leap in 2016.”