Aventis Pharma expects solid pharmaceutical sales in 2001

Aventis Pharma expects solid pharmaceutical sales in 2001

JAKARTA (JP): PT Aventis Pharma, a pharmaceuticals producer
partly owned by Frankfurt-based Aventis Pharma AG, remains
bullish on the country's market despite fears of further
worsening in the country's economy.

Aventis Pharma's president Hagen Dahms said here on Friday
that the company's sales rose by 20 percent during the first
quarter this year although demand had yet to return to its pre-
crisis level in 1997.

He said that Aventis' total sales would be about Rp 400
billion this year, or an increase of 14 percent over the previous
year

Dahms attributed the significant growth in the first quarter
to sales of its six new products such as Lovenox for
cardiovascular cure, and Taxotere and Campto for cancer
medication.

Aventis Pharma is a new company that resulted from the merger
of PT Hoechst Marion Roussel Indonesia and PT Rhone-Poulenc Rorer
last month, following a similar merger between two giants --
Hoechst AG and Rhone-Poulenc SA.

With the merger, Hoechst Marion Roussel Indonesia and Rhone-
Poulenc Rorer were dissolved and all their production activities
taken over by Aventis.

"The name of the products remain unchanged for the convenience
of our customers," Dahms said.

Dahms said that the outlook for the local pharmaceutical
industry would be much better this year unless the political
situation worsened.

Dahms said the country's overall prescription drug market size
was predicted to grow by 20 percent to Rp 6.7 trillion ($600
million) this year due to growing demand in the domestic market.

The country's prescription drugs market stood at $500 million
last year, Dahms explained.

He said that Aventis' sales made up about seven percent of the
total pharmaceutical market.

Aventis sells around 50 different kinds of prescribed drugs
and vaccines. Around 90 percent of Aventis' drugs are for the
domestic market, while the remaining 10 percent are destined to
be exported. (03)