HONG KONG SAR -
Media OutReach Newswire – 13 May 2026 – Bora Pharmaceuticals ("Bora"; TWSE: 6472; OTCQX: BORAY) today announced its
financial results and operational highlights for 1Q2026 and provides full year outlook.
1Q26 Business and Financial Highlights
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- The Company reported 1Q26 revenues of NT$4,001 million, down 17.68%
sequentially, with basic EPS of NT$0.21. Gross margin stabilized
quarter-over-quarter. The quarter reflected temporary slowdown across
both businesses: pricing and demand variability in the generics market
through January and February left Upsher-Smith's 1Q26 revenue 18.63%
below the trailing four-quarter run rate, while the scheduled annual
maintenance of 6 weeks of our Maryland fill-finish facility limited
fixed-cost absorption during the quarter, weighed on earnings quality.
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- March saw a rebound in both businesses as conditions improved for
both the top and bottom lines with steady demand. During the quarter,
the Company advanced Maple Grove site ramp-up significantly, with
several multi-year CDMO agreements signed or progressing across pharma
clients of various sizes. Additionally, the Company continues to win new
CDMO business as 12-month rolling backlog arrived at US$315 million.
With a healthy order book at North American sites entering the second
quarter, we expect fixed-cost leverage to resume, driving profit
improvement as utilization builds across the installed asset base.
Meanwhile, Upsher-Smith has successfully defended market share and is
deploying lifecycle management initiatives that reinforce our ability to
set the cadence of sales in a dynamic competitive environment.
- - Non-operating loss primarily reflected a wider equity loss from
affiliate Tanvex Biopharma, together with higher tax expense driven by
annual 1Q recognition of tax from undistributed earnings of the previous
year.
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- Disciplined OPEX control has driven expenses down 14.87%
quarter-over-quarter and 14.41% year-over-year. This signals that
resources have settled in as we begin to see advantages in scale; The
Company expects ROA and ROIC to trend gradually upward, albeit with some
quarter-to-quarter variability as operating leverage builds.
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- Board of Directors approved the acquisition of the CDMO business of
MacroGenics Inc. (NASDAQ: MGNX), for total consideration of US$122.5
million, leading to a total 12-month rolling backlog upon closing to
approximately US$375 million.
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- Sunway Biotech's Board approved the 100% acquisition of Weider
Global Nutrition ("WGN"), an iconic Phoenix-based American sports
nutrition brand with a strategic Costco U.S. supplier relationship,
commercial presence in 60+ countries, and established positions on
Amazon and Walmart. The transaction completes Bora Group's
three-platform architecture, namely CDMO, pharma sales, and
nutraceuticals operated under our "dual engine" strategy.
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- Share capital increased 0.04% during the quarter from employee stock option exercise.
Mr. Bobby Sheng, Chairman of Bora Group, stated,
"The beginning of 2026 was eventful and challenging both in the world
and at Bora. We have seen supply chain disruptions, inflation from wars,
and continuous geopolitical tensions. Yet through it all, Bora Group's
disciplined approach to growth-oriented investment remained unwavering.
Our CDMO business CAPEX-to-revenue ratio reached an all-time high of
over 10% in 2025, marking another year of upward progression and
bringing the Company to a level comparable with established global CDMO
peers. This marked a deliberate shift in where we direct investments
from capacity-led expansion that defined our earlier growth chapters to a
sharper focus on capability demands and modality, anchored in
innovation and technology. Over the past 18 months, we have pursued an
ambitious growth trajectory against a dynamic macroeconomic backdrop -
recalibrating expectations, sharpening our strategy, and reaffirming
long-term plans. The underlying demand environment supports our
conviction: global pharma is growing at 5-8% per year, biologics CDMO
outsourcing demand at 15%+ and small-molecule outsourcing demand at
8-10%. With our investment foundation now in place, we believe our CDMO
business is positioned to compound organically at 13-23% annually.
In the first quarter, we executed a series of organizational
adjustments, each aligned to a specific dimension of customer demand. We
established the MSAT (Manufacturing, Science and Technology) function
within the CDMO business, the R&D backbone of the platform, to
deepen scientific and technical capability across our entire client
base, an increasingly critical asset as small and mid-sized biotech and
pharma clients rethink their supply chain. In parallel, we repurposed
the Strategic Enterprise Account Management team into a networked model
to serve clients for whom customer proximity is paramount. Together,
these capability investments target specific customer pain points and
position Bora to navigate the evolving political and economic landscape
and capture a new chapter of commercial momentum.
To sum up, CDMO business in 1Q26 delivered US$27.2 million in total
external wins on top of orders on hand, 60% or 7 molecules from
pre-commercial programs. For context, full-year 2025 saw 16
pre-commercial molecule signings; 1Q26 alone has already secured nearly
half that count in a single quarter. This run-rate acceleration is a
leading indicator: as our capability investments take hold, forward
visibility and growth potential are set to compound. Bora's CDMO
business has entered a new phase. Reinforcing this trajectory, the
Group's recently announced acquisition of MacroGenics' Rockville,
Maryland CDMO facility adds a substantial commercial-stage monoclonal
antibody programs backlog and manufacturing expertise to the Group.
Equipped with five 2,000-liter and two 500-liter single-use bioreactors
and integrated QC and analytical labs and currently generating more than
half of revenues from commercial manufacturing, the transaction marks a
pivotal step in scaling Bora's integrated biologics CDMO platform,
known as Bora Biologics. DS and DP capabilities shall be integrated over
the next 12–18 months to offer global biotech customers a single
partner from development through commercial supply in the U.S..
On the pharma sales side, the Group faced competition across a handful
of core generic products. Upsher-Smith is navigating the competitive
landscape with a clear focus on the most margin-accretive opportunities
while continuing to scout niche, brand-oriented assets. Near-term, DLS
market share has been defended; over the medium term, sustained market
share maximization of the infantile spasm franchise coupled with swift
pipeline replenishment weighted toward differentiated assets is
critical. In the first quarter, we saw unique patients for VIGAFYDE grew
by more than 140% over same period last year and a continuous increase
in new patients. Both healthy signs of steady execution pace building up
to durable resilience in the pharma sales business."
1Q26 Operational Achievements & 2026 Outlook
Global CDMO Operations
Revenues declined 24.62% year-over-year and 30.15% quarter-over-quarter
including internal orders, mainly due to above-mentioned maintenance at
fill and finish facility in Maryland, a routine cycle factored into our
operating plan, and seasonality at Canada site. To scale biologics CDMO
one-stop-shop platform in commercialized projects with SUB (Single Use
Bioreactors) in the US; Board of Directors approved the acquisition of
Rockville, Maryland based drug substance facility from MacroGenics for
US$122.5 million.
Following closing, Bora Group intends to leverage the Rockville Site in
cooperation with Tanvex Biopharma (TWSE: 6541), which operates the
Group's biologics CDMO franchise under the "Bora Biologics" brand.
Together with Bora's sterile drug product capabilities, this is expected
to expand and strengthen the Group's end-to-end biologics platform. The
Rockville facility has operated as an outsource manufacturing partner
since 2022 and is equipped with five 2,000-liter and two 500-liter
single-use bioreactors and fully integrated QC and analytical
laboratories and has been inspected by both the U.S. FDA and Japan's
PMDA.
During the quarter, 0.44 billion doses, or 108 molecules, were developed
and manufactured. Excluding internal orders, the business accounted for
37.73% of consolidated revenues. Contribution from the top 20 global
pharmaceutical companies stood at 32.10%.
As the Company continues to expand its CDMO capacity and capabilities,
this year's CAPEX plan is closely linked to the contracting cadence of a
key customer anchored at Bora's North American CDMO network. The Group
expects to complete Maple Grove's capital expenditure program in the
first half of the year, sequencing the investment to grow in step with
major pharmaceutical partners' supply chain plans and optimize return on
capital deployed.
Pharma Sales Operations
Discontinued operations impact in 2025 has materially abated this
quarter, positioning Upsher-Smith to re-accelerate organic growth in
2026. Management has defined two strategic priorities for 2026, designed
to enhance capital efficiency and sharpen commercial focus:
First, R&D capital allocation optimization. 505(b)(2) Pipeline
programs have been transferred to Salus Therapeutics, an equity-method
affiliate. Under this structure, Upsher-Smith retains the right to
economic participation in commercial outcomes while shareholders'
exposure to early-stage development and regulatory risks, and associated
cash burden is meaningfully reduced. The decision is consistent with
the Group's capital discipline observed across businesses.
Second, institutionalizing pipeline expansion capabilities. An
integrated business development and medical affairs function is being
established to systematically evaluate in-licensing, co-promotion, and
bolt-on opportunities. This integrates Bora's proven asset-selection and
M&A strategy directly into Upsher-Smith's commercial
infrastructure, enabling franchise compounding through targeted external
sourcing rather than capital-intensive internal development. These
lifecycle initiatives focus but are not limited to pediatric epilepsy
opportunities.
Collectively, Management expects Upsher-Smith to evolve fully into a
capital efficient, commercially led, and therapeutically centered
vehicle designed to deliver sustained shareholder value before exiting
2026.
Recent Investor Conference
Bora will host English online earnings call at 7:30 a.m. Taiwan time on May. 14
th, 2026. The event will cover the Company's 1Q26 financial and business results and 2026 outlook.
English Online Earnings Presentation Link:
https://events.q4inc.com/attendee/372103448
Bora will participate in 2026 Yuanta Securities Investment Forum in
June. For 1:1 meetings with management, please contact your Yuanta
representative.
Bora 2026 Earnings Schedule
Q2 2026: Expected in the 2
nd week of Aug 2026
Q3 2026: Expected in the 2
nd week of Nov 2026
Q4 2026: Expected in the 2
nd week of Mar 2027