Last Day to Apply for Sopan Pharmaceuticals IPO Reserved for Nepali Workers Abroad

Kathmandu — Sopan Pharmaceuticals Limited has set today, Chaitra 12, as the final day to apply for its Initial Public Offering (IPO) reserved for Nepalis working abroad. The company had opened the share issuance under its first phase on Chaitra 9, specifically targeting investors who have obtained labor approval and are employed overseas.Under this phase, the company has allocated 429,000 shares for foreign-employed Nepali investors. Applicants can apply for a minimum of 10 shares and a maximum of 11,000 shares. The issue and sales manager for the IPO is NMB Capital Limited.Following this phase, the company plans to issue 3,474,900 shares to the general public. Securities Board of Nepal had granted approval on Falgun 17 for the company to issue a total of 4.29 million shares worth Rs 429 million.Once listed, Sopan Pharmaceuticals will become the second pharmaceutical manufacturing company to be listed on the Nepal Stock Exchange. The company was established with the objective of producing quality medicines domestically, reducing import dependency, promoting exports, and helping narrow Nepal’s trade deficit.The company began infrastructure development in 2017 (BS 2074), completed trial production in 2021 (BS 2078), and has been commercially producing and distributing pharmaceutical products since 2022 (BS 2079). Its manufacturing facility is located in Mahalaxmi Municipality–8, Lalitpur, spread over approximately 21 ropani and 9 aana of land, equipped with modern production technology.The plant produces a wide range of pharmaceutical products including tablets, capsules, ointments, liquids, and dry syrups through non-beta lactam and cephalosporin blocks. According to the company, its annual production capacity (in a single shift) includes 840 million tablets, 96 million capsules, 300,000 liters of liquid, 3 million bottles of dry powder, and 2.4 million tubes of ointment. The company also states that production capacity can be expanded based on market demand.In addition, an oxygen gas plant operating within the industrial premises is producing and supplying oxygen cylinders of various capacities, as well as portable oxygen cans. So far, the company has obtained production licenses for 136 medicines and market approvals for 92 products, with more in the pipeline.Market observers view this IPO as an opportunity for investors to participate in Nepal’s growing pharmaceutical sector, which is increasingly being seen as a strategic industry for both economic resilience and import substitution.