The birth and precursor of Traphaco JSC (ticker: TRA-HSX) dated back to 1972 as a small medical office servicing under Vietnam’s Department of Railways. The office was in charge of synthesizing and distributing basic medical supplies to fulfill the healthcare needs of the Department’s employees. In June 1993, the medical office was spun off as a state-owned company under the initial name of Railways Pharmaceuticals Company (Raphaco). At its inception, Raphaco had a total headcount of only 80 employees, a chartered capital of only VND150 million (USD7,000) and a small and outdated production capacity that is located on a 150-sqm land plot. In January 2000, the company was successfully equitized under the name of Transportation Pharmaceutical Company (Traphaco) and with the government retaining 45% ownership in the company. On November 26, 2008, TRA was officially listed on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange.
TRA is currently the uncontested leader (in terms of both revenue and market capitalization) in the traditional medicine segment of Vietnam’s pharmaceutical sector. The company’s primary business activities comprise the manufacturing and distribution of pharmaceutical products, particularly those in the traditional-medicine category. In 2013, the company registered VND1,682 billion (USD79 million) in consolidated net sales, more than 50% of which come from the company’s self-produced traditional-medicine products.