Good morning. Welcome everybody to this 2022 results virtual meeting, which will start in a moment. This is Javier López-Belm onte, Rovi's Deputy Chairman and Chief Financial Officer. Please let me first introduce Rovi's attendees today. Mr. Juan López -Belm onte, Chairman and CEO, Ms. Marta Campos, Head of Investor Relations, and myself. At the end of the presentation, a question and answers session will commence. If you want to ask any questions during the presentation, please do not hesitate to send them through the question button on the platform. Thank you for your presence here today. Let's now start with the presentation. I give Mr. Juan López -Belm onte the floor.
Thank you, Javier, and welcome to everybody. I'm happy to present our 2022 results. In these exceptional times, Rovi's performance during the year was above our expectations. 2022 was an extraordinary year from the strategic, operational, and financial points of view. In a difficult economic environment, we were capable of taking advantage of new opportunities, starting new projects such as the launch of OKEDI in Europe, strengthening the collaboration agreement with Moderna, and achieving record results. At the end of 2022, Rovi exceeded the higher end of its operating revenue guidance range, 15%-20%, standing at 26%. This operating revenue growth was driven by the strength of the CMO business, which grew by 52%, and by the specialty pharmaceutical business, which grew by 8%. According to IQVIA, Spanish innovative product market increased by 4% in 2022 compared to 2021.
Nevertheless, Rovi prescription-based pharmaceutical product sales increased 7% last year, outperforming the market by 3 percentage points. In 2022, Rovi announced four very important milestones for the company. First, we announced the creation of Glicopepton Biotech, a joint venture with Càrniques Celrà and Grupo Empresarial Costa, that involves the creation of one of the first national structures for self-sufficiency in heparins. The project includes the construction of a facility which will produce compounds of high biological value from the intestinal mucosa of pigs. The project will allow us to take another step in the vertical integration of our heparin manufacturing. Second, the European Commission authorized the marketing of OKEDI for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults for whom tolerability and effectiveness has been established with oral risperidone. The product was launched in Germany in April, in U.K. in July, and in Spain in September.
Third, we expanded our long-term collaboration with Moderna for the manufacture of mRNA medicines over the next 10 years. This new agreement includes a series of investment expected to allow the manufacturing capacity to increase across Rovi's facilities in Madrid. Fourth, Rovi obtained the best rating in the pharmaceutical industry in terms of ESG. Rovi's ESG aspects were evaluated by Sustainalytics, having achieved an ESG risk rating of 17.3 points in 2022, which placed the company in a low-risk position between 10 and 20 points. This rating improved by 1.1 points, the one achieved in 2021, 18.4 points. In this classification, Rovi obtained the first position out of 458 companies evaluated in the sub-industry pharmaceuticals.
Moving to operating results. To comment on the results, regarding the top line of the P&L, operating revenue increased by 26% to EUR 817.7 million in 2022, exceeding the higher end of our operating revenue guidance range, which was between 15%-20%. The main contributors to this growth were the Enoxaparin Biosimilar, which grew 22% to EUR 152.9 million. Neparvis, where sales rose 2% to EUR 39.1 million. Volutsa, sales of which grew by 9%. Vytorin, Absorcol, and Orvatez, sales of which grew by 13%. OKEDI, where sales reached an amount of EUR 2 million. The CMO business, where sales increased 52%. The extraordinary increase in sales pushed profitability up by 2.8 percentage points to 34.1% in 2022.
EBITDA increased by 37% to EUR 178.9 million. Net profit increased by 30% from EUR 153.1 million in 2021 to EUR 199.7 million in 2022. Moving to our first pillar of growth, which is our specialty pharma area, prescription-based pharmaceutical specialties grew by 7% in 2022. They are high strategic value products and contribute to give Rovi a wider scope for the coming years. Rovi considers its heparin franchise as one of its driving forces. Sales of the heparin franchise increased by 9% to EUR 264 million in 2022. Heparin sales represented 32% of operating revenue in 2022 compared to 37% in 2021.
We aim to become one of the leaders in the low-molecular-weight heparin field worldwide with our two molecules, Bemiparin and Enoxaparin Biosimilar. Bemiparin showed a negative performance in 2022, with sales down 6% to EUR 103.8 million, and Enoxaparin sales increased 22% to EUR 152.9 million last year. Rovi, we continue with our internationalization plan. Sales outside Spain increased by 41% to EUR 153.4 million in 2022. EUR 82.6 million or 50% of which related to international subsidiaries, mainly due to the increase in low-molecular-weight heparin international sales and the increase in the Contract Manufacturing Organization business. Sales outside Spain represented 68% of operating revenue in 2022 compared to 60% in 2021.
Regarding Enoxaparin Biosimilar Becat, it is already present in 38 countries. We have signed out license agreements to distribute the product in more than 90 countries. We started the commercialization in Q4, 2017, with sales amounted to EUR 1.5 million. Sales increased quarter by quarter to reach the amount of EUR 152.9 million sales last year, a 23% rise compared with the previous year. Let me just summarize the opportunity here. This is a EUR 2 billion market, EUR 1.3 billion in Europe and EUR 0.7 billion in emerging countries with high entry barriers, where biosimilars are likely to reach between 50%-70% of market share with only three other players in the market. Likewise, Neparvis, Volutsa, and the hypercholesterolemia franchise led the growth of the pharmaceutical specialty products.
Sales of Neparvis, a specialty product from Novartis, launched in December 2016, indicated for the treatment of adult patients with symptomatic chronic heart failure and reduced ejection fraction, increased 2% to EUR 39.1 million in 2022 compared to EUR 38.5 million in 2021. Sales of Volutsa from Astellas Pharma increased by 9% to EUR 17.8 million last year. Sales of Vytorin, Orvatez, and Absorcol, specialty products from Merck Sharp & Dohme, indicated as adjunctive therapy to diet in patients with hypercholesterolemia, increased 13% to EUR 32.1 million in 2022. Rovi ceased to distribute Absorcol as of 31st of December 2022 and Vytorin as of the 31st January 2023. Sales of Absorcol and Vytorin represented 24% of the total hypercholesterolemia product sales in 2022.
Sales of OKEDI, the first Rovi product based on its leading-edge drug delivery technology, ISM, for the treatment of schizophrenia in others of whom tolerability and effectiveness has been established with oral risperidone, reached an amount of EUR 2 million in 2022. It was launched in Germany in April, in U.K. in July, and in Spain in September 2022. This launch has consolidated our internationalization strategy as one of our pillars for future growth. Post-launch feed-feedback has been very positive. In Germany, access to doctors was accelerated in the fourth quarter of 2022, where sales multiplied by 2.1 compared to the previous quarter of the same year. In U.K., the product is in the introduction phase in the trusts, which are entities that manage the health areas. In Spain, the product is already available in the 100% of the different autonomous communities.
Finally, sales of contrast imaging agents and other hospital products increased by 13% to EUR 40.1 million in 2022. This increase shows the strong recovery of the Spanish and Portuguese hospital activity in 2022 after the effects of lockdowns during the pandemic. Rovi continues to be the market leader in this segment. As I commented before, Rovi has reinforced its long-term collaboration with Moderna by signing a new 10-year agreement, which will allow to increase capacities for the compounding, aseptic filling, inspection, labeling, and packaging of Rovi's facilities in Madrid. In addition to producing Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, Rovi's platform could also be utilized to service future Moderna mRNA vaccine candidates. To this end, further industrial investments are being made in the Rovi's group's facilities in Madrid.
Regarding CMO, sales increased by 52% to EUR 403.5 million in 2022 as a result of the booking of the income related to the production of COVID-19 vaccine, the booking of the income related to the activities to prepare the plan for the COVID-19 vaccine production under the agreement with Moderna, finally, the reorientation of our contract manufacturing activities strategy towards high value added products. The growth achieved in 2022 surpassed by 12 percentage points the higher end of the range of between 30% and 40% published when the company released its 2021 results. Regarding our R&D strategy, OKEDI is the first Rovi's product base in its leading-edge drug delivery technology, ISM.
It's a novel investigational antipsychotic for the treatment of schizophrenia with once monthly, every 28 days, injections which has been developed and patented by Rovi and which, as of the first injection, provides immediate and sustained plasmatic drug levels and does not require loading doses or supplementation with oral risperidone. In January 2020, Rovi announced the commencement of the centralized procedure for registration of OKEDI with the European Medicines Agency. On December 16, 2021, the CHMP adopted a positive opinion recommending the granting of a marketing authorization for the medicinal product OKEDI. Finally, on February 15th last year, the European Commission authorized the marketing of OKEDI for the treatment of schizophrenia in others for whom tolerability and effectiveness has been established with oral risperidone. It was launched in Germany in April last year, in U.K. in July last year, and in Spain in 2022.
At its Capital Markets Day held on November 24, 2020, Rovi announced the filing of an NDA, a registration dossier to obtain marketing authorization in the U.S. with the FDA. Rovi was informed of the delay in a decision on granting marketing authorization for Risvan, which is the trademark for risperidone ISM by the U.S. FDA. On September 24, 2021, Rovi received a complete response letter from the FDA with outstanding questions on the Risvan dossier, which were answered in January 2022. In the third quarter of 2022, the FDA issued a second complete response letter with some outstanding questions for Rovi and also with questions for one of its manufacturers. Both Rovi and the manufacturer provided answers to the FDA. The FDA has notified Rovi that the user fee goal date is now July 27, 2023.
The grant of the marketing authorization for Risvan by the FDA is also subject to the closure of those observations issued by the FDA after the pre-approval inspection of the plant where the product is manufactured in Madrid, in Spain. That was conducted on the second half of June 2022. Responses to these observations were provided to the FDA. Rovi is awaiting the FDA's review of these responses and notification from the FDA as to whether or not a second inspection to Rovi's manufacturing plant is required to close the pending observations. In January 2023, the FDA conducted the pending inspection of a supplier to close deficiencies found by the FDA in a process not related to risperidone ISM. As a result of this inspection, the FDA has issued new observations. The manufacturer is currently estimating a timeframe to provide their responses.
In addition, the company is continuing with the clinical development of Letrozole ISM, which represents the second candidate using Rovi's ISM technology platform. This new investigational medicine is, to the best of Rovi's knowledge, the first long-acting injectable aromatase inhibitor intended for the treatment of hormone-dependent breast cancer. Rovi has obtained positive results in phase I that confirm that this ISM formulation provides a prolonged release of letrozole, which produces a sustained suppression of estrogenic hormones. These outstanding results allow Rovi to predict a superior estrogen suppression compared to daily doses of oral Femara, which is a daily 2.1 milligram doses. When Letrozole ISM treatment starts with 100 milligram doses at day one and week eight, followed by maintenance doses of 100 milligram of Letrozole ISM every 52 weeks.
After several official interactions with the FDA, the company has been requested to perform a phase II clinical study in adult patients which are HR-positive, HER2-negative, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer, comparing Letrozole ISM versus Femara.
Lastly, Rovi's research and development team is progressing in the development of a new formulation of risperidone for a three-monthly injection, which could complement the current four-weekly formulation of risperidone ISM for the maintenance treatment of patients with clinically stable schizophrenia. The regulatory toxicity studies needed to start the clinical development in humans have already been completed. The company is currently initiating all arrangements to conduct a phase I clinical trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of various candidate formulations at different dose strengths and injection sites. This study is planned to begin in the first half of 2023.
Finally, we end this part with our guidance for 2023. For 2023, Rovi expects its operating revenue to show low double-digit negative growth in 2022, although a positive growth of between 5% and 10% is expected in comparison with the 2021 figure. For 2023, Rovi is assuming a new post-pandemic scenario in which COVID-19 would forcibly be a seasonal disease, and in principle, the vaccine would be administered once a year. For this reason, Rovi expects a stronger second half of the year compared to the first half regarding the CMO business. The first quarter of 2023 is expected to include revenues linked to the production of vaccines in the fourth quarter of 2022, but the second quarter of 2023 is expected to be the lowest quarter in terms of CMO sales.
Nevertheless, the uncertainty related to the evolution of the disease is very high. It is not therefore possible to make a precise assessment of the impact that this new scenario could have on its CMO business. Likewise, under the terms of the agreement signed with Moderna in February last year, Rovi is still investing in increasing the compounding, aseptic filling, inspection, labeling, and packaging capacities at its facilities and expects them to be fully installed at the end of 2024. Taking account the aforementioned guidance on a decrease in operating revenue in 2023, as well as the fact that Rovi will continue with investment policy as stated, it's reasonable to expect that the company's profits may also see a downward adjustment in 2023. We have stayed on the path of sustained growth in 2022. We increased sales by 26%, outperforming the market.
We have expanded our heparin franchise to the launch of our Enoxaparin Biosimilar in five new countries in 2022 and the increase of our presence in countries where we had already launched the product. We consolidated our pharmaceutical specialties area thanks to the strength of our leading products, such as Neparvis, Volutsa, and the hypercholesterolemia franchise. We launched OKEDI in Germany, United Kingdom, and Spain, and we achieved growth of 52% in our CMO business, mainly thanks to the agreement with Moderna. Likewise, we're making an investment effort in R&D focused on our ISM technology, which we see a new avenue for Rovi's future growth. To conclude, we believe we are at a growth inflection point with a strong growth opportunity driven by the launch of OKEDI, our first candidate validating our leading-edge drug delivery technology, ISM.
Our Enoxaparin Biosimilar, which is allowing us to transform our European footprint. The agreement with Moderna, which is helping strengthen our manufacturing area and is providing us with a significant growth opportunity in this area. These growth levers are firmly underpinned by our solid ongoing business that has delivered year after year based on our leading specialty pharma franchise and our high-value-added CMO services. Now, I hand you over to Javier, who will run you through the financials in more detail. Thank you very much for your attention and for taking the time to participate in this virtual meeting.
Thanks, Juan. We are extremely happy with these historic results of 2022. Our operating revenue increased by 26% in 2022 in a very difficult environment. This growth is driven by the good performance of our CMO business, our Enoxaparin Biosimilar, and our leading products, such as Neparvis, Volutsa, and the hypercholesterolemia franchise, with which we intend to achieve a better position in the current competitive environment. Sales of prescription-based products increased by 7%, outperforming the innovative product market by 3 percentage points. Regarding our heparin franchise, we achieved a 9% growth. Sales of Enoxaparin decreased by 6%. Enoxaparin Biosimilar sales increased 23% to EUR 152.9 million in 2022. Gross profit increased by 34% to EUR 518.9 million in 2022.
Gross margin showing an increase of 3.9 percentage points from 59.5% in 2021 to 63.5% in 2022, mainly because the increase in the CMO business contributed higher margins to group sales. This positive impact on the gross margin offset the increase in the heparin cost of goods sold in 2022 compared to the year 2021. Rovi continues to be committed to innovation. R&D expenses amounted to EUR 23.9 million in 2022, and this figure is mainly the result of a focused investment in the ISM projects, preparing the development on the phase II of Letrozole ISM and the development of a new formulation of risperidone ISM for a three-month injection.
Selling, general, and administrative expenses, SG&A, increased 39% to EUR 216.3 million last year, mainly due to an increase in expenses related to the manufacture of the Moderna vaccine, an increase of EUR 5.4 million in the energy cost, and an increase in expenses due to the OKEDI launch in Europe. EBITDA increased to EUR 278.9 million in 2022, a rise of 37% compared to 2021, reflecting a 2.8 percentage point increase in EBITDA margin, which was up to 34.1% in 2022 from 31.3% in 2021.
EBIT increased by 41% to EUR 256 million last year, reflecting a 3.3 percentage point rise in the EBIT margin, which was up to 31.3% in 2022 from 28% in 2021. The effective tax rate was 22.6% in 2022 compared to 16.2% in 2021, mainly due to the increase of the profit before income tax. Net profit increased by 30% from EUR 153.1 million In 2021 to EUR 199.7 million Last year.
EBITDA pre R&D calculated excluding R&D expenses in 2022 and in 2021 increased by 31% from EUR 230 million in 2021 to EUR 302.8 million in 2022, reflecting a 1.5 percentage point rise in the EBITDA margin to 37% in 2022. EBIT pre R&D increased by 34% from EUR 209 million in 2021 to EUR 279.9 million In 2022, reflecting a 2 percentage point rise in the EBIT margin to 34.2% in 2022. Net profit pre R&D increased by 24% from EUR 176.1 million in 2021 to EUR 218.1 million In 2022.
Rovi invested EUR 51.4 million in 2022 compared to EUR 40.9 million in 2021. Of this amount, EUR 39.6 million relates to investment CapEx regarding our facilities, including important projects such as the ISM industrialization with two new lines to be added, the building of a second low-molecular-weight heparin API facility in Escúzar, Granada, Spain, the building of a second line to transform crude heparin into sodium heparin, this in Escúzar, Granada, same place, the Glicopepton joint venture for the construction of a plant dedicated to the production of heparins from the intestinal mucosa of pigs, and the new filling lines and operations expansion. EUR 11.8 million relates to maintenance and other CapEx. Cash flow from operating activities increased to EUR 237.6 million in 2022 f rom EUR 149.4 million in 2021.
This increase was mainly due to the increase of EUR 75.3 million in profit before income tax. The booking of EUR 57.1 million under the proceeds from CMO services caption in 2022 relating to payments received but not yet allocated to the income statement, compared to EUR 34.4 million recognized under the same caption in 2021. The decrease of EUR 26.8 million in the trade and other receivables caption in 2022 compared to a decrease of EUR 74.2 million in 2021, and the increase of EUR 41.7 million in the trade and other payables item in 2022 compared to an increase of EUR 35.4 million in 2021.
Regarding our debt, as of very first December 2022, Rovi total debt decreased to EUR 72.2 million from EUR 73.2 million as of December the previous year. EUR 44.1 million is debt with banks, representing 61% of total debt, while EUR 10.2 million correspond to debt with public administration related to the development of R&D projects, which is zero interest rate debt, representing 14% of total debt. Finally, EUR 17.9 million correspond to financial liabilities for leases, representing 25% of total debt. In July 2022, Rovi announced that the European Investment Bank had granted it a loan to support its investment in research, development, and innovation. The loan is for EUR 50 million with a repayment period of 10 years, has a three-year grace period, and may be drawn down over a term of two years.
As of December 31st, 2022, Rovi had a gross cash position of EUR 126.4 million compared to EUR 100.5 million as of December 31st, 2021, therefore an net cash of EUR 54.2 million compared to EUR 27.4 million as of December 31st, 2021. Regarding the dividend, Rovi general shareholders meeting on June 14th, 2022 approved the payment of a gross dividend of EUR 0.9556 per share on 2021 earnings. It means an increase of 151% compared to the dividend on 2020 earnings and represents a 35% payout.
This dividend was fully paid on July 7th, 2022. Rovi will propose to the general shareholders meeting a dividend of EUR 1.2938 per share, charged to the 2022 profit and retain earnings. This proposed dividend would mean an increase of 35% on the dividend charged to the 2021 profit and represents the same as 35% of the net profit for 2022 attributed to the parent company.
Regarding news flow for 2023, we will monitor the evolution of the manufacturing of the Moderna vaccine. We expect to announce OKEDI launch in some important European countries. The product has already been launched in Germany, U.K., and Spain, and expected to be launched in Portugal in first quarter of the year, Italy and France in second quarter of 2023, and in other European countries during this year. In addition, we expect to inform on new national marketing approvals for the Enoxaparin Biosimilar outside Europe. With regards to R&D, we expect to obtain the marketing authorization for risperidone ISM, hopefully in the United States in 2023.
Likewise, we expected to conduct a phase I clinical trial of risperidone for a quarterly injection of risperidone, and it is planned to begin in the first half of 2023. That's all regarding our financial results for the year. We can now start the Q&A session. Please remember, if you want to ask any questions, do not hesitate to send them through the question button on the platform. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Javier. Good morning, everyone, and thank you very much for your high participation. The first question comes from Álvaro Lestón from Alantra Equities. Javier, cost of sales fell quarter-on-quarter by EUR 10 million despite the fact that sales in all business units increased quarter-on-quarter. This led to a surprising 72% gross margin. What explains the reduction in cost of sales despite the increase in activity?
Thank you, Marta, and thank you Álvaro for your first question. As everybody knows, we always insisted on the idea that our CMO business is highly added value driven, and therefore the increase of these services during last year has been the main reason to increase, by the way, in the same way, the gross margin of the group. As Álvaro was mentioning, we had a fantastic 72% gross margin in the last quarter of the year, and I think the same reason for the increase, no? The increase of the CMO services business on the last quarter of 2022.
Javier, Álvaro also asks, if you can give some guidance on the sales ramp-up of OKEDI in Europe for the coming quarters.
Well, as Juan and myself, we were explaining during the call and many times before this call, OKEDI, it's a product for a chronic disease, which is schizophrenia. We have already launched the product in Germany, Spain and U.K., and we have seen an evolution of sales during this year. Next year, hopefully we are gonna launch in another group of countries, important countries in Europe, such as Portugal in the first quarter, and probably France and Italy in the following quarters. Therefore, we expect to keep booking sales of OKEDI and increasing sales in a gradual way during this year, no? Anyhow, we always wanted to remind everybody that this is a chronic disease and the uptake and the penetration of the product is gonna be slow.
We are very, very excited about the feedback of all the doctor community and the feedback of the launch of the product especially in Germany and in Spain, where we already marketed the product from several months, no? Ago. It's difficult to guide the launch of OKEDI, but we will try to keep publishing the sales of OKEDI quarter by quarter, and we will try to well, to talk and explain the evolution in the next following quarters.
Thank you, Javier. James Vane-Tempest from Jefferies asks, "When considering your guidance, given the strong Q4 performance as you've kept the same percentage range differences, is it reasonable to assume in absolute terms you're expecting more in 2023 compared to when you gave the guidance at nine months?"
Well, actually, we haven't modified the guidance because the information we have is very similar to the one that we had when we set up the guidance. The incredible performance the last quarter of last year, I think, doesn't change the outlook for 2023. The last quarter of the year and some vaccine sales that we are gonna record at this first quarter of the year are linked to the pandemia scenario and to 2022 sales. We haven't modified the guidance because we still believe that we are in the same range. Again, this is a transitional year, as we have explained several times. COVID-19 disease is clearly moving from a pandemic scenario to an endemic seasonal scenario.
We are also adding new capacity that will not be finished until 2024. Again, the outlook for the year doesn't change from the information that we had since the third quarter last year.
Okay. Javier, James also asks, "How much do you plan to spend on R&D in 2023? Can you outline timelines and expected costs for Letrozole?"
Well, this is a key aspect for the company. Letrozole for us is our main project in the pipeline. As we try to explain in a thorough detailed way in the Capital Market Day, we are holding and having conversations with the FDA, and we are still assessing the best option for the company on how to proceed with this important and challenging development, which is Letrozole ISM for the company. Right now, what we believe is that in 2023, we are gonna spend probably more money on R&D than 2022. We are still as I said before, drafting what we have to do in the following months.
Probably sooner than later, we will update the market what is the final resolution of the Letrozole development plans that the company has. According to this new potential development, we will inform how the R&D cost will develop. Again, the main assumption is that the R&D cost for this 2023 year will be higher than the previous year.
Okay, Javier. James also asks, does your 2023 guidance include any expectations for Risvan in the U.S.?
Actually, what we have shared is the potential goal date. Right now, honestly, we don't have any sales recorded in our budget, but that's because we are a conservative company and we prefer to wait and see the evolution of the approval process in the U.S. Again, if the goal date is confirmed and the product is approved, we should be launching the product in the last part of the year . Our guidance right now doesn't have any contribution on of Risvan.
Okay. Thanks, Javier. The next question comes from Francisco Ruiz from Exane. Rovi commented that the ramp-up cost of OKEDI should be around EUR 30 million. How much of this are already included in 2022 figures? How we should understand the evolution of SG&A in 2023, including the impact of OKEDI launch and the deceleration of the vaccine?
That's clear that OKEDI launch is gonna be one of our major goals for this year. Last year, as we already commented, we launched in Germany in April, U.K. in June and Spain in September, which mean that the cost of the launch, well, has been just for a few months in several countries. Hopefully, and we are very sure about this, that OKEDI will be launched by us in Portugal, and probably France and Italy very soon too. That means that we'll need to spend more money on OKEDI this year than the previous one, no. Hopefully, we believe that this will pay off in the long term, as we are always saying that this is an important market, an important disease.
We believe that OKEDI could eventually have an important or a decent market share in a huge market worldwide, no. SG&A has been increasing the previous year. It's, I think, reasonable. The company has been expanding too. We are adding new capabilities also from an industrial perspective, and that for sure means more people that has joined the company the last two years. Probably we'll need to hire more people in the coming quarters in order to have all these lines, these new lines implemented. Please remember that all the new capabilities will not be implemented until the end of 2024. That means that we'll probably have an expansion of SG&A on 2023, no.
This is why we are always underlying that probably 2023 will be a transitional year for us, where we are adding new capacity and new capabilities and eventually we'll need to manufacture more output and more products and provide more services to customers to make these lines efficient.
Javier, Francisco also asks, dividend increased significantly, thanks to the strong jump in results. How we should think on 2023 onwards, as a growing dividend or a fixed payout?
This year or last year profit, and performance of the company in 2022 was extraordinary, no? We wanted to pay back our shareholders in the same way, no? That's why we decided to increase in the same way the divi- in absolute terms. However, we have always stated that Rovi is a growing company, no? Dividend policy is important for us, but it's not the most important item. We rather focus on making the company grow and making a bigger company rather to maintain a stable dividend, no? I would think I would think that this 35% payout is more reasonable to think on the future years, the coming years, rather than the dividend on absolute terms.
Okay. Thanks, Javier. Álvaro Leston from Alantra Equities asks how much is still pending to invest in the new filling lines and operations expansion going into 2023?
As everybody also knows, and we've been trying to be very transparent on this, part of the investment or big part of the investment is also financed by Moderna. It's not paid directly by Rovi. We are also contributing to this expansion of capacity. Probably that means that the CapEx figure in 2023 will be similar to 2022 CapEx or even bigger. Also because of the different projects that we have within the company, you know. The Glicopepton JV, the other, the expansion of the ISM lines, and also this expansion of the fill and finish new lines. Still a lot of work to be done and money to be invested.
Thanks, Javier. Nicolas Schmidlin from ProfitlichSchmidlin asked, "How do you think about share buybacks given the lower share price and comfortable net debt situation?"
I mean, we've been active in share buybacks last year, because we had a strong net cash positive position, and we didn't find opportunities to invest at a reasonable multiple as well, multiples. Currently, we would like to invest this cash in organic growth and selective M&A activities. We are working on this, and we expect to be able to invest the cash in the business. As we always mentioned before, if we don't succeed on M&A activities, always with a very clear rationale and very selective M&A activities, we do not rule out another share buyback program, no. At the end of the day, we don't want to pile cash on our balance.
If we don't find a right way to use it on the business and with the same productivity and efficient from a capital perspective, we will always be willing to get the money back to our shareholders from one way to another.
Thanks, Javier. The next question comes from Emmanuel Correia, from Stifel. Sorry. Thank you for sharing the revenue from OKEDI. Could you split this per country? Will sales grow faster in U.K. thanks to the trust system?
Juan, you maybe comment on this if you want.
Oh, sure. I mean, thank you Emmanuel for your question. We expect that sales probably will go faster in Spain. Spain is the largest market in the schizophrenia long-acting injectable field. For volume, probably Spain would be the one taking probably the highest percentage of growth in OKEDI sales this year. Probably the second country we'll see a better performance would be Germany, basically because we launched the product earlier than in any other place. U.K. usually by definition, usually is a slow market to develop. First, you need to get into the formularies in the different trusts, once you have managed to include the product in the formularies, you have to develop the internal consumptions within the hospital.
Probably we won't see that major, that many sales spook in the U.K. this year, but definitely it's going to be one of the major drivers of OKEDI in the midterm. As Javier has mentioned, and we have pointed out several times in our presentation, we expect to launch in all the major countries in Europe during 2023. France, Italy, Portugal, the Nordic countries, Holland, Austria, and probably as well Greece before the year end. Again, this is a chronic market where patients are stabilized, and the dynamic market is the one that is going to drive our increase of sales.
This is going to be a major driver for the company, but we have to look it in a perspective that is a chronic market where we are hitting the dynamic market, those patients with, unfortunately, they suffer an exacerbation or they have problems with their medication. It's going to be a slow uptake in terms of sales, but it's going to be continuous and definitely it's going to be a major growth driver for the company for the next five years.
Thank you, Juan. Emmanuel Correia also asks, "Could you say something about potential M&A targets and how many potential deals Rovi has looked at already?"
Well, in the last few years, we can tell you that we have participated and looked in more than 10 or 15 M&A activities or tenders or process, as you could name it.
Unfortunately, the multiples and the offers that other companies and private equities offered has always been above and sometimes even in a substantial way above our any of our offers. Hopefully and thanks to the change in the macroeconomic scenario and the rise of the interest rate, and it seems that there are less money on the markets right now, probably companies with a stronger cash position, we could be more effective, no? That's what we were saying, that we try to be optimistic and try to remain looking at opportunities always that could bring synergies and could add added value to the company.
No, we are not looking, projects that will only increase the size of the company or increase the revenue line, but it will not change the profitability of Rovi, no. We try always to look to projects that could that we can leverage and that we can add and bring added value, no. We will push this year to look forward to having these opportunities.
Thanks, Javier. Ignacio Ortiz de Mendívil from EDM asks, "Should we expect a further build-up in inventories in 2023?
Always when companies are increasing their sales, I think inventories are rising. Because we need to make sure that we don't have out of stock situations. We have faced and especially since, you know, since the war and even before, big issues on the supply chain, as everybody knows, and lead times for materials has expanded in a substantial way. We have tried again to bet on the growing position of the company and not to risk any out of stock situation. Again, inventories will depend on the growth of the company, on the situation of the global markets and how lead times varies.
Again, you know, companies has always been very safe on inventories and probably same trend on working capital will be maintained.
Thanks, Javier. Juan, Javier Pinedo from Torreal asks, "You have signed an agreement with Teva for the distribution of paliperidone injectable. Can you give us some more detail on the agreement? Do you think it can expand to other schizophrenia products from Teva? What contribution can we assume in terms of revenue from this and the other distribution agreements signed in Q4 2023 to 2022?
Thank you. Thank you, Javier. I mean, we launched this product, which as you know is a genetic of XEPLION, paliperidone in January. Teva has given us a license. They are also going to launch their own brand. Again, really the goal that we are targeting with the launch of Basec is to offer an entire therapeutic arsenal of long-acting injectables to treat schizophrenia. Again, we are going to be one of the very few companies that we are promoting long-acting injectables products in Spain, and we thought that it could be quite a good synergy. I mean, psychiatrists at the end of the day, they work in two settings. On one end, in the hospitals with acute products and with outpatients.
Initially, we're positioning OKEDI in the acute patients setting, in the hospital wards. Basec is going to be mainly targeted for the outpatient market. Really, again, it's going to be as well a slow opt. We believe it's going to have quite an impact on the market. Although we don't. It's very difficult with these sort of compounds to really share what would be a potential sales objective for this year. We really hope to obtain at least 10% of the molecules shared in the next five years.
Definitely, Rovi wants to become a major player in the schizophrenia long-acting injectable market. We saw Basec as a great opportunity to really strengthen and to send a signal to the market that Rovi is really going to bet and is really going to invest to become one of the major players. Regarding other licenses, we are continually discussing with other companies for Spain, potential distribution or co-promotion or even license agreements on different compounds. We are probably, I mean, the best-selling company in the specialty pharma setting, and we expect that before the year-end, we'll be able to announce new agreements. We do have right now free capacity in certain therapeutic areas in terms of promotion and detailing, and we are currently having advanced discussions with several companies.
Hopefully, in the next quarters, we'll be able to announce some new distribution agreements that will further enhance our position in the specialty pharma market in Spain.
Thanks, Juan. Javier Pinedo also asks if, regarding your agreement with Teva. Can we assume that Teva is one of the companies with which you are speaking with to potentially distribute Risvan in the U.S.A.?
Again, I mean, probably you're aware that Teva is also developing a long-acting injectable for risperidone. In this case, for competition issues, I mean, Teva is not one of the partners of choice that we are having or we're currently having conversations regarding Risvan in the U.S. As Javier has mentioned in the presentation, Risvan, we're having advanced conversation with different companies. What we are trying is really to try to keep the know-how and the knowledge and start getting some insight of how the dynamics of the U.S. market works out. Again, risperidone is the first candidate coming out for our ISM technology.
The ISM technology platform is core business of the company, and we are betting that it's going to be the platform that is going to sustain the future growth of the company. The U.S. market definitely is a market that we as a company, we need to get access, and we need to start gaining a good insight of how the market works and the dynamics. Definitely Teva is not one of the companies we are holding conversations with.
Thanks, Juan. The last question comes from Léopold Arminjon , Lazard. Juan, if Moderna has lower capacity needs, do you have a plan to fill the CMO capacity with other clients? How fast could you onboard new clients?
I mean, again, I mean, regarding Moderna, I think, Moderna has given Rovi many, many, many good things in these last two years. On one end, it has put Rovi on the worldwide market of CMO activities. On the other hand, we have managed to combine with Moderna to increase very substantially our capacity. I mean, we are talking that we're going to have a capacity by the end of 2024, as Javier has mentioned, of close to or even more than 100 million vials and close to 100 million prefilled syringes. That's going to position Rovi as one of the major CMO players worldwide on the injectable setting. Definitely, I mean, Rovi was one. I mean, CMO was a core business for Rovi before Moderna.
We probably have, I may be able to say that we haven't had so many contacts, so many requests for information, so many requests for quotation than ever, since we started being a major player on the COVID-19 vaccines. Definitely we see a major growth on CMO activities. 2023 and probably 2024 will be a transition period. The COVID-19 is moving from a pandemic to an endemic scenario. Obviously, this will for sure entail an adjustment to the revenue and also to the profit of the company. Definitely we see that injectables in general, within a CMO perspective is going to be one of the major drivers in this market.
Rovi is going to be on a privileged position with the different technologies, wraps, aseptic filling, isolator, terminal sterilization, syringes, plastic, biologics, glass. I mean, we're going to have really a whole board of different alternatives that we can offer to companies. I'm extremely optimistic that this is going to be one of our major shining drivers of growth in the next coming years.
Thanks, Juan. Thank you very much for your high participation. Let me now turn the floor over to our CFO, Mr. Javier López-Belm onte, for the closure of the presentation.
Thank you, Marta. We are out of time. That was the last question. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact our investor relations team. Therefore, we can conclude this, results, virtual call. Thank you for being with us today, and, have a nice day. Bye-bye.