Here is another article that I found - a bit more info to that already released.
It really looks quite good - maybe EMS management might save my portfolio from complete meltdown..
DGAP-News: HC Berlin Pharma AG listed on the Open Market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange HC Berlin Pharma AG / IPO
23.10.2008
Release of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a company of EquityStory AG. The issuer / publisher is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. —————————————————————————
Berlin, October 23, 2008 - HC Berlin Pharma AG, which is headquartered in Berlin, is pleased to announce that as of today its shares will be traded on the Open Market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (First Quotation Board).
The company has issued 11,141,000 bearer shares, each with a nominal value of EUR 1.00. The free float amounts to 29.1 %. The management of HC Berlin Pharma AG holds 17.0 % of the shares. Eastland Medical Systems Ltd, Perth, Australia, has a shareholding of 18.0 % and the remaining 35.9 % is held by other strategic investors.
EUR 8,000,000.00 of the share capital amounting to EUR 11,141,000.00 have been raised due to a capital increase through a contribution in kind, namely the manufacturing rights to the anti-malaria drug, ArTiMist(TM). In addition, the share capital has been increased by a further EUR 3,091,000.00 due to two capital increases by cash contributions.
HC Berlin Pharma AG was formed in May 2007 and has mainly specialised in the development, manufacture and distribution of innovative pharmaceutical products. The company has developed and patented new forms of administering active agents that have already been tested and that promise greater effectiveness and healing power. It has already acquired various patents and licence rights for the manufacture and distribution of these pharmaceutical products. The company’s main focus is currently on medicines for the cure of malaria and nicotine addiction, but HC Berlin Pharma AG also offers various products in other medical areas.
Potsdam was chosen as production location as it is an important part of the region of Berlin/Brandenburg with its emphasis on science, its excellent infrastructure for medical technology and its universities. It is here that the company will start to produce its most important medical products, anticipated from 2009. Official approval for these products is expected to be issued soon. The company has already signed a number of memoranda of understanding and distribution agreements in this connection.
Background information
Pharmaceuticals Success in the battle against malaria
Next to AIDS, Malaria is one of the world’s biggest unsolved health problems. According to the latest report from the World Health Organisation (WHO) of September 18, 2008, there are 247 million registered cases of malaria in Africa. Small children are still the biggest group dying of this disease - more than 3,000 children a day. Only 3 % of these children have access to artemisinine-based medicines. ArTiMist(TM) from HC Berlin Pharma AG has been specially developed for the difficult treatment of children suffering from malaria. HC Berlin Pharma AG is supported by the top decision makers for African healthcare policies. The patron of the initiative to fight malaria is Dr Kenneth Kaunda, the first president of the Republic of Zambia.
ArTiMist(TM) is an anti-malaria drug that has been specially developed for children and is administered in the form of a sublingual spray. This innovative form of administering the drug allows it to enter the bloodstream directly, without any of the active agent becoming lost in the gastrointestinal tract. This gives it distinct advantages over conventional drugs in tablet form. ArTiMist(TM) guarantees a high degree of effectiveness and healing power with fewer side effects. The form of administering the drug has been developed for areas that lack healthcare and clinics. Misapplication and incorrect dosages are practically impossible.
ArTiMist(TM) has passed the clinical trials for phase I. Phase II of the toxicity tests did not need to be carried out as the active agent has already been approved. ArTiMist(TM) will shortly be entering the final phase of clinical testing (phase III).
The medicine will probably be approved for marketing in 2009. In cooperation with its Australian partner, Eastland Medical Systems Ltd, HC Berlin Pharma AG has secured the manufacturing and distribution rights for Africa, Asia and Australasia.
Malaria - a disease affecting the poor
In view of the targets agreed at the UN Millennium Summit in 2000 in the battle against poverty, the United Nations called for some USD 3 billion to fight malaria on concluding the UN Development Summit at the end of September 2008. The world’s leading aid organisations reckon with around 200 million treatments each year, especially for children. However, according to calculations made by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the available funds only allow around 100 million cases to be treated. The major aid organisations are therefore very interested in new and efficient methods of treatment. Thus for 2009, HC Berlin Pharma AG has already signed several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) in relation to orders in Asia and Africa for the innovative anti-malaria drug, ArTiMist(TM), which are likely to bring the company revenues of around EUR 40 million. At the new production location at the scientific park in Potsdam Golm HC Berlin Pharma AG will probably be producing up to 90 million ArTiMist(TM) treatments per annum from the end of 2009.
‘Smokers, please stay outside’
More and more countries are introducing strict smoking bans in non private areas. The second product development of HC Berlin Pharma AG reflects this trend: NiCoSorb(TM) is an innovative nicotine substitute that takes effect within just 20 seconds. NiCoSorb(TM) is also a sublingual spray which is more effective than present nicotine replacement products and that lacks their side effects. There is no health risk to the respiratory tracts and the stomach, no passive smoking and no unpleasant smell in enclosed spaces. For the distribution of the product the company has sales agreements for overseas markets, such as China, amounting to 15 million units, corresponding to revenues of some 70 - 75 million for 2009. For the European market the company has received enquiries from drugstore chains and tobacco wholesalers.
Medical technology Safety at medical workplaces
A further mainstay of HC Berlin Pharma AG’s medical technology division are internationally patented and approved systems for risk-free injections and the taking of blood samples. These systems are now ready for industrial production. The need for safe syringes is particularly great in view of the spread of AIDS, which is often transmitted by unsafe needles. The SafeNeedle ClipOn(TM) needle system transforms traditional syringes into safe systems. After the injection, the needle is withdrawn into a ClipOn(TM) syringe through the simple pressure of a finger. This ensures that the finger does not come into contact with the contaminated tip of the needle. In addition to its low cost, the great advantage of the new needle system is its extreme safety and easy application. The products of the Safe Needle Division have already been granted CE approval. They are already being produced in Australia and successfully sold in clinics in Australia and the UK (NHS). The company expects sales of some 40 million needle systems in 2009, corresponding to revenues of around EUR 10 million.
ClipOn(TM) is the name of the brand for human medicine. In the market for veterinary medicine this product is called VetLok(TM), although the product’s specific features and benefits are identical.
Child resistant and tamper evident packaging
Safety is also of prime importance when it comes to the packaging of medicines. They must be tamper evident and stored out of the reach of children. HC Berlin Pharma AG has developed innovative packaging solutions that meet these requirements, on the basis of more than 15 patents. The company expects royalties in this area to amount to some EUR 1.5 million as early as in 2009.
A further product group from the medical technology division are sterile wraps and pocket packaging marketed under the MediSheet(TM) trademark. They are CE approved and are being successfully marketed in Australia, the Fat East and the Middle East. The emphasis is on sterility in the operating theatre and protection against multi-resistant germs and bacteria in hospitals. HC Berlin Pharma AG has secured the marketing rights for Europe and anticipates a market share of around 1.5 % in the first year, corresponding to revenues of some EUR 7.5 million in this segment.
Many years of experience coupled with innovative products
The CEO of HC Berlin Pharma AG is Ottmar W. Geiger, who has many years of experience in managing various development aid projects in South East Asia. In addition, Mr Geiger was also President and CEO of the organisation, Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO) in Potsdam for many years and responsible for setting up and managing comprehensive, personnel-intensive facilities in social welfare. The supervisory board is made up of persons of international repute with a dense international network in the field of pharmaceuticals and contacts to important decision-makers, particularly on the African continent.
‘We have already achieved a great deal in our company’s short history and have been able to secure the patents and manufacturing rights for a number of promising pharmaceutical products. The listing on the Open Market is intended to provide us with additional funding, which will particularly allow us to launch our anti-malaria drug, ArTiMist(TM), in a very attractive market,’ says Ottmar W. Geiger, CEO of HC Berlin Pharma AG. ‘Our portfolio contains important products for global markets and we are convinced that our philosophy of growth and efficiency on a humanitarian basis will allow us to successfully establish ourselves in the market,’ concludes Rudolf W. Schötteldreier, Chairman of HC Berlin Pharma AG’s supervisory board.
Further information about HC Berlin Pharma AG can be found at www.hcberlinpharma.ag.
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