Epistem Share Discussion Threads

[aim_trader] 20/11/2009 09:59

This company is going places.

Cash flow, tonnes of potential licences world class collaborations and strong institutional support.

No rocket science degree needed here.

[aim_trader] 20/11/2009 09:55

"Epistem raises £2.9 mln to strengthen balance sheet and enable potential acquisition"

Epistem Holdings PLC (AIM: EHP), a UK biotechnology company with adult epithelial stem cell expertise in oncology, gastrointestinal and dermatological diseases, said it has raised £2.9 million before expenses though a placing with investors of 720,000 new ordinary shares at the market price of 400 pence each.

The new shares represent just under 10 percent of Epistem's issued share capital prior to the placing.

CEO Matthew Walls commented: "As we did in 2007, we have taken the opportunity to go to the market to raise share capital at the prevailing market price. The money raised will be used to strengthen the balance sheet and will make it easier for the company to consider an acquisition should a suitable candidate be identified. We are very pleased that we have been able to attract significant new institutional investment alongside our existing major institutional investors."

Epistem develops therapeutics and biomarkers and provides contract research services to drug development companies. The group's expertise is focused on the regulation of adult stem cells located in epithelial tissue, which includes the gastrointestinal tract, skin, hair follicles, breast and prostate. Epistem does not conduct research in the areas of embryonic stem cells or stem cell transplantation.

At the beginning of October, the company reported a 92 percent year-on-year increase in full-year sales to £4 million, which helped lift the group to its first post-tax profit.

The solid results for the year to end-June 2009 were flagged up in a trading statement released in July. The maiden profit after tax came to £0.1 million, boosted by a tax credit from the prior year's losses, and ash reserves increased by approximately 75 percent to £3.7 million.

Epistem's growth was down to a combination of increased revenues at its contract research division, which benefited from bio-defence spending in the United States, the first full year of operations at the company's Biomarker business, and a regenerative medicine research and development collaboration with Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Novartis AG.

Novartis paid Epistem an upfront cash payment of US$4 million and will provide research funding for 2 years. Novartis also has an option to exclusively license targets for development of biotherapeutic products in exchange for license fees, milestone payments and royalties. According to Epistem, each product developed from targets licensed under the agreement could generate up to US$45 million in milestones, and Epistem would also receive royalties on sales of any commercialised product.

[aim_trader] 20/11/2009 09:55

Friday, November 20, 2009

"Epistem raises £2.9 mln to strengthen balance sheet and enable potential acquisition"

[aim_trader] 20/11/2009 09:53

Friday, July 31, 2009

"Stem Cell specialist Epistem says trading strong, expects maiden full year profit"

[aim_trader] 20/11/2009 09:52

Monday, March 02, 2009

"Epistem signs drug discovery collaboration with Novartis"

[aim_trader] 20/11/2009 09:49

Epistem (AIM:EHP) is a biotech company, with 30 years of research into epithelial stem cells. The company specialises in offering Contract Research, identifying Biomarkers of treatment effect and discovering Novel Therapies that interact with adult epithelial stem cells. Adult epithelial stem cells (not embryonic stem cells) are cells present in epithelial tissue in adult humans, which regulate the process of new cell creation and regeneration in a variety of tissues including the skin, breast, prostate, lung and intestinal tissue. 80% of cancers originate from epithelial tissue (solid tumour-based) including, breast, lung, skin and bowel cancer. All three of its operating divisions are profitable, with the biomarkers division seeing strong organic growth, the novel therapeutics division boosted by the recent $4m from its deal with Novartis and the CRO division continuing to grow

[investinggarden] 20/10/2009 15:15

Add recommendation from Growth Company Investor

[aim_trader] 31/7/2009 11:44

Stem Cell specialist Epistem says trading strong, expects maiden full year profit

[andrew james] 27/4/2009 12:22

Can any of the wiser share dealers tell me what's going on with Hightex - HTIG, anyone know - up again already today 8.6% after going up 25% on Friday but this time with no trades at all showing, no buys or anything????????

[yuka] 27/4/2009 12:22

Actually I've held it since the IPO so not that impatient. Still would rather it moved up quickly.

[zagrem] 25/4/2009 09:21

Yuka, soooo impatient, slowly,slowly catch a monkey. Looking fairly solid for me.

[shroder] 21/3/2009 15:39

EHP mentioned below (thanks to plunge) ; the whole sector looks interesting with not many players



Asterand PLC has been added to Daniel Stewart & Co's Top Picks portfolio in a reload that saw six stocks added and eight removed, with the new portfolio comprising 11 stocks.

The investment bank and broker with a focus on small and mid-size companies introduced the Top Picks stock selection in October 2008 as a defensive portfolio selected from within its sector specialisation.

Immunodiagnostic (LSE: IDH) and Tristel (LSE: TSTL) have exited the Healthcare group and have been replaced by Asterand (LSE: ATD) and Epistem (LSE: EHP). Daniel Stewart said it is recommending human tissue and associated research services provider Asterand and preclinical studies specialist Epistem because the current state of the drug development industry is creating new market opportunities for specialist providers such as these two.

[yuka] 16/3/2009 09:15

Well where are all the rampers when you need them? Share price has gone to sleep the last few days.

[zagrem] 12/3/2009 19:02

Yuka, there's about half dozen here that claim to be holding, i mentioned it on ASM thread, which i both hold and trade, noticed TSM mentioned it early today on the RENE thread, feel for some on there, but this is making progress in truth without a herd and drivel ramps, so i'm going to keep quiet.

Alf, mentioned Edison sometime back, here's a link to their reports:


EDIT: £10 looks a good in the air figure, but why stop there! Time could see these go way higher if patient and things play out stateside.

[yuka] 12/3/2009 17:40

LOL - I've had my shares since the IPO and I am getting impatient for £10. Tell you what if you are so keen to build a stake I'll sell you some of mine for a fiver ;)

[the shuffle man] 12/3/2009 16:37

There seems to be alot of M+A actvity at the moment in this sector with the big boys looking at the minows.

This company seems like it has great potential and just needs one of the drugs they are working on to be successful and licensed for them to hit the big time.

The backing by Novartis is a massive confidence boost and they have no funding issues.

[yuka] 12/3/2009 15:42

What do you reckon? Bought out at £10 within a couple of years?

[the shuffle man] 12/3/2009 15:35

Transformation' deal for Epistem
Kevin Feddy
March 01, 2009

MANCHESTER based biotech specialists Epi-stem today announced a multi-million pound partnership deal with global drugs giant Novartis which will propel the research services company into profit.

Chief executive Matthew Walls hailed the agreement as `transformational' for AIM-listed Epistem. News of the deal sent Epistem's shares to a record high of 272.5p, a rise of 13.54 per cent or 32.5p.

The company, which was spun out of Christie Hospital's Paterson Institute and floated in 2007, has identified hundreds of genes which stimulate or inhibit the growth of cells.

Novartis, based in Switzerland and the US, has agreed to fund research and development projects for drugs using this information, which could lead to new treatments for cancer, ulcers and wound healing.

Research will be carried out at Novartis sites in Basle and Boston over the next few years.

Today's agreement means Epistem will receive £2.8m upfront in cash from Novartis, which will provide further research funding for two years.

Novartis has an option to exclusively licence drugs in exchange for fees, milestone payments and royalties.

For each product developed, Epistem would receive up to £31.5m in milestone payments, and royalties on worldwide sales.

Today's deal is not the first between Novartis and a Manchester biotech business. In 2006, it paid more than £300m in 2006 for NeuTec Pharma.

Mr Walls said of today's announcement: "It's transformational for Epistem and a big deal for the UK biotech industry.

"This collaboration will immediately make us profitable and cash-generative. It will enable us to accelerate the development of our existing targets with a world-class pharmaceutical collaborator and to jointly explore disease opportunities in regenerative medicine."

The agreement by Novartis is with Epistem's novel therapies division, which is led by managing director Dr Jeffrey Moore.

He said: "The collaboration will leverage each group's strengths to make novel discoveries, leading to advances in treating unmet medical needs across several disease areas."

Novel therapies was Epistem's last remaining loss-making division - until today's announcement.

Its contract services division, which tests drugs under development by pharmaceutical giants for cancer, Crohn's Disease, colitis and other illnesses, and its biomarker business, which uses cells at the base of a single human hair to analyse the effects of drugs, are already in the black.

Discussions with Novartis have been going on for the best part of a year.

[yuka] 08/3/2009 20:34

Do you know of any other listed stem cell companies?