UK TRADING UPDATE SUMMARY: Integumen Kicks Off Covid-19 Skin Trials

(Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of updates by London-listed companies on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, issued on Wednesday and not separately reported by Alliance News:

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Integumen PLC - personal health care - Subsidiary Labskin to begin testing of anti-viral on cloned human skin coated in SARS-CoV-2 virus. Labskin investigation whether consumer and dental care products can reduce risk of spread of virus.

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Creo Medical Group PLC - medical devices - Initial data from Speedboat device shows it can save NHS hospitals in UK about GBP5,000 per surgical procedure. Some data found it saved one hospital more than GBP400,000. Creo Medical to report full data in October.

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Deltex Medical Group PLC - haemodynamic monitoring - Says pandemic means greater take up of TrueVue Doppler oesophageal monitoring system in intensive care units, especially in UK. But demand lower in standard operating rooms. Adds number of Covid-19 patients needing hospital treatment decreasing and some hospitals moving towards restarting elective surgeries. Deltex says too early to determine how much lost revenue in operating rooms can be recovered later in year.

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Novacyt SA - clinical diagnostics - To settle all outstanding obligations with lenders Harbert European Growth Capital and Vatel Capital SAS. Remaining EUR2.1 million Vatel loan to be converted into 3.0 million Novacyt shares. HEGC loan to be satisfied with EUR6.1 million repayment.

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Amryt Pharma PLC - biopharmaceuticals - Lands agreement with Swixx BioPharma AG of Switzerland. Swixx to act as exclusive distributor of Amryt's Myalepta diet medication in EU territories of Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Swixx will also distribute in West Balkan nations of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.

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Westminster Group PLC - security services - Concludes trial of fever screening solutions in Stockholm Arlanda airport. Fedback from trial "extremely positive".

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Argo Blockchain PLC - cryptocurrency mining - Mined 252 bitcoin or bitcoin equivalent in May, down 21% from 319 in April but based on exchange rate, revenue up 7.2% to GBP1.9 million from GBP1.8 million.

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Hertsford Capital PLC - marine technology - Pens development agreement with Minnowtech, a provider of marine imaging platforms for shrimp farmers. Will help Minnowtech commercialise their technology.

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Adamas Finance Asia Ltd - investor - Net asset value per share rises 6.9% to GBP0.77 in March from GBP0.72 in December. Says well-positioned despite ongoing impact of Covid-19 pandemic.

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Frenkel Topping Group PLC - wealth manager - Says assets under management rose by roughly 4% to GBP880 million at April 30 from GBP849 million at the end of March. Monitoring impact of Covid-19 but says trading in first five months of year positive.

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Gresham House Energy Storage Fund PLC - energy storage investor - Assessing options to raise debt finance to fund acquisitions of battery storage projects.

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Harworth Group PLC - land regeneration - Sells first parcel of land at Hugglescote Grange development in Leicestershire to housebuilder Redrow PLC. Sold 16 acres to Redrow at December 31 book value. Harworth notes Hugglescote is one of six major development sites where work has continued despite pandemic.

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Town Centre Securities PLC - property investor - Collects GBP5.0 million, about 75% of rent and service charges, billed since outbreak of virus began. Will continue payment of 3.25 pence per share interim dividend. Says if final dividend is paid, it will be substantially lower.

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Goco Group PLC - insurance comparison - Says AutoSave platform maintains over 100% annualised customer growth rate. Price comparison behaviour at insurance, financial and online services showing gradual signs of return to pre-Covid-19 levels. Reports 29% fewer energy provider switches in UK in April compared to year prior.

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DP Eurasia NV - Domino's Pizza brand franchisee - Continuing to operate under constraints due to Covid-19. Sales between March 16 and May 31 down 23% year-on-year, having rises 20% between January 1 and March 15. Dine-in service unavailable in some countries and take-aways reduced, especially in Russia.

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Empyrean Energy PLC - oil and gas explorer - Secures 12-month extension for first phase drilling at block 29/11 in China. Empyrean requested extension from China National Offshore Oil Corp due to Covid-19 lockdowns.

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Kavango Resources PLC - exploration - Granted two prospective licences in Botswana section of Kalahari copper belt. Licence has initial three-year terms but can be extended to maximum of seven years. Notes Covid-19 lockdowns in Botswana beginning to ease.

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BlueRock Diamonds PLC - diamond production - Says no Covid-19 cases at Kareevlei diamond mine in South Africa. Output averaging 2,000 tonnes a day since May 11, 65% higher than daily output in fourth quarter of 2019.

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Taseko Mines Ltd - copper miner - Says no operational disruption of known cases of Covid-19 at Taseko's mines. Leaves 2020 output guidance unchanged abut adds cost-cutting measures across supply chain continue.

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United Oil & Gas PLC - oil & gas - Encounters over 120 metre net pay across four hydrocarbon-bearing intervals at El Salmiyah-5 well on Abu Sennan concession in Egypt - main target potentially materially larger than previously believed. Flow rates of 4,100 barrels of oil per day achieved from Kharita Reservoir during well-testing. Net production from the Abu Sennan asset as a whole likely to rise to over 2,500 barrels of oil equivalent per day in the coming weeks.

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Cadence Minerals PLC - lithium mining - Joint venture partner Hastings Technology Metals enters into binding master agreement with the German automotive supplier Schaeffler Technologies for the targeted supply of its MREC, the product mined and processed from Yangibana project in the Gascoyne region, Western Australia. Cadence owns 30% of the Yangibana, Yangibana North, Gossan, Hook, Kanes Gossan and Lions Ear rare earth deposit, which form part of the Yangibana rare earth deposit.

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Beowulf Mining PLC - mineral exploration- Chief Executive Kurt Budge writes to Ibrahim Baylan, minister for Business, Industry and Innovation, the government of Sweden. "Beowulf has several thousand Swedish shareholders, who own over 67 per cent of the company. They have witnessed the government's unacceptable mishandling of the Kallak application and false promises; the opportunity cost of which is incalculable. They are demanding the government be fully transparent now and remove all uncertainty as to when a decision on Kallak will be taken," Budge wrote.

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Red Rock Resources PLC - gold and manganese - Joint venture Red Rock Australasia Pty Ltd applies for four additional gold exploration licence areas totalling 916 square kilometre in the Central Victoria Goldfields region of Australia. Applications double the landholding position of Red Rock Australasia to 1,835 square kilometre and will make it one of the largest tenement holders in the Goldfields region. Joint venture partner Power Metal Resources PLC notes licence application.

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By Eric Cunha; ericcunha@alliancenews.com

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