Celadon Pharmaceuticals Regulatory News (CEL)

26 Jul 2005 07:00

Celsis International PLC26 July 2005 CELSIS INTERNATIONAL PLC AGM STATEMENT AND TRADING UPDATE 26 July 2005: Celsis International plc, the rapid microbial detection andanalytical services company, will today hold its Annual General Meeting. DrJack Rowell, Non Executive Chairman of Celsis, will make the following commentson trading: "In the year ended 31 March 2005, Celsis delivered another set of strongfinancial results, with substantial increases in both revenues and profit. As aresult of this, the dividend was raised by 18.6% to 1.02 cents per share. I ampleased to report that the current financial year has started well. "Our Product Group, which provides diagnostic systems to check the quality ofproducts bound for consumers, has continued its strong growth as customersincreasingly adopt our rapid microbial testing systems. We have seen heightenedinterest in our new RapiScreen(TM) Biologics testing system for vaccinemanufacturers in both the EU and US and we continue to build upon our GCAM(Global Corporate Account Management) strategy to further develop our businessworldwide. "Our Laboratory Group is benefiting from the trend amongst pharmaceutical andbiopharmaceutical companies to increase their outsourcing spend on analyticalservices. Our Chemical Sciences business has shown strong progress so far thisyear, building on the new contract wins and excellent results announced at ouryear end. We have also seen positive results from the Biological Sciencesbusiness unit as we continue to concentrate our business development effortstowards higher margin services. "We recently announced the consolidation of the Company's ordinary sharecapital, whereby existing 1p ordinary shares in the Company are beingconsolidated into ordinary shares of 5p each on the basis of one new ordinaryshare for every five existing shares. We believe this is a positive step forCelsis and its shareholders as it should improve the liquidity of Celsis sharesand make the Company more attractive to potential investors, especially in theUS. In turn, it will also help us to make acquisitions for shares if we wish todo so in the future. "We look forward with confidence to another year of significant growth from bothour Product and Laboratory Groups, as markets in both areas continue to expand.Our strong financial position means that we are well positioned to develop ourproduct and service offerings for the future. We will, however, remaindisciplined in our approach when considering potential new businessopportunities to ensure long term shareholder value." Enquiries: Celsis International plc Tel: 01638 600 151Jay LeCoque, Chief Executive OfficerJenny Parsons, Corporate Communications Financial Dynamics Tel: 020 7831 3113Ben AtwellLucy Briggs Notes to editors Celsis International plc Celsis International plc is a rapid microbial detection and analytical servicescompany operating through two divisions, the Product Group and the LaboratoryGroup. Using its proprietary enzyme technology, the Product Group is the world leaderin the provision of diagnostic systems for the rapid detection of microbialcontamination. It works in close collaboration with many of the world's leadingpharmaceutical, personal care and beverage companies, ensuring the safety andquality of products bound for consumers. The Laboratory Group providesoutsourced analytical testing services to pharmaceutical and biopharmaceuticalcompanies to ensure the stability and chemical composition of their products. In addition to ensuring product quality and safety for consumers, both divisionshave the capacity to deliver substantial cost savings to Celsis' customers. Byreducing the time it takes to test and release raw materials and finished goodsto the market place, Celsis' products facilitate increased manufacturingproductivity and improved supply chain management. Celsis International plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (CEL.L).Further information can be found on the Company's website at www.celsis.com. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange