Allergy Therapeutics plc
("Allergy Therapeutics" or the "Group")
Trading Update
Market share gains driving top line growth
Strong cash position sustained by good performance.
31 January 2017 Allergy Therapeutics plc (AIM:AGY), the fully integrated specialty pharmaceutical group specialising in allergy vaccines, today provides a trading update for the six months ended 31 December 2017, ahead of its unaudited interim results to be announced on 7 March 2018.
Financials
The Group reports that it is trading in line with the Board's expectations. Reported revenues for the six months ended 31 December 2017 are expected to be £42.2m (2016: £40.4m), representing 4.4% growth on a reported basis and 1.3% growth at constant currency. The Group has continued to grow in the past six months of 2017, notwithstanding an abnormally weak pollen season in Central Europe1, outperforming the market by an average of 4 percentage points2 thanks to focused sales and marketing strategy and its exclusive technology platform. In Germany, the Group's market share has risen by one percentage point to 14% over the past twelve months on a moving annual average basis. The fastest growing operations for the Group in the six months ended 31 December 2017 were the Spanish subsidiary as well as the Emerging Markets segment.
By leveraging additional revenues on current infrastructure, the Group continues to improve its operational margins pre-R&D. This, along with careful planning of working capital and capex investments, has allowed the Group to maintain a strong cash position of £25.8m (31 December 2016: £27.8m).
Products
There continues to be increasing uptake of the Group's portfolio of convenient and patient-friendly treatments. Pre-seasonal ultrashort course aluminium free vaccine Pollinex Quattro, designed to address the cause of symptoms of patients sensitised to seasonal allergens (grass, trees, ragweed), remains a key growth driver for Allergy Therapeutics based on the benefits of the Group's treatment programs.
Venomil, the Group's product that treats the life threatening condition of venom allergy, grew strongly as well as Acarovac Plus3 which continued to outperform the rest of the portfolio in Spain.
Pipeline
The Group's Phase III PQ Birch trial has recently completed recruitment, with results expected in H2 2018. The successful completion of this pivotal Phase III study would fulfil the requirements for PQ Birch under the Therapieallergene-Verordnung (TAV) of the Paul Ehrlich Institute before anticipated marketing authorisation.
The PQ Grass Phase II trial continues to recruit on schedule with results also expected in H2 2018. Following completion of this trial, meetings with the regulatory authorities in the US and Germany will be necessary to enable Phase III trial design.
Additionally, all the German TAV plans are on track with the recent incorporation of the clinical development programmes for the oral vaccine Oralvac, under a co- development agreement with Ergomed announced in December 2017.
Outlook
Post the period end current trading remains positive and the Board remains confident in the outlook for the business for the remainder of the year. Allergy Therapeutics' competitive position continues to improve with increased market share, in the countries in which it operates, increasing in line with its long term plans to achieve 20% market share. Market share gains are consistent across its key European markets, notably in highly competitive markets like Spain, Germany, Austria and Holland.
Manuel Llobet, Chief Executive Officer of Allergy Therapeutics, commented: "Our strategy to prioritise patient friendly vaccines with focus on patient compliance and improving adherence rates is demonstrating success. Our portfolio of ultra-short course vaccines is driving our market penetration in Europe and preparing the ground for a successful US entry. All our key development programmes are being executed according to plan and our long-term strategic objectives, are on track. We feel privileged to keep developing Allergy Therapeutics as we satisfy the significant unmet needs of our patients."
This announcement contains insider information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulatory (EU) No596/2014.
References
1 German IMS data for anti-histamine market during the pollen season (spring 2017)
2 Market data and internal estimates for 12 months to December 2017, for Allergy Therapeutics' competitive markets 3Acarovac
3 Plus is an innovative, short course perennial vaccine for allergic patients to house dust mite (HDM) allergies. It is commercialised in Spain and Austria as a NPP product (named patient basis). A version with adjuvant is being developed as part of a global clinical program, currently in Phase I.
- ENDS -
For further information, please contact:
Allergy Therapeutics
+44 (0) 1903 845 820
Manuel Llobet, Chief Executive Officer
Nick Wykeman, Finance Director
Panmure Gordon
+44 (0) 20 7886 2500
Freddy Crossley, Corporate Finance
Tom Salvesen, Corporate Broking
Consilium Strategic Communications
+44 20 3709 5700
Mary-Jane Elliott / Ivar Milligan / Philippa Gardner
allergytherapeutics@consilium-comms.com
Notes for editors:
About Allergy Therapeutics
Allergy Therapeutics is an international specialty pharmaceutical group focussed on the treatment and diagnosis of allergic disorders including immunotherapy vaccines that have the potential to cure disease. The Group sells proprietary products and third party products from its subsidiaries in nine major European countries and via distribution agreements in an additional ten countries. Its broad pipeline of products in clinical development include vaccines for grass, tree and house dust mite, and peanut allergy vaccine in pre-clinical development. Adjuvant systems to boost performance of vaccines outside allergy are also in development.
Formed in 1999 out of Smith Kline Beecham, Allergy Therapeutics is headquartered in Worthing, UK with more than 11,000m2 of state-of-the-art MHRA-approved manufacturing facilities and laboratories. The Group employs c.500 employees, is listed on the London Stock Exchange (AIM:AGY) [and has kept a track record of double digit growth CAGR for the last 18 years, since the company successfully spun off from GSK]. For more information, please see www.allergytherapeutics.com.