Half-yearly Report

NEWS RELEASE To: City Editors For immediate release 30 November 2011 London Stock Exchange Announcement The Biotech Growth Trust PLC Unaudited Interim Report for the Six Months ended 30 September 2011 INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND BENCHMARK The Company seeks capital appreciation through investment in the worldwide biotechnology industry, principally by investing in emerging biotechnology companies. Performance is measured against the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (sterling adjusted). INVESTMENT POLICY In order to achieve its investment objective, the Company invests in a diversified portfolio of biotechnology (including emerging biotechnology companies) and related securities on a worldwide basis. Investment restrictions The Board seeks to manage the Company's risk by imposing various investment limits and restrictions. The limits and restrictions remain unchanged from those published in the annual report for the year ended 31 March 2011. A summary of the key limits and restrictions are as follows: - The Company will not invest more than 15% of the portfolio in any one individual stock at the time of acquisition. - The largest 30 quoted stocks will normally represent at least 50% of the quoted portfolio. - The Company will not invest more than 10% of the portfolio in direct unquoted investments at the time of acquisition. This limit does not include any investment in private equity funds managed by OrbiMed Capital LLC, the Company's Investment Manager, or any affiliate thereof. - The majority of the emerging biotechnology companies that the Company will invest in are likely to be companies with a market capitalisation of less than US$3 billion that have undergone an IPO (Initial Public Offering) but as yet are unprofitable. They will typically be focused on drug research and development, with their valuations driven by profitable developments, clinical trial results and partnerships. - The Company may invest or commit for investment a maximum of US$15 million, after the deduction of proceeds of disposal and other returns of capital, in private equity funds managed by OrbiMed Capital LLC, the Company's Investment Manager, or an affiliate thereof. - The Company does not hedge its foreign currency exposure. In accordance with the requirements of the UK Listing Authority, any material change to the investment policy will only be made with the approval of shareholders by ordinary resolution. CAPITAL STRUCTURE During the half year, a total of 1,084,144 shares were repurchased by the Company for cancellation. At 30 September 2011, the Company had 63,870,537 shares of 25p each in issue (30 September 2010: 65,869,809; 31 March 2011: 64,954,681). Since the end of the half year 43,828 shares have been repurchased for cancellation by the Company. As at 23 November 2011 the Company had 63,826,709 shares in issue. GEARING Under the Company's Articles of Association, the maximum amount the Company may borrow is a sum equal to 33% of the adjusted total capital and reserves. The Board has, however, set a current limit of £15 million. The Company's borrowing requirements are met through the utilisation of a loan facility, repayable on demand, provided by the Company's custodian, Goldman Sachs & Co. New York. At 30 September 2011, the Company had not used this facility. CONTINUATION VOTE The next continuation vote of the Company is scheduled to be held at the Annual General Meeting in 2015. Further opportunities to vote on the continuation of the Company shall be given to shareholders every five years thereafter. COMPANY SUMMARY PERFORMANCE STATISTICS 30 September 31 March 2011 2011 % change Net asset value per share 1 83.2p 186.0p -1.5 Share price 173.5p 166.0p +4.5 Discount of share price to 5.3% 10.8% - net asset value per share NASDAQ Biotechnology Index 619.7 647.9 -4.4 (sterling adjusted) CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT PERFORMANCE Against a background of severe economic and political difficulties in many parts of the world, stock markets experienced periods of high volatility during the Company's half year and the MSCI World Index fell by 15.1% in sterling terms during the period. Thanks, however, to its defensive qualities, the Biotechnology sector substantially outperformed the wider market. The Company's benchmark, the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index, measured in sterling terms, fell by 4.4% over the same period. The Company's net asset value per share fell by 1.5% during the period and, while disappointing in absolute terms, this represents a substantial outperformance of both the benchmark and the wider market. The Company's share price performed better still, rising by 4.5% as the discount of the share price to the net asset value per share narrowed from 10.8% at 31 March 2011 to 5.3% at 30 September 2011. I am pleased to report that the Company's Investment Manager has won the techMARK Technology Fund Manager of the Year award for its management of the Company's portfolio which was the best performing technology fund for the period 1 October 2010 to 30 September 2011. Further information on investment performance and the outlook for the Company is given in the Review of Investments beginning on page 4 of this Interim Report. DISCOUNT MANAGEMENT POLICY AND SHARE BUYBACK POLICY The Board has continued to implement its policy of active discount management and to buy back shares for cancellation when the discount of the share price against the net asset value per share is greater than 6%. During the six months under review the Company repurchased a total of 1,084,144 shares for cancellation at a cost of £1,947,000 (including expenses). REVENUE AND DIVIDENDS The revenue loss for the period was £170,000 (six months ended 30 September 2010: loss of £202,000) and no interim dividend is declared (six months ended 30 September 2010: nil). OUTLOOK There is enormous uncertainty regarding the outlook for the markets for the remainder of 2011 and beyond. Massive global economic imbalances persist, the euro zone is in chronic turmoil, growth in many countries is stubbornly low and employment in the U.S. is apparently an intractable problem. Nevertheless, in spite of these worrying circumstances, your Board believes that historically low valuations in the Biotechnology sector, the sector's role as a key source of innovative new drugs and continuing merger and acquisition activity will together enable the long term investor in the sector to be well rewarded. JOHN SCLATER CVO CHAIRMAN 23 NOVEMBER 2011 INTERIM MANAGEMENT REPORT PRINCIPAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES A review of the half year, including reference to the risks and uncertainties that existed during the period, and the outlook for the Company can be found in the Chairman's Statement beginning on page two and in the Review of Investments beginning on page four. The principal risks faced by the Company fall into ten broad categories: objective and strategy; level of discount/ premium; portfolio performance; operational and regulatory; market price risk; liquidity risk; shareholder profile; currency risk; the risk associated with the Company's loan facility; and credit risk. Information on each of these areas is given in the Business Review within the annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2011. In the view of the Board these principal risks and uncertainties are applicable to the remaining six months of the financial year as they were to the six months under review. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS During the first six months of the current financial year, no transactions with related parties have taken place which have affected the financial position or the performance of the Company during the period. DIRECTORS' RESPONSIBILITIES The Directors are responsible for preparing the interim report in accordance with applicable law and regulations. The Directors confirm that to the best of their knowledge the condensed set of financial statements, within the interim report, have been prepared in accordance with IAS 34 and that the Chairman's Statement and the Interim Management Report include a fair review of the information required by 4.2.7R and 4.2.8R of the FSA's Disclosure and Transparency Rules. The interim report was approved by the Board on 23 November 2011 and the above responsibility statement was signed on its behalf by: JOHN SCLATER CVO CHAIRMAN REVIEW OF INVESTMENTS PERFORMANCE The Company's net asset value per share decreased by 1.5% during the period. The Company's benchmark index, the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (measured on a sterling adjusted basis), declined by 4.4% during this period. The top contributors to performance in the portfolio were Pharmasset, Pharmacyclics, Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Cubist Pharmaceuticals and Biogen Idec. - Pharmasset continued to be a top performer due to emerging data showing that its nucleotide polymerase inhibitors are likely to be leaders among the next generation of hepatitis C treatments. The strong potency and high barrier to resistance of these compounds make them ideal candidates to replace Interferon-containing regimens as standard of care with potentially higher cure rates and more favourable side-effect profiles. Since the period end Gilead Sciences confirmed its agreement to acquire Pharmasset for approximately U.S.$1 1 billion. This represents an 89% premium to Pharmasset's closing share price on 18 November. - Pharmacyclics performed strongly due to positive phase II data presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting demonstrating robust activity of its lead compound PCI-32765 for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and mantle cell lymphoma. We continue to believe that this is one of the most exciting compounds currently in clinical development against cancer. - Idenix Pharmaceuticals' shares strengthened due to the rising profile of polymerase inhibitors against hepatitis C based on the Pharmasset data, and increased optimism that its own polymerase inhibitor would prove safe in the clinic. - Cubist's shares advanced after the company announced a settlement in its patent dispute with Teva concerning lead drug Cubicin. The patent issue had long been an overhang on the stock that compressed the valuation. The settlement delays the launch of a generic version of the drug until 2018. - Biogen Idec shares rose due to better than expected phase III data for BG-1 2 for Multiple Sclerosis. We expect this drug to compete favourably against existing treatments. The largest losses were from positions such as in K-V Pharmaceutical, Illumina, and Life Technologies. - K-V Pharmaceutical shares declined in part due to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's decision to not block compounding pharmacies from making generic versions of the company's drug Makena. As a result, the launch of the product has fallen short of expectations. - Illumina and Life Technologies, both providers of equipment and reagents for academic and commercial research, declined due to concerns about cutbacks in the research budget of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Additionally, Life Technologies was affected by supply disruptions for its sequencing instruments due to the Fukushima earthquake. REVIEW OF INVESTMENTS (continued) OUTLOOK Macroeconomic worries intensified during the period concerning slowing global growth and the debt crisis in Europe and biotechnology stocks were not completely immune from this. However, the fundamentals of the industry remain strong. Valuations are at the low end of the historical range and the major biotechnology companies have generally met or exceeded financial expectations. Although healthcare reform in the U.S. had been a concern previously, it has not had significant negative consequences for the biotechnology sector. Biotechnology continues to be a key source of innovative new drugs, and the potential reward to investors of correctly identifying these drug candidates at an early stage is very significant. The number of holdings in the portfolio is approximately 40, exclusive of unquoted investments and warrants. The geographic distribution of assets is 90% North America, 6% Europe and 4% Asia. Currently approximately 45% of the Company's assets are invested in major capitalisation companies, and 55% are invested in small and mid-capitalisation companies. We believe that the Company is well positioned to capitalise on the opportunities in the sector. SVEN BORHO ORBIMED CAPITAL LLC INVESTMENT MANAGER 23 NOVEMBER 2011 TOP AND BOTTOM FIVE CONTRIBUTORS TO NET ASSET VALUE PERFORMANCE FOR THE SIX MONTHS TO 30 SEPTEMBER 2011 Contribution for Contribution the six months per share to 30 September (pence)* 2011 £'000 Top Five Contributors 1 Pharmasset 6,736 10.5 2 Pharmacyclics 4,375 6.8 3 Idenix Pharmaceuticals 1,581 2.5 4 Cubist Pharmaceuticals 1,239 1.9 5 Biogen Idec 1,024 1.6 14,955 23.3 Bottom Five Contributors 1 K-V Pharmaceutical (2,350) (3.7) 2 Illumina (2,047) (3.2) 3 Warner Chilcott (1,496) (2.3) 4 Life Technologies (1,486) (2.3) 5 Insmed (1,312) (2.0) (8,691) (13.5) *based on 64,268,350 ordinary shares being the weighted average number of shares in issue during the period ended 30 September 2011 Source: Frostrow Capital LLP INVESTMENTS AS AT 30 SEPTEMBER 2011 Fair Value % of Security Country £'000 Investments Pharmasset United States 11,485 10.2 Gilead Sciences United States 11,308 10.0 Pharmacyclics United States 5,316 4.7 Incyte Genomics United States 5,237 4.6 Alexion United States 4,954 4.4 Pharmaceuticals Amgen United States 4,937 4.4 Affymetrix United States 4,591 4.1 Life Technologies United States 4,564 4.1 Thermo Fisher United States 3,944 3.5 Scientific Perrigo United States 3,862 3.4 Top 10 investments 60,198 53.4 Celgene United States 3,220 2.9 Illumina United States 3,073 2.7 Teva Israel 3,034 2.7 Pharmaceutical Industries Shire Ireland 2,846 2.5 3SBio China 2,785 2.5 BioMarin United States 2,762 2.4 Pharmaceutical Warner Chilcott Ireland 2,568 2.3 VIVUS United States 2,516 2.2 Biogen Idec United States 2,493 2.2 Fluidigm United States 2,343 2.1 Top 20 investments 87,838 77.9 Exact Sciences United States 2,248 2.0 Affymax United States 2,039 1.8 Trius Therapeutics United States 2,005 1.8 * Regeneron United States 1,532 1.4 Pharmaceuticals OrbiMed Asia Partners L.P. (unquoted) Far East 1,527 1.3 Onyx United States 1,500 1.3 Pharmaceuticals Cubist United States 1,366 1.2 Pharmaceuticals Stratec Biomedical Germany 1,325 1.2 Systems NPS Pharmacuticals United States 1,320 1.2 ArQule United States 1,297 1.1 Top 30 investments 103,997 92.2 All of the above investments are equities unless otherwise stated. *Includes warrants INVESTMENTS (continued) Fair Value % of Security Country £'000 Investments Medivir Sweden 1,245 1.1 Tranzyme United States 1,159 1.0 Human Genome United States 1,149 1.0 Science Ariad United States 1,054 0.9 Pharmaceuticals Bavarian Nordic Denmark 1,010 0.9 K-V United States 745 0.7 Pharmaceutical Endocyte United States 682 0.6 Medivation United States 555 0.5 Oncothyreon United States 529 0.5 Anadys United States 425 0.4 Pharmaceuticals Top 40 112,550 99.8 investments Alnylam United States 181 0.2 Pharmaceuticals Ligand Pharmaceuticals Wts 10/13/11 * United States - - Total investments 112,731 100.0 All of the above investments are equities unless otherwise stated. *Includes warrants Income Statement for the six months ended 30 September 2011 (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited) Six months ended Six months ended Year ended 30 September 2011 30 September 2010 31 March 2011 Revenue Capital Total Revenue Capital Total Revenue Capital Total Note £'000 £'000 £'000 Total £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 Investment Income Investment income 2 85 - 85 7 - 7 69 - 69 Total income 85 - 85 7 - 7 69 - 69 Gains and losses on investments (Losses)/gains on investments held at fair value through profit or loss - (1,199) (1,199) - (8,913) (8,913) - 2,691 2,691 Exchange gains on currency balances - 351 351 - 223 223 - 402 402 Expenses Investment management, management and performance fees 3 - (857) (857) - (512) (512) - (752) (752) Other expenses (225) - (225) (199) - (199) (398) - (398) (Loss)/profit before finance costs and taxation (140) (1,705) (1,845) (192) (9,202) (9,394) (329) 2,341 2,012 Finance costs (18) - (18) (10) - (10) (11) - (11) (Loss)/profit before taxation (158) (1,705) (1,863) (202) (9,202) (9,404) 2,341 2,001 Taxation (12) - (12) - - - (1) - (1) (Loss)/profit for the period/year (170) (1,705) (1,875) (202) (9,202) (9,404) 2,341 2,000 (Loss)/earnings per share 4 (0.3)p (2.6)p (2.9)p (0.3)p (14.0)p (14.3)p (0.5)p 3.5p 3.0p The Company does not have any income or expenses which are not included in the profit for the period. Accordingly the "(loss)/profit for the period" is also the "Total comprehensive income for the period", as defined in IAS 1 (revised) and no separate Statement of Comprehensive Income has been presented. All of the (loss)/profit and total Comprehensive Income for the period is attributable to the owners of the Company. The total column of the statement is the Income Statement of the Company prepared in accordance with IFRS. The supplementary revenue and capital columns are presented for information purposes as recommended by the Statement of Recommended Practice issued by the Association of Investment Companies. All items in the above statement derive from continuing operations. No operations were acquired or discontinued in the period. STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY (Unaudited) Six months ended 30 September 2011 Ordinary Share Capital Share Premium Special Redemption Capital Revenue Capital Account Reserve Reserve Reserve Reserve Total £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 At 31 March 2011 16,239 19,300 30,420 4,893 53,311 (3,345) 120,818 Netlossfor period - - - - (1,705) (170) (1,875) Buyback of shares (271) - (1,947) 271 - - (1,947) At 30 September 2011 15,968 19,300 28,473 5,164 51,606 (3,515) 116,996 (Unaudited) Six months ended 30 September 2010 Ordinary Share Capital Share Premium Special Redemption Capital Revenue Capital Account Reserve Reserve Reserve Reserve Total £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 At 31 March 2010 16,490 19,298 32,021 4,642 50,970 (3,004) 120,417 Net loss for period - - - - (9,202) (202) (9,404) Buy back of shares (23) - (134) 23 - - (134) Refund of issue costs - 2 - - - - 2 At 30 September 2010 16,467 19,300 31,887 4,665 41,768 (3,206) 110,881 (Audited) Year ended 31 March 2011 Ordinary Share Capital Share Premium Special Redemption Capital Revenue Capital Account Reserve Reserve Reserve Reserve Total £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 At 31 March 2010 16,490 19,298 32,021 4,642 50,970 (3,004) 120,417 Net profit/(loss) for the year - - - - 2,341 (341) 2,000 Buy-back of shares (251) - (1,601) 251 - - (1,601) Refund of issue costs - 2 - - - - 2 At 31 March 2011 16,239 19,300 30,420 4,893 53,311 (3,345) 120,818 STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION as at 30 September 2011 (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited) 30 30 31 March September September 2011 2011 2010 £'000 Note £'000 £'000 Non current assets Investments held at fair value through profit or loss 112,731 113,061 128,346 Current assets Other receivables 5,466 643 1,161 Cash and cash equivalents 3,870 5,294 5,691 9,336 5,937 6,852 Total assets 122,067 118,998 135,198 Current liabilities Other payables 5,071 8,117 14,380 5,071 8,117 14,380 Net assets 116,996 110,881 120,818 Equity attributable to equity holders Ordinary share capital 15,968 16,467 16,239 Share premium account 19,300 19,300 19,300 Special reserve 28,473 31,887 30,420 Capital redemption reserve 5,164 4,665 4,893 Capital reserve 51,606 41,768 53,311 Revenue reserve (3,515) (3,206) (3,345) Total equity 116,996 110,881 120,818 Net asset value per share 5 183.2p 168.3p 186.0p CASH FLOW STATEMENT for the six months ended 30 September 2011 (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited) Six months Six months ended ended Year ended 30 30 September September 31 March 2011 2010 2011 £'000 £'000 £'000 Net cash (outflow)/inflow from operating activities (note 6) (298) 13,692 15,376 Net cash (outflow)/inflow before financing (298) 13,692 15,376 Net cash outflow from financing activities (1,874) (8,621) (10,087) Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents (2,172) 5,071 5,289 Cash and cash equivalents at start of period 5,691 - - Realised gain on foreign currency 351 223 402 Cash and cash equivalents at period end 3,870 5,294 5,691 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES The condensed financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, except for the measurement at fair value of investments, and in accordance with IAS 34, applicable accounting standards and with the revised Statement of Recommended Practice 'Financial Statements of Investment Trust Companies and Venture Capital Trusts' dated January 2009 (the "SORP"). Where presentational guidance set out in the revised SORP is consistent with the requirements of International Financial Reporting Standards, the Directors have sought to prepare the condensed financial statements on a basis compliant with the recommendations of the SORP. The same accounting policies used for the year ended 31 March 2011 have been applied. 2. INCOME (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited) Six months Six months Year ended ended ended 30 September 30 September 31 March 2011 2010 2011 £'000 £'000 £'000 Investment income 85 7 69 Total income 85 7 69 3. INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, MANAGEMENT AND PERFORMANCE FEES (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited) Six months Six months ended ended Year ended 30 September 30 September 31 March 2011 2010 2011 £'000 £'000 £'000 Investment management fee 397 336 711 Managementfee 176 158 322 Performance fee accrued/(written back) in the period/year* 284 18 (281) 857 512 752 *In accordance with the performance fee arrangements described on page 12 of the 2011 Annual Report, a performance fee of £284,000 was accrued at the period end (six months ended 30 September 2010: £506,000; year ended 31 March 2011: £nil). NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued) 4. (LOSS)/EARNINGS PER SHARE The (loss)/earnings per share figure is based on the net loss for the six months of £1,875,000 (six months ended 30 September 2010: £9,404,000 loss; year ended 31 March 2011: £2,000,000 gain) and on 64,268,350 shares, (six months ended 30 September 2010: 65,934,855 and year ended 31 March 2011: 65,687,388) being the weighted average number of shares in issue during the period. The (loss)/return per share detailed above can be further analysed between revenue and capital as follows: (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited) Six months Six months ended ended Year ended 30 September 30 September 31 March 2011 2010 2011 £'000 £'000 £'000 Net revenue loss (170) (202) (341) Net capital (1,705) (9,202) 2,341 (loss)/gain Net total (1,875) (9,404) 2,000 (loss)/gain Weighted average number of shares in issue during the period/year 64,268,350 65,934,855 65,687,388 Pence Pence Pence Revenue loss per (0.3) (0.3) (0.5) share Capital (2.6) (14.0) 3.5 (loss)/earnings per share Total (2.9) (14.3) 3.0 (loss)/earnings per share 5. NET ASSET VALUE PER SHARE The net asset value per share is based on the net assets attributable to equity shareholders of £116,996,000 (30 September 2010: £1 10,881,000; 31 March 2011: £120,818,000) and on 63,870,537 shares, (30 September 2010: 65,869,809; 31 March 2011: 64,954,681) being the number of shares in issue at the period end. NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued) 6. RECONCILIATION OF (LOSS)/PROFIT BEFORE TAXATION TO NET CASH (OUTFLOW )/INFLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited) Six months Six months Year ended ended ended 30 30 31 March September September 2011 2011 2010 £'000 £'000 £'000 (Loss)/profit before taxation (1,863) (9,404) 2,001 Losses/(gains) on investments held at fair value through profit or loss 848 8,690 (3,093) Movements in investments held at fair value through profit or loss 417 14,674 17,294 Decrease/(increase) in 33 18 (15) other receivables Increase/(decrease) in 267 (286) (811) other payables Net cash (outflow)/inflow (298) 13,692 15,376 7. TRANSACTION COSTS Purchase and sale transaction costs for the six months ended 30 September 2011 were £229,000 (six months ended 30 September 2010: £256,000; year ended 31 March 2011: £530,000). These costs comprise mainly commission. 8. COMPARATIVE INFORMATION The financial information contained in this interim report does not constitute statutory accounts as defined in section 435(1) of the Companies Act 2006. The financial information for the six months ended 30 September 2011 and 2010 has not been audited, or reviewed by the auditors. The information for the year ended 31 March 2011 has been extracted from the latest published audited financial statements. The audited financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2011 have been filed with the Registrar of the Companies. The report of the auditors on those accounts was unqualified, did not include a reference to any matters to which the auditors drew attention by way of emphasis without qualifying the report and did not contain statements under section 498 of the Companies Act 2006. Frostrow Capital LLP Company Secretary 30 November 2011 0203 008 4913 www.frostrow.com A copy of the interim report has been submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and will shortly be available for inspection at www.hemscott.com/nsm.do The interim report is available on the Company's website at www.biotechgt.com where up to date information on the Company, including daily NAV, share prices and fact sheets, can also be found.
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