Re: Q1 2006 Statement
Cambridge Antibody Tech Group PLC
03 February 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
13.00 GMT, 08.00 EST Friday 3 February 2006
For further information contact:
Cambridge Antibody Technology Weber Shandwick Square Mile (Europe)
Tel: +44 (0) 1223 471 471 Tel: +44 (0) 20 7067 0700
Peter Chambre, Chief Executive Officer Kevin Smith
John Aston, Chief Financial Officer Yvonne Alexander
Rowena Gardner, Director of Corporate Communications Rachel Taylor
BMC Communications/The Trout Group (USA)
Tel: 001 212 477 9007
Brad Miles, ext 17 (media)
Brandon Lewis, ext 15 (investors)
CAMBRIDGE ANTIBODY TECHNOLOGY GROUP PLC: STATEMENT RE: Q1 2006 FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Antibody Technology Group plc (LSE: CAT, NASDAQ:
CATG) today issues this explanatory statement in relation to the first quarter
2006 figures which will be released on Monday 6 February 2006.
CAT's Annual Report for the financial year ended 30 September 2005 was completed
and signed on 28 November 2005 and the auditors, Deloitte & Touche LLP,
(Deloitte) reported on the financial statements contained in the Annual Report
as of that date. In addition to CAT's UK GAAP financial statements, the 2005
Annual Report also contained preliminary reconciliations to International
Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), which were also reported on by Deloitte.
Since that date, there has been continuing debate within the accounting
profession as to the interpretation of IFRS and, in particular, its relationship
with US GAAP and, to a lesser extent, UK GAAP. As a consequence of this debate,
Deloitte have informed CAT that they have altered their view on the
interpretation and application of IFRS as it relates to the treatment of the
US$255 million payment received from Abbott in October 2005 and paid out
immediately to CAT's licensors as a part of the litigation settlement with
Abbott in respect of HUMIRA(R). Previously this receipt and subsequent payment
were accounted for in the same manner as the remainder of the litigation
settlement with Abbott, as an adjusting post balance sheet event, and therefore
included in revenue and direct costs in both the 2005 UK GAAP financial
statements and the preliminary IFRS reconciliations. Deloitte's revised
interpretation and application of IFRS to these payments is that they should be
treated as a non-adjusting post balance sheet event.
Under this revised interpretation and application of IFRS, the US$255m (£144.7m)
received from Abbott and paid out to CAT's licensors in October 2005 would not
be included in 2005 revenues and 2005 direct costs. Accordingly, CATs financial
statements for its 2006 financial year (which will be prepared under IFRS) will
include recognition of revenue and a direct cost in respect of these payments.
It should be emphasised that this is simply a technical accounting adjustment
and there are no implications for cash flow or operating loss.
Consequential on this revised interpretation and application of IFRS, CAT's
Annual Report on Form 20F which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission in the United States in respect of financial year ended 30 September
2005 will contain adjustments to UK GAAP numbers in respect of the matter
referred to above so as to show consistency of treatment between US GAAP, UK
GAAP and IFRS.
- ENDS -
Notes to Editors:
Business:
• CAT is a biopharmaceutical company, aiming to bring improvements to
seriously ill patients' lives and thereby create outstanding returns for
shareholders. CAT seeks to develop products independently and in
collaboration with partners, using its capabilities and technologies in the
discovery and development of new and innovative antibody medicines in
selected therapeutic areas. CAT also seeks to licence its technologies to
enable others to develop new medicines.
Products:
• HUMIRA(R), licensed to Abbott, is the first CAT-derived antibody to be
approved for marketing. It was isolated and optimised in collaboration with
Abbott and has been approved for marketing as a treatment for rheumatoid
arthritis (RA) in 57 countries, and for psoriatic arthritis and early RA in
some European countries and the US.
• There are six further CAT-derived antibodies licensed to partners at
various stages of clinical development: ABT-874 (Abbott), LymphoStat-B(TM),
HGS-ETR1, HGS-ETR2, ABthrax(TM) (all Human Genome Sciences (HGSI)) and MYO-029
(Wyeth). CAT has also licensed its proprietary technologies and patents to
several companies. CAT's licensees include Amgen, Chugai, Dyax, Genzyme,
HGSI, Merck & Co, Micromet, Pfizer and Wyeth, and three antibody drug
candidates are in clinical development at patent licensees.
• There are three further human therapeutic product candidates in clinical
development: CAT-354 and CAT-3888, proprietary CAT products, and GC-1008,
in collaboration with Genzyme.
Collaborations:
• CAT has a broad collaboration with Genzyme for the development and
commercialisation of antibodies directed against TGF beta, a family of
proteins associated with fibrosis and scarring, and with potential
application in the treatment of some cancers.
• CAT has a major strategic alliance with AstraZeneca to discover and
develop human antibody therapeutics, principally in inflammatory disorders.
This provides CAT with the opportunity to build a substantial pipeline of
antibody therapeutics with a significant pharmaceutical partner.
• CAT has a co-development collaboration with Zenyth against GM-CSF
Receptor, a potential drug target in the development of RA.
Science:
• CAT has an advanced proprietary technology for rapidly isolating human
monoclonal antibodies using Phage Display and Ribosome Display systems. CAT
has extensive phage antibody libraries, currently incorporating more than
100 billion distinct antibodies, which form the basis for the Company's
strategy to develop a portfolio of antibody-based drugs.
Business Background:
• CAT is based near Cambridge, UK, with a new site in Palo Alto, USA. CAT
currently employs around 290 people.
• CAT is listed on the London Stock Exchange (CAT) and on NASDAQ (CATG).
• More information can be found at www.cambridgeantibody.com
Application of the Safe Harbor of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995: This press release contains statements about Cambridge Antibody
Technology Group plc ("CAT") that are forward looking statements. All statements
other than statements of historical facts included in this press release may be
forward looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934. These forward looking statements are based on numerous
assumptions regarding the company's present and future business strategies and
the environment in which the company will operate in the future. Certain factors
that could cause the company's actual results, performance or achievements to
differ materially from those in the forward looking statements include: market
conditions, CAT's ability to enter into and maintain collaborative arrangements,
success of product candidates in clinical trials, regulatory developments and
competition. We caution investors not to place undue reliance on the forward
looking statements contained in this press release. These statements speak only
as of the date of this press release, and we undertake no obligation to update
or revise the statements.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange