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PRESS RELEASE: Interim Report of BB BIOTECH AG as -2-
29.07.2010 -
PRESS RELEASE: Interim Report of BB BIOTECH AG as of June 30, 2010
BB BIOTECH AG / Interim Report of BB BIOTECH AG as of June 30, 2010 processed and transmitted by Hugin AS. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Valuation of biotechnology companies at historic lows
In its Interim Report, BB BIOTECH looked back on a difficult first half-year
period for 2010. The most relevant topics were the impact of the US healthcare
reform and of government austerity measures in the European healthcare sector,
and the weakness of the euro. These discussions have unsettled investors and
have led to hectic and at times exaggerated market reactions. During the first
half-year period, BB BIOTECH's share price declined by -19.5% (in CHF,
dividend-adjusted). In order to profit increasingly from the growth potential of
small and medium-sized biotech companies, the management team will, in future,
increase the weighting of such companies in the portfolio. BB BIOTECH is
confident of the second half-year period and expects a positive flow of news
from its portfolio companies, good operating results and a more objective debate
on the impact of the healthcare reforms.
Review of the biotechnology market
Attention at the beginning of the year was focused on US healthcare reform but
in the second quarter of 2010 it shifted to the European debt crisis and the
resulting weakness of the euro as well as government austerity measures. Cutting
the prices of drugs was one of the options floated by policymakers for reducing
government spending. However, they have conceded that drug makers must maintain
an innovative edge notwithstanding the general pressure on costs. Most of the
price cuts imposed by Spain, for instance, concerned older generic products,
which account for 25% of all drugs. Innovative medications were affected at a
rate of between 4% and 7.5%. Germany will also impose price cuts in August,
which will be in the order of 5% to 10%. However, the majority of the additional
contributions will once again be borne by the insured parties from 2011, as
insurance premiums will be raised from 14.9% to 15.5%. Some of these measures
are limited in time, therefore in the coming years a return to normality is
expected. One should also not forget that prices in the European market have
been cut before, too.
In such an environment the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index retreated about 15% (in
USD) during the course of the second quarter. Shares of well-established
profitable companies as well as small and mid-cap stocks declined more than the
broader equity markets. Despite a positive flow of news from our portfolio
companies, BB BIOTECH shares could not shrug off the negative sector trend and
closed the quarter with a sequential loss of 16% (in CHF). During the first-half
period BB BIOTECH AG's share price declined by -19.5% (in CHF,
dividend-adjusted) and its Net Asset Value receded 16.9%. The deliberate
overweighting of the core portfolio holdings was a disadvantage in the preceding
months because even profitable biotechnology companies were marked down.
Review of the portfolio in the second quarter
Actelion (-16%, in CHF), our largest position, presented positive data from an
early-stage clinical trial with selexipag for patients with pulmonary arterial
hypertension (PAH). Selexipag, together with Macitentan, constitutes the
cornerstone of the company's development program to strengthen and maintain its
PAH franchise.
Celgene (-18%, in USD) reported positive Phase III data on Revlimid for multiple
myeloma. This data supports our view that Revlimid has considerable growth
potential in the coming years. At the end of June the company took advantage of
the sector's low valuations and acquired Abraxis BioScience for USD 2.9 bn.
Abraxis BioScience already has a product in the market for breast cancer.
Despite good Phase III data on Telaprevir in the treatment of hepatitis C,
Vertex shares were down 20% (in USD) over the reporting period. Data from two
more Phase III studies will be published in the months ahead and we expect them
to confirm the product's commercial potential. Regulatory approval is expected
to be given next year.
Novo Nordisk (+16%, in DKK) published excellent quarterly results and increased
its guidance for current-year profit growth to 10% to 13%. The market launch of
its diabetes drug Victoza has gone well in both the USA and Europe while
potential competing products have suffered some setbacks. Together with the
positive clinical data on Degludec, a long-acting insulin, this news confirmed
the outlook for longer-term double-digit profit growth at Novo Nordisk.
Gilead Sciences has seen its share price retreat more than 25% (in USD) during
the past three months. First-quarter results were disappointing because the
market had underestimated the impact of US healthcare reform. The current
valuation with a 2010 P/E of 10 reflects market skepticism about the company's
future growth. We are confident that Gilead Sciences can defend its leading
market position in the treatment of HIV.
Valuations are at historically low levels and operating results have been good
so we are making no changes to our core portfolio holdings. The current market
environment offers attractive opportunities for investing in small and mid-sized
companies and we will be increasing the weighting of such companies in our
portfolio strategy going forward. The aim is to establish the next generation of
core portfolio holdings, which have shown potential for significant price
increases due to their innovative products and technologies. Additional buying
in the second quarter was financed by an increase in the leverage from 102.2% to
114.6%. In this context the Management Team established four promising new
positions in the second quarter:
- Biomarin develops and markets drugs for treating rare genetic
diseases. The company already has three drugs in the market and more interesting
drug candidates are in the pipeline.
- Alexion's Soliris product for treating paroxysmal nocturnal
hemoglobinuria (PNH), a rare and potentially life-threatening blood disorder,
has received marketing approval in a number of countries. Possible line
extensions would further increase the market potential of Soliris in the coming
years.
- Halozyme has developed a technology platform for easier and better
delivery of protein and peptide-based drugs. Halozyme's technology is now being
used to explore new formulations of major products already in the market, such
as Herceptin and Rituxan (both from Roche).
- Idenix has an early-stage but broad pipeline of drug candidates for
the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV). Positive Phase II data on its
nucleotide inhibitor IDX184 were recently presented.
Major biotechnology companies have projected that US healthcare reform will
lower their total revenues by -0.5% to -2.0%, which is roughly in line with
expectations. According to our own analysis, austerity measures in Europe will
have a similar impact on top-line revenues.
Outlook and positioning
The second quarter reporting season and company statements on their outlook for
the rest of the year will provide more clarity. Initial company statements from
the larger companies reflect an intensification of the price policy in Europe,
which in turn can be observed in the figures for the second half-year period.
The companies have been affected in a similar manner as was the case with the US
healthcare reform, which reduced turnover by -0.5% to -2.0%. We expect a more
objective debate on the impact of the reforms and on the deficit-cutting efforts
in the US and in Europe. Market expectations for the biotech sector in the
current and coming year are already low. An improvement in operating results and
the approval and launch of several innovative drugs with multi-billion dollar
potential in the next 12 to 24 months will be reflected in share prices as time
goes by. If valuations do remain where they are, there will likely be more
acquisitions. In fact, several larger companies have already begun to use their
free cash flow to finance substantial share buybacks.
We do not rule out the short-term possibility that the market will come to
different conclusions in its analysis and evaluation of our strategy and stock
selection. We are confident that the aforementioned negative factors are already
anticipated in the current share prices and that the sector is trading at very
attractive levels, as determined in our fundamental analysis.
The complete Interim Report as at June 30, 2010, and a webcast with Dr. Daniel
Koller (in German) are available on www.bbbiotech.com
For further information:
Bellevue Asset Management AG, Seestrasse 16, 8700 Küsnacht/Zurich
Thomas Egger, Phone +41 44 267 67 09, teg@bellevue.ch
Company profile
BB BIOTECH invests in companies in the fast growing market of biotechnology and
is one of the world's largest investors with CHF 1.2 bn asset under management
in this sector. BB BIOTECH is listed in Switzerland, Germany and Italy. Its
investments are focused on listed companies that are developing and
commercializing novel medical treatments and cures. BB BIOTECH's investment
selection process is guided by the fundamental research and analysis of
physicians and molecular biologists. Its Board of Directors has many years of
experience in industry and science.
Composition of BB BIOTECH's portfolio as at June 30, 2010
(in % of securities, rounded values)
CORE HOLDINGS
Actelion 20.8%
(MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones Newswires
July 29, 2010 01:31 ET (05:31 GMT)
PRESS RELEASE: Interim Report of BB BIOTECH AG as -2-
Celgene 17.8%
Gilead 15.5%
Vertex Pharmaceuticals 12.7%
SMALL PARTICIPATIONS
Novo Nordisk 5.5%
Micromet 2.8%
Incyte 2.6%
Immunogen 2.6%
Zymogenetics 2.4%
Amgen 2.1%
Genzyme 2.1%
Roche Holding GS 1.7%
Intercell 1.5%
Arena Pharmaceuticals 1.3%
Alexion Pharmaceuticals 1.3%
Biomarin Pharmaceutical 1.3%
Optimer Pharmaceuticals 1.1%
Affymetrix 0.9%
Bavarian Nordic 0.9%
Basilea Pharmaceutica 0.9%
Biogen Idec 0.6%
Elan 0.5%
Probiodrug (1)) 0.5%
Cosmo Pharmaceuticals (2)) 0.1%
Idenix Pharmaceuticals 0.1%
Halozyme Therapeutics 0.1%
SWAP agreement on treasury shares <0.1%
Cosmo Pharmaceuticals put option (long) (2)) <0.1%
Vertex put option (short) <(0.1%)
Total securities CHF 1 341.4 mn
Liquid funds (net) CHF (178.1) mn
Other assets CHF 10.3 mn
Other payables CHF (3.5) mn
Total shareholder's equity CHF 1 170.1 mn
Treasury shares (in % of company)( 3)) 13.0%
1) Unlisted company
2) Exchange from shares BioXell due to the acceptance of the public tender offer
of Cosmo Pharmaceuticals
3) Correspond to the total of all own shares held in Switzerland, Germany and
Italy including the second trading line
[HUG#1434540]
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BB BIOTECH AG
Vordergasse 3 Schaffhausen Switzerland
WKN: AONFN3;ISIN: CH0038389992;
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 29, 2010 01:31 ET (05:31 GMT)
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