IP Group plc

09/14/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/14/2021 03:12

Diurnal Group plc - Results for the year ended 30 June 2021

Significant progress made during the year with two major regulatory approvals

Alkindi® growth of 18% in core markets despite continued impact of Covid-19 on hospital visits

Post-period, launch of Efmody® in Europe, Diurnal's second product on the market following Alkindi®

Diurnal Group plc (AIM: DNL), the specialty pharmaceutical company targeting patient needs in chronic endocrine (hormonal) diseases, announces its audited results for the year ended 30 June 2021.

Operational highlights (including post-period):

Approved products:

Alkindi® (hydrocortisone granules in capsules for opening)

  • Continued rollout of Alkindi® across Europe with growth in UK, Germany and Italy, despite the impact of Covid-19 on patients' ability to visit hospitals and physicians' ability to switch patients to Alkindi®.
  • Alkindi Sprinkle® approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and subsequent launch in the US by Eton Pharmaceuticals (Eton) in November 2020.
  • Signed distribution agreements to expand the future availability of Alkindi® in Benelux, Switzerland, Turkey and China.
  • Further Alkindi® regulatory approvals in Australia and Israel.

Efmody® (modified-release hydrocortisone)

  • Approval of Efmody® as treatment of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) in adults and adolescents aged 12 years and over.
  • Efmody® commercial roll-out initiated in September 2021 with launches in Germany, Austria and Great Britain.
  • Successful completion of Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) with the FDA for the pivotal Efmody® US Phase 3 study in CAH; study due to commence in Q4 2021.
  • Publication of Efmody® European Phase 3 pivotal trial and extension study data in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM).
  • Signed further distribution agreements for Efmody® in Benelux, Nordic countries, Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria.

Development products:

DITEST™ (native oral testosterone formulation)

  • Positive meeting with the FDA confirming abbreviated 505(b)(2) development pathway, with potential to be the first effective oral native testosterone treatment in an estimated $5.0bn global market.

Financial overview

  • Total revenues for the year were £4,371k (2020: £6,313k), comprising Alkindi® product sales of £2,267k (2020: £2,390k) and licensing income of £2,104k (2020: £3,923k), with lower Alkindi® product sales predominantly due to lower sales to the Company's Nordic distribution partner.
    • Continued growth of Alkindi® sales in core commercial markets of the UK, Germany, Italy and Austria, with proforma sales increasing by 18% in these countries despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
  • Operating loss for the year was £11,600k (2020: £5,392k), reflecting pre-launch commercialisation expenditure for Efmody® and the increase in Research and Development (R&D) expenditure for the set-up costs of upcoming key studies for Efmody® and DITEST™.
  • Cash and cash equivalents were £34,037k (2020: £15,434k), reflecting the completion of two oversubscribed Placing and Open Offers during the year, raising a total of £28,762k after expenses, to open up new markets and indications for Efmody® and to further develop DITEST™ and other early-stage pipeline opportunities.
  • Diurnal expects its cash resources to take its core commercial European cortisol deficiency franchise through to profitability based upon current plans and assumptions, including expectations regarding the timing of product approvals and sales projections.
  • Financial year end to be changed to 31 December, with next statutory reporting due for the 18 month period to 31 December 2022.

Martin Whitaker, CEO of Diurnal, commented:

'Over the past year, Diurnal has continued to make significant progress in its ambition towards becoming a world-leading endocrinology company. We continued to roll-out Alkindi® across Europe and secured FDA approval for the product, which was subsequently launched in the US by our partner Eton. Another key milestone was the approval of our second product, Efmody®, in Europe. The launch is progressing well and we expect to realise synergies in the utilisation of our existing European commercial infrastructure and supply chain from Alkindi® which we anticipate to lead to the rapid uptake of Efmody® as a new treatment option available for patients suffering from CAH as the launch gains momentum.

'In our pipeline, we are excited to progress our development strategy for Efmody® in the US, as well as the clinical development of DITEST™, with an IND application expected to be filed later this year. We continue to believe that Diurnal is well positioned with sufficient cash resources to take our core commercial European cortisol deficiency franchise through to profitability and look forward to reporting on further operational and commercial progress in this current financial period.'

Martin Whitaker, Chief Executive Officer, and Richard Bungay, Chief Financial Officer, will provide a live presentation relating to the Company's financial results today via the Investor Meeting Company platform at 11:00 BST.

The online presentation is open to all existing and potential shareholders. Investors can sign up to Investor Meet Company for free and interested parties can register to attend the presentation via the following link: https://www.investormeetcompany.com/diurnal-group-plc/register-investor .

In the audited results for the year ended 30 June 2021:

  • 'bn', 'm' and 'k' represent billion, million and thousand, respectively
  • 'Group' is the Company and its subsidiary undertakings, Diurnal Limited and Diurnal Europe B.V.

This is a business press release containing financial information and/or data for the benefit of shareholders and potential investors. Data are included to allow informed investment decisions.

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) 596/2014 (MAR).

For further information

Please visitwww.diurnal.co.uk or contact:

Diurnal Group plc

+44 (0)20 3727 1000

Martin Whitaker, Chief Executive Officer

Richard Bungay, Chief Financial Officer

Panmure Gordon (UK) Limited (Nominated Adviser and Sole Broker)

+44 (0)20 7886 2500

Corporate Finance: Freddy Crossley, Emma Earl

Corporate Broking: Rupert Dearden

FTI Consulting (Media and Investor Relations)

+44 (0)20 3727 1000

Simon Conway

Victoria Foster Mitchell

Alex Davis

Notes to Editors

About Diurnal Group plc

Diurnal Group plc is a European, UK-headquartered, specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing hormone therapeutics to aid lifelong treatment for rare and chronic endocrine conditions, including congenital adrenal hyperplasia, adrenal insufficiency, hypogonadism and hypothyroidism. Its expertise and innovative research activities focus on circadian-based endocrinology to yield novel product candidates in the rare and chronic endocrine disease arena.

For further information about Diurnal, please visit www.diurnal.co.uk