Spain’s Zeltia has posted a major rise in revenues and a significant loss reduction for 2009, driven by sales of its anti-cancer treatment Yondelis.
Turnover reached 123.4 million euros, a rise of 17.2%, while earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation came in at a loss of 16.1 million euros. That represents an improvement of 48.3% on the year before.
The figures reflect a rise in revenues from Yondelis (trabectedin) which is approved for the treatment of advanced soft tissue sarcoma and ovarian cancer in the European Union. Sales of the drug reached 44.1 million euros, while Zeltia’s Genomica unit contributed 7.3 million euros, up 37%; the rest of the Madrid-headquartered group’s income came from its consumer chemicals division.
Zeltia ended the reporting period with 30.5 million euros in cash and equivalents, and notes that its average monthly burn rate declined 34% compared to 2008 to an average of 2 million euros per month.
Meantime, fellow Spanish firm Almirall has posted a 2.5% rise in sales to 925.5 million euros, while net income increased 11.3% to 151.5 million euros. The latter figure was helped by the disposal of 13 “non-actively promoted products from the Spanish portfolio” which had had 2008 sales of 8 million euros.
Almirall added that it expects “flat to slightly declining sales” for 2010 and “a continuation of ongoing cost containment efforts”. The latter will not include R&D as the Barcelona-based group noted that it has 13 projects in clinical trials, headed by the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease drug Eklira (aclidinium bromide).
