INTERIM REPORT JANUARY-JUNE 2008 (Q2) FROM SCN

Report this content

Scandinavian Clinical Nutrition AB, listed on NGM Equity and Oslo Axess, today releases the interim report for the first half year and second quarter of 2008. The entire report can be found in the attached pdf file, and on the company’s website www.scnutrition.com.

January-June 2008 in brief for the SCN group

• Net sales for the period amounted to MSEK 29.4 (3.8)

• Operating result amounted to MSEK -21.8 (-20.1)

• Profit for the period amounted to MSEK -24.2 (-18.6)

• Cash flow for the period amounted to MSEK -15.4 (0.6)

• Earnings per share, basic and diluted, amounted to SEK -1.64 (-1.87)

• Scandivir AB has been established and started to work with R&D related to viral obesity

• SCN has achieved “proof of concept” through the establishment of the trademark CUUR on the US market

 

Highlights January-June 2008

The market for SCN’s products is characterized by strong seasonal variations. Depending on the indication, the products have different sales peaks during the year, creating significant variations between different quarters. This makes it difficult to make any predictions for the full year based on a quarterly report.

 

During the first half of 2008, SCN has achieved “proof of concept” for the company’s strategy to build brand values by establishing trademarks in cooperation with established and prominent business partners. This has been done in USA, which is the world’s largest market for nutraceuticals, and therefore top priority for SCN. The weight loss product CUUR has been successfully launched into all three US sales channels (retail, direct response and direct sales), supported by marketing and branding campaigns. During Q2, several of the largest mass market accounts have re-ordered, which shows that the product is moving off shelf. There are also indications that even larger accounts are about to order, indicating that the momentum created by SCN’s branding activities is paying off.

 

CUUR has been established in USA in a short time in spite of a small organization and low fixed costs. The marketing investments have been considerable, but by cooperating with prominent partners like Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc., and by using the network of key employees in the US subsidiary, SCN has managed to get more value out of each invested marketing dollar than most of the competition. With the organization and network in place and a successful case to build on, the US subsidiary will now move on to the cold product Coldizin, which will be launched on the US mass market during Q3 together with Inverness (see also below).

 

SCN is also working towards markets outside USA through the Danish subsidiary, using the same strategy – to work with established partners, in order to gain local knowledge and keep the costs low at group level. During the first half of 2008, Coldizin and Immulina have been launched on additional markets, Membra7 has been launched in Scandinavia, and in early Q3 a new contract for Coldizin was signed with a prominent French distributor. Negotiations are ongoing for several other markets world-wide.

 

The foundation for SCN’s strategy is that every product has solid clinical documentation, and therefore, continuous R&D work is a vital part of the company’s business. Several interesting products are in pipeline for launch in one or more markets, and one of the most promising cases is in the hands of the subsidiary Scandivir AB. During Q2, SCN has entered into an exclusive agreement with the prominent obesity researcher Professor Richard Atkinson regarding the obesity virus AD36, and R&D work has been initiated. Regarding the existing portfolio, SCN has also initialized a process aiming to register the substance troxerutin (the active ingredient in Coldizin) as an OTC drug, thereby increasing the value of the product and the brand. The company has also entered into a Danish research consortium, aiming to find better methods for developing safe and effective nutraceuticals. Several studies are also ongoing within the 10-year Network of Excellence that SCN has established with Karolinska Institutet.

 

Regarding financials, a capitalization process has been carried out during Q2-Q3 in cooperation with Glitnir to fund the two Coldizin projects (the US mass market launch and the OTC registration process). Through the new share issue, SCN is provided with MSEK 30 in funds after costs associated with the issue.

For more information, please contact:

Thomas Christensen, CEO, tc@scnutrition.com, +47 922 55 444

Ulf Söderberg, Chairman of the Board, us@scnutrition.com, +46 708 13 22 81

Scandinavian Clinical Nutrition AB (publ) works in R&D and distribution of clinically tested, scientifically documented products within the field of nutrition (nutraceuticals). Established in 2006, SCN maintains a product portfolio with established trademarks, such as CUUR, Coldizin, Immulina, Membra7 and Ledactin. Core competence and strategic alliances, within both R&D and sales, in combination with innovative and clinically proven products, create good conditions for profitable growth both in Sweden and internationally. The shares of SCN are traded under the ticker “SCN” on Oslo Axess (www.osloaxess.no) and NGM Equity (www.ngm.se).For more information, please visit www.scnutrition.com.