7th Oct 2026 21:17
(Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of updates by London-listed companies, issued on Wednesday and not separately reported by Alliance News:
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PureTech Health PLC - Boston, Massachusetts-based biotech and pharmaceutical company - Notes that its founded entity, Seaport Therapeutics, today announces that the first patient has been dosed in a phase 2a clinical trial in Australia evaluating GlyphAgoTM in adults with generalised anxiety disorder and sleep disturbance. The six-week trial is designed to establish proof-of-pharmacology by evaluating the effects of GlyphAgo on sleep. Seaport expects to report topline data from the trial in early 2028. GlyphAgo is a novel, "Glyphed" oral prodrug of agomelatine, a clinically validated MT1/MT2 melatonin receptor agonist and serotonin 2C (5-HT2C) receptor antagonist. Agomelatine has demonstrated statistically significant separation from placebo in four third-party placebo-controlled studies. Seaport also plans to initiate a global, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2/3 clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of GlyphAgo in patients with GAD in the first half of 2027. Seaport expects topline data from the phase 2/3 trial by the end of 2028.
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Dillistone Group PLC - Basingstoke, England-based software supplier for the international recruitment industry - Plans to broaden its acquisition strategy to include companies outside the software sector in a strategy shift. "Whilst the group will continue to operate its existing software businesses through Ikiru People, the board has concluded that organic growth in a single sector is unlikely on its own to deliver the scale required to maximise long-term shareholder value, or to allow the company to derive proper benefit from its AIM quotation," it says. Believes its position as a quoted company, its access to capital and the experience of its board make it a "credible" acquirer of smaller private businesses, and that a disciplined acquisition programme conducted over a number of years is the most effective route to building shareholder value. Aims to become a serial acquirer and long-term owner of businesses that are cash generative and profitable, acquiring all of, or majority stakes in, businesses. Central to the new strategy will be a "disciplined" approach to capital allocation. It intends to reinvest the cash flows generated by both its existing operations and acquired businesses into further acquisitions, creating a compounding effect over time. To finance the acquisitions the board will consider using existing cash flows, debt, new equity or a combination of these.
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First Class Metals PLC - Canada-focused mining and exploration company - Announces that trading in its ordinary shares on the OTCID basic market starts Wednesday. Says the quotation will broaden access to the company's shares for US investors and enhance its visibility and liquidity in a market with a "strong understanding of mineral exploration". Executive Chair James Knowles says: "Opening trading on the OTC Markets is an important milestone for First Class Metals. US investors now have a more accessible route to participate in our story, and we see a significant opportunity to build our following in a market that understands gold exploration and the potential of Ontario's established mining districts." Knowles says the ambition is to "broaden our shareholder base" and bring "greater visibility" to the value "we are working to unlock across our portfolio".
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Oriole Resources PLC - West and Central Africa-focused gold exploration company - Announces the maiden mineral resource estimate for metamorphosed limestone at its 85%-owned Wapouze project in north-eastern Cameroon. The maiden JORC inferred MRE for the project is 32.2 million tonnes, with weighted average grades of 50.33 weight percent calcium oxide, 1.13wt% magnesium oxide and 6.06wt% silicon dioxide, indicating the potential to support a multi-decade limestone mining operation. The MRE has defined six separate marble domains across the north-eastern part of the licence, covering a cumulative 2.6 kilometre strike length. The company will now also prepare a preliminary economic assessment and is ultimately looking to achieve a royalty-based income that could be used as additional funding for Oriole's gold-focused exploration work in Cameroon.
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Savannah Resources PLC - European-focused lithium producer - Announces further important milestones as it continues to progress the Barroso lithium project in Portugal. Says the project and its associated activities and facilities have been certified as compliant with the ISO 14001 standard and contractor Sedgman, a minerals processing engineering and project delivery company, has been appointed as FEED contractor. Over the next eight months, Sedgman will lead the FEED programme, with a particular focus on the process design, procurement and management of 13 long-lead equipment packages that Savannah considers are critical to maintaining the project's schedule and advancing it towards final investment decision. Savannah will finance down payments and associated costs for these LLEs, which form part of the overall construction costs for the project, from its USD53 million cash and short term treasury reserves. Chief Executive Emanuel Proenca says: "As we continue to prepare for construction next year, more significant news flow can be expected during the remainder of the year. This should include submission of the RECAPE, conditional offers of project finance, updates regarding a second offtake partnership and more key hires for the team."
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CEPS PLC - Bath, England-based investment company focused on industrial sector - Says on Tuesday, Aford Awards Group Holdings Ltd, a 75% owned subsidiary, acquired Primary Teaching Services Ltd for a maximum GBP4.6 million through a newly incorporated company. Payment comprises GBP3.0 million cash payable on completion, GBP846,000 of vendor loan notes, GBP120,000 of shareholder loan notes, GBP8,000 of equity rolled into NewCo and a maximum of GBP600,000 of deferred earn-out consideration linked to the achievement of performance targets for the financial year ending February 28, 2027. The earn out consideration will be satisfied equally in cash and vendor loan notes. Following completion of the acquisition, AAGHL will hold 90% of the issued share capital of NewCo, with the remaining 10% held by the management team. Based in East Yorkshire, PTS is a leading UK supplier of educational motivational products and classroom resources. This "bolt-on" acquisition aligns with CEPS' value creation strategy for shareholders.
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By Jeremy Cutler, Alliance News reporter
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Related Shares:
PureTechDillistoneFirst Class Metals PLCOriole ResourcesSavannah ResourcesCeps