14th Nov 2005 07:01
Bespak PLC14 November 2005 For immediate release 14 November 2005 Bespak plc Trading update for the 26 weeks to 29 October 2005 Bespak plc (LSE: BPK), a leader in specialty medical devices, announces thattrading in the first half was in line with its expectations. There has beenreplenishment of the CFC valve supply chain in the US following the FDA rulingon phase-out of CFC albuterol formulations, continuing growth in HFA valve salesand inventory building by customers of US-manufactured products in advance ofclosure of the Cary facility. Looking ahead, two key events will continue to influence Bespak's performance.Firstly, customers in the US are continuing to develop their marketing plans forthe replacement of CFC with HFA in albuterol formulations by December 2008.Secondly, Bespak awaits the approval of Exubera(R). In September the FDA'sclinical advisory panel recommended approval of Exubera(R) in the US, whilst inOctober the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the EMEArecommended approval of Exubera(R) in Europe. In the second half, we expect additional expenditure to strengthen thebusinesses, general inflationary cost pressures and reversal of inventorybuilding by customers of previously US-manufactured products that have beentransferred to the UK, which leads us to be cautious in the short term. However,we are increasingly confident in the prospects for growth from Exubera(R). Bespak will report its interim results on 18 January 2006. For further information, please contact: Bespak plc Tel: +44 (0) 1908 525 241 Mark Throdahl - Chief ExecutiveMartin Hopcroft - Group Finance Director Buchanan Communications Tel: +44 (0) 20 7466 5000 Tim Thompson / Mark Court / Mary-Jane Johnson About Bespak plc Bespak, a specialty medical devices company, is at the forefront of developingnew delivery systems for the pharmaceutical industry. The company has a productrange covering metered dose inhalers, dry powder devices, actuators andcompliance aids. The company also develops and manufactures drug deliverydevices for leading global pharmaceutical companies. The group, which hasfacilities in King's Lynn and Milton Keynes in the UK, is a public companyquoted on the Official List of the London Stock Exchange (LSE: BPK). For moreinformation, please visit www.bespak.com. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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