Annual Financial Report

RNS Number : 2981W

Phytopharm PLC

27 January 2012

 



Phytopharm plc

27 January 2012

Posting of Annual Report

Phytopharm plc announces that it has published its Annual Report and Accounts 2011.

Copies of the Annual Report and Accounts 2011 will shortly be available to view on the Company's website at www.phytopharm.com

Hard copies of the Annual Report and Accounts 2011 have been sent to those shareholders who have elected to continue to receive paper communications.

A copy has also been filed with the UKLA's National Storage Mechanism and will be available for inspection at www.hemscott.com/nsm.do

The unaudited Preliminary Results for the year ended 30 September 2011 were announced on 24 November 2011.

The information contained in Appendix 1 (Principal Risks and Uncertainties) and Appendix 2 (Statement of Directors' Responsibilities), which is extracted from the Annual Report and Accounts 2011, is also included in the announcement for the sole purpose of complying with Rule 6.3.5 of the Disclosure and Transparency Rules of the UK Financial Services Authority. Page numbers and cross-references in the extracted information refer to page numbers and cross-references in the Annual Report and Accounts 2011.

Zoe McGowan
Company Secretary

Appendix 1
Principal Risks and Uncertainties

The nature of pharmaceutical development is such that there are significant inherent risks due to the long and complex development process.

Below are those principal risks and uncertainties that the Board considers could have a material impact on the Group's operational results, financial condition and prospects. These risks are not in any particular order of priority and there may be other risks that are either currently unknown or not considered material which could have a similar impact on the Group's business in the future.

The Board reviews each area of the business at least annually to identify material risks and the controls in place to manage these risks.

Industry risk

In common with other research and development stage businesses, Phytopharm's business risks relate principally to the success of its development programmes and to the need to fund its operations through these. The success of the Group's programmes depends upon the quality of the design and the implementation of each programme. The progress of the development programmes therefore represents the best indicator of the Group's performance. A full review of the programmes is given in the Business Review on pages 8 to 12. 

Financial risk

The Group expects to continue to make losses until it is able to increase its revenues sufficiently. Additional funds such as charitable income, collaboration deals and/or further financing may be required to allow further scope for product development. The availability and timing of such additional external funds represent a material uncertainty, although the Group currently has sufficient funds to finance its operational activities for at least the next twelve months.

Clinical and regulatory risk

Successful commercialisation of the Group's products is likely to depend on successful progress through clinical studies and registration. Development of product candidates involves a lengthy and complex process, and products may not meet the necessary requirements in terms of toxicity, efficacy or safety, or the relevant regulators may not agree with the conclusions of the Group's research and may require further testing or withhold approval altogether.

Competition risk

The Group's success depends on acceptance of the Group's products by the markets, including physicians and third party payers, and consequently the Group's progress may be adversely affected if it is unable to achieve market acceptance of its products. Factors which may affect the rate and level of market acceptance of any of the Group's products include the existence or entry on to the market of superior competing products or therapies and the price of the Group's products compared to competing products and overall cost effectiveness of the product.

Intellectual property risk

The Group's success depends in part on its ability to obtain and maintain protection for its intellectual and proprietary information, so that it can stop others from making, using or selling its inventions or proprietary rights. The Group's patent applications may not be granted and its existing patent rights may be successfully challenged and revoked.

Counterparty risk

The Group relies on third party organisations to conduct its clinical trials and to manufacture its products. If the relationship with, or performance of, any of these partners is adversely affected, the Group's results or operations may be adversely impacted.

The Group also derives revenue or financial support from its collaborators and expects to derive additional support from partnering with certain charitable organisations. If these relationships are adversely affected, or if the products involved fail to continue to make satisfactory progress, the Group's results or operations may be adversely impacted.

 Foreign exchange risk

The Group records its transactions and prepares its financial statements in sterling. Where possible the Group maintains natural hedges by matching foreign currency income with foreign currency expenditure. The Group incurs expenditure in foreign currency relating principally to clinical trials which may exceed any revenues in foreign currencies. To the extent that income and expenditure in foreign currencies are not matched, fluctuations in exchange rates between sterling and foreign currencies, principally USD and EUR, may result in realised or unrealised foreign exchange gains and losses. Where there is certainty of the amount and timing of expenditure of foreign currencies, the Group may purchase financial instruments to minimise any foreign exchange gains or losses. Where the timing and / or the amount to be received is uncertain, risk management is more difficult and the Group will use financial instruments wherever possible. To the extent that financial instruments are not utilised, any fluctuations in foreign exchange movements may have a material adverse impact on the results from operating activities.

Appendix 2
Statement of Directors' Responsibilities

The Directors are responsible for preparing the Annual Report, the Directors' Remuneration Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the Directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the Directors have elected to prepare the Group and parent company financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRSs") as adopted by the European Union ("EU"). Under company law the Directors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Group and the Company and of the profit or loss of the Group for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Directors are required to:

·     select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

·     make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and

·     state whether applicable IFRSs as adopted by the EU have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements.

The Directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the Company's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Company and the Group and enable them to ensure that the financial statements and the Directors' Remuneration Report comply with the Companies Act 2006 and, as regards the Group financial statements, Article 4 of the IAS Regulation. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Company and the Group and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Directors are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the Company's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions. 

Each of the Directors, whose names and functions are listed in the Board of Directors on page 17, confirm that, to the best of their knowledge:

·      the Group's financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the EU, give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and loss of the Group; and

·      the information contained in the Directors' Report and the Business Review includes a fair review of the development and performance of the business and the position of the Group, together with a description of the principal risks and uncertainties that it faces.

 

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