Cancer and immunology specialist Tiziana Life Sciences (TILS) became a popular new constituent on the alternative market in 2014. That is perhaps because members of the company's board have been behind the launch of several multibillion-dollar drugs at other companies. But there has been little progress so far in the development of Tiziana's two main drug candidates, Milciclib and Foralumab - research and development costs in the reported period were down by 73 per cent to £700,000.
It was perhaps this lack of progress that drove shareholders to sell out in the first six months of the year. The stock also reacted badly to the outcome of the referendum amid concerns over the impact of Brexit on funding.
But July saw investors flock back to Tiziana following its €258,000 (£225,375) acquisition of a biobank containing the DNA of residents of the Ogliastra province in Sardinia, home to one of the world's highest proportions of centenarians. Tiziana plans to analyse the samples from the biobank in an attempt to unearth any genetic traits which could make the people of Ogliastra more likely to live longer. Chairman Gabriele Cerrone said this research will allow the company to develop drugs to tackle illnesses caused by genetic faults, and will help contribute to a widening field of global research examining the effect of genetics on longevity.
TIZIANA LIFE SCIENCES (TILS) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD PRICE: | 190p | MARKET VALUE: | £178m | |
| TOUCH: | 185-190p | 12-MONTH HIGH: | 225p | LOW: 102p |
| DIVIDEND YIELD: | nil | PE RATIO: | na | |
| NET ASSET VALUE: | 8p | NET CASH: | £8.3m | |
| Half-year to 30 Jun | Turnover (£m) | Pre-tax profit (£m) | Earnings per share (p) | Dividend per share (p) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | nil | -4.1 | -4.6 | nil |
| 2016 | nil | -2.1 | -2.3 | nil |
| % change | - | - | - | - |
Ex-div: na Payment: na | ||||
