Autogen Limited - An Overview, Investee Profile: Alchemia, Bio Shares, The Deloitte Biotech Index

Australasian Biotechnology, Volume 9 Number 5, November/December 1999, pp. 250-263

Autogen Limited - An Overview, Investee Profile: Alchemia, BIO SHARES, The Deloitte Biotech Index

Code Number: AU99014

Autogen Limited - An Overview

Summary of Announcement

Agreement in principle for:

i) a placement of 15% of Company's shares at 25 cents per share to Merck Lipha s.a.

ii) Merck Lipha s.a. to fund Autogen's Human Genetics Project conducted by International Diabetes Institute _ US$1 million per annum for 6 years.

iii) Jean-Noel Treilles, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer or Merck Lipha s.a., to be appointed a Director of Autogen.

Investee Profile: Alchemia

Alchemia has attracted its third round of venture capital funding. The commitment of $4 million from Coates Myer IIF Fund brings the amount of equity capital raised by Alchemia to $8 million.

Alchemia is developing a novel technology that enables the cost effective manufacture of carbohydrates employing purely chemical synthetic methodology. The immediate commercial applications of Alchemia's technology are in the areas of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical development.

BIO SHARES

Covering Australian Biotechnology Stocks

BIO SHARES

The Deloitte Biotech Index

A Review of Key Biotechnology Stocks Listed on the Australian Stock Exchange - December 1999 _ 1st Edition
Summary

The Deloitte Biotech Index focuses exclusively on 29 listed biotechnology companies, excluding the "Blue Chip" healthcare companies found in the ASX Healthcare and Biotech Index.

The biggest companies considered in the Index are Biota, Cochlear, CSL, Novogen and Polartechnics.

Deloitte Biotech Index results include:

From January 1997 to October 1998, the NASDAQ Biotech Index, the ASX All Ordinaries Index, and the ASX Healthcare and Biotech Index performed similarly.
Since October 1998, the largest part of the indice increases have occurred, led by the Deloitte Biotech Index and the NASDAQ Biotech Index.
Newly listed biotechnology stocks have generally been remarkably successful.

The rapid evolution of the Australian biotechnology sector has seen biotech stocks outstrip the ASX All Ordinaries Index more than five-fold in Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu's inaugural Biotechnology Index.