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24 October, 2006: Munich (Germany) - Following the approval of the sales prospectus by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) the Munich-based biopharmaceutical company WILEX AG announced details of its planned IPO. The shares are to be placed in Germany via a public offering to private and institutional investors. Additionally, the shares are to be placed with selected institutional investors via a private placement in Europe. The company is currently conducting a roadshow to present itself to German and international institutional investors. The price range, which is being determined in a decoupled bookbuilding procedure based on the results of discussions with investors, is expected to be determined and announced on November 6, 2006. It is expected that prospective investors can subscribe to shares from November 7 to 9, 2006. The start of trading in the Prime Standard segment of the Official Market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange is scheduled for November 13, 2006. WestLB, Düsseldorf, acts as Sole Lead Manager and Sole Bookrunner and Sal. Oppenheim, Cologne, acts as Co-Lead Manager of the transaction.
Up to 4.6 million shares including an over-allotment option (greenshoe) of up to 600,000 shares are being made available for subscription in conjunction with the offering. Up to 4,000,000 shares result from a capital increase resolved by the ordinary shareholders' meeting on September 11, 2006. The executive management board with the approval of the supervisory board may resolve the issuance of up to 600,000 ordinary bearer shares resulting from a capital increase from authorised capital. Therefore, the offering could increase the current share capital from 7,962,754 shares to up to 12,562,754 shares The current shareholders are not releasing their holdings.
The Company will use the proceeds from the IPO primarily to finance the further development of its drug and medical product candidates. WILEX focuses on the development of new cancer therapies based on antibodies and small molecules. The therapeutic objective of WILEX is to develop products that prevent the growth, spread and metastasis of malignant tumours in the body and/or help to destroy the tumours. Four substances are currently in the clinical development stage. Following approval, the various drug candidates could be used to treat a variety of indications such as renal, breast, ovarian, gastric, pancreatic and intestinal cancer. The Company's lead drug candidate, the antibody WX-G250 (development name RENCAREX®), is currently being tested in an international Phase III regulatory approval trial for the treatment of patients with non-metastatic clear cell renal cell cancer without detectable metastases after complete or partial removal of the affected kidney. The medical product candidate CA9-SCAN shall be used as an imaging diagnosis product in planning the surgical therapy of patients with suspected renal cell carcinoma.
"With the IPO we are taking another major step toward realising our company's vision. It is our strategy to make WILEX a profitable biopharmaceutical company with a large portfolio of new drugs and medical products for the treatment of cancer," said Peter Llewellyn Davies, Chief Financial Officer and member of the board of WILEX AG.
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