Fourth quarter and preliminary results 2003
04.02.2004 - Nutri Pharma ASA (OSE: NUT) today announced that its loss for 2003 was NOK 10.5 million compared to a loss of NOK 66.6 million in 2002....
Nutri Pharma ASA (OSE: NUT) today announced that its loss for 2003 was NOK 10.5 million compared to a loss of NOK 66.6 million in 2002. Mainly as a result of the joint venture with Nycomed being dissolved from Jan 1 2003, total revenues were NOK 11 million, down from NOK 51.3 million in 2002.
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All figures in NOK 1000 |
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INCOME STATEMENT |
2003 |
2002 |
2001 |
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Total revenue |
10 999 |
51263 |
15874 |
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Total operating expenses |
31 867 |
132 155 |
176 357 |
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Results of operations |
-20 868 |
-80 892 |
-160 483 |
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Total financial income and expenses |
10 348 |
14 307 |
27 567 |
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Ordinary profit before taxes |
-10 520 |
-66 586 |
-132 916 |
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Tax on ordinary results |
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-233 |
| Results of the period |
-10 520 |
-66 586 |
-133 149 |
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EPS (NOK) |
-0.15 |
-0.93 |
-1.77 |
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BALANCE SHEET |
Dec 31 2003 |
Dec 31 2002 |
Dec 31 2001 |
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Total long term assets |
11 569 |
26 051 |
31 071 |
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Total current assets |
26 635 |
234 251 |
308 269 |
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Total assets |
38 204 |
260 301 |
339 340 |
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Total equity |
34 635 |
242 171 |
309 959 |
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Total liabilities |
3 569 |
18 130 |
29 381 |
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Total equity and liabilities |
38 204 |
260 301 |
339 340 |
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In 2003 Nutri Pharma and Nycomed Pharma AS agreed to dissolve Nutrition Partners, the 50/50 joint venture, effective from January 1 2003. The parties entered into a new agreement whereby Nycomed is granted an exclusive license to sell Nutrilett in the Nordic countries and the Baltic states. Nutri Pharma will receive royalty on all sales of Nutrilett. Sales of Nutrilett® in the Nordic countries during 2003 amounted to NOK 68.8 million compared to NOK 77.8 million in 2002. The main reasons for this decline were increased competition from other dieting programs and a NOK 3 million inventory reduction in Sweden. In December, Ferd Private Equity acquired the consumer health division of Nycomed where Nutrilett is one of the core brands. Mills
In September the Norwegian consumer goods company Mills DA (part of the Agra Group which is partly owned by Unilever) launched two new pâtés under its Vita brand containing plant oils, one of which also contains Abacor. The Vita brand is positioned as an active part of a cholesterol conscious diet. This was the first launch of a food product containing Abacor. The launch is limited to Norway and will generate limited royalty revenue for Nutri Pharma in the short term.Allied Bakeries
On January 16 2004 Nutri Pharma entered into a 5 year licence agreement with Allied Bakeries, the leading bread manufacturer in the UK, for the use of Abacor® in its Burgen bread brand. The launch on January 28 included cholesterol-lowering bread based on Nutri Pharma’s patented technology.
The agreement with Allied Bakeries is the result of several years of product development work whereby Allied Bakeries and Nutri Pharma have worked together to solve taste, process and technological issues related to Abacor® in bread. These developments have led to a broadening of the Nutri Pharma patent portfolio.US - Scan Diet™
Sales of Scan Diet™ declined further in 2003 largely due to discontinued product lines, less marketing support and the rapid growth of low carbohydrate diets in this market. Sales amounted to USD 3.1 million in 2003, down from USD 11.2 million in 2002. As royalty revenues are expected to decline further and the prospects for Scan Diet after December 2004 are uncertain, Nutri Pharma has written off all intangible fixed assets related to the license agreement with GNC totalling NOK 8.6 million. Nutri Pharma is exploring alternative strategies in the US market. Australia/New Zealand - Nutriplan™
In 2003 Mayne decided to divest several non-core businesses and brands, one of which was Nutriplan™. Mayne and Nutri Pharma have agreed to terminate the licence agreement and Nutriplan™ will not be available in the Australian and New Zealand markets until a new partner can be found.
While Nutri Pharma’s investment in R&D was limited in 2003 the Company’s scientific and intellectual property position was broadened as a result of finalized studies representing R&D investments from previous years. The results of several clinical studies was presented at scientific meetings in 2003 and submitted for publication, of which the most important are summarised below:At the New Functional Ingredients and Foods Congress in Copenhagen in April 2003, a comparative study, emanating from a recent patent application, documents that Nutri Pharma’s soy composition Abacor®, is more than twice as effective in lowering cholesterol compared to the best commercially available isolated soy protein (ISP). Average reduction of LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol were 9.7% and 8.0% by Abacor and 5.4% and 3.4% by the ISP, respectively. These results are statistically significant. This randomized, double-blind study was conducted in Berlin/Germany in cooperation with the German Institute for Food Research.At the European Congress on Obesity in Helsinki in May 2003, Nutri Pharma’s low energy diet was reported to result in more weight and cholesterol reduction when compared directly to the Slim Fast product.At the 5th International Soy Symposium in Orlando in September 2003, Nutri Pharma announced the results of a study on its newly developed ISP. This placebo-controlled, double-blind study of 120 hypercholesterolemic individuals demonstrated that Nutri Pharma’s new ISP is approximately twice as effective at lowering serum cholesterol values compared to the best commercially available ISP. Average reductions of LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol were 9.4% and 10.7% for the new soy protein from Nutri Pharma, compared to 5.4% and 5.8% with the best commercially available ISP. These results are statistically significant.Also, at the Soy Symposium, a meta-analysis conducted at the University of Kentucky, USA showed that Nutri Pharma’s soy based low and very low energy diets lowered total and LDL cholesterol levels significantly more than other diets. Average reduction of cholesterol with Nutri Pharma’s weight reduction products varied from 20% to 33%. Literature from 1980-2001 was reviewed. Out of the 207 publications studied 47 met the criteria.Nutri Pharma’s IP position internationally is founded on a broad patent portfolio of patents covering compositions of soy ingredients, improved soy proteins, process technologies and methods of use claims. New composition patents were granted in 2003 both in Europe and in the U.S. covering cholesterol lowering dietary and functional food products. In addition, the patents cover combinations with other cholesterol lowering substances such as sterols and/or stanol esters, in order to prevent or alleviate cardiovascular diseases or disorders associated with the metabolic syndrome. Nutri Pharma is reviewing its patent portfolio in order to optimize the portfolio from a commercial point of view. In November 2001, Protein Technologies International Inc., a subsidiary of DuPont, filed an opposition against one of Nutri Pharma’s patents regarding Nutri Pharma’s proprietary technology of combining soy proteins and fibres granted by The European Patent Office. On 18 September 2002 Nutri Pharma filed a response to the opposition and will continue to defend this patent.
Upcoming financial events 2004
April 27, 2004 Presentation of Q1 2004
For further information, please contact
Eirik Uboe, CEO +47 412 92 712

