Ronan O'Caoimh
Analyst · CJS Securities. Please go ahead
Thanks, Jim. I’m going to review our revenue for the quarter, before opening the call for question-and-answer session. Our revenue for the quarter were $25.24 million, up from $25.03 million in the corresponding quarter, which is an increase of 1%. However, when the impact of the strengthening dollar is excluded and the actual increase in the revenue for the quarter is 5.7%, which is all organic growth at the Immco and blood banking acquisitions were completed in 2013. And our current features of HIV revenues for the quarter were $4.7 million, up from $4.5 million, which is an increase of 4.4%. African sales performed well, showing growth of 5%. In the U.S., our HIV sales increased 3% over the prior quarter with hospital sales performing strongly aided by the fact that we are now selling HIV-1, HIV-2 combination products since we got the HIV-2 FDA approval last year. Public health HIV spend continues to be depressed, with sales flat when compared with the prior year. In December, as you know we were delighted to receive a CLIA waiver for our Rapid Syphilis product. This means we have the only FDA approved Rapid Syphilis test and also the only CLIA waived Rapid Syphilis test available in the United States. Therefore, this is a total new market and it's difficult to estimate the size revenues will be. The most obvious comparison and really the only comparable product is the CLIA waiver rapid HIV products and that is sold by synergy OraSure and combined where we share the market of $15 million of CLIA waived HIV revenues, which sell mostly to the public health departments and community-based organizations throughout the United States. And its probably to say a half percentage of this HIV market and syphilis market will transfer to be, but we can’t say though is that we are ideally positioned to maximize its potential, as we already serve the public health market, with our direct sales force and sell our HIV product to the same target demographic. And secondly, we have been in contract with all 50 public United States public health departments and most city public health departments. And especially can tell all our initiating of purchasing plan. And however, this takes time. As in each case its almost purchasing decision is needed followed by the sourcing of funding, and then we have the establishment of procedures, sometimes establishment of the pilot, and of course training of personnel. Basically, we estimate 120 to 150 day process. And our current indications are that all of the states will buy. In addition, we have been inundated with approaches from community-based organizations, Planned Parenthood, health clinics, and community health centers; we are receiving by the way huge support from the CDC in all our efforts. And in summary, this is going to be very significant, but it is too early to quantify. And moving onto our clinical laboratory business increased from $20.5 million to currency adjusted $21.7 million, which is an increase of 6% our diabetes business grew 13% over the prior corresponding quarter; and given the quarter we placed an excessive 100 premier instruments with all of our key markets Menarini in Europe, Brazil, China and U.S. performance strongly. Last year, we placed 460 instruments and their expectations as we will match are modestly be that placement during 2015 moving onto our infective disease business, excluding Immco this business grew 3% from currency and impacted exclude this. The Lyme confirmation component of the business was down $400,000 compared with the prior year due directly to last year’s severe winter. But all of the other components of the business performance strongly but most stronger than the U.S. business continues to benefit from the advantage of having the Immco autoimmune business added to it while China continues to grow strongly. Moving now onto Immco sales, we acquired 20 months ago and we are pleased to report that we grew the business over 20% over the past year. The business has been successfully integrated and the Immco autoimmune products range is helping us to grow our existing infective disease business as I just mentioned. The highlights at Immco has been success in our Sjogrens test, which is a dry eye test, which we do not sell to laboratories around the country, we run this in our own laboratory in Buffalo. Sales of this test during the quarter exceeded $600,000 following its launch last June. Finally, as Jim said, relating to Troponin the trial is going very, very well and we’re confident the significant wonderful product to the FDA. And lastly before I hand over to questions and answers I just like to address our recent one-time item, as you aware we raised $115 million just over $110 million after the full service fees in the form of a 4% exchangeable senior note we had about and up to 30 years the purpose of rising the 20 was to allow us to cardiac acquisitions. The company has a long history and significant experience intensifying high quality acquisitions and integrating them efficiently and effectively. Also at this stage in the company developments we all have been major building blocks required for growing a diagnostic company, either through acquisition or organically. In particular we have an excellent sales channel with the long established and significant direct sales organization in the USA. And we’re now also direct in the Brazil and UK. On top of this, we have a formidable network of distributors, which allows us to reach further 100 additional countries. Meanwhile, we have a number of high quality FDA approved manufacture. This is highly skilled in structural workforces. After this our regulatory quality marketing and finance functions as well as our experience management team. And we believe that we’re well position to take on new acquisitions. While we have no particular acquisition in mind at present, we are very clear to the type of acquisition that we would like to make. The acquisition must be growing business, which operate to the growing markets. The earning enhancing and cash deposit from day one either in side the normal short-term integration cost. And also must be synergistic with the rest of the company’s business, all at the same time leveraging in terms of sales and operational strength. In this context, we will think to make high quality acquisitions at lower evaluation multiples. And then by leveraging transition here in strength, I’m realizing synergies enable them to trade at a higher multiple markets to strengthen your own multiple. We’re confident that we can identify companies could see exciting growth products. And which are capable of becoming significant there is in attractive niche markets. We already have experience in this card. I’ll point out that our Immco acquisition exactly fits this profile, I’ll talk premier business is an example of how well to the small company can become a significant participants in a high growth niche markets of huge potential. So we’re now actively seeking acquisition opportunities. Their concept of the need to move quickly, but not so quickly but we would buy badly. So if I could now hand back to Gary and to the question-and-answer session guys.