News And Announcements
CMA refers SSE-Npower merger to in-depth probe
SSE's planned merger with Npower will be subject to an in-depth investigation due by 22 October, the competition regulator said on Tuesday.
Nanoco to receive £1.8m milestone payment from US partner
Nanoco said on Tuesday that it will receive a £1. 8m payment from its undisclosed US-listed partner following the recent completion of an important milestone in the material development and supply agreement announced in February.
Benchmark Holdings appoints Peter George as chairman
AIM-listed biotech company Benchmark Holdings has appointed Peter George as chairman with immediate effect, replacing Alex Hambro, whose retirement was announced back in January.
Tekcapital to deliver university start-up programme in Chile
Intellectual property investment group Tekcapital announced on Tuesday that it will be delivering an “advanced technology commercialisation” and university start-up training programme in Santiago, Chile in May.
Wey Education makes decent progress in first half
Wey Education published its interim results for the six months ended 28 February on Tuesday, reporting a 44% improvement in turnover to £1. 74m, which included a contribution of £0. 25m from Academy 21.
Second Niger well spuds for Savannah
Savannah Petroleum announced on Tuesday that the second well in its three-well Niger drilling campaign, Amdigh-1, was spudded on 6 May.
Empyrean gets good news from Dempsey 1-15 well
Oil and gas development company Empyrean Energy has been informed by Sacgasco, the operator of the Dempsey 1-15 well in the Sacramento Basin, onshore California, that flow-testing of the Dempsey 1-15 well from the field level Kione Zone has produced a commercial gas flow rate of one million cubic feet of gas.
AstraZeneca offloads Seroquel rights for $538m, gets Lynparza green light
AstraZeneca has agreed a $538m deal to license-out the sale of its Seroquel schizophrenia and bipolar treatment and separately has been boosted by an approval of its Lynparza cancer treatment from European regulators.
Transense gets tyre sensors onto more West African mining trucks
Sensor systems provider Transense Technologies announced on Tuesday that its tyre management trading division Translogik has won a contract through its Ghanaian partner WATS, to supply 16 iTrack II mining tyre monitoring systems for large haul trucks at SOMITA, a Nordgold mine in Burkina Faso.
Omega gets CE-mark on two more allergens
Medical diagnostics company Omega has CE-marked two additional allergens, it announced on Tuesday, extending its menu to 53 allergens which could be run on the fully automated IDS Instrument.
Duke Royalty upbeat ahead of annual adjustments
Alternative capital provider Duke Royalty updated the market on the financial results shown by its initial two royalty partners on Tuesday, ahead of upcoming adjustments for two of its royalty distributions, to be determined for the upcoming year within the next two months.
Autolus's US IPO plan provides boost for Woodford
Autolus Therapeutics has registered to float its shares in the US to raise up to $100m (£74m) in a fillip for struggling star investor Neil Woodford.
BAE wins contract to fire up precision-guided munitions for US
British multinational defence, security, and aerospace giant BAE Systems has been awarded a $13. 1m contract to demonstrate a new, cost-effective optical 'seeker' for the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) precision-guided munitions.
Savills trading in line, says UK residential market picking up
FTSE 250 estate agent Savills said on Tuesday that it has traded in line with its expectations in the year to date, with UK trading "slightly" ahead as activity in the residential market starts to pick up.
Shire shakes hands on £46bn Takeda takeover offer
Shire directors have agreed a takeover offer from Takeda Pharmaceutical in a mix of cash and shares that values the FTSE 100 biotech at roughly £46bn, after the Japanese company set out its case for deleveraging quickly and extracting sizeable 'synergies'.
Virgin Money ponders CYBG's £1.6bn takeover offer
CYBG, the owner of the Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank, has made an all-share takeover approach for Virgin Money that values its rival at £1. 6bn, though some analysts said investors should expect a cash sweetener as part of the bid.
Vast Resources grades improve despite some production setbacks
Romania and Zimbabwe-focussed mining company Vast Resources updated the market on its operations and production for the three months ended 31 March on Tuesday, reporting another record quarter for the Pickstone-Peerless Gold Mine in Zimbabwe.
Spotify to stream Bloomsbury's 33 1/3 pop album books
Bloomsbury Publishing has signed a deal with Spotify for the world’s biggest music streaming company to sell digital versions of Bloomsbury’s '33 1/3' music books.
Quarterly losses widen as Verona takes drug candidates forward
Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company Verona Pharma updated the market on its operations on Tuesday, confirming that in the quarter to 31 March it successfully completed two further clinical trials with nebulized RPL554 ahead of schedule.
Syncona investment Autolus confirms Nasdaq float plans
Cancer-focused biopharmaceutical company Autolus, in which FTSE 250 healthcare investment firm Syncona has a 38% stake, has filed for an initial public offering on the New York stock exchange.