OK so you thought the title of the other thread was out of date BUT unfortunately there is no way to edit thread titles.

So here is a new title

This one has got the charts at the top again & has a link to the old one.
http://www.moneyam.com/InvestorsRoom/posts.php?tid=5021

Biogen has collaborative agreements with Oxb and Ver;so,they are familiar with each other and it would enable Biogen to have a stronger presence in the U.K. if it was financially involved in the new company.Have put a stop in at 21p as I can't watch this tomorrow.Could be very volatile.
Hangon you have all my sympathies.So often,the shareholders are considered to be interfering nuisances.The small shareholder is risking HIS/HER OWN MONEY....unlike the pension fund managers.

Hangon, I feel we could compare "Dogs" and do agree management buyouts and some take overs and mergers are not very rewarding sometimes. I have looked at my investing techniques for the last 10years wondering if I would make the same mistakes again. I hope not. But at the time of buying those "dogs", I knew the risks involve, inherent in all small company shares, which were bought for their higher returns. Some of those buys have been good, (RTD, PDX,CASH, TFC as egs) which more than made up for the losses. It would be nice if the government allowed the same breadth of securities to be bought in a PEP or ISA as a SIPP. The rules were brought in as a protection for the punter, but could be changed with warnings to the punters.)

But reviewing my strategies changing the type of company I buy will buy in future will reduce the number of buys of non-profit making companies, with good ideas and high R&D not paid for out of earnings. This applies to the likes of OXB.

I think any price above 35p but anything above 30 p will be a bonus

results due at the end of march, will a merger/takeover happen before that????

Oxford Biomedica PLC
20 January 2005



NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION, OR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA, CANADA, AUSTRALIA OR JAPAN

Oxford BioMedica plc
20 January 2005

Rule 2.10 Announcement - Relevant Securities in Issue

In accordance with Rule 2.10 of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers,
Oxford BioMedica plc confirms that, as at close of business on
19 January 2005, it had in issue 372,094,163 ordinary shares of 1p pence each
('Oxford BioMedica Shares').

The International Securities Identification Number for the Oxford BioMedica
Shares is GB0006648157.

Enquiries:

Andrew Wood, Chief Financial Officer
Telephone: 01865 783000


This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

Mystery suitor in approach for Oxford BioMedica
By Richard Irving

SHARES in Oxford BioMedica jumped by nearly a fifth yesterday after the company announced that it had received a bid approach from a mystery buyer.
In a short statement to the Stock Exchange, the group said that it had receieved an approach from an unnamed third party. The company added that the talks related to a potential merger but emphasised that negotiations were at an early stage and may not subsequently lead to an offer.

Oxford BioMedica shares closed 18 per cent higher at 22p, valuing the group at about 84 million.

It was not immediately clear last night who the mystery buyer might be. Analysts pointed to the confusing wording of the statement, which refers both to a potential merger and to an offer for the company. While a merger might suggest an alliance of equals, and possibly only a modest exit premium, an acquisition might hint at a larger pharmaceutical giant looking to bolster a tired portfolio with cutting-edge medicines.

The company, which was spun out of Oxford University in 1995 by Alan Kingsman and his wife, Susan, operates in the front line of medical science, using modified genes to fight a range of illnesses from Parkinsons disease to HIV.

Its most promising product, TroVax, encourages the bodys immune system to attack cancer cells.

The company, which lost 7.3 million in the six months to June 30 last year, is already in talks to bring in a larger partner to help to fund further trials of TroVax. The drug has the potential to generate sales well in excess of $1 billion (540 million) a year. But in order to secure approval from regulators, the treatment, which will be marketed as a vaccine, must undergo expensive trials among a large number of patients to establish its effectiveness and safety.

Analysts believe that it will take at least another three years before the company will be in a position to launch TroVax. Andrew Wood, chief financial officer, said last year that the company had about 26 million cash enough to finance patient tests until 2007.

The company is also keen to push ahead with expensive trials on two other treatments: a gene therapy to repair brain cells destroyed by Parkinsons disease and another to treat retinopathy, a form of blindness.

The company could be a match for a number of biotech businesses including Onyvax, a private company, which is understood to be keen to list this year; Transgene, of France; and Medigene, of Germany.

Similarly, the TroVax vaccine could be attractive to a larger drugmaker looking to bolster its cancer portfolio.

Oxford BioMedica declined to comment.

Husband and wife team set to make millions

PROFESSORS Alan and Susan Kingsman, the husband and wife team who have searched for a cancer cure for more than 20 years, could become multimillionaires if a deal materialises for Oxford BioMedica.

The couple, both in their early 50s, own 17.3 million shares, which at yesterdays close were valued at 3.9 million, and 330,000 share options, exercisable from October 2006 at 19p.

The pair enjoy a close relationship with Oxford University, whose Masters and Scholars fund has about nine million shares in the business. Alan, a former fellow of St Catherines College, retains the title of Professor of Biochemistry. Susan, a former fellow of Trinity College, holds the title of Professor of Molecular Genetics.

The couple have brought in millions of pounds of external funding from a number of pharmaceutical giants, including GlaxoSmithKline.

The couple describe their experiences at the helm of an AIM-listed company as a rollercoaster exciting, intellectually stimulating, challenging and heartbreaking.

A company bought a 3% stake just before this merger/bid announcement. I cannot think that a merger is likely - far more likely a Takeover - the Kingsman's have worked hard and will want to retire multi-millionnaires - a bird in the hand! Other Bios/Pharmaceutical Cos are going to be interested and I'd be very surprised if another bid doesn't come in. The Kingsman's have opened the way for such bids and there could be a bidding war sharply improving the current sp level, which is still ridiculously low. I don't know about others but I would expect at least 45p

I agree

Shares in issue have increased by nearly 41,000 since 20th Jan.


21 January 2005


Oxford BioMedica plc
21 January 2005

Rule 2.10 Announcement - Relevant Securities in Issue

In accordance with Rule 2.10 of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers, Oxford
BioMedica plc confirms that, as at close of business on 20 January 2005, it had
in issue 372,503,634 ordinary shares of 1p pence each ('Oxford BioMedica Shares
').

The International Securities Identification Number for the Oxford BioMedica
Shares is GB0006648157.

Enquiries:

Andrew Wood, Chief Financial Officer
Telephone: 01865 783000

An announcement is apparently imminent (unconfirmed source)- I should think a Bid from a Major Pharmaceutical Co at well over 30p

it will go to 30p without a bid...a bid would worth much more.

Yes, I think so too, remember this share went to 1.32 in 2000, I'm not saying that means anything but it shows the volatility and difficulty in "valueing" a co and a lot has happened since, the co has strengthened and their trials have progressed well/licence deals etc. how can you put a value on it, the market for Trovax is supposedly worth billions although they're a few yrs off that, but then there's all the other products being developed - for Parkinsons, Aids, the list goes on. large Pharmaceuticals are surely working the figures at the moment- a bidding war may ensue. Some analysts have put a value of 50p on Trovax alone so we shouldn't sell out at this pitiful sp.

Small Talk: Signs point to Vernalis as OXB's mystery suitor
Emerging floats; Stock-pickers' guide; M&B to the rescue; Diesel firm splutters
By Stephen Foley
24 January 2005


There's nothing like the admission of bid talks to pep up a stagnant share price, and Oxford BioMedica, a gene therapy company with a couple of cancer drugs in the pipeline, was last week's best-performing small-cap share after admitting it had received "an approach".

The public statement was forced on the company after speculators got whiff that something was up and piled into the stock. Wild talk on the bulletin boards is still predicting a 30p-per-share cash bid from a large pharmaceutical company or a much bigger biotech specialist from continental Europe or the US - despite the fact that OXB's statement referred to the possible deal as a "merger".

Bulls reckon the word merger is a face-saver, often employed by small companies who are being taken over, but Small Talk hears that the word was chosen very carefully. The shares, at 22.75p, look vulnerable if the reality turns out to be a mundane all-share combination with a not-much-bigger biotech close to home.

Which is why Small Talk is worried (for the speculators) that the approach might have come from Vernalis, the former British Biotech, which is back on the acquisition trail after sorting out marketing problems with its main drug last year. The company won't rule itself in or out as the bidder, but the respected analysts at Evolution Securities, adding their own "fuel to the bonfire of speculation", have come to the same guess.

Vernalis, chaired by Peter Fellner, has grand plans to consolidate a UK biotech sector that is still characterised by sub-scale players with too few drugs, too little money and too-high losses. OXB's cancer products would bolster Vernalis's own pipeline in this area, but there is also a useful fit between OXB's more experimental work in Parkinson's disease and the Vernalis pipeline in neurology.

Vernalis itself is optimistic about 2005, since it recently signed a new marketing partner for its migraine drug, Frova.



http://news.independent.co.uk/business/analysis_and_features/story.jsp?story=603993


wilbs

What sort of nonsense is that "Wild Talk" - what's wild about valueing a co with potential blockbusting income earning drugs at a poultry 100m. They should do their research, this time last yr they were higher than that. A takeover would never go through at theselevels and a merger is just not in the interests of shareholders or the Kingsmans.

Agree. A good buying oppportunity at these levels. Obviously if a bid does not materialise then the sp will sink back down, but aren't we missing the wider picture, that the share has been undervalued for too long and should be much higher on the strength of the progress made and not just on bid speculation. Last yr they were tipping this to go to 50p so why is 30 p so wild? Foley's record is not so hot anyway.

Someone has been buying big time this morning.

Someone's bought 6million shares at over 22p, stake building?

Morning All

Appears that Boris Johnson did not read 'The Independent' Newspaper Article yesterday and is carrying on building up a large stake in OXB.
It will be interesting to see what happens to the share price over the next month and to see whether 30p per share price is 'wild talk' on bulletin boards or whether that is a low estimate.
The FT over the weekend stated that OXB had recieved a 'takeover' bid while other newspapers such as 'The Independent' state that OXB are in merger talks. I think the company (OXB) should clarify more clearly the type of approach that they recieved.
Like others on this board I reckon that 30p per share is quite easily achievable in the short-term and will continue to hold the stock and see what happens. My only regret is that I cannot afford to increase my present holding.

The stake building in OXB is still continuing today. The following group's have been purchasing holdings since the 21st Jan 05.

Lazard&Co (Panmure Gordon), Sputnik Group Ltd, Garboldi Investment Ltd, Sulidad Investment& Trade Inc, Credit Agricole S.A. and Man Financial Ltd.

With all the large trades going through over the last few days I cannot understand why the share price has not continued moving upwards this week.

Any comments welcome.

170 - how do you know that those institutions have been increasing their stake in OXB since 21 st Jan?

Pachandl

Please clink on the Growth Company Investor website and enter in the OXB symbol. You will be able to read the company announcements of the above groups who have made investments since the 21st January 2005.