TIDMPRX

Proximagen Group PLC

09 August 2012

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY IN, INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OF SUCH JURISDICTION

9 August 2012

RECOMMENDED OFFER

for

Proximagen Group plc ("Proximagen" or the "Company")

by

USL Pharma International UK Limited ("USL") a wholly-owned subsidiary of Upsher-Smith Laboratories, Inc. ("Upsher-Smith")

(to be implemented by way of a Scheme of Arrangement

under Part 26 of the Companies Act)

Court sanctions scheme of arrangement

Proximagen is pleased to announce that the High Court of Justice in England and Wales has today made an order sanctioning the Scheme by which USL's acquisition of Proximagen is being implemented. The Court order sanctioning the Scheme has been filed with the Registrar of Companies. Unless otherwise stated, defined terms used in this announcement have the same meaning as those used in the Scheme Document posted to Proximagen Shareholders on 27 June 2012.

In order for the Scheme to become fully effective in accordance with its terms, the Court will now need to confirm the associated Capital Reduction at the Reduction Court Hearing. This is expected to take place on 13 August 2012. Provided the Court confirms the Capital Reduction, it is expected that the Effective Date will occur on 14 August 2012.

Exercise of options

Proximagen further announces that, pursuant to the exercise of options, it has allotted and will issue today, credited as fully paid, 6,500,194 Option Scheme Shares in accordance with the Proximagen Option Schemes. The Option Scheme Shares will rank pari passu with Proximagen's existing ordinary shares and will not be admitted to trading on AIM.

The above exercise includes the exercise of options by certain directors resulting in the allotment of 2,868,829 Option Scheme Shares in aggregate to the following directors:

 
 Director           Share scheme     Number of         Exercise         Number 
                                       options    price (pence)    of ordinary 
                                     exercised                          shares 
                                                                     held post 
                                                                      exercise 
-----------------  --------------  -----------  ---------------  ------------- 
                    Unapproved 
 Peter Allen         Plan               60,000            143.5         80,000 
-----------------  --------------  -----------  ---------------  ------------- 
                    Unapproved 
 Michael Ashton      Plan               45,455              136        101,839 
-----------------  --------------  -----------  ---------------  ------------- 
                    Unapproved 
 Kenneth Mulvany     Plan            1,720,000              140      2,518,567 
-----------------  --------------  -----------  ---------------  ------------- 
 James Hunter       EMI Plan            60,000            83.33      1,063,374 
   Unapproved 
    Plan                                39,999              130 
   Unapproved 
    Plan                               150,267              135 
   Unapproved 
    Plan                               113,108            127.5 
   Unapproved 
    Plan                               680,000              140 
 --------------------------------  -----------  ---------------  ------------- 
 

In accordance with Rule 2.10 of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers, Proximagen confirms that as at the date of this announcement, it has 69,619,795 ordinary shares of 1 pence each in issue, 63,119,601 of which are admitted to trading on the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange under ISIN reference GB00B06FMX57.

Copies of this announcement and the Scheme Document are available free of charge, subject to certain restrictions relating to persons resident in overseas jurisdictions, on Proximagen's website (www.proximagen.com), up to and including the Effective Date. For the avoidance of doubt, the content of that website and of any other website accessible from that website is not incorporated into and does not form part of this announcement.

 
 Enquiries: 
 Proximagen 
 Kenneth Mulvany (Chief Executive 
  Officer)                                    +44 (0) 20 7400 
  James Hunter (Finance Director)              7700 
 
 WG Partners (Financial Adviser 
  to Proximagen) 
                                              + 44 (0) 20 7149 
 David Wilson                                  6000 
 Karri Vuori 
 
 Cenkos Securities (NOMAD and 
  broker to Proximagen) 
                                              +44 (0) 20 7397 
 Bobbie Hilliam (NOMAD)                        8900 
 Julian Morse 
 
 JP Morgan Cazenove (Financial 
  Adviser to USL and Upsher-Smith) 
 James Mitford                                +44 (0) 20 7742 
  Christopher Dickinson                        4000 
 M:Communications (PR adviser 
  to Proximagen) 
                                              +44 (0) 20 7920 
 Mary-Jane Elliott                             2330 
 Sarah Macleod                                proximagen@mcomgroup.com 
 Hollie Vile 
 
  Kovak-Likly (PR Adviser to Upsher-Smith) 
                                              +1 (203) 762 
 Elizabeth Likly, Principal                    8833 
 Bruce Likly, Principal 
 

Charles Stanley & Co Limited, trading as Charles Stanley Securities and WG Partners, which is authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Services Authority, is acting exclusively as financial adviser to Proximagen and no one else in connection with the Acquisition and this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than Proximagen for providing the protections afforded to its clients nor for providing advice in connection with the Acquisition or any matter referred to herein.

J.P. Morgan Limited, which conducts its UK investment banking business as J.P. Morgan Cazenove and is authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Services Authority, is acting exclusively as financial adviser for Upsher-Smith and USL and no one else in connection with the Acquisition and this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than Upsher-Smith and USL for providing the protections afforded to its clients nor for providing advice in connection with the Acquisition or any matter referred to herein.

Cenkos Securities plc, which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Services Authority, is acting as nominated adviser and broker to Proximagen and no one else in connection with the matters set out in this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than Proximagen for providing the protections afforded to its clients nor for providing advice in relation to the matters set out in this announcement.

This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or an invitation to purchase any securities or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities, pursuant to the Acquisition or otherwise. The Acquisition will be made solely by means of the Scheme Document, which contains the full terms and conditions of the Acquisition.

USL reserves the right to elect, with the consent of the Court and the Panel (where necessary), to implement the Acquisition by way of a Takeover Offer. In such event, the Takeover Offer will be implemented on substantially the same terms, subject to appropriate amendments, as those which would apply to the Acquisition.

This announcement has been prepared for the purpose of complying with English law and the City Code and the information disclosed may not be the same as that which would have been disclosed if this announcement had been prepared in accordance with the laws of jurisdictions outside the United Kingdom.

The release, publication or distribution of this announcement in jurisdictions other than the United Kingdom and the United States may be restricted by law and therefore any persons who are subject to the laws of any jurisdiction other than the United Kingdom and the United States should inform themselves about, and observe any applicable requirements.

Notice to US investors in Proximagen

The Acquisition relates to the shares of an English company that is a foreign private issuer (as defined under Rule 3b-4 under the US Exchange Act) and is being made by means of a scheme of arrangement provided for under English company law. A transaction effected by means of a scheme of arrangement is not subject to the tender offer rules or the proxy solicitation rules under the US Exchange Act. Accordingly, the Acquisition is subject to the disclosure requirements and practices applicable in the UK to schemes of arrangement, including the City Code and the AIM Rules, which differ from the disclosure requirements of United States tender offer and proxy solicitation rules. Except where expressly stated otherwise, financial information included in this announcement and the Scheme Document has been or will have been prepared in accordance with accounting standards applicable in the United Kingdom that may not be comparable to financial information of US companies or companies whose financial statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. If, in the future, USL exercises the right to implement the Acquisition by way of a Takeover Offer, such offer will be made in compliance with applicable laws and regulations including US securities laws to the extent applicable.

No registration statement will be filed with the SEC or any state securities regulators in the US in connection with the Acquisition, and the Loan Notes to be issued pursuant to the terms of the Class I CVRs will not be registered under the US Securities Act. Accordingly, the Class I CVRs and the related Loan Notes are not being, and unless permitted by applicable laws and regulations may not be, offered, sold, re-sold, delivered or transferred, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or a US Person.

Neither the SEC, nor any US state securities commission or any other regulatory authority, has passed upon, or endorsed the merits of, or approved or disapproved of the Loan Notes to be issued in connection with the Acquisition, or determined if this announcement is accurate or adequate. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offence in the US.

Notice to New Hampshire residents

Neither the fact that a registration statement or an application for a license has been filed under Chapter 421-B of the New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated, 1955, as amended, or "RSA," with the state of New Hampshire nor the fact that a security is effectively registered or a person is licensed in the state of New Hampshire constitutes a finding by the Secretary of State that any document filed under RSA 421-B is true, complete and not misleading. Neither any such fact nor the fact that an exemption or exception is available for a security or a transaction means that the Secretary of State has passed in any way upon the merits or qualifications of, or recommended or given approval to, any person, security or transaction. It is unlawful to make, or cause to be made, to any prospective purchaser, customer or client any representation inconsistent with the provisions of this paragraph.

Disclosure requirements of the Takeover Code (the "Code")

Under Rule 8.3(a) of the Code, any person who is interested in 1% or more of any class of relevant securities of an offeree company or of any paper offeror (being any offeror other than an offeror in respect of which it has been announced that its offer is, or is likely to be, solely in cash) must make an Opening Position Disclosure following the commencement of the offer period and, if later, following the announcement in which any paper offeror is first identified. An Opening Position Disclosure must contain details of the person's interests and short positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any relevant securities of each of (i) the offeree company and (ii) any paper offeror(s). An Opening Position Disclosure by a person to whom Rule 8.3(a) applies must be made by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the 10th Business Day following the commencement of the offer period and, if appropriate, by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the 10th Business Day following the announcement in which any paper offeror is first identified. Relevant persons who deal in the relevant securities of the offeree company or of a paper offeror prior to the deadline for making an Opening Position Disclosure must instead make a Dealing Disclosure.

Under Rule 8.3(b) of the Code, any person who is, or becomes, interested in 1% or more of any class of relevant securities of the offeree company or of any paper offeror must make a Dealing Disclosure if the person deals in any relevant securities of the offeree company or of any paper offeror. A Dealing Disclosure must contain details of the dealing concerned and of the person's interests and short positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any relevant securities of each of (i) the offeree company and (ii) any paper offeror, save to the extent that these details have previously been disclosed under Rule 8. A Dealing Disclosure by a person to whom Rule 8.3(b) applies must be made by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the Business Day following the date of the relevant dealing.

If two or more persons act together pursuant to an agreement or understanding, whether formal or informal, to acquire or control an interest in relevant securities of an offeree company or a paper offeror, they will be deemed to be a single person for the purpose of Rule 8.3.

Opening Position Disclosures must also be made by the offeree company and by any offeror and Dealing Disclosures must also be made by the offeree company, by any offeror and by any persons acting in concert with any of them (see Rules 8.1, 8.2 and 8.4).

Details of the offeree and offeror companies in respect of whose relevant securities Opening Position Disclosures and Dealing Disclosures must be made can be found in the Disclosure Table on the Takeover Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk, including details of the number of relevant securities in issue, when the offer period commenced and when any offeror was first identified. You should contact the Panel's Market Surveillance Unit on +44 (0)20 7638 0129 if you are in any doubt as to whether you are required to make an Opening Position Disclosure or a Dealing Disclosure.

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

END

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