EX-99.1 2 filing_316-1.htm PRESS RELEASE, DATED NOVEMBER 9, 2006 Filing
Press Release, dated November 9, 2006
EX-99.1


CONTACT:

Stellar Pharmaceuticals Inc.                   -OR-

INVESTOR RELATIONS COUNSEL:

Peter Riehl, President & CEO

The Equity Group Inc.

           

(800) 639-0643

Adam Prior

(519) 434-1540                                              

(212) 836-9606 –or—aprior@equityny.com

Arnold Tenney  

Devin Sullivan

Cell (416) 587-3200

(212) 836-9608 –or—dsullivan@equityny.com


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


STELLAR PHARMACEUTICALS ANNOUNCES 2006 THIRD QUARTER FINANCIAL RESULTS


Company to Hold Conference Call Today at 11:00 AM ET


LONDON, ONTARIO, CANADA, November 9, 2006 - Stellar Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OTCBB: SLXCF; TSXV: SLX) (“Stellar” or “the Company”), a Canadian pharmaceutical developer and marketer of high quality, cost-effective products for select health care markets, today announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2006.  All amounts in this press release are in Canadian dollars, have been rounded to the nearest thousand, and are the result of the use of U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.


Peter Riehl, Stellar’s President and CEO, stated, “Although sluggish sales in the summer of 2006 impacted overall third quarter results, we are pleased to note that sales of NeoViscâ, Uracystâ and BladderChekâ improved significantly in September and have maintained an ascending sales trajectory through the early part of the current fourth quarter.  We are also continuing to expand our global licensing strategy, as evidenced by royalty and licensing revenue becoming a growing percentage of our total sales and we expect this trend to continue going forward.  


Third Quarter 2006 Review

Total revenues, which include product sales and royalty and licensing revenues, for the three months ended September 30, 2006 were $430,000, as compared to $498,000 in the same period last year.  This decline was the result of unfavorable sales comparisons in July and August 2006 compared to the same period in 2005 when customers increased their orders in advance of a price increase.  Stellar noted that product sales in Canada for September 2006 grew by 15.7% from September 2005.


Canadian sales of Uracyst grew 54.7% during the 2006 third quarter compared to the same period in 2005, largely due to increased sales and marketing efforts.  Canadian sales of NeoVisc declined primarily due to sluggish summer sales and the impact of promotional product pricing by two new market entrants.  Out-licensed sales of NeoVisc and Uracyst both increased during the third quarter of 2006.


Royalty and licensing revenue increased 5.3% to $97,000, or 22.7% of total revenues, in the third quarter of 2006 versus $93,000, or 18.5% of total revenues, for the same period last year.


BladderChek sales decreased during the third quarter of 2006 compared to the same quarter in 2005, due to lower than expected demand in July and August.  However, sales of the product grew by 106.7% in September 2006 compared to September 2005, a trend that continued through October.  Stellar attributes this sales growth to the success of a number of sales initiatives directed towards easing the physician prescription process, which, in turn, have helped to increase the adoption of this product in Canada.  





Stellar Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Page 2

November 9, 2006



Cost of sales in the third quarter of 2006 was $89,000, or 26.8% of product sales, versus $68,000, or 16.7% of product sales, in the third quarter of 2005.  This increase was largely due to ongoing expenses related to stability testing of the higher molecular weight for NeoVisc.  Selling, general and administrative expenses in the third quarter of 2006 included costs associated with the receipt of a European CE mark for NeoVisc and consulting fees related to researching potential U.S. opportunities for NeoVisc and Uracyst.   Research and development expenses declined to $51,000 in the 2006 third quarter from $340,000 in the same period last year, which included expenses related to engineering costs of the higher molecular weight for NeoVisc.


Stellar’s net loss in the third quarter of 2006 narrowed to $279,000, or $0.01 per share, on approximately 23.5 million weighted average common shares outstanding, from a net loss of $453,000, or $0.02 per share, on approximately 23.3 million shares outstanding in the comparable prior year period.  


Stellar’s balance sheet at September 30, 2006 included $1.1 million in cash and cash equivalents and no long-term debt.    


Conference Call

Management will conduct a conference call this morning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss these results.  Interested parties may participate in the call by dialing 877-461-2814 (in the United States) or 416-695-9753 (in Canada) approximately 10 minutes before the call is scheduled to begin and ask to be connected to the Stellar Pharmaceuticals Conference Call.  


About Stellar Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Stellar has developed and is marketing direct in Canada, and in countries around the world through out-license agreements, three products based on its core polysaccharide technology: NeoVisc(R), for the treatment of osteoarthritis; and Uracyst(R) and the Uracyst(R) Test Kit, its patented technology for the diagnosis and treatment of interstitial cystitis (IC), an inflammatory disease of the urinary bladder wall. Stellar also has an in-licensing agreement for NMP22(R) BladderChek(R), a proteomics-based diagnostic test for the diagnosis and monitoring of bladder cancer.


This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of risks and uncertainties impacting the Company's business including increased competition; the ability of the Company to expand its operations, to attract and retain qualified professionals, technological obsolescence; general economic conditions; and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's filings.


The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.


###




Stellar Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Page 3

November 9, 2006




Stellar Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Condensed Statement of Operations

(Canadian Funds; US GAAP)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Three Month Period

 

For the Nine Month Period

 

Ended September 30

 

Ended September 30

 

2006

 

2005

 

2006

 

2005

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PRODUCT SALES

$

332,423

 

$

405,275

 

$

1,025,903

 

$

1,186,189

COST OF GOODS SOLD

 

89,175

 

 

67,957

 

 

303,652

 

 

253,577

MARGIN ON PRODUCT SOLD

 

243,248

 

 

337,318

 

 

722,251

 

 

932,612

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OTHER PRODUCT COST

 

41,949

 

 

-

 

 

41,949

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ROYALTY AND LICENSING REVENUES

 

97,445

 

 

92,514

 

 

290,164

 

 

233,239

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GROSS PROFIT

 

298,744

 

 

429,832

 

 

970,466

 

 

1,165,851

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXPENSES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Selling, general, and administrative

$

491,784

 

$

533,026

 

$

1,571,380

 

$

1,789,399

Research and development

 

50,817

 

 

339,390

 

 

174,310

 

 

624,075

Amortization

 

38,973

 

 

38,497

 

 

117,324

 

 

106,179

 

 

581,574

 

 

910,913

 

 

1,863,014

 

 

2,519,653

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOSS FROM OPERATIONS

 

(282,830)

 

 

(481,081)

 

 

(892,548)

 

 

(1,353,802)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INTEREST AND OTHER INCOME

 

4,063

 

 

27,196

 

 

27,410

 

 

98,670

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NET LOSS FOR THE PERIOD

 

(278,767)

 

 

(453,165)

 

 

(865,138)

 

 

(1,255,132)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOSS PER SHARE

$

(0.01)

 

$

(0.02)

 

$

(0.04)

 

$

(0.05)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WEIGHTED AVERAGE NUMBER OF

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COMMON SHARES OUTSTANDING

 

23,472,690

 

 

23,250,877

 

 

23,530,318

 

 

23,143,930






Stellar Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Page 4

November 9, 2006




Stellar Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Balance Sheets

(Canadian Funds; US GAAP)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ASSETS

 

 

As at

 

As at

 

 

September 30, 2006

 

December 31, 2005

CURRENT

(Unaudited)

 

(Audited)

Cash and cash equivalents

$

1,077,177

 

$

2,108,755

Accounts receivable, net of allowance $0 (2005 - $0)

 

224,947

 

 

157,749

Inventories

 

 

210,998

 

 

288,337

Prepaid, deposits, and sundry receivables

 

84,548

 

 

152,514

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROPERTY, PLANT, AND EQUIPMENT

 

903,573

 

 

959,999

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OTHER ASSETS

 

45,171

 

 

46,187

 

 

 

2,546,414

 

 

3,713,541

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CURRENT

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable

$

143,024

 

$

487,359

Accrued liabilities

 

51,062

 

 

122,999

Deferred revenues

 

2,400

 

 

43,397

 

 

 

196,486

 

 

653,755

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

CAPITAL STOCK

 

 

 

 

 

AUTHORIZED

 

 

 

 

 

Unlimited

Non-voting, convertible, redeemable, and

 

 

 

 

retractable preferred shares with no par value

 

 

 

 

 

Unlimited       

Common shares with no par value

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ISSUED

 

 

 

 

 

 

23,622,690

Common shares (2005 – 23,470,190)

 

8,159,492

 

 

8,100,253

 

Paid-in capital options - outstanding

 

545,218

 

 

545,025

 

                                    - expired

 

194,761

 

 

98,913

DEFICIT

 

(6,549,543)

 

 

(5,684,405)

 

 

 

2,349,928

 

 

3,059,786

 

 

$

2,546,414

 

$

3,713,541