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Growth prospects confirmed despite slow start to 2013

Posted by
Antje Witte, Investor Relations
25-Apr-2013
We are doubly busy today with the launch of the UCB 2013 Q1 interim report and the UCB Annual General Shareholders’ Meeting.
 
This means we have two stories to tell: one about the first three months of this year and another with an eye on the bigger picture.
 
It was a relatively slow opening quarter due in part to the late arrival of allergy season – good news for those who suffer from allergies, of course – but our outlook for the year is confirmed.

Total revenue is expected to be approximately €3.4 billion; recurring EBITDA is expected to be between €680 and €710 million; and core earnings per share between €1.90 and €2.05.

Sales of our core medicines (for rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease and restless legs syndrome) grew by 23% reaching combined net sales of almost €250 million. Our development pipeline continues to perform well with new indications for some of our core products and a new compound for treating Parkinson’s disease.

Big picture
So, despite a slow start, this year is still shaping up to be a good one as we build on the progress of last year.

As our CEO, Roch Doliveux, told the AGM, 2012 marked the completion of UCB’s transformation into a patient-centric biopharmaceutical company.

Sales of the company’s three core medicines have eclipsed sales of UCB’s established epilepsy drug. This cross-over is part of the reason why we now expect company growth for many years driven by our core medicines, emerging markets and new breakthrough solutions for patients.

This AGM was also a great chance to highlight our new tagline – Inspired by Patients. Driven by Science – and explain to investors what this means to us. These words will be our guide in the years ahead as we continue to strive to deliver value for customers and shareholders.

For more information, please contact Antje Witte.

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