Pacific Edge profit positive sign

David Darling.
David Darling.
Pacific Edge has revealed crucial revenue growth topping $1.59 million for its first-half trading, more than tripling its entire revenue of the previous full-year result - but with a twist.

While its six months to September burn of $5.74 million cash in hand was as expected, it will be a race to grow revenue hugely before the remaining $14.7 million runs out in about 18 months.

There was an analysts' alert, in that one-third of its $1.59 million revenue was from foreign exchange and interest gains, dragging the real revenue result closer to about $1 million.

Share volatility in the Dunedin-headquartered cancer diagnostic company has been reflected with progress into its mainstay United States market.

A string of positive regulatory and contractual news announcements during the past 18 months saw its shares spiking to be a NZX top performer, but then tempered with actual progress in the US being steady, as opposed to rapid, and it waned to become an NZX worst performer.

Its shares were up 6c, at 89c, after the announcement yesterday.

Haley Van Leeuwen.
Haley Van Leeuwen.
The comparison of first-half revenue was up more than 700%, from $183,000 a year ago to $1.59 million, the overall loss for the half dipped from $4.97 million to $4.85 million, reflecting ongoing ramp-up costs of establishing in the US.

Pacific Edge chief executive David Darling said laboratory throughput was up 93% in the US, and with the sales team expanding there from four to 12, they would be targeting 11 of the 19 ''urology regions'' in the US.

An example of recent large US contracts, of which there were now four, was a user programme signed in August with Southern California Permanente Medical Group.

The group employs 5500 physicians, and the programme is expected to enrol about 2000 patients, all presenting with potential bladder cancer symptoms.

''We have the opportunity to provide millions of patients [with] access to our Cxbladder technology. Our focus is on developing a range of products to meet specific needs for the detection and management of bladder cancer,'' he said.

Cxbladder ''detection'' technology is already in the market, with Cx ''triage'' getting under way this year, the launch of Cx ''predict'' in 2015 and Cx ''monitor'' launch in 2016.

On the question of the company's cash burn, Mr Darling said he would ''keep firm control of cash burning; we are a lean, growth company''.

The remaining $14.7 million cash was enough to see the company through the next 18 months, to March 2016, Mr Darling said.

While reiterating Pacific Edge wanted to have $100 million turnover by its fifth full-year trading -which would be 2018-19 - Mr Darling was reluctant yesterday to give any current, full-year guidance, nor target date for posting a profit.

Since listing in 2005, Pacific Edge had spent $48.4 million without posting a profit.

Mr Darling said the Southeast Asian (SEA) market was ''very live and real'' for Pacific Edge, and while having signed up European patent protection this week, SEA was the company's next main focus.

Mr Darling also said China had ''promise and potential'', and a stepping stone to get there could be Taiwan.

Craigs Investment Partners broker, Peter McIntyre, who predicted Pacific Edge had to deliver yesterday on revenue promises, said investors should be impressed with the result.

''This [revenue gain] is a quantum step forward for Pacific Edge. Even though it is off a low base, this half-year result is very impressive,'' he said.

He predicted Pacific Edge, if it continued its form, would be positively re-rated by brokers, analysts and ultimately investors in the months ahead.

Forsyth Barr broker, Haley Van Leeuwen, said progress appeared to be on target and believed Pacific Edge was well positioned to capitalise on the ''substantial opportunity'' in commercialising Cxbladder.

''There is nothing in the result to change our positive stance and outperform rating,'' Mrs Van Leeuwen said.

simon.hartley@odt.co.nz

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