AI assistant
Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd — AGM Information 2021
May 11, 2021
31324_rns_2021-05-11_634f3c61-ac8c-4f09-a8c2-3d7a1d477db7.pdf
AGM Information
Open in viewerOpens in your device viewer
==> picture [143 x 79] intentionally omitted <==
Chairman’s Address
Annual General Meeting
Melbourne (Australia) – 12 May 2021 . Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX: TLX, Telix, the Company) is pleased to provide the Chairman’s Address to the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders being held today at 11.30am, at The Events Centre, Collins Square, 727 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3008, Australia and by online presentation.
CHAIRMAN’S ADDRESS
Good morning Shareholders and Colleagues,
Thank you for joining us this morning, both to those attending in-person and via online in what will be a hybrid Annual General Meeting format.
It is worth noting that despite progress in our collective management of the global pandemic, today’s AGM marks another 12 months of operating in a unique – and challenging – period of human history.
Notwithstanding this, I am pleased that I can provide you with a report on the very significant progress that Telix Pharmaceuticals has made over the past 12 months on a number of fronts.
It includes new clinical data following resumption of clinical trials in late 2020, the submissions to regulators in the USA and EU for product approvals, and the development of a manufacturing supply chain for Telix 591 prostate cancer diagnostic. All of these achievements will contribute to Telix emerging as a commercial pharmaceutical company by the end of 2021.
Finally, I need to mention the partnership with China Grand Pharma which has provided significant financial and commercial benefits to Telix. The acquisition of TheraPharm, gave us access to intellectual property for the treatment of hematologic (blood cancer) and rare diseases such as Amyloidosis. As we provided shareholders with extensive information on these transactions in the annual report further elaboration is unnecessary.
Your CEO, Dr. Christian Behrenbruch, will provide a more detailed summary of the Company’s key operational and commercial activities.
I will now turn to address the fundamental transition of the Company to a more mature stage and the impact this has on our corporate governance and risk management activities. Healthcare – and particularly biotechnology companies – have the salient characteristic that as commercial risk is reduced through the competent execution of clinical trials and development of manufacturing supply chains, operational risk increases with the proximity of delivering a product into routine clinical use. As such, the transition to a commercial stage company requires identification of the change in risk profile of the business. This has been a key focus area for the Board of Directors and Management team.
At this juncture, Telix has three major areas of risk.
The first is clearly the product risk associated with the development of an injectable radioactive pharmaceutical product. The clinical solutions that Telix develops are based on
Page 1
==> picture [143 x 79] intentionally omitted <==
highly complex products that potentially deliver benefit to human health, if they are developed and manufactured correctly.
Over the past 12 months the Company has pursued clinical trials across its research pipeline, as well as a concurrent marketing authorisation in 17 countries around the globe, including Australia. The litmus test of whether the Company has successfully developed the processes, quality systems and compliance regimens to deliver on the extremely high bar of a commercial-stage pharmaceutical company is currently being tested by regulatory agencies worldwide. Telix’s success in achieving a first approved product will be a fundamental measure of the Company’s approach to risk management.
The second major risk category relates to the supply chain and distribution of our products. Radiopharmaceutical products are, by definition, like a “melting ice cube”. They are manufactured to be available on a “just in time” basis. The delivery of these products requires an effective supply chain and global distribution network, which has been a major challenge in a pandemic environment. Somewhat unexpectedly, this is an example of where COVID-19 has shaped a stronger Company by stress-testing product delivery assumptions in the context of a global pandemic. While it has been a challenging time for Management, its outstanding response has built a far more resilient and adaptable company.
The third major risk is commercial launch. Over the next few months, we will be preparing for a global launch of Illuccix[®] , Telix’s first commercial product for the imaging of prostate cancer. Our team has been systematically building the inventory, supply chain and distribution networks to support this launch. However, a big part of the risk management around this activity has been our choice of partners, in manufacturing and distribution. We believe that in each territory that Telix will deliver product, that we have chosen the best partners to support our commercial launch. The commercial and logistical preparation for product launch – and the risk management of that process – is a key focus for both the Board and Management of Telix.
The outcome of all this progress and commercial maturation, is that over the last year we have demonstrated to Shareholders our ability to execute clinically and commercially. This has been reflected by the increase in our market capitalisation and our entry into the ASX300, in March 2021.
With the re-rating of the Company and broader level of generalist investor interest in Telix as a leading ASX-listed life sciences company, comes an even greater level of responsibility to analyse, codify and deliver on a clear set of environmental, social, and corporate governance – or ESG – criteria.
For Telix, this means that our manufacture of products and its global delivery requires increased focus on environmental sustainability, considerate waste management, effective occupational health and safety and animal welfare considerations. With the addition of capabilities such as our Seneffe manufacturing facility in Belgium, comes a significant responsibility to demonstrate that our operational standards meet the bar of both local, legislated requirements but also global best-practice. We believe that in doing so, it is in the best interest of all our stakeholders, especially patients and shareholders.
Page 2
==> picture [143 x 79] intentionally omitted <==
The “Sustainability” in ESG includes our social obligations as a company. Telix’s mission to improve human health contains an inherently socially positive objective. However, we can and will do more. We can ensure that our product pricing does not prejudice markets where there is an unmet medical need. We can ensure that patients have effective access to our development-stage products for compassionate use, where there is a reasonable medical basis to do so. We can ensure that the significant technology platforms and intellectual property that the Company owns, is able to be deployed in a manner that maximises patient access to care if the medical evidence warrants it. Our recent launch of the NOBLE Registry to enable access to prostate cancer imaging in countries including Nigeria and India, and in Latin America, is a relevant example.
And lastly – governance. The Board of Directors and Management of Telix have a commitment to delivering on a standard of corporate governance that would be expected of a commercial stage company delivering outcomes in human health. This ranges from shareholder transparency and accountability in our reporting, to medical and patient-centric decision-making, to workplace practices and diversity policies. We seek to continuously improve the way we implement and manage our corporate governance framework and there is a clear commitment, by everyone in the team, to ensure Telix and our business partners maintain a consistent and high standard of corporate governance in all our operating regions. I can confirm that we have prioritized the physical and psychological health of our employees throughout the world during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To close, some acknowledgements.
My thanks go to my fellow Directors for their commitment to the Company in 2020 and 2021. A special thanks is due to Dr. Christian Behrenbruch and his Executive team for the achievements I referred to earlier in my address. This has been undertaken in the most challenging of circumstances.
In conclusion, can I thank our very active shareholder base for their interest and support in 2020 and 2021. We look forward to rewarding them by delivering key inflection points in the months ahead. Thank you.
H. Kevin McCann, AO Chairman of the Board of Directors Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited
Page 3
==> picture [143 x 79] intentionally omitted <==
About Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited
Telix is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of diagnostic and therapeutic products using Molecularly Targeted Radiation (MTR). Telix is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia with international operations in Belgium, Japan, and the United States. Telix is developing a portfolio of clinical-stage products that address significant unmet medical needs in oncology and rare diseases. Telix is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: TLX). For more information visit www.telixpharma.com and follow Telix on Twitter (@TelixPharma) and LinkedIn.
Telix’s lead investigational product, Illuccix[®] (TLX591-CDx) for prostate cancer imaging, has been accepted for filing by the U.S. FDA, and is under priority evaluation by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Telix is also progressing marketing authorisation applications for Illuccix[®] in the European Union and Canada. None of Telix’s products have received a marketing authorisation in any jurisdiction.
Telix Corporate Contact Dr. Christian Behrenbruch Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited Managing Director and CEO Email: [email protected]
Telix Investor Relations Dr. Stewart Holmstrom Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited Director of Corporate Communications Email: [email protected]
Important Information
This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, securities in the United States, or in any other jurisdiction in which such an offer would be illegal. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 (the “U.S. Securities Act”), or under the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States and may not be offered or sold within the United States, unless the securities have been registered under the U.S. Securities Act or an exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act is available. None of the technologies or products described in this document have received a marketing authorisation in any jurisdiction. This announcement has been authorised for release by Dr Christian Behrenbruch, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.
Page 4