LEUVEN, Belgium, Nov. 22, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TiGenix NV (Brussels:TIG) announced today the successful completion of the EUR 12 million capital increase announced on November 20, 2013. In total, 34.188.034 new ordinary shares were issued to Gri-Cel S.A., a fully-owned subsidiary of global healthcare company Grifols S.A. TiGenix will prepare and, after approval by the FSMA, publish a prospectus regarding the admittance of the new shares to trading on NYSE Euronext Brussels, which is expected to take place in the following weeks.
The total number of outstanding ordinary shares in TiGenix NV as of November 22, 2013 amounts to 160,476,620.
"This is a very important milestone for the company. We are delighted to have attracted Grifols as a long-term strategic investor and potential partner," said Eduardo Bravo, CEO of TiGenix. "The funds allow us to continue to fully focus on the completion of the Phase III trial with our lead product Cx601, and to strengthen our commercial operations and the further roll-out of ChondroCelect. Having such a reference shareholder increases our financial stability and strengthens our position for future partnering negotiations with third parties."
"The investment in TiGenix clearly demonstrates Grifols' commitment to enter the field of advanced therapies and personalized medicine, as well as its dedication to innovative therapeutic approaches. I believe there is no better way to do so than by investing in one of the global leaders in the field of mesenchymal stem cell therapy," said Dirk Büscher, CEO of Gri-Cel. "For Grifols this is a strategic investment with a long-term perspective, combined with the strong belief in the technologies that have been and are being developed by TiGenix. There is also the hope for additional future fruitful collaborations with TiGenix taking advantage of the magnitude of Grifols' pipeline and products."
About TiGenix
TiGenix NV (Brussels:TIG) is a leading European cell therapy company with a marketed product for cartilage repair, ChondroCelect®, and a strong pipeline with clinical stage allogeneic adult stem cell programs for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. TiGenix is based out of Leuven (Belgium) and has operations in Madrid (Spain), and Sittard-Geleen (the Netherlands). For more information please visit www.tigenix.com.
About Grifols
Grifols is a global healthcare company with a 70-year legacy of improving people's health and well being through the development of life-saving plasma medicines, hospital pharmacy products and diagnostic technology for clinical use.
As a leading producer of plasma medicines, Grifols has a presence in more than 100 countries and is the world leader in plasma collection, with 150 plasma donation centers across the U.S. Grifols is committed to increasing patient access to its life-saving plasma medicines through significant manufacturing expansions and the development of new therapeutic applications of plasma proteins. The company is headquartered in Barcelona, Spain and employs more than 11,000 people worldwide.
In 2012, Grifols' sales exceeded €2,620 billion. The company's class A shares are listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange, where they are part of the Ibex-35 (MCE:GRF). Its non-voting class B shares are listed on the Mercado Continuo (MCE:GRF.P) and on the U.S. NASDAQ via ADRs (NASDAQ: GRFS). For more information visit www.grifols.com.
Forward-looking information
This document may contain forward-looking statements and estimates with respect to the anticipated future performance of TiGenix and the market in which it operates. Certain of these statements, forecasts and estimates can be recognised by the use of words such as, without limitation, "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "intends", "plans", "seeks", "estimates", "may", "will" and "continue" and similar expressions. They include all matters that are not historical facts. Such statements, forecasts and estimates are based on various assumptions and assessments of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which were deemed reasonable when made but may or may not prove to be correct. Actual events are difficult to predict and may depend upon factors that are beyond TiGenix' control. Therefore, actual results, the financial condition, performance or achievements of TiGenix, or industry results, may turn out to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements, forecasts and estimates. Given these uncertainties, no representations are made as to the accuracy or fairness of such forward-looking statements, forecasts and estimates. Furthermore, forward-looking statements, forecasts and estimates only speak as of the date of the publication of this document. TiGenix disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statement, forecast or estimates to reflect any change in TiGenix' expectations with regard thereto, or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement, forecast or estimate is based, except to the extent required by Belgian law.