BioWorld International Correspondent

LONDON - Medisys plc completed its transformation from medical devices company to biotech investing firm, raising £4.7 million (US$8.6 million) in a share issue, moving from the main market to the Alternative Investment Market in London, changing its name to MDY Healthcare plc and appointing a new CEO.

The company completed the sales of its diagnostics business to Arkray Inc. in May, raising £24.7 million. After paying off bank loans there is £16 million left to add to the money raised in the placing.

CEO Charles Spicer told BioWorld International MDY will make investments ranging from £500,000 to £5 million, in both private and public companies. "We are not looking to be VCs, but to provide development funding for companies with a good management team and products or services that address large markets that need investment to get them to the next stage. There is a gap between private VCs and large institutional investors."

If there is a role model it is the quoted technology commercialization companies such as IP Group plc, Amphion Innovations and BioFusion. Similar to MDY, they are quoted on AIM, but they specialize in seed and early stage funding.

"We don't intend to be exactly like anyone else. We won't invest in a professor with a new molecule, but higher up the value tree," Spicer said.

Spicer, who formerly worked for Nomura International plc, joins MDY from Numis Securities where he was head of health care corporate finance.

The placing, which is subject to shareholder approval, will involve the issue of 156.7 million new shares at 3 pence per share. That's equivalent to 28.9 percent of the current share capital. It represents a discount of 7.7 percent to the closing price of 3.25 pence the day before the placing was announced.

The largest amount of shares - 133.3 million - will be bought by investment company 3i plc. Another 16.7 million will be bought by David Wong, executive chairman, and 6.7 million by Spicer. 3i's overall interest will rise to 160.8 million shares, and Alan MacKay, head of 3i's health care group, will become a nonexecutive director of MDY Healthcare.

Spicer said the move to AIM from the main market is appropriate for MDY because AIM has simpler rules, which were specifically designed for the needs of smaller companies. "It will provide more flexibility and allow us to reduce costs of compliance," Spicer said.

The company's new name, MDY, is its main market ticker. "We wanted to change the name to underline the big changes we are making. Since we still have the same shareholders, it seemed it would make it easier for them to carry the same ticker forward," Spicer said.

Medisys in June reported results for the first six months of 2006, showing revenues of £15.1 million. There was a pre-tax loss of £1.8 million, compared to a loss of £9.7 million in the same period of 2005. Medisys decided to sell its blood glucose monitoring business after encountering increased competition since 2004. In doing the deal it had to indemnify Arkray against a charge of violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Businesses Practices act that was brought in January 2005. MDY said it does not expect any penalties it would have to pay would be very large.

Spicer said it was hard to compare the risk involved in Medisys' previous business with those of biotech investing. "But by definition, it is less risky because there will be a portfolio effect. And we won't necessarily need to exit our companies if they float, because if they do well, it will be reflected in our share price, too."