SMALL CHAPTER MOVEMENTS: ImmuPharma powered by innovative research

A difficult period for AIM showed little sign of letting up as its first component of the new year, in the form of Pharmaceutical AllianceThis week he laid out plans to head toward the exit door.

Alliance said on Friday it had reached a nearly £350m deal with major shareholder DBAY Advisors to take it private.

The shares rose 37.9 per cent to 61.16 pence on news that Isle of Man-based DBay had tabled a bid of 62.5 pence, equivalent to a 40.9 per cent premium. cent at the close of Thursday.

For AIM, the move marked new grim news after 2024 listings in the junior market fell to 688 and the lowest number since 2001, according to AJ Bell.

Only six of them were worth more than £1bn at the end of the year, down from 30 at the end of 2021, and IPOs in 2024 were also the second lowest since AIM’s launch in 1995.

Alliance cited “operational challenges” that had hampered acquisition plans over the past year, in line with broader concerns about low valuations and access to capital at AIM.

“Access to private capital and support from DBAY will allow it to return to its buy-and-build strategy more quickly than if it remained in the public market,” Alliance added.

Alliance’s update capped a dismal week for AIM, which saw its All-Share Index arrive Friday morning down 1.1 percent to 719 points.

The larger components of the junior market fared no better: meanwhile, the AIM 100 fell 1.4 percent to 3,451. By contrast, London’s blue-chip index moved ahead into the weekend, benefiting from rising commodity and oil prices since Monday.

The FTSE 100 had gained almost 1 per cent to reach 8,302 on Friday, making it a bright spot in London as companies such as the FTSE 250 also turned negative.

However, several companies managed to avoid the blues of the new year, including InmuPharma which earned this week’s spot as AIM’s biggest gainer.

Shares surged 195 percent following Thursday’s news of groundbreaking findings from the company’s preclinical research on lead asset P140 in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Through its subsidiary ImmuPharma Biotech, ImmuPharma said the research had demonstrated increased diagnostic accuracy, better identification of patients likely to benefit from P140 therapy, and better monitoring of treatment responses.

The results point to progress toward personalized medicine for SLE and other autoimmune diseases, ImmuPharma told investors.

mindflair also jumped on news of a $3bn (£2.4bn) fundraising by indirect investment firm Infinity Reality.

Shares rose on news of a $3bn (£2.4bn) fundraising by indirect investment firm Infinity Reality.

Mindflair said it had a stake in Infinity Reality, valued at $12.25 billion through the deal, after the latter acquired portfolio firm Landvault last year.

As a result, Mindflair shares rose 52.3 percent over the week, placing it as the second-biggest gainer in the junior market.

A third quarter update by Victory saw it emerge as AIM’s third-biggest gainer with a weekly rise of 44.4 per cent.

Having been among the market’s losers in 2024, embattled flooring company Victoria cited “a small improvement in demand” and said trading in the second half would be stronger.

Elsewhere, N4 Pharma gained 22.8 per cent after introducing Avacta Group founder and former chief executive Alastair Smith as an independent non-executive director on Wednesday.

Tower Resources thanked investors with news of a pair of farm-out deals with Prime Global Energies, sending shares up 21 percent on Friday and 12 percent for the week.

The oil and gas explorer secured a pivotal and long-awaited divestment deal in Cameroon, where a well will now be drilled later this year to potentially unlock a substantial field.

At the same time, the new partner is also supporting an independent exploration venture in Namibia, removing an obstacle and lifting investor sentiment from frustration to hopeful optimism.

Team Internet also racked up profits on Tuesday following news of two bid proposals, each worth 125p in cash. Despite Team Internet rejecting the offers, shares rose nearly 12 percent for the week.

On Friday, TowerBrook Capital Partners dropped out of the race for the digital marketer, leaving the focus on potential rival bidder Verdane.

Meanwhile, Enteq Technologies led the week’s junior market declines, having lost 64.5 percent.

The energy services company on Friday highlighted recent positive demonstrations of its Saber drilling technology, but also warned of looming cash flow.

RBG Holdings followed, down 58.6 percent, after announcing Wednesday that it had terminated a contract with the founder of its law firms, Rosenblatt and Memery Crystal.

Ian Rosenblatt had breached a consulting agreement and restrictive covenants, he said, after buying a law firm last year and in December changing its name to Rosenblatt Law Limited while hiring former RBG disputes head Tania MacLeod. .