Small caps round-up: IS Pharma, Pure Wafer, AssetCo...

4th Mar 2010 15:06

IS Pharma, the speciality pharmaceutical company, has bought the exclusive rights for Episil, an oral pain-relief spray, in a number of major European territories.Episil, developed by privately owned Swedish life science company Camurus, is used for local treatment of pain associated with oral mucositis, a serious side effect of chemotherapy and radiotherapy during cancer treatment. IS is paying €1.75m plus royalties for the rights and intends to launch Episil across Europe, with the exception of the Nordic countries, in 2010 and 2011.Holding company Mission Capital narrowed loss before tax in 2009 to £1.05m from £1.45m the year before. Gross turnover declined to £3.1m from £3.4m while asset value per share tumbled to 1.32p from 3.19p the year before.The board has been actively investigating potential investments, so far in vain.AssetCo, which provides integrated support services for the UK and Fire Rescue Service, is branching out further in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to provide a fully outsourced fire fighting service. The contract runs for three years and is worth £40m.'This lead role, to develop and deliver an outsourced fire and rescue model in Abu Dhabi and the wider UAE, ideally positions the business for future growth,' said John Shannon, chief executive officer of AssetCo. The company already operates a joint-venture with the Abu Dhabi government to develop and operate an emergency services training centre.Silicon wafer reclamation specialist Pure Wafer has developed a new manufacturing process in conjunction with Swansea University to convert scrap material from its silicon wafer reclaim line into high efficiency single crystal photovoltaic cells, the cells used in solar panels.The company intends to start producing solar panels from its own solar cells as part of its move to mass production of its solar offerings. The company has started to receive its first orders for its new products and services and is encouraged by the level of interest and enquiries.