Brussels - 30 November 2012– Today NYSE Liffe, the Europe-based derivatives business of NYSE Euronext (NYX), added options on the shares of ThromboGenics, a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative ophthalmic medicines, to its highly successful range of equity option classes. The options are available on the Brussels derivatives market of NYSE Liffe.
Vincent Van Dessel, CEO of NYSE Euronext Brussels commented: “We are pleased to announce the listing of options on ThromboGenics, a successful Belgian company and a great example of our leading role in the biotech industry niche. This listing will further enhance the visibility of the company.”
Ade Cordell, Executive Director, Head of Equity Derivatives added: “ We are delighted with the listing of this new option class on our Brussels market. With the addition of the ThromboGenics option class to our scope of existing contracts; we now have 278 single stock options listed on our central order books offering our market participants a highly diversified set of derivatives for their investment needs.”
Chris Buyse, CFO of ThromboGenics, commented: “We are pleased with the listing of options on the shares of our company. We believe that this will offer our shareholders an alternative financial instrument on the NYSE Liffe market. This will enhance the liquidity of our share and increase the visibility of ThromboGenics in the financial world.”
These American-style options will expire on the third Friday of the expiry month and will have initial lifetimes of one to six months. Options on ThromboGenics are introduced under trading symbol THR.
Each option represents 100 shares in ThromboGenics and will be centrally cleared via LCH.Clearnet SA. Liquidity in the options will be supported by 2 market makers: All Options International B.V. and B&Btrading NV. NYSE Liffe lists stock options (also known as individual equity options) on 278 leading European companies via the Amsterdam, Brussels, London and Paris central order books.
The introduction of the new option class on ThromboGenics is the first one on a Belgian biotech company. ThromboGenics is an integrated biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative ophthalmic medicines. The Company’s lead product, JETREA® (ocriplasmin), has been approved by the US FDA for the treatment of symptomatic VMA. The US launch is planned from mid January 2013. In March 2012, ThromboGenics signed a strategic partnership with Alcon (Novartis) for the commercialization of ocriplasmin outside the United States. The JETREA® European Marketing Authorisation Application is currently under review by the European Medicines Agency. A decision on European approval is expected in the first half of 2013.
To mark today’s special occasion, Chris Buyse, CFO of ThromboGenics, rang the opening bell which denotes the opening of NYSE Euronext's European market, together with Vincent Van Dessel, CEO of NYSE Euronext Brussels.