Huntingdon Life losses deepen

Huntingdon Life Sciences of the UK has reported a net loss of L10.9million pounds ($15.5 million) for 2000, a 65.2% increase compared with the previous year, while revenues rose 9% to L63.3 million. Andrew Baker, the company's executive chairman, described 2000 as "certainly a challenging year," alluding to the campaign by animal rights activists aimed at bankrupting HLS (Marketletter January 22). He added that the campaign, "which fed the uncertainties surrounding our refinancing of the company's bank debt," had a negative impact on orders and study starts during the fourth quarter and the early part of 2001.

HLS' managing director, Brian Cass, said that client support "has been tangible" in the aftermath of the campaign, particularly in the UK, and the firm has also begun to see some pick-up in orders from the continental European pharmaceutical sector.