Barnes Group Inc. - B STOCK NEWS

Sectra reported record-breaking order bookings in Q2 2024/2025, surpassing SEK 4 billion. The company's contracted order bookings rose 739.6% to SEK 4,223.1 million, including a major SEK 3 billion contract for Sectra One Cloud in Québec, Canada. However, Q2 net sales decreased 4.3% to SEK 753.5 million, and operating profit declined 38% to SEK 109.6 million.

The company's transformation to service sales and cloud deliveries is progressing, with cloud recurring revenue increasing 29.9% to SEK 121.3 million. The Secure Communications segment showed strong growth, and a post-quarter settlement regarding patented technology will positively impact Q3 results. Despite short-term revenue impacts from the business model transition, management remains optimistic about long-term growth in healthcare and data security markets.

BioArctic AB has initiated dosing in the EXIST Phase 2a study of exidavnemab for Parkinson's disease patients. The study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluating safety and tolerability of the monoclonal antibody targeting aggregated α-synuclein. At least 24 patients will be recruited in Europe, divided into two cohorts receiving different doses.

The trial follows successful Phase 1 studies showing exidavnemab is well-tolerated with a 30-day half-life. The drug demonstrates high affinity and selectivity toward pathological aggregated forms of α-synuclein, which is believed to play a role in disease progression. The study will evaluate various biomarkers in plasma, cerebrospinal fluid, and through digital measurements.

BioArctic AB's partner Eisai has received approval from Mexico's COFEPRIS for Leqembi (lecanemab) to treat early Alzheimer's disease. The drug, which selectively binds to amyloid-beta aggregates, is the first approved treatment proven to reduce disease progression and slow cognitive decline through this mechanism.

The approval is supported by successful results from the Phase 3 Clarity AD clinical trial, where Leqembi met its primary and key secondary endpoints. The drug is already approved in multiple countries including the U.S., Japan, China, and others. In Mexico, approximately 1.3 million people suffer from Alzheimer's disease.

Leqembi was developed through collaboration between BioArctic and Eisai, with BioArctic retaining rights to jointly commercialize in the Nordic region pending European approval.

Hexagon AB has announced that its nomination committee proposes Björn Rosengren as new Vice Chairman of the Board at the Annual General Meeting on May 5, 2025. This move is part of succession planning as current Chairman Ola Rollén has indicated his intention to step down at the 2026 AGM after 26 years on the board. Rosengren, who previously served as CEO of ABB and Sandvik AB, will be positioned to take over the chairmanship. The announcement also notes that board member Brett Watson will not seek re-election in 2025.

Hexagon is a global leader in precision technologies with approximately 24,500 employees across 50 countries and net sales of about 5.4bn EUR.

SimScale and Hexagon's Manufacturing Intelligence division have announced a strategic partnership to deliver advanced structural analysis capabilities through a cloud-native platform. The collaboration integrates Hexagon's Marc nonlinear finite element solver into SimScale's browser-based platform as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution. This partnership aims to democratize access to advanced simulation tools, enabling engineering teams of all sizes to perform complex structural analyses without requiring extensive technical expertise or specialized IT infrastructure. The platform features live in-product support and has been ranked first in user satisfaction in the Simulation & CAE Software category by G2.

Eisai has launched Leqembi® in South Korea following its approval in May 2024 for treating early Alzheimer's disease (AD). The drug targets approximately 900,000 dementia patients in South Korea, where about 70% have Alzheimer's dementia. Leqembi, developed through collaboration between BioArctic and Eisai, is the first approved treatment that reduces disease progression by targeting amyloid-beta aggregates. The initial launch will be in the private market, with BioArctic retaining rights for joint commercialization in the Nordic region pending European approval.

Hexagon has announced the acquisition of indurad, a German-based leader in radar and Real-Time Location Systems technologies, along with its autonomous haulage subsidiary, xtonomy. The acquisition aims to enhance mine safety through advanced radar-based collision avoidance systems and increase productivity via real-time ore tracking. indurad reported revenues of approximately 19 MEUR in 2023 and has 140 employees globally. The transaction is expected to close in late November, with indurad being consolidated into Hexagon's Autonomous Solutions division. While initially below Hexagon Group levels, profitability is expected to improve as synergies are realized.

BioArctic AB announces that EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has issued a positive recommendation for lecanemab as an Alzheimer's disease treatment in the EU. The recommendation applies to adult patients with early Alzheimer's who are apolipoprotein E ε4 heterozygotes or non-carriers. This follows a re-examination of CHMP's earlier negative recommendation, with European Commission's decision expected within 67 days. Lecanemab is already approved in multiple countries including the US, Japan, and China. BioArctic holds Nordic region commercialization rights, while partner Eisai handles development and commercialization elsewhere.

BioArctic AB announced that its partner Eisai has revised down its revenue forecast for Leqembi for fiscal year 2024 (April 2024-March 2025) to JPY 42.5 billion from JPY 56.5 billion previously announced in May. This adjustment would generate approximately SEK 300M in royalty for BioArctic. First-half FY2024 Leqembi sales reached JPY 16.3 billion, resulting in SEK 112.4M royalty to BioArctic. Eisai leads Leqembi's development and regulatory submissions globally, with Biogen co-commercializing the product. BioArctic maintains Nordic region commercialization rights, pending European approval.