EQS-News

aap closes Q1 2024 with sales growth of 5.6% and positive developments at all operating levels and makes a strong start to Q2 2024 - Seite 2

In the EMEA region, aap achieved double-digit growth, particularly in South Africa (+21% year-on-year), Spain/Portugal (+11% year-on-year) and Germany (+11% year-on-year). An order placed from the Middle East had to be postponed to Q2 2024 at the customer's request, meaning that the EMEA region cannot report any growth. As a result of the reorganization in North America, unprofitable sales were eliminated, resulting in a decline of ~18% compared to the previous year for the first quarter. The Management Board is confident that this decline will be made up for over the course of the year through the continued focused work of the newly established team and new customers.

In Latin America, investments in aap systems to equip new customers led to a larger order volume compared with the same quarter of the previous year, particularly in Brazil and Mexico. These investment orders contributed significantly to the strong growth in the region. aap is confident that the investments in aap systems made in Q1 2024 will sustainably strengthen the business in the region. In the APAC region, existing and new customers also invested in further aap systems.

 

The Company is making great progress in the ongoing human clinical trial with the antibacterial implant technology and has recruited almost 160 patients to date. Due to the continued very positive progress of the study, there is currently the possibility of significantly reducing the number of patients to be recruited and completing the recruitment phase as early as the middle of this year. This would enable an earlier completion of the follow-up phase and an earlier start to the approval and industrialization phase. This step will again require substantial funds, which the Company will raise together with renowned industry partners and private investors.

 

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research ("BMBF") is funding the clinical trial. The grant awarded to the company (funding codes 13GW0313A+B, 13GW0449A+B) is part of the BMBF's "Healthcare industry in the healthcare research framework program" field of action (= funding body). According to the BMBF, projects on the topic of "Transferring medical technology solutions to patient care - proving clinical evidence without delay" are being funded. For further information, please refer to the relevant guideline on the BMBF website: https://www.bmbf.de/foerderungen/bekanntmachung-1376.html.