Microbiome specialist OptiBiotix Health plc (LON:OPTI) is to create four separate operating divisions, opening up the possibility of floating off one or more units.
The company believes its Optiscreen, OptiBiotix, SlimBiome and SkinBiotix technology platforms are now reaching a stage of development where it is advantageous to form separate divisions, each containing its own technology platform, intellectual property (IP) portfolio and partner agreements.
Further down the road these divisions could become separate legal entities with the potential for a separate public listing, allowing for shareholder value to be maximised in the event of a successful flotation of one or more of the divisions.
"The rapid developments in the understanding of the microbiome have been matched by OptiBiotix's own progress in a number of key but diverse areas. I believe that OptiBiotix's diversity of both IP and commercial relationships offers shareholders multiple opportunities where future value to shareholders may be best realised by spinning out domain specific opportunities where we as a board believe the individual parts may be properly resourced and valued,” said Stephen O’Hara, chief executive officer of OptiBiotix.
“In its own right it is not a new idea but one that has previously worked well for a number of companies," O’Hara added.