Hikma Pharmaceuticals up ahead of AGM

The price of shares in FTSE 100 drug manufacturer Hikma Pharmaceuticals (LON:HIK) rose 4.72% to 2,441p (as of 10:10 BST) after the firm announced that it had a successful start to the year across its divisions. The company continues to recommend that a final dividend be paid for 2019.

CEO Siggi Olafsson commented: “As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact people and communities around the world, our top priority is the health and safety of our employees and the millions of patients across our markets who count on our medicines.

“As a company, we are leveraging our well-diversified product portfolio and high-quality, flexible manufacturing facilities to respond to the needs of healthcare providers and their patients. We are prioritising the production and delivery of the medicines in highest demand, while continuing to ensure we can supply our broad range of other important medications. We have been proactively managing our inventory and stock levels and working closely with our supplier networks. I am especially proud of our employees’ commitment during these unprecedented times, enabling us to keep delivering high-quality medicines to the people that need them the most.

“Hikma has made a strong start to the year despite the challenging market conditions that have arisen as a result of COVID-19. This is a complex situation which we are continually monitoring, but we have confidence in the outlook for the Group and we are pleased to reiterate our full year guidance for 2020“.