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BELEAGUERED private cord-blood bank Cordlife Group : P8A 0% reported a net loss of S$11.6 million for the three months ended Mar 31, reversing a net profit of S$1.2 million in the corresponding quarter the year before.
The group announced in a bourse filing on Tuesday (June 11) that its revenue was minus S$0.2 million in Q1 2024. In Q1 2023, it was S$14.1 million in the black.
The reversal in revenue was attributed to the financial impact of Cordlife handing out refunds to its customers whose stored cord-blood samples were compromised as a result of not having been stored at the correct freezing temperature.
The group noted that the refunds and waivers of subsequent fees it offered on Apr 8 to active clients with stored cord-blood units led to a revenue reversal of approximately S$9.7 million, which included the recognition of S$0.5 million in contract liabilities related to future storage obligations for its affected clients.
Excluding the financial impact of the refund, the group’s revenue for Q1 2024 would have been approximately S$9.4 million, a 33 per cent decline from the year-ago figure. The group, ordered by the Ministry of Health (MOH) to suspend operations in November 2023, also lost what would have been business from new customers as a result of the suspension.
It also noted that what happened in Singapore affected the fortunes of its operations elsewhere: the number of samples stored in Q1 2024 fell by about a third in Indonesia, India and Malaysia compared to the year-ago period.
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The group said its net cash position remains healthy at S$78.8 million, though down slightly from S$82.5 million as at the end of Q4 2023. It attributed this reduction to ongoing refunds to affected clients, rectification efforts and its fixed operational expenses in Singapore.
MOH has extended the suspension of Cordlife’s operations by another three months, starting on June 15, following inspections in April and May that found that the cord-blood bank had not completed the validation of the system for cord-blood processing.
The ministry said in May that Cordlife had also not completed developing the relevant operating procedures and practices for the system, or the training of the staff using it.
Cordlife noted that the extended suspension is expected to continue hurting its financial performance, and that although its overseas subsidiaries haven’t been directly hit, the negative publicity from the saga has affected public sentiment of its business.
Ivan Yiu, Cordlife’s group chief executive officer, said: “While the suspension of our Singapore operations has impacted financial performance since December 2023, Cordlife has responded by enhancing processes, boosting staff expertise and strengthening its monitoring capabilities.
“We will continue to update the relevant authorities and fulfil all requirements, so as to resume operations as soon as possible. With a stronger foundation, we look forward to a recovery of Cordlife’s business soon,” he added.
Shares of Cordlife closed on Tuesday at S$0.14, down S$0.007 or 4.8 per cent, before the announcement.
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