News

Non-executive director Colin Wall has doubled his holding in Aim-listed biotech group Vastox, just after it announced a deal to boost its presence significantly in a key market.

Wall, who joined the board in September 2006, has purchased 38,000 shares at 127p per share, costing a shade over £48,000, and lifting his stake to 74,000 shares.

Drug research and developer Vastox has just acquired two of its leading rivals in the outsourced drug testing market. The group is paying £16.5m in mainly shares to buy DanioLabs, a Cambridge-based drug discovery company, and Dextra Laboratories a US carbohydrate chemistry service company.

Vastox, which is renowned for its use of zebrafish in testing new drugs, says DanioLabs is its main rival and the acquisition will allow it to dominate its area of the market. Dextra's speciality in carbohydrates is another area that complements Vastox, chief executive Stephen Lee said.

Top Director Buys

Vebnet (Holdings) (VBT)
Director name: Mr Montague Samuels
Amount purchased: 200,000 @ 100.00p
Value: £200,000

VASTox (VOX)
Director name: Mr Colin Wall
Amount purchased: 38,000 @ 127.00p
Value: £48,260

Standard Life European Private Equity Tst. (SEP)
Director name: Mr Clive Sherling
Amount purchased: 20,000 @ 227.12p
Value: £45,426

Syndicate Asset Management (SAM)
Director name: Mr John Morton
Amount purchased: 45,000 @ 66.00p
Value: £29,700

Rexam (REX)
Director name: Mr Leslie Van de Walle
Amount purchased: 5,000 @ 544.25p
Value: £27,212

Eleco (ELCO)
Director name: Mr John H B Ketteley
Amount purchased: 25,000 @ 91.50p
Value: £22,875

Mobile Streams (MOS)
Director name: Mr Peter Tomilnson
Amount purchased: 40,000 @ 49.50p
Value: £19,800

Premier Farnell (PFL)
Director name: Mr David John Seymour Roques
Amount purchased: 10,000 @ 197.00p
Value: £19,700

Telecom Plus (TEP)
Director name: Mr Michael Pavia
Amount purchased: 10,000 @ 195.00p
Value: £19,500

Rexam (REX)
Director name: Mr Jean-Pierre Rodier
Amount purchased: 3,000 @ 518.00p
Value: £15,540

Top Director Sells

Xstrata (XTA)
Director name: Mr Santiago Zaldumide
Amount sold: 100,488 @ 2,497.00p
Value: £2,509,185

Xstrata (XTA)
Director name: Mr Santiago Zaldumide
Amount sold: 100,000 @ 2,489.00p
Value: £2,489,000

Xstrata (XTA)
Director name: Mr Santiago Zaldumide
Amount sold: 100,000 @ 2,461.00p
Value: £2,461,000

Capita Group (CPI)
Director name: Mr Paddy Doyle
Amount sold: 300,000 @ 683.00p
Value: £2,049,000

Rightmove (RMV)
Director name: Mr Scott Forbes
Amount sold: 250,000 @ 483.00p
Value: £1,207,500

Amvescap (AVZ)
Director name: Mr James I Robertson
Amount sold: 125,000 @ 614.15p
Value: £767,688

Future Internet Technologies (FTI)
Director name: Mr Paul Thornton
Amount sold: 150,000 @ 255.50p
Value: £383,250

Amvescap (AVZ)
Director name: Mr James I Robertson
Amount sold: 50,000 @ 615.45p
Value: £307,725

Quintain Estate (QED)
Director name: Ms Rebecca J Worthington
Amount sold: 1,710 @ 917.50p
Value: £15,689