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“I'm very pleased with our strong full-year performance, which has helped consolidate our position as a global market leader. We grew our business by 9% overall in a market that is growing by about 5%, while also increasing our EBIT margin. In other words, our consolidated profit meets the high expectations we have for our company,” says Coloplast CEO Lars Rasmussen.

Sales growth by business area was as follows: Ostomy Care 8%, Continence Care 10%, Urology Care 9% and Wound & Skin Care 10%. Revenue increased by 6% in Europe, by 10% in Other established markets and by 24% in Emerging markets.

“We’re particularly pleased with the sales performance in our Wound & Skin Care business and with the 24% growth in Emerging markets, which was driven by strong sales in the Chinese and Brazilian markets,” says Lars Rasmussen.

Outstanding new products 

“I would like to emphasise the full-year improvements we saw across the board. We've outperformed the market in all business areas and in all geographical regions,” says Lars Rasmussen. “During the past year, we've also reinforced the strong momentum of our business with the launch of some outstanding new products across our business areas, such as the New SenSura® Mio ostomy bag and the SpeediCath® Compact Eve catheter.”

For the 2014/2015 financial year, Coloplast projects revenue growth of about 9% at constant exchange rates and of 11 % in DKK, and an EBIT margin of around 34%, both at constant exchange rates and in DKK.

For further information, click here to read the full-year earnings release.

The Coloplast Annual Report for 2013/14 will be released later today. For more information, go here.

Also later today, Coloplast will release its Corporate Responsibility Report for 2013/14. For more information, go here.

EBIT before special items increased by 13% to DKK 3,047 million. The EBIT margin before special items was 33%, against 31% in 9M 2012/13.

Delivering on ambitious targets

“I'm pleased with the solid financial results we are announcing today. We are continuing our string of healthy growth in all business areas and in all regions, and our consolidated profit is matching the high expectations we have for our company,” said Coloplast CEO Lars Rasmussen.

Sales growth by business area was as follows: Ostomy Care 8%, Continence Care 11%, Urology Care 10% and Wound & Skin Care 10%. Coloplast grew its European business by 6%, Other Developed Markets by 10% and Emerging Markets by 24%.

“I'm particularly pleased with the sales performance in our Continence Care, Urology Care and Wound & Skin Care businesses, which all delivered double-digit growth rates,” said Lars Rasmussen, and he continued: “I'm also encouraged by our sales growth in Other Developed Markets, which was driven by the powerful sales performance in the USA of our continence care and ostomy care products, and our sales growth in Emerging Markets based especially on our positive performance in China, Brazil and Argentina."

Financial guidance for 2013/14 unchanged

Following the Q3 interim report, Coloplast continues to expect full-year organic revenue growth of about 9% and of about 7% in DKK. The company continues to expect the EBIT-margin before special items to be 33-34% at constant exchange rates and about 33% in DKK.

The Q3 Interim Report.

Coloplast has the best worldwide patient reputation among 28 leading medico companies. That is the conclusion from the independent, UK research organisation: PatientView, who has conducted a survey and asked 428 patient organisations in 54 countries.

Coloplast is the overall winner for the third year running and ranks number one in three out of six categories. Coloplast thus beats one of its closest competitors Convatec (second place) as well as St. Jude Medical (third) and Novo Nordisk (fourth).

“The best kind of recognition is that coming from the users, so we are extremely happy to see that our effort is noted. However, others are also doing well and are catching up with us,” says Senior Vice President of Global Marketing in Coloplast, Nicolas Nemery. Coloplast won in both 2012 and 2013 in all six categories in the PatientView survey.

“We want to create impactful improvements for people who use our products – and this survey indicates that this is appreciated,” says Nicolas Nemery.

“We’re pursuing a strategy that puts the user in the center. The majority of our users have had critical accidents or diseases, and we want to help them return to their normal lives. We can only do that by listening to their needs and incorporating them into everything we do.”

“We hope to remove some of the “patient stigma” that many live with – for instance by designing products that do not look like hospital equipment but instead look like products you would normally have in your handbag or in the bathroom.

Read more about the survey at PatientView’s website.

Read more about Coloplast at www.coloplast.com.

Coloplast develops products and services that make life easier for people with very personal and private medical conditions. Our business includes ostomy care, urology and continence care and wound and skin care.

Facts

The survey examined the reputation of the medico industry as a whole, and the asked patient groups rated the individual reputation of the companies in six different areas:

• Whether the company has an effective patient-centered strategy (1st )

• The quality of the information that the company provides to patients (1st )

• The company’s record on patient safety (1st )

• The usefulness of the company’s products to patients (2nd )

• Record of transparency with external healthcare stakeholders (2nd )

• Whether the company acts with integrity (3rd)

Top medical device performance – overall rankings 2013-2014

Coloplast A/S – 1st

Convatec – 2nd

St Jude Medical – 3rd

Novo Nordisk A/S – 4th

Roche Diagnostics – 5th

Sanofi – 6th

28 companies were included in the survey

Coloplast A/S, ConvaTec, St Jude Medical, Smith & Nephew, Novo Nordisk A/S, Roche Diagnostics, Sanofi, Fresenius Medical Care, Abbott Laboratories, Medtronic, Inc, Johnson & Johnson, Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, Inc, Philips Healthcare, Baxter International, Kimberly-Clark, GE Healthcare, B. Braun Melsungen AG, 3M Healthcare, Becton Dickinson, Olympus Medical Business, Mölnlycke Health Care, Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation, Alcon, Boston Scientific, Bausch + Lomb, Hartmann Group, Biotronik International, Siemens Healthcare

The asked patient groups represent at least 1.5 million patients and cover a broad range of care areas, including neurology, cancer, diabetes and mental health. The majority (16 percent) is from Great Britain, 10 percent from Germany, 9 percent from the US. The rest is scattered from countries around the world. The survey was conducted from mid-February to end March 2014.

Kristian Villumsen is appointed Executive Vice President, Chronic Care, and will be responsible for Global Marketing, Research & Development as well as the sales regions within the ostomy and continence business. Kristian Villumsen has been with Coloplast since 2008, most recently in the role of Senior Vice President of Emerging Markets.

Allan Rasmussen is appointed Executive Vice President, Global Operations (production), and will be responsible for Global Operations, Procurement, and Quality & Environment. Allan Rasmussen has been with Coloplast since 1992 and enters Executive Management from the position of Senior Vice President of Global Operations.

Anders Lonning-Skovgaard is appointed CFO with responsibility for Global Finance and Global IT. Anders joined Coloplast in 2006 and has most recently held the position of Senior Vice President of IT.

Increased commercial focus

”In light of the company’s ambitious growth strategy and the long-term financial guidance that we announced recently, we have chosen to expand and strengthen our Executive Management to better reflect the commercial ambitions for the coming years,” says Michael Pram Rasmussen, Chairman of the Board in Coloplast.

Lars Rasmussen, President and CEO of Coloplast: “With the addition of Kristian Villumsen, Allan Rasmussen, and Anders Lonning-Skovgaard, I am convinced that we have an Executive Management team able to put the necessary commercial pressure on the organisation in order to deliver on our growth ambitions. Between them, they have 35 years of experience in Coloplast, and they have all played important roles in the successful development of Coloplast in the past years. I am pleased and proud to be strengthening Executive Management with such strong internal candidates.”

CFO Lene Skole leaves Coloplast

As a consequence of the changes current CFO Lene Skole leaves Coloplast and joins Lundbeckfonden as CEO as of 1 September 2014.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Lene Skole for her significant contribution to Coloplast since 2005. As CFO, she has played a vital role in the successful transformation of Coloplast. I wish her the best of luck in her new position as CEO of Lundbeckfonden,” says Michael Pram Rasmussen, Chairman of the Board in Coloplast.

Executive Management in Coloplast as of 1 July 2014 are:

CEO - Lars Rasmussen (55 years old)

EVP, Chronic Care - Kristian Villumsen (43 years old)

EVP, Global Operations - Allan Rasmussen (47 years old)

CFO - Anders Lonning-Skovgaard (41 years old)

PRESS CONTACT

Simon Mehl Augustesen

Media Relations Manager

+45 4911 3488

dksia@coloplast.com

The half-year results are affected by the provision of DKK 1bn to cover potential settlements and other costs in connection with litigation in the US that was announced on May2 2014. The provision is recorded as special items. EBIT before special items was up by 14% to DKK 1,997 million, with an EBIT margin before special items of 33% compared with 31% in the first quarter of last year.

Strong first-half performance

“We're presenting a strong first-half performance despite the provision for litigation in the USA. We have continued to build on an excellent start of the financial year and have managed to maintain our momentum, so once again we are delivering solid growth in all business areas and all regions, and I'm very pleased with our first half-year performance,” says Coloplast CEO Lars Rasmussen. Sales growth by business area was as follows: Ostomy Care 9%, Continence Care 11%, Urology Care 10% and Wound & Skin Care 11%. Coloplast grew its European business by 7%, Other Established Markets by 11% and Emerging Markets by 25%. “We're very pleased to see sales continuing to improve in our Urology Care and Wound Care businesses,” says Lars Rasmussen, and he continues: “I'm also very pleased with our growth performance in the US market, which is an important market for us, and with our results in China and Brazil.”

Guidance for 2013/2014 upgraded and interim dividend determined

Based on its strong first-half performance and the generally growing momentum of the business, Coloplast is upgrading its guidance for full-year organic growth from about 8%to about 9%. Revenue growth in DKK is now expected to be about 7% (previously about 6%). The EBIT margin before special items guidance is also being upgraded to 33-34% at constant exchange rates (from previously about 33%), but maintained at 33% in DKK. An EBIT margin of 25-26% at constant exchange rates and around 25% in DKK is expected. The Board of Directors has resolved that the company will pay an interim dividend of DKK 4 per share following the release of the first-half financial statements, for a total dividend payout of DKK 844 million. The payout is a consequence of the amended dividend policy Coloplast announced last year, according to which the company pays dividends twice a year, i.e. after the AGM and after the release of the half-year interim report.

EBIT was up by 13% to DKK 1,013m, with the EBIT margin at 33%, compared to 31% in the first quarter of last year.

“I'm very pleased with our first-quarter results. Our growth rates were higher than we had expected in all business areas, and the overall results have made us upgrade our full-year guidance,” said Coloplast CEO Lars Rasmussen.

The organic sales growth by business area was as follows: Ostomy Care 10%, Continence Care 10%, Urology Care 11% and Wound & Skin Care 17%.

“Achieving double-digit growth rates in all of our business areas means that in the current year we can invest more in sales-enhancing initiatives than we previously expected while still delivering on the promise we made at the start of the financial year to improve our earnings,” Lars Rasmussen continued.

Revenue guidance for 2013/14 upgraded and sales-enhancing initiatives to be increased

Based on the strong Q1 performance and the generally growing momentum of the business,Coloplast upgrades the guidance for full-year organic growth to around 8% from around 7%. Full year guidance in DKK has been upgraded to around 6% from previously around 5%.There is no change to the EBIT margin guidance, which is still for 33%, both at constant exchange rates and in DKK.

Concurrently with the upgraded guidance, Coloplast will also be stepping up investment in sales-enhancing initiatives, which are now expected to amount to DKK 200–250m in the2013/14 financial year instead of previously DKK 150–200m. The increase in sales-enhancing initiatives will be financed by the anticipated sales increase.

For further information, click here to read the Q1 Interim Report.