Various temporary and exceptional effects impacted upon the half-yearly results.

These include high initial costs and delays on the new spray drying tower and a lack of sales in China, which also had a substantial negative impact on the Pharmalys Laboratories SA results; the sale of Hochdorf Baltic Milk UAB also affected the result.

The group-wide EBITDA fell to CHF 13.1 m (previous year CHF 21.7 m) and the EBIT to CHF 2.9 m (previous year CHF 15.8 m). The management is expecting a very strong second half year, but will not fully succeed in balancing the negative effects of the first half year and is therefore revising the forecast slightly down.