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ProMetic Life Sciences Inc.

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FY2003 Annual Report · ProMetic Life Sciences Inc.
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FOCUS
ON REAL VALUE

2003

ANNUAL

REPORT

COMPANY PROFILE

ENABLING A WORLD OF BETTER HEALTH FOR ALL

ProMetic Life Sciences Inc. is a leading international biopharmaceutical company specializing in research, development,

manufacture and commercialization of products and applications for the biopharmaceutical industry. Its proprietary

platform technologies are essential to the manufacture and development of therapeutics, the elimination of pathogens,

proteomics, diagnostics and large-scale drug purification.

ProMetic is currently focused on two main goals: the first being to use its Mimetic Ligands™ core technology to enable

further improvements to well-established therapies and create better and more efficient technologies for new drugs and

disease treatments. The second focus consists of further leveraging its expertise in protein therapeutics and medicinal

chemistry, by developing proprietary value-added drugs and therapies in the fields of cancer, inflammatory/auto-immune

and  infectious  diseases.  In  doing  so,  ProMetic  will  enhance  the  lives  of  people  living  in  developed  and  developing

countries around the world, while at the same time creating ethical financial opportunities for its shareholders.

ProMetic is in a unique position in that it has a large number of diverse partnerships with some key companies in the

global biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries and therefore, can potentially generate revenues from a number

of  diverse  sources.  These  include  the  sale  of  proprietary  therapeutics,  pathogen  removal  devices  and  bioseparation

media,  as  well  as  royalties  and  milestone  payments  from  products  sold  by  partners  who  use  ProMetic’s  proprietary

technology  in  their  manufacturing  processes.  Clinical  development  and  marketing  risks  are  shared  through

partnerships with multinational companies.

Founded in 1994, ProMetic continues to expand and is comprised of 109 employees with R&D facilities in Montreal

(Canada) and Cambridge (UK), manufacturing facilities in Canada and in the UK, and a marketing presence in Europe,

the USA and Japan.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PRODUCT PIPELINE

KEY HIGHLIGHTS 2003

MESSAGE TO SHAREHOLDERS

CANCER

INFLAMMATION

PLASMA-DERIVED PRODUCTS 

PATHOGEN REMOVAL AND DIAGNOSTIC TECHNOLOGIES INC.

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF OPERATING RESULTS AND FINANCIAL POSITION

MANAGEMENT’S REPORT/AUDITOR’S REPORT

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CORPORATE INFORMATION

1

2

3

6

8

10

12

14

18

19

22

42

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PRODUCT PIPELINE

INFLAMMATION AND AUTO-IMMUNE DISEASES

Compound

Therapeutic Target

Status

Phase II

rAAT

rAAT

Atopic dermatitis (AD)

Psoriasis and other dermatological indications

Pending Phase II

Lead candidates (anti-TNFa)

Rheumatoid arthritis

Lead candidates (anti-TNFa)

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)

PBI-1101

Interstitial cystitis (IC)

CANCER

Compound

PBI-1402

Therapeutic Target

Reduce toxicity of chemotherapy
and radiotherapy

PBI-1393

Increase efficacy of chemotherapy 

Pre-clinic

Pre-clinic

Pre-clinic

Status

Phase I

Pre-clinic

E NABLING TECHNOLOGY

Pathogen Detection & Removal 
(“PRDT” joint venture with American Red Cross)

• BSE/TSE (mad cow disease)
• Viruses

Plasma Protein Recovery & Purification

• Plasma-derived proteins (American Red Cross)
• Downstream processing (Biotechnology Research Institute (BRI))
• Recombinant proteins (eg. Aventis, NovoNordisk, Menarini, Serono, etc.)

Medical Devices 

• Mitradep® (Mitra)
• GlycosalMC (Provalis)

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KEY HIGHLIGHTS 2003

CLINICAL DEVELOPMENTS

Recombinant Alpha 1-antitrypsin (“rAAT”) in Phase II clinical study for atopic dermatitis

Authorization from Health Canada for an oral dose safety and efficacy study of PBI-1402 in healthy

human volunteers

Filing of additional patents for niche indi c ations following positive results with PBI-1402 on human cell culture

Discovery of new lead candidates and important milestone thresholds in pre-clinical studies

ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES

Agreement with Hemosol Inc. to implement the novel ProMetic/American Red Cross plasma protein

purification process for North America—Upfront and milestone payments, plus royalties on sales

Pathogen Removal and Diagnostic Technologies Inc. presents the world’s first product to reduce the

infectivity of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, which are responsible for the transmission of

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Alliance to set up a biopharmaceutical company in Tunisia which will manufacture and commercialize

affordable drugs for a market of over 500 million people 

Alliance with The National Research Council’s Biotechnology Research Institute to provide a fully integrated

service to biotech and pharmaceutical companies for the development and scale-up of therapeutic protein

production

Alliance with the American Red Cross to co-develop a purification process to improve the recovery yield of

valuable therapeutic proteins from plasma

CORPORATE STRUCTURE

Successful equity financing totaling $20 million (plus $3 million with the exercice of the over allotment

option in January 2004)

Experienced managers and scientists joined the company to support therapeutic progress and accelerate

manufacturing expansion

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M E S S AGE TO SHAREHOLDERS

In 2003, ProMetic focused on its key value
driver projects and achieved major strategic
milestones. Its two lead drug candidates, Alpha
1-antitrypsin (“rAAT”) and PBI-1402, have
advanced in clinical trials designed to
demonstrate their efficacy.

As for its enabling technologies, ProMetic
agreed to license its technologies to produce
and market affordable drugs, presented the
world’s first prion removal product and
concluded an agreement for the use of its
improved plasma protein recovery system. 

These five breakthroughs will lead the way to
more intensive marketing activities and strong
revenue growth in the years ahead.

I t is my pleasure to update you on the

m a j o r milestones achieved by ProMetic
during 2003. 

Significant Clinical Progress

In 2003, our therapeutic team did a remarkab l e
job of a dvancing the clinical development of o u r
two lead compounds and selecting other drug
candidates as next-stage products to advance to
clinical studies.

A phase II study has been initiated for

recombinant Alpha 1-antitrypsin ( “ r A AT”) t o p i c a l
gel. This study is underway in four Canadian
centers and is designed to demonstrate the gel’s
efficacy and safety in the treatment of Atopic
Dermatitis. Over 15 million people in North
America are affected by this condition.
Following completion of the phase II study, we
expect to pursue the clinical development of
rAAT, develop further data for other indications
and finalize a business strategy to develop other
sources of revenue from this compound. 

In 2003, impressive pre-clinical data were
generated with PBI-1402, leading to the filing
of several additional patents. This compound
has the ability to protect selective stem cells in
bone marrow and reduce the side effects of

chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In early 2004,
a study on the safety and efficacy of an oral
dose of PBI-1402 was initiated with healthy
human volunteers at the Hôpital Maisonneuve-
Rosemont, in Montreal (Canada). We are 
very optimistic about this compound, which 
will also allow for alternative strategies in 
niche indications.

ProMetic further advanced pre-clinical

studies to identify and prepare new lead
compounds for clinical trials. For example, the
drug discovery platform led to the identification
of a very promising and novel therapeutic
approach to treating inflammatory/auto-
immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
In fact, Dr. Christopher Penney’s team has
developed lead drug candidates that
demonstrate in vivo therapeutic activity similar
to that of an existing blockbuster compound.
Key advantages of these lead candidates include
the fact that they would be orally active, less
expensive and better tolerated than standard
therapies.

Groundbreaking
Agreements

In early 2003, ProMetic entered into a second
alliance with the American Red Cross aimed at
improving the recovery of therapeutic proteins
from human plasma. This alliance achieved a key
milestone in 2003 with the agreement entered
into with Hemosol Inc., which agreed to in-license
our improved recovery technology in return for
upfront and milestone payments and royalties of
5% to 8% on net sales. Hemosol’s new
manufacturing facility, designed to handle the
commercial production of blood proteins, will
greatly speed up the development process of
Canada’s first plasma fractionation facility.

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Pierre Laurin
Chairman, 
President and Chief
Executive Officer

041125 PP1-13 Eng  05/04/04  15:07  Page 4

“ ProMetic

continues to focus
on product
development,
targeting large and
unsatisfied markets
where therapies are
in limited supply or
economically
burdensome, be
they in emerging
markets or
developed

countries.”

Pathogen Removal and Diagnostic

Technologies Inc. (“PRDT”), our first joint
venture with the American Red Cross, develops
systems to remove and detect viruses and prions
t h at can be found in biolog i c a l ly derived products.
In November 2003, PRDT announced at the
European Plasma Fractionation Association
Conference in Scotland, the world’s first prion
reduction system for industrial processes, which
is applicable to any type of biological material.
Mad cow disease made the news on several
occasions in 2003. Cows afflicted with this
disease were discovered in Canada and the
United States, seriously impacting beef exports
of these countries. In addition, the British
government identified a first possible case of
transmission through blood transfusion of fatal
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the human form of
mad cow disease. The growing concerns about
biologically transmitted diseases clearly validate
PRDT’s mission and the timeliness of the
launch of its first pathogen removal product.

In October 2003, ProMetic also entered into

an alliance to set up a biopharmaceutical
company in Tunisia that will manufacture and
commercialize affordable high-value drugs for
500 million people in Africa, the Middle East
and parts of Europe. We are particularly proud,
since this is the world’s first technology transfer
of its kind for the manufacture of biopharma-
ceutical products by emerging countries. 

Meanwhile, we remained very active with
numerous biotechnology and pharmaceutical
companies that require our technologies and
expertise to develop highly efficient protein
expression and purification systems. To this end,
we concluded, in September 2003, a strategic
alliance with The National Research Council's
Biotechnology Research Institute—Canada’s
largest biotechnology R&D center with over
800 employees—to provide a fully integrated
service for the development and scale-up of
therapeutic protein production for
biopharmaceutical companies.

The Resources to Succeed

Year after year, ProMetic is becoming a stronger
company with an increasingly bright future.
The year 2003 was particularly good, since we
advanced our therapeutic lead compounds and
concluded strong agreements for the use of our
technologies. 

We also strengthened our financial and
human resources to ensure our sustained
progress with a financing totalling $20 million
in gross proceeds plus $3 million with the
exercice of the over allotment option in January
2004. We also recruited experienced managers
and scientists such as Mr. Claude Camiré,
Vice President, Corporate Development;
Mr. Claude Lambert, Vice President, Finance
and Administration; Mr. Victor Bornsztejn,
Global Sales and Marketing Manager; and
Dr. Christopher Bryant, Project Director –
Plasma-Derived Products, and promoted
experienced scientists such as Dr. Christopher
Penney, Chief Scientific Officer – Therapeutic
and Dr. Steven Burton, Chief Scientific Officer –
Enabling Technology.

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The 2004 financial year will again see major

I wish to take this opportunity to thank our

clients and partners for their confidence in
ProMetic. I would also like to express my
gratitude to our employees for their
commitment to achieving our milestones and
commercial objectives. Together, we focus on
creating real business opportunities that
generate real shareholder value. Finally, I wish
to thank our shareholders for their unflagging
support. You can rest assured that we will make
every effort to optimize the value of your
investment. Creating a successful and profitable
biotechnology company is a long and
demanding process. ProMetic is well on the way
to achieving this goal, and 2004 will prove to be
another year marked by major advances.

Thank you.

Pierre Laurin
Chairman, President 
and Chief Executive Officer

developments arising out of both our
Therapeutic and Enabling Technology Business
Units. Efficacy results of the clinical trials for
each of our two lead compounds are expected in
2004. In keeping with ProMetic’s mission, both
compounds target billion-dollar, unsatisfied
markets where therapies are in limited supply or
economically onerous. These pivotal clinical
milestones will determine the different
development strategies available to us,
including co-development and licensing
opportunities.

With commercial breakthroughs achieved in

the past financial year, ProMetic is now well
positioned to offer plasma separation and
biopharmaceutical manufacturing solutions to
other clients. 

As well, we are aggressively pursuing
opportunities to license our technologies to
different parties that wish to become self-
sufficient in the provision of plasma-derived
therapeutics or to improve their manufacturing
yield. The potential market is huge, since many
countries and regions still rely on external
sources of supply, such as Canada, Latin
America, the Middle East, India, Africa and
several Eastern European and Far Eastern
countries.

Finally, our Enabling Technology Business
Unit continues to co-develop products with its
partners. As some of these opportunities are
nearing commercial status, this will also
translate into recurring revenue growth.

“ We are very

proud to have
achieved in 2003
alone three world
firsts that are in
keeping with our
mission of helping
to create a

healthier world.”

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F O C U S E D ON UNMET MEDICAL NEEDS

Cancer is the 2nd leading

cause of death in
developed countries

Lead compound PBI-1402
i n c l i nical trial to help

reduce the side effects
of chemotherapy on
bone marrow

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“ Health Canada

approved the
beginning of
Phase I clinical
trial for PBI-1402,
the results of
which are expected
during the 2004

financial year.”

Cancer

In North America, cancer is the second-

leading cause of death after heart diseases,
and it is anticipated that with the aging
p o p u l ation, cancer will soon become the nu m b e r
one cause of death. Traditional treatments for
cancer involve surgery, radiotherapy and
chemotherapy, however new therapies have
emerged which either complement current
standard treatments by reducing toxicity and
increasing efficacy or which are more specific in
targeting cancer cells. ProMetic’s long-standing
interest and investments in the cancer field have
led to three recent and important advances.

Reducing Toxicity 

In the second quarter of 2003, positive results
with PBI-1402 on human cell culture led to the
filing of additional patents and a r e c o m m e n d a-
tion by ProMetic’s Clinical Adv i s o ry Committee
to proceed with efficacy and safety studies. In
fact, PBI-1402 was demonstrated to promote
the formation of white blood cells in bone
marrow. As a side effect, chemotherapy causes
neutropenia, which is the reduction of
neutrophils, a certain type of white blood cells that
acts as the first line of defense against viruses
and bacteria. Believed to be a potent activator of
neutrophils, PBI-1402 is a low molecular we i g h t
synthetic compound that is orally active, unlike
most other drugs in this field which must be
injected. In early 2004, Health Canada
ap p r oved the beginning of P h a s e I clinical trial for
PBI-1402, the results of which are expected
during the 2004 financial year.

PBI-1402 is a low molecular
weight synthetic compound,
that is orally active, unlike
most other drugs in this
field which must be injected.

Increasing Efficacy

ProMetic is also pursuing activities to strengthen
its product pipeline in this field. In 2003, the

CHEMOTHERAPY

Bone

PBI-1402

Hematopoietic
stem cell

Neutrophil

Neutropenia

Pluripontent
stem cell

Myeloid
progenitor 
cell

Anemia

Red blood cell

As a side effect, chemotherapy causes Neutropenia, which is the
reduction of neutrophils, or white blood cells, and anemia,
which is the reduction of red blood cells. PBI-1402 has been
demonstrated to promote the formation of neutrophils.

Therapeutic Unit furthered Prometic’s
proprietary position on compound PBI-1393
and demonstrated its ability to increase the effe c t
of chemotherapy on human cells. In view of the
role of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) in
controlling micrometastatic tumors, and the
s i g n i ficant effect of PBI-1393 on CTLs, this dru g
shows great potential in combination therapy
setting. ProMetic is scaling up the manufacture
of GMP material for upcoming clinical studies.

Targeting Cancer Cells

In 2003, ProMetic also concluded an exclusive
worldwide agreement with Mitra Medical
Technology AB of Sweden for the manufacture
and supply of the key component of Mitradep®.
Representing the culmination of a six-year joint
development program between the two
companies, Mitradep ® is used for extracorporeal
removal of tumor-specific cytotoxic antibodies
administered as part of cancer treatment
regimes. Mitradep® is currently undergoing
final regulatory approval in Europe and is
t a r geting a US$400 million world marke t .

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F O C U S E D ON UNMET MEDICAL NEEDS

Over 15 million people

suffer from atopic
dermatitis in North
America alone

Lead compound rAAT

in Phase II clinical trial

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Inflammation

Recombinant Alpha
1-a n t i t rypsin (“rAAT”) 

P r o M e t i c ’s goal related to the field of
i n fl a m m ation is to offer advanced and cost-
e fficient treatment altern at ives for unsat i s fi e d
medical needs. For instance, for the past ten ye a rs
it has been known that plasma-derived AAT can
s u c c e s s f u l ly treat advanced cases of psoriasis and
atopic derm atitis. Howe ve r, a worldwide short age
in supply has prevented the development of m a ny
A AT-based treatments. This opportunity led the
A rr iva-ProMetic Inc. joint venture to produce the
wo r l d ’s fi rst, ye a s t - d e r ived, recombinant A l p h a
1-antitrypsin (“rAAT”); a product that can be
produced in abundant quantity at a lower cost.

Recombinant Alpha 1-Antitrypsin (rAAT)

A Phase II atopic derm atitis study was initiat e d
in October 2003. Pe r f o rm e d
in four inve s t i gation centers
across Canada, this proof o f
concept study was designed
p r i m a r i ly to demonstrate the
e ffi c a cy of r A AT. 

DNA

Yeast

Yeast Harvested in Fermentor

Purification

Final Formulations Containing rAAT

Atopic derm atitis is a

chronic skin disorder
c h a ra c t e r i zed by pruritus, dry
skin, and exc o r i ation. T h i s
disease affects ap p r ox i m at e ly
6% of the population. In the
United States alone, it is
e s t i m ated that more than
15 million individuals are
a fflicted with this disease,
for which curr e n t ly ava i l ab l e

Lead compound, rAAT, in
Phase II clinical trial.

t h e rapies ge n e rate sales of over US$2 b i l l i o n
a n nu a l ly.

Inflammatory/Auto-
immune Diseases

Au t o - i m mune disease refe rs to any of a group of
d i s o r d e rs or diseases in which tissue injury is
a s s o c i ated with a misdirected immune response to
b o dy constituents. For ex a m p l e, the unwa n t e d
i m mune response may affect joints (arthritis), skin
(psoriasis), the myelin sheath that protects nerve s

The world market of therapeutic products for inflammatory/
auto-immune diseases such as arthritis, SLE and glomeru-
lonephritis, is expected to reach US$25 billion in 2007.

( multiple sclerosis), kidneys (gl o m e ru l o n e p h r i t i s ) ,
t hyroid (Hashimoto's disease), and pancreas
( d i abetes type 1). In fact, the list of i n fl a m m at o ry /
a u t o - i m mune diseases is composed of more than
eighty disorders. Pe r h aps the most we l l - k n own of
these is arthritis. Most infl a m m at o ry / a u t o -
i m mune diseases are debilitat i n g, often progr e s s ive
with time and eve n t u a l ly fatal. Systemic lupus
e ry t h e m atosus (SLE), for ex a m p l e, is a chronic
disease in which 10-15% of p atients die within a
decade of d i ag n o s i s .

The infl a m m at o ry / a u t o - i m mune disease

m a r ket, including  arthritis products, is forecast to
reach US$25 billion in 2007. This lucrat ive
m a r ket combined with the high failure rat e
amongst traditional drug treatments (poor
response to the drug and/or drug toxicity) has led
to a fragmented or mu l t i d i s c i p l i n a ry approach to
the treatment of i n fl a m m at o ry / a u t o - i m mu n e
diseases. Current treatments for SLE are not
s at i s fa c t o ry. It is recog n i zed in the medical
c o m munity that there is still a need for efficient ye t
s a fe drugs for the treatment of i n fl a m m at o ry /
a u t o - i m mune diseases. Scientists at ProMetic have
d i s c overed a new class of o ra l ly active compounds
which may function as drugs for the treatment of
i n fl a m m at o ry / a u t o - i m mune diseases. This class of
compounds displays biological activity by a nove l
mechanism not exploited in curr e n t ly ava i l ab l e
d rugs. Significant activity was demonstrated, for
ex a m p l e, in animal models of a rthritis and SLE.

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F O C U S E D ON UNIQUE AND VA L UABLE TECHNOLOGY

Plasma-derived

therapeutics represent
worldwide annual sales
of US$5.6 billion.

Consumer 
Community

Percent
Untreated

Hemophilia
Immunodeficiency
Alpha 1 deficiency

80
94
97

1 0

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Plasma-Derived Products

(Canada)—a $90 million manufacturing
facility built to handle the commercial
production of blood proteins. The agreement
will also generate short-term revenues through
manufacturing contracts for other plasma
fractionation companies. 

This fi rst agreement is an important milestone,

since ProMetic anticipates licensing to other
countries. The ability to supply licensees with
GMP material manu factured in Hemosol’s fa c i l i t y
will accelerate the construction and va l i d ation of
facilities in these countries. Key markets that do
not yet have their own plasma processing fa c i l i t i e s
and that rely on external sources of supply
include Canada, Latin America, the Middle East,
India, Africa and several Eastern European and
Far East countries.

Red Blood Cells

Platelets

57g of 
proteins 
per litre 
of plasma

Plasma

92% Water
7% Protein
1% Salt

Currently, more than 25 million liters of plasma are
processed annually producing plasma-derived proteins used
to manufacture over 20 therapeutic products.

Plasma is the residual liquid that remains

once the red cells, white cells and
platelets have been removed from blood.
Plasma protein fractionation plants around the
world process more than 25 million liters of
plasma annually. Plasma-derived proteins are
used to manufacture over 20 therapeutic
products and generate annual sales of over
US$5.6 billion.

Developed during the Second
World War, the current plasma
fractionation process, “the Cohn
process”, was first created to
ex t ract only one protein:
albumin. The Cohn process
offers low recovery yields that
are far insufficient to meet
worldwide demand. For ex a m p l e,
80% of hemophiliacs lack the
essential plasma-derived drug
Factor VIII, and demand for
immunoglobulin is seven times
greater than current manufac-

turing capacity. The plasma fractionation
industry is thus faced with the major challenge
of increasing the output of existing facilities
and building new, more efficient ones.

In early 2003, ProMetic and the American

Red Cross teamed up to capitalize on this
opportunity. The combination of each
organization’s proprietary technologies and
expertise resulted in a new and unique
“Cascade process.” This process increases the
recovery yield of plasma proteins up to 80%
and allows for the recovery of additional new
proteins, creating a significant worldwide
business opportunity.

In December 2003, Hemosol Inc. became the

alliance’s first client, as it signed a Memo-
randum of Understanding in order to in-license
the improved recovery technology for North
America in return for upfront and milestone
payments and 5% to 8% royalties on revenues.
In 2004, ProMetic will transfer the technology
to Hemosol’s plant in Meadowpine, Toronto

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The Hemosol agreement is
an important milestone for
our alliance with the
American Red Cross. The
ProMetic/ARC alliance
anticipates licensing other
countries to allow them to
build similar facilities. The
ability to supply other
licensees with GMP material
manufactured in Hemosol’s
facility will accelerate the
construction and validation
of these facilities.

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F O C U S E D ON UNIQUE AND VA L UABLE TECHNOLOGY

PRDT scientists

confirmed that their
filter system can
selectively reduce the
infectivity of

transmissible spongiform
encephalopathies from
contaminated blood.

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Pathogen Removal and Diagnostic
Technologies Inc.

Recent Onset of
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

World’s First Prion
Reduction System

The year 2003 was punctuated by important
events relating to mad cow disease and its
human variant form, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
(“vCJD”). Cows afflicted with this disease were
discovered in Canada and the United States,
seriously impacting beef exports of these
countries. But more significantly, the British
government announced in December 2003 that
it had identified the world’s first possible case of
transmission of vCJD through blood
transfusion, since a blood donor and the
recipient had both died of this disease. Until
then, this fatal brain disease had been known to
be transmitted only by eating meat or meat
products of animals carrying bovine
spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

Between 1996 and 2001, it is estimated that
some 700,000 infected animals were slaughtered
and unknowingly consumed in the UK. The
i n gestion of prions by humans remains undetected
during an incubation period averaging 15 years.
Once symptoms appear, death follows within two
to twelve months. To date, vCJD has resulted in
143 deaths in the United Kingdom alone.

In addition, more than 3,000
cases of BSE have been reported
outside the UK, in 15 different
countries. Given the broad
exposure to prions, the
incubation period and, now,
possible human transmission,
vCJD is a serious threat, which
reinforces the urgent need for
diagnostic and therapeutic
solutions.

ProMetic’s proprietary Mimetic Ligands™
technology to remove prions from blood and
other biopharmaceutical products has led to the
development of Pathogen Removal and
Diagnostic Technologies Inc. (“PRDT”), a joint
venture between ProMetic and the American Red
Cross. Twenty months of development between
these two companies led PRDT to present, in
November 2003, the world’s first product
designed to selectively reduce the infectivity of
Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies
from contaminated blood, as well as from any
other type of biological material. This product is
a filtering gel sold to companies for industrial
applications. 

Prion Removal Market

Different markets are worried about vCJD, such
as the blood-plasma, biopharmaceutical, food,
cosmetics and personal care product industries,
all of which use biologically derived products
and represent tremendous markets for PRDT.
For example, over 30,000 kg of plasma-derived
albumin is used annually as a non-active
ingredient in drug formulations. Many
companies have already decided to remove such
albumin from their product formula to diminish
the risk of vCJD transmission.

The joint venture is also working on the next
ge n e ration product, which will be integrated as a
CJD filter at donor centers. Since over 30 million
units of red blood cells are transfused annu a l ly in
the US, Europe and Japan, this new avenue also
represents a significant market opportunity.

P R O M E T I C   L I F E   S C I E N C E S   I N C .   2 0 0 3   A N N U A L   R E P O R T

1 3

“The UK just

announced, in
March 2004, that
thousands of people
who have received
blood transfusions
over the last two
decades are banned
from giving blood
because of fears
that they could
transmit vCJD, the
human form of

BSE.”

More than 3,000 cases of
BSE have been reported
outside the UK, in 15
different countries.

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
OPERATING RESULTS AND FINANCIAL POSITION
Financial year ended December 31, 2003

The following management’s discussion and
analysis should be read in conjunction with the
Company’s consolidated financial statements
for the year ended December 31, 2003 and the
notes related thereto. The financial statements
were prepared in accordance with Canadian
generally accepted accounting principles.
Unless otherwise indicated, all figures are
expressed in Canadian dollars.

Overview
The number and the scope of the agreements
and partnerships executed during the year by
ProMetic Life Sciences Inc. or one of its wholly
owned subsidiaries (“ProMetic” or the
“Company”) illustrate the depth of the
Company’s opportunities. 

The Company has a unique portfolio of short
and medium term revenue growth opportunities
expected from its enabling technology platforms
which are just starting their commercial life
cycle. On the longer term horizon, its promising
therapeutic product pipeline, which includes the
Company’s two lead compounds, the recombinant
Alpha 1-antitrypsin (“rAAT”) and the PBI-1402,
constitutes its principal development source.

The Company’s Enabling Technology Business

Unit (“ETBU”) successfully concluded a second
agreement in February 2003 with the American
Red Cross (“ARC”) pertaining to the purification of
plasma-derived proteins; this agreement provided
for the planning and execution of two sequential
development stages. This agreement promptly
led in December 2003 to the strategic partnership
with Hemosol Inc., through a binding
Memorandum of Understanding (“M.o.U.”), to
implement this new plasma separation
technology within Hemosol’s plant, again with
the strategic intervention of ARC. 

This key agreement with Hemosol allowed
both the ARC and the Company to accelerate the
eventual commercial implementation of the
recovery and purification of plasma-derived
proteins. This transaction contributed 2 million
shares of Hemosol presented as a $1.8 million

consideration in the Company’s short term
investment, as well as equivalent deferred
revenue which will eventually be recognized as
revenue when Hemosol and the Company
conclude a definitive license agreement. Such
shares are not refundable in the event of
termination of the M.o.U. More importantly, the
Hemosol/ARC strategic relationship really
constitutes the business materialization of
ProMetic’s continued development investment
in this division. With one strategic alliance
completed during 2003, the Company is now
well positioned to build upon the concept of
offering its plasma separation technology
customers, a proven, efficient and
comprehensive solution. 

The ETBU division’s Pathogen Removal and

Diagnostic Technologies Inc. (“PRDT”) joint
venture company with the ARC developed the
first prion reduction product. This key milestone
will lead to the launch of a prion-removal 
adsorbent for bio-process applications.

Finally, this division entered into an alliance

to set up a biopharmaceutical company in
Tunisia  that will manufacture and
commercialize affordable high-value drugs for
500 million people in Africa, the Middle East
and parts of Europe. We are particularly proud,
since this is the world’s first technology transfer
for the manufacture of biopharmaceutical
products by emerging countries. The Company
expects to generate revenues from this alliance,
in addition to royalties on sales of the company
to be created. This alliance did not have any
impact on the Company’s financial statements
during the 2003 financial year.

The Therapeutic Group constitutes the
primary development contributor of the
Company. The Company’s research and
development expenditures increased 35% in
2003 compared to 2002. 

Firstly, a phase II study has been initiated, by
the joint venture Arriva-ProMetic Inc., for rAAT
topical gel. This study is underway in four
Canadian centers and is designed to demonstrate

14

P R O M E T I C   L I F E   S C I E N C E S   I N C .   2 0 0 3   A N N U A L   R E P O R T

Claude Lambert
Vice President,
Finance and Administration

 
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
OPERATING RESULTS AND FINANCIAL POSITION
Financial year ended December 31, 2003

the gel’s efficacy and safety in the treatment of
atopic dermatitis.

Secondly, impressive pre-clinical data were
generated with PBI-1402, leading to the filing of
several additional patents. This compound has
the ability to protect selective stem cells in the
bone marrow and reduce the side effects of
chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In early 2004,
a study on the safety and efficacy of an oral
dose of PBI-1402 was initiated with healthy
human volunteers at the Hôpital Maisonneuve-
Rosemont, in Montreal (Canada). 

Finally, this business unit further advanced
pre-clinical studies to identify and prepare new
lead compounds for the clinical studies. For
example, the drug discovery platform based on
our Mimetic Ligands™ technology led to the
identification of a promising and novel
therapeutic approach to treating auto-immune
diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. In fact,
this unit’s Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Christopher
Penney and his team have developed lead drug
candidates that demonstrate therapeutic activity
in vivo similar to that of an existing blockbuster
compound. Key advantages of these lead
candidates include the fact that they would be
orally active, less expensive and better tolerated
than the standard therapies.

Operating Results
Important strategic partnerships; Phase II clinical
studies initiated for rAAT.
Revenues
Revenues in 2003 were $1.3 million compared
to $2.5 million in 2002. This variation was
principally due to timing reasons, as the
Company is presently pursuing late-stage
negotiations with several potential partners; the
Company believes these discussions will lead to
successful agreements in 2004. 

A portion of ProMetic’s revenues are derived

from collaboration agreements involving the
development, the design and the manufacturing
of bioseparation processes. The scope and
materiality of these types of revenue are difficult

to predict as they are inherently non-recurring.
Revenues from these types of agreement
accounted for 64% of total revenues in 2003
(65% for 2002). Product sales constituted the
balance of the revenues.
Operating Expenses
Furthering the therapeutic applications of the rAAT
and PBI-1402; broadening the scope of R&D
programs with the American Red Cross; selectively
targeting development projects in emerging
countries.

ProMetic is committed to invest in and

support the required R&D activities necessary to
fund its ETBU ’s development plan as well as the
therapeutic R&D program. These investments
have kept a superior growth pace as preliminary
findings indicate promising results. The
Company’s R&D expenditures during the year
amounted to $13.5 million. These investments
have supported the expanded scope and number
of R&D projects currently being conducted
(both in-house and contracted): a second
alliance with the ARC, to develop an improved
plasma protein purification process; the
evaluation of the recombinant Alpha
1-Antitrypsin (“rAAT”) gel, which is now in its
Phase II clinical study stage since last October;
and the discovery of the first prion reduction
product issued from the PRDT joint venture with
the ARC. For 2004, in addition to the above
projects, the Company also expects the recent
strategic alliance with Institut Pasteur de Tunis
and La Pharmacie Centrale de Tunisie, as well
as the strategic agreement with Hemosol Inc.,
to be important projects drawing on ProMetic’s
development and technical expertise.

With regards to administrative, marketing
and other expenses, the Company expensed an
amount of $5.7 million during 2003, unchanged
from 2002. The Company has continued to
strengthen its organizational structure to
support its future growth.

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15

R&D expenditures
As a % of total expenses
(excluding net interest income)

80

60

40

20

0

2001

2002

2003

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
OPERATING RESULTS AND FINANCIAL POSITION
Financial year ended December 31, 2003

Net Results
ProMetic incurred a net loss of $20.3 million, or
$0.23 per share, in 2003, compared to a net loss
of $14.1 million, or $0.19 per share in 2002.
Supporting details corroborating this loss are
provided in the above sections, “Revenues” and
”Operating Expenses”.

Balance Sheet
Completion of financing round—Capital for growth
The importance of the development and strategic
achievements of 2003 (as described above) led
to the financing transaction of $20 million
concluded in December 2003 and $3 million in
January 2004 upon the execution of the over-
allotment option by the underwriters. This
financing will, amongst other things, enable
and support the scale-up and commercialization
of the plasma protein purification business,
the development of a second PRDT product and
the funding of expanded research and
development projects.

Short-term assets totaled $28.1 million as of
December 31, 2003, compared to $25.9 million
in 2002. 

Capital assets increased by $0.1 million

compared to 2002, after depreciation of
$1.0 million. Laboratory equipment for the most
part, as well as computers and application
development software, constitute the major part
of the asset additions. Intellectual Property
assets increased by $1.3 million, reflecting the
investment made by the Company to its partner,
the ARC, to acquire a license necessary for the
development of the plasma protein purification
business ($0.6 million), as well as contributions
made to the Arriva-ProMetic joint venture
($0.7 million) during the year in connection
with last year’s grant of a permanent and
exclusive license by Arriva Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Deferred development expenses decreased
$1.2 million to $2.0 million in 2003, as past
investments, made in connection with the
development of products now being validated
by the ETBU, are being amortized.

The Company’s UK subsidiary concluded an

irrevocable Memorandum of Understanding
(“M.o.U.”) with Hemosol, with the intervention
of its partner, the ARC; the consideration of
2 million shares of Hemosol received has been
recorded as a $1.8 million deferred revenue until
the conclusion of a definitive license agreement.
Such shares are not refundable in the event of
termination of the M.o.U. The market value of
this consideration, constituted of Hemosol
shares, amounted to $3.1 million as of
December 31, 2003. 

The increase in general Company activities

and the deferred revenue resulting from the
Hemosol transaction led to higher current
liabilities, to $8.4 million.

Liquidity and 
Capital Resources
ProMetic enjoyed as productive a year as it could,
with the numerous agreements, milestones and
alliances it concluded in 2003. It also raised
$20 million in gross proceeds (before the over-
allotment option) by issuing 10,526,316
subordinate voting shares. Operating cash
outflows amounted to $15.8 million in 2003,
compared to $12.4 million in 2002, mostly due
to the increased investments in its various R&D
programs. The net increase in cash and cash
equivalents amounted to $10.7 million,
compared to $10.8 million in 2002.

16

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
OPERATING RESULTS AND FINANCIAL POSITION
Financial year ended December 31, 2003

Outlook
Further extension of the plasma protein
purification business; continued investment in the
two lead therapeutic candidates; expansion of
manufacturing capacity.

Business conditions and Prometic’s positioning

in 2003 have created an opportunity context
never encountered before. The Hemosol/ARC
strategic relationship is the business
materialization of ProMetic’s continued
investment in its ETBU. This agreement also sets
up various business opportunities which will
carry over this agreement on an international
scale and position ProMetic for a revenue
appreciation during 2004 and beyond. 

The therapeutic portfolio of the Company will

take a greater position in 2004, with the
expected results of the Phase II clinical study of
the rAAT compound for the atopic dermatitis
indication, and the further advancement of the
clinical studies in cancer applications and
inflammatory diseases. 

The Company will also optimize the use of its
scientific and manufacturing resources through
bioseparation development agreements and
punctual contract manufacturing projects.

Risks
The information set forth in the management’s
discussion and analysis of operating results and
financial position section of this annual report
contains certain statements regarding future
financial and operating results, benefits and
synergies of transactions with the ARC, future
opportunities based on such transaction,
discovery and development of products, strategic
alliances and intellectual property, and other
statements about our future expectations,
beliefs, goals and plans, which should be
considered to be forward-looking statements. 

These statements are not guarantees of future

performance and are subject to certain risks,
uncertainties and other factors, some of which
are beyond ProMetic’s control and difficult to
predict. These risks and uncertainties could cause
actual results to differ materially from those
expressed or implied in such statements and
include: general economic and business
conditions; the ability to attract and retain
qualified personnel; existing governmental
regulations and changes in, or the failure to
comply with, governmental regulations; adverse
results in drug discovery and clinical development
processes or failure to complete the pre-clinical
and clinical development; the ability to obtain
and enforce timely patent and other intellectual
property protection for our technology and
products; patents liability and other claims
asserted against us; commercialization limitations
imposed by patents owned or controlled by third
parties; dependence upon strategic alliance
partners to develop and commercialize products
and services based on our work or technology;
the ability to complete and maintain such
corporate alliances; the requirement for
substantial funding to conduct R&D and to
expand commercialization activities; decisions
and timing of decisions made by health
regulatory agencies regarding approval of our
technology and products; the competitive
environment and impact of technological
change, and the continued availability of capital
to finance our activities. Additional factors
relating to the two transactions with the ARC:
the inability to successfully integrate the ARC’s
technology; the inability to realize anticipated
synergies, improved yield and cost savings; the
inability to obtain assignment for licenses with
third parties; and difficulties or delays in
obtaining regulatory approvals to market
products and services resulting from the
combined companies development efforts. 

P R O M E T I C   L I F E   S C I E N C E S   I N C .   2 0 0 3   A N N U A L   R E P O R T

17

 
PROMETIC LIFE SCIENCES INC.

Management’s Report
The accompanying consolidated financial statements for ProMetic Life Sciences Inc. are management’s responsi-
bility and have been approved by the ProMetic Life Sciences Inc. Board of Directors. These financial statements were
prepared by management in accordance with Canadian generally accepted accounting principles. They include
some amounts that are based on estimates and judgments. The financial information contained elsewhere in the
Annual Report is consistent with that contained in the financial statements.

To ensure the accuracy and objectivity of the information contained in the financial statements, the manage-
ment of ProMetic Life Sciences Inc. maintains a system of internal accounting controls. Management believes that
this system gives a reasonable degree of assurance that the financial documents are reliable and provide an
adequate basis for the financial statements, and that the Company’s assets are properly accounted for and safe-
guarded.

The Board of Directors upholds its responsibility for the financial statements in this Annual Report primarily
through its audit committee. The audit committee is made up of outside directors who review the Company’s
consolidated annual financial statements, as well as management’s discussion and analysis of operating results
and financial position, and recommend their approval by the Board. KPMG LLP, Chartered Accountants, the
external auditors designated by the shareholders, periodically meet with the audit committee to discuss auditing,
the reporting of financial information and other related subjects.

Pierre Laurin 
Chairman, President 
and Chief Executive Officer 

Montreal, Canada
February 25, 2004

Claude Lambert
Vice President,
Finance and Administration

Auditors’ Report to the Shareholders
We have audited the consolidated balance sheets of ProMetic Life Sciences Inc. as at December31,2003 and 2002,
and the consolidated statements of operations and deficit and cash flows for the years then ended. These finan-
cial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an
opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards. Those standards
require that we plan and perform an audit to obtain reasonable assurance whether the financial statements are free
of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and
disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and signifi-
cant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.

In our opinion, these consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial posi-
tion of the Company as at December 31,2003 and 2002, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the
years then ended in accordance with Canadian generally accepted accounting principles.

Chartered accountants

Montreal, Canada
February 25, 2004

18

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CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
December 31, 2003 and 2002

Assets
Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents
Short-term investments (note 3)
Accounts receivable (note 4) 
Inventories (note 5)
Prepaid expenses

2003

$

2002

$

24,052,171
1,800,000
684,356
585,488
958,437

13,390,259
9,508,610
1,741,001
527,508
686,188

28,080,452

25,853,566

Investments and interest in a joint venture (note 6)

3,370,960

2,663,603

Capital assets (note 7)

Intellectual property (note 8)

Deferred development costs

Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity
Current liabilities:

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
Deferred revenue (note 9)
Current portion of long-term debt (note 10)

Long-term debt (note 10)
Preferred shares, retractable at the holder’s option (note 6 (b))
Shareholders’ equity:

Share capital (note 11)
Deficit

Commitments (notes 8 and 12)
Contingencies (note 13)
Subsequent events (note 19)

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
On behalf of the Board:

3,492,515

3,381,220

5,648,541

4,349,822

2,027,106

3,209,004

42,619,574

39,457,215

6,068,384
1,800,000
489,831

4,200,622
–
150,034

8,358,215

4,350,656

847,177
914,185

200,046
382,358

132,616,720
(100,116,723)

112,919,390
(78,395,235)

32,499,997

34,524,155

42,619,574

39,457,215

Pierre Laurin, Director

Claude Lemire, Director

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19

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND DEFICIT
Years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002

Revenues
Research and development expenses
Administration, marketing and other expenses 
Depreciation and amortization

Net interest income

Net loss
Deficit, beginning of year
Share issue expenses

Deficit, end of year

Net loss per share

2003

$

1,319,385
13,500,532
5,653,933
2,751,197

2002

$

2,511,663
9,965,470
5,707,640
1,238,572

21,905,662
288,596

16,911,682
288,716

20,297,681
78,395,235
1,423,807

14,111,303
62,459,792
1,824,140

100,116,723

78,395,235

0.23

0.19

Weighted average number of outstanding shares (in thousands)

86,707

75,718

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

20

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CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
Years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002

Cash flows from (used in) operating activities:

Net loss
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to cash flows used

in operating activities:

Depreciation of capital assets
Amortization of deferred development costs 
Amortization of intellectual property

Net change in operating assets and liabilities (note 17)

Cash flows from (used in) financing activities:

Proceeds from share issues
Share issue expenses
Increase in long-term debt
Repayment of long-term debt

Cash flows from (used in) investing activities:

Disposal (acquisition) of short-term investments
Acquisition of an investment
Additions to intellectual property
Deferred development costs
Additions to capital assets

2003

$

2002

$

(20,297,681)

(14,111,303)

1,006,792
1,181,898
562,507

665,472
240,333
332,767

(17,546,484)
1,753,034

(12,872,731)
508,139

(15,793,450)

(12,364,592)

20,147,330
(1,200,698)
1,350,629
(363,701)

38,119,124
(2,816,220)
–
(77,434)

19,933,560

35,225,470

9,508,610
(175,530)
(1,172,593)
– 
(1,638,685)

(9,508,610)
–
(1,274,884)
134,494
(1,428,417)

6,521,802

(12,077,417)

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

10,661,912

10,783,461

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year

13,390,259

2,606,798

Cash and cash equivalents, end of year

24,052,171

13,390,259

(For supplemental cash flow information, see note 17)
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

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21

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002

ProMetic  Life  Sciences  Inc.  (the  “Company”)  is  an  international  biopharmaceutical  company
engaged in the research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of products for the
biopharmaceutical industry.

1 Changes in accounting policies

The  Company  has  made  certain  changes  in  accounting  policies  to  conform  to  new  accounting
standards.

(a) Guarantees:
In  February 2003,  the  Canadian  Institute  of Chartered  Accountants  issued  Accounting
Guideline 14 (“AcG-14”), Disclosure of Guarantees, which requires that certain disclosures be made by
a guarantor about its obligations under guarantees in its interim and annual consolidated financial
statements  for  periods  beginning  on  or  after  January 1, 2003.  A  guarantee  is  a  contract  or  an
indemnification agreement that contingently requires the Company to make payments to the other
party of the contract or agreement, based on changes in an underlying that is related to an asset, a
liability or an equity security of the other party or based on a third party failure to perform under an
obligating agreement. It could be also an indirect guarantee of the indebtedness of another party,
even though the payment to the other party may not be based on changes in an underlying that is
related to an asset, liability or equity security of the other party.

The Company did not enter into agreements containing features that meet the AcG-14 criteria for

a guarantee.

(b) Share purchase financing:
Starting  January 1, 2003,  the  Company  adopted  the  new  Canadian  Institute  of Chartered
Accountants  Emerging  Issue  Committee  No.  132  abstract  on  Share  Purchase  Financing  (EIC-132).
This abstract provides interpretive guidance to the accounting requirements for outstanding share
purchase loans receivable. The new guidance requires that share purchase loans receivable should be
presented  as  deductions  from  shareholders’  equity  unless  there  is  substantial  evidence  that  the
borrower, not the Company, is at risk for any decline in the price of the shares and there is reasonable
assurance that the Company will collect the full amount of the loan in cash.

2 Significant accounting policies

These consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Canadian generally
accepted accounting principles. Significant accounting polices are described below:

(a) Basis of consolidation:
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of ProMetic Life Sciences Inc., of its
subsidiaries ProMetic BioSciences Inc., ProMetic BioSciences (USA), Inc., ProMetic BioSciences Ltd.
as well as those of the two joint ventures Arriva-ProMetic Inc. and Pathogen Removal and Diagnostic
Technologies  Inc.  (hereinafter  sometimes  collectively  referred  to  as  “ProMetic”  or  respectively  as
“Company”, “PBI”, “PBU”, “PBL”, “A-P”, “PRDT”) which are accounted for on a proportionate consoli-
dation basis whereby the Company’s proportionate share of its joint ventures’ revenues, expenses,
assets and liabilities are consolidated. All significant intercompany transactions and balances have
been eliminated.

22

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002

(b) Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments:
Cash  and  cash  equivalents  are  bank  deposits  and  highly  liquid  investments  purchased  with
maturity of three months or less. Short-term investments are short-term debt instruments issued by
the government of Canada and Canadian financial institutions purchased with maturities of more
than  three  months  as  well  as  equity  held  in  a  publicly  traded  Canadian  corporation.  Short-term
investments are carried at the lower of cost and market value.

Inventories:

(c)
Work  in  progress  and  finished  goods  are  carried  at  the  lower  of cost  and  net  realizable  value,
whereas raw materials are valued at the lower of cost and replacement cost. Cost is determined on a
first in, first out basis.
Investments:

(d)
The investments are recorded at acquisition cost. When, in management’s opinion, there has been
a loss in value of an investment other than a temporary decline, the investment is written down to
recognize  the  loss.  In  determining  the  estimated  realizable  value  of its  investments,  management
relies on its judgment and knowledge of each investment, as well as on assumptions about general
business  and  economic  conditions  that  prevail  or  are  expected  to  prevail.  These  assumptions  are
limited due to the uncertainty of projected future events.

(e) Capital assets:
Capital assets are recorded at cost. Depreciation is provided over the useful lives of capital assets

using the following methods:

Asset

Leasehold improvements
Equipment and tools
Office equipment and furniture
Computer equipment

Method

Rate/period

Straight-line
Declining balance
Declining balance
Declining balance

Lease term
10% to 30%
20%
30%

Intellectual property:

(f)
Intellectual  property  includes  patents  and  vested  rights  as  well  as  licensing  fees  for  product
manufacturing  and  marketing.  Amortization  is  provided  over  the  useful  lives  of the  intellectual
property  assets  acquired  using  the  straight-line  method  ranging  up  to  20  years.  Management
reviews  the  valuation  and  amortization  of intellectual  property  on  an  ongoing  basis,  taking  into
consideration  any  events  and  circumstances  that  may  impair  its  value.  The  Company  assesses
impairment  by  determining  whether  the  unamortized  balance  may  be  recovered  through
undiscounted future cash flows to be derived from the intellectual property over its remaining life. If
the carrying value exceeds the amount recoverable, a write-down equal to the excess is charged to
the consolidated statement of operations.
(g) Deferred development costs:
Development  costs  of new  products  and  processes,  which  are  considered  technically  and
financially  feasible,  are  stated  at  cost  less  amortization  and  related  research  and  development  tax
credits  and  grants.  These  costs  are  amortized  from  the  date  of commercialization  or  use  of the
product or process, based on sales or internal use of the new product or process. Should the Company
determine  that  the  unamortized  balance  is  in  excess  of recoverable  amounts,  the  excess  will  be
charged to operations for the year.

P R O M E T I C   L I F E   S C I E N C E S   I N C .   2 0 0 3   A N N U A L   R E P O R T

23

 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002

2 Significant accounting policies (continued)

(h) Revenue recognition:
The Company recognizes revenues from various research and technology agreements when the
contracted services are provided and the various conditions, if any, are met and recognizes revenues
from the sale of products upon product shipment.

(i) Research and development:
Research expenses are charged to income in the year in which they are incurred, net of related tax
credits. Development expenses net of tax credits, if any, are capitalized in accordance with generally
accepted accounting principles.

(j) Foreign currency translation:
The  Company's  foreign  subsidiaries  are  considered  as  integrated  foreign  operations.  Foreign
denominated monetary assets and liabilities of Canadian and foreign operations are translated into
Canadian dollars using the temporal method. Under this method, monetary assets and liabilities are
translated  at  year-end  exchange  rates  while  non-monetary  items  are  translated  at  historical
exchange  rates.  Expense  items  are  translated  at  the  exchange  rates  on  the  transaction  date  or  at
average  exchange  rates  prevailing  during  the  year.  Exchange  gains  or  losses  are  included  in  the
statement of operations.

Income taxes:

(k)
The Company uses the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Future income
tax  assets  and  liabilities  are  recognized  in  the  balance  sheet  for  the  future  tax  consequences
attributable  to  differences  between  the  financial  statement  carrying  values  of existing  assets  and
liabilities  and  their  respective  income  tax  bases.  Future  income  tax  assets  are  recognized  and  a
valuation allowance is provided if realization is not considered “more likely than not”. Future income
tax assets and liabilities are measured using income tax rates expected to apply when the assets are
realized or the liabilities are settled. The effect of a change in income tax rates is recognized in the year
during which these rates change.
Stock option plan:

(l)
The Company maintains a stock option plan, as described in note 11 (b). The Company uses the
fair value method to account for all stock-based payments to non-employees that have been awarded
on  or  after  January 1, 2002,  and  to  employe  awards  that  are  direct  awards  of stock  that  call  for
settlement in cash or other assets, or stock appreciation rights that call for settlement by issuance of
equity instruments. No compensation  cost has been recognized for all other  employee  stock-based
compensation  awards.  Any  consideration  paid  by  employees  upon  the  exercise  of stock  options  is
credited to share capital.
(m) Use of estimates:
The preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles
requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and
liabilities, as well as disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements
and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant items for
which management must make estimates relate to the valuation and assessment of recoverability of
the  investments,  capital  assets,  intellectual  property  and  deferred  development  costs.  In  addition,
management is of the opinion that the Company will obtain the resources required from its shareholders
and external sources to complete all projects in progress as at December 31, 2003. Reported amounts
and  note  disclosure  reflect  the  overall  economic  conditions  that  are  most  likely  to  occur  and
anticipated measures to be taken by management. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

24

P R O M E T I C   L I F E   S C I E N C E S   I N C .   2 0 0 3   A N N U A L   R E P O R T

 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002

3 Short-term investments

2,000,000 common shares of Hemosol Inc.,

quoted on the TSX (HML) (note 9)

Discount note, 2.55%, maturing in April 2003
Banker’s acceptance, 2.45%, maturing in May 2003
Treasury bill, 2.72%, maturing in June 2003
Treasury bill, 2,68%, maturing in June 2003

4 Accounts receivable

Trade
Sales taxes receivable
Government grants and tax credits receivable
Share purchase loan to an officer (note 11 (e))
Advance to an officer
Other

5 Inventories

Raw materials
Work in progress and finished goods

2003

Market
value

$

Cost

$

1,800,000

3,140,000

2002

Market
value

$

Cost

$

1,499,875
556,351
4,997,080
2,455,304

1,504,353
556,458
5,001,130
2,459,065

9,508,610

9,521,006

2003

$

244,806
414,675
800
–
–
24,075

2002

$

754,387
337,982
37,771
450,000
30,000
130,861

684,356

1,741,001

2003

$

2002

$

272,881
312,607

253,292
274,216

585,488

527,508

P R O M E T I C   L I F E   S C I E N C E S   I N C .   2 0 0 3   A N N U A L   R E P O R T

25

 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002

6 Investments and interest in a joint venture

2003

$

2002

$

Investments:

Investment in convertible preferred shares

of share capital of Arriva Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

2,281,245

2,281,245

Investment in convertible preferred shares of
share capital of AM-Pharma Holding B.V.

Interest in a joint venture:

Excess of the interest in the joint venture of Pathogen
Removal and Diagnostic Technologies Inc. over
proportionate share in consolidated net assets

175,530

–

914,185

382,358

3,370,960

2,663,603

the
The  consolidated  financial  statements  include  the  Company's  proportionate  share  of
revenues,  expenses,  assets  and  liabilities  of Pathogen  Removal  and  Diagnostic  Technologies  Inc.
(“PRDT”) and of Arriva-Prometic Inc. (“A-P”) as follows:

2003

PRDT (a)

A-P (note 8 (c))

Total

$

$

$

2002

Total

$

Current assets
Long-term assets
Total liabilities
Total expenses being net loss

3,280
914,185
914,185 (b)

1,982,225

56,977
2,152,252
157,173
1,070,801

60,257
3,066,437
1,071,358
3,053,026

88,894
2,111,301
414,734
2,033,040

Cash flows from:
Operations
Investing

(1,982,225)
– 

(631,631)
(670,750)

(2,613,856)
(670,750)

(1,971,859)
(733,321)

(a) On April 8, 2002, ProMetic announced the creation of a new joint venture with the American
Red  Cross  and  two  other  partners  under  the  legal  name  Pathogen  Removal  and  Diagnostic
Technologies Inc. (“PRDT”) in which the Company owns 26% of the voting shares. PRDT is engaged
in the research, development and commercialization of pathogen diagnostic and removal systems.

Under the terms of the joint venture agreement, ProMetic and the American Red Cross will each
contribute intellectual property and technical expertise to develop pathogen diagnostic and removal
systems. They both equally assume the direct costs of the joint venture. Preferred shares including a
14% cumulative dividend will be issued by PRDT to the Company and to the American Red Cross in
consideration of their proportionate shares in direct and indirect costs.

26

P R O M E T I C   L I F E   S C I E N C E S   I N C .   2 0 0 3   A N N U A L   R E P O R T

 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002

(b) The  PRDT  joint  venture  has  issued  preferred  shares  in  consideration  of the  proportionate
share  of each  partner  in  direct  and  indirect  costs.  These  preferred  shares  are  retractable  at  the
holder’s  option,  provided  that  PRDT  has  sufficient  cash  flows,  and  include  a  14%  cumulative
dividend effective January 1, 2003. Since the shares issued by the joint venture are retractable at the
holder’s  option,  they  are  considered  as  debt  rather  than  share  capital.  Thus,  as  part  of
the
proportionate  consolidation,  the  Company  must  acknowledge  26%  of the  shares  issued  to  the
American Red Cross as a debt to a third party.

7 Capital assets

2003

Accumulated
depreciation

$

351,736
2,906,536
235,411
282,802

3,776,485

Cost

$

771,908
5,232,102
565,942
699,048

7,269,000
3,776,485

3,492,515

Cost

$

601,475
4,542,570
449,634
561,230

6,154,909
2,773,689

3,381,220

2002

Accumulated
depreciation

$

256,894
2,219,409
113,483
183,903

2,773,689

2003

$

2002

$

7,030,158
1,381,617

5,168,932
819,110

5,648,541

4,349,822

Leasehold improvements
Equipment and tools
Office equipment and furniture
Computer equipment

Accumulated depreciation

Net book value

8 Intellectual property

Cost
Accumulated amortization

Net book value

(a) PBL owns the rights, title and interest in and to the know-how, information, technology and
patents relating to its Mimetic Ligands™ technology. A portion of these rights, title and interest was
assigned  to  PBL  by  Cambridge  University’s  Institute  of Biotechnology  in  consideration  of the
payment of continuing royalties; the others having been developed by PBL.

(b)  Effective November 9, 1995, PBI has the right to a patented technology permitting the link of
Mimetic Ligands™ to a matrix of perfluorocarbons such as Perfluosorb™ beads. This technology is
useful in chromatographic applications and for medical devices. This license is subject to the payment
of a royalty to Arkion Life Sciences, Inc. on net sales with respect to any products covered by the patents.

P R O M E T I C   L I F E   S C I E N C E S   I N C .   2 0 0 3   A N N U A L   R E P O R T

27

 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002

8 Intellectual property (continued):

(c) As of April 13, 1999, ProMetic Biosciences Inc. entered into a 50-50 joint venture, Arriva-
ProMetic Inc. (“Arriva-ProMetic”), with Arriva Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Arriva”) for the development
of applications  relating  to  serine  protease  inhibitors  as  a  platform  for  various  pharmaceutical
products for dermatological (e.g.: eczema, psoriasis, genital herpes) and gastrointestinal (e.g.: Crohn’s
disease, irritable bowel syndrome) treatments and urinary tract indications. The first serine protease
inhibitor pursued is recombinant alpha 1-antitrypsin (“rAAT”), a compound produced in genetically
engineered yeast cells.

Arriva  has  granted  to  Arriva-ProMetic  an  exclusive,  perpetual  license  to  develop,  manufacture
and  commercialize  these  serine  protease  inhibitors,  and  PBI  has  granted  Arriva-ProMetic  an
exclusive,  perpetual  license  for  the  use  of
its  Mimetic  Ligands™  purification  technology  for  the
indications within the scope of the joint venture. PBI has also undertaken to fund the joint venture
to a maximum of US$4 million, of which US$967,402 has been contributed in 2003 for a total of
US$3,441,222  (2002:  US$2,473,820).  PBI  will  progressively  record  50%  of
its  US$4  million
contribution  as  intellectual  property  in  consideration  of Arriva’s  exclusive  and  perpetual  license
granted to the joint venture. In 2003, the Company recorded an amount of $670,750 as intellectual
property (2002: $733,321) for a total of $2,613,743 (2002: $1,942,993).

(d) On June 6, 2002, PBI acquired for $400,000 a worldwide exclusive license to patents, pre-
clinical  data  and  know-how  pertaining  to  three  therapeutic  compounds  (immunomodulators  and
adjuvants)  for  human  applications.  PBI  will  make  further  improvements  to  the  compounds  and
milestone  payments  are  to  be  made  if positive  results  are  achieved  upon  completion  of the  main
development phases. Furthermore, PBI will pay royalties on the sales of compound-based products.
(e) The  purpose  of the  strategic  alliance  between  ProMetic  BioSciences  Ltd.  (“PBL”),  a  wholly
owned subsidiary of the Company, and the American Red Cross (“ARC”) announced in February 2003
is for the co-development of an improved plasma protein recovery system (“Cascade”) based on each
party’s technology and expertise. The Cascade is a novel sequence of successive proven capture steps
developed by PBL that is expected to improve both the yield and range of valuable proteins capable of
being isolated from human plasma. PBL in its capacity as leader of such project, has managed the
the  Cascade,  is  licensing-out  the  right  thereto  to  third  party  users  (“license
development  of
agreements”) and oversees the technological transfer to such licensees. PBL is responsible to bear the
initial  development  costs  of Stage  1,  the  Cascade,  now  under  an  out-license  mode.  Both  parties
determine the amount of such obligation from time to time. The agreement with the ARC also provides
for the development of a second stage to the Cascade. PBL will be collecting revenues deriving from any
licensing  activities.  Such  revenues  can  be  comprised  of royalties  on  net  sales,  lump  sum  and  (or)
milestones payments. Upon recoupment of development costs, 25% of the net proceeds will be paid to
the ARC. The ARC will pay ProMetic 2% on any net sales of licensed products. On October 1, 2003,
PBL acquired for $642,077, from ARC, an exclusive license for access to and use of some intellectual
property rights for this plasma protein purification scheme project.

28

P R O M E T I C   L I F E   S C I E N C E S   I N C .   2 0 0 3   A N N U A L   R E P O R T

 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002

(f) Under the corporate intellectual property management program, employees are entitled to
receive royalties based on the sales of certain products submitted to ProMetic BioSiences Inc. (“PBI”)
and  ProMetic  BioSciences  Limited  (“PBL”),  two  wholly  owned  subsidiaries  of the  Company,  before
joining these companies. These royalties vary between 0.1% and 0.3% of net sales or between 1%
and  3%  of revenues  received  by  PBI  and  PBL.  These  employees  also  have  the  exclusive  right  to
commercialize these products should PBI and PBL decide to stop developing and (or) commercializing
them,  subject  to  mutually  acceptable  terms  and  conditions.  As  of today,  one  officer  and  three
employees are eligible to this program.

(g)

In  the  normal  course  of business,  license  agreements  for  the  commercialization  of
intellectual property provide for the payment of royalties ranging generally between 0.3% and 10%
of net  sales  of commercialized  products  or,  as  the  case  maybe,  on  revenues  deriving  from  sub-
licenses, subject to applicable contract terms and conditions.

9 Deferred revenue

On  December 4, 2003,  ProMetic  BioSciences  Ltd.  (“PBL”),  a  wholly  owned  subsidiary  of the
Company,  entered  into  a  binding  memorandum  of understanding  (“MoU”)  with  Hemosol  Inc.
(“Hemosol”),  under  which  Hemosol  shall  in-license  the  novel  plasma  separation  technology
(“Cascade process”) developed by the Company and its strategic partner, the American Red Cross (see
note 8 (e)).

As consideration for entering into the binding MoU and the commencement of implementation
activities by the parties, Hemosol unconditionally issued 2,000,000 common shares to PBL (see note 3).
These shares are non refundable in the event of termination of the MoU. Hemosol has also agreed to
pay PBL a staged license fee of $15,500,000 plus 1,000,000 additional common shares following
the  execution  of a  definitive  license  agreement  and  upon  the  achievement  of
four  separate
predetermined  technical  and  regulatory  milestones. The  first  milestone  will  be  the  execution  of a
definitive license agreement that will trigger a cash payment of $1,500,000  and  the  obligation of
Hemosol to issue 1,000,000 common shares to PBL. The final payment will consist of $5,000,000
and will be triggered by the receipt of regulatory approval for the commercial sale of the first product
produced using the Cascade process. The agreement is structured so that both parties can generate
short  term  revenues  before  the  ultimate  milestone  is  achieved,  such  revenues  deriving  from  joint
development business activities, such as development work to PBL’s other licensees worldwide.

In addition to the license fee, the MoU also provides that Hemosol will pay PBL royalty fees of 8%
of net  sales  of products  isolated  using  the  Cascade  to  resellers  and  a  royalty  of 5%  of net  sales  of
products isolated using the Cascade to end-users.

Consideration received from Hemosol will be deferred until the conclusion of the definitive license

agreement.

P R O M E T I C   L I F E   S C I E N C E S   I N C .   2 0 0 3   A N N U A L   R E P O R T

29

 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002

10 Credit facility and long-term debt

Loan contracted by ProMetic BioSciences Inc., a wholly owned 
subsidiary, secured by the Company and a first mortgage 
on the subsidiary’s capital assets financed by such loan; 
bearing interest at 9.5%, payable in monthly instalments 
of $37,845, due June 2007

Capital lease obligation payable in monthly instalments 

of $14,051, expiring in 2005

Current portion of long-term debt

2003

$

1,155,544

2002

$

–

181,464

350,080

1,337,008

350,080

489,831

150,034

847,177

200,046

Also, PBI has a credit facility of which an amount of approximately $800,000 can be used for
general purposes and an amount of approximately $1,500,000 can be used to finance equipment
acquired up to December 31, 2003.

Payments required in each of the next four years are as follows:

Year ending December 31:

2004
2005
2006
2007

Total payments

Less amount representing interest (at rates ranging

from 9.42 to 9.6%)

Present value of net minimum capital lease payments
Current portion of obligations under capital leases

Capital lease
obligations

$

Loan

$

353,733
394,692
364,309
42,810

136,098
57,473
-
-

1,155,544

193,571

12,107

181,464
136,098

45,366

30

P R O M E T I C   L I F E   S C I E N C E S   I N C .   2 0 0 3   A N N U A L   R E P O R T

 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002

11 Share capital

Authorized and without par value:

Unlimited number of subordinate voting shares, participating, carrying one vote per share.
20,000,000 multiple voting shares, participating, carrying ten votes per share, convertible at the
option of the holder or automatically converted upon their sale to a third party by the holder into
an equal number of subordinate voting shares.
An unlimited number of preferred shares, no par value, issuable in one or several series.
1,050,000 preferred shares, Series A, non-participating, non-voting, convertible at the option of
the  holder  into  subordinate  voting  shares  at  $0.50  per  share  except  for  unpaid  dividends,
convertible at a rate equal to the trading average of the subordinate voting shares on the Toronto
Stock  Exchange  during  the  20  business  days  prior  to  the  conversion,  preferential  cumulative
dividend of 12% per year, payable quarterly.
950,000 preferred shares, Series B, non-participating, non-voting, convertible at the option of the
holder into subordinate voting shares at $0.60 per share except for unpaid dividends, convertible
at  a  rate  equal  to  the  trading  average  of the  subordinate  voting  shares  on  the  Toronto  Stock
Exchange during the 20 business days prior to the conversion, preferential cumulative dividend of
12% per year, payable quarterly.
The total authorized preferred shares, Series A and B, were all issued during 2000.

2003

2002

Number

Amount

Number

Amount

$

$

Issued and fully paid:

Subordinate voting shares
Multiple voting shares
Preferred shares, Series A
Preferred shares, Series B

Share purchase loan (note 11 (e))

Balance, at end of year

84,842,937
13,026,375
– 
– 

131,503,555
1,563,165
–
–

72,743,722
13,026,375
550,000
150,000

133,066,720
(450,000)

132,616,720

110,656,225
1,563,165
550,000
150,000

112,919,390
–

112,919,390

P R O M E T I C   L I F E   S C I E N C E S   I N C .   2 0 0 3   A N N U A L   R E P O R T

31

 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002

11 Share capital (continued)

(a) Share issue:
Changes in the issued and outstanding subordinate voting shares were as follows:

2003

2002

Number

Amount

Number

Amount

$

$

72,743,722

110,656,225

54,056,402

70,908,876

– 
10,526,316

–
20,000,000

5,619,370
9,340,000

11,831,332
25,218,000

93,250

147,330

1,205,200

1,519,792

Balance at beginning of year
Shares issued pursuant to:
Private placements
Public offerings
Exercise of warrants

and options
Conversion of

preferred shares

1,479,649

700,000

2,287,539

1,150,000

Conversion of

multiple voting shares

– 

–

235,211

28,225

Balance, end of year

84,842,937

131,503,555

72,743,722

110,656,225

During financial year 2002, except for shares issued pursuant to the conversion of multiple voting
shares and preferred shares, as well as shares issued to an officer for which the Company has issued
a share purchase loan, all subordinate voting shares were issued for a cash consideration.

During  financial  year  2003,  550,000  Class  A  preferred  shares  (2002:  350,000)  and  150,000
Class B  (2002:  800,000)  preferred  shares  were  converted  into  1,201,988  (2002:  777,438)  and
277,661 (2002: 1,510,101) subordinate voting shares, respectively. Except for shares issued pursuant
to the conversion of preferred shares, all subordinate voting shares were issued for a cash consideration.

(b) Stock option plan:
The  Company  has  established  a  stock  option  plan  for  its  directors,  officers  and  employees  or
consultants and those of PBL, PBI and PBU. The plan provides that the aggregate number of shares
reserved for issuance at any time under the plan and any other employee incentive plans may not
exceed 6,000,000 subordinate voting shares. Some options may be exercised in a period not exceeding
10 years from the date they were granted. Since September 10, 2001, the new options issued may be
exercised over a period not exceeding five years and one month from the date they were granted.

32

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002

Year of grant

Exercise price

2003

2002

Number of options outstanding

1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003

$

1.49 to 1.75
2.00 to 3.00
1.00 to 2.00
1.35
1.00 to 2.00
2.50 to 2.70
2.70

165,502
64,000
1,603,000
300,000
1,823,000
224,000
113,500

165,502
64,000
1,639,900
300,000
1,824,000
264,000
–

4,293,002

4,257,402

The following table summarizes the changes in the number of stock options outstanding over the

last two years:

Number of options as at December 31, 2001
Granted
Exercised
Cancelled

Number of options as at December 31, 2002
Granted
Exercised
Cancelled

Number of options as at December 31, 2003

Weighted average
exercise price
per share

Options

4,922,835
338,000
(493,900)
(509,533)

4,257,402
285,000
(25,800)
(223,600)

4,293,002

$

1.40
2.55
1.00
1.76

1.49
2.70
1.00
2.61

1.51

The  following  table  summarizes  information  about  stock  options  outstanding  as  at

December 31, 2003:

Range of
exercise prices

Number
outstanding

$

1.00 to 1.49
1.50 to 1.75
2.00 to 3.00

1,932,502
1,506,000
854,500

4,293,002

Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
life (in years)

5.60
2.97
4.00

Weighted
average
exercise
price

$

1.10
1.59
2.29

Weighted
average
exercise
price

$

1.08
1.59
2.16

Number
exercisable

1,524,502
541,200
316,400

2,382,102

P R O M E T I C   L I F E   S C I E N C E S   I N C .   2 0 0 3   A N N U A L   R E P O R T

33

 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002

11 Share capital (continued)

(c) Stock-based compensation and other stock-based payments:
The  Company  applies  the  settlement  method  of accounting  for  stock  options  granted  to
employees. Had the compensation cost for the Company’s stock option plan been determined based
on the fair value at the grant date, the Company’s net loss would have been adjusted to the proforma
amount indicated below:

Net loss reported
Proforma compensation cost

Proforma net loss

2003

$

2002

$

20,297,681
29,288

14,111,303
79,104

20,326,969

14,190,407

Proforma net loss per share

0.23

0.19

The proforma disclosure omits the effect of awards granted before January 1, 2002.
The  fair  value  of each  option  granted  since  January 1, 2003,  was  estimated  on  the  grant  date

using the Black-Scholes option price model using the following weighted assumptions:

Risk-free interest rate
Dividend yield
Expected volatility of share market price
Expected life

4.47%
0%
99.7%
5 years

The estimated fair value of options granted during the year ended December 31, 2003 is $1.49

(2002: $1.87).

(d) Warrants and other options:
As  part  of the  issue  of subordinate  voting  shares  pursuant  to  public  and  private  offerings,  the

Company also granted warrants for the purchase of subordinate voting shares.

As at December 31, 2003, the following warrants and other options were outstanding:

Warrants/options

Expiry date

1,578,947
631,578

January 2004
December 2004

Exercise
price

$

1.90
2.19

In 2003, upon exercise of warrants, the Company issued 67,450 (2002: 711,300) subordinate
voting  shares  at  a  price  of $1.80  (2002:  $1.44)  per  share,  for  total  gross  proceeds  of $121,410
(2002: $1,024,272).

(e) Share purchase loan:
As the result of the adoption of EIC-132, Share Purchase Financing, the share purchase loan to an
officer  was  reclassified  as  a  reduction  to  share  capital.  The  loan  bears  no  interest,  is  secured  by
450,000 subordinate voting shares of the Company and is repayable on or before December 31, 2009.

34

P R O M E T I C   L I F E   S C I E N C E S   I N C .   2 0 0 3   A N N U A L   R E P O R T

 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002

12 Commitments

The  Company  has  commitments  under  various  operating  leases  for  the  rental  of office  space  and
laboratories. The minimum annual payments for the coming years are as follows:

2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009 and thereafter

13 Contingencies

$

967,014
730,339
701,490
670,700
670,700
1,577,202

5,317,445

Following  the  discontinuation  of the  generic  pharmaceutical  business  by  ProMetic  Pharma  Inc.
(“Pharma”), a former subsidiary of the Company, in 1999, the Company received the two following
outstanding claims:

• A  guaranteed  creditor  of Pharma  is  claiming  $2,021,619  from  the  Company  pursuant  to
guarantees and agreements related to certain credit contracts entered into between this creditor
and Pharma. The claim commenced on June 29, 2000.

• Another  Pharma  creditor  instituted  a  claim  against  the  Company  for  the  recovery  of certain

amounts due totalling $305,104.

After obtaining representation from their legal counselors, management is of the opinion that it
has valid grounds for defense in respect of each claim and no provision related to these matters has
been recorded in these consolidated financial statements in that respect. Settlements, if any, will be
charged to the statement of operations in the period in which the settlement occurs.

14 Financial instruments

(a) Fair value:
The  carrying  value  of cash  and  cash  equivalents,  short-term  investments,  accounts  receivable,
accounts  payable  and  accrued  liabilities  approximates  their  fair  value  because  of the  near-term
maturity of these instruments. The carrying value of the long-term debt approximates its fair value
because the implicit interest rate approximates market rates available for similar instruments.

The fair value of preferred shares retractable at the holder’s option cannot be determined because
these are shares of a private joint venture company at the precommercial stage and because it is not
possible to determine in which period these shares may be redeemed.

(b) Credit risk:
The  Company  reviews  a  new  customer’s  credit  history  before  extending  credit  and  conducts

regular reviews of its existing customers’ credit performance.

P R O M E T I C   L I F E   S C I E N C E S   I N C .   2 0 0 3   A N N U A L   R E P O R T

35

 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002

14 Financial instruments (continued)

(c) Foreign exchange risk:
The Company derives a substantial part of its revenues in pounds sterling and the majority of its
expenses that are not denominated in Canadian dollars are incurred in pounds sterling and in US
dollars. The Company does not possess nor issue financial instruments.

15 Related party transactions

The Company entered into transactions with certain directors or companies controlled by them in
the ordinary course of business. The expense for the year is $247,324 (2002: $245,741).

16 Income taxes

The  following  table  reconciles  the  differences  between  the  domestic  statutory  tax  rate  and  the
effective tax rate used by the Company in the determination of the income tax:

Net loss
Basic income tax rate

Computed income tax provision
Decrease in income taxes resulting from:

Unrecorded potential tax benefit arising from

current period losses

Effect of tax rate differences in foreign subsidiaries
Non-deductible items

2003

$

2002

$

(20,297,681)
33%

(14,111,303)
35%

(6,698,235)

(4,938,956)

3,386,120
2,043,939
1,268,176

3,815,486
1,044,983
78,487

–

–

36

P R O M E T I C   L I F E   S C I E N C E S   I N C .   2 0 0 3   A N N U A L   R E P O R T

 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002

Significant components of the Company’s net future income tax balances are as follows:

Future income tax assets:
Losses carried forward
Share issue expenses
Unused research and development expenses 
Unused tax credits, net of related taxes
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 
Deferred revenue
Inventories
Capital assets

Less: valuation allowance

Net future income tax assets

Future income tax liabilities:

Accounts receivable
Capital assets
Intellectual property
Deferred development costs

Net future income tax assets

2003

$

2002

$

11,830,873
1,123,446
1,377,028
–
200,276
178,392
–
5,835

8,742,837
1,093,362
881,001
119,760
236,430
-
23,757
6,379

14,715,850
(12,992,742)

11,103,526
(9,758,421)

1,723,108

1,345,105

(225,731)
(470,976)
(815,187)
(211,214)

–
(265,513)
(700,786)
(378,806)

– 

–

P R O M E T I C   L I F E   S C I E N C E S   I N C .   2 0 0 3   A N N U A L   R E P O R T

37

 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002

16 Income taxes (continued)

As  at  December 31, 2003,  the  deductions  and  tax  losses  considered  in  the  computation  of the

future income tax assets, before the valuation allowance, are as follows:

Canada

Federal

Provincial

$

$

Research and development expenses, 

without time limit

4,165,396

5,119,574

Losses carried forward expiring in:

2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2012
2018
2019
2021
2022
2023
Without expiry date

Share issue expenses

335,396
553,357
2,415,613
2,091,581
5,303,339
5,763,208
10,297,804
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
3,621,682

– 
446,032
2,237,266
2,091,619
5,303,339
5,763,208
10,298,150
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
3,621,682

Foreign
countries

$

–

–
–
–
–
–
–
-
483,182
1,293,982
482,907
15,493
660,547
1,066,371
28,054,940
–

30,381,980

29,761,296

32,057,422

As at December 31, 2003, the Company also had unused tax credits available to reduce future
Canadian taxable income of $1,142,978 and expiring between 2009 and 2012. No future income
tax asset has been recorded with respect to those tax credits.

17 Additional information

(i)

Statements of cash flows:
(a) Net change in non-cash working capital items:

Accounts receivable
Inventories
Prepaid expenses
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

2003

$

2002

$

606,645
(57,980)
(272,249)
1,476,618

(366,842)
(235,175)
(458,095)
1,568,251

1,753,034

508,139

38

P R O M E T I C   L I F E   S C I E N C E S   I N C .   2 0 0 3   A N N U A L   R E P O R T

 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002

(b) Non-cash transactions:

Unpaid additions to capital asset and intellectual property
Excess of the interest in the joint venture Pathogen Removal 
and Diagnostic Technologies Inc. over the proportionate 
share in the consolidated net assets

Preferred shares retractable at the holder’s option
Unpaid share issue expenses
Share purchase loan to an officer
Shares of Hemosol Inc. received as consideration of entering 
into a binding memorandum of understanding recorded 
as deferred revenue (notes 3 and 9)

(c) Other cash flow information:

Interest paid
Interest earned

(ii) Statements of operations:

Exchange gain
Tax credits against research and development expenses
Interest on long-term debt

(iii) Balance sheets:

2003

$

2002

$

1,211,388

1,043,353

531,827
531,827
223,109
450,000

382,358
382,358
–
–

1,800,000

–

2003

$

2002

$

76,163
467,325

9,131
222,404

2003

$

144,952
–
95,129

2002

$

16,234
173,070
23,792

2003

$

2002

$

Tax credits against deferred development costs
Intellectual property capitalized and subject to amortization

–
1,861,226

134,494
1,410,054

P R O M E T I C   L I F E   S C I E N C E S   I N C .   2 0 0 3   A N N U A L   R E P O R T

39

 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002

18 Segmented information

The Company operates in one reporting segment consisting of research, development, manufacturing
and commercialization of a variety of commercial applications from its technology platform.

Revenues (1) by geographic segment are as follows:

United States
United Kingdom
Europe (excluding United Kingdom)
Other countries

Net losses by geographic segment are as follows:

Canada
United States
United Kingdom

The assets by geographic segment are as follows:

Canada
United States
United Kingdom

2003

$

203,550
811,227
262,706
41,902

2002

$

332,336
1,291,465
838,533
49,329

1,319,385

2,511,663

2003

$

2002

$

7,934,493
1,639,015
10,724,173

7,259,036
13,715
6,838,552

20,297,681

14,111,303

2003

$

2002

$

33,615,988
456,206
8,547,380

31,460,699
712,781
7,283,735

42,619,574

39,457,215

The capital assets and intellectual property by geographic segment are as follows:

Canada
United States
United Kingdom

(1) Revenues are attributed to countries based on location of customer.

2003

$

2002

$

5,302,242
97,033
3,741,781

4,492,398
24,079
3,214,565

9,141,056

7,731,042

40

P R O M E T I C   L I F E   S C I E N C E S   I N C .   2 0 0 3   A N N U A L   R E P O R T

 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002

Additions to capital assets and intellectual property by geographic segment are as follows:

Canada
United States
United Kingdom

2003

$

2002

$

1,689,018
86,305
1,212,032

2,395,209
6,324
1,082,212

2,987,355

3,483,745

19 Subsequent events

(a)

In connection with the public offering in December 2003, the underwriters have exercised,
on January 16, 2004, their over allotment option in full for 1,578,947 additional subordinate voting
shares at $1.90 per share, for gross proceeds of $ 3,000,000.

(b) Subsequent to year-end, the share purchase loan to an officer for an amount of $450,000

was extended to 2009.

20 Comparative figures

Certain  2002  comparative  figures  have  been  reclassified  to  conform  with  the  financial  statement
presentation adopted for 2003.

P R O M E T I C   L I F E   S C I E N C E S   I N C .   2 0 0 3   A N N U A L   R E P O R T

41

 
CORPORATE INFORMATION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Sadok Besrour (1) (3)
President, Placements Sadobex Inc.

John Bienenstock
University Professor, McMaster University, 
Director, Brain-Body Institute,
St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton

Roger Garon (2)
Chairman of the Board, Multivet Ltd

Barry Gibson
Consultant

Robert Lacroix (1) (3)
Executive Vice President, CTI Capital Inc.

Pierre Laurin
Chairman of the Board, President
and Chief Executive Officer, ProMetic

Claude Lemire (1)
Consultant

Hans W. Schmid (2)
Chairman of the Board, HPC
ASAT AG

Andrew Gertler (3)
Managing Director, 
Gestion Jean-Paul Auclair Inc.

John J.R. Noble (2)
Radiologist 

(1) Member of the Audit Committee

(2) Compensation Committee

(3) Corporate Governance

42

P R O M E T I C   L I F E   S C I E N C E S   I N C .   2 0 0 3   A N N U A L   R E P O R T

 
ADVISORY COMMIT TEES

The  Company  has  Committees  comprising  of  scientists  with  expertise  in  different  areas  such  as  biotechnology,
bioprocessing and biopharmaceuticals. The members of these committees are as follows:

Scientific Advisory Committee—
Enabling technology
Max Arella, PhD 
Professor INRS-Institute Armand-Frappier;
Adjunct Professor Université de Montreal and 
University of Prince Edward Island
Steven J. Burton, PhD 
Executive Vice President and 
Chief Scientific Officer, Enabling technology, 
ProMetic BioSciences Ltd., UK
John M. Curling
Independent Consultant
Jean-Marie Dupuy, MD, PhD 
Past Medical Director and Research Director,
Immunology, Pasteur Mérieux Connaught, France
Pete Gagnon, PhD 
President, Validated Biosystems Inc.
Barry L. Haymore, MD, PhD 
Consultant, Microbe Inotech Laboratories Inc., 
St. Louis, MO, USA 
Volker Helfrich, PhD 
Registered Pharmacist, CEO of ASAT AG Applied
Science & Technology, Zug, Switzerland 
Roger A. Perrault, MD, PhD, FRCPC 
President of R.A. Perrault Consultants Inc.
Hans. W. Schmid, PhD 
Registered Pharmacist, Founder and 
Chairman of the Board of ASAT AG Applied
Science & Technology, Zug, Switzerland 
David J. Stewart, PhD 
Director of Meetings, 
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY, USA

Scientific Advisory Committee—PRDT
Steven J. Burton, PhD 
Executive Vice President and 
Chief Scientific Officer, Enabling technology, 
ProMetic BioSciences Ltd., UK
Ruben G. Carbonell 
Director, William R. Kenan Junior Institute 
for Engineering Technology and Science 
at North Carolina University
David J. Hammond, PhD 
Director, Plasma Derivatives, 
American Red Cross, Holland Laboratory
Robert G. Rohwer, PhD 
Consults on the management of TSE risks for 
the World Health Organization, the FDA,
American Red Cross, Health Canada, U.S.
Department of Agriculture and European
Commission

Clinical Advisory Committee—
Therapeutics/rAAT
Dan Chalker, MD 
Clinical Professor, Medical College, Georgia;
Diplomat, American Board of Dermatology; 
Fellow, American Academy of Dermatology
Ernest Charlesworth, MD, FRCPC 
Dermatologist, Allergist and Immunologist, 
San Antonio, Texas 
David Gratton, MD, FRCPC 
Professor, McGill University, Health Centre
Roger A. Perrault, MD, PhD, FRCPC 
President of R.A. Perrault Consultants Inc.
Sheldon Spector, MD 
Clinical Professor of Medicine,
UCLA Medical Centre; 
President, California Society of Allergy, 
Asthma and immunology

Clinical Advisory Committee—Therapeutics
Max Arella, PhD 
Professor INRS-Institute Armand-Frappier;
Adjunct Professor Université de Montreal and 
University of Prince Edward Island
John Bienenstock, CM, MD (Hon), FRCP, FRCPC, FRSC 
University Professor, McMaster University, 
Director, Brain-Body Institute,
St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton
Jean-Marie Dupuy, MD, PhD 
Past Medical Director and Research Director,
Immunology, Pasteur Mérieux Connaught, France
Volker Helfrich, PhD 
Registered Pharmacist, CEO of ASAT AG Applied
Science & Technology, Zug, Switzerland 
Christopher Penney, PhD 
Chief Scientific Officer – Therapeutic
ProMetic BioSciences Inc.
Roger A. Perrault, MD, PhD, FRCPC 
President of R.A. Perrault Consultants Inc.
Denis-Claude Roy, MD 
Haematologist expert affiliated with 
the Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont 
and the Université de Montreal 
Hans. W. Schmid, PhD 
Registered Pharmacist, Founder and 
Chairman of the Board of ASAT AG Applied
Science & Technology, Zug, Switzerland 

P R O M E T I C   L I F E   S C I E N C E S   I N C .   2 0 0 3   A N N U A L   R E P O R T

43

 
PROMETIC LIFE SCIENCES INC.
PROMETIC BIOSCIENCES INC.
Montreal, Quebec
R&D Group – Therapeutic
Tel.: (514) 341-2115
E-mail: info@prometic.com

PROMETIC BIOSCIENCES LTD.
Isle of Man, British Isles
Scale-up and manufacturing
Tel.: 44-1624-823-519

Cambridge, UK
R&D Group – Enabling Technology
Tel.: 44-1223-420-300

PROMETIC BIOSCIENCES (U.S.A.), INC.
Wayne, NJ 07470
Marketing
Tel.: (973) 812-9880
E-mail: sales@prometic.com

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

AUDITORS

KPMG LLP
Chartered Accountants
2000 McGill College Avenue
Suite 1900
Montreal, Quebec
Canada H3A 3H8

TRANSFER AGENT AND REGISTRAR

National Bank Trust
1100 University Street
Suite 900
Montreal, Quebec
Canada H3B 2G7

LISTINGS

Toronto Stock Exchange (PLI)
Outstanding shares as 
at December 31, 2003: 84,842,937

INVESTOR RELATIONS

Dominic Sicotte
Director of Communication
8168 Chemin Montview
Montreal, Quebec
Canada H4P 2L7
Tel.: (514) 341-2115
Fax: (514) 341-6227
E-mail: investor@prometic.com

ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

Wednesday, May 5, 2004 (11:00 a.m.)
The Montreal Museum of Fine Art
1379 Sherbrooke Street West
Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3G 1J5

44

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G
N

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Ce rapport annuel 
est aussi disponible 
en français.

 
 
 
 
 
ProMetic Life Sciences Inc.
6100 Royalmount Avenue
Montreal, Quebec, Canada H4P 2R2
Tel.: (514) 341-2115
Fax: (514) 341-6227

info@prometic.com
www.prometic.com