AEterna Laboriaties Completes New Issue of Shares

On July 24, 2003, Quebec-based biopharmaceutical company, Æterna Laboratories Inc., completed a new issue of 4.5 million subordinate voting shares at $7.90 per share for gross proceeds to Æterna Laboratories of $35.55 million. The underwriting syndicate was led by RBC Capital Markets Inc., and included National Bank Financial Inc., Paradigm Capital Inc., Desjardins Securities Inc. and Loewen, Ondaatje, McCutcheon Limited.

Æterna Laboratories was represented in-house by Claude Vadboncoeur, vice-president, legal, and corporate secretary; in Canada, by Ogilvy Renault with a team that included Paul Raymond, Steve Malas, Michelle Setlakwe and Elliot Shapiro; and in the U.S., by John Willett, Shannon Hassan and Lily Lu of Arnold & Porter in New York. The underwriters were represented by Heenan Blaikie LLP, with a team that included Neil Wiener, Melanie de Souza, Bruno Caron, Gilles Warren, Yves Paré and Kosta Kostic.