1 SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 FORM 10-Q QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the quarterly period Commission File number ended March 31, 1997 0 - 27698 CHIREX INC. (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) DELAWARE 04-3296309 (State or other jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) incorporation or organization) 65 WILLIAM STREET WELLESLEY, MASSACHUSETTS 02181 (Address of principle executive office) (Zip Code) 617 - 431 - 2200 (Registrant's telephone number, including area code) Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15 (d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes X No -------- -------- Number of shares outstanding of the issuer's classes of common stock as of April 23, 1997. Class Number of Shares Outstanding - ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------- Common Stock, par value $.01 per share 10,972,678 -1- 2 CHIREX INC. INDEX Page Number ----------- PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION Item 1. Financial Statements 3 Consolidated Balance Sheets for December 31, 1996 and March 31, 1997 3 Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three-month periods ended March 31, 1996 and 1997. 4 Consolidated Statements of Cash flows for the three-month periods ended March 31, 1996 and 1997 5 Notes to Consolidated Interim Financial Statements 6 Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 9 PART II. OTHER INFORMATION Item 2. Changes in Securities 13 Item 6. Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K 13 SIGNATURE 14 This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements. For this purpose, any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The important factors discussed below under the caption "Certain Factors that May Affect Future Operating Results," among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by forward-looking statements made herein and presented elsewhere by management from time to time. -2- 3 PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION ITEM 1 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS CHIREX INC. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS DECEMBER 31 MARCH 31 1996 1997 ----------- -------- (in thousands) ASSETS Current Assets: Cash $ 291 $ 1,468 Trade and other receivables 12,764 15,016 Inventories 23,350 23,085 Other current assets 4,448 5,619 -------- -------- Total current assets 40,853 45,188 Property, plant and equipment, net 61,349 58,715 Intangible assets, net 28,604 28,313 ======== ======== Total Assets $130,806 $132,216 ======== ======== LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Current Liabilities: Accounts payable $ 11,421 $ 12,603 Accrued expenses 9,232 9,807 Income taxes payable 2,383 2,877 Deferred income taxes 2,369 2,321 -------- -------- Total current liabilities 25,405 27,608 Long-term debt 3,933 3,918 Deferred income taxes 7,411 7,233 Deferred income 3,989 3,711 -------- -------- Total liabilities 40,738 42,470 -------- -------- Stockholders' equity: Common stock $.01 par value, 30,000,000 shares authorized, 10,972,678 and 10,933,735 shares issued and outstanding on March 31, 1997 and December 31, 1996, respectively 109 110 Additional paid-in capital 95,479 95,574 Retained earnings (10,761) (9,563) Cumulative translation adjustment 5,241 3,625 -------- -------- Total stockholders' equity 90,068 89,746 -------- -------- Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $130,806 $132,216 ======== ======== The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements -3- 4 CHIREX INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE THREE-MONTH PERIODS ENDED MARCH 31, 1996 AND 1997 (unaudited) Three Months Ended March 31 --------------------------- 1996 1997 ------------ ---------- (in thousands, except per share amounts) Revenues: Product sales $ 7,276 $26,284 License fee and royalty income 323 222 -------- ------- Total revenues 7,599 26,506 Costs and expenses: Cost of goods sold 5,702 20,591 Research and development 435 1,187 Write-off of in-process research and development 5,790 -- Selling, general and administrative 544 2,585 Stock compensation charge 5,611 -- -------- ------- Total operating expenses 18,082 24,363 Operating profit(loss) (10,483) 2,143 Interest expense - net 41 134 -------- ------- Income (loss) before income taxes (10,524) 2,009 Provision for income taxes 398 811 -------- ------- Net income (loss) (10,922) 1,198 ======== ======= Net income (loss) per share $ (2.12) $ 0.11 Weigted average number of common and common equivalent shares outstanding 5,158 11,189 The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements -4- 5 CHIREX INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS FOR THE THREE-MONTH PERIODS ENDED MARCH 31, 1996 AND 1997 (UNAUDITED) Three Months Ended March 31 ------------------------- 1996 1997 --------- --------- (in thousands) Cash flows from operating activities: Net income (loss) $(10,922) $ 1,198 Add back: Depreciation & amortization 522 2,567 Inventory uplift release 275 0 Write-off of in-process research and development 5,790 0 Executive stock option charge 5,611 0 Changes in assets and liabilities: Receivables (1,636) (2,779) Inventories 788 (693) Other current assets (164) (739) Accounts payable and accrued expenses 195 2,096 Income taxes payable 241 763 Other non current assets and liabilities 16 (150) -------- ------- Net cash provided from operations 716 2,263 Cash flows from investing activities: Capital expenditures (261) (1,529) -------- ------- Net cash (used in) investing activities (261) (1,529) -------- ------- Cash flows from financing activities: Long-term debt activity: Borrowings on revolving line of credit, net 0 147 Borrowings on long-term line of credit, net 16,587 0 Repayment of subordinate note (53,534) 0 Redemption of common stock (40,472) 0 Proceeds from the issuance of common stock 83,149 95 -------- ------- Net cash provided from financing activities 5,730 242 -------- ------- Effect of exchange rate changes on cash 62 201 -------- ------- Net increase in cash 6,247 1,177 Cash at beginning of period 1 291 -------- ------- Cash at end of period $ 6,248 $ 1,468 ======== ======= The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements -5- 6 CHIREX INC. NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED INTERIM FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 1. NATURE OF OPERATIONS AND PRINCIPLES OF CONSOLIDATION NATURE OF OPERATIONS ChiRex Inc. (the "Company" or "ChiRex") is a contract manufacturing organization serving the outsourcing needs of the pharmaceutical industry through its extensive pharmaceutical fine chemical manufacturing and process development capabilities and proprietary technologies. The Company supports and supplements the in-house development and manufacturing capabilities of its pharmaceutical and biotechnology customers with a broad range of fully-integrated services, accelerating the time from drug discovery to commercialization. The Company currently manufactures 54 products, of which 29 are core products in its world-class, cGMP manufacturing facilities located in Dudley, Northumberland, England. ChiRex holds 54 patents and patent applications in the field of chiral chemistry. ChiRex was incorporated in December 1995 and, effective March 11, 1996, merged with SepraChem Inc. ("SepraChem"), a chiral chemistry business and a wholly owned subsidiary of Sepracor Inc. ("Sepracor")(the "Merger"), and acquired (the "Contribution") the business of Crossco (157) Limited ("Crossco") (including its wholly-owned subsidiary Sterling Organics Limited), a fine chemical manufacturer located in Dudley, England. Subsequently, Crossco, Sterling Organics Limited and SepraChem changed their names to ChiRex (Holdings) Limited ("ChiRex (Holdings) Ltd."), ChiRex Limited ("ChiRex Ltd."), and ChiRex America Inc. ("ChiRex America"), respectively. PRINCIPLES OF CONSOLIDATION The financial statements for the three-month period ending March 31, 1996 of the Company combine the historical results of ChiRex America (formerly SepraChem) with the results of ChiRex. The results of ChiRex (Holdings) Ltd. and ChiRex Ltd. are included from the date of acquisition on March 11, 1996. The interim financial statements, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments (including normal recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the interim period ended March 31, 1997. The results of operations for the interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations expected for the fiscal year. See Form 10-K filed as of December 31, 1996 for additional information. RECLASSIFICATION Certain amounts in the prior period's financial statements have been reclassified to be consistent with the current period presentation. 2. RECENT ACCOUNTING DEVELOPMENTS In February 1997, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 28, Earnings per Share (SFAS 128). This Statement establishes standards for computing and presenting earnings per share and applies to entities with publicly traded common stock or potential common stock. SFAS 128 is effective for financial statements for both the interim and annual periods ending after December 15, 1997, and early adoption is not permitted. When adopted, the statement will require restatement of prior years' earnings per share. The Company will adopt this statement for its quarter ended December 31, 1997. Assuming that SFAS No. 128 had been implemented, basic earnings per share would not have differed significantly from those disclosed in the accompanying statements of operations. 6 7 3. SECONDARY PUBLIC OFFERING OF SHARE HOLDING OF SEPRACOR INC. On March 31, 1997, Sepracor sold its entire share holding in ChiRex, 3,489,301 shares of Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share. Under the terms of the a registration rights agreement entered into in connection with the Merger, the Company bore the legal and accounting costs associated with the offering of Sepracor's shares and Sepracor bore all other related costs. Under the terms of the Underwriting Agreement entered into in connection with the offering, the Company granted the underwriters an option, exercisable for 30 days from March 31, 1997, to purchase up to an aggregate of 523,395 additional shares of Common Stock at the public offering price of $9.50, less underwriting discounts and commissions. The underwriters exercised their rights under this option and purchased the entire 523,395 shares of Common Stock on April 25, 1997. The accounting and legal costs incurred by the Company in connection with the offering of Sepracor's shares and related shares sold to the underwriters of approximately $500,000 have been capitalized and included in other assets as of March 31, 1997. Such costs will be reflected as a reduction of the equity raised by the Company upon closing of the shares sold to the underwriters. 4. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS Stockholders Rights Plan On April 3, 1997, the Company announced that its Board of Directors adopted a stock holders right plan and declared a dividend in connection therewith of one right for each outstanding share of Common Stock on March 31, 1997. Each right entitles the holder, in certain events, to purchase one one-thousandth (1/1000th) of a share of Series A Participating Cumulative Preferred Stock at an initial purchase price of $50.00. Disposition of Acetaminophen Business On April 9, 1997, the Company announced the sale of its acetaminophen business, including related intellectual property, to French pharmaceutical company, Rhone-Poulenc Chimie S.A. ("RPC"). Under the terms of the Asset Purchase Agreement, the Company will continue to manufacture acetaminophen for RPC pursuant to a Supply Agreement for a period to effect a seamless transfer of customers. Under this Asset Purchase Agreement, RPC is required to make specified payments to the Company, subject to certain conditions over a three year period. The Company anticipates it will recognize net sales proceeds of approximately $6.3 million, after considering likelihood of receipt of each required payment and the effect of discounting future cash receipts. In conjunction with the sale of the acetaminophen business, the Company intends to dispose of the related building and equipment which it estimates will result in a write down of approximately $8.3 million. Additionally, the Company has implemented a plan to terminate certain employees associated with the production of acetaminophen and otherwise restructure its operations, which is estimated to result in charges of approximately $4.6 million. The Company anticipates this transaction will result in a net negative impact on earnings of approximately $4.4 million, after consideration for the effect of tax. 7 8 The following table presents pro forma revenues, net income and net income per share , as adjusted to exclude various non-recurring charges for the Company, assuming that the incorporation of the Company, the merger with ChiRex America, the acquisition of ChiRex (Holdings) Ltd. and ChiRex Ltd., and sale of the acetaminophen business had occurred on January 1, 1996. The non-recurring charges resulting from the Contribution and Merger consist of (i) an adjustment to restate inventory at fair value, (ii) the write-off of acquired in-process research and development and (iii) a non-recurring expense related to certain executive stock compensation. Three months ended March 31 (in thousands, except per share amounts) 1996 1997 ---- ---- Revenues ................................... $14,990 $19,519 Net Income before non-recurring items ...... 84 650 Net income per share before non-recurring items..................................... $ 0.01 $ 0.06 The pro forma results are not necessarily indicative of future operations or the actual results that would have occurred had the acquisition ChiRex Holdings Ltd. and ChiRex Ltd. and disposition of the acetaminophen business been made at the beginning of 1996. 8 9 ITEM 2 MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the historical consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere herein. INTRODUCTION ChiRex Inc. is a contract manufacturing organization serving the outsourcing needs of the pharmaceutical industry through its extensive pharmaceutical fine chemical manufacturing and process development capabilities and proprietary technologies. The Company supports and supplements the in-house development and manufacturing capabilities of its pharmaceutical and biotechnology customers with a broad range of fully-integrated services, accelerating the time from drug discovery to commercialization. In 1996, the Company manufactured 54 products at its cGMP manufacturing facility in Dudley, England. Capacity utilization at the Dudley facility varies in accordance with the number and nature of products under manufacture. Management currently estimates that the Dudley facility (excluding acetaminophen) is operating in a range of 65% to 75% capacity utilization. Management has reviewed the Company's product portfolio and identified 29 of the 54 products it manufactured in 1996 as "core products" which the Company believes offer superior long-term growth potential, higher margins or strategic customer relationship benefits. The Company, incorporated in December 1995, is a combination of Sterling Organics, a pharmaceutical fine chemicals manufacturer, and SepraChem, a chiral chemistry business. On March 11, 1996, the Company consummated (i) its initial public offering of 6,675,000 shares of its common stock (the "IPO"), (ii) the merger of a subsidiary of the Company with and into ChiRex America in the Merger and (iii) the acquisition of ChiRex Holdings Ltd., the corporate parent of ChiRex Ltd., in the Contribution. Substantially all of the Company's revenues and expenses are denominated in Pounds Sterling, and to prepare the Company's financial statements such amounts are translated into U.S. Dollars at average exchange rates in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. RESULTS OF OPERATIONS In order to make the comparison of financial information for the three-month period ending March 31, 1997 with that of the same period for 1996 more meaningful, the following tables sets forth (i) the historical results of the Company for the three-month period ended March 31, 1997 and (ii) the historical results of the Company for the three-month period ending March 31, 1996 and the pro forma results of the Company for the three month period end March 31, 1996, adjusted to exclude various non-recurring charges resulting from the Contribution and the Merger (consisting of an adjustment to restate inventory at fair value, the write-off of acquired in-process research and development and a non-recurring expense relating to certain executive stock compensation) There were no intercompany transactions requiring elimination in either of the periods presented. The pro forma and pro forma as adjusted data set forth in the following tables are not necessarily indicative of future operations or what the Company's results of operations would actually have been had the various transactions set forth below occurred as described. The period-to-period comparisons that follow the tables compare the pro forma as adjusted results of operations for the three month period ended March 31, 1996 with the historical results of operations for the three month period ended March 31, 1997, set forth in the following table. 9 10 COMPARATIVE OPERATING RESULTS FOR THE THREE-MONTH PERIOD ENDED MARCH 31, 1997 AND 1996 (IN THOUSANDS) CHIREX THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 1997 INC. - ------------------------------------- ------ Revenues.............................. $26,506 Cost of goods sold.................... 20,591 ------- Gross profit.......................... 5,915 Research and development.............. 1,187 Selling, general and administrative... 2,585 Interest expense...................... 134 ------- Income before income taxes............ 2,009 Provision for income taxes............ 811 ------- Net income ........................... $ 1,198 ======= CHIREX (HOLDINGS) LIMITED JANUARY 1, 1996 THRU PRO CHIREX MARCH 11 FORMA PRO PRO FORMA THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31,1996 INC. 1996 ADJUSTMENTS FORMA ADJUSTMENTS AS ADJUSTED --------------------------------- ------- ---- ----------- ----- ----------- ------------ (unaudited) Revenues...................... $ 7,599 $15,212 $ 22,811 $ 0 $22,811 Cost of goods sold............ 5,702 12,564 $ 112 (1) 18,378 (275)(5) 18,103 -------- ------- ----- -------- ------- ------- Gross profit.................. 1,897 2,648 (112) 4,433 275 4,708 Research and development...... 6,225 558 6,783 (5,790)(6) 993 Selling, general and administrative 6,155 1,300 225 (2) 7,680 (5,611)(7) 2,069 Interest expense.............. 41 690 (440)(3) 291 0 291 -------- ------- ----- -------- ------- ------- Income (loss) before income taxes (10,524) 100 103 (10,321) 11,676 1,355 Provision for income taxes.... 398 33 108 (4) 539 (91)(8) 630 -------- ------- ----- -------- ------- ------- Net income (loss)............. $(10,922) $ 67 (5) $(10,860) $11,585 $ 725 ======== ======= ===== ======== ======= ======= - ---------- Notes to the pro forma and other adjustments for the three-month period ended March 31, 1997 and 1996. (1) Increase in depreciation reflecting the increased valuation of ChiRex Holdings Ltd.'s fixed assets for the period prior to the Contribution. (2) Increase in amortization of goodwill related to the period prior to the Contribution. (3) Reduction in interest expense related to debt retired in connection with the Contribution. (4) Income tax effect of pro forma adjustments, excluding amortization of goodwill which is not deductible for tax purposes. (5) To reverse the effect of the purchase method of accounting step-up of inventory to fair value at the time of the Contribution. (6) To reverse the effect of the write-off of research and development expenses that were in-process at the time of the Contribution. (7) To reverse the effect of stock compensation charge associated with granting of stock and options to purchase stock in connection with the Merger. (8) Tax effect of the adjustment described in note (5) above. 10 11 Three-months ended March 31, 1997 and 1996 (pro forma as adjusted) Revenues Three-month period ended Three-month period ended (in thousands) March 31, 1996 March 31, 1997 -------------- -------------- Core Products $10,482 $17,350 Non-core products 4,184 1,947 Acetaminophen 7,822 6,987 License and royalty income 323 222 ------- ------- Total Revenues $22,811 $26,506 ======= ======= Revenues, as outlined in the table above, increased $3.7 million, or 16.2%, from $22.8 million in the three month period ended March 31, 1996 to $26.5 million in the same period in 1997. Revenues from core products, which accounted for 64.8% of revenues in the three months ended March 31, 1997, increased by $6.8 million or 65.2%, while non-core products (excluding acetaminophen), which accounted for 7.3% of revenues in the three month period ended March 31, 1997, decreased by $2.2 million or 53.4%. Revenues attributable to acetaminophen, which accounted for 26.3% of revenues in three month period ended March 31, 1997, declined by $0.8 million compared to the same period in 1996 due to lower demand. Cost of goods sold increased $2.5 million, or 13.7%, to $20.6 million in three month period ended March 31, 1997 from $18.1 million in the same period in 1996. This increase relates primarily to volume and represents an increase in gross margin to 22.3% for the three month period ending March 31, 1997 from 20.6% for the same period in 1996 and is due to the selective replacement of low-margin non-core products with higher-margin core products. Research and development expenses increased $0.2 million, or 19.5%, to $1.2 million in three month period ended March 31, 1997 from $1.0 million in the same period in 1996. The increase was due mainly to the cost of additional research chemists to support the new product pipeline compared to the same period in 1996. Selling, general and administrative expenses increased $0.5 million, or 24.9%, to $2.6 million in three month period ended March 31, 1997 from $2.1 million in the same period in 1996. This increase is due primarily to one-time legal and consulting costs, increased sales and marketing activity and increased corporate overhead following the Company's public status, compared with the same period in 1996. Interest expense in three month period ended March 31, 1997 was $0.1 million a decrease of $0.2 million, or 54.0%, from $0.3 million in the same period in 1996. This is a result of lower borrowing requirements in the interim period due to increased cash flow from operations. Income tax expense was $0.8 million, an effective rate of 35.3%, after adjusting for goodwill, in the three month period ended March 31, 1997 compared to $0.6 million, an effective rate of 38.4%, after adjusting for goodwill, in the same period in 1996, and is a result of increased profitability in the U.K. where the statutory Corporation tax rate is 33%. As a result of the factors described above, net income was $1.2 million in three month period ended March 31, 1997 compared to $0.7 million for the same period in 1996. 11 12 LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES Cash provided from operations for the three month period ended March 31, 1997 of $2.3 million is $1.6 million higher than the $0.7 million provided in the same period in 1996 and reflects increased profitability and improved cash management. Net cash used in investing activities in the three month period ended March 31, 1997 was $1.5 million and $0.3 million in the same period of 1996, and consists of capital expenditures for plant maintenance and, in 1997, for improved capacity utilization. Net cash provided from financing activities for the three month period ended March 31, 1997 of $0.2 million is a result of $0.1 million borrowings from the Company's revolving line of credit, and $0.1 million from the issuance of common stock due to the exercise of stock options. Net cash provided from financing activities in the same period in 1996 of $5.7 million was the result of borrowings on the Company's long-term loan facility of $16.6 million, $94.0 million used for the redemption of stock and the repayment of debt existing at the time of the Merger and Contribution and $83.3 million provided by the IPO. The Company expects to satisfy its cash requirements, including the requirements of its subsidiaries, through internally generating cash and borrowings. FOREIGN CURRENCY The Company currently expects that sales of its products outside the United States will continue to be a substantial percentage of its net sales. The Company currently intends to hedge its foreign exchange exposure to a certain extent by entering into forward contracts with banks to the extent that the timing of the currency flows can reasonably be anticipated and by offsetting matching foreign currency-denominated assets with foreign currency-denominated liabilities. Financial results of the Company could be adversely or beneficially affected by fluctuations in foreign exchange rates. Fluctuations in the value of foreign currencies will affect the U.S. dollar value of the Company's net investment in its foreign subsidiaries, with related effects included in a separate component of stockholders' equity. Operating results of foreign subsidiaries will be translated into U.S. dollars at average monthly exchange rates. In addition, the U.S. dollar value of transactions based in foreign currency also fluctuates with exchange rates. The Company expects that the largest foreign currency exposure will result from activity in Pounds Sterling, German marks and Dutch guilders. 12 13 PART II - OTHER INFORMATION ITEM 2. Changes in Securities --------------------- The required information is hereby incorporated by reference from the Company's registration statement on Form 8-A (File No. 000-27698) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 31, 1997, and Amendment No. 1 thereto filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 2, 1997. ITEM 6. Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K -------------------------------- (a) Exhibits. The exhibits listed on the accompanying Exhibit Index are filed as part of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. (b) Current Reports on form 8-K. The Company did not file any Current Reports on Form 8-K during the fiscal quarter covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. 13 14 SIGNATURE Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized. CHIREX INC. Date: April 30, 1997 By: /s/ Michael A. Griffith ----------------------- Michael A. Griffith Chief Financial Officer and Secretary 14 15 EXHIBIT INDEX Exhibit Number Description - -------------- ----------- *3.1 Form of Certificate of the Voting Powers, Preferences and Relative Participating, Optional and Other Special Rights and Qualifications, Limitations or Restrictions of Series A Participating Cumulative Preferred Stock of ChiRex Inc. *4.1 Rights Agreement dated as of March 31, 1997, between ChiRex Inc. and The First National Bank of Boston, as Rights Agent. *4.2 Form of Right Certificate. 27 Financial Data Schedule - ----------- * Incorporated by reference to the corresponding exhibits in the Registration Statement on Form 8-A (File No. 000-27698) filed by the Company on March 31, 1997, and Amendment No. 1 thereto filed by the Company on April 2, 1997. 15