Poolbeg Pharma plc

PDMR Notification

16 June 2026- Poolbeg Pharma (AIM: POLB, 'Poolbeg' or the 'Company'), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a core focus on transforming the cancer immunotherapy field, announces an update to the shareholding of Cathal Friel, Executive Chair.

Cathal is a director of Horizon Medical Technologies Limited ("Horizon"), an investment vehicle of which Raglan Road Capital Limited, a company 100% owned and controlled by Cathal Friel and his spouse, holds 89.5%. Horizon is a shareholder of Poolbeg, holding 1,552,931 shares, representing 0.22% of Poolbeg's issued share capital. 

To date, 100% of Horizon's holdings in Poolbeg have been included as part of the reported ownership of Cathal Friel, given the magnitude of his holding in this vehicle. Horizon is now being wound down in an orderly manner, involving a fully solvent liquidation with all creditors paid in full and remaining cash paid to its shareholders to reduce the unnecessary administrative costs of maintaining Horizon as a standalone Company.

The Poolbeg shares held by Horizon will be distributed to the underlying shareholders in Horizon, with 162,775 Poolbeg shares being distributed to the 10.5% shareholders in Horizon, who are separate and independent from Cathal Friel. The remaining balance of 1,390,156 Poolbeg shares held by Horizon will be distributed directly to Cathal Friel's family vehicle Raglan Road Capital Limited.

Upon completion of this process, Cathal's total shareholding will be 41,056,982 ordinary shares, representing 5.82% of the issued share capital of the Company, and as a result of this transaction Cathal's beneficial shareholding has not changed and remains at 41,056,982 ordinary shares.

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About Poolbeg Pharma plc 

Poolbeg Pharma plc (AIM: POLB) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a core focus on transforming the cancer immunotherapy field. The Company's lead asset, POLB 001, has the potential to expand administration of cancer immunotherapies from centralised specialist cancer centres into community hospitals by making the treatments safer through the prevention of the life-threatening side effect, Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS). As such, POLB 001 could increase the number of patients that can receive these life-saving treatments, thereby increasing the market opportunity. Poolbeg is also advancing the development of a patient-friendly therapy for obesity with an oral encapsulated GLP-1, offering a differentiated approach within one of the world's largest markets. With multiple near-term clinical value inflection points, and an experienced team with a proven track record, Poolbeg is focussed on partnering its high value programmes that are targeting large markets and addressing critical unmet medical needs. 

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Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement may contain forward-looking statements and the words "expect", "anticipate", "intends", "plan", "estimate", "aim", "forecast", "project" and similar expressions (or their negative) identify certain of these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this announcement are based on numerous assumptions and Poolbeg's present and future business strategies and the environment in which Poolbeg expects to operate in the future. Forward-looking statements involve inherent known and unknown risks, uncertainties and contingencies because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future and may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance or the ability to identify and consummate investments. Many of these risks and uncertainties relate to factors that are beyond Poolbeg's ability to control or estimate precisely, such as future market conditions, currency fluctuations, the behaviour of other market participants, the outcome of clinical trials, the actions of regulators and other factors such as Poolbeg's ability to obtain financing, changes in the political, social and regulatory framework in which Poolbeg operates or in economic, technological or consumer trends or conditions. Past performance should not be taken as an indication or guarantee of future results, and no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made regarding future performance. No person is under any obligation to update or keep current the information contained in this announcement or to provide the recipient of it with access to any additional relevant information.

Notification and public disclosure of transactions by persons discharging managerial responsibilities and persons closely associated with them: