Orchard Therapeutics Announces $150 Million Strategic Financing
Orchard Therapeutics (Nasdaq: ORTX), a global gene therapy leader, announced that it has executed a securities purchase agreement to raise gross proceeds of $150 million resulting from the sale of 24,115,755 shares through a private investment in public equity (PIPE) financing at a price of $6.22 per share. The financing attracted several existing and new investors with expertise in healthcare, including RA Capital Management, Avidity Partners, Casdin Capital, Farallon Capital, and Surveyor Capital (a Citadel company), among others.
The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the offering to support its growing commercial capabilities, including the launch of LibmeldyTM in Europe, advance its regulatory and clinical development activities and expand its hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) gene therapy approach into larger indications, as well as for general corporate purposes.
“The updates we made to our strategy in 2020 have allowed us to focus on successfully achieving a number of important milestones over the past few quarters, including the approval of Libmeldy in Europe and clearing an IND and receiving RMAT designation for OTL-200 for MLD in the U.S.,” said Frank Thomas, president and chief operating officer. “We look forward to building on this strong execution with the support of a strategic group of investors who recognize the potential of HSC gene therapy to address genetic diseases with high unmet need, including conditions such as MPS-I and MPS-IIIA, with new data on our related clinical programs at the WORLDSymposium next week.”
The financing is anticipated to close on February 9, 2021, subject to customary closing conditions. Cowen acted as lead placement agent, and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. and Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. acted as co-placement agents.
The securities are being sold in a private placement and have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. The Company has agreed to file a resale registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, for purposes of registering the resale of the ordinary shares issued or issuable in connection with the offering.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the securities, nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state. Any offering of the securities under the resale registration statement will only be by means of a prospectus.
Source: Orchard Therapeutics (Press release)
