OPT - Opthea Successfully Completes Placement and Institutional Component of Entitlement Offer Raising A$171.5 million (US$113.2m¹) | Benzinga
Fully underwritten Retail Entitlement Offer to raise a further approximately A$55.9m (US$36.9m1) will open on 19 June 2024 and close at 5:00 pm (Melbourne time) on 10 July 2024
MELBOURNE, Australia and PRINCETON, N.J., June 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Opthea Limited (NASDAQ:OPT, "Opthea", the "Company")), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies to treat highly prevalent and progressive retinal diseases, including wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD), today announced the successful completion of the institutional component of the capital raising announced on Wednesday, 12 June 2024.
The non-underwritten institutional placement (Placement) and the institutional component (Institutional Entitlement Offer) of the partially underwritten 1 for 1.22 pro-rata accelerated non-renounceable entitlement offer (Entitlement Offer) together raised approximately A$171.5 million (US$113.2m1). The Institutional Entitlement Offer alone raised approximately A$161.5 million. Eligible institutional shareholders took up approximately 61.4% of their entitlements with the shortfall placed to both new and existing institutional shareholders and to the underwriter.
Approximately 428.7 million shares will be issued under the Placement and the Institutional Entitlement Offer (New Shares) at an offer price of A$0.40 per New Share. Of this, the underwriter will be issued approximately 55.4 million shares under the Institutional Entitlement Offer in accordance with the arrangements described in the Prospectus.
New Shares to be issued under the Placement and the Institutional Entitlement Offer will rank equally with existing OPT shares in all respects from the date of issue.
Settlement of New Shares issued under the Placement and Institutional Entitlement Offer is expected to occur on Thursday, 20 June 2024. The issue of those New Shares is expected to occur on Friday, 21 June 2024, with ordinary trading commencing on the same day.
"We appreciate the strong support from our shareholders, and from new investors, who share our belief that sozinibercept has the potential to transform patient outcomes with superior vision gains, which continues to be a significant unmet need in wet AMD," said Frederic Guerard, PharmD, Chief Executive Officer of Opthea. "This financing extends Opthea's cash runway through the anticipated Phase 3 topline data readout of the COAST and ShORe pivotal trials of sozinibercept in wet AMD which are now expected in the early second quarter of calendar year 2025 and in mid-calendar year 2025, respectively. We look forward to updating you as we progress."
As announced on Wednesday, 12 June 2024, the proceeds from the capital raising, together with cash on hand, will be used to fund the Company through the anticipated Phase 3 topline data readouts for COAST (Combination OPT-302 with Aflibercept Study), and ShORe (Study of OPT-302 in combination with Ranibizumab), which were designed to assess the safety and superior efficacy of sozinibercept in combination with standard-of-care anti-VEGF-A therapies compared to standard of care alone. The funds are also intended to be used to progress chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) activities, Biologics License Application (BLA) preparations for FDA approval, and for general corporate purposes.
Retail Entitlement Offer
Eligible shareholders who have a registered address in Australia or New Zealand on the register as at 7:00 pm (Melbourne time) on the Friday, 14 June 2024 Record Date and who were not invited to participate in the Institutional Entitlement Offer will be invited to participate in the retail component of the Entitlement Offer (Retail Entitlement Offer) at the same Offer Price and offer ratio as under the Institutional Entitlement Offer.
The Retail Entitlement Offer is expected to open on Wednesday, 19 June 2024, and close at 5:00pm (Melbourne time) on Wednesday, 10 July 2024.
The Retail Entitlement Offer will be made under the Prospectus. The Prospectus was lodged with ASIC and released on ASX on Wednesday, 12 June 2024 and will be dispatched to eligible retail shareholders, along with personalized application forms on Wednesday, 19 June 2024. The Prospectus provides details of how to participate in the Retail Entitlement Offer. Eligible retail shareholders may opt to take up all, part or none of their entitlement. Eligible retail shareholders will also have the opportunity to apply for and be allocated additional New Shares up to 25% of their entitlement (subject to scale back at the sole discretion of Opthea) (Top-Up Facility).
Opthea may (in its absolute discretion) extend the Retail Entitlement Offer to any institutional shareholder that was eligible to, but was not invited to participate in, the Institutional Entitlement Offer (subject to compliance with relevant laws).
The Retail Entitlement Offer is fully underwritten. The underwriting is subject to the terms and conditions of the Underwriting Agreement, which are summarized in the Investor Presentation and Prospectus. The Retail Entitlement is additionally to raise approximately A$55.9 million (US$36.9m1).
New Options
Participants in the Placement and Entitlement Offer will also be offered one (1) option, each exercisable at A$1.00 per option and expiring on 30 June 2026 (New Options), for every three (3) New Shares subscribed under the Placement and Entitlement Offer. The offer of New Options is made under the Prospectus. No additional consideration is payable in respect of the New Options.
All New Options are expected to be issued upon allotment of the New Shares under the Retail Entitlement Offer and, subject to satisfying spread requirements set out in ASX Listing Rule 2.5, condition 6, the Options are intended to be quoted on the ASX.
The full terms and conditions of the New Options are set out in the Prospectus. Copies of the Prospectus will be available on the ASX website and at www.opthea.com.
Timetable
The timetable below is indicative only and subject to change. The Company reserves the right to alter the dates below in its full discretion and without prior notice, subject to the ASX Listing Rules and the Corporations Act.