Acquisition creates leading phage therapy company with an advanced pipeline that includes two Phase 2 assets, BX004 for the treatment of chronic pulmonary infections in cystic fibrosis ("CF") patients and BX211 for the treatment of diabetic foot osteomyelitis ("DFO")
Financing of $50 million will be used to advance the two lead product candidates through Phase 2 clinical readouts in 2025
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and NESS ZIONA, Israel, March 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BiomX Inc. (NYSE:PHGE) (together with its subsidiaries and/or associates, "BiomX"), a clinical-stage company advancing novel natural and engineered phage therapies that target specific pathogenic bacteria, today announced the closing of its previously announced (March 6, 2024) acquisition (the "Acquisition") of Adaptive Phage Therapeutics, Inc. ("APT"), a U.S.-based privately-held, clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of phage-based therapies to combat bacterial infections, and its previously announced $50 million private placement to certain institutional accredited investors, which was led by affiliates of Deerfield Management Company and the AMR Action Fund, and additional investors including the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, OrbiMed and Nantahala Capital.
"We are very pleased to announce the closing of the APT acquisition, which creates a leading phage company and an advanced pipeline that includes two Phase 2 assets each aimed at treating serious infections with unmet medical need," said Jonathan Solomon, Chief Executive Officer of BiomX. "We also appreciate the continued support of leading institutional healthcare investors. Through this financing, we expect to have sufficient capital to reach multiple data readouts in CF and DFO over the next 12-24 months."
RBC Capital Markets and Laidlaw & Company (UK) Ltd. acted as placement agents for the private placement. Haynes and Boone, LLP served as legal counsel to BiomX. Cooley LLP served as legal counsel to APT. McDermott Will & Emery LLP served as legal counsel to Deerfield Management. Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP served as legal counsel to the placement agents.
About the Acquisition and the Private Placement
The Acquisition was structured as a stock-for-stock transaction whereby all outstanding equity interests of APT were exchanged in a merger for 9,164,968 shares of BiomX common stock, 40,470 shares of Series X Preferred Stock convertible into 40,470,000 shares of BiomX common stock and warrants ("Merger Warrants") exercisable for 2,166,497 shares of BiomX common stock. Upon the consummation of the Acquisition, a successor-in-interest of APT became a wholly-owned subsidiary of BiomX. The Merger Warrants will be exercisable at any time after the date of the receipt of BiomX stockholder approval at an exercise price of $5.00 per share and will expire on January 28, 2027.
Concurrently with the consummation of the Acquisition, BiomX consummated its private placement financing with existing and new investors to raise $50 million, in which the investors purchased (i) an aggregate of 216,417 shares of Series X Preferred Stock and (ii) warrants ("Private Placement Warrants") to purchase up to an aggregate of 108,208,500 shares of BiomX common stock, at a combined purchase price of $231.10 per share of Series X Preferred Stock and an accompanying Private Placement Warrant to purchase 500 shares of BiomX common stock. The Private Placement Warrants will be exercisable any time after the date of the receipt of BiomX stockholder approval, at an exercise price of $0.2311 per share, and will expire on the 24-month anniversary of the initial exercisability date.
Subject to BiomX stockholder approval, each share of Series X Preferred Stock issued in the Acquisition and the private placement initially will be convertible into 1,000 shares of BiomX common stock, and subject to certain beneficial ownership limitations set by each holder not to exceed 19.99%.
In connection with the execution of the definitive merger agreement, certain stockholders of BiomX (including its directors and officers), together holding on as converted basis over 50% of the outstanding shares of common stock of BiomX, have agreed to vote their shares in favor of the conversion of the Series X ...