September 16, 2014
By Riley McDermid, BioSpace.com Breaking News Sr. Editor
It’s going to be a busy week for biotech initial public offerings (IPOs), with six major companies stepping into the limelight the week of Sept. 15. If all debut at their midpoint price ranges, the combined new market capitalization would be around $321 million value added on the NASDAQ, Check out BioSpace’s handy guide and continuing coverage on what to expect this week!
Scrappy Viking Therapeutics will roll out this week on the NASDAQ with a $55 million offering of 5 million shares at a price range of $10 to $12. At the midpoint price, Viking Therapeutics would weigh in at a market value of $167 million. The clinical-state biopharmaceutical firm develops therapies for metabolic and endocrine disorders, with lead product is VK0612 an orally-available drug candidate for type 2 diabetes. Its second product candidate is VK5211, an orally-available drug for the treatment of cancer. Phase 2 clinical trials are expected in early 2015 with projected completion dates in 2016, said Seeking Alpha. The San Diego, CA-based company has hired Oppenheimer and Roth Capital as bookrunners on the deal.
Preclinical Dutch firm ProQR Therapeutics B.V. is hoping to take its venture capitalists backing all the way to the bank this week with a $75 million initial public offering of 6.3 million shares at a price range of $11 to $13. “). At the midpoint of the proposed range, ProQR Therapeutics would command a market value of $252 million,” estimated analysts at Renaissance Capital. VC shop Sofinnova has a 17.2 percent stake in the Leiden-based biotech, while investment firm Gilde owns 5.3 percent. Founded in 2012, ProQR develops drugs designed for the treatment of genetic disorders. It is currently working on a treatment for cystic fibrosis. The company employs 50 staff. Leerink Partners and Deutsche Bank Securities will act as the offering’s underwriters.
Israeli biotech shop Foamix Pharmaceuticals will debut this week on the NASDAQ with a plan for raising $65 million by offering 6 million shares at a price range of $10 to $12. The Rehovot, Israel-based company develops topical foam treatments for moderate-to-severe acne. In a Phase 2 clinical trial, its product candidate for acne, FMX101, showed that it was a faster more effective treatment than oral minocycline for moderate-to-severe acne with fewer side effects. In a Phase 2 trial, its product candidate for impetigo, FMX102, had a 81.3 percent success rate after three days and a 100 percent success rate after 14 days compared to competitor Bactroban’s labeling of a 71 percent success rate after eight days and 96 percent after 12 days. The company plans to initiate Phase 3 clinicals for FMX101 for acne in 2015 as well as FMX102 for impetigo in 2H 2015. Lead underwriters are Barclays and Cowen & Company.
Blood clot biotech firm rEVO Biologics is attempting another bite at the IPO apple after having been taken private once before in 2010. The company said it plans to raise $50 million as it begins its IPO listing on the NASDAQ under the symbol RBIO this week, offering 3.6 million shares at a price range of $13 to $15. The Framingham, Mass-based firm is developing a recombinant protein for the treatment of preeclampsia. rEVO Biologics, which was founded in 1993, booked $18 million in sales for the 12 months ended June 30, 2014. It which was originally formed as a subsidiary of Genzyme, completed an IPO in 2002 and was bought by French pharmaceutical company LFB Biotechnologies in 2010. Parent company LFB Biotechnologies said it will purchase $10 million worth of shares on the offering and invest $10 million in a concurrent private placement. Analysts at Renaissance Capital said, “At the midpoint of the proposed range, rEVO Biologics would command a market value of $261 million.” Guggenheim Securities and Piper Jaffray are joint advisers on the offering. Proceeds from IPO will fund the Phase 3 trial of Atryn, a treatment for blood clots during or after surgery or childbirth in patients with hereditary antithrombin deficiency (HD AT), to manage private equity, ramp up the sales effort and for general corporate purposes.
Clinical-stage biofirm Tokai Pharmaceuticals plans to raise $75.6 million in its upcoming IPO, debuting this week with 5.4 million shares at an expected price range of $13-$15 per share. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based firm is developing a small molecule therapy for prostate cancer, a market Renaissance Capital said it puts in the $2+ billion range that will “grow substantially. Seeking Aplha said that, “If the IPO can find the midpoint of that range at $14 per share, TKAI will command a market value of $310 million.” Analysts have cautioned investors that the limited product diversity at Tokai remains a concern. However, the company has seen positive signs its drug candidate may be effective at treating patients with C-terminal loss, and plans to begin Phase 3 trials in the 1H15. The IPOs main underwriters are BMO Capital Markets Corp, Stifel Nicolaus & Company, Inc. and William Blair and Co.
