AVEO Oncology Announces Drawdown of $20 Million Tranche Under Hercules Debt Facility

Rhea-AI Summary

AVEO Oncology (Nasdaq: AVEO) has announced a $20 million drawdown from a $45 million loan agreement with Hercules Capital, bringing total funds drawn to $35 million. This funding aims to support the U.S. launch of FOTIVDA^® (tivozanib), recently FDA-approved for relapsed or refractory renal cell carcinoma. AVEO's cash reserves of $68.8 million, combined with anticipated revenues and further credit under the loan, are expected to sustain operations into 2022.

Positive

• Successfully drew down $20 million under loan with Hercules, totaling $35 million drawn.
• Funding is expected to bolster the launch of FDA-approved FOTIVDA.
• Cash reserves of $68.8 million along with anticipated revenues may sustain operations into 2022.

Negative

• Loan has a maturity date of September 1, 2023; potential need for additional funding remains.
• Dependence on achieving product revenue milestones to access further loan funds.

AVEO Oncology (Nasdaq: AVEO) today announced that it has completed a drawdown of $20 million under its previously announced $45 million loan and security agreement with Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE: HTGC, “Hercules”) and its affiliates. This second tranche was made available in connection with the recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of FOTIVDA^® (tivozanib).

“With the additional $20 million now available to us from Hercules, AVEO is well positioned to support what we believe will be a successful launch of FOTIVDA in the U.S.,” said Michael Bailey, president and chief executive officer of AVEO. “Our core infrastructure and core commercial organization is in place, and we now look forward to delivering on the promise of FOTIVDA. We also expect to see meaningful progress within our pipeline programs in the coming quarters, including our immunotherapy combination programs for tivozanib, our Phase 2 study of ficlatuzumab and our recently initiated Phase 1 study of AV-380.”

With the closing of the second tranche, AVEO has drawn down a total of $35 million under its loan and security agreement with Hercules. The loan facility has a maturity date of September 1, 2023, extendable to September 1, 2024, and an interest-only period through September 30, 2021, extendable to September 30, 2022, in each case upon the achievement of certain performance milestones related to the commercialization of FOTIVDA. An additional $5 million tranche becomes available if net product revenues of FOTIVDA reach $20 million within a specified time frame, and the final $5 million tranche would be available after that time upon the lender’s consent.

As previously disclosed, AVEO believes that its $68.8 million in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as of September 30, 2020, along with proceeds from the $20 million loan facility drawdown, together with anticipated partnership cost sharing reimbursements, royalties from EUSA’s FOTIVDA sales and the resulting product revenues upon the commercial launch of FOTIVDA^® (tivozanib) in the U.S. and the potential additional $10 million in credit under the Hercules loan, would allow the Company to fund planned operations into 2022.

About AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

AVEO is an oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company committed to delivering medicines that provide a better life for cancer patients. AVEO’s strategy is to focus its resources toward development and commercialization of its product candidates in North America, while leveraging partnerships to support development and commercialization in other geographies. AVEO’s lead candidate, FOTIVDA^® (tivozanib), received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval on March 10, 2021 for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory renal cell carcinoma (RCC) following two or more prior systemic therapies. FOTIVDA^® was approved in August 2017 in the European Union and other countries in the EUSA territory for the treatment of adult patients with advanced RCC. AVEO has previously reported promising early clinical data on ficlatuzumab (anti-HGF IgG1 mAb) in head and neck cancer, pancreatic cancer and acute myeloid leukemia and is conducting a randomized Phase 2 confirmatory clinical trial of ficlatuzumab for the potential treatment of head and neck cancer. AVEO’s pipeline of product candidates also includes AV-380 (anti-GDF15 IgG1 mAb). AVEO has previously reported the acceptance of its investigational new drug application in the U.S. for AV-380 and its initiation of a Phase 1 clinical trial for the potential treatment of cancer cachexia. AVEO’s earlier-stage pipeline includes monoclonal antibodies in oncology development, including AV-203 (anti-ErbB3 mAb) and AV-353 (anti-Notch 3 mAb). AVEO is committed to creating an environment of diversity and inclusion.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements of AVEO within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “hope,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “seek,” “look forward,” “advance,” “goal,” “strategy,” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. These forward-looking statements include, among others, statements about: AVEO’s planned timing for making FOTIVDA available to patients in the U.S.; the potential for FOTIVDA as a treatment option for patients with relapsed/refractory or advanced RCC; the potential efficacy, safety, and tolerability of FOTIVDA, both as a stand-alone drug candidate and in combination with immunotherapy; AVEO’s execution of its clinical and regulatory strategy for FOTIVDA; AVEO’s plans and strategies for current and future clinical trials of FOTIVDA, ficlatuzumab and AV-380 and for commercialization of FOTIVDA in the U. S.; the advancement of AVEO’s pipeline, including the advancement of ficlatuzumab in multiple clinical studies; the potential efficacy, safety and tolerability of ficlatuzumab, both as a stand-alone drug candidate and in combination with other therapies; the potential outcomes from studies of ficlatuzumab to provide AVEO with opportunities to pursue regulatory strategies; the potential clinical utility of ficlatuzumab in areas of unmet need; and AVEO’s strategy, prospects, plans and objectives for its product candidates and for the Company generally. AVEO has based its expectations and estimates on assumptions that may prove to be incorrect. As a result, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these expectations and estimates. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements that AVEO makes due to a number of important factors, including risks relating to: AVEO’s ability to successfully implement its strategic plans, including its ability to successfully commercialize FOTIVDA and to obtain and maintain market and third party payor acceptance of FOTIVDA; AVEO’s ability to raise the substantial additional funds required to successfully commercialize FOTIVDA; AVEO’s ability, and the ability of its licensees, to demonstrate to the satisfaction of applicable regulatory agencies such as the FDA the safety, efficacy and clinically meaningful benefit of AVEO’s product candidates, and risks relating to the timing and costs of seeking and obtaining regulatory approvals; AVEO’s dependence on third-party vendors for the development, manufacture and supply of FOTIVDA and its product candidates; AVEO’s ability to enter into and maintain its third party collaboration and license agreements, and its ability, and the ability of its strategic partners, to achieve development and commercialization objectives under these arrangements; AVEO’s and its collaborators’ ability to successfully enroll and complete clinical trials; AVEO’s ability to maintain compliance with regulatory requirements applicable to FOTIVDA and its product candidates; AVEO’s ability to obtain and maintain adequate protection for intellectual property rights relating to FOTIVDA and its product candidates; unplanned capital requirements; uncertainties related to AVEO’s ability to access future borrowings under the Hercules loan facility, which turns on the achievement of milestones related to the commercialization of FOTIVDA in the U.S.; adverse general economic, political, and industry conditions; the potential adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on AVEO’s business continuity, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and ability to successfully and timely enroll, complete and read-out data from its clinical trials; competitive factors; and those risks discussed in the sections titled “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources” included in AVEO’s quarterly and annual reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and in other filings that AVEO makes with the SEC. The forward-looking statements in this press release represent AVEO’s views as of the date of this press release, and subsequent events and developments may cause its views to change. While AVEO may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, it specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. You should, therefore, not rely on these forward-looking statements as representing AVEO's views as of any date other than the date of this press release.

Any reference to AVEO’s website address in this press release is intended to be an inactive textual reference only and not an active hyperlink.

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FAQ

What is AVEO's recent funding announcement?

AVEO announced a $20 million drawdown under its $45 million loan agreement with Hercules Capital to support the launch of FOTIVDA.

How much total funding has AVEO received from Hercules Capital?

AVEO has now drawn down a total of $35 million from its loan agreement with Hercules Capital.

What is the purpose of the loan from Hercules Capital?

The loan aims to support AVEO's launch of FOTIVDA in the U.S. and fund its ongoing operations.

What financial position is AVEO in following its recent funding?

AVEO reported $68.8 million in cash and expects to fund operations into 2022 with current and anticipated revenues.

What are the implications of the loan's maturity date for AVEO?

The loan matures on September 1, 2023, and AVEO may need to secure additional funds depending on revenue generation.