Connect Biopharma Announces Receipt of Nasdaq Deficiency Notice Regarding Minimum Bid Price Requirement

Rhea-AI Summary

Connect Biopharma (NASDAQ: CNTB) has received a deficiency notice from Nasdaq dated March 24, 2025, regarding non-compliance with the minimum bid price requirement. The company's American Depositary Shares (ADSs) have traded below the required $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive business days.

The company has been granted an initial 180-day period until September 22, 2025, to regain compliance by maintaining a closing bid price of at least $1.00 for a minimum of ten consecutive business days. If unsuccessful, CNTB may be eligible for an additional 180-day compliance period by transferring to the Nasdaq Capital Market and meeting specific listing requirements.

The notice has no immediate impact on CNTB's listing status, and shares continue trading on the Nasdaq Global Market. However, failure to meet compliance requirements could result in delisting, subject to appeal.

Positive

• 180-day grace period granted to regain compliance
• Possibility of additional 180-day extension if eligible
• Trading continues normally on Nasdaq Global Market

Negative

• Risk of potential delisting from Nasdaq if minimum bid price requirements are not met
• Stock trading below $1.00 for 30 consecutive business days
• May need to transfer to Nasdaq Capital Market if compliance isn't achieved by September 2025

Insights

Financial Regulatory Analyst

Connect Biopharma's Nasdaq deficiency notice represents a significant regulatory challenge that could impact investor confidence and liquidity. With the company's ADSs trading below the $1.00 threshold for 30 consecutive business days, CNTB must achieve a 32% share price increase from its current $0.76 level to regain compliance.

While the company has been granted a 180-day remediation period until September 22, 2025, and the notice has no immediate impact on trading, this development signals potential underlying issues. Companies facing this situation typically consider several remediation strategies including reverse stock splits, additional capital raises (which may be dilutive to existing shareholders), or exploring strategic alternatives.

The potential consequences extend beyond regulatory compliance. Many institutional investors operate under mandates prohibiting investments in sub-$1.00 stocks or those facing delisting risks. This could further reduce liquidity and limit CNTB's future capital raising abilities - particularly concerning for a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that likely requires ongoing funding for its asthma and COPD pipeline development.

If unable to regain compliance during the initial period, CNTB may seek an additional 180-day extension by transferring to the Nasdaq Capital Market, effectively representing a downgrade in listing status. The ultimate risk of delisting, while not imminent, would substantially impact the company's market visibility, trading volume, and shareholder value.

SAN DIEGO, March 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Connect Biopharma Holdings Limited (Nasdaq: CNTB) (Connect Biopharma or the Company), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on transforming acute and chronic care in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), today announced that it received a letter dated March 24, 2025 from the Listings Qualifications Department of the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (Nasdaq) indicating that, for the last 30 consecutive business days, the bid price for the Company’s American Depositary Shares (ADSs) had closed below the minimum $1.00 per share requirement for continued listing on the Nasdaq Global Market under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(a)(1).

In accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), the Company has been provided an initial period of 180 calendar days, or until September 22, 2025 (the first business day after the 180-day period), to regain compliance. The letter states that the Nasdaq staff will provide written confirmation of compliance if at any time during this 180-day period, the closing bid price of the Company’s ADSs is at least $1.00 for a minimum of ten consecutive business days. The Nasdaq letter has no immediate effect on the listing or trading of the Company’s ADSs, and the ADSs will continue to trade on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “CNTB.”

The Company intends to monitor the bid price of its ADSs and to consider available options if its ADSs do not trade at a level likely to result in the Company regaining compliance with Nasdaq’s minimum bid price rule by September 22, 2025.

If the Company does not regain compliance by September 22, 2025, the Company may be eligible for an additional 180 calendar day compliance period. To qualify, the Company would be required to first transfer to the Nasdaq Capital Market and then meet the continued listing requirement for market value of publicly held shares and all other initial listing standards for the Nasdaq Capital Market, with the exception of the bid price requirement, and would need to provide written notice of its intention to cure the deficiency during the second compliance period. However, if it appears to the Nasdaq staff that the Company will not be able to cure the deficiency, or if the Company is otherwise not eligible, the Nasdaq staff would notify the Company that its securities would be subject to delisting. In the event of such a notification, the Company may appeal the Nasdaq staff’s determination to delist its securities, but there can be no assurance the Nasdaq staff would grant the Company’s request for continued listing.

About Connect Biopharma and Rademikibart

Connect Biopharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to transforming care for asthma and COPD. Headquartered in San Diego, California, the Company is advancing rademikibart, a next-generation, potentially best-in-class anti-interleukin-4-receptor alpha (IL-4Rα) antibody. With an initial focus on acute exacerbations—an area with significant unmet need—rademikibart has the potential to also drive chronic utilization in asthma and COPD amongst the millions of asthma and COPD patients in the U.S. who experience acute exacerbations annually. In a Phase 2 trial for asthma, rademikibart demonstrated strong efficacy and safety, with clinically meaningful reductions in exacerbations and rapid, statistically significant improvements in forced expiratory volume in one second, observed within one week—and in most cases, within 24 hours via home spirometry. For more information, visit www.connectbiopharm.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended (the “Act”). Forward-looking statements are statements that are not of historical fact and include, without limitation, statements regarding future events, our future financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and plans, prospective products (as well as their potential to achieve a differentiated, competitive, or favorable benefit or profile or trend, including on safety, tolerability, improvement, maintenance, clinical response, dosing, efficacy and/or convenience), planned or expected product approval applications or approvals, anticipated milestones, expected data readouts and enrollments, research and development plans and costs, potential future partnerships, expectations about existing partnerships, timing and likelihood of success, objectives of management for future operations, future results of anticipated product development efforts, and adequacy of existing cash and potential partnership funding to fund operations and capital expenditure requirements, as well as statements regarding industry trends or whether the Company will be able to regain compliance with Nasdaq’s minimum bid price requirement. These statements are based on management’s current expectations of future events only as of the date of this press release and are inherently subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified and some of which are beyond our control, including, among other things: the ability of our clinical trials to demonstrate safety and efficacy of our product candidates and other positive results; whether we will need expanded or additional trials in order to obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates; our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of our product candidates; existing regulations and regulatory developments in the U.S., the PRC, Europe and other jurisdictions; the ability of our current cash and investments position to support planned operations; our plans and ability to obtain, maintain, protect and enforce our intellectual property rights and our proprietary technologies, including extensions of existing patent terms where available; our continued reliance on third parties to conduct additional clinical trials of our product candidates, and for the manufacture of our product candidates for preclinical studies and clinical trials; and the degree of market acceptance of our product candidates, if approved, by physicians, patients, healthcare payors and others in the medical community.

Words such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “expect,” “feel,” “goal,” “intend,” “may,” “optimistic,” “plan,” “potential,” “promising,” “will,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, though not all forward-looking statements necessarily contain these identifying words. The inclusion of forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by Connect Biopharma that any of its expectations, projections or plans will be achieved. Actual results may differ materially due to the risks and uncertainties inherent in our business and other risks described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Further information regarding these and other risks is included under the heading “Risk Factors” in our periodic reports filed with the SEC. These forward-looking statements should not be taken as forecasts or promises nor should they be taken as implying any indication, assurance or guarantee that the assumptions on which such forward-looking statements have been made are correct or exhaustive or, in the case of the assumptions, fully stated in this presentation. Drug development and commercialization involve a high degree of risk, and only a small number of research and development programs result in commercialization of a product. Results in early-stage clinical trials may not be indicative of full results or results from later stage or larger scale clinical trials and do not ensure regulatory approval. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the scientific data presented or these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this presentation. Except as required by law, Connect Biopharma undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise. Connect Biopharma claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Act for all forward-looking statements.

This press release discusses product candidates that are under clinical study, and which have not yet been approved for marketing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or by any other regulatory agency. No representation is made as to the safety or effectiveness of these product candidates for the use for which such product candidates are being studied. The trademarks included herein are the property of the owners thereof and are used for reference purposes only.

Investor Relations Contact:

Alex Lobo
Precision AQ
Alex.lobo@precisionaq.com
(212) 698-8802

Media Contact:

Ignacio Guerrero-Ros, Ph.D., or David Schull
Russo Partners, LLC
Ignacio.guerrero-ros@russopartnersllc.com 
David.schull@russopartnersllc.com 
(858) 717-2310 or (646) 942-5604

FAQ

What is the deadline for Connect Biopharma (CNTB) to regain Nasdaq compliance?

Connect Biopharma has until September 22, 2025, to regain compliance by maintaining a closing bid price of at least $1.00 for ten consecutive business days.

What happens if CNTB fails to meet the Nasdaq minimum bid requirement by September 2025?

CNTB may be eligible for an additional 180-day compliance period by transferring to the Nasdaq Capital Market, or face potential delisting if requirements aren't met.

What is the minimum share price CNTB needs to maintain for Nasdaq compliance?

CNTB needs to maintain a minimum closing bid price of $1.00 per share for at least ten consecutive business days.

Will CNTB be immediately delisted from Nasdaq due to the deficiency notice?

No, the notice has no immediate effect on CNTB's listing status and shares continue trading on the Nasdaq Global Market under symbol CNTB.