Mereo BioPharma Announces Pricing of $50 Million Underwritten Registered Direct Offering of American Depository Shares, Priced At-the-Market
Mereo BioPharma Group plc (NASDAQ: MREO), a clinical-stage biopharma firm focused on rare diseases, has announced a $50 million underwritten offering of 12,531,300 American Depositary Shares (ADS). Each ADS is priced at $3.99, representing five ordinary shares. The offering is set to close on June 17, 2024. Net proceeds will fund the setrusumab program and other corporate purposes. Investors include Frazier Life Sciences, Deerfield Management, and Perceptive Advisors, alongside existing shareholders like Rubric Capital Management and Janus Henderson Investors. Jefferies, Leerink Partners, and Cantor are managing the offering.
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Insights
The recent $50 million underwritten registered direct offering by Mereo BioPharma is a significant move for the company, particularly in the context of its clinical-stage focus on rare diseases. The offering is priced at-the-market, meaning there was no discount offered to the market price, reflecting robust investor confidence.
The funds raised will primarily be targeted towards advancing the setrusumab program, specifically for supply and pre-launch activities in Europe. This targeted use of funds is indicative of the company's commitment to pushing setrusumab towards commercial viability, which could potentially drive future revenue growth.
The participation of high-profile institutional investors like Frazier Life Sciences, Deerfield Management and Perceptive Advisors, along with existing shareholders, signals strong confidence in Mereo's future prospects. Institutional backing often serves as a positive indicator for retail investors, given these entities' rigorous due diligence processes.
In the short-term, the dilution effect of issuing new ADSs could exert downward pressure on the stock price. However, if Mereo successfully advances its setrusumab program and achieves commercial milestones, the long-term potential for stock appreciation is substantial. Investors should weigh the immediate dilution against the strategic advancements in the pipeline.
The allocation of net proceeds towards the setrusumab program is a strategic decision. Setrusumab is a monoclonal antibody aimed at treating osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare genetic disorder characterized by brittle bones. This market is underserviced, offering considerable opportunity for breakthrough therapies. By focusing on supply and pre-launch activities, Mereo is positioning setrusumab for a successful entry into the European market.
From an industry perspective, the involvement of top-tier healthcare investors underscores the program's scientific and commercial potential. The success of clinical trials and eventual regulatory approval will be critical drivers for investor confidence and stock performance. While the direct offering provides necessary capital, the real value lies in how effectively these funds will be utilized to bring setrusumab to market.
For retail investors, understanding the clinical and commercial landscape of rare diseases is crucial. The orphan drug market often involves high risks but also high rewards. Should setrusumab meet its clinical endpoints and gain regulatory approval, it could substantially enhance Mereo's market position and profitability.
LONDON, June 14, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mereo BioPharma Group plc (NASDAQ: MREO) (“Mereo” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on rare diseases, today announced the pricing of an underwritten offering of 12,531,300 of its American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”). Each ADS is being sold at a price of
Participants in the offering include new investors Frazier Life Sciences, Deerfield Management, and Perceptive Advisors, and existing Mereo shareholders, including Rubric Capital Management, Rock Springs Capital, and Janus Henderson Investors along with other leading healthcare-focused institutional investors.
Jefferies, Leerink Partners and Cantor are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering.
A shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-279433) relating to the offering of the ADSs described above was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on May 22, 2024. The offering is being made only by means of a prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus that form a part of the registration statement. A final prospectus supplement relating to and describing the terms of the offering will be filed with the SEC and will be available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. When available, copies of the final prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to these securities may also be obtained by sending a request to: Jefferies LLC, Attention: Equity Syndicate Prospectus Department, 520 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022, by telephone at (877) 821-7388, or by email at prospectus_department@jefferies.com; Leerink Partners LLC, Attention: Syndicate Department, 53 State Street, 40th Floor, Boston, MA 02109, by telephone at (800) 808-7525, ext. 6105 or by email at syndicate@leerink.com; or Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., Attention: Capital Markets, 110 East 59th Street, 6th Floor, New York, New York 10022, or by email at prospectus@cantor.com.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of these securities, nor will there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale is not permitted.
About Mereo BioPharma
Mereo BioPharma is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of innovative therapeutics for rare diseases. The Company has two rare disease product candidates, setrusumab for the treatment of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) and alvelestat primarily for the treatment of severe alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency-associated lung disease (AATD-LD). The Company’s partner, Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, Inc., has completed enrollment in the Phase 3 portion of a pivotal Phase 2/3 pediatric study in young adults (5 to 25 years old) for setrusumab in OI and in the Phase 3 study in pediatric patients (2 to <7 years old) in the first half of 2024. The partnership with Ultragenyx includes potential additional milestone payments of up to
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained herein are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements usually relate to future events and anticipated revenues, earnings, cash flows or other aspects of our operations or operating results. Forward-looking statements are often identified by the words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “intend,” “foresee,” “should,” “would,” “could,” “may,” “estimate,” “outlook” and similar expressions, including the negative thereof. The absence of these words, however, does not mean that the statements are not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s current expectations, beliefs and assumptions concerning future developments and business conditions and their potential effect on the Company. While management believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made, there can be no assurance that future developments affecting the Company will be those that it anticipates.
All of the Company’s forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties some of which are significant or beyond its control and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company’s historical experience and its present expectations or projections. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the uncertainties inherent in the clinical development process; the Company’s reliance on third parties to conduct and provide funding for its clinical trials; the Company’s dependence on enrollment of patients in its clinical trials; and the Company’s dependence on its key executives. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties that affect the Company’s business, including those described in the “Risk Factors” section of its Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties, and other important factors in the Company’s subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company wishes to caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any of our forward-looking statements after the date they are made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by law.
| Mereo BioPharma Contacts: | ||
| Mereo | +44 (0)333 023 7300 | |
| Denise Scots-Knight, Chief Executive Officer | ||
| Christine Fox, Chief Financial Officer | ||
| Burns McClellan (Investor Relations Adviser to Mereo) | +01 646 930 4406 | |
| Lee Roth | ||
| Investors | investors@mereobiopharma.com | |
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