Voyager Therapeutics Announces Proposed Public Offering

Rhea-AI Summary

Voyager Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: VYGR) has announced a public offering of $100 million of shares of its common stock. The company also expects to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional $15 million of shares. The net proceeds will be used for advancing its neurogenetic medicines and various clinical and preclinical development programs.

Insights

Financial Analyst

The commencement of an underwritten public offering by Voyager Therapeutics indicates a strategic move to raise capital, likely to bolster the company's financial position and fund its research and development initiatives. The offering's magnitude, $100 million with an additional $15 million option for underwriters, suggests a significant infusion of resources that could accelerate the company's neurogenetic medicine programs. However, investors should be attentive to the dilutive effect of such a capital raise on existing shares, which could impact the stock's price in the short term. Furthermore, the company's reliance on the success of its strategic collaboration with Novartis for an $80.0 million upfront payment adds a layer of risk, given the dependency on partnership milestones.

Medical Research Analyst

Voyager Therapeutics' focus on advancing treatments for Alzheimer's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis through its anti-tau antibody program and SOD1 silencing gene therapy program is indicative of the company's commitment to addressing significant unmet medical needs. The allocation of the raised funds towards clinical and preclinical development of these therapies could potentially lead to breakthroughs in the treatment of these debilitating diseases. However, the inherent risks and long timelines associated with drug development should be considered by stakeholders, as clinical trial outcomes are uncertain and regulatory hurdles can be substantial.

Market Research Analyst

The biotechnology sector is highly competitive and Voyager Therapeutics' move to secure additional funding positions it to maintain its competitive edge in the neurogenetic medicine landscape. The capital raise could enable the company to expedite its research programs and potentially bring therapies to market more quickly. However, the market's reception to the public offering will be contingent on investor confidence in the company's pipeline and its ability to execute on its strategic objectives. The involvement of reputable financial institutions such as Citigroup and Guggenheim Securities as joint book-running managers may lend credibility to the offering and attract investor interest.

LEXINGTON, Mass., Jan. 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --  Voyager Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: VYGR), a biotechnology company dedicated to advancing neurogenetic medicines, today announced that it has commenced an underwritten public offering of $100 million of shares of its common stock (or pre-funded warrants to purchase common stock in lieu thereof). All of the securities in the proposed offering are to be sold by the Company. In addition, the Company expects to grant the underwriters of the offering a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional $15 million of shares of its common stock. The proposed offering is subject to market and other conditions, and there can be no assurance as to whether or when the offering may be completed or as to the actual size or terms of the offering.

Citigroup and Guggenheim Securities are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering. Oppenheimer & Co. is acting as book-running manager for the offering.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the proposed offering, together with its existing cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities, the $20.0 million the Company received from Novartis Pharma AG (Novartis) in January 2024 as consideration for the purchase of shares of its common stock and the additional $80.0 million upfront payment the Company anticipates receiving from Novartis in connection with the Company’s entry into a strategic collaboration and a stock purchase agreement with Novartis in December 2023, to advance the Company’s anti-tau antibody program for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and its SOD1 silencing gene therapy program for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) into clinical development, to advance its tau silencing gene therapy program for the treatment of AD and its anti-amyloid gene therapy program for the treatment of AD in preclinical development, to support its other preclinical development programs, and for working capital and other general corporate purposes.

The proposed offering is being made pursuant to a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-268240) that was previously filed with and declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This offering will be made only by means of a prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus that form a part of the registration statement. A preliminary prospectus supplement relating to and describing the terms of the public offering is expected to be filed with the SEC and, if and when filed, will be available for free by visiting the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to this offering may also be obtained, when available, by contacting Citigroup, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, or by telephone at (800) 831-9146, Guggenheim Securities, LLC, Attention: Equity Syndicate Department, 330 Madison Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10017, by telephone at (212) 518-9544, or by email at GSEquityProspectusDelivery@guggenheimpartners.com, and Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., Attention: Syndicate Prospectus Department, 85 Broad Street, 26th Floor, New York, NY 10004, by telephone at (212) 667-8055, or by email at EquityProspectus@opco.com. The final terms of the proposed offering will be disclosed in a final prospectus supplement to be filed with the SEC.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities, in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful, prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About Voyager Therapeutics
Voyager Therapeutics is a biotechnology company dedicated to leveraging the power of human genetics to modify the course of – and ultimately cure – neurological diseases. The Company’s pipeline includes both wholly owned and collaborative programs for Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple other diseases of the central nervous system. Many of the Company’s programs are derived from its TRACER™ AAV capsid discovery platform, which the Company has used to generate novel capsids and identify associated receptors.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements for the purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. The use of words such as “anticipate,” “expect,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “proposed,” “will,” “would,” “intend,” or “may,” and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

For example, any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans, and prospects for Voyager, including Voyager’s expectations and plans regarding the proposed public offering, including the size, structure and completion of the proposed offering, the grant to the underwriters of an option to purchase additional shares of common stock, the receipt of any payments from Novartis Pharma AG and the Company’s anticipated use of proceeds of the proposed public offering, are forward-looking. All forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions by Voyager’s management that, although Voyager believes such forward-looking statements to be reasonable, are inherently uncertain. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those that Voyager expected. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, uncertainties related to market conditions, the final terms of the proposed public offering, the satisfaction of customary closing conditions related to the proposed public offering, and other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section contained in the preliminary prospectus supplement related to the proposed public offering and the Company’s quarterly and annual reports filed with the SEC.

All information in the press release is as of the date of this press release, and any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it was made. Voyager undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise this information or any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Voyager Therapeutics^® is a registered trademark, and TRACER™ is a trademark, of Voyager Therapeutics, Inc. 

Contacts
Investors
Investors@vygr.com
Andrew Funderburk
afunderburk@kendallir.com  

Media
Trista Morrison
tmorrison@vygr.com
Peg Rusconi
prusconi@vergescientific.com

FAQ

What did Voyager Therapeutics, Inc. (VYGR) announce?

Voyager Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: VYGR) announced a public offering of $100 million of shares of its common stock.

How much additional shares can the underwriters purchase?

The underwriters of the offering have the option to purchase up to an additional $15 million of shares of Voyager Therapeutics, Inc.'s common stock.

What will the net proceeds be used for?

The net proceeds from the proposed offering will be used to advance the company’s neurogenetic medicines and various clinical and preclinical development programs.