Author: [email protected]

ABG Sundal Collier AB (”ABGSC”) has notified Oncopeptides AB (publ) that stabilisation measures regarding the Company’s shares have been effected.

On March 22, 2017 ABGSC reported that it is acting as stabilisation manager in connection with the offer to acquire shares in the Company and the listing on Nasdaq Stockholm (the "Offering"), and ABGSC may, acting as a stabilisation manager, effect transactions aimed at supporting the market price of the shares at levels above those which might otherwise prevail in the open market (Press release, Oncopeptides, MAR 22, 2017, View Source [SID1234574078]).

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Such stabilisation transactions may be effected on Nasdaq Stockholm, the OTC market, or otherwise, at any time during the period starting on the date of commencement of trading in the shares on Nasdaq Stockholm and ending no later than 30 calendar days thereafter. ABGSC is, however, not required to undertake any stabilisation, and there is no assurance that stabilisation will be undertaken. Stabilisation, if undertaken, may furthermore be discontinued at any time without prior notice. In no event will transactions be effected to support the market price of the shares at levels above the price in the Offering.

In order to cover potential over-allotment in relation to the Offering, the Company has, at the request of the Joint Global Coordinators (ABGSC and Carnegie Investment Bank AB) committed to issue up to 2,119,565 additional new shares, corresponding to a maximum of 15 percent of the number of shares in the Offering at a price corresponding to the price in the Offering.

Calithera Biosciences, Inc. Prices Public Offering of 6,830,000 shares of Common Stock

On March 22, 2017 Calithera Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:CALA), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel small molecule drugs directed against tumor metabolism and tumor immunology targets for the treatment of cancer, reported the pricing of its previously announced underwritten public offering of 6,830,000 shares of its common stock at a price to the public of $10.25 per share (Press release, Calithera Biosciences, MAR 22, 2017, View Source [SID1234535252]). Gross proceeds to Calithera from the offering are expected to be approximately $70.0 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses. All of the shares of common stock are being offered by Calithera. In addition, Calithera has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 1,024,500 of additional shares of common stock at the public offering price. The offering is expected to close on March 27, 2017, subject to customary closing conditions.

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Leerink Partners is acting as sole book-running manager for the offering. Wells Fargo Securities is acting as a lead manager and JMP Securities is acting as a co-manager for the offering.

A shelf registration statement relating to the offered shares of common stock was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and was declared effective on November 24, 2015. A preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering have been filed with the SEC and are available on the SEC’s website, located at www.sec.gov. Copies of the final prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus related to the offering may be obtained, when available, from Leerink Partners LLC, Attention: Syndicate Department, One Federal Street, 37th Floor, Boston, MA, 02110, by email at [email protected], or by telephone at (800) 808-7525, ext. 6132.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy these securities 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.

FACIT Announces Investment in Propellon Therapeutics

On March 22, 2017 FACIT reported a seed stage investment in Propellon Therapeutics (the "Company" or "Propellon"), a start-up created by FACIT focused on developing a portfolio of WDR5-targeted anti-cancer therapeutics (Press release, FACIT, MAR 22, 2017, View Source [SID1234532028]). FACIT’s investment, combined with non-dilutive capital, achieves a targeted $3.0M financing for the lead program. The seed funding enables Propellon to accelerate the nomination of a candidate drug and position the Company for financing and/or entering a strategic partnership for clinical trials in patients with haematological cancers.

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"Since forming the Company, significant progress has been made towards identification of a clinical candidate," said Jeff Courtney, President of FACIT. "Our investment will further accelerate the advancement of this exciting first-in-class therapeutic and is a critical step in FACIT’s strategy to support early-stage oncology innovations in the Province."

"Our partnership with the Drug Discovery team at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research has yielded substantial progress toward a breakthrough epigenetic therapy for haematological malignancies. FACIT’s resources and funding ensures the Company moves to the next stage of development and growth in Ontario," said Dr. David O’Neill, President of Propellon. "Propellon has entered strategic discussions to further advance our promising lead program and the Company through a Series A financing round. This timely seed investment allows the Company to maintain development momentum and select the best partners for bringing this important therapy to patients in need."

Aprea Therapeutics Announces Research Collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

On March 22, 2017 Aprea Therapeutics, a privately held, clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel anticancer therapies targeting the tumor suppressor protein p53, reported a collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to study the effects of reactivation of tumor suppressor protein p53 by APR-246 (Press release, Aprea, MAR 22, 2017, View Source [SID1234518261]).

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The goal of the collaboration is to evaluate and characterize preclinical efficacy of APR-246 in combination with multiple other anti-cancer agents and across multiple tumor types. The Principal Investigator of the study is Taha Merghoub, Ph.D., and he will be conducting the research in collaboration with the laboratory of Jedd D. Wolchok, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of Melanoma and Immunotherapeutics Service, Department of Medicine.

"We are excited to initiate this new collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering," said Christian S. Schade, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aprea Therapeutics AB. "These studies will not only provide important insight into the effects of APR-246-induced p53 reactivation but also inform the rationale for novel combination therapies to be tested in future clinical trials."

Moleculin Receives Orphan Drug Designation for Annamycin for the Treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia

On March 22, 2017 Moleculin Biotech, Inc., (NASDAQ: MBRX) ("Moleculin" or the "Company"), a preclinical pharmaceutical company focused on the development of anti-cancer drug candidates, some of which are based on license agreements with The University of Texas System on behalf of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, reported its lead candidate, Annamycin (also known as "Liposomal Annamycin"), an anthracycline, has received Orphan Drug Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (Press release, Moleculin, MAR 22, 2017, View Source [SID1234518240]).

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Moleculin’s Chairman and CEO, Walter Klemp, commented, "We are pleased to report this key milestone and the FDA’s decision to grant Annamycin orphan drug designation. We look forward to announcing additional milestones in regard to our clinical pathway as we make further progress."
The FDA grants orphan drug designation to drugs and biologics that are intended for the treatment of rare diseases that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S. Orphan drug status is intended to facilitate drug development for rare diseases and may provide several benefits to drug developers, including tax credits for qualified clinical trials costs, exemptions from certain FDA application fees, and seven years of market exclusivity upon regulatory product approval.

About AML
Leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells and the acute forms of leukemia can manifest quickly and leave patients with limited treatment options. AML is the most common type of acute leukemia in adults. It occurs when a clone of leukemic progenitor white blood cells proliferates in the bone marrow suppressing the production of normal blood cells. In order to qualify for a curative bone marrow transplant, patients must first undergo induction therapy. The current standard of care is the combining of 2 chemotherapeutic drugs, always including an anthracycline intended to induce a CR or complete response, which has not improved since it was first used in the 1970’s. We estimate that it has the same cure rate of about 20% as then. Currently, the only viable long term option for acute leukemia patients is a bone marrow transplant for those 20%, which is successful in a significant number of patients. For more information on AML click: View Source

About Annamycin
Annamycin is an anthracycline intended for the treatment of relapsed or refractory AML. Annamycin is a unique liposome formulated anthracycline (also referred to in literature as "L-Annamycin") that has been designed to produce little to no cardiotoxicity and avoid the multidrug resistance mechanisms that often defeat current anthracyclines. It has been tested in 114 patients in 6 clinical trials, 3 of which focused on leukemia, with little to no cardiotoxicity and 3 of those clinical trials focused on leukemia. The Company is working with the FDA on an investigative new drug application for a Phase I/II trial for second line treatment of relapsed or refractory AML, for which no approved therapy currently exists.