MELBOURNE, Australia and INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 12,
2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited
(ASX: TLX, Nasdaq: TLX, Telix, the Company) today announces it has
entered into an asset purchase agreement with antibody engineering
company ImaginAb, Inc. (ImaginAb) to acquire a pipeline of
next-generation therapeutic candidates, proprietary novel biologics
technology platform, and a protein engineering and discovery
research facility to enhance existing innovation capabilities.
This transaction adds a pipeline of early-stage drug candidates
against high-value targets including DLL3[1] and
integrin αvβ6[2], as well as several other novel targets
in discovery stage. These next generation drug candidates fit
synergistically with Telix's therapeutics pipeline, enabling
expansion to future therapy areas with unmet clinical need. The
acquired intellectual property utilizes small engineered antibody
formats that enable highly specific cancer targeting, combined with
fast tumor uptake and blood clearance. This technology has the
potential to be highly effective for imaging and treating tumors
with a broad range of radioisotopes, with alpha emitters of
particular interest.
The transaction also includes a state-of-the-art research
facility in California, staffed by
a talented team of discovery, protein engineering and
radiopharmaceutical development experts. Together, these assets
will provide Telix with further in-house capabilities in antibody
engineering and preclinical development, as well as a novel
biologics platform to create the next generation of Telix precision
medicine and therapeutic products, beyond the current
clinical-stage pipeline.
Richard Valeix, Chief Executive Officer, Therapeutics, Telix,
said, "The combination of a proprietary drug discovery platform,
pipeline of promising theranostic assets and a talented team of
subject matter experts will enhance Telix's research and innovation
capability now and into the future. This acquisition will enable
Telix to explore new disease areas with state-of-the-art
radiotherapeutic technology."
Dr. Anna M. Wu, Co-Founder and
Board Member, ImaginAb, added, "As the radiopharmaceutical
sector gains momentum there is a significant need for targeting
agents to be more selective, deliver less off-target radiation, and
better match the pharmacology and radiobiology of a given
radionuclide. The team's deep expertise in antibody engineering and
the resulting development of a valuable, proprietary platform
technology has led to clinical proof-of-concept. Telix is the right
partner to unlock the future therapeutic potential of this
platform."
Transaction details
Telix will acquire these assets through an asset purchase
agreement with a concurrent technology license agreement to be
signed at closing. The purchase price for the transaction is
US$45 million (AU$73
million)[3], comprised of US$10
million in cash and US$31
million in equity at closing, and a deferred payment of up
to US$4 million in equity at the
conclusion of a 15-month indemnity period.
Upon achievement of specific key development and commercial
milestones, Telix will pay up to a total of US$185 million (AU$299 million), a portion of
which may be paid in cash or equity at Telix's
election[4]. Royalties are also payable on net sales in
the low single digits on a limited number of platform and
early-stage products after the first four products have been
developed, as well as single-digit sublicense fees, as
applicable.
Telix will issue ordinary shares to ImaginAb within its Listing
Rule 7.1 placement capacity as consideration for the acquisition.
Upfront equity consideration will be subject to voluntary escrow
(lock-up/leak-out) restrictions with equal tranches being released
from escrow 60, 90 and 120 days after closing. Completion of the
transaction is subject to customary conditions, including
regulatory approvals and other third-party consents. Telix cannot
guarantee this transaction will close in any specific timeframe or
on the terms summarized here, if at all.
Refer to Telix disclosures and Appendix 3B lodged with
the ASX today for further information.
About ImaginAb, Inc.
ImaginAb is a clinical stage, revenue-generating global
biotechnology company developing the next generation of
radiopharmaceutical and imaging agent products. These patented
products contain engineered antibodies that maintain the
specificity of full-length antibodies while remaining biologically
inert in the body. Used with widely available positron emission
tomography (PET) and optical imaging technology, these novel
targeting agents are able to bind specifically to cell surface
targets.
Following closing of its transaction with Telix Pharmaceuticals,
ImaginAb, Inc. will be focused on developing its lead imaging
candidate, CD8 ImmunoPET, which is currently in Phase
2 clinical trials and has been licensed by numerous
pharmaceutical and biotech companies for use in imaging within
immunotherapy clinical trials, primarily in oncology.
Jefferies LLC and Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated
served as financial advisors to ImaginAb on the transaction.
Disclosures
Telix Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer, Dr.
Christian Behrenbruch, is a
non-affiliated shareholder of ImaginAb, holding less than 1% of its
capital stock as his only interest in the company. Dr. Behrenbruch
abstained from the transaction process and the Telix Board's
approval of the arm's length acquisition. Dr. Behrenbruch has
voluntarily elected, via a binding undertaking, to donate any
enrichment from the transaction as the result of his shareholding
to charity.
About Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited
Telix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development
and commercialization of therapeutic and diagnostic
radiopharmaceuticals and associated medical technologies. Telix is
headquartered in Melbourne,
Australia, with international operations in the United States, Canada, Europe (Belgium and Switzerland), and Japan. Telix is developing a portfolio of
clinical and commercial stage products that aims to address
significant unmet medical needs in oncology and rare diseases.
Telix is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: TLX)
and the Nasdaq Global Select Market (Nasdaq: TLX).
Telix's lead imaging product, gallium-68 (68Ga)
gozetotide injection (also known as 68Ga PSMA-11 and
marketed under the brand name Illuccix®), has been approved by the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)[5], by the
Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration
(TGA) [6], and by Health Canada[7]. No
other Telix product has received a marketing authorization in any
jurisdiction.
Visit www.telixpharma.com for further information about Telix,
including details of the latest share price, announcements made to
the ASX, investor and analyst presentations, news releases, event
details and other publications that may be of interest. You can
also follow Telix on X and LinkedIn.
Telix Investor Relations
Ms. Kyahn Williamson
Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited
SVP Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
Email: kyahn.williamson@telixpharma.com
This announcement has been authorised for release by the
Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited Disclosure Committee on behalf of the
Board.
Legal Notices
You should read this announcement together with our risk
factors, as disclosed in our most recently filed reports with the
Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC), including our registration statement on Form 20-F
filed with the SEC, or on our website.
The information contained in this announcement is not
intended to be an offer for subscription, invitation or
recommendation with respect to securities of Telix Pharmaceuticals
Limited (Telix) in any jurisdiction, including the United States. The information and
opinions contained in this announcement are subject to change
without notification. To the maximum extent permitted by law,
Telix disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise
any information or opinions contained in this announcement,
including any forward-looking statements (as referred to below),
whether as a result of new information, future developments, a
change in expectations or assumptions, or otherwise. No
representation or warranty, express or implied, is made in relation
to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained or
opinions expressed in the course of this announcement.
This announcement may contain forward-looking statements,
including within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that relate to anticipated future
events, financial performance, plans, strategies or business
developments. Forward-looking statements can generally be
identified by the use of words such as "may", "expect", "intend",
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actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to
differ materially from any future results, levels of activity,
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Telix's good-faith assumptions as to the financial, market,
regulatory and other risks and considerations that exist and affect
Telix's business and operations in the future and there can be no
assurance that any of the assumptions will prove to be correct. In
the context of Telix's business, forward-looking statements may
include, but are not limited to, statements about: the initiation,
timing, progress and results of Telix's preclinical and clinical
trials, and Telix's research and development programs; Telix's
ability to advance product candidates into, enrol and successfully
complete, clinical studies, including multi-national clinical
trials; the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and
approvals for Telix's product candidates, manufacturing activities
and product marketing activities; Telix's sales, marketing and
distribution and manufacturing capabilities and strategies; the
commercialisation of Telix's product candidates, if or when they
have been approved; Telix's ability to obtain an adequate supply of
raw materials at reasonable costs for its products and product
candidates; estimates of Telix's expenses, future revenues and
capital requirements; Telix's financial performance; developments
relating to Telix's competitors and industry; and the pricing and
reimbursement of Telix's product candidates, if and after they have
been approved. Telix's actual results, performance or achievements
may be materially different from those which may be expressed or
implied by such statements, and the differences may be adverse.
Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements.
©2025 Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited. The Telix
Pharmaceuticals® and Illuccix® names and logos are trademarks of
Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited and its affiliates – all rights
reserved.
[1] Delta-like ligand
3, a cell surface protein overexpressed in high-grade
neuroendocrine tumors and small cell lung cancer (SCLC).
|
[2] Integrin αvβ6
is a cell surface protein overexpressed during wound healing and in
cancer.
|
[3] All references
to AUD have been converted at the AUD/USD exchange rate of
1.614.
|
[4] Refer to
Appendix to this announcement and Appendix 3B lodged with the ASX
today for further details.
|
[5] Telix ASX
disclosure 20 December 2021.
|
[6] Telix ASX
disclosure 2 November 2021.
|
[7] Telix ASX
disclosure 14 October 2022.
|
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