BeyondSpring Announces $20 Million Registered Direct Offering

NEW YORK, May 30, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BeyondSpring Inc. (NASDAQ:BYSI) (“BeyondSpring”), a global, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative cancer therapies, today announced that it has raised aggregate gross proceeds of $20 million through a registered direct offering of its ordinary shares to certain strategic investors (the “Investors”).

On May 29, 2018, BeyondSpring entered into a series of securities purchase agreements (collectively, the “Purchase Agreements”) with the Investors pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue and sell, in a registered offering by the Company, an aggregate of 739,095 shares of the Company’s ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Shares”), at a purchase price of $27.06 per share, for aggregate gross proceeds of $20 million, before deducting offering expenses. The closing price of BeyondSpring’s ordinary shares on May 25, 2018, as reported on NASDAQ was $26.90.

Investors participating in this registered direct offering included New China Asset Management (Hong Kong) Limited; Everbright Sun Hung Kai Co., Ltd.; CSOP Asset Management Limited, one of the largest Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (RQFII) asset managers globally; and Tianyi HongKong Development Ltd., an investment firm which owns a leading pharmacy retail chain in China.

Under the terms of the Purchase Agreements, the Shares were offered pursuant to a registration statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-224437), which was filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on April 25, 2018, and was declared effective on May 3, 2018.

The Investors agreed to a lock-up period for sixty (60) days from the date of closing, during which time the Investors agreed not to sell the Shares, enter into any derivative transactions with respect to the Shares or publicly disclose the intention to do any of the foregoing, in each case without the Company’s prior written consent, subject to certain exceptions.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, any security and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About BeyondSpring

BeyondSpring is a global, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative immuno-oncology cancer therapies with a robust pipeline from internal development and from collaboration with University of Washington in de novo drug discovery using ubiquitination platform. BeyondSpring’s lead asset, Plinabulin, is in a Phase 3 global clinical trial as a direct anticancer agent in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and two Phase 2/3 clinical programs in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia (CIN). BeyondSpring has a seasoned management team with many years of experience bringing drugs to the global market.

About Plinabulin

Plinabulin, a marine-derived small-molecule, is BeyondSpring’s lead asset and is currently in late-stage clinical development for the prevention of CIN and as an anticancer therapy in NSCLC. Studies of Plinabulin’s mechanism of action indicate that Plinabulin activates GEF-H1, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor. GEF-H1 activates downstream transduction pathways leading to the activation of the protein c-Jun. Activated c-Jun enters the nucleus of dendritic cells to up-regulate immune-related genes, which contributes to the up-regulation of a series of genes leading to dendritic cell maturation, T-cell activation and other effects that prevent neutropenia by reducing the neutrophil breakdown.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements that are not historical facts. Words such as “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “believe,” “design,” “may,” “future,” “estimate,” “predict,” “objective,” “goal,” or variations thereof and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on BeyondSpring’s current knowledge and its present beliefs and expectations regarding possible future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of several factors including, but not limited to, the anticipated amount needed to finance the company’s future operations, unexpected results of clinical trials, delays or denial in regulatory approval process, our expectations regarding the potential safety, efficacy or clinical utility of our product candidates, or additional competition in the market and other risk factors referred to in BeyondSpring’s current Form 20-F on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements made herein speak only as of the date of this release and BeyondSpring undertakes no obligation to update publicly such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as otherwise required by law.

Media Relations:
Caitlin Kasunich / Amy Singh                       
KCSA Strategic Communications                 
212.896.1241 / 212.896.1207                                    
ckasunich@kcsa.com / asingh@kcsa.com

Investor Relations:
Laura Perry / Joe Rayne
Argot Partners
212.600.1902
BeyondSpring@argotpartners.com

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