- Leading institutional investors commit $235 million through an oversubscribed and upsized private investment in public equity (“PIPE”) led by Frazier Healthcare Partners and Bain Capital Life Sciences
- Total proceeds expected to bring pro forma cash balance to at least $470 million; expected to extend cash runway of NewAmsterdam through 2026, funding all expected pre-approval milestones for lead candidate obicetrapib, including readouts of Phase 3 PREVAIL study, a global cardiovascular outcomes trial (“CVOT”) and two other pivotal Phase 3 studies
- NewAmsterdam’s lead therapeutic candidate, obicetrapib, is a next-generation oral, low-dose and once-daily CETP inhibitor for which promising safety and >50% LDL-lowering efficacy has been observed on top of high-intensity statins in patients with dyslipidemia through Phase 2b, which could potentially serve a global population of over 30 million patients with unmet medical need in cardiovascular disease
- NewAmsterdam shareholders, Frazier Lifesciences Acquisition Corporation (Nasdaq: FLAC) shareholders and PIPE investors will hold ordinary shares in a newly formed company, NewAmsterdam Pharma Company N.V., which is expected to list its ordinary shares on Nasdaq under the ticker “NAMS”
- Merger expected to be completed in the second half of 2022
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, July 25, 2022 - EQT Life Sciences is happy to announce that its portfolio company NewAmsterdam Pharma Holding B.V. is entering into a merger agreement with Frazier Lifesciences Acquisition Corporation to create a publicly listed company focused on transformative oral therapies for major cardiometabolic diseases.
NewAmsterdam Pharma Holding B.V. (“Company”), a late clinical-stage company focused on the research and development of transformative oral therapies for major cardiometabolic diseases, and Frazier Lifesciences Acquisition Corporation (“FLAC”), a special purpose acquisition company sponsored by an affiliate of Frazier Healthcare Partners, today announced that they have entered into a definitive business combination agreement. Upon closing of the transaction, a newly formed holding company, NewAmsterdam Pharma Company N.V. (“NewAmsterdam”) will be led by Michael Davidson, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of the Company. NewAmsterdam’s ordinary shares are expected to be listed on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “NAMS.”
NewAmsterdam is expected to receive approximately $235 million from an upsized and oversubscribed PIPE at $10.00 per share plus funds held in FLAC’s trust account following any redemptions. The PIPE was upsized from the initial target of $100 million due to significant investor demand. The PIPE was co-led by Frazier Healthcare Partners and Bain Capital Life Sciences, and includes new investors RA Capital Management, GMT Capital, Medicxi Ventures, Panacea Venture and other institutional investors, in addition to existing NewAmsterdam shareholders Forbion, LSP Dementia Fund and Morningside Ventures. The proceeds from this transaction, combined with the upfront payment of $123 million (€115 million) received from NewAmsterdam’s recently announced licensing agreement with the Menarini Group and NewAmsterdam’s existing cash and cash equivalents, would bring NewAmsterdam’s total pro forma cash balance to at least $470 million, which the Company believes would be sufficient to fund operations through 2026, beyond the readout of NewAmsterdam’s Phase 3 PREVAIL CVOT study and two other pivotal Phase 3 studies.
The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2022, subject to approval by FLAC’s shareholders and the satisfaction or waiver of certain other customary closing conditions. The Boards of Directors of both the Company and FLAC have unanimously approved the transaction. Following the close of the transaction, James Topper, M.D., Ph.D., Managing Partner at Frazier Healthcare Partners and Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of FLAC, and Nicholas Downing, M.D., Principal at Bain Capital Life Sciences, will join the NewAmsterdam Board of Directors.
“Today’s announcement marks a major milestone for NewAmsterdam. We believe that the transaction, if consummated, would provide us with the necessary capital to fund our business through 2026 and beyond multiple Phase 3 data readouts for obicetrapib, including our ongoing cardiovascular outcomes trial, and a potential global product launch,” said Dr. Davidson. “Cardiovascular disease remains a significant unmet need and is the number one cause of death in western countries, with high LDL levels being the chief culprit responsible for adverse outcomes and two-thirds of patients not reaching LDL goals despite the wide availability of statins. Adding a potential new convenient oral therapy that has been observed to confer an additional 51% of LDL-lowering on top of high dose statins could transform the treatment paradigm for this large patient population. We are grateful to the FLAC team, as well as our new and existing investors, for their support throughout this transaction and look forward to a continued partnership as we mature into a publicly traded company and pursue our mission of improving patient care globally for this large patient population with substantial unmet need despite existing therapies.”
“We founded FLAC in hopes of acquiring a therapeutics-focused company with near-term inflection points, experienced and highly credentialed leadership and sufficient capital to support planned operations well into the future,” said James Topper, M.D., Ph.D., Managing Partner at Frazier Healthcare Partners and Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of FLAC. “We have found exactly this in NewAmsterdam. NewAmsterdam’s lead program, obicetrapib, is a potentially first- and best-in-class once-daily, oral CETP inhibitor, for which potent LDL-lowering activity on top of high-intensity statins and a positive safety and tolerability profile have been observed in clinical trials. We congratulate NewAmsterdam on their recent success in securing a $1B+ partnership with the Menarini Group for Europe and we are eager to support NewAmsterdam’s world-class team as it advances obicetrapib through Phase 3 development and aims to deliver a new transformative oral therapy to the tens of millions of people worldwide who remain at high-risk of experiencing a major adverse cardiac event, despite the availability of statins and other prescription therapies.”
Proceeds from the transaction are expected to provide NewAmsterdam with the capital needed to further develop obicetrapib through several value-creating clinical and regulatory milestones, including the following:
- Data from the ongoing Phase 3 BROADWAY trial of obicetrapib in adults with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (“HeFH”) and/or established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (“ASCVD”) who require additional lowering of low‑density lipoprotein cholesterol (“LDL-C”) on top of high intensity statins in 2024;
- Data from the ongoing Phase 3 BROOKLYN trial of obicetrapib in adults with HeFH, whose LDL-C is not adequately controlled despite being on maximally tolerated lipid-modifying therapies in 2024;
- Data from the ongoing Phase 3 PREVAIL study, a global cardiovascular outcomes trial, in patients with ASCVD who have inadequate control of their LDL-C despite being on maximally tolerated lipid-modifying therapies in 2026;
- Data from the ongoing Phase 2b ROSE2 trial, evaluating the combination of obicetrapib with ezetimibe as an adjunct to high-intensity statin therapy in 2023;
- Potential new drug application filings for obicetrapib in the United States, Europe, Japan and China and potential commercial launch.
Summary of Transaction
The closing of the business combination would bring NewAmsterdam’s total pro forma cash balance to at least $470 million, in addition to a total enterprise value to $326 million.
Current Company shareholders are converting 100% of their existing equity interests into ordinary shares of NewAmsterdam. In addition to the funds held in FLAC’s trust account following any redemptions, an additional group of premier healthcare investors has committed to participate in the transaction through an oversubscribed and upsized PIPE of approximately $235 million at $10.00 per share.
The Boards of Directors of both the Company and FLAC have unanimously approved the proposed transaction, which is expected to close in the second half of 2022, subject to the approval by FLAC’s shareholders and the satisfaction or waiver of certain other customary closing conditions.
The description of the business combination contained herein is only a high-level summary. Additional information about the transaction will be provided in a Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed by FLAC with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and will be available at www.sec.gov. In addition, NewAmsterdam intends to file a registration statement on Form F-4 with the SEC, which will include a proxy statement/prospectus, and will file other documents regarding the proposed transaction with the SEC.
Advisors
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC is acting as lead PIPE placement agent, financial advisor and capital markets advisor to FLAC. Jefferies LLC, SVB Securities LLC and William Blair & Company, L.L.C. are also acting as PIPE placement agents to FLAC and Jefferies LLC and William Blair & Company, L.L.C. are also acting as financial advisor and capital markets advisor to FLAC. SVB Securities LLC is acting as financial advisor and capital markets advisor to the Company. Moelis & Co. is also acting as financial advisor to the Company. Covington & Burling LLP is acting as legal counsel to the Company. Goodwin Procter LLP is acting as legal counsel to FLAC. Kirkland & Ellis LLP is acting as legal counsel to the PIPE placement agents.
About NewAmsterdam Pharma
NewAmsterdam Pharma is a private clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to improve patient care in populations with metabolic diseases where traditional therapies have not been sufficiently successful or well-tolerated. NewAmsterdam is investigating obicetrapib, a next-generation oral, low-dose and once-daily CETP inhibitor, as the preferred LDL-C-lowering therapy for high-risk cardiovascular disease (“CVD”) patients. Results from NewAmsterdam’s ROSE Phase 2b trial (presented at AHA Scientific Sessions in 2021) included observations that patients receiving obicetrapib 10mg experienced reduced LDL-C by 51% versus baseline in patients on statin therapy (vs. a 7% reduction in the placebo arm). Based in the Netherlands, the Company was founded in 2019 by the venture capital firm Forbion and John Kastelein, Chief Scientific Officer of the Company, and closed a $196 million (€160 million) Series A financing in January 2021 led by Forbion, Morningside Ventures and Ascendant BioCapital. In June 2022, the Company entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with the Menarini Group for the commercialization of obicetrapib in Europe, while retaining all rights to commercialize obicetrapib, if approved, in the rest of the world, as well as rights to develop certain forms of obicetrapib for other diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. For more information, please visit: https://www.newamsterdampharma.com.
About EQT Life Sciences
EQT Life Sciences was formed in 2022 following an integration of LSP, a leading European life sciences and health care venture capital firm, into the EQT platform. As LSP, the firm raised over EUR 3.0 billion (USD 3.5 billion) and supported the growth of more than 150 companies since it started to invest over 30 years ago. With a dedicated team of highly experienced investment professionals, coming from backgrounds in medicine, science, business, and finance, EQT Life Sciences backs the smartest inventors who have ideas that could truly make a difference for patients.