Chinook Therapeutics Announces $106 Million Private Placement Financing to Advance
Precision Medicines for Kidney Disease
VANCOUVER, BC and SEATTLE, WA, August 18th, 2020 Chinook Therapeutics, Inc., a privately held
clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of precision medicines for kidney diseases, today announced a $106 million private placement financing, with participation from new investors
including EcoR1 Capital, OrbiMed, funds managed by Rock Springs Capital, Avidity Partners, Surveyor Capital (a Citadel company), Ally Bridge Group, Monashee Investment Management LLC, Northleaf Capital Partners, Janus Henderson Investors, Sphera
Biotech, and other top-tier healthcare investors. As part of the financing, Chinooks existing investors, Versant Ventures, Apple Tree Partners and Samsara BioCapital, will purchase $25 million in
Chinook common stock on the same terms as the new investors in lieu of their prior commitment to purchase convertible notes.
Were thrilled to
have such a high-quality group of investors support our goal of building a leading kidney disease company to advance multiple clinical programs for IgA nephropathy and other rare, severe chronic kidney diseases with large unmet medical needs,
said Eric Dobmeier, president and chief executive officer of Chinook. Upon close of our proposed merger with Aduro Biotech, Chinook will be well-capitalized to move its pipeline programs forward towards its objective of providing meaningful
results for patients and to prepare pre-commercialization strategies.
The private placement closing is
expected to occur immediately prior to the closing of the previously announced proposed merger between Chinook and Aduro Biotech, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADRO). Following the proposed merger closing, which is expected to occur in the second half of
2020, Aduro will be renamed Chinook Therapeutics, Inc., and is expected to trade on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol KDNY. Closing of the private placement is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of all closing
conditions for the proposed merger. Following the private placement financing, and upon closing of the merger, Chinook is expected to have at least $275 million in operating capital.
Proceeds from the financing will fund the advancement of the combined companys pipeline, including:
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Planned phase 2 and phase 3 trials of atrasentan, an investigational selective endothelin receptor antagonist, in
development for the treatment of IgA nephropathy and other primary glomerular diseases;
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An ongoing phase 1b and future clinical trials of BION-1301, an investigational humanized monoclonal antibody
that blocks APRIL binding to both the BCMA and TACI receptors, in development for the treatment of IgA nephropathy;
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A planned phase 1 trial of CHK-336, an investigational small molecule, in
preclinical development for treatment of an ultra-rare orphan kidney disease; and
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Advancement of additional research and discovery programs focused on the treatment of rare, severe chronic kidney
diseases.
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SVB Leerink is acting as lead placement agent and Evercore Group L.L.C. and William Blair are acting as co-placement agents for the financing.
The shares of common stock sold in the financing have not been registered under
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. 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