HMB congratulates client Kuur Therapeutics Inc. ("Kuur"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of off-the-shelf CAR-NKT cell immunotherapies for the treatment of solid and hematological malignancies, and its CEO Kevin S. Boyle, Sr., on a successful sale to Athenex, Inc. ("Athenex"), a global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapies for the treatment of cancer and related conditions.
Under the terms of the agreement, Athenex will pay $70 million upfront to Kuur shareholders and certain of its former employees and directors, comprised primarily of equity in Athenex common stock. Additionally, they are eligible to receive up to $115 million of milestone payments, which may be paid at Athenex’s sole discretion, in either cash or additional Athenex common stock (or a combination of both).
Kuur’s revolutionary platform engineers CARs expressed by semi-invariant NKT cells, which combine features of T and NK cells, and is being developed in partnership with Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital.
Kevin S. Boyle, Sr., Chief Executive Officer of Kuur, stated, “CAR-NKT cells offer a distinct set of advantages over other immune effector cells commonly used for cell therapy. We are excited that the leadership at Athenex recognizes the significant potential of this approach to provide effective treatment options for patients with both solid and hematological tumors. The development of these innovative therapies will be accelerated by combining Kuur’s experienced team with the extensive resources of Athenex.”
KUUR was represented by HMB’s Private Equity Team, led by Corporate Partner, Evan M. Knobloch, Corporate Associates Alicia A. Handy and Loan K. Tran.
Read the full press release by Intrado GlobeNewswire.
Learn more about HMB’s Mergers and Acquisitions practice here.