BIOASIS TECHNOLOGIES INC. (OTCQB:BIOAF; TSX.V:BTI)
(the “
Company” or “
Bioasis”), a
multi-asset rare and orphan disease biopharmaceutical company
developing clinical stage programs based on epidermal growth factor
and a differentiated, proprietary xB3 ™ platform for delivering
therapeutics across the blood-brain barrier
(“
BBB”) and the treatment of central nervous
system (“
CNS”) disorders in areas of high unmet
medical need, today provided an update on its financial condition
and operations.
As previously disclosed, the termination of the Company’s
proposed merger with Midatech Pharma PLC (now Biodexa
Pharmaceuticals PLC) (“Biodexa”) in January 2023
left the Company with limited cash and significant liabilities,
including a C$350,000 bridge loan from Lind Global Macro Fund, LP
(“Lind”), a US$500,000 bridge loan from Biodexa
and approximately C$3.3M owing to Lind under the 2021 convertible
security funding agreement between the Company. All of these debts
are secured by liens over all of the Company’s assets (with Lind
holding first-ranking security) and the bridge loans (including
accrued and unpaid interest) mature on June 30, 2023. Bioasis is
currently, or will be, in default of its obligations to Lind and
Biodexa and they are, or will be, entitled to take actions in
accordance with their loan and security documents with Bioasis to
enforce their rights as secured lenders.
Since the termination of the merger, Bioasis has pursued
numerous strategic alternatives to preserve and enhance shareholder
value, including: mergers; the sale of all or portions of the
Company or its assets; partnerships’ licensing and joint venture
transactions; and third party financings. In pursuing these
transactions, Bioasis was assisted by third party advisors,
including Shadow Lake Group and Maxim Group. Since the end of
January, Bioasis and its advisers have contacted numerous potential
counterparties, several of whom entered into non-disclosure
agreements with the Company and engaged in active discussions with
the Company regarding potential transactions.
The Company has recently signed a non-binding term sheet with
Swiss Biotech Advisors (“SBA”), a group consisting
of certain of the vendors of the EGF therapy platform that Bioasis
acquired in June 2022 (the “EGF Assets”), for an
exclusive worldwide license by Bioasis to SBA of the EGF Assets
along with the right to apply the Company’s xB3 ™ platform to the
EGF Assets. In return, Bioasis would receive certain milestone
payments, a 5% royalty on net sales from products developed based
on the licensed technology, along with a share of any sublicensing
revenue generated by SBA from the licensed technology. The
transaction is subject to certain conditions, including the
execution of a definitive license agreement.
The current economic environment and market conditions for
small-cap development stage biopharmaceutical companies continue to
be very challenging. Although the Company is still pursuing certain
potential strategic alternatives, other than the potential
transaction with SBA (which is not expected to generate any
cashflow for the Company in the short term) the Company does not
currently have any actionable alternatives, is almost out of cash
and is no longer in a position to continue funding its
operations.
As a result, the board of directors has made the difficult
decision to suspend all of Bioasis’ operations.
Given the Company’s limited cash resources, it has been unable
to pay its auditors to produce audited financial statements for its
financial year ended February 28, 2022. As a result, the Company
will not be in a position to file its audited annual financial
statements and related management’s discussion and analysis for
that financial year prior to the June 28, 2023 deadline for doing
so. The Company anticipates that this will result in the British
Columbia Securities Commission issuing a cease trade order in
respect of its shares and a suspension of trading of its shares on
the TSX Venture Exchange.
Finally, the Company announces that Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A.
(“Chiesi”) has advised the Company that, Chiesi
does not intend to continue to pursue the potential development of
xB3 ™ and
will be terminating the non-exclusive research collaboration and
licensing agreement between the Company and Chiesi.
On behalf of the Board of Directors of Bioasis
Technologies Inc.
Deborah Rathjen, Ph.D., Executive Chair of the Board
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About Bioasis
Bioasis is a multi-asset rare and orphan disease
biopharmaceutical company developing clinical stage programs based
on epidermal growth factor and the xB3 ™ platform, a proprietary
technology for the delivery of therapeutics across the blood brain
barrier and the treatment of CNS disorders in areas of high unmet
medical need. The delivery of therapeutics across the blood-brain
barrier represents the final frontier in treating neurological
disorders. The in-house development programs at Bioasis are
designed to develop symptomatic and disease-modifying treatments
for brain-related diseases and disorders. For more information
about the Company, please visit www.bioasis.us.
Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking
Information
This press release may contain certain forward-looking
statements. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be
identified by the use of words such as “plans”, “expects”, “does
not anticipate”, or “believes”, or variations of such words and
phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results
“may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will be taken”, “occur” or “be
achieved”.
Forward-looking statements and information are subject to
various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which
are beyond the ability of Bioasis to control or predict, that may
cause their actual results, performance or achievements to be
materially different from those expressed or implied thereby, and
are developed based on assumptions about such risks, uncertainties
and other factors set out herein, including, but not limited to,
the state of domestic and international capital markets; Bioasis’
ability to obtain financing; changes in general market conditions;
and other risks and uncertainties relating to Bioasis and its
business described more fully in Bioasis’ filings on SEDAR at
www.sedar.com.
Bioasis undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking
information except as required by applicable law. Such
forward-looking information represents Bioasis’ best judgment based
on information currently available. No forward-looking statement
can be guaranteed and actual future results may vary materially.
Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on
forward-looking statements or information.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its
Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the
policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for
the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Contacts:
Deborah Rathjen, Ph.D., Executive Chair of the
Boarddeborah@bioasis.us203-533-7082
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