Country for PR: Hong Kong
Contributor: PR Newswire Asia (Hong Kong)
Monday, October 28 2019 - 14:22
AsiaNet
Kazia Raises A$4.0 Million to Progress R&D Programs
SYDNEY, Oct. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --

Kazia Therapeutics Limited (ASX: KZA; NASDAQ: KZIA), an Australian 
oncology-focused biotechnology company, is pleased to announce the completion 
of a placement of ten million new fully paid ordinary shares in the Company 
(New Shares) to institutional, professional, and sophisticated investors in 
Australia and internationally, at a price of A$0.40 per New Share 
(Institutional Placement). The Institutional Placement will raise A$4.0 million 
(exclusive of costs).

Logo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20171120/1996749-1LOGO

Key Points

- Oversubscribed Institutional Placement led by multiple high-quality 
institutional investors in Australia and Asia 
- Company has capitalised on recent appreciation in share price, driven by 
emerging data from broad-based clinical trial programs, and has substantially 
strengthened balance sheet while minimizing dilution of existing investors 
- Institutional Placement to raise $4.0 million (exclusive of costs), priced at 
a discount of 14% to the last close and with no warrants, has been executed at 
a premium to previous round in 2018 
- New Shares will be issued under the Company's existing placement capacity 
under ASX Listing Rules 7.1 and 7.1A 
- Funds raised secure Company's ability to further progress GDC-0084 and 
Cantrixil programs through high-value data readouts during 2020, as well as to 
provide working capital to the Company

Kazia Chairman, Iain Ross, commented, "we have been encouraged by strong 
interest in the Company from professional and institutional investors, and the 
Board has considered it appropriate to take the opportunity to strengthen the 
Company's balance sheet. It is testament to the Company's growing credibility 
and prospects that this round has been performed at a premium to our last 
round, and without the need for warrants, convertible notes, or similar 
arrangements, and was oversubscribed. The proceeds of the placement will allow 
us to complete the ongoing phase I clinical study of Cantrixil and the ongoing 
phase II study of GDC-0084, as well as to make very significant progress in the 
four collaborative studies of GDC-0084."

Institutional Placement

Under the terms of the Institutional Placement, 10 million New Shares have been 
allocated to institutional, professional, and sophisticated investors at a 
price of A$0.40 per New Share, representing a 14% discount to the last closing 
price on 23 October 2019 (A$0.465).  

New Shares to be issued under the Institutional Placement will be issued 
without shareholder approval under the Company's existing placement capacity 
under ASX Listing Rules 7.1 (9,250,000 shares) and 7.1A (750,000 shares). 
Settlement is expected to occur on or around 31 October 2019 and the New Shares 
issued under the Institutional Placement are expected to be allotted and 
commence trading on ASX on 1 November 2019. The New Shares will rank equally 
with the Company's existing shares on issue.

The Institutional Placement was led by Bell Potter Securities Limited.

The Institutional Placement occurs in the context of considerable clinical 
development activity across both of the Company's oncology assets. Kazia 
expects to present interim clinical data from its ongoing phase II study of 
GDC-0084 in glioblastoma at the upcoming Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) 
annual meeting in Phoenix, AZ on 20-24 November 2019. Further data from this 
and other ongoing studies is anticipated early in calendar 2020.

About Kazia Therapeutics Limited

Kazia Therapeutics Limited (ASX: KZA, NASDAQ: KZIA) is an innovative 
oncology-focused biotechnology company, based in Sydney, Australia. Our 
pipeline includes two clinical-stage drug development candidates, and we are 
working to develop therapies across a range of oncology indications.

Our lead program is GDC-0084, a small molecule inhibitor of the PI3K / AKT / 
mTOR pathway, which is being developed to treat glioblastoma multiforme, the 
most common and most aggressive form of primary brain cancer in adults. 
Licensed from Genentech in late 2016, GDC-0084 entered a phase II clinical 
trial in 2018. Initial safety data was released in May 2019, and further data 
is expected in 2H 2019. GDC-0084 was granted orphan designation for 
glioblastoma by the US FDA in February 2018.

TRX-E-002-1 (Cantrixil), is a third-generation benzopyran molecule with 
activity against cancer stem cells and is being developed to treat ovarian 
cancer. TRX-E-002-1 is currently undergoing a phase I clinical trial in 
Australia and the United States. Interim data was presented at the ESMO 
Congress in September 2019, and the study remains ongoing. Cantrixil was 
granted orphan designation for ovarian cancer by the US FDA in April 2015.

SOURCE Kazia Therapeutics Limited