Benzinga | May 7, 2021 07:02AM EDT

Acasti Announces Definitive Agreement To Acquire Grace Therapeutics, Inc., Size Not Disclosed; Says Expects Cash At Closing Of ~$64M Will Be Principally Used To Pursue clinical Development Of First Two Assets Through Phase 3

Acasti Pharma Inc. ("Acasti" or the "Company") (NASDAQ:ACST, TSXV:ACST) announces it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Grace Therapeutics, Inc. ("Grace"), a privately held emerging biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative drug delivery technologies for the treatment of rare and orphan diseases (the "Proposed Transaction"). Subject to the completion of the Proposed Transaction, Acasti will acquire Grace's pipeline of drug candidates addressing critical unmet medical needs with the potential to deliver significant value to patients and providers. It is anticipated that the cash at closing of about $64 million will be principally used to pursue the clinical development of the first two assets through Phase 3, and further advance earlier pipeline assets into the clinic. The Proposed Transaction has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies and is supported by Grace shareholders through voting and lock-up agreements with the Company. The transaction remains subject to approval of Acasti stockholders, as well as applicable stock exchanges.

The Company has posted a presentation summarizing key highlights of the transaction, which is available on both the Acasti and Grace websites. Acasti plans to file the required Form S-4 proxy statement with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), which will include detailed disclosures regarding the transaction. Following the filing of the required Form S-4, Acasti and Grace management plan to host an investor conference call to further discuss the anticipated benefits of the acquisition and answer investor questions. Acasti will call a shareholder meeting to approve the transaction following the public filing of the Form S-4 proxy statement. As the Proposed Transaction moves forward, Acasti continues to evaluate strategic options for value creation from its existing assets.

In connection with the Proposed Transaction, Acasti will acquire Grace's entire therapeutic pipeline consisting of three unique clinical stage and multiple pre-clinical stage assets supported by an intellectual property portfolio consisting of more than 40 granted and pending patents in various jurisdictions worldwide. Grace's product candidates aim to improve clinical outcomes by applying proprietary formulation and drug delivery technologies to existing pharmaceutical compounds to achieve improvements over the current standard of care or provide treatment for diseases with no currently approved therapy. Grace's three lead programs have all received Orphan Drug Designation1 from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), which could provide up to seven years of marketing exclusivity in the United States upon FDA's approval of the New Drug Application (NDA), provided that certain conditions are met.