Exhibit 99.1
OSR Holdings Co., Ltd. Enters Into Business Combination Agreement with Bellevue Life Sciences Acquisition Corp.
BELLEVUE, WA & SEOUL, KR, November 16, 2023 - Bellevue Life Sciences Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: BLAC), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company (“BLAC”), and OSR Holdings Co., Ltd. (“OSR Holdings”), a global healthcare holding company, announced today that they have entered into a business combination agreement. Upon closing of the transaction, outstanding shares of OSR Holdings held by certain of the holders of OSR Holdings’ common stock will be exchanged for newly issued shares of BLAC common stock. Following the closing, BLAC will own at least 60% of the outstanding shares of OSR Holdings (and have the right to acquire the remainder of the shares on or after January 1, 2025 or 2026 or in connection with a change in control of BLAC). Concurrent with the closing of the business combination, BLAC intends to change its name to OSR Biosciences, Inc. and have its common stock and warrants be listed on Nasdaq Capital Market under new ticker symbols.
Founded in 2019, OSR Holdings is a global healthcare holding company from South Korea with wholly owned operating subsidiaries in the biopharmaceutical and medical device sectors. Current subsidiaries include: 1) Vaximm that develops immunotherapy for cancer treatment, 2) Darnatein that develops disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug (DMOAD), and 3) RMC that distributes medical device for the treatment of neurovascular and other diseases. On July 7, 2023, OSR Holdings signed a non-binding letter of intent for a proposed acquisition of Landmark BioVentures AG, a Swiss company that operates through four different biotech ventures in France with therapeutic focuses on oncology and immunology.
Vaximm is a Basel, Switzerland-based drug development company developing T-cell immunotherapies for cancer patients with its proprietary plug and play platform technology for oral administration. Vaximm was established as a spin-off from the German pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA. Currently, Zaki Sellam, a bio-healthcare business development specialist, serves as the CEO.
Darnatein is a Incheon, South Korea-based drug development company founded by Dr. Choi Seung-hyun, a founding research member of the Structural Biology Laboratory at Salk Institute, with a focus on developing treatment for osteoarthritis. Darnatein aims to address the unmet medical need for the current osteoarthritis treatment, which is often limited to palliative or anti-inflammatory effects, by utilizing its platform technology designed to regenerate bone and cartilage.
RMC is a South Korean distribution agent of global medical device manufacturers including Penumbra, Asahi-Intec, Microport, and Zylox-Tonbridge. RMC is led by Chan Kyu Park, a specialist in the field of vascular neurology. Mr. Park was also a founding member of Hutem Co., Ltd., a company that was acquired by a Kosdaq-listed company Hugel Co., Ltd. in 2015.
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our shareholders who have shown unwavering trust and support to OSR Holdings that led us to this accomplishment.” said Sung Jae Yu, Chief Operating Officer of OSR Holdings. “Through our business combination with BLAC, we plan to further expand our portfolio by acquiring prospective healthcare companies with innovative technology designed to better position ourselves as a global leader in the healthcare industry”.