Exhibit 99.1
Aptose Announces Proposed Public Offering of Common Shares
SAN DIEGO and TORONTO, July 15, 2020 – Aptose Biosciences Inc. (“Aptose” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: APTO, TSX: APS) today announced that it has commenced an underwritten public offering of its common shares (the “Offering”). In addition, Aptose intends to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 15% of the common shares offered in the Offering. The Offering is subject to market and other conditions, and there can be no assurance as to whether or when the Offering may be completed, or as to the actual size or terms of the offering. All of the common shares to be sold in the proposed offering will be sold by the Company.
Aptose intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering to (i) accelerate and expand clinical trials for CG-806; (ii) accelerate and expand clinical trials for APTO-253; (iii) acquire and fund (including through partnerships and in-licensing) additional clinical assets; and (iv) for working capital and general corporate purposes.
Piper Sandler & Co. is acting as the sole active book-running manager for the Offering.
No common shares will be offered or sold in Canada as part of the Offering. The Offering is subject to the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange (“TSX”) and Nasdaq. For the purposes of TSX approval, the Company is relying on the exemption set forth in Section 602.1 of the TSX Company Manual, which provides that the TSX will not apply its standards to certain transactions involving eligible interlisted issuers on a recognized exchange, such as Nasdaq.
The securities described above are being offered by Aptose pursuant to a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File. No. 333-235730), including a base prospectus, that was previously filed by Aptose with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and was declared effective on January 9, 2020. The Offering is being made only by means of a written prospectus and prospectus supplement that form a part of the registration statement. Before you invest, you should read the prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and other documents the Company has filed with the SEC for more complete information about the Company and the Offering. You may get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement may be obtained, once available, from Piper Sandler & Co., Attention: Prospectus Department, 800 Nicollet Mall, J12S03, Minneapolis, MN 55402, by email at prospectus@psc.com or by phone: 1-800-747-3924.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of offers to buy any securities of Aptose, and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale of any security in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
About Aptose
Aptose Biosciences is a clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to developing personalized therapies addressing unmet medical needs in oncology, with an initial focus on hematology. The Company’s small molecule cancer therapeutics pipeline includes products designed to provide single agent efficacy and to enhance the efficacy of other anti-cancer therapies and regimens without overlapping toxicities. The Company has two clinical-stage investigational products for hematologic malignancies: CG-806, an oral, first-in-class mutation-agnostic FLT3/BTK kinase inhibitor, is in a Phase 1 trial in patients with relapsed or refractory B cell malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), who have failed or are intolerant to standard therapies, and has received an IND allowance to conduct a separate Phase 1 trial in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML); APTO-253, the only clinical stage agent that directly targets the MYC oncogene and suppresses its expression, is in a Phase 1b clinical trial for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or high risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).
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