UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
_____________________

Form 8-K
_____________________

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event Reported): September 23, 2016  

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

Delaware000-2318662-1413174
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)(Commission File Number)(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)

 

4505 Emperor Blvd., Suite 200, Durham, North Carolina 27703
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

(919) 859-1302
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)


(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 [ ]  Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
 [ ]  Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
 [ ]  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
 [ ]  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
 
 

Item 1.01. Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company”) together with its consolidated subsidiary, MDCP, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“MDCP,” and the Company together with MDCP, collectively, the “Borrowers”), entered into a $23 million secured loan facility (the “Loan Transaction,” and such loan, the “Loan”) with MidCap Financial, a Delaware statutory trust, as administrative agent and lender (“MidCap”), pursuant to the terms and conditions of that certain Credit and Security Agreement, dated as of September 23, 2016 (the “Credit Agreement”), among the Borrowers, MidCap, and the lenders party thereto from time to time.  The Company received net Loan proceeds in the aggregate amount of $22.7 million and will use the Loan proceeds for general corporate purposes as permitted under the Credit Agreement. 

The Borrowers initially will make interest-only payments through 2017, with principal payments for 40 months commencing on January 1, 2018.  The interest rate will be a variable interest rate (initially 8.5%) based on the one-month LIBOR with a LIBOR floor of 0.5%.  Upon execution of the Credit Agreement, the Company paid to MidCap an origination fee of 0.5% of the aggregate Loan amount.  Upon repayment in full of the Loan, the Company is obligated to pay a final payment fee equal to 5.0% of the aggregate Loan amount, less the amount of any partial exit fees previously paid as described in the last sentence of this paragraph.  In addition, the Company may prepay all or any portion of the Loan in $1,000,000 increments at any time, and may be required to prepay the Loan on the occurrence of certain events, including without limitation (and subject to customary exceptions), the Company’s receipt of the proceeds of casualty events and certain other asset dispositions.  Both optional and mandatory prepayments may be subject to a prepayment premium of: (i) 3% of the Loan amount prepaid in the first year of the Loan (ii) 2% of the Loan amount prepaid in the second year of the Loan and (iii) 1% of the Loan amount prepaid in the third year of the Loan.  In addition, with respect to any voluntary prepayments of the Loan, the Company is obligated to pay a partial exit fee equal to 5% of the aggregate principal amount of the Loan being prepaid at such time.  

The obligations of the Borrowers under the Credit Agreement are secured by a first priority lien in favor of MidCap on substantially all of the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ existing and after-acquired assets, excluding certain specified assets of the Borrowers, but including any proceeds thereof.  The Borrowers entered into customary pledge and intellectual property security agreements to evidence the security interest in favor of MidCap, as well as other customary ancillary and collateral documents. 

Under the Credit Agreement, the Borrowers are subject to affirmative covenants which are customary for financings of this type, including the obligations of the Borrowers to: (i) maintain good standing and governmental authorizations, (ii) provide certain information and notices to MidCap, (iii) deliver monthly and annual financial statements to MidCap, (iv) maintain insurance, (v) discharge all taxes, (vi) protect their intellectual property and regulatory permits and (vii) generally protect the collateral granted to MidCap.  The Credit Agreement also contains customary negative covenants that place restrictions on the Borrowers’ ability to, among other things, dispose of or transfer assets, engage in mergers or acquisitions, incur debt, and grant liens, so long as the Loan is outstanding.

Further, the Credit Agreement contains customary events of default, including, without limitation, payment defaults, covenant defaults, breaches of certain representations and warranties, cross defaults to certain material agreements or material indebtedness, certain events of bankruptcy and insolvency, material court orders or judgments, a change of control, and certain adverse regulatory determinations. If an event of default occurs and is not cured within any applicable grace period or is not waived, MidCap and the lenders are entitled to take various actions, including, without limitation, the acceleration of amounts due thereunder, termination of commitments under the Credit Agreement and collection upon the collateral securing the Loan.

Item 2.03. Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant.

The information set forth in Item 1.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K is incorporated by reference into this Item 2.03.

Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure.

On September 26, 2016, the Company issued a press release describing the Loan Transaction.  The information furnished on Exhibit 99.1 is incorporated by reference under this Item 7.01 as if fully set forth herein.  The information furnished is not deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, is not subject to the liabilities of that section and is not deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Forward-Looking Statements

This Current Report on Form 8-K contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding future results, performance or achievements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are based on assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Some of the factors that could affect the forward-looking statements contained herein include: that planned trials of BCX7353 may not have a favorable outcome, including the APeX-1 trial; that developing a commercial formulation of BCX7353 or any other HAE compound may take longer or may be more expensive than planned; ongoing and future preclinical and clinical development of other plasma kallikrein inhibitor candidates may not have positive results; that BioCryst may not be able to enroll the required number of subjects in planned clinical trials of  product candidates; that the Company may not advance human clinical trials with product candidates as expected; that the FDA may require additional studies beyond the studies planned for product candidates, or may not provide regulatory clearances which may result in delay of planned clinical trials, or may impose a clinical hold with respect to such product candidate, or withhold market approval for product candidates; that BioCryst may not receive additional government funding to further support the development of BCX4430; that BCX4430 development may not be successful; that NIAID or BARDA may further condition, reduce or eliminate future funding; that revenue from RAPIVAB is unpredictable and commercialization of RAPIVAB by Seqirus may never result in significant commercial revenue or milestone payments for the Company; that RAPIVAB may not be approved in other countries; that a stockpiling order of RAPIVAB may be delayed or may never occur; that actual financial results may not be consistent with expectations, including that 2016 operating expenses and cash usage may not be within management’s expected ranges. Please refer to the documents the Company files periodically with the Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K, all of which identify important factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in the Company’s projections and forward-looking statements.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits

Exhibit No. Description
   
99.1 Press release dated September 26, 2016 entitled “BioCryst Closes $23 Million Senior Credit Facility”


SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
   
  
Date: September 26, 2016By: /s/ Alane Barnes        
  Alane Barnes
  Vice President, General Counsel,
and Corporate Secretary
  


EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No. Description
   
99.1 Press release dated September 26, 2016 entitled “BioCryst Closes $23 Million Senior Credit Facility”

EdgarFiling

EXHIBIT 99.1

BioCryst Closes $23 Million Senior Credit Facility

 Cash runway extended to early 2018; Facility to be repaid with RAPIVAB revenues 

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Sept. 26, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --  BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:BCRX) today announced that the Company has closed a $23 million Senior Credit Facility with Midcap Financial. The facility was fully funded at closing and bears a variable interest rate based upon LIBOR, currently at 8.5%; an interest-only period through fiscal 2017; and scheduled principal and interest payments for the following 40 months. The Company has the option to repay the facility at any time prior to the scheduled principal repayment schedule.   

“The proceeds from this facility extend our cash runway into the first quarter of 2018 and provide non-dilutive capital to fund our rare disease development programs, while enabling us to maintain a twelve-month cash runway subsequent to the expected timing of APEX-1 results,” said Jon P. Stonehouse, President & Chief Executive Officer. “We expect the facility to be repaid from RAPIVAB®-related approval milestones associated with our Seqirus licensing agreement and revenue from the replenishment of the U.S. Government national stockpiling of RAPIVAB.” 

About BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals designs, optimizes and develops novel small molecule drugs that block key enzymes involved in rare diseases. BioCryst currently has several ongoing development programs: BCX7353 and second generation oral inhibitors of plasma kallikrein for hereditary angioedema, and BCX4430, a broad spectrum viral RNA polymerase inhibitor that is a potential treatment for filoviruses. RAPIVAB® (peramivir injection), a viral neuraminidase inhibitor for the treatment of influenza is BioCryst’s first approved product and is currently marketed in the U.S., Japan, Taiwan and Korea. Post-marketing commitment development activities are ongoing, as well as activities to support regulatory approvals in other territories. For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.BioCryst.com.

About MidCap Financial

MidCap Financial is a middle market-focused, specialty finance firm that provides senior debt solutions to businesses across all industries. The firm's years of experience, strong balance sheet, and flexibility make it a lender of choice for companies across all stages of growth and complexity. MidCap Financial's debt solutions focus in five areas: general and healthcare asset-based working capital loans collateralized by third-party accounts receivable and other assets; leveraged loans to companies backed by private equity sponsors; life sciences loans to venture capital-backed and public pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device companies; real estate loans on all types of commercial properties, medical office buildings, various types of senior housing and skilled nursing properties; and lender finance term loans or revolvers provided across the consumer and commercial finance sectors. Additional information about MidCap Financial can be found at www.midcapfinancial.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding future results, performance or achievements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause BioCryst’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are based on assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Some of the factors that could affect the forward-looking statements contained herein include: that planned trials of BCX7353 may not have a favorable outcome, including the APeX-1 trial; that developing a commercial formulation of BCX7353 or any other HAE compound may take longer or may be more expensive than planned; ongoing and future preclinical and clinical development of other plasma kallikrein inhibitor candidates may not have positive results; that BioCryst may not be able to enroll the required number of subjects in planned clinical trials of  product candidates; that the Company may not advance human clinical trials with product candidates as expected; that the FDA may require additional studies beyond the studies planned for product candidates, or may not provide regulatory clearances which may result in delay of planned clinical trials, or may impose a clinical hold with respect to such product candidate, or withhold market approval for product candidates; that BioCryst may not receive additional government funding to further support the development of BCX4430; that BCX4430 development may not be successful; that NIAID or BARDA may further condition, reduce or eliminate future funding; that revenue from RAPIVAB is unpredictable and commercialization of RAPIVAB by Seqirus may never result in significant commercial revenue or milestone payments for the Company; that RAPIVAB may not be approved in other countries; that a stockpiling order of RAPIVAB may be delayed or may never occur; that actual financial results may not be consistent with expectations, including that 2016 operating expenses and cash usage may not be within management’s expected ranges. Please refer to the documents BioCryst files periodically with the Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically BioCryst’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K, all of which identify important factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in BioCryst’s projections and forward-looking statements.

BCRXW

CONTACT:
Robert Bennett
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals
+1-919-859-7910