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): July 1, 2019
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
| Delaware | 000-23186 | 62-1413174 |
| (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)) | |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered |
| Common Stock | BCRX | Nasdaq global select market |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (17 CFR §230.405) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR §240.12b-2). Emerging growth company [ ]
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. [ ]
Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
On July 1, 2019, BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company”) announced that the Company has appointed Megan Sniecinski, M.B.A., to the position of Chief Business Officer. Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Sniecinski, 38, served as Senior Vice President of Business Operations and Program Management at PTC Therapeutics, Inc. (“PTC”), a global biopharmaceutical company, from 2017 to 2019, and as Vice President, Business Operations at PTC from 2014 to 2017. Prior to joining PTC, Ms. Sniecinski held various positions at Merck & Co., Inc., a global health care company, from 2002 to 2014, most recently as Chief of Staff to the President and Director of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships with Merck Vaccines. Ms. Sniecinski holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Virginia and an Executive M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Sniecinski will receive a base salary of $450,000 annually, with a target percentage under the Company’s Annual Incentive Plan (“AIP”) of 40% of base salary. In addition, on July 1, 2019, pursuant to the Company’s Inducement Equity Incentive Plan, the Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors granted to Ms. Sniecinski options to purchase 500,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, 150,000 of which will vest on the first anniversary of her start date and the remainder of which will vest in three equal annual installments, beginning on the second anniversary of her start date. Ms. Sniecinski does not have a family relationship with any of the Company’s officers or directors and has no direct or indirect interest in any transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.
Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure.
On July 1, 2019, the Company issued a news release announcing the events described in Item 5.02 of this Current Report on Form 8-K. A copy of the press release is attached to this Current Report on Form 8-K as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated by reference into this Item 7.01. 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.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits Exhibit No. Description 99.1 Press release dated July 1, 2019 entitled “BioCryst Appoints Megan Sniecinski Chief Business Officer”
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: July 1, 2019 | By: | /s/ Alane Barnes |
| Alane Barnes | ||
| Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer | ||
EXHIBIT 99.1
BioCryst Appoints Megan Sniecinski Chief Business Officer
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., July 01, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: BCRX) today announced the appointment of Megan Sniecinski as chief business officer.
Ms. Sniecinski joins BioCryst from PTC Therapeutics, where she served as senior vice president of business operations and program management since June 2017. Over nearly five years at PTC, Ms. Sniecinski played a key role in supporting the diversified growth of PTC’s rare disease pipeline and transformation into a global, fully-integrated biopharmaceutical company.
“BioCryst has a growing portfolio of oral medicines for rare diseases, including BCX7353 which is advancing towards commercialization in several geographies. Megan brings proven rare disease experience and leadership to help BioCryst maximize opportunities to drive value for our programs around the world,” said Jon Stonehouse, chief executive officer of BioCryst.
“It is a privilege to join the BioCryst team at this pivotal moment, and I am excited about the opportunity to help BioCryst fulfill its mission to bring important life-changing oral treatments to patients with rare diseases,” Sniecinski said.
In her recent role, Ms. Sniecinski led PTC’s business development efforts, including the acquisition of Agilis Therapeutics, an in-licensing commercial collaboration in Latin America, and integration activities tied to the acquisition of Emflaza®. In addition, she established and grew the program management function responsible for advancing the clinical development and commercialization of the pipeline. Ms. Sniecinski joined PTC in September 2014 as vice president, business operations, where she played a pivotal role in leading the cross-functional launch integration team for the commercialization of Translarna® and global expansion of PTC’s infrastructure.
Prior to joining PTC, she spent 12 years at Merck in a diverse set of operational and strategic roles, including director of strategic partnerships managing their European vaccine joint venture, Sanofi Pasteur MSD.
Ms. Sniecinski received her B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Virginia and her M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
About BioCryst Pharmaceuticals
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals discovers novel, oral small-molecule medicines that treat rare diseases in which significant unmet medical needs exist and an enzyme plays a key role in the biological pathway of the disease. BioCryst has several ongoing development programs including BCX7353, an oral treatment for hereditary angioedema, BCX9930, an oral Factor D inhibitor for the treatment of complement-mediated diseases, galidesivir, a potential treatment for Marburg virus disease and Yellow Fever, and a preclinical program to develop oral ALK-2 inhibitors for the treatment of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva. RAPIVAB® (peramivir injection), a viral neuraminidase inhibitor for the treatment of influenza, is BioCryst's first approved product and has received regulatory approval in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Korea and the European Union. Post-marketing commitments for RAPIVAB are ongoing. For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.BioCryst.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 developing BCX7353 may take longer or may be more expensive than planned; that ongoing and future preclinical and clinical development of BCX7353 may not advance as expected; that future studies may not enroll the required number of subjects or have positive results; and that the FDA, EMA or other applicable regulatory agencies may require additional studies beyond the studies planned, may not provide regulatory clearances, may impose a clinical hold or may withhold market approval with respect to BCX7353. 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:
John Bluth
+1 919 859 7910
jbluth@biocryst.com