MORRIS PLAINS, N.J., Nov. 18, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Immunomedics, Inc. (Nasdaq: IMMU ) ("Immunomedics" or "the Company") today confirmed that venBio Select Advisor LLC (“venBio”) has submitted a notice of nomination of four director candidates to stand for election to the Immunomedics Board of Directors at the Company’s 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on December 14, 2016. The Company issued the following statement:
The Immunomedics Board of Directors and management team are committed to acting in the best interests of the Company and all stockholders and regularly seeks qualified candidates for the Board. To that end, while venBio did not engage in discussions with the Company prior to nominating a majority slate for election to the Board just four weeks prior to the upcoming 2016 Annual Meeting, Immunomedics’ Governance and Nominating Committee will consider venBio’s director candidates and respond in due course.
Immunomedics has achieved a number of important milestones in 2016, including delivering positive Phase 2 clinical trial results of IMMU-132 in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which have been submitted for publication; achieving our timetable for the manufacturing of clinical materials for the Phase 3 confirmatory trial in TNBC; and nearing completion of enrolling 100 patients into our ongoing open-label Phase 2 trial by year-end 2016. The Company has also retained Greenhill & Co. to pursue licensing and other strategic activities with regard to preclinical and clinical pipeline products as well as platform technologies.
The Company is at a pivotal point in its growth trajectory as it prepares to submit an accelerated approval application to the FDA for IMMU-132 in mid-2017 and believes disruption in its strategy at this time could destroy value and potentially disrupt the Company’s clinical trial activities for late-stage cancer patients. Additionally, as previously announced, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology in December 2016, the Company will premiere a new antibody-drug conjugate known as IMMU-140 and the Company anticipates delivering interim results for IMMU-132 at a symposium on genitourinary cancers to be held in early 2017.
Immunomedics is well-positioned to execute on the Company’s strategy, drive innovation in the targeted treatment of cancer, autoimmune disorders and other serious diseases and enhance stockholder value, and perhaps most importantly help patients suffering from cancer.
The Company presented the Board’s recommendation regarding director nominees in its definitive proxy statement and other materials filed with the SEC on November 2, 2016, and mailed to stockholders.
DLA Piper is serving as legal advisor and Greenhill & Co. is serving as financial advisor to Immunomedics.
About Immunomedics Immunomedics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing monoclonal antibody based products for the targeted treatment of cancer, autoimmune disorders and other serious diseases. Immunomedics’ advanced proprietary technologies allow the Company to create humanized antibodies that can be used either alone in unlabeled or “naked” form, or conjugated with radioactive isotopes, chemotherapeutics, cytokines or toxins. Using these technologies, Immunomedics has built a pipeline of eight clinical-stage product candidates. Immunomedics’ portfolio of investigational products includes antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) that are designed to deliver a specific payload of a chemotherapeutic directly to the tumor while reducing overall toxic effects that are usually found with conventional administration of these chemotherapeutic agents. Immunomedics’ most advanced ADCs are sacituzumab govitecan (IMMU-132) and labetuzumab govitecan (IMMU-130), which are in Phase 2 trials for a number of solid tumors and metastatic colorectal cancer, respectively. IMMU-132 has received Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the FDA for the treatment of patients with triple-negative breast cancer who have failed at least two prior therapies for metastatic disease. Immunomedics has a research collaboration with Bayer to study epratuzumab as a thorium-227-labeled antibody. Immunomedics has other ongoing collaborations in oncology with independent cancer study groups. The IntreALL Inter-European study group is conducting a large, randomized Phase 3 trial combining epratuzumab with chemotherapy in children with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia at clinical sites in Australia, Europe, and Israel. Immunomedics also has a number of other product candidates that target solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, as well as other diseases, in various stages of clinical and preclinical development. These include combination therapies involving its antibody-drug conjugates, bispecific antibodies targeting cancers and infectious diseases as T-cell redirecting immunotherapies, as well as bispecific antibodies for next-generation cancer and autoimmune disease therapies, created using its patented DOCK-AND-LOCK® protein conjugation technology. The Company believes that its portfolio of intellectual property, which includes approximately 299 active patents in the United States and more than 400 foreign patents, protects its product candidates and technologies. For additional information on the Company, please visit its website at www.immunomedics.com . The information on its website does not, however, form a part of this press release.
Important Additional Information Immunomedics, Inc. (the “Company”), its directors and certain of its executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from Company stockholders in connection with the matters to be considered at the Company’s 2016 Annual Meeting. The Company has filed a definitive proxy statement and form of WHITE proxy card with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) in connection with any such solicitation of proxies from Company stockholders. COMPANY STOCKHOLDERS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO READ THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT (INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTS), THE ACCOMPANYING WHITE PROXY CARD AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS THAT THE COMPANY FILES WITH THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Information regarding the identity of potential participants, and their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, is set forth in the proxy statement and other materials filed by the Company with the SEC. Stockholders will be able to obtain the proxy statement, any amendments or supplements to the proxy statement and other documents filed by the Company with the SEC for no charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov . Copies will also be available at no charge at the Company’s website at www.immunomedics.com , by writing to Immunomedics, Inc. at 300 The American Road, Morris Plains, New Jersey 07950, or by calling the Company’s proxy solicitor, or by calling Dr. Chau Cheng, Senior Director, Investor Relations & Corporate Secretary, (973) 605-8200, extension 123.
Forward-Looking Statements This release, in addition to historical information, may contain forward-looking statements made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements, including statements regarding clinical trials (including the funding therefor, anticipated patient enrollment, trial outcomes, timing or associated costs), regulatory applications and related timelines, out-licensing arrangements (including the timing and amount of contingent payments), forecasts of future operating results, potential collaborations, and capital raising activities, involve significant risks and uncertainties and actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied herein. Factors that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to, the Company’s dependence on business collaborations or availability of required financing from capital markets, or other sources on acceptable terms, if at all, in order to further develop our products and finance our operations, new product development (including clinical trials outcome and regulatory requirements/actions), the risk that we or any of our collaborators may be unable to secure regulatory approval of and market our drug candidates, risks associated with the outcome of pending litigation and competitive risks to marketed products, and the Company’s ability to repay its outstanding indebtedness, if and when required, as well as the risks discussed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company is not under any obligation, and the Company expressly disclaims any obligation, to update or alter any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
For More Information: Dr. Chau Cheng Senior Director, Investor Relations & Corporate Secretary (973) 605-8200, extension 123 ccheng@immunomedics.com Media Dan Katcher / Ed Trissel / Nick Lamplough Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher (212) 355-4449 Investors Dan Burch/Bob Marese MacKenzie Partners, Inc. (212) 929-5500
