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 7, 2014
HYPERION THERAPEUTICS, INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
Delaware | 001-35614 | 61-1512713 | ||
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation) |
(Commission File Number) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
2000 Sierra Point Parkway, Suite 400
Brisbane, California 94005
(Address of principal executive offices, zip code)
Registrants telephone number, including area code: (650) 745-7802
(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 (see General Instruction A.2. below):
¨ | 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 2.06 | Material Impairments |
On September 7, 2014, the Board of Directors of Hyperion Therapeutics, Inc. (the Company), determined that it was required to recognize a material charge for an impairment related to its June 2014 acquisition of Andromeda Biotech Ltd. (Andromeda). The Company has uncovered evidence that certain Andromeda employees engaged in serious misconduct, including improperly receiving from a biostatistics firm un-blinded data from its first Phase 3 clinical trial of DiaPep277 and manipulating the analyses in order to obtain a favorable result. Additional evidence indicates that the biostatistics firm and certain Andromeda employees continued the improper practice of sharing and examining un-blinded data from the ongoing clinical trial. The Company is terminating the DiaPep277 development program and expects to record an impairment charge on the acquired Andromeda business in the range of $25 million to $55 million in the third quarter of 2014. Additionally, the Company expects to spend an estimated $13 million to $16 million completing the trial and winding down the development program.
Item 8.01 | Other Events. |
The Company issued a press release dated September 8, 2014 announcing the above actions. A copy of that press release is furnished herewith as Exhibit 99.1.
The information set forth in Exhibit 99.1 shall not be deemed to be filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), or otherwise subject to the liability of that section, and shall not be incorporated by reference into any registration statement or other document filed under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.
Item 9.01 | Financial Statements and Exhibits. |
(d) | Exhibits. |
Exhibit No. |
Description | |
99.1 | Press Release, dated September 8, 2014. |
Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
To the extent that statements contained in this current report on Form 8-K and the attached exhibit are not descriptions of historical facts regarding the Company, they are forward-looking statements reflecting the current beliefs and expectations of management made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as may, will, expect, anticipate, estimate, intend, and similar expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events, conditions or circumstances) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this report include, among others, expectations about future development efforts of the DiaPep277 program, the amount of an impairment charge and the expected effects on future cash expenditures. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties relating to the business of the Company in general, see the Risk Factors section of Hyperions Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 7, 2014, and in any subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
Dated: September 8, 2014 | Hyperion Therapeutics, Inc. | |||
By: | /s/ Jeffrey S. Farrow | |||
Jeffrey S. Farrow | ||||
Chief Financial Officer |
EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit No. |
Description | |
99.1 | Press Release, dated September 8, 2014 |
Exhibit 99.1
CONTACT:
Myesha Edwards
Corporate Communications and Investor Relations
(650) 745-7829
Carolyn Wang
WCG
(415) 225-5050
Hyperion Therapeutics Terminates DiaPep277® Program
Company Discovers Serious Misconduct by Andromeda Biotech Ltd.
Company to Host Conference Call Today at 9:00 a.m. ET (6:00 a.m. PT)
Brisbane, Calif. September 8, 2014 Hyperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HPTX) today announced it is terminating development of DiaPep277® for newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetes. The company has uncovered evidence that certain employees of Andromeda Biotech, Ltd., which Hyperion acquired in June 2014, engaged in serious misconduct, including collusion with a third-party biostatistics firm in Israel to improperly receive un-blinded DIA-AID 1 trial data and to use such data in order to manipulate the analyses to obtain a favorable result. Additional evidence indicates that the biostatistics firm and certain Andromeda employees continued the improper practice of sharing and examining un-blinded data from the ongoing DIA-AID 2 trial. All of these acts were concealed from Hyperion and others. The Company has suspended the Andromeda employees known to be involved, is notifying relevant regulatory authorities, and continues to investigate in order to explore its legal options. Hyperion employees were not involved in any of the improper conduct.
This new information leaves us with no viable regulatory path forward, said Donald J. Santel, president and chief executive officer. Were shocked and disheartened at the serious misconduct and deceit by the implicated Andromeda employees, both before and after the close of our transaction. Patients and clinical investigators invested years
of their lives in the expectation of an honest result. We will be engaging with clinical investigators and are prepared to complete the DIA-AID 2 trial because the data may still yield useful insights into the natural history of Type 1 diabetes. However, we will not invest further in DiaPep277 beyond completing the DIA-AID 2 trial and meeting our obligations to close out the investigational program as a whole.
The last patient visit in the DIA-AID 2 trial is anticipated to occur in the fourth quarter of 2014. The company expects to record a non-cash impairment charge in the range of $25 million to 55 million.
Conference Call and Webcast
Hyperions management will host a conference call to discuss this news beginning at 9:00 a.m. EDT/6:00 a.m. PDT today, Monday, September 8, 2014.
To access the live teleconference, please dial (877) 847-7188 (U.S.) or (408) 427-3787 (International) and reference the conference ID# 99077659. To access the webcast and replay, please go to the Events & Presentation page on the Investors section of the companys web site at www.hyperiontx.com.
About Hyperion Therapeutics
Hyperion Therapeutics, Inc. is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to developing and delivering life-changing treatments for orphan diseases. The companys first commercial product, RAVICTI® (glycerol phenylbutyrate) Oral Liquid, was approved in February 2013 and is currently being marketed in the United States. The company also owns worldwide rights to BUPHENYL® (sodium phenylbutyrate) Tablets and Powder, which it markets in the U.S. The compound is also marketed internationally through business partners. In addition, the company is developing glycerol phenylbutyrate for the potential treatment of hepatic encephalopathy. For more information, please visit www.hyperiontx.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
To the extent that statements contained in this press release are not descriptions of historical facts regarding Hyperion, they are forward-looking statements reflecting the
current beliefs and expectations of management made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as may, will, expect, anticipate, estimate, intend, and similar expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events, conditions or circumstances) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, among others, expectations about future development efforts or spending on the DiaPep277 program, the timing of completion of the DIA-AID 2 trial and the amount of an impairment charge. Hyperion undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties relating to the business of the company in general, see the Risk Factors section of Hyperions Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 7, 2014, and in any subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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