Organization and Operations

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2021

Organization and Operations

Organization and Operations

1.     Organization and Operations

The Company

Astria Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”), formerly known as Catabasis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapeutics. Its mission is to bring hope with life-changing therapies to patients and families. On October 26, 2020, the Company announced that the Phase 3 PolarisDMD trial of the Company’s previous lead product candidate, edasalonexent, for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (“DMD”) did not meet its primary and secondary endpoints. Based on these results, the Company announced that it was stopping activities related to the development of edasalonexent, including the Company’s ongoing open-label extension trial. On January 28, 2021, the Company acquired Quellis Biosciences, Inc (“Quellis”). The Company’s lead product candidate, which was acquired in the Quellis acquisition, is STAR-0215 (formerly known as QLS-215), a monoclonal antibody inhibitor of plasma kallikrein in preclinical development for the treatment of hereditary angioedema, or HAE, a rare, debilitating and potentially life-threatening disease. The Company was incorporated in the State of Delaware on June 26, 2008.

Reverse Stock Split

On August 19, 2021, the Company effected a reverse stock split of its outstanding shares of common stock at a ratio of one-for-six (1:6) pursuant to a Certificate of Amendment to its Certificate of Incorporation filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware. The reverse stock split was reflected on Nasdaq beginning with the opening of trading on August 20, 2021. Pursuant to the reverse stock split, every six shares of the Company's issued and outstanding shares of common stock were automatically combined into one issued and outstanding share of common stock, without any change in the par value per share of the common stock. Amounts of common stock resulting from the reverse stock split were rounded down to the nearest whole share and any resulting fractional shares were cancelled for cash. The number of authorized shares of the Company's common stock remained unchanged. The reverse stock split affected all issued and outstanding shares of the Company's common stock, and the respective numbers of shares of common stock underlying the Company’s outstanding Series X Preferred Stock, outstanding stock options, outstanding warrants and the Company's equity incentive plans were proportionately adjusted. All share and per share amounts of the common stock included in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements have been retrospectively adjusted to give effect to the reverse stock split for all periods presented, including reclassifying an amount equal to the reduction in par value to additional paid-in capital.

Agreement and Plan of Merger

On January 28, 2021, the Company acquired Quellis (the “Quellis Acquisition”).  Under the terms of that certain agreement and plan of merger, dated January 28, 2021 (the “Merger Agreement”), the Company issued to the stockholders of Quellis 555,444 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and 50,504 shares of newly designated Series X redeemable convertible preferred stock (“Series X Preferred Stock”) (as described below). The Series X Preferred Stock had a conversion value on the closing date of $122.7 million. In addition, the Company assumed options granted under the Quellis stock option plan, which became options to purchase 55,414 shares of the Company’s common stock, a warrant to purchase 2,805 shares of Series X Preferred Stock at an exercise price of $341.70 per share, and a warrant to purchase 30,856 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $2.10 per share, which warrants are exercisable until December 14, 2030. Upon stockholder approval of the Conversion Proposal (as defined below) on June 2, 2021, the warrant to purchase Series X Preferred Stock was converted into the right to purchase 467,500 shares of the Company’s common stock, at a per share exercise price of $2.10 per share.

Stock Purchase Agreement and Series X Preferred Stock

Concurrent with the Quellis Acquisition, the Company entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with certain institutional and accredited investors. Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, the Company sold an aggregate of 35,573 shares of Series X Preferred Stock for gross proceeds of approximately $110.0 million, and net proceeds of $104.3 million (the “February 2021 Financing”). Each share of Series X Preferred Stock is convertible into 166.67 shares of common stock. In accounting for the Purchase Agreement, the Company recorded a beneficial conversion feature of $19.6 million and issuance costs of $5.7 million. The combined

total was treated as a discount to the value of Series X Preferred Stock, See Note 2 – “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” for further discussion.

As a result of the Quellis Acquisition and the February 2021 Financing, the Company issued the following Series X Preferred Stock or warrants to purchase Series X Preferred Stock:

	Series X
	Preferred
	Stock
Outstanding shares issued in merger	50,504
Outstanding shares issued in February 2021 Financing	35,573
Warrants assumed in merger	2,805
Total	88,882

At its 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders on June 2, 2021, the Company’s stockholders approved the conversion of the Company’s Series X Preferred Stock into shares of the Company’s common stock in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(a) (the “Conversion Proposal”). Following stockholder approval of the Conversion Proposal, each share of Series X Preferred Stock then outstanding automatically converted into 166.67 shares of the Company’s common stock, subject to certain beneficial ownership limitations, including that a holder of Series X Preferred Stock is prohibited from converting shares of Series X Preferred Stock into shares of the Company’s common stock if, as a result of such conversion, such holder, together with its affiliates, would beneficially own more than a specified percentage (as of September 30, 2021, these percentages are set at 4.99% to 9.99% and can be adjusted by the holder to a number between 4.99% and 19.99)% of the total number of shares of the Company’s common stock issued and outstanding immediately after giving effect to such conversion. As of September 30, 2021, 54,622 shares of Series X Preferred Stock were converted into 9,103,664 shares of common stock and 31,455 shares of Series X Preferred Stock remained outstanding. Each share of Series X Preferred Stock is convertible into 166.67 shares of common stock and therefore the number of shares of underlying common stock issuable upon conversion of the remaining outstanding shares of Series X Preferred Stock is 5,242,501. Outstanding shares of Series X Preferred Stock are subject to conversion at the option of the holder.

Prior to stockholder approval of the Conversion Proposal, the terms of the Series X Preferred Stock included a cash redemption feature. This cash redemption feature resulted in substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern as disclosed in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 (the “2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K”) and the Company’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2021.  Upon stockholder approval of the Conversion Proposal, the cash redemption feature was eliminated and, consequently, there is no longer substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for at least twelve months subsequent to the issuance of these financial statements.

Holders of Series X Preferred Stock are entitled to receive dividends, subject to certain beneficial ownership limitations, on shares of Series X Preferred Stock equal, on an as-if-converted-to-common-stock basis, and in the same form as dividends actually paid on shares of the Company’s common stock. Except as otherwise required by law, the Series X Preferred Stock does not have voting rights. However, as long as any shares of Series X Preferred Stock are outstanding, the Company may not, without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the then outstanding shares of the Series X Preferred Stock, (i) alter or change adversely the powers, preferences or rights given to the Series X Preferred Stock or alter or amend the Certificate of Designation that authorized the Series X Preferred Stock, amend or repeal any provision of, or add any provision to, the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or bylaws, or file any articles of amendment, certificate of designations, preferences, limitations and relative rights of any series of preferred stock, if such action would adversely alter or change the preferences, rights, privileges or powers of, or restrictions provided for the benefit of the Series X Preferred Stock, (ii) issue further shares of Series X Preferred Stock or increase or decrease (other than by conversion) the number of authorized shares of Series X Preferred Stock, or (iii) enter into any agreement with respect to any of the foregoing.

January 2020 Financing

On January 30, 2020, the Company entered into an underwriting agreement with Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. relating to an underwritten public offering (the “January 2020 Financing”) of 881,666 shares of common stock at a price to the public of $30.00 per share, including 115,000 shares issued upon the exercise in full by Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. of its overallotment option. This resulted in gross proceeds of $26.5 million, and net proceeds of $24.6 million.

Liquidity

The Company has entered into various sales agreements with Cowen and Company LLC (“Cowen”), pursuant to which the Company could issue and sell shares of common stock under at-the-market offering programs. On May 20, 2021, the Company terminated its sales agreement with Cowen. On June 30, 2021, the Company entered into an Open Market Sale Agreement^SM with Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”), pursuant to which the Company can issue and sell shares of common stock of up to $25.0 million under at-the-market offering programs (collectively, with the Cowen at-the-market offering program, the “ATM Programs”). The Company pays 3% of the gross proceeds from any common stock sold through the ATM Programs. As of June 30, 2021, the Company has not sold any shares of common stock pursuant to the Jefferies agreement and, as a result, $25.0 million of common stock remains available for sale under the Jefferies agreement.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company sold an aggregate of 392,288 shares of common stock pursuant to the ATM Programs, at an average price of $42.76 per share, for net proceeds of $16.3 million after deducting sales commissions and offering expenses. There was no activity from the ATM Programs during the nine months ended September 30, 2021.

As of September 30, 2021, the Company had an accumulated deficit of $446.3 million and had available cash and cash equivalents of $131.8 million. The Company has been primarily involved with research and development activities and has incurred operating losses and negative cash flows from operations since its inception. The Company has not generated any product revenues and has financed its operations primarily through public offerings and private placements of its equity securities. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to obtain additional debt, equity or other financing or generate product revenue or revenues from collaborative partners, on terms acceptable to the Company, on a timely basis or at all. The failure of the Company to obtain sufficient funds on acceptable terms when needed could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations, and financial condition.

The Company is subject to a number of risks similar to other life science companies, including, but not limited to, successful discovery and development of its drug candidates, raising additional capital, development by its competitors of new technological innovations, protection of proprietary technology and regulatory approval and market acceptance of the Company’s products. The Company anticipates that it will continue to incur significant operating losses for the next several years as it continues to develop its product candidates.