8-K

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): November 29, 2022

Aravive, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware	001-36361	26-4106690
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)

River Oaks Tower

3730 Kirby Drive, Suite 1200

Houston, Texas 77098

(Address of principal executive offices)

(936) 355-1910

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

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))

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, par value $0.0001 per share	ARAV	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 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

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 7.01.   Regulation FD Disclosure.

On November 29, 2022, Aravive, Inc. (the “Company”) issued a press release attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 announcing that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) has granted Fast Track Designation to the Company’s lead program, batiraxcept, for treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) who have progressed after one or two prior lines of systemic therapy that include both immuno-oncology (IO)-based and vascular endothelial growth factor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (VEGF-TKI)-based therapies (either in combination or sequentially).

In addition, the Company will be making several presentations to investors over the next several weeks. In connection with the presentations, the Company intends to discuss the investor presentation, which is furnished as Exhibit 99.2 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.

The information in this Item 7.01 and in the press release furnished as Exhibit 99.1 and the investor presentation furnished as Exhibit 99.2 to this Current Report on Form 8-K shall not be deemed to be “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section or Sections 11 and 12(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and shall not be incorporated by reference into any filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission made by the Company, whether made before or after the date hereof, regardless of any general incorporation language in such filing.

The Company’s press release furnished as Exhibit 99.1 and the investor presentation furnished as Exhibit 99.2 to this Current Report on Form 8-K includes “safe harbor” language pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, indicating that certain statements contained therein are “forward-looking” rather than historical.

Item 8.01.   Other Events.

On November 29, 2022, the Company issued a press release announcing that the FDA has granted Fast Track Designation to the Company’s lead program, batiraxcept, for treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) who have progressed after one or two prior lines of systemic therapy that include both immuno-oncology (IO)-based and vascular endothelial growth factor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (VEGF-TKI)-based therapies (either in combination or sequentially).

Item 9.01.   Financial Statements and Exhibits. 

(d) Exhibits.

Exhibit Number	Exhibit Description
99.1	Press release of Aravive, Inc. dated November 29, 2022
99.2	Investor Presentation of Aravive, Inc. dated November 2022
104	Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)

1

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.

Date: November 29, 2022	ARAVIVE, INC. (Registrant)
	By:	/s/ Gail McIntyre
	Name:	Gail McIntyre
	Title:	Chief Executive Officer

2

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

Aravive Announces Fast Track Designation of Batiraxcept for Treatment of ccRCC

FDA decision based on new Phase 1b data: Objective Response Rate (ORR) of 57% and median Progression-Free Survival (PFS) of 11.4 months in patients with advanced or metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) who have progressed after 1 or 2 prior lines of immuno-oncology (IO)- and vascular endothelial growth factor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (VEGF-TKI)-based therapies.

HOUSTON, TX, November 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Aravive, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARAV, “the Company”), a late clinical-stage oncology company developing targeted therapeutics to treat metastatic disease, today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track Designation to the company’s lead program, batiraxcept, for treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) who have progressed after 1 or 2 prior lines of systemic therapy that include both immuno-oncology (IO)-based and vascular endothelial growth factor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (VEGF-TKI)-based therapies (either in combination or sequentially).

Fast Track is a process designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of investigational drugs to treat serious conditions and fill an unmet medical need. Drugs that receive Fast Track designation may be eligible for more frequent communications and meetings with the FDA to discuss the drug's development plan, including the design of the proposed clinical trials, use of biomarkers and the extent of data needed to support approval. Drugs with Fast Track Designation may also qualify for accelerated and priority review of new drug applications if relevant criteria are met.

The Fast Track Designation was based on new data submitted to the agency from the P1b clear cell renal cell cancer (ccRCC) study (AVB500-RCC-003; NCT04300140). As of September 26, 2022, 26 previously treated (second line or greater) patients with ccRCC have been treated with batiraxcept in the Phase 1b portion of a Phase 1b/2 trial at doses of 15 mg/kg (n=16) and 20 mg/kg (n=10), plus cabozantinib 60 mg daily. There were no dose limiting toxicities observed at either dose. Clinical data from this study demonstrate that batiraxcept has the potential to increase the clinical activity of cabozantinib in patients with metastatic ccRCC who have progressed following IO- and VEGF-TKI-based therapies (N=14 of the 26 patients) as the Objective Response Rate (ORR) was 57% and median Progression-Free Survival (PFS) was 11.4 months in this population.

“The majority of patients with kidney cancer develop resistance to frontline treatment and there is a clinical need for novel agents to improve upon treatment options in the refractory setting,” said Kathryn Beckermann, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and lead investigator for the trial. “Response rates to single agent targeted kinase inhibitors are approximately 30% with a PFS of approximately 7 months. The early data seen with batiraxcept including biomarker development, response rate, and progression-free survival are promising.”

“A review of the literature suggests that the clinical activity of cabozantinib is lower in those patients who have progressed following a VEGF-TKI-based therapy compared to patients who have progressed on IO or IO/IO therapy. Since preclinical data published by Xiao in 2019¹ observed that batiraxcept may restore TKI sensitivity, it makes sense that the combination of batiraxcept and cabozantinib may exhibit its greatest impact in those patients who have failed prior VEGF-TKI therapies,” said Gail McIntyre, Ph.D., DABT, Chief Executive Officer of Aravive. “Understanding the P1b ccRCC data has allowed us to identify the most appropriate patient population in which to evaluate batiraxcept in combination with cabozantinib and potentially the quickest path to approval in this population with an unmet medical need.”

¹ Cancer Res 2019;79:5758–68

About Aravive

Aravive, Inc. is a late clinical-stage oncology company developing targeted therapeutics to treat metastatic disease. Our lead product candidate, batiraxcept (formerly AVB-500), is an ultra-high affinity decoy protein that binds to GAS6, the sole ligand that activates AXL, thereby inhibiting metastasis and tumor growth, and restoring sensitivity to anti-cancer agents. Batiraxcept has been granted Fast Track Designation by the U.S. FDA and Orphan Drug Designation by the European Commission in platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer. Batiraxcept is in an active registrational Phase 3 trial in platinum resistant ovarian cancer (NCT04729608), a Phase 1b/2 trial in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (NCT04300140), and a Phase 1b/2 trial in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (NCT04983407). The Company is based in Houston, Texas and received a Product Development Award from the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) in 2016. Additional information at www.aravive.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "should," "potential," "continue," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," and similar expressions and includes statements regarding the potential of batiraxcept to increase the clinical activity of cabozantinib in patients with metastatic ccRCC who have progressed following IO- and VEGF-TKI-based therapies and the combination of batiraxcept and cabozantinib exhibiting its greatest impact in those patients who have failed prior VEGF-TKI therapies. . Forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and assumptions, are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, risks and uncertainties related to the potential of batiraxcept as a treatment for advanced or metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) , the ability to provide data when anticipated; the Company's dependence upon batiraxcept; batiraxcept's ability to have favorable results in clinical trials; the clinical trials of batiraxcept having results that are as favorable as those of preclinical and clinical trials; the ability to receive regulatory approval, potential delays in the Company's clinical trials due to regulatory requirements or difficulty identifying qualified investigators or enrolling patients especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic; the risk that batiraxcept may cause serious side effects or have properties that delay or prevent regulatory approval or limit its commercial potential; the risk that the Company may encounter difficulties in manufacturing batiraxcept; if batiraxcept is approved, risks associated with its market acceptance, including pricing and reimbursement; potential difficulties enforcing the Company's intellectual property rights; and the Company's reliance on its licensor of intellectual property and financing needs. The foregoing review of important factors that could cause actual events to differ from expectations should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with statements that are included herein and elsewhere, including the risk factors included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarters ended March 31, 2022, June 30, 2022 and September 30, 2022, respectively, recent Current Reports on Form 8-K and subsequent filings with the SEC. Except as required by applicable law, the Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Investor Relations Contact:

Corey Davis, Ph.D.

LifeSci Advisors, LLC

212-915-2577

cdavis@lifesciadvisors.com

EX-99.2

Exhibit 99.2

XML

Document And Entity Information	Nov. 29, 2022
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity, Registrant Name	Aravive, Inc.
Document, Type	8-K
Document, Period End Date	Nov. 29, 2022
Entity, Incorporation, State or Country Code	DE
Entity, File Number	001-36361
Entity, Tax Identification Number	26-4106690
Entity, Address, Address Line One	River Oaks Tower
Entity, Address, Address Line Two	3730 Kirby Drive, Suite 1200
Entity, Address, City or Town	Houston
Entity, Address, State or Province	TX
Entity, Address, Postal Zip Code	77098
City Area Code	936
Local Phone Number	355-1910
Written Communications	false
Soliciting Material	false
Pre-commencement Tender Offer	false
Pre-commencement Issuer Tender Offer	false
Title of 12(b) Security	Common stock
Trading Symbol	ARAV
Security Exchange Name	NASDAQ
Entity, Emerging Growth Company	false
Amendment Flag	false
Entity, Central Index Key	0001513818