UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM 6-K
REPORT
OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER
PURSUANT
TO RULE 13A-16 OR 15D-16 UNDER THE
SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Dated
April
10, 2017
Commission
File Number 001-36421
AURINIA PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
(Exact
name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
N/A
(Translation of Registrant’s Name)
#1203-4464 Markham Street
Victoria, British Columbia
V8Z7X8
(250)
708-4272
(Address and telephone number of registrant’s
principal executive offices)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.
Form 20-F ⃞ Form 40-F ⊠
Indicate by
check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as
permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): ⃞
Indicate by
check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as
permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): ⃞
Indicate by check mark whether by furnishing the information contained in this Form, the registrant is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Yes ⊠ No ⃞
This Form 6-K is hereby filed and incorporated by reference into the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form F-10 (File No. 333-206994).
SIGNATURES
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, thereunto duly authorized.
|
Dated: |
April 10, 2017 |
|||
|
Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
||||
|
|
||||
|
|
|
By: |
/s/ Celia Economides |
|
|
|
Name: |
Celia Economides |
||
|
|
|
Title: |
Head of IR & Communications |
|
EXHIBIT INDEX
|
Exhibit |
Description of Exhibit |
|
| 99.1 |
News Release – Aurinia to Host Investor Event and Webcast on April 20th in Orlando, FL |
Exhibit 99.1 included with this report on Form 6-K is hereby incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form F-10 (File No. 333-206994), as amended or supplemented.
3
Exhibit 99.1
Aurinia to Host Investor Event and Webcast on April 20th in Orlando, FL
VICTORIA, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 10, 2017--Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc., (NASDAQ: AUPH / TSX:AUP) today announced that it will host an Investor Event during the National Kidney Foundation Spring Clinical Meeting on April 20, 2017 at 6:00pm Eastern Time in Orlando, FL.
The event will feature presentations by key opinion leaders (KOLs) Samir Parikh, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Nephrology at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Michael R. Bubb, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology at the University of Florida, who will present Aurinia's 48-week data from the AURA-LV (AURA) study of voclosporin for the treatment of active lupus nephritis (LN) and discuss the clinical implications of this data, respectively. Both KOLs will be available to answer questions following the presentations
The event is intended for investors, sell-side analysts, and business development professionals only. Please RSVP in advance if you plan to attend, as space is limited. To reserve a spot, please contact LifeSci Advisors, LLC at contact@lifesciadvisors.com. A live webcast of the event, with slides, will be available on the Investors section of the Company’s website at http://ir.auriniapharma.com/ir-calendar.
About AURA-LV
The AURA–LV study (Aurinia Urinary
Protein Reduction in Active Lupus with Voclosporin) was a 48-week study
comparing the efficacy of two doses of voclosporin added to current
standard of care of MMF against standard of care with placebo in
achieving complete remission (CR) in patients with active LN. All arms
also received low doses of corticosteroids as background therapy. 265
patients were enrolled at centers in 20 countries worldwide. On entry to
the study, patients were required to have a diagnosis of LN according to
established diagnostic criteria (American College of Rheumatology) and
clinical and biopsy features indicative of highly active nephritis. The
24-week primary and secondary endpoints were released in Q3 2016 with
top-line 48-week results announced in Q1 2017. The 48-week data has been
accepted for a late-breaking presentation at National Kidney Foundation
(NKF) Spring Clinical Meeting taking place April 18-22 in Orlando, FL.
About Voclosporin
Voclosporin, an investigational drug,
is a novel and potentially best-in-class calcineurin inhibitor (“CNI”)
with clinical data in over 2,200 patients across indications.
Voclosporin is an immunosuppressant, with a synergistic and dual
mechanism of action that has the potential to improve near- and
long-term outcomes in LN when added to standard of care (MMF). By
inhibiting calcineurin, voclosporin blocks IL-2 expression and T-cell
mediated immune responses. It is made by a modification of a single
amino acid of the cyclosporine molecule which has shown a more
predictable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic relationship, an
increase in potency, an altered metabolic profile, and potential for
flat dosing. The Company anticipates that upon regulatory approval,
patent protection for voclosporin will be extended in the United States
and certain other major markets, including Europe and Japan, until at
least October 2027 under the Hatch-Waxman Act and comparable laws in
other countries.
About Lupus Nephritis (LN)
LN in an inflammation of the
kidney caused by Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (“SLE”) and represents a
serious progression of SLE. SLE is a chronic, complex and often
disabling disorder and affects more than 500,000 people in the United
States (mostly women). The disease is highly heterogeneous, affecting a
wide range of organs & tissue systems. It is estimated that as many as
60% of all SLE patients have clinical LN requiring treatment. Unlike
SLE, LN has straightforward disease outcomes where an early response
correlates with long-term outcomes, measured by proteinuria. In patients
with LN, renal damage results in proteinuria and/or hematuria and a
decrease in renal function as evidenced by reduced estimated glomerular
filtration rate (eGFR), and increased serum creatinine levels. LN is
debilitating and costly and if poorly controlled, LN can lead to
permanent and irreversible tissue damage within the kidney, resulting in
end-stage renal disease (ESRD), thus making LN a serious and potentially
life-threatening condition.
About Aurinia
Aurinia is a clinical stage
biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing
therapies to treat targeted patient populations that are suffering from
serious diseases with a high unmet medical need. The company is
currently developing voclosporin, an investigational drug, for the
treatment of LN. The company is headquartered in Victoria, BC and
focuses its development efforts globally. www.auriniapharma.com.
We seek safe harbor.
CONTACT:
Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Investor & Media
Contact:
Celia Economides
Head of IR & Communications
ceconomides@auriniapharma.com
or
Media:
Christopher
Hippolyte, 212-364-0458
Christopher.hippolyte@inventivhealth.com