Wilmington and Israeli-based Ayala Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Advaxis, Inc. announced that they have entered into a merger agreement.
The merger will result in a combined company that will focus primarily on the development and commercialization of Ayala’s lead program AL102 for the treatment of desmoid tumors and Advaxis’s candidate ADXS-504 in development for prostate cancer.
Kenneth A. Berlin, CEO of Advaxis, said, “Advaxis took a thorough approach in our quest to find the right partner with the right products. This merger is expected to enhance Advaxis’s portfolio of clinical assets, with Ayala’s proprietary gamma secretase inhibitors that are being developed as targeted therapies for rare and aggressive tumors.
Ayala’s lead candidate, AL102, is currently being investigated in the Phase 2/3 study in desmoid tumors.
Roni Mamluk, CEO of Ayala said, “We are pleased to announce the proposed merger with Advaxis, which is expected to provide our pipeline and AL102 with additional financial resources as well as additional infrastructure in the U.S. The two companies have a shared mission to develop innovative therapies to improve the lives of patients with cancer and I believe we have found a good partner to advance our pipeline and create value for our stakeholders.”
Each outstanding share of Ayala common stock will be converted into the right to receive shares of common stock of Advaxis based on the exchange ratio set forth in the merger agreement. Upon completion of the merger, Ayala stockholders will own approximately 62.5% of the combined company’s outstanding common stock and Advaxis stockholders will own approximately 37.5%, subject to the terms of the merger agreement.
Consummation of the merger is subject to certain closing conditions, including, among other things, approval by the stockholders of Ayala. At the closing of the merger, Ayala will be delisted from The Nasdaq Global Market. The combined company’s common stock is expected to begin trading on the OTCQX at the effective time of the merger, subject to Advaxis’ planned efforts to have the stock of the combined company listed on Nasdaq, as to which no assurances can be made.
