Yes, the word out there is that these two deals are expected to finish the IPO year with a bang: Bellicum Pharmaceuticals (BLCM – proposed) and Juno Therapeutics (JUNO – proposed). Let’s take a closer look at the pending dynamic duo.
Cell-to-Cell Combat
Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, based in Houston, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel cellular immunotherapies for various forms of cancer, including both hematological cancers and solid tumors, as well as orphan inherited blood disorders.
One of Bellicum’s leading product candidates, BPX-501, is designed to eliminate the risk of Graft versus Host Disease in patients who have undergone stem cell transplants for leukemia and other types of cancer. Bellicum is also developing a vaccine for metastatic prostate cancer that uses the patient’s own white blood cells to time the immune system’s attack on cancer cells, according to its website. Both therapies are in clinical trials.
The prospectus says: “Cellular immunotherapy has the potential to transform medicine by harnessing immune cells, principally T cells, to attack and eliminate harmful diseased cells in the body.”
The IPO is expected to start trading on Thursday morning on The NASDAQ Global Select Market.
Juno Therapeutics, based in Seattle, is building a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company focused on revolutionizing medicine by re-engaging the body’s immune system to treat cancer. The company is developing cell-based cancer immunotherapies based on its chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) and high-affinity T-cell receptor technologies to genetically engineer T cells to recognize and kill cancer cells.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation in late November to Juno’s JCAR015 chimeric antigen receptor product candidate to treat relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Phase I clinical trials are under way at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
Juno is also testing its JCAR017 therapy in Phase I/II trials at Seattle Children’s Hospital in pediatric and young adult patients with leukemia. Another Juno product candidate known as JCAR014 is in Phase I/II trials at the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center to treat patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and leukemia.
The IPO is expected to start trading on Friday morning on The NASDAQ Global Select Market.
The Comparison
People are looking at Kite Pharma (KIT) as an example of an immunotherapy company that recently priced its IPO.
Kite Pharma, based in Santa Monica, California, is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel cancer immunotherapy products designed to harness the power of a patient’s own immune system to eradicate cancer cells.
On June 19, 2014, Kite priced its IPO of 7.5 million shares at $17 each, up from 6 million shares at $12 to $14 each. On June 20, Kite opened at $25.45, closed its opening day at $29, and closed on Friday, Dec. 12, at $53.75, UP 222.3 percent from its initial opening price.
Fast Financing for Small Business
The other IPO that people are said to be watching on this week’s calendar is On Deck Capital (ONDK – proposed).
On Deck Capital, based in New York City, is an online platform for small business lending. The company states that small businesses can apply for a term loan or a line of credit on its website within a matter of minutes. Using its proprietary On Deck Score technology, On Deck Capital can make a funding decision immediately and transfer funds as fast as the same day. Google Ventures is among the venture capital companies backing On Deck Capital.
The IPO is expected to start trading on Wednesday morning on The New York Stock Exchange.
The Comparison
People are looking at LendingClub (LC) as an example of a lending company that recently priced its IPO.
LendingClub, based in San Francisco, is an online financial marketplace connecting borrowers and investors. The company believes its platform has facilitated over $5 billion in loans since it first launched in 2007, including over $1 billion in the second quarter of 2014 alone.
On Dec. 10, 2014, LendingClub priced its IPO of 58 million shares at $15 each, up from 57.7 million shares at $10 to $12 each. On Dec. 11, LendingClub opened at $24.98, closed its opening day at $23.43, and closed on Friday, Dec. 12, at $24.69, UP 64.9 percent from its initial opening price.
This brings the curtain down on 2014. After Friday, Dec. 19, 2014, the IPO calendar follows the pattern of past years and becomes clean and green until sometime in January 2015.
Stay tuned.
Disclosure: Neither the author nor anyone else on the IPOScoop.com staff has a position in any stocks mentioned, nor do we trade or invest in IPOs. The author and IPOScoop.com staff do not issue advice, recommendations or opinions.