Belite Bio, Inc. (NASDAQ: BLTE) has priced an underwritten public offering of 2,272,727 American Depositary Shares at $154.00 per ADS, with gross proceeds expected to total approximately $350 million before fees. The offering includes a 30-day option for underwriters to purchase up to 340,909 additional ADSs. The company plans to use net proceeds for commercialization preparation, pipeline development, and general corporate purposes.
This capital raise is significant for the clinical-stage drug development company, which focuses on advancing novel therapeutics for degenerative retinal diseases with significant unmet medical needs. Belite Bio's lead candidate, Tinlarebant, is an oral therapy intended to reduce the accumulation of bisretinoid toxins in the eye. The treatment has completed a Phase 3 trial (DRAGON) in adolescent Stargardt disease type 1 (STGD1) subjects and is currently being evaluated in a Phase 2/3 trial (DRAGON II) in adolescent STGD1 subjects and a Phase 3 trial (PHOENIX) in subjects with geographic atrophy (GA) in advanced dry age-related macular degeneration.
The offering's joint active book-running managers include Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Leerink Partners, BofA Securities and Cantor, with H.C. Wainwright & Co. serving as lead manager and Maxim Group LLC and Titan Partners Group as co-managers. More information about the company can be found at https://belitebio.com/.
This financing round matters because it provides substantial resources for advancing treatments for conditions that currently lack effective therapies. Stargardt disease type 1 and geographic atrophy in advanced dry age-related macular degeneration represent significant challenges in ophthalmology, affecting patients' vision and quality of life. The $350 million capital infusion enables Belite Bio to accelerate commercialization preparations and continue developing its pipeline, potentially bringing new treatment options to market for patients with these degenerative retinal conditions.
The successful pricing of this offering reflects investor confidence in Belite Bio's therapeutic approach and development pipeline. For the biotechnology sector, such substantial financings support continued innovation in addressing complex medical conditions. The company's focus on oral therapies for retinal diseases represents a potentially more accessible treatment modality compared to invasive procedures, which could have broader implications for patient care and treatment adherence in ophthalmology.
