Sidley represented Ocuphire Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:OCUP), a clinical-stage ophthalmic biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapies for the treatment of patients with retinal and refractive eye disorders, in an all-stock acquisition of Opus Genetics, Inc., a clinical-stage gene therapy company for inherited retinal diseases (IRDs).
The merger creates a transformative biotech company committed to being a leader in the development of gene therapies for the treatment of IRDs. In connection with the merger, the combined company will be renamed Opus Genetics, Inc., effective October 23, 2024, and will trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “IRD” effective October 24, 2024.
Under the terms of the acquisition, Ocuphire issued 5.2 million shares of its common stock and 14.1 thousand shares of its convertible preferred stock to existing stockholders of Opus Genetics.
The team was led by Asher M. Rubin (Technology and Life Sciences Transactions) and John H. Butler (M&A) and included Adriana V. Tibbitts, Dina M.P. Kang, Sophia Iams, and Cassidy A. Pomeroy-Carter (Technology and Life Sciences Transactions); Nikita Ponomarev, Melissa Craig, Kathy Jara, and Brendan McCartney (M&A); Torrey Cope, James R. Johnson, Kevin A. Sforza, Jay Jariwala, and Daniel J. Roberts (Food, Drug and Medical Device); Katie Klaben, Kim Gubbels, and Xi Zhao (Capital Markets); Nicholas F. Frey and Madeline Clasen (Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation); Vadim Brusser (Antitrust and Competition); Andrea L. Reed (Corporate Governance); Scott J.F. Goldstein (Insurance); Eric G. Hoffman (Labor, Employment and Immigration); and Dr. Christian Brause (Tax).
For additional information, please refer to the press release.
