Kamada Said to Seek as Much as $50 Million in Nasdaq Listing
Kamada Ltd. (KMDA), the Israeli maker of treatments for hereditary lung diseases, hired Morgan Stanley and Jefferies Group Inc. to arrange the sale of as much as $50 million in stock in the U.S., according to a person familiar with the plans.
A prospectus will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission soon, and the proceeds will be used to develop the business, said the person, who asked not to be named because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly about the sale. The shares will be traded on Nasdaq, the person said. Chief Financial Officer Gil Efron declined to comment when contacted by telephone. A spokeswoman for Jefferies in London declined to immediately comment. A spokesman for Morgan Stanley (MS) in London declined to comment.
Kamada said in December that it was examining a sale of shares in the U.S., adding that no decision had been made on the size and timing of the offering. The stock gained 62 percent last year and 4 percent this year, giving the Nes Ziona-based company a market value of almost 990 million shekels ($262 million).
“The main idea for Kamada at this point is to get feedback from a sophisticated market,” said Nir Zonenberg, head of research at Meitav Investment House, which holds a 4.99 percent stake in Kamada. “Kamada probably thinks the American market is better equipped to grasp the significance of its upcoming results.”
Distribution Deal
The company announced on Aug. 5 an agreement with Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA for the exclusive distribution of the inhaled version of its medicine for a genetic condition called Alpha-1 Antitrypsin deficiency that can lead to liver and lung damage. The inhaled version is in later stages of human testing in Europe and results are expected this year.
Kamada said the Chiesi agreement could bring in $60 million if regulatory conditions and sales targets are met and estimates sales potential of “hundreds of millions of dollars.” The company already sells an intravenous version of the AAT treatment with Baxter International Inc. (BAX)
To contact the reporter on this story: David Wainer in Tel Aviv at dwainer3@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Phil Serafino at pserafino@bloomberg.net
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