STAMFORD, Conn. and HOUSTON, Dec. 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cara Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: CARA) and Tvardi Therapeutics, Inc., a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel, oral, small molecule therapies targeting STAT3 to treat fibrosis-driven diseases, today announced that the companies have entered into a definitive merger agreement to combine in an all-stock transaction.
Under the terms of the agreement, Tvardi will merge with a wholly owned subsidiary of Cara. Upon completion of the Merger, pre-Merger Cara Therapeutics stockholders are expected to own approximately 17.0% of the combined company and pre-Merger Tvardi Therapeutics investors are expected to own approximately 83.0% of the combined company, in each case, prior to adjustment from the issuance of the shares in the recently completed Tvardi financing and assuming Cara has net cash at closing of between $22.875 million and $23.125 million. The percentage of the combined company that pre-merger Cara stockholders and pre-merger Tvardi stockholders will own upon the closing of the merger is subject to further adjustment if Cara’s net cash balance falls outside of the range. Upon completion of the Merger, the combined company is expected to operate under the name Tvardi Therapeutics, Inc. and trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “TVRD”.
Imran Alibhai, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Tvardi Therapeutics, stated, “As we approach meaningful value inflection points next year, including two Phase 2 readouts of our lead program in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, followed by the readout in our hepatocellular carcinoma program, this merger, the recently completed financing, and becoming a publicly traded company give us access to the critical funding required to further advance our promising pipeline programs that address significant unmet needs. I am grateful to the Cara Board, leadership team, and shareholders who share our vision of Tvardi that is well-positioned to introduce effective, new treatment options to patients suffering from serious, chronic, fibrosis-driven diseases.”
“We are very excited to enter into this merger agreement with Tvardi and combine our financial resources with their expertise in STAT3 inhibition,” added Christopher Posner, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cara Therapeutics. “Our management and our Board of Directors thoroughly explored numerous strategic alternatives and believe that this merger with Tvardi is in the best interests of our stockholders and provides them with the opportunity to meaningfully participate in a company treating fibrosis-driven diseases in an innovative way.”
Tvardi has recently completed an approximately $28 million private financing from a syndicate of new and existing institutional investors. With the cash from both companies at closing and the proceeds of this financing, the combined company is expected to have sufficient cash to fund its operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into the second half of 2026, past the anticipated Phase 2 readouts in the second half of 2025.
KORSUVA/KAPRUVIA Asset Sale
Concurrent with the entry into the merger agreement with Tvardi, Cara also entered into an asset purchase agreement with Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma, Ltd. (“CSL Vifor”), a company jointly owned by Fresenius Medical Care and by the CSL Vifor business unit of the CSL Group. Pursuant to such asset purchase agreement, at the consummation of the transaction, Cara will sell to CSL Vifor and CSL Vifor will acquire from Cara certain assets and rights to the development, manufacture and commercialization of Korsuva®/Kapruvia® (difelikefalin) as well as certain associated liabilities (the “Asset Disposition”) for a purchase price of $900,000 (subject to certain adjustments with respect to inventory). Additionally, pursuant to the Asset Purchase Agreement, at the consummation of the Asset Disposition, Cara has agreed to pay CSL Vifor $3,000,000 to compensate CSL Vifor for the estimated incremental future expenses to be incurred by CSL Vifor as a result of the transfer of the assets to be acquired and the liabilities to be assumed by it in connection with the Asset Disposition.
The Asset Disposition is subject to certain conditions to closing, including the consummation of the merger with Tvardi substantially contemporaneously with the Asset Disposition.
Tvardi’s Pipeline of STAT3 Inhibitors
The combined company will focus on advancing Tvardi’s pipeline of novel, oral, small molecule therapies targeting STAT3 to treat fibrosis-driven diseases with significant unmet need, including its lead candidate, TTI-101, which is in a Phase 2 trial for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and a Phase 1b/2 trial for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). STAT3 is a highly validated, yet historically undruggable, transcription factor, which is a central catalyst in fibrosis-driven diseases.
TTI-101
TTI-101 is an orally bioavailable, small-molecule inhibitor of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), a transcription factor whose upregulation and activation acts as a catalyst across critical pathways associated with fibrosis-driven diseases. TTI-101’s differentiated mechanism of action is designed to inhibit STAT3 to address the unmet need in fibrosis-driven diseases, without interfering with its other essential biological functions. TTI-101 has shown a robust pharmacokinetic profile, potency in inhibiting STAT3 activation and efficacy in animal models of fibrosis-driven diseases. In addition, in clinical trials performed to date, oral dosing with TTI-101 lowered levels of activated STAT3 in tumor tissue, was generally well-tolerated, and led to clinical responses in HCC and other tumor types.
The REVERTIPF ongoing clinical trial is evaluating the safety and efficacy of TTI-101 alone or in addition to nintedanib (OFEV®) in patients suffering from IPF. The clinical trial is testing two different doses of TTI-101 compared to placebo using a Phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design and is being conducted in the United States. Unblinded data from the REVERTIPF study is anticipated to be reported in the second half of 2025. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT05671835
The REVERTLIVER CANCER ongoing clinical trial is evaluating the safety and efficacy of TTI-101 across three cohorts of patients with HCC: alone or in combination with standard of care treatments pembrolizumab (Keytruda®) or atezolizumab (Tecentriq®) and bevacizumab (Avastin® or biosimilars Vegzelma®, Alymsys®, Zirabev®, and Mvasi®). The clinical trial is a Phase 1b/2 open-label study design being conducted in the United States. Preliminary topline data from the REVERTLIVER CANCER study is anticipated in the second half of 2025. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT05440708
TTI-109
TTI-109, Tvardi’s second product candidate, is an oral, small-molecule, which is structurally related to, yet chemically distinct from, TTI-101 and is designed to enhance the ability to target STAT3. An IND application for TTI-109’s first human study is expected in the first half of 2025.
Management and Organization
Following the Merger, the combined company will be headquartered in Houston, Texas, and will be led by Tvardi’s CEO, Imran Alibhai, Ph.D., and other members of the Tvardi management team. The combined company’s board of directors will be comprised of six directors from Tvardi’s Board of Directors and one director from Cara’s Board of Directors.
About the Proposed Merger
The transaction has been approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies and is expected to close in the first half of 2025, subject to certain closing conditions, including, among other things, approval by the stockholders of each company, the effectiveness of a registration statement to be filed with the SEC to register the shares of Tvardi common stock to be issued in connection with the Merger, Cara having a minimum amount of net cash as of the closing, and other customary closing conditions. In connection with the Merger, directors and officers of Cara and directors, officers and certain stockholders of Tvardi have executed support agreements, pursuant to which they have agreed to vote all their shares of capital stock in favor of the Merger.
Advisors
Piper Sandler & Co. is serving as exclusive financial advisor to Cara Therapeutics. Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, and Popeo, P.C. is serving as legal counsel to Cara Therapeutics. Cooley LLP and Goodwin Procter LLP are serving as legal counsel to Tvardi.
About Tvardi Therapeutics
Tvardi is a privately held, clinical-stage, biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel, oral small molecule therapies targeting STAT3 to treat fibrosis-driven diseases with significant unmet need. STAT3 is a central mediator across critical fibrotic signaling pathways that drive uncontrolled deposition, proliferation, survival and immune suppression. STAT3 is also positioned at the intersection of many signaling pathways integral to the survival and immune evasion of cancer cells. The company is conducting Phase 2 clinical trials in fibrosis-driven diseases with high unmet need: idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (NCT05671835) and hepatocellular carcinoma (NCT05440708). To learn more, please visit tvarditherapeutics.com or follow us on LinkedIn and X (Twitter).
About Cara Therapeutics
Cara Therapeutics is a development-stage biopharmaceutical company that was leading a new treatment paradigm to improve the lives of patients suffering from pruritus. The Company developed an IV formulation of difelikefalin, which is approved in the United States, EU, and multiple other countries for the treatment of moderate-to-severe pruritus associated with advanced chronic kidney disease in adults undergoing hemodialysis. The IV formulation is out-licensed worldwide.
