Rocket to Acquire Renovacor, Adding AAV-based Cardiac Gene Therapy to Pipeline

Rare pediatric gene therapy developer Rocket Pharmaceuticals said it will acquire Renovacor in an all-stock transaction valued at $53 million, adding an AAV-based gene therapy for cardiac disease to its pipeline.

Photo: Gaurav Shah, CEO of Rocket

“The acquisition of Renovacor aligns with our strategy to expand our leadership position in AAV-based gene therapy for cardiac disease and gives us a perfect opportunity to continue on our mission to transform the lives of heart failure patients through the power of gene therapy,” said Gaurav Shah, CEO of Rocket. “This strategic acquisition gives us what we believe is the broadest platform in the field to address these devastating rare cardiac diseases. Furthermore, the acquisition will bring to Rocket key personnel, namely a team of leading cardiology drug development experts, critical capabilities, and valuable IP to support continued development of the BAG3 as well as other potential cardiac programs, including a gene therapy research collaboration for arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.”

Renovacor’s most advanced program, REN-001, is an AAV-based gene therapy targeting BAG3-associated dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a severe form of heart failure. BAG3-DCM represents a significant unmet medical need in a patient population with rapidly progressive cardiac dysfunction in whom no treatments targeting the underlying mechanism of disease exist. Renovacor has deep technical expertise in the development of precision therapies that address genetically driven cardiac diseases. Further, Renovacor is supported by world-class scientific collaborators, a robust intellectual property portfolio and personnel with expertise in BAG3-DCM. These assets and capabilities, all together, represent tremendous value and will enhance Rocket’s leading position in cardiac AAV-based gene therapy.

Under the terms of the definitive agreement, Renovacor shareholders will receive approximately 0.1676 shares of Rocket in exchange for each of their shares in Renovacor and are expected to own approximately 4.6 percent of Rocket equity on a fully diluted basis immediately following the closing of the transaction. The exchange ratio implies an equity deal value of approximately $53 million based on fully diluted shares outstanding and the acceleration and vesting of all earnout shares, or $2.60 per share of Renovacor, based on the volume weighted average trading price of Rocket shares of $15.51 for the 30 trading days through and including Monday, September 19, 2022. The exchange ratio is subject to adjustment based on Renovacor net cash at closing.

It is currently anticipated that the transaction will close by the first quarter of 2023, subject to approval by Renovacor and Rocket shareholders, receipt of any required customary regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions.

Author: Rare Daily Staff