1. Scrip
  2. >>Business
  3. >>Financing
  4. >>Finance Watch

Finance Watch: Investors Push ESSA Pharma, Elevation Oncology To Wind Down

Soleus Capital, BML Capital Management Seek Firms’ Cash

 
• By Mandy Jackson

Restructuring Edition: ESSA and Elevation are reviewing strategic alternatives after trial failures, but each has an investor urging them to liquidate. Also, Third Harmonic and Vincerx are winding down, while Keros and Tempest are assessing options, but Opthea and OPM are cutting jobs.

Finance Watch Image
• Source: Shutterstock

Dozens of public biopharmaceutical companies have announced plans in 2025 to assess strategic alternatives after clinical trial setbacks or as cash stockpiles dwindled. Both ESSA Pharma and Elevation Oncology have significant cash on their balance sheets, but each company discontinued development of their lead drug candidates following trial failures and began reviewing strategic options. Now each firm has an investor pushing them towards the liquidation option.

ESSA Pharma has been assessing alternatives for the Vancouver-based company’s $120.6m in cash as of the end of 2024 since ending development of its prostate cancer...

Read the full article – start your free trial today!

Join thousands of industry professionals who rely on Scrip for daily insights

  • Start your 7-day free trial
  • Explore trusted news, analysis, and insights
  • Access comprehensive global coverage
  • Enjoy instant access – no credit card required
Start Free Trial

Already a subscriber?

More from Finance Watch

Finance Watch: Prime, Kyverna, Allogene And More Announce Job Cuts

 
• By Mandy Jackson

Restructuring Edition: Prime Medicine ended its sole clinical-stage program to prioritize preclinical and partnered programs, cutting 25% of its workforce to extend its cash runway. Meanwhile, earnings season brought workforce reductions at Kyverna, Allogene, Leap and others.

Finance Watch: Funding Alternatives Become The Norm In Tough Public Markets

 
• By Mandy Jackson

Public Company Edition: With fewer follow-on offerings, drug developers are pursuing other options. Axsome accessed up to $570m in debt, Evolus obtained $250m in a new credit facility and Abeona raised $155m from a PRV sale, but Apimeds was able to execute a small $13.5m IPO.

Finance Watch: Deerfield Closes $600m-Plus VC Fund; Gates Speeds Up Health Investments

 
• By Mandy Jackson

Private Company Edition: Deerfield’s third innovations fund will back therapeutics and other opportunities, the Gates Foundation – a sometimes funder of biotech firms – will spend $200bn over the next 20 years, and NewLimit raised a $130m series B round, among other financings.

Finance Watch: Unity Lays Off All Employees As It Evaluates Alternatives

 
• By Mandy Jackson

Restructuring Edition: Unity unveiled more Phase IIb data for lead asset UBX1325 along with plans to shed its workforce while seeking a partner for it and other drugs. Also, Ono is consolidating US employees at one site, Entrada is cutting its workforce by 20% and other recent strategic shifts.

More from Scrip

Genentech, Orionis Stick Together In Second Molecular Glue Deal

 
• By Alaric DeArment

Deal Snapshot: Orionis and Genentech signed a new partnership focused on molecular glues, on top of the one that they struck in 2023.

Finance Watch: Prime, Kyverna, Allogene And More Announce Job Cuts

 
• By Mandy Jackson

Restructuring Edition: Prime Medicine ended its sole clinical-stage program to prioritize preclinical and partnered programs, cutting 25% of its workforce to extend its cash runway. Meanwhile, earnings season brought workforce reductions at Kyverna, Allogene, Leap and others.

Merck KGaA Plans Phase III For Enpatoran After Mixed Phase II Lupus Data

 
• By Jessica Merrill

The Phase II study testing the novel TLR7/8 inhibitor met the primary endpoint in a cohort of patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus and systemic lupus erythematosus with rash, but did not in patients with SLE.