Full Press Release Details
Announces Existing Investors Support the Company
Through a $2 Million
Private Placement Financing, Company Also
Receives $2.5 Million
BOSTON and LONDON, September 21, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Akari Therapeutics,
Plc (Nasdaq: AKTX) ("Akari" or the "Company"), a late-stage biotechnology company developing advanced therapies
for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, today announced that it has entered into definitive purchase agreements with certain existing
investors, including Akari Chairman Dr. Ray Prudo and President and CEO Rachelle Jacques, for a private placement of its equity securities
that is expected to result in gross proceeds of approximately $2 million. Akari also announced receipt of a United Kingdom (U.K.) research
and development (R&D) tax credit in the amount of $2.5 million.
In connection with the
private placement financing, the Company will issue unregistered American Depository Shares ("ADSs"), each representing 2,000
of the Company's ordinary shares, at a purchase price of $3.30 per ADS (or ADS equivalents in lieu thereof). The closing of the
financing is expected to take place September 22, 2023, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.
Paulson Investment Company, LLC, is acting
as the exclusive placement agent in connection with this financing.
The ADSs described above
are being offered in a private placement under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Act") and Regulation
D promulgated thereunder and have not been registered under the Act or state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United
States absent registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements.
This press release shall
not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein. There shall not be any
offer, solicitation of an offer to buy, or sale of securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offering, solicitation, or
sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
About Akari Therapeutics
Akari Therapeutics, plc
(Nasdaq: AKTX) is a biotechnology company developing advanced therapies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Akari's lead asset,
investigational nomacopan, is a bispecific recombinant inhibitor of complement C5 activation and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) activity. Akari's
pipeline includes a Phase 3 clinical trial program investigating nomacopan for severe pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant-related
thrombotic microangiopathy (HSCT-TMA). Akari has been granted Orphan Drug, Fast Track and Rare Pediatric Disease designations from the
FDA for nomacopan for the treatment of pediatric HSCT-TMA and orphan drug designation from the European Commission for treatment in hematopoietic
stem cell transplantation. Akari's pipeline also includes a clinical program developing nomacopan for adult HSCT-TMA and pre-clinical
research of long-acting PAS-nomacopan in geographic atrophy (GA). For more information about Akari, please visit akaritx.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking
Certain statements in
this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995, regarding, among other things, statements related to the offering of securities described herein, the expected gross proceeds,
and the expected closing of the offering. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views about our plans, intentions, expectations,
strategies and prospects, which are based on the information currently available to us and on assumptions we have made. Although we believe
that our plans, intentions, expectations, strategies and prospects as reflected in or suggested by those forward-looking statements are
reasonable, we can give no assurance that the plans, intentions, expectations or strategies will be attained or achieved. Furthermore,
actual results may differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements and will be affected by a variety of risks
and factors that are beyond our control. Such risks and uncertainties for our company include, but are not limited to: needs for additional
capital to fund our operations, our ability to continue as a going concern; uncertainties of cash flows and inability to meet working
capital needs; an inability or delay in obtaining required regulatory approvals for nomacopan and any other product candidates, which
may result in unexpected cost expenditures; our ability to obtain orphan drug designation in additional indications; risks inherent in
drug development in general; uncertainties in obtaining successful clinical results for nomacopan and any other product candidates and
unexpected costs that may result there; difficulties enrolling patients in our clinical trials; failure to realize any value of nomacopan
and any other product candidates developed and being developed in light of inherent risks and difficulties involved in successfully bringing
product candidates to market; inability to develop new product candidates and support existing product candidates; the approval by the
FDA and EMA and any other similar foreign regulatory authorities of other competing or superior products brought to market; risks resulting
from unforeseen side effects; risk that the market for nomacopan may not be as large as expected risks associated with the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic; inability to obtain, maintain and enforce patents and other intellectual property rights or the unexpected costs associated
with such enforcement or litigation; inability to obtain and maintain commercial manufacturing arrangements with third party manufacturers
or establish commercial scale manufacturing capabilities; the inability to timely source adequate supply of our active pharmaceutical
ingredients from third party manufacturers on whom the company depends; unexpected cost increases and pricing pressures and risks and
other risk factors detailed in our public filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recently filed
Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Except as otherwise noted, these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of
this press release and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any of these statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring
after this press release. We caution investors not to place considerable reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this
For more information