VistaGen Announces $36 Million Strategic Financing Agreement
10 April 2013 - 10:47PM
Marketwired
VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc. (OTCQB: VSTA), a biotechnology company
applying stem cell technology for drug rescue, predictive
toxicology and drug metabolism assays, today announces the signing
of a strategic financing agreement with the European subsidiary of
Bergamo Acquisition Corp. (PINKSHEETS: BGMO), a global diversified
investment holding company.
Under the terms of the agreement, Bergamo's European subsidiary
will invest $36 million in VistaGen in consideration for 72 million
shares of restricted VistaGen Common Stock at a price of $0.50 per
share. The Company's self-placed strategic financing does not
include warrants or any investment banking fees. The transaction is
scheduled to close on or before April 30, 2013. At closing, the
shares issued in connection with the strategic financing will
represent a majority of the issued and outstanding shares of
VistaGen's Common Stock.
VistaGen plans to use proceeds of the financing to accelerate
and expand its stem cell technology-based drug rescue programs.
Using its innovative CardioSafe™ 3D and LiverSafe™ 3D bioassay
systems and modern medicinal chemistry, the Company is focused on
generating new, safer, proprietary variants (Drug Rescue Variants)
of once-promising small molecule drug candidates discontinued in
development by large pharmaceutical companies due to heart or liver
safety issues. In collaboration with co-founder and renowned stem
cell research scientist, Dr. Gordon Keller, as well as long-term
strategic partner, the University Health Network in Toronto, and
several other leading academic and corporate collaborators,
VistaGen also plans to advance new pilot nonclinical regenerative
cell therapy programs and certain other emerging commercial
opportunities related to its Human Clinical Trials in a Test Tube™
platform.
"Since our inception nearly 15 years ago, we have carefully
deployed more than $53 million, including over $15 million from
grant awards and collaboration revenue, to successfully develop
innovative stem cell technology and bioassay systems capable of
bringing clinically relevant human heart and liver biology to the
front end of the drug development process," stated Shawn K. Singh,
VistaGen's Chief Executive Officer. "Upon the closing of this
transformative financing, our strong long-term financial position
will enhance substantially our ability to drive our core programs
to valuable commercial outcomes."
About VistaGen Therapeutics
VistaGen is a biotechnology company applying human pluripotent
stem cell technology for drug rescue, predictive toxicology and
drug metabolism screening. VistaGen's drug rescue activities
combine its human pluripotent stem cell technology platform, Human
Clinical Trials in a Test Tube™, with modern medicinal chemistry to
generate novel, safer chemical variants (Drug Rescue Variants) of
once-promising small molecule drug candidates. These are drug
candidates discontinued by pharmaceutical companies, the U.S.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) or university laboratories,
after substantial investment in discovery and development, due to
heart or liver toxicity or metabolism issues. VistaGen uses its
pluripotent stem cell technology to generate early indications, or
predictions, of how humans will ultimately respond to new drug
candidates before they are ever tested in humans, bringing human
biology to the front end of the drug development process.
VistaGen's small molecule prodrug candidate, AV-101, has
completed Phase 1 development for treatment of neuropathic pain.
Neuropathic pain, a serious and chronic condition causing pain
after an injury or disease of the peripheral or central nervous
system, affects millions of people worldwide.
Visit VistaGen at http://www.VistaGen.com, follow VistaGen at
http://www.twitter.com/VistaGen or view VistaGen's Facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/VistaGen.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements
The statements in this press release that are not historical
facts may constitute forward-looking statements that are based on
current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties
that could cause actual future results to differ materially from
those expressed or implied by such statements. Those risks and
uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks related to the
satisfaction of certain conditions to closing the strategic
financing referred to in this press release, the success of
VistaGen's stem cell technology-based drug rescue, predictive
toxicology and metabolism screening activities, further development
of stem cell-based bioassay systems and cell therapies, clinical
development and commercialization of AV-101 for neuropathic pain or
any other disease or condition, its ability to enter into strategic
predictive toxicology, metabolism screening, drug rescue and/or
drug discovery, development and commercialization collaborations
and/or licensing arrangements with respect to one or more drug
rescue variants, regenerative cell therapies or AV-101, risks and
uncertainties relating to the availability of substantial
additional capital to support its research, drug rescue,
development and commercialization activities, and the success of
its research and development plans and strategies, including those
plans and strategies related to any drug rescue variant or
regenerative cell therapy identified and developed by VistaGen, or
AV-101. These and other risks and uncertainties are identified and
described in more detail in VistaGen's filings with the Securities
and Exchange Commission (SEC). These filings are available on the
SEC's website at www.sec.gov. VistaGen undertakes no obligation to
publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.
For more information: Shawn K. Singh, J.D. Chief
Executive Officer VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc. www.VistaGen.com
650-244-9990 x224 Investor.Relations@VistaGen.com Mission Investor
Relations IR Communications Atlanta, Georgia www.MissionIR.com
404-941-8975 Investors@MissionIR.com
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