Biovica carries out a directed share issue of Class B shares and raises proceeds of approximately SEK 148 million

2020-08-26 23:30

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR TO THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, NEW ZEALAND, HONG KONG, JAPAN, SINGAPORE, SOUTH AFRICA, SOUTH KOREA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL OR WOULD REQUIRE REGISTRATION OR ANY OTHER MEASURES. PLEASE REFER TO IMPORTANT INFORMATION AT THE END OF THE PRESS RELEASE.

Biovica International AB (“Biovica” or the “Company”) has successfully completed a directed share issue of 4,700,000 Class B shares corresponding to approximately SEK 148 million (the “Directed Issue”). The subscription price in the Directed Issue has been determined to SEK 31.5 per share through an accelerated book building procedure performed by Pareto Securities AB ("Pareto Securities"). Due to significant demand, the gross proceeds in the Directed Issue was increased from the SEK 110 million indicated in the Company’s press release earlier today. A number of Swedish and international institutional investors participated, including Andra AP-fonden, Coeli Asset Management and Lancelot Asset Management.

The Directed Share Issue of 4,700,000 Class B shares was carried out with deviation from the existing shareholders’ preferential rights after a resolution by the board of directors of Biovica, based on the authorization granted by the annual general meeting held on August 29, 2019. The Directed Issue was carried out at a subscription price of SEK 31.5 per share, which means the Company will receive proceeds of approximately SEK 148 million before transaction costs. The subscription price has been determined through an accelerated bookbuilding procedure and corresponds to a discount of approximately 6.8 percent to the closing price of Biovica’s shares on August 26, 2020, as traded on Nasdaq First North Premier Growth Market. Investors in the Directed Issue comprise a number of Swedish and international investors, including Andra AP-fonden, Coeli Asset Management and Lancelot Asset Management.

The Directed Issue entails a dilution of approximately 16.6 percent of the number of shares and 11.2 percent of the number of votes in the Company. Through the Directed Issue, the number of outstanding shares increases by 4,700,000 from 23,573,372 to 28,273,372 and the number of votes increases from 37,299,640 to 41,999,640 (distributed between 6,863,134 Class A shares and 21,410,238 Class B shares). The share capital increases by approximately SEK 313,333.33, from approximately SEK 1,571,558.13 to approximately SEK 1,884,891.46.

The reasons for the deviation from the shareholders’ preferential rights is to diversify the shareholder base among Swedish and international institutional investors and at the same time raise capital in a time efficient manner. The proceeds from the Directed Issue will be used to finance (i) DiviTum’s® market launch in USA, EU-5, Nordics and Japan (75%), (ii) development of technology and patent portfolio (15%), and (iii) the clinical study program to extend regulatory approval, support uptake in clinical guidelines and reimbursement (10%).

In connection with the Directed Issue, the Company has undertaken, with customary exceptions, not to issue additional shares for a period of 180 calendar days after the announcement of the outcome of the Directed Issue. Board members and persons of the management holding shares have undertaken not to sell any shares in Biovica for a period of 90 calendar days after the announcement of the outcome of the Directed Issue, with customary exceptions.

Advisers
Pareto Securities is acting as Sole Manager and Bookrunner and Baker & McKenzie Advokatbyrå KB is legal adviser in connection with the Directed Issue.

Important information
The release, announcement or distribution of this press release may, in certain jurisdictions, be subject to restrictions. The recipients of this press release in jurisdictions where this press release has been published or distributed shall inform themselves of and follow such restrictions. The recipient of this press release is responsible for using this press release, and the information contained herein, in accordance with applicable rules in each jurisdiction. This press release does not constitute an offer, or a solicitation of any offer, to buy or subscribe for any securities in the Company in any jurisdiction, neither from Biovica nor from someone else.

This press release does not constitute or form part of an offer or solicitation to purchase or subscribe for securities in the United States. The securities referred to herein may not be sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and may not be offered or sold within the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. There is no intention to register any securities referred to herein in the United States or to make a public offering of the securities in the United States. The information in this press release may not be announced, published, copied, reproduced or distributed, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, within or into Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Canada, New Zeeland, Singapore, South Africa, the United States or in any other jurisdiction where such announcement, publication or distribution of the information would not comply with applicable laws and regulations or where such actions are subject to legal restrictions or would require additional registration or other measures than what is required under Swedish law. Actions taken in violation of this instruction may constitute a crime against applicable securities laws and regulations.

This announcement is not a prospectus for the purposes of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (the "Prospectus Regulation") and has not been approved by any regulatory authority in any jurisdiction. Biovica has not authorized any offer to the public of shares or other securities in any member state of the EEA and no prospectus has been or will be prepared in connection with the Directed Share Issue. In any EEA Member State, this communication is only addressed to and is only directed at qualified investors in that Member State within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation.

In the United Kingdom, this document and any other materials in relation to the securities described herein is only being distributed to, and is only directed at, and any investment or investment activity to which this document relates is available only to, and will be engaged in only with, “qualified investors” who are (i) persons having professional experience in matters relating to investments who fall within the definition of “investment professionals” in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the “Order”); or (ii) high net worth entities falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”). In the United Kingdom, any investment or investment activity to which this communication relates is available only to, and will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. Persons who are not relevant persons should not take any action on the basis of this press release and should not act or rely on it.

This press release does not identify or suggest, or purport to identify or suggest, the risks (direct or indirect) that may be associated with an investment in the new shares. Any investment decision in connection with the Directed Issue must be made on the basis of all publicly available information relating to the Company and the Company’s shares. Such information has not been independently verified by Pareto Securities. Pareto Securities acting for the Company in connection with the transaction and no one else and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to its clients nor for giving advice in relation to the transaction or any other matter referred to herein.

The information in this press release may not be forwarded or distributed to any other person and may not be reproduced at all. Any forwarding, distribution, reproduction or disclosure of this information in its entirety or in any part is prohibited. Failure to follow these instructions may result in a breach of the Securities Act or applicable laws in other jurisdictions.

This press release does not constitute an invitation to warrant, subscribe, or otherwise acquire or transfer any securities in any jurisdiction. This press release does not constitute a recommendation for any investors' decisions regarding the Directed Issue. Each investor or potential investor should conduct a self-examination, analysis and evaluation of the business and information described in this press release and any publicly available information. The price and value of the securities can decrease as well as increase. Achieved results do not provide guidance for future results. Neither the contents of the Company's website nor any other website accessible through hyperlinks on the Company's website are incorporated into or form part of this press release.

Forward-looking statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect the Company’s intentions, beliefs, or current expectations about and targets for the Company’s future results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, performance, prospects, anticipated growth, strategies and opportunities and the markets in which the Company operates. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and may be identified by words such as “believe”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “may”, “plan”, “estimate”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “aim” or “might”, or, in each case, their negative, or similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that they will materialize or prove to be correct. Because these statements are based on assumptions or estimates and are subject to risks and uncertainties, the actual results or outcome could differ materially from those set out in the forward-looking statements as a result of many factors. Such risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other important factors could cause actual events to differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied in this release by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not guarantee that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements in this press release are free from errors and readers of this press release should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements in this press release. The information, opinions and forward-looking statements that are expressly or implicitly contained herein speak only as of its date and are subject to change without notice. Neither the Company nor anyone else undertake to review, update, confirm or to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that arise in relation to the content of this press release, unless it is not required by law or Nasdaq First North Premier Growth Market's rule book for issuers.

Information to distributors
Solely for the purposes of the product governance requirements contained within: (a) EU Directive 2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments, as amended (“MiFID II”); (b) Articles 9 and 10 of Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593 supplementing MiFID II; and (c) local implementing measures (together, the “MiFID II Product Governance Requirements”), and disclaiming all and any liability, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any “manufacturer” (for the purposes of the MiFID II Product Governance Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the shares in Biovica have been subject to a product approval process, which has determined that such shares are: (i) compatible with an end target market of retail investors and investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties, each as defined in MiFID II; and (ii) eligible for distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted by MiFID II (the “Target Market Assessment”). Notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, Distributors should note that: the price of the shares in Biovica may decline and investors could lose all or part of their investment; the shares in Biovica offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection; and an investment in the shares in Biovica is compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom. The Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in relation to the Directed Issue. Furthermore, it is noted that, notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, Pareto Securities will only procure investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (a) an assessment of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of MiFID II; or (b) a recommendation to any investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take any other action whatsoever with respect to the shares in Biovica.

Each distributor is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the shares in Biovica and determining appropriate distribution channels.

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