Repare Therapeutics (PRTX) ($60MM market cap) is a clinical-stage oncology firm which by a collection of press releases this yr introduced a 75% reduction-in-force, reprioritization of their pipeline, a plan to pursue partnerships for his or her most superior property, CEO resigned (with the CFO taking on), CMO exited and most not too long ago the out licensing of their discovery platform.
Whereas they have not formally ceased growth efforts and raised the white flag, that is primarily the place they’re at now. Repare may be a little bit of a hidden strategic alternate options identify, they have not introduced a course of cleanly in a single press launch. Of their 3/3 press launch disclosing their year-end outcomes, they included the road:
Exploring partnerships throughout portfolio, together with for Lunre+Camo
Of their 3/31 press launch asserting the resignation of their CEO and founder, the language modified to:
The Firm is additionally exploring strategic alternate options and partnerships throughout its portfolio, together with for lunresertib and camonsertib.
Then its tweaked barely once more of their 5/1 press launch asserting the sale of their discovery platform:
“We sit up for reporting preliminary information from our two ongoing Part 1 scientific trials within the second half of 2025, and proceed to judge partnering and strategic alternate options throughout our portfolio property.”
It is potential that I am studying an excessive amount of into that strategic alternate options language and that it is solely straight tied to the pursuing partnerships goal, however this biotech trades at a big low cost to my estimate of a liquidation worth with no worth assigned to their IP (which they’ve used puffy language like “progress is especially promising” and “doubtlessly greatest at school” in prior statements).
So we have a caretaker CEO, skeleton employees, strategic alternate options / partnership discussions, offered discovery platform, it appears to me that this one is on the market. BVF Companions is the anchor investor right here with a 24% stake. I purchased a couple of shares and added it to my damaged biotech basket.
Disclosure: I personal shares of RPTX