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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): August 19, 2024

 

 

KINTARA THERAPEUTICS, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

 

Nevada

001-37823

99-0360497

(State or Other Jurisdiction
of Incorporation)

(Commission File Number)

(IRS Employer
Identification No.)

 

 

 

 

 

9920 Pacific Heights Blvd

Suite 150

 

San Diego, California

 

92121

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

 

(Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code: (858) 350-4364

 

 

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:


Title of each class

 

Trading
Symbol(s)

 


Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock

 

KTRA

 

The Nasdaq Capital Market

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.

 


Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure.

On August 19, 2024, Kintara Therapeutics, Inc. (“Kintara”) and TuHURA Biosciences, Inc. (“TuHURA”) issued a press release announcing that Kineta, Inc. (“Kineta”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development of novel immunotherapies in oncology that address cancer immune resistance, has reopened enrollment in its ongoing VISTA-101 Phase 1/2 clinical trial.

 

The information in this Current Report on Form 8-K under Item 7.01, including the information contained in Exhibit 99.1, is being furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), and shall not be deemed to be “filed” for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, and shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as shall be expressly set forth by a specific reference in such filing.

Item 8.01 Other Events.

On August 19, 2024, TuHURA and Kintara announced that Kineta has reopened enrollment in its ongoing VISTA-101 Phase 1/2 clinical trial. As previously announced on July 8, 2024, TuHURA entered into an Exclusivity and Right of First Offer Agreement (the “Agreement”) with Kineta for the potential acquisition of Kineta’s KVA12123 VISTA blocking antibody and related rights and assets associated with and derived from the asset. Kineta and TuHURA are cooperating on the reinitiation of patient enrollment into this trial during TuHURA’s due diligence period with respect to the KVA12123 assets. 30 of a projected 39 patients have been enrolled in the clinical trial to date, including a monotherapy arm with KVA12123 and a combination arm utilizing KVA12123 together with Merck’s anti-PD1 therapy, KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab).

To date, KVA12123 has cleared the fifth of six monotherapy dose levels and two of the four cohorts in combination with Merck's anti-PD1 therapy, KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab). Initial results demonstrating partial response and stable disease in the combination cohorts, and durable stable disease observed in monotherapy cohorts, were reported earlier this year at the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2024. Additionally, the initial results of KVA12123 showed a favorable clinical safety and tolerability profile with no dose limiting toxicities and no evidence of cytokine release syndrome (CRS)-associated cytokines at any dose level.

As previously announced, under the terms of the Agreement, Kineta received a $5 million nonrefundable payment from TuHURA. Pursuant to the Agreement, among other things, Kineta has granted TuHURA an exclusive right to discuss and negotiate with Kineta the potential acquisition of Kineta’s worldwide patents, patent rights, patent applications, product and development program assets, technical and business information, and other rights and assets associated with and derived from its development program related to KVA12123, Kineta’s VISTA blocking immunotherapy. This exclusive right shall continue through the first to occur of (a) the execution of any definitive agreement with respect to a potential transaction by TuHURA or one or more of its affiliates and (b) 11:59 PM Eastern Time on October 1, 2024, subject to extension for an additional 20 days. TuHURA is currently engaging in due diligence under the Agreement.

As previously announced, TuHURA entered into a definitive agreement (the “Merger Agreement”) for an all-stock transaction with Kintara to form a company combining expertise and resources to advance a risk diversified late-stage oncology pipeline. The combined company will focus on advancing TuHURA’s personalized cancer vaccine(s) and first-in-class bi-functional ADCs, two technologies that seek to overcome the major obstacles that limit the effectiveness of current immunotherapies in treating cancer. The combined company is expected to operate under the name “TuHURA Biosciences, Inc.” and to trade on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the ticker “HURA.” The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including stockholder approval of both companies, and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2024.

Additional Information about the Proposed Merger and Where to Find It

This Current Report on Form 8-K does not constitute an offer to buy or sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval. This Current Report on Form 8-K relates to the proposed merger (the “Merger”) of Kintara and TuHURA. In connection with the proposed Merger, Kintara has filed a Registration Statement on Form S-4 and a definitive proxy statement and a final prospectus of Kintara (the “proxy statement/prospectus”). This registration statement was been declared effective on August 13, 2024 and Kintara has filed or may file other documents regarding the proposed Merger with the SEC. No offering of securities shall be made, except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT, THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THESE DOCUMENTS, CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY, WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE, BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN AND THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT KINTARA, TUHURA, THE PROPOSED MERGER AND RELATED MATTERS THAT STOCKHOLDERS SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE MAKING ANY DECISION REGARDING THE PROPOSED MERGER. A definitive proxy statement/prospectus has been sent to Kintara’s stockholders. Investors and security holders will be able to obtain these documents (when available) free of charge from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, investors and stockholders should note that Kintara communicates with investors


and the public using its website (www.kintara.com), the investor relations website (https://www.kintara.com/investors) where anyone will be able to obtain free copies of the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other documents filed by Kintara with the SEC, and stockholders are urged to read the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and the other relevant materials when they become available before making any voting or investment decision with respect to the proposed Merger.

Participants in the Solicitation

Kintara, TuHURA and their respective directors and executive officers and other members of management and employees and certain of their respective significant stockholders may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from Kintara and TuHURA stockholders in respect of the proposed Merger. Information about Kintara’s directors and executive officers is available in Kintara’s proxy statement, which was filed with the SEC on May 17, 2024 for the 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, Kintara’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, which was filed with the SEC on September 18, 2023. Information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holding or otherwise, has been and will be contained in the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC regarding the proposed Merger when they become available. Investors should read the definitive proxy statement/prospectus carefully when it becomes available before making any voting or investment decisions. You may obtain free copies of these documents from the SEC and Kintara as indicated above.

No Offer or Solicitation

This Current Report on Form 8-K shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any proxy, consent, authorization, vote or approval, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offering of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act.

Forward-Looking Statements

This Current Report on Form 8-K and the press release attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 contain forward-looking statements based upon Kintara’s and TuHURA’s current expectations. This communication contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are identified by terminology such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “project,” “plan,” “expect,” “goal,” “seek,” “future,” “likely” or the negative or plural of these words or similar expressions. These statements are only predictions. Kintara and TuHURA have based these forward-looking statements largely on their then-current expectations and projections about future events, as well as the beliefs and assumptions of management. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which involve factors or circumstances that are beyond each of Kintara’s and TuHURA’s control, and actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including but not limited to: (i) the risk that the conditions to the closing or consummation of the proposed Merger are not satisfied, including the failure to obtain stockholder approval for the proposed Merger; (ii) uncertainties as to the timing of the consummation of the proposed Merger and the ability of each of Kintara and TuHURA to consummate the transactions contemplated by the proposed Merger; (iii) risks related to Kintara’s and TuHURA’s ability to correctly estimate their respective operating expenses and expenses associated with the proposed Merger, as applicable, as well as uncertainties regarding the impact any delay in the closing would have on the anticipated cash resources of the resulting combined company upon closing and other events and unanticipated spending and costs that could reduce the combined company’s cash resources; (iv) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance or condition that could give rise to the termination of the proposed Merger by either Kintara or TuHURA; (v) the effect of the announcement or pendency of the proposed Merger on Kintara’s or TuHURA’s business relationships, operating results and business generally; (vi) costs related to the proposed Merger; (vii) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Kintara, TuHURA, or any of their respective directors or officers related to the Merger Agreement or the transactions contemplated thereby; (vii) the ability of Kintara or TuHURA to protect their respective intellectual property rights; (viii) competitive responses to the proposed Merger; (ix) unexpected costs, charges or expenses resulting from the proposed Merger; (x) whether the combined business of TuHURA and Kintara will be successful; (xi) legislative, regulatory, political and economic developments; (xii) additional risks described in the “Risk Factors” section of Kintara’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, and the registration statement on Form S-4 related to the proposed Merger filed with the SEC; and (xiii) the risk that Kineta and TuHURA do not enter into a definitive agreement for a strategic transaction. Additional assumptions, risks and uncertainties are described in detail in Kintara’s registration statements, reports and other filings with the SEC, which are available on Kintara’s website, and at www.sec.gov. Accordingly, you should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Neither Kintara nor TuHURA can assure you that the events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur, and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements made in this communication relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. Except as required by applicable law or regulation, Kintara and TuHURA undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Investors should not assume that any lack of update to a previously issued “forward-looking statement” constitutes a reaffirmation of that statement.


Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits:

 

 

 

Exhibit No.

Description

99.1

Press release of Kintara Therapeutics, Inc. and TuHURA Biosciences, Inc. issued August 19, 2024

 


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

 

 

KINTARA THERAPEUTICS, INC.

 

 

 

 

Date:

August 19, 2024

By:

/s/ Robert E. Hoffman

 

 

 

Name: Robert E. Hoffman
Title: Chief Executive Officer