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): December 9, 2015
Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
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Delaware |
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000-30929 |
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13-4087132 |
(State or Other Jurisdiction
of Incorporation) |
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(Commission
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(IRS Employer
Identification No.) |
One Marina Park Drive, 12th Floor
Boston, Massachusetts 02210
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
(617) 466-3500
(Registrants telephone number, including area code)
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:
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Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act. |
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Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act. |
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Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2b under the Exchange Act. |
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Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act. |
Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain
Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
(d) On December 9, 2015, the Board of Directors (the Board) of Keryx
Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (Keryx or the Company), pursuant to Section 3.02 of the Companys Amended and Restated Bylaws (the Bylaws), increased the number of the directors on the Board to eight, and,
pursuant to Section 3.05 of the Bylaws, appointed Mr. John P. Butler as an independent director of the Board to fill the vacancy created by the increase. Mr. Butler will serve as a director until his term expires at the 2016
annual meeting of stockholders, at which time he will stand for election by the Companys stockholders. Keryx has not yet appointed Mr. Butler to any Board committees. The Board announced Mr. Butlers appointment via press
release on December 10, 2015. A copy of the press release is being filed as Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated in this Item by reference.
Item 9.01 |
Financial Statements And Exhibits. |
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99.1 |
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Press Release of Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., dated December 10, 2015. |
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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.
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Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. |
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(Registrant) |
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Date: December 10, 2015 |
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By: |
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/s/ Brian Adams |
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Brian Adams |
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Corporate Secretary |
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INDEX TO EXHIBITS
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Exhibit Number |
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Description |
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99.1 |
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Press Release of Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., dated December 10, 2015. |
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Exhibit 99.1
Keryx Announces Appointment of John P. Butler to its Board of Directors
BOSTON, MA, December 10, 2015 Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: KERX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on bringing
innovative therapies to market for people with renal disease, today announced that John P. Butler has been appointed as a new independent director to its board of directors pursuant to the companys financing transaction with The Baupost Group,
L.L.C., effective immediately. Mr. Butler is an industry veteran with significant experience in guiding corporate strategy.
I am pleased to
welcome John to our Board, as he brings extensive strategic knowledge derived from his successful career at Genzyme as president of its renal business, said Michael Tarnok, chairman of Keryxs board of directors. Johns long
track record of success commercializing medicines for patients with kidney disease and his global view will certainly prove valuable as we advance the Auryxia franchise and build a leading renal business.
I believe that there is a significant need for innovative therapies that improve the lives of people with kidney disease, said Mr. Butler.
I believe Auryxia has that potential, and I am excited to work with Keryxs management team and board to realize this vision and create value for our shareholders.
Mr. Butler has more than 25 years of biotech and pharmaceutical industry experience. He has served as the president and chief executive officer of Akebia
Therapeutics, Inc. since September 2013. From October 2011 to April 2013, Mr. Butler was the chief executive officer of Inspiration Biopharmaceuticals where he led the successful sale of the companys assets for a total aggregate
consideration that could exceed $1 billion. Prior to Inspiration, Mr. Butler held various positions at Genzyme Corporation, now Sanofi, from 1997 to July 2011, including president of the companys rare genetic disease business. Notably, he
also served as president, general manager of Genzymes Renal Division, which grew from $150 million to more than $1 billion in revenue under his leadership. Prior to Genzyme, Mr. Butler held various positions of increasing responsibility
at Amgen Inc. John is an active member of the renal community and has served on several non-profit boards, including chairman of the board of trustees for the American Kidney Fund. Mr. Butler received a B.A. in Chemistry from Manhattan College
and an M.B.A. from Baruch College.
Forward Looking Statement
Some of the statements included in this press release, particularly those regarding the commercialization and subsequent clinical development of Auryxia, may
be forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. For those statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Among
the factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially are the following: whether Auryxia will be successfully launched and marketed in the U.S.; whether we can successfully obtain additional reimbursement coverage for Auryxia; whether
we can adjust our operating expenses to projected levels while maintaining our current clinical and commercial activities; whether we will able to identify and negotiate acceptable terms with a commercialization partner in the EU; whether we or a
partner can successfully launch Fexeric in the EU; whether Riona® will be successfully marketed in Japan by our Japanese partner, Japan Tobacco, Inc. and Torii Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd; the
risk that we may not be successful in the development of Auryxia for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in non-dialysis dependent chronic kidney disease patients; and other risk factors identified from time to time in our reports filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements set forth in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. We do not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or
circumstances that occur after the date hereof.
Page 1 of 2
This press release and prior releases are available at http://www.keryx.com. The information found on our website is not incorporated by reference into this press release and is included for
reference purposes only.
About Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, with offices in Boston and New York, is focused on bringing innovative therapies to market for people with renal disease. In December
2014, the company launched its first FDA-approved product, Auryxia (ferric citrate) for the control of elevated serum phosphorus levels, or hyperphosphatemia, in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on dialysis, in the United
States. In January 2014, ferric citrate was approved for the treatment of patients with all stages of CKD in Japan, where it is being marketed as Riona® by Keryxs Japanese partner,
Japan Tobacco Inc. and Torii Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. In September 2015, the European Commission granted European market authorization for Fexeric® (ferric citrate coordination complex) for the
control of hyperphosphatemia in adults with non-dialysis and dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease. For more information about Keryx, please visit www.keryx.com
KERYX BIOPHARMACEUTICALS CONTACTS:
Amy Sullivan
Vice President, Corporate Development and Public Affairs
T:
617.466.3519
amy.sullivan@keryx.com
Lora Pike
Senior Director, Investor Relations
T: 617.466.3511
lora.pike@keryx.com
Page 2 of 2
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