Amarin Corporation plc (NASDAQ:AMRN) (“Amarin” or the
“Company”) today issued the following statement in response to
Sarissa Capital Management LP (“Sarissa”):
Sarissa is Not the Answer: They Have No Plan, No New
Ideas and Their Board Candidates Are Not Qualified
Sarissa is tapping into shareholder frustration but not
providing any answers or plans. How specifically does Sarissa plan
to increase shareholder value?
Contrary to Sarissa’s misrepresentation of the facts, the Amarin
Board of Directors’ refreshment process has been comprehensive,
independent and transparent. The Board engaged a leading
independent search firm in October 2021 which identified each of
the six new independent directors who have joined the Board in the
last year. Throughout this process, the Board considered upwards of
30 candidates against clear selection criteria with critical
skillsets needed to oversee Amarin’s transformation plan including:
international commercial experience, global pharma partnerships and
M&A, pricing and reimbursement, finance and healthcare
investment, clinical development and corporate governance.
Amarin takes its Board refreshment process seriously and will
not circumvent any step at the demand of one shareholder. The Board
interviewed three of Sarissa’s five proposed candidates, all of
whom are Sarissa employees, alongside independent candidates the
Board had identified. In addition, Sarissa demanded that at least
three of their candidates be appointed in a matter of days after
the names were finally shared with the Company. Of note, two of
Sarissa’s original five proposed candidates were junior Sarissa
research analysts with less than five years of work experience.
Throughout our engagement and during the interviews with their
candidates, Sarissa never proposed a single idea to help advance
the business. With no plan and no new ideas, Sarissa is not the
answer. Sarissa is now putting forward seven underqualified
candidates, three of whom are Sarissa employees, who collectively
lack critical understanding of operating a commercial stage company
and have minimal experience with European product launch, pricing
and reimbursement and commercial expertise.
Amarin Has a New Strategy, New Team and New
Board
We recognize that Amarin has faced significant challenges with
the launch of generic competition. And many of you – our fellow
shareholders – have seen the market value of your stock suffer as a
result.
Change was needed – and changes were implemented with more
underway.
Following generic entry in the U.S., the Company addressed the
challenges by creating a new, and sustainable path forward by
expanding in Europe and international. We installed a new,
experienced management team and meaningfully refreshed the Board,
bringing critical expertise in international pharma with specific
experience negotiating successful pricing and reimbursement
outcomes and launching in Europe. Our management and board have
collectively launched more than 25 cardiovascular and related
products in over 45 different markets.
Amarin is Making Progress with Its New
Strategy
Demonstrating our progress:
- Geographic expansion in Europe and International is
advancing rapidly and on-pace. Amarin advanced from having
price negotiations with one European market in January 2022 to
having VAZKEPA® available in five markets, and in pricing
negotiation stage in another five markets by year-end. We have
successfully secured attractive pricing in all markets where we
have launched which will serve as useful benchmarks in further
negotiations and will help maximize successful outcomes. The
Company also secured six international regulatory approvals,
including Hong Kong, Bahrain, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Australia
and Switzerland.
- Amarin has made fundamental changes to our U.S.
business cost structure to maximize profitability. Amarin
took action by significantly reducing its U.S. sales force in
October 2021, before Sarissa became an investor. In June 2022,
Amarin announced a cost reduction program that reduced its U.S.
commercial team by approximately 90% of pre-pandemic and
pre-generic competition levels. Despite these reductions,
leadership was able to generate four consecutive quarters of
revenue stabilization and positive free cash flow of approximately
$4 million in Q4 20221. Amarin has multiple levers and strategies
in place to respond to the evolving market dynamics and ensure
profit and cash flow maximization, while providing the necessary
investment to support European launches and revenues.
- With four generic entrants on the market, Amarin’s U.S.
business has maintained approximately 60% market share.
This is unprecedented for any drug facing two years of generic
competition. In most cases, branded pharmaceuticals lose 90% of
their market share in the first 90 days post generic launch.
- Amarin has also continued to progress our fixed-dose
combination (FDC) program for icosapent ethyl, securing
the future durability of our VASCEPA/VAZKEPA franchise in
Europe.
With Amarin at a strategic inflection point, we believe
Sarissa’s misguided proxy contest will create significant
disruption to the Company’s efforts in driving positive pricing and
reimbursement decisions in Europe, continued stabilization of the
U.S. business, advancement of our international strategy and
progress on our FDC program.
Amarin has filed a preliminary proxy statement with the
Securities and Exchange Commission relating to the Special General
Meeting requisitioned by Sarissa and will announce the date of the
Special General Meeting and the record date for shareholders to
vote at the Special General Meeting in due course. Amarin
shareholders are not required to take any action at this time.
J.P. Morgan is acting as financial advisor. Ropes & Gray LLP
and Goodwin Procter LLP are acting as legal advisors to the
Company.
About Amarin
Amarin is an innovative pharmaceutical company leading a new
paradigm in cardiovascular disease management. From our foundation
in scientific research to our focus on clinical trials, and now our
commercial expansion, we are evolving and growing rapidly. Amarin
has offices in Bridgewater, New Jersey in the United States, Dublin
in Ireland, Zug in Switzerland, and other countries in Europe as
well as commercial partners and suppliers around the world. We are
committed to increasing the scientific understanding of the
cardiovascular risk that persists beyond traditional therapies and
advancing the treatment of that risk.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements which are
made pursuant to U.S. federal securities law, including beliefs
about Amarin’s key achievements in 2022 and the potential impact
and outlook for achievements in 2023 and beyond; Amarin’s 2023
financial outlook and cash position; strategies to ensure profit
maximization; Amarin’s strategic direction and actions management
has taken to stabilize our U.S. business and position Amarin for
growth and value creation; the runway for growth as Amarin’s
strategic focus shifts toward expanding the business in Europe and
other international markets; potential for positive pricing and
successful reimbursement decisions in Europe; objectives of
Amarin’s cost reduction program and other cash preservation
initiatives, and diversification; Amarin’s commitment to
identifying and rigorously evaluating new highly qualified,
independent candidates for Amarin’s Board of Directors, including
full, comprehensive evaluation of Sarissa Capital Management LP’s
proposed nominees; and the overall potential and future success of
VASCEPA (marketed as VAZKEPA in Europe) and Amarin generally. These
forward-looking statements are not promises or guarantees and
involve substantial risks and uncertainties. A further list and
description of these risks, uncertainties and other risks
associated with an investment in Amarin can be found in Amarin's
filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including
Amarin’s annual report on Form 10-K for the full year ended 2021,
and Amarin’s quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended
March 31, 2022, June 30, 2022, and September 30, 2022, and its
other filings. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not
to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which
speak only as of the date they are made. Amarin undertakes no
obligation to update or revise the information contained in its
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or circumstances or otherwise. Amarin’s
forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of
significant transactions the company may enter into, such as
mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures or any material
agreements that Amarin may enter into, amend or terminate.
Availability of Other Information About
Amarin
Amarin communicates with its investors and the public using the
company website (www.amarincorp.com) and the investor relations
website (investor.amarincorp.com), including but not limited to
investor presentations and FAQs, Securities and Exchange Commission
filings, press releases, public conference calls and webcasts. The
information that Amarin posts on these channels and websites could
be deemed to be material information. As a result, Amarin
encourages investors, the media and others interested in Amarin to
review the information that is posted on these channels, including
the investor relations website, on a regular basis. This list of
channels may be updated from time to time on Amarin’s investor
relations website and may include social media channels. The
contents of Amarin’s website or these channels, or any other
website that may be accessed from its website or these channels,
shall not be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under
the Securities Act of 1933.
Additional InformationAmarin, its directors and
certain of its executive officers may be deemed to be participants
in the solicitation of proxies from shareholders in connection with
the matters to be considered at any special meeting called at the
request of Sarissa. In response to Sarissa’s requisition notice
dated January 10, 2023, the Company intends to file a definitive
proxy statement and WHITE proxy card with the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) in connection with any such
solicitation of proxies from shareholders. SHAREHOLDERS ARE
STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO READ ANY SUCH PROXY STATEMENT AND
ACCOMPANYING WHITE PROXY CARD WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE AS THEY
WOULD CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Information regarding the
ownership of the Company’s directors and executive officers in
Company stock and other securities is included in their SEC filings
on Forms 3, 4, and 5, which can be found through the Company’s
website (www.amarincorp.com) in the section “Investors” or through
the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Additional information about
Amarin’s directors and executive officers and their interests is
set forth in Amarin’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal
year ended December 31, 2021, which was filed with the SEC on March
1, 2022, and amended on May 2, 2022, as well as Amarin’s proxy
statement for its 2022 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders,
which was filed with the SEC on May 24, 2022, and in the Company’s
other SEC filings, which can be found through the Company’s website
(www.amarincorp.com) in the section “Investors” or through the
SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. More detailed and updated
information regarding the identity of potential participants, and
their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or
otherwise, would be set forth in the proxy statement and other
materials filed with the SEC in connection with any special meeting
convened at the request of Sarissa. Shareholders would be able to
obtain any proxy statement, any amendments or supplements to the
proxy statement and other documents filed by the Company with the
SEC for no charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Copies
will also be available at no charge at the Company’s website
at www.amarincorp.com.
Amarin Contact Information
Investor Inquiries:Lisa DeFrancescoInvestor Relations Amarin
Corporation plcinvestor.relations@amarincorp.com (investor
inquiries)
Media Inquiries:Mark MarmurCorporate Communications, Amarin
Corporation plcPR@amarincorp.com (media inquiries)
Or
Steve Frankel / Andi Rose / Tali EpsteinJoele Frank, Wilkinson
Brimmer Katcher212-355-4449
1 As announced on January 10, 2023.
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