completion of GMP manufacturing of BB-301, has also become challenging due
to the disruption of global supply chains inherent to the
production of these materials. We will continue to evaluate the
impact of the COVID-19
pandemic on our business and we expect to reevaluate the timing of
our anticipated preclinical and clinical milestones as we learn
more and the impact of COVID-19 on our industry becomes
clearer.
We have also implemented a halt of non-essential business travel and a
rotation system whereby staff work from home and attend the
laboratory on designated days which may result in a reduction of
laboratory work. As we transition our employees back to our
premises, there is a risk that COVID-19 infections occur at our
offices or laboratory facilities and significantly affect our
operations. Additionally, if any of our critical vendors are
impacted, our business could be affected if we become unable to
procure essential equipment in a timely manner or obtain supplies
or services in adequate quantities and at acceptable prices.
Public Equity
Offering
On September 15, 2022, we closed an underwritten public offering in
which we issued and sold (i) 17,637,843 shares of the Company’s
common stock, (ii) 12,171,628 pre-funded warrants, with each
pre-funded warrant immediately exercisable for one share of common
stock at an exercise price of $0.0001 per share until exercised in
full and (iii) 29,809,471 common warrants, with each common warrant
accompanying each issued share of common stock and/or pre-funded
warrant and exercisable for one share of common stock at an
exercise price of $0.66 per share (the “September 2022 Capital
Raise”). The common warrants sold in the offering will be
exercisable commencing on the date on which the Company (a)
receives approval from its stockholders to increase the number of
shares of common stock it is authorized to issue and (b) effects
such stockholder approval by filing with the Secretary of State of
the State of Delaware a certificate of amendment to its amended and
restated certificate of incorporation, and will expire on the fifth
anniversary of such initial exercise date. The combined purchase
price for each share of common stock and accompanying common
warrant was $0.60, which was allocated as $0.59 per share of common
stock and $0.01 per common warrant.
The net proceeds to the Company from the public offering were
approximately $16 million, after deducting underwriting
discounts and commissions and public offering expenses payable by
the Company, and excluding any proceeds the Company may receive
upon exercise of the pre-funded warrants or the common warrants.
The Company currently intends to use the net proceeds for the
clinical development of BB-301, including the natural history
lead-in study and the Phase 1b/2a BB-301 treatment study, for the
continued advancement of development activities for other existing
and new product candidates, for general corporate purposes and for
strategic growth opportunities. The Company will have broad
discretion in determining how the proceeds of the public offering
will be used, and its discretion is not limited by the
aforementioned possible uses.
Nasdaq Listing
On September 6, 2022, we received a letter from the Listing
Qualifications Department of the Nasdaq Stock Market notifying us
that the minimum bid price per share for our common stock fell
below $1.00 for a period of 30 consecutive business days and that
therefore we did not meet the minimum bid price requirement set
forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2).
The letter also states that we will be provided 180 calendar days,
or until March 6, 2023, to regain compliance with the minimum bid
price requirement. In accordance with Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), we can
regain compliance if at any time during the 180-day period the
closing bid price of our common stock is at least $1.00 for a
minimum of 10 consecutive business days. If by March 6, 2023, we
cannot demonstrate compliance with the Rule 5550(a)(2), we may be
eligible for additional time. To qualify for additional time, we
will be required to meet the continued listing requirement for
market value of publicly held shares and all other initial listing
standards for The Nasdaq Capital Market, with the exception of the
bid price requirement, and we will need to provide written notice
of our intention to cure the deficiency during the second
compliance period. If we are not eligible for the second compliance
period, then the Nasdaq Staff will provide notice that our
securities will be subject to delisting. At such time, we may
appeal the delisting determination to a Hearings Panel.
We intend to monitor the closing bid price of our common stock and
may, if appropriate, consider implementing available options to
regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement. These
options include completing a reverse stock split of our common
stock for the purpose of meeting the closing bid price requirement.
We are seeking stockholder approval to effect a reverse stock split
at our upcoming Annual Meeting of Stockholders scheduled for
December 7, 2022. Completing a reverse stock split will not, in of
itself, cause us to remain in compliance with Nasdaq’s listing
standards.
Development
Programs
Our Pipeline
The following table sets forth the current product candidate and
the development status:
Table 1. Pipeline: Oculopharyngeal Muscular Dystrophy

BB-301
We are developing BB-301
for the treatment of Oculopharyngeal Muscular Dystrophy (OPMD), and
BB-301 is currently
undergoing evaluation in CTA-enabling and IND-enabling studies. BB-301 is the lead investigational
agent under development by Benitec, and the key attributes of OPMD
and BB-301 are outlined in
Figure 3.
Figure 3. Overview of the BB-301 Program

BB-301 is a first-in-class genetic medicine
employing the “silence and replace” approach for the treatment of
OPMD. OPMD is an insidious, autosomal-dominant, late-onset,
degenerative muscle disorder that typically presents in patients at
40-to-50 years of age. The
disease is characterized by progressive swallowing difficulties
(dysphagia) and eyelid drooping (ptosis). OPMD is caused by a
specific mutation in the poly(A)-binding protein nuclear 1 gene
(PABPN1).
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