Concerned Shareholder Group Calls for Atea Pharmaceuticals to Appoint a New, Shareholder-Oriented Lead Independent Director to Oversee Strategic Review Process
Bradley L. Radoff and Michael Torok, the Managing Director of JEC Capital Partners (together with their affiliates, the "Concerned Shareholder Group" or "we"), who collectively own approximately 3% of the outstanding shares of Atea Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AVIR) ("Atea" or the "Company"), today issued the following open letter to the Company's Board of Directors:
***
December 18, 2024
Board of Directors (the "Board")
Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
225 Franklin Street, Suite 2100
Boston, MA 02110
Directors,
We own approximately 3% of the outstanding shares of Atea, collectively making us one of its largest shareholders. We are writing to express our concerns about the Company's share price performance, strategy, capital allocation, and corporate governance.
On December 10, 2024, we met with Chief Financial Officer Andrea Corcoran, Chief Medical Officer Arantxa Horga, and Chief Commercial Officer John Vavricka. During that meeting, Ms. Horga was adamant that the Phase 2 data from the Bemnifosbuvir and Ruzasvir study was outstanding. Mr. Vavricka reiterated that Atea would only commercialize its drug with a partner, stating his belief that the partner market would be robust. On December 12, 2024, we met with Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jean-Pierre Sommadossi, who was similarly confident, stating his belief that many parties would be potentially interested in commercializing Atea's treatment.
We agree that the results of the Company's Phase 2 study were overwhelmingly positive. Based on the Company's net cash balance, we are extremely confident the Board can deliver shareholders $4.75 per share in cash, a more than 50% return over the current share price. We believe there could be additional, more significant upside from the monetization of the Company's sole clinical asset through the recently announced review of strategic alternatives with Evercore.
If the Company and Evercore cannot find a buyer for Atea's only clinical asset, then we expect the Board to liquidate the Company and return all remaining cash to shareholders. In furtherance of the decision to wind down the Company in the absence of a transaction, we believe the Board should immediately take all available steps to reduce costs and conserve cash. Incredibly, despite the failure of Atea's Phase 3 study for the treatment of COVID-19, Atea has not disclosed any cost reduction initiatives.
Despite our belief that there is an opportunity to deliver shareholders an immediate 50%-plus return based solely on the net cash balance, we lack confidence in the current Board's ability to surface value for stockholders based on its recent actions. In May of 2023, the Board rejected an unsolicited bid from Tang Capital Partners, LP ("Tang Capital") that would have paid Atea stockholders $5.75 per share in cash, plus a contingent value right through which stockholders would have the right to receive 80% of the net proceeds from Atea drug programs.1 In December of 2024, 18 months after the Board rejected Tang Capital's proposal and mere days after the Company disclosed best-in-class data from its Phase 2 trial, Lead Independent Director Franklin M. Berger sold nearly half of his shareholdings at a 50% discount to Atea's net cash balance.
We believe this is the appropriate time to sell the Company. However, we are concerned that Mr. Berger is not qualified to represent Atea shareholders in any matter – let alone in the Company's strategic review – given that he recently sold 359,606 shares at $2.84 per share, a fraction of the net cash value of the shares and at or near the Company's all-time-low share price.2 Again, Mr. Berger's open market stock sales occurred on the heels of positive Phase 2 data and on the eve of a strategic review process to maximize shareholder value. We hereby demand that Mr. Berger immediately resigns from the Atea Board. Furthermore, we believe the Board should work with its shareholders to identify and appoint a new, mutually agreed upon Lead Independent Director. We look forward to engaging with the Board in the coming days to agree on a qualified, shareholder-oriented Lead Independent Director to replace Mr. Berger.
Sincerely,
Bradley Radoff and Michael Torok
_________________________
1 Company press release dated May 30, 2023 (link).
2 Company Form 4 filed by Franklin M. Berger, dated December 12, 2024 (link).
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241218287050/en/