Esperion & Oberland Capital Announce $200-Million Agreement

Esperion recently announced a $200 million capped, tiered, revenue-based funding agreement on net revenues of bempedoic acid and the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe combination tablet.  Bempedoic acid and the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe combination tablet were developed as complementary, cost-effective, convenient, once-daily, oral therapies for the treatment of patients with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) who require additional LDL-C lowering despite the use of currently accessible therapies.

“We are very excited to collaborate with the team at Oberland Capital given their experience and expertise in the industry,” said Rick Bartram, chief financial officer of Esperion. “This transaction provides substantial additional cash resources to Esperion and reflects the significant value of our late-stage bempedoic acid franchise products.”

“We are delighted to enter into this revenue-based funding agreement with Esperion as it prepares to launch these innovative, once-daily, oral LDL-C lowering therapies. We look forward to helping the company achieve its long-term objectives” said Andrew Rubinstein, Managing Partner of Oberland Capital.

Bempedoic acid is our lead, non-statin, complementary, orally available, once-daily, LDL-C lowering therapy. With a targeted mechanism of action, bempedoic acid is a first-in-class, ATP Citrate Lyase (ACL) inhibitor that reduces cholesterol biosynthesis and lowers LDL-C by up-regulating the LDL receptor. Similar to statins, bempedoic acid also reduces hsCRP, a key marker of inflammation associated with cardiovascular disease. Completed Phase 3 studies conducted in more than 4,000 patients, with over 2,600 patients treated with bempedoic acid, have produced an additional 18 percent LDL-C lowering when used with moderate- and high-intensity statins and 28 percent LDL-C lowering when used with no background statin.

Through the complementary mechanisms of action of inhibition of cholesterol synthesis (bempedoic acid) and inhibition of cholesterol absorption (ezetimibe), the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe combination tablet is a non-statin, orally available, once-daily, LDL-C lowering therapy. Inhibition of ATP Citrate Lyase (ACL) by bempedoic acid reduces cholesterol biosynthesis and lowers LDL-C by up-regulating the LDL receptor. Inhibition of Niemann-Pick C1-Like 1 (NPC1L1) by ezetimibe results in reduced absorption of cholesterol from the gastrointestinal tract, thereby reducing delivery of cholesterol to the liver, which in turn upregulates the LDL receptors. Phase 3 data demonstrated that this combination results in a 29 percent LDL-C lowering when used with maximally tolerated statins, a 44 percent LDL-C lowering when used with no background statin (post-hoc analysis), and a 34 percent reduction in high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP).

The effect of bempedoic acid on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality has not yet been determined. Esperion initiated a global cardiovascular outcomes trial (CVOT) to assess the effects of bempedoic acid on the occurrence of major cardiovascular events in patients with, or at high risk for, cardiovascular disease (CVD) who are only able to tolerate less than the lowest approved daily starting dose of a statin and considered “statin averse.” The CVOT — known as CLEAR Outcomes — is an event-driven, global, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study expected to enroll approximately 12,600 patients with hypercholesterolemia and high CVD risk at over 1,000 sites in approximately 30 countries.

High levels of LDL-C can lead to a build-up of fat and cholesterol in and on artery walls (known as atherosclerosis), potentially leading to cardiovascular events, including heart attack or stroke. In the U.S., 96 million people, or more than 37 percent of the adult population, have elevated LDL-C. There are approximately 18 million people in the U.S. with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) who live with elevated levels of LDL-C despite taking maximally tolerated lipid-modifying therapy — including individuals considered statin averse — leaving them at high risk for cardiovascular events. More than 50 percent of ASCVD patients who are not able to reach their LDL-C goals with statins alone need less than a 40 percent reduction to reach their LDL-C threshold.

Esperion’s mission as the Lipid Management Company is to deliver once-daily, oral therapies that complement existing oral drugs to provide the additional LDL-C lowering that these patients need.

Esperion is the Lipid Management Company passionately committed to developing and commercializing convenient, cost-effective, complementary. once-daily, oral therapies for the treatment of patients with elevated LDL-C. Through scientific and clinical excellence, and a deep understanding of cholesterol biology, the experienced Lipid Management Team at Esperion is committed to developing new LDL-C lowering therapies that will make a substantial impact on reducing global cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death around the world. Bempedoic acid and the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe combination tablet are targeted therapies that have been shown to significantly lower elevated LDL-C levels in patients with hypercholesterolemia, including patients inadequately treated with current lipid-modifying therapies. For more information, visit www.esperion.com and follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/EsperionInc.

Oberland Capital, a private investment firm with over $1.2 billion in capital commitments since inception, is focused exclusively on investing in the global healthcare industry and specializes in flexible investment structures customized to meet the specific capital requirements and strategic objectives of transaction partners. Oberland Capital’s broad suite of financing solutions includes monetization of royalty streams, acquisition of future product revenues, creation of project-based financing structures, and investments in traditional debt and equity. With a combination of deep industry knowledge and extensive structured finance experience, the Oberland Capital team has a history of creating value for its transaction partners. The firm was founded in 2013 by Jean-Pierre Naegeli and Andrew Rubinstein. For more information, visit www.oberlandcapital.com or contact Johnna Schifilliti at (212) 257-5850.