WATERTOWN, Mass., March 29, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aileron Therapeutics (NASDAQ: ALRN), the clinical-stage leader in the field of stabilized cell-permeating peptides to treat cancer and other diseases, announced today that it has entered into a securities purchase agreement with a group of institutional accredited investors for the private placement of $26 million of Aileron common stock and warrants. The private placement is expected to close on or about April 2, 2019 subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

The private placement was led by Satter Medical Technology Partners, L.P. with significant additional participation from Jennison Associates (on behalf of certain clients) and an undisclosed institutional investor, in addition to other new and existing investors.

The Company is selling in the private placement 11,838,582 units, consisting of 11,838,582 shares of common stock and associated warrants to purchase 11,838,582 shares of common stock, for a combined price of $2.01 per unit. In addition, the Company is also selling in the private placement 1,096,741 units, consisting of pre-funded warrants to purchase 1,096,741 shares of common stock and associated warrants to purchase 1,096,741 shares of common stock, for a combined price of $2.01 per unit.

William Blair & Company, L.L.C. will act as sole placement agent in connection with the financing.

Aileron expects to receive aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $26 million, before deducting placement agent fees and offering expenses, and excluding the exercise of any warrants. Aileron expects to use the net proceeds from the financing to fund the further advancement of its ALRN-6924 clinical trials and research programs, including its ongoing clinical trial collaboration with Pfizer testing ALRN-6924 in combination with palbociclib in MDM2-amplified cancers and its planned Phase 1b/2 clinical trial to evaluate ALRN-6924 as a myelopreservative agent, to protect against chemotherapy-induced toxicity. This use of proceeds reflects Aileron’s determination to cease enrollment and clinical development in AML/MDS in light of the Company’s resources and its assessment of the commercial opportunities, as well as the changed competitive landscape where seven drugs were approved for AML in the United States in the last two years.

About Aileron

Aileron is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company advancing a proprietary platform of cell-permeating alpha-helical peptides that address the most important intracellular targets in oncology and other therapeutic areas. Its most advanced product candidate, ALRN-6924, is a first-in-class, clinical-stage, stabilized cell-permeating alpha-helical peptide that mimics the p53 tumor suppressor protein to disrupt its interactions with MDM2 and MDMX and, for p53 wild-type tumors, can restore p53-dependent tumor suppression. ALRN-6924 is currently being evaluated in multiple clinical trials for the treatment of various cancers, including MDM2-amplified cancers.