LAS VEGAS– PharmaCyte Biotech, Inc. (NASDAQ: PMCB), a biotechnology company focused on developing cellular therapies for cancer, diabetes and malignant ascites using its signature live-cell encapsulation technology, Cell-in-a-Box®, announced today that PharmaCyte and Iroquois Master Fund Ltd. and its affiliates, the beneficial owners of approximately 6.7% of PharmaCyte’s outstanding shares of common stock, have signed a Cooperation Agreement that includes naming two of Iroquois’ director designees to PharmaCyte’s reconstituted Board of Directors.
Pursuant to the Agreement, Iroquois’ director designees, Jonathan L. Schechter and Joshua N. Silverman, will join PharmaCyte’s reconstituted Board as independent directors. Jack E. Stover, Daniel S. Farb, and Daniel C. Allen will also join PharmaCyte’s reconstituted Board as independent directors. Existing PharmaCyte directors Kenneth L. Waggoner and Dr. Michael M. Abecassis will complete the 7-member Board.
PharmaCyte’s Chief Executive Officer, Kenneth L. Waggoner, commented, “We are pleased to have reached this constructive agreement with Iroquois which we believe is in the best interest of all shareholders. Our reconstituted Board combines extensive science, operating and capital markets experience that will make PharmaCyte a much stronger company. I would like to thank all of our previous Board members for their numerous and invaluable contributions, including Dr. Matthias Löhr, Dr. Gerald W. Crabtree, Thomas Liquard, Dr. Raymond C.F. Tong and Carlos Trujillo. Each resigned from the Board as part of the Cooperation Agreement after determining that the Cooperation Agreement, including the composition of the new Board, was in the best interest of the Company moving forward.
“We are nearing the end of our process to fulfill the FDA’s requests to enable the clinical hold to be lifted. To date, approximately 90% of the FDA’s requests have been completed or are in process with one major pig study remaining to be completed. We look forward to integrating our new directors’ ideas to drive our continued development and growth as a Nasdaq biotechnology company focused on developing treatments for hard-to-treat diseases like cancer, diabetes, and malignant ascites.”
In addition, Iroquois has agreed to certain customary standstill provisions and will support the Board’s full slate of directors at the 2022 Annual Meeting. The complete agreement between PharmaCyte and Iroquois will be included as an exhibit to PharmaCyte’s Current Report on Form 8-K, which will be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Richard Abbe, President of Iroquois, concluded, “We appreciate the engagement we have had with PharmaCyte and its shareholders over the last several months. With the appointment of five new highly qualified directors, the majority of whom are direct shareholder representatives, we are confident that the reconstituted Board is well-poised to unlock value for all shareholders.”
