Claiming to be the first U.S. company to make its public debut on the London Stock Exchange's main market, Napo Pharmaceuticals Inc. completed an initial offering of £11.9 million (US$22 million).

Shares (LSE:NAPL) were priced at 83 pence each, and gained 10 pence on its first day of trading Monday to close at 93 pence.

Founded in November 2001, South San Francisco-based Napo has established a subsidiary in India and has focused on cultivating several global partnerships. When the company decided to seek a public listing, it investigated several potential markets, including the LSE's AIM (Alternative Investment Market), said Lisa Conte, Napo CEO.

"I was initially attracted to AIM because I thought it was a good fit for the size of our company," she said.

AIM has been the exchange of choice for many small companies, but with a product in late-stage development, Napo opted, instead, for a listing on the LSE's main market, hoping for "better visibility and a better home for the company," Conte said.

Also, many investors on the London market were willing to consider long-term prospects, rather than looking for quick returns, she added. The international law firm of Reed Smith assisted the company in the transaction and Nomura Code Securities Ltd., of London, acted as the sponsor, financial adviser and underwriter to the listing.

Proceeds from the IPO will be used to support ongoing development of crofelemer, an oligomeric proanthocyanidin, in gastrointestinal disorders. The compound, which has been granted fast-track status, is expected to enter Phase III testing by the end of the year in HIV-related diarrhea, and with positive results, could reach the market in 2008.

Crofelemer is designed to work by blocking the chloride ion secretion via the CFTR channel to normalize water flow in the gut while preventing dehydration. It was created from the Croton lechleri tree found in the South American rainforest, and the drug has been made sustainable by more than 12 years of work establishing a supply network in the Amazon regions.

"This is really a product that has financial, environmental and health impacts," Conte told BioWorld Today.

In addition to treating diarrhea in HIV patients, crofelemer also is in Phase II development for irritable bowel syndrome and for acute infectious diarrhea, which includes conditions such as traveler's diarrhea and cholera. A pediatric formulation is in Phase I development.

Both the acute infectious diarrhea and pediatric indications are targeted at emerging countries. For those, Napo has partnered with Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, of Mumbai, India, and AsiaPharm Group Ltd., which has offices in Singapore and Shanghai.

Earlier in its pipeline, Napo has identified NP-500, a compound aimed at treating insulin-resistant diseases in Type II diabetes and Syndrome X.

Affymax Files For $115M IPO

Affymax Inc. filed for an initial public offering, hoping to raise $115 million to support ongoing development and potential commercialization of its anemia product.

The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company has not yet determined the share price or the number of shares to be offered. Upon completion of the IPO, Affymax would gain a listing on Nasdaq under the ticker "AFFY."

Affymax, which focuses on peptide-based drugs, expects to use proceeds from the offering to fund research and development work of Hematide, which is in Phase II development for anemia associated with chronic kidney disease and cancer, as well as to fund ongoing preclinical programs. Money also will be earmarked for the potential commercial launch of Hematide, working capital and for general corporate purposes.

Ongoing studies of Hematide, a synthetic erythropoiesis-stimulating agent, are evaluating the affect of Hematide on anemia in end-stage renal disease patients who are on dialysis, as well as earlier-stage chronic kidney disease patients.

Pending positive results, the company anticipates starting separate pivotal Phase III trials in both dialysis and predialysis patients during the first half of 2007.

Hematide also is being studied in cancer patients who suffer chemotherapy-induced anemia.

Affymax partnered Japanese rights for Hematide with Tokyo-based Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. in February and extended the collaboration to worldwide rights in June. Terms of the worldwide deal included an up-front fee of $105 million to Affymax, with the potential to receive an additional $280 million in development and regulatory milestones, and another $150 million in sales milestones. Affymax retains co-development and co-commercialization rights in the U.S. (See BioWorld Today, June 28, 2006.)

In its preclinical pipeline, the company has its Innotide program, which focuses on tissue protection in stroke, myocardial infarction and renal failure, and its Gematide program, which features granulocyte colony-stimulating factor for treating neutropenia.

Affymax also partnered with Rockville, Md.-based Entremed Inc. to develop Angiotide, an anti-angiogenic peptide.

Prior to the offering, the company's largest stockholders included Apar Excelsior VI LP, which holds 12.1 million shares, or 29.3 percent; MPM BioVentures II-QP LP, with 6.7 million shares, or 16.4 percent; Sprout Capital IX LP, with 6.3 million shares, or 15.3 percent; Bear Stearns Health Innoventures Management LLC, with 4.6 million shares, or 11.4 percent; Jafco Life Science No. 1 Investment Enterprise Partnership, with 4 million shares, or 9.8 percent; Glaxo, with 3.4 million shares, or 8.3 percent; and Takeda Pharmaceuticals, with 2.1 million shares, or 5.2 percent.

As of March 31, the company had 40.8 million shares outstanding.

Affymax had a net loss of $10.1 million for the first quarter. As of March 31, it had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments totaling $76 million.

Morgan Stanley & Co. Inc., of New York, will act as sole bookrunner and co-lead manager, while Cowen and Co. LLC, also of New York, and Thomas Weisel Partners LLC, of San Francisco, will serve as co-lead managers. New York-based RBC Capital Markets will be co-manager.