Zenas BioPharma shares rise nearly 8% in market debut
Adds details on U.S. IPO market in paragraph 4-5, details on the company from paragraph 6 onwards
Sept 13 (Reuters) -Shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb-backed Zenas BioPharma ZBIO.O rose nearly 8% in their Nasdaq debut on Friday, a sign of recovery for the U.S. initial public offering marketin 2024 after two subpar years.
The company's shares began trading at $18.35, above itsIPO price of $17, valuing it at a little over $700 million.
Zenas BioPharma sold 13.2 million shares in the offering, upsized from an initial plan of 11.76 million shares, raising $225 million.
The U.S. IPO market has shown green shoots in 2024, buoyed by firming hopes of U.S. Federal Reserve ratecuts and expectations of a soft landing for the economy.
Investors gave a warm response to companies such as healthcare payments firm Waystar WAY.O and clinical biopharmaceutical company CG Oncology CGON.O, both of which are trading above their IPO price, as of last close. The two firms listed earlier this year.
Zenas listed alongside Bicara Therapeutics BCAX.O and biotech firm MBX Biosciences MBX.O as IPO activity picked up after a summer lull. Cold storage real estate investment trust Lineage LINE.O, the year's biggest IPO, listed its shares in July.
Zenas, an immunology-based therapies developer, raised $200 million earlier this year in a funding round led by venture capital firm SR One.
The company is developing its lead product candidate, obexelimab, for the treatment of several autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, including multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
SLE is a chronic disease where the body's immune system attacks its own tissues and organs. Multiple sclerosis is a chronic neurological disorder.
The Waltham, Massachusetts-based company plans to use the IPO proceeds to advance the clinical development of obexelimab and prepare for its potential launch in the United States and Europe, pending approval.
Morgan Stanley, Jefferies, Citigroup Global Markets, and Guggenheim Securities acted as the underwriters for the offering.
Reporting by Prakhar Srivastava and Pritam Biswas in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane Venkatraman and Tasim Zahid
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