UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 6-K
REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER
PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16
UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the month of March 2020
Commission File Number: 001-38764
APTORUM GROUP LIMITED
17th Floor, Guangdong Investment Tower
148 Connaught Road Central
Hong Kong
(Address of principal executive offices)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F: Form 20-F ☒ Form 40-F ☐
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): ☐
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): ☐
On March 30, 2020, Aptorum Group Limited (the “Company”) issued two press releases, one of which provides details regarding the Company’s first quarter 2020 investor update conference call to occur on Thursday, April 2, 2020. A copy of each of the press releases is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and Exhibit 99.2, respectively.
Neither this report nor the press releases attached as exhibits hereto constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy our securities, nor shall there be any sale of our securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
The information in this Form 6-K, including the exhibits shall not be deemed to be “filed” for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and shall not be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.
This Form 6-K is hereby incorporated by reference into the registration statements of the Company on Form S-8 (Registration Number 333-232591) and Form F-3 (Registration Number 333-235819) and into each prospectus outstanding under the foregoing registration statements, to the extent not superseded by documents or reports subsequently filed or furnished by the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
EXHIBIT INDEX
| Exhibit No. | Description | |
| 99.1 | Press Release | |
| 99.2 | Press Release |
1
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| Aptorum Group Limited | ||
| Date: March 30, 2020 | By: | /s/ Sabrina Khan |
| Name: Sabrina Khan | ||
| Title: Chief Financial Officer | ||
2
EXHIBIT INDEX
| Exhibit No. | Description | |
| 99.1 | Press Release | |
| 99.2 | Press Release |
3
Exhibit 99.1
Aptorum Group Collaborates with Covar Pharmaceuticals To Investigate at Least 3 Repurposed Drug Candidates (SACT-COV19) for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) under Existing Smart-ACTTM Platform and Acticule Infectious Disease Platform
NEW YORK -- Aptorum Group Limited (Nasdaq: APM) (“Aptorum Group”), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapeutics for unmet needs including but not limited to infectious, orphan and metabolic disease areas, today announced that it is initiating an additional research and development project targeting the coronavirus group and has completed initial screening under the Smart-ACTTM platform, a repurposed and new drug discovery platform, to select, out of more than 2,600 approved small drug molecules, at least 3 potential candidates for further preclinical investigation against the new coronavirus disease, COVID-19. Aptorum Group is collaborating with Toronto based Covar Pharmaceuticals and has also entered into agreement with the University of Hong Kong’s Microbiology Department to conduct further preclinical investigation of the selected candidates prior to seeking approval from regulatory agencies to initiate clinical trials on suitable candidates.
In particular, Aptorum Group will focus on investigation of at least three small molecule drugs (collectively “SACT-COV19”), that have shown potential interference against two enzyme targets, namely, 3CL-Protease and RNA dependent RNA Polymerase (“RDRP”), with both playing pivotal roles in COVID-19’s replication cycle. Specifically, 3CL-Protease is believed to mediate viral replication and transcription functions through extensive proteolytic processing, while RDRP is an enzyme that is believed to catalyze the replication of viral RNA from its RNA template. These selected candidates will undergo further preclinical assessment on efficacy against COVID-19. Aptorum Group has filed patent applications on the above candidates.
For the ongoing investigation and preclinical work, Aptorum Group is collaborating with Toronto based Covar Pharmaceuticals and also Aptorum Group has contracted with the University of Hong Kong to conduct this work. Covar Pharmaceutical’s team (comprised of professionals previously from Patheon and Glaxo Wellcome)1 is highly experienced in drug discovery and development supported by its GMP manufacturing facility. The University of Hong Kong’s Microbiology team was instrumental in the discovery of SARS virus during the 2003 epidemic2, as well as currently being actively involved, in their own respective research interests, in developing vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus3 and COVID-19 related monitoring physical device with other third parties4.
Aptorum Group will also seek additional collaborators globally for driving its development of SACT-COV19 initiatives forward and welcomes interested parties to contact us to discuss collaboration opportunities.
Aptorum Group, as part of its existing pipeline, is also developing a number of infectious disease indications under its Acticule platform, including, but not limited to, a unique antiviral small molecule candidate (ALS-1) against Influenza virus and also, as its lead program, an anti-virulent, non-bactericidal small molecule candidate (ALS-4) against Staphylococcus aureus infections, amongst other projects, for which Covar Pharmaceuticals is also currently supporting its development in North America.
Mr. Ian Huen, Chief Executive Officer of Aptorum Group said, “COVID-19 disease is highly contagious and has spread across the world causing significant disruptions and casualties in the process. The confirmed cases globally have exceeded 700,000 as of today’s date5 and the World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 as a pandemic. Despite a growing number of both established and early stage pharmaceutical companies rushing to develop vaccine based therapies for COVID-19, we believe there is a need to tackle this disease multi-dimensionally and urgently. In order to accelerate development, our aim is to identify candidates from already approved drugs, that have established safety, toxicity and pharmacokinetic clinical profiles, to be repurposed for treatment of COVID-19. In addition, due to the ongoing mutation and evolution of this coronavirus, we cannot rule out that there may be further strains of this coronavirus emerging in the near future and therefore, the world must be prepared to deal with such challenges swiftly and collectively in order to minimize casualties and economic loss. We believe that Aptorum Group’s Smart-ACTTM platform in conjunction with our existing Acticule infectious disease development capabilities and as supported by Covar Pharmaceuticals, is well-positioned to develop potential solutions and to deliver our share of contribution to the world on this disease as well as others.”
1 https://www.covarpharma.com/
2 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3747526/
3 https://fightcovid19.hku.hk/tag/vaccine/
4 https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3073869/hong-kong-researchers-join-us-tech-start-remotely-monitor-covid-19
5 https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6
About Smart-ACTTM Platform
The Smart-ACTTM platform is a proprietary systematic process combining both computational approach and wet laboratory validation under which Aptorum Group constantly screens over 2,600 approved small molecule drugs in order to identify candidates that can be repurposed for selected orphan or unmet diseases. The overall strategic aim is to significantly shorten R&D costs and the timeline to effectively deliver patentable repurposed drug candidates into clinical trials and efficiently achieve eventual market commercialization.
About Aptorum Group Limited
Aptorum Group Limited (Nasdaq: APM) is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing novel therapeutics to tackle unmet medical needs. Aptorum Group’s current drug pipeline include indications in orphan diseases, infectious diseases and metabolic diseases and a number of which are targeted to enter clinical trial phases in 2020. Aptorum Group’s Dioscorea Opposita Bioactive Nutraceutical Tablets, which is a dietary supplement for women’s health during menopause and post-menopause cycles, are currently being commercialized.
For more information about Aptorum Group, please visit www.aptorumgroup.com.
Disclaimer and Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes statements concerning Aptorum Group Limited and its future expectations, plans and prospects that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For this purpose, any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “could,” “intends,” “target,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” or “continue,” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. Aptorum Group has based these forward-looking statements, which include statements regarding projected timelines for application submissions and trials, largely on its current expectations and projections about future events and trends that it believes may affect its business, financial condition and results of operations. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions including, without limitation, risks related to its announced management and organizational changes, the continued service and availability of key personnel, its ability to expand its product assortments by offering additional products for additional consumer segments, development results, the company’s anticipated growth strategies, anticipated trends and challenges in its business, and its expectations regarding, and the stability of, its supply chain, and the risks more fully described in Aptorum Group’s Form 20-F and other filings that Aptorum Group may make with the SEC in the future. As a result, the projections included in such forward-looking statements are subject to change. Aptorum Group assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contacts
Investors:
Tel: +852 2117 6611
Email: investor.relations@aptorumgroup.com
Media:
Tel: + 852 2117 6611
Email: info@aptorumgroup.com
Exhibit 99.2
Aptorum Group Limited Corporate Update and To Hold Q1 2020 Investor Update Call To Discuss Recent Development and Pipeline Progress
NEW YORK -- Aptorum Group Limited (Nasdaq: APM) (“Aptorum Group”), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapeutics to address global unmet medical needs, today provides an update on the Company’s operations in light of the recent declaration of the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic declared by the World Health Organisation on March 11, 2020.
Aptorum Group’s operational plans continue to remain on track, and in particular the recently announced updates on SACT-1 (targeting Neuroblastoma) and ALS-4 (targeting Staphylococcus aureus) remain on track for its pre-IND preparation work and will continue to target for IND submission in the second half of 2020. With the additional capital raised in February 2020, the Company is also on track in expanding strategic initiatives including the discovery and development pipeline such as the recently announced initiative SACT-COV19 (targeting COVID-19 disease) and additional Smart-Act platform projects being SACT-2 and SACT-3, which will be announced in due course. The Company, together with the distributor, is also focused on the distribution of the recently announced non-hormonal based Dioscorea Opposita bioactive nutraceutical supplement targeting woman’s health during menopause or post-menopause cycles. In light of the global coronavirus situation, the Company would like to report that its day to day operations continue to proceed as normal.
The management of the Company will also host its first quarter 2020 investor update conference call to discuss recent developments and plans for the Company on Thursday, April 2, 2020. Aptorum Group will also provide updates during the call on the progress of its existing pipeline, including SACT-1 and ALS-4, and the latest announced project targeting the coronavirus group including COVID-19. A conference call will be held on Thursday, April 2, 2020 at 10:00am Hong Kong time (April 1, 2020 at 10:00pm EST) by the executive management team. If you have any specific question(s) for the Company and its projects, please email your question(s) to investor.relations@aptorumgroup.com on or before 10:00pm EST Tuesday, March 31, 2020.
To participate in the call, please dial +852 3018 8307 (for Hong Kong callers) or 1-844-760 0770 (for US callers) using conference ID number 6995532. The archived webcast will be available on the Investors section of Aptorum Group’s website (http://ir.aptorumgroup.com/) approximately one hour after the call has completed.
About Aptorum Group Limited
Aptorum Group Limited (Nasdaq: APM) is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing novel therapeutics to tackle unmet medical needs. Aptorum Group's current drug pipeline include indications in orphan diseases, infectious diseases and metabolic diseases and a number of which are targeted to enter clinical trial phases in 2020. Aptorum Group also operates a woman's health supplement business whose Dioscorea Opposita Bioactive Nutraceutical Tablets are currently being commercialized.
For more information about Aptorum Group, please visit www.aptorumgroup.com.
Disclaimer and Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes statements concerning Aptorum Group Limited and its future expectations, plans and prospects that constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For this purpose, any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "may," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "could," "intends," "target," "projects," "contemplates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential," or "continue," or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. Aptorum Group has based these forward-looking statements, which include statements regarding projected timelines for application submissions and trials, largely on its current expectations and projections about future events and trends that it believes may affect its business, financial condition and results of operations. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions including, without limitation, risks related to its announced management and organizational changes, the continued service and availability of key personnel, its ability to expand its product assortments by offering additional products for additional consumer segments, development results, the company’s anticipated growth strategies, anticipated trends and challenges in its business, and its expectations regarding, and the stability of, its supply chain, and the risks more fully described in Aptorum Group’s Form 20-F and other filings that Aptorum Group may make with the SEC in the future. As a result, the projections included in such forward-looking statements are subject to change. Aptorum Group assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contacts
Investors:
Tel: +852 2117 6611
Email: investor.relations@aptorumgroup.com
Media:
Tel: + 852 2117 6611
Email: info@aptorumgroup.com