Relief Therapeutics $RLFTF Is Acquiring APA Applied Pharma
One of my favorite biotech companies just got a lot better. $RLFTF is acquiring APA Applied Pharma Research, which has nearly 50 employees as per their LinkedIn page. Relief Therapeutics is already a lung injury leader, something that’s pretty useful in a pandemic like this one.
Relief is a biopharmaceutical company with its lead compound RLF-100TM (aviptadil) in advanced clinical development to treat COVID-19-induced lung injury, with a stock that’s gone down with the penny stock bear market of 2021.
APR Applied Pharma Research S.A. (“APR“) is a privately held Swiss pharmaceutical company with over 25 years’ experience in identifying, developing and commercializing known molecules engineered with drug delivery systems in niche and rare diseases on a global basis.
As such, Relief will acquire all outstanding shares of APR. Check out their website here. Relief is becoming a really promising Swiss Biotech company. At the Last Futurist we are bullish on its future prospects, especially as compared with its declining stock price. On the American OTC it’s $0.19 today, which makes little sense.
According to the Term Sheet, the APR shareholders will receive from Relief at the closing of a signed transaction, CHF 22 million in cash, plus additional cash relating to APR’s working capital position at time of close, and CHF 50 million payable in Relief common registered shares.
So what kind of research is APR involved in? APR is applying advanced patented pharma technologies, as well as proprietary delivery systems and novel dosage forms, to optimize the therapeutic potential of pharmaceuticals and improve patient outcomes. This is simply very synergistic with Relief’s current pipeline that is surprisingly strong.
APR’s pipeline and portfolio include products for the treatment of rare or debilitating diseases. APR is, for example, commercializing Golike(R) to improve metabolic control in patients suffering from phenylketonuria, a rare genetic metabolic disorder. This boosts Relief’s R&D in ways that could improve its long-term prospects and commercial viability.
Don’t Underestimate the Swiss
APR is an independent Swiss pharma company focused on development and global commercialization of innovative, research-driven products designed to address unmet needs in specialized therapeutic areas and rare diseases. So here we are talking about consolidation in the Swiss biotech landscape.
Paolo Galfetti, Chief Executive Officer of APR, said, “We are excited about the possibility of joining Relief as they share our enthusiasm for our technology and product portfolio and are driven by the goal of helping patients in desperate need of better treatment options.
This acquisition would provide us greater access to funding and international support as we continue to build a commercial infrastructure for our marketed products, as well as work to advance our product pipeline as quickly as possible to reach patients.”
What’s so fascinating about Relief is its biotech prospects during Covid-19 have been so neglected by the media and stock investing enthusiasts. It’s essentially flying under the radar, with only a small handful of German and Swiss investors taking note.
Americans think the ‘pandemic is over’, but how many times have we heard that refrain already? America has no choice but to open up completely during the summer, for economic and mental health reasons. If Pfizer is able to get teens, herd immunity is not probable but one day possible in North America.
A Top Biotech Penny Stock for 2022
Relief’s lead drug candidate RLF-100TM (aviptadil), a synthetic form of Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP), is in late-stage clinical testing in the U.S. for the treatment of respiratory deficiency due to COVID-19. As part of its pipeline diversification strategy, in March 2021 Relief entered into a Collaboration and License Agreement with Acer Therapeutics for the worldwide development and commercialization of ACER-001.
So Relief actually has more going on than it appears, although it appears its partnership with NeuroRx is becoming a liability.
Relief’s stock price reached $0.63 in February and is now down more than 60%. Its baseline last summer was $0.04, so it’s a really fascinating stock to watch. With good news, it could easily go above $1, but appears destined to languish until then.
Its ability to help serious ICU patients is well documented and can save lives of those who have serious Covid-19 and lung damage, so in 2022 it could be a very important company.
At the Last Futurist, we are suckers for an underdog biotech company like Relief. Ironically their PR doesn’t translate to English very well. So they shoot themselves in the foot at nearly every step from an investor perspective, in spite of having a decent website.
We thank our German and Swiss readers for helping to share info on this European company to American and foreign investors. Their partnership with Acer is widely unknown and underestimated. They also have an inhaled phase 2 trial ongoing.
Their business update is sufficiently promising to invest in this company, you just have to find the correct price-point for entry. Due to the penny stock bear market (also due to crypto’s rise), the OTC price is likely to keep declining.
All to say, our position with regards to $RLFTF has not changed and in fact they are improving their business prospects in 2021 to a considerable degree. Biotech penny stocks are exceptionally volatile, and this for many is a long-term play.
I cannot think of another biotech company that could impact the pandemic as it continues to evolve with variants, that actually has the potential to save lives.
For a greater understanding of the business of Relief, search “RLFTF” in the search bar at the bottom of our homepage.