November 28, 2023
SAN DIEGO and SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO – LENZ Therapeutics and Graphite Bio, Inc. announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement to combine the companies in an all-stock transaction. The lead programs of the combined company will address presbyopia. The combined company is expected to trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “LENZ.”
It is expected that the net proceeds from the merger and concurrent financing will allow the combined company to continue to build infrastructure and successfully commercialize LENZ’s lead product candidate, subject to successful completion of the ongoing Phase 3 trials, New Drug Application (NDA) submission, and subsequent FDA approval.
“I am pleased to announce our merger with Graphite Bio, allowing us to create a publicly traded company focused on the advancement of LENZ’s lead programs, LNZ100 and LNZ101 for the treatment of presbyopia. This pivotal change comes at an important time for the company as we gear up for the readout of the Phase 3 CLARITY trials in the second quarter of 2024,” said Eef Schimmelpennink, President and CEO of LENZ Therapeutics. “We believe that a once-daily pharmacological eye drop that can effectively and safely improve near vision throughout the full workday, without the need for reading glasses, will be a highly attractive commercial product with an estimated U.S. market opportunity in excess of $3 billion. We have assembled an executive team with extensive clinical, commercial, and operational experience to commercialize such a product and become the category leader.”
“Graphite Bio ran a thorough and strategic process, and we believe that this transaction represents the company’s commitment to delivering value to the Graphite stockholders,” said Kim Drapkin, CEO of Graphite Bio. “LENZ Therapeutics is strongly positioned with Phase 3 lead program, addressing a very large target market with near-term, high potential, value-inflecting milestones and a well-credentialed management team to lead the combined company.”
