Akero Therapeutics Announces Closing of Public Offering of Common Stock and Full Exercise of Underwriters' Option to Purchase Additional Shares

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., March 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: AKRO), a clinical-stage company developing transformational treatments for patients with serious metabolic disease marked by high unmet medical need, announced today the closing of its previously announced underwritten public offering of 12,650,000 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $29.00 per share, which includes the exercise in full by the underwriters of their option to purchase up to an additional 1,650,000 shares of common stock in this offering. The gross proceeds from the offering, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses, were approximately $366.9 million.

J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Jefferies and Evercore ISI acted as joint book-running managers for the offering.

The shares of common stock were offered by Akero pursuant to an automatically effective shelf registration statement that was previously filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). A final prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to and describing the terms of the offering was filed with the SEC on March 6, 2024. The final prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering may be obtained from: J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, by telephone at (866) 803-9204, or by email at prospectus-eq_fi@jpmchase.com; Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 180 Varick Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10014, or by email at prospectus@morganstanley.com; Jefferies LLC, Attention: Equity Syndicate Prospectus Department, 520 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022, by telephone at (877) 821-7388, or by email at prospectus_department@jefferies.com; or Evercore Group L.L.C., Attention: Equity Capital Markets, 55 East 52nd Street, 35th Floor, New York, NY 10055, by telephone at (888) 474-0200, or by email at ecm.prospectus@evercore.com; or by accessing the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About Akero Therapeutics

Akero Therapeutics is a clinical-stage company developing transformational treatments for patients with serious metabolic diseases marked by high unmet medical need, including metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), a disease without any approved therapies. Akero’s lead product candidate, efruxifermin (EFX), is currently being evaluated in two ongoing Phase 3 clinical trials: the SYNCHRONY Histology study in patients with pre-cirrhotic MASH (F2-F3 fibrosis) and the SYNCHRONY Real-World study in patients with MASH or MASLD. A third clinical trial, the SYNCHRONY Outcomes study in patients with cirrhosis due to MASH, is expected to be initiated in the first half of 2024. The Phase 3 SYNCHRONY program builds on the results of two Phase 2b clinical trials, the HARMONY study in patients with pre-cirrhotic MASH and the SYMMETRY study in patients with cirrhosis due to MASH.

Investor Contact:
Christina Tartaglia
212.362.1200
IR@akerotx.com

Media Contact:
Sarah O’Connell
732.456.0092
soconnell@vergescientific.com