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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

 

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

Form 8-K

 

Current Report

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): January 31, 2022

 

FENNEC PHARMACEUTICALS INC.

 

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

001-32295

(Commission File Number)

 

British Columbia, Canada   20-0442384

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation)

  (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

 

 

PO Box 13628, 68 TW Alexander Drive,

Research Triangle Park, NC

 

 

27709

(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

  

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (919) 636-4530

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 

¨Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

¨Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

¨Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

¨Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class Trading symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which
registered
Common shares, no par value FENC Nasdaq Capital Market

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

 

Emerging growth company ¨

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.        ¨

 

 

 

 

 

 

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

 

On January 31, 2022 Fennec Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced the resignation of Chief Commercial Officer, Shubh Goel. A copy of the news release is attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.

 

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(d) Exhibits.

 

Exhibit No. Description
   
Exhibit 99.1 Press Release dated January 31, 2022
Exhibit 104 Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL)

 

 

 

SIGNATURE

 

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 hereunto duly authorized.

 

  FENNEC PHARMACEUTICALS INC.

 

Date January 31, 2022 By: /s/ Robert Andrade
    Robert Andrade
    Chief Financial Officer

 

 

Exhibit 99.1

 

FENNEC PHARMACEUTICALS ANNOUNCES MANAGEMENT CHANGE

 

Research Triangle Park, NC, Jan. 31, 2022 – Fennec Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:FENC; TSX: FRX), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development of PEDMARKTM (a unique formulation of sodium thiosulfate) for the prevention of platinum-induced ototoxicity in pediatric patients, today announced that Shubh Goel, the Company’s chief commercial officer, has tendered her resignation and will depart Fennec in late February.

 

“On behalf of the Board of Directors and leadership team, we thank Shubh for her many contributions to the Company. We continue to prepare for a commercial launch upon approval,” said Rosty Raykov, chief executive officer of Fennec Pharmaceuticals, Inc. “Fennec remains committed to making PEDMARKTM available to children and young adults receiving cisplatin chemotherapy, who currently have no approved therapies for ototoxicity.”

 

About Fennec Pharmaceuticals

 

Fennec Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development of PEDMARK for the prevention of platinum-induced ototoxicity in pediatric patients.   Further, PEDMARK has received Orphan Drug Designation in the U.S. for this potential use. Fennec has a license agreement with Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) for exclusive worldwide license rights to intellectual property directed to sodium thiosulfate and its use for chemoprotection, including the prevention of ototoxicity induced by platinum chemotherapy, in humans.  For more information, please visit www.fennecpharma.com

 

About PEDMARK™

 

Cisplatin and other platinum compounds are essential chemotherapeutic agents for many pediatric malignancies.  Unfortunately, platinum-based therapies cause ototoxicity, or hearing loss, which is permanent, irreversible and particularly harmful to the survivors of pediatric cancer.

 

In the U.S. and Europe, it is estimated that, annually, over 10,000 children may receive platinum-based chemotherapy.  The incidence of ototoxicity depends upon the dose and duration of chemotherapy, and many of these children require lifelong hearing aids. There is currently no established preventive agent for this hearing loss and only expensive, technically difficult and sub-optimal cochlear (inner ear) implants have been shown to provide some benefit. Infants and young children that suffer ototoxicity at critical stages of development lack speech language development and literacy, and older children and adolescents lack social-emotional development and educational achievement.

 

PEDMARK has been studied by cooperative groups in two Phase 3 clinical studies of survival and reduction of ototoxicity, The Clinical Oncology Group Protocol ACCL0431 and SIOPEL 6. Both studies have been completed. The COG ACCL0431 protocol enrolled childhood cancers typically treated with intensive cisplatin therapy for localized and disseminated disease, including newly diagnosed hepatoblastoma, germ cell tumor, osteosarcoma, neuroblastoma, and medulloblastoma.  SIOPEL 6 enrolled only hepatoblastoma patients with localized tumors.

 

PEDMARK has received Breakthrough Therapy and Fast Track Designation by the FDA in March 2018. The Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for sodium thiosulfate (tradename PEDMARQSI) is currently under evaluation by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

 

 

 

Forward Looking Statements

 

Except for historical information described in this press release, all other statements are forward-looking. These forward-looking statements include the Company’s expectations regarding its interactions and communications with the FDA and, pending FDA approval, the Company’s planned commercial launch of PEDMARKTM.. Forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties inherent in the Company’s business that could cause actual results to vary, including such risks and uncertainties that regulatory and guideline developments may change, scientific data and/or manufacturing capabilities may not be sufficient to meet regulatory standards or receipt of required regulatory clearances or approvals, clinical results may not be replicated in actual patient settings, Fennec’s reliance on third party manufacturing, unforeseen global instability, including political instability, or instability from an outbreak of pandemic or contagious disease, such as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), or surrounding the duration and severity of an outbreak, protection offered by the Company’s patents and patent applications may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented by its competitors, the available market for the Company’s products will not be as large as expected, the Company’s products will not be able to penetrate one or more targeted markets, revenues will not be sufficient to fund further development and clinical studies, the Company may not meet its future capital requirements in different countries and municipalities, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2021. Fennec disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements except as required by law.

 

For a more detailed discussion of related risk factors, please refer to our public filings available at www.sec.gov and www.sedar.com.

 

For further information, please contact:

 

Investors:

Robert Andrade

Chief Financial Officer

Fennec Pharmaceuticals Inc.

(919) 246-5299

 

Media:

Elixir Health Public Relations

Lindsay Rocco

(862) 596-1304

lrocco@elixirhealthpr.com