SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Jan. 30, 2025 (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 (i) 6,427,170 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $48.00 per share, which includes the exercise in full by the underwriters of their option to purchase up to an additional 1,093,750 shares of common stock, and (ii) in lieu of common stock to certain investors, pre-funded warrants to purchase 1,958,247 shares of common stock at a public offering price of $47.9999 per pre-funded warrant, which represents the per share public offering price of each share of common stock less the $0.0001 per share exercise price for each pre-funded warrant. All of the shares of common stock and pre-funded warrants in the offering were sold by Akero. The gross proceeds from the offering, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses, were approximately $402.5 million.

J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley, and Jefferies acted as joint book-running managers for the offering. UBS Investment Bank acted as co-manager for the offering.

The securities 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 January 29, 2025. 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; or 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 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). Akero’s lead product candidate, efruxifermin (EFX), is currently being evaluated in three ongoing Phase 3 clinical studies: SYNCHRONY Histology in patients with pre-cirrhotic MASH (F2-F3 fibrosis), SYNCHRONY Outcomes in patients with compensated cirrhosis due to MASH, and SYNCHRONY Real-World in patients with MASH or MASLD (Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease). 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 compensated cirrhosis due to MASH.

Investor Contact:
Christina Tartaglia
Precision AQ
212.362.1200
christina.tartaglia@precisionaq.com

Media Contact:
Peg Rusconi
Deerfield Group
617.910.6217
Peg.rusconi@deerfieldgroup.com