SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 31, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Clene Inc. (Nasdaq: CLNN) (along with its subsidiaries “Clene”) and its wholly owned subsidiary Clene Nanomedicine Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on revolutionizing the treatment of neurodegenerative disease, today announced that it has entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain existing stockholders, including existing stockholders affiliated with Clene’s board of directors, for the purchase and sale of 10,723,926 shares of the Company’s common stock at a purchase price per share of $1.01, priced at-the-market based on the October 28, 2022 closing stock price, in a registered direct offering.

The closing of the registered direct offering is expected to occur on or about November 2, 2022, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The gross proceeds from the offering are expected to be approximately $10.8 million. The registered direct offering is being made without a placement agent, underwriter, broker or dealer and, as a result, Clene is not paying any underwriter commission or discount. Clene intends to use the proceeds from this offering together with its existing cash for expenses primarily related to general corporate purposes, including to fund the clinical development of its lead drug candidate, CNM-Au8^®.

The shares were offered pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-264299) previously filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and declared effective by the SEC on April 26, 2022. A final prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus (collectively, the “Prospectus”) containing additional information relating to the offering will be filed with the SEC and will be available on the SEC’s website located at http://www.sec.gov.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sales of the 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.

Clene also announced that it has executed a Commitment Letter with the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (“DHCD”) to borrow $5 million (the “Loan Facility”). The State Small Business Credit Initiative (“SSBCI”) program within DHCD was provided the source funds for the Loan Facility by the U.S. Department of Treasury. The Loan Facility is conditioned on Clene matching the $5 million loan with at least $5 million of new equity capital. The closing of the registered direct offering referenced above will satisfy that condition of the Loan Facility. Clene is targeting December 1, 2022, as the tentative closing date for the Loan Facility.

Mark Mortenson, Founder & Chief Science Officer of Clene Nanomedicine, added, “We greatly appreciate the continued financial support from the State of Maryland and DHCD. This offered Loan Facility is another great example of effective public-private partnerships that support continued investment in activities that create high-value pharmaceutical manufacturing jobs, specifically producing nanotherapeutics at Clene that have the potential to improve the lives of people living with neurodegenerative diseases.”

Rob Etherington, CEO and President of Clene, commented, “These funds, along with existing cash-on-hand, enable Clene to advance its pipeline in difficult-to-treat neurodegenerative diseases, focusing immediately on ALS. The proceeds from these two financings, once closed, one of which is non-dilutive, will further strengthen our balance sheet, enable sufficient capital to fund our operations into the third quarter 2023, and support the regulatory path to potential marketing authorization for CNM-Au8 in the treatment of ALS.”

About Clene

Clene is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on revolutionizing the treatment of neurodegenerative disease by targeting energetic failure, an underlying cause of many neurological diseases. The company is based in Salt Lake City, Utah, with R&D and manufacturing operations in Maryland. For more information, please visit www.clene.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.