Caribou Biosciences, Inc. (CRBU) Made False and Misleading Statements in Connection with its IPO Regarding the Viability of its Drug Candidate
A shareholder filed a class action on behalf of persons or entities who purchased or acquired Caribou Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRBU): (1) pursuant to the Offering Documents issued in connection with the Company’s July 23, 2021 initial public offering (“IPO”); or (ii) between July 23, 2021 and December 9, 2022, for violations of the Securities Act of 1933 and Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Caribou is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that engages in the development of genome-edited allogeneic cell therapies for the treatment of hematologic malignancies and solid tumors in the U.S. and internationally. The Company is developing CB-010, an allogeneic anti-CD19 CAR-T cell therapy1 that is in a Phase 1 clinical trial, referred to as “ANTLER”, to treat relapsed or refractory B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (“r/r B-NHL”).
According to the complaint, the registration statement filed in connection with the IPO was materially false and misleading because it failed to disclose that CB-010’s treatment effect was not as durable as defendants had led investors to believe, and accordingly, CB-010’s clinical and commercial prospects were overstated.
On June 10, 2022, Caribou issued a press release reporting “[p]ositive” data from the ANTLER Phase 1 clinical trial. Among other results, Caribou reported that “[a]t 6 months following the single dose of CB-010, [only] 40% of patients remained in CR [complete response] (2 of 5 patients) as of the May 13, 2022 data cutoff date”, prompting investor concern over the durability of the CB-010 treatment. On this news, Caribou’s stock price fell $1.78 per share, or 20.41%, to close at $6.94 per share on June 10, 2022.
Then, on December 12, 2022, Caribou issued a press release “report[ing] new 12-month clinical data from cohort 1 in the ongoing ANTLER Phase 1 trial, which [purportedly] show[ed] long-term durability following a single infusion of CB-010 at the initial dose level 1 (40×106 CAR-T cells).” Among other results, Caribou reported that “3 of 6 patients maintained a durable CR at 6 months” and “2 of 6 patients maintain a long-term CR at the 12 month scan and remain on the trial”, thereby confirming investor fears that the CB-010 treatment lacked significant durability. On this news, Caribou’s stock price fell $0.81 per share, or 9.03%, to close at $8.16 per share on December 12, 2022.
What Now: Similarly situated shareholders may be eligible to participate in the class action against Caribou. Shareholders who want to act as lead plaintiff for the class must file their papers by April 11, 2023. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. You do not have to participate in the case to be eligible for a recovery.
All representation is on a contingency fee basis. Shareholders pay no fees or expenses.
