Dec. 27 Financial Quick Takes: Cirius, Axsome, Abeona, Monopar, Paige.AI, Freeline

Cirius withdraws IPO
Cirius Therapeutics Inc. withdrew its IPO proposal on Dec. 20. The metabolic and liver disease company had filed in January to raise up to $86.3 million in a NASDAQ offering. In November, Cirius’ lead compound MSDC-0602K missed the primary endpoint in the Phase IIb EMMINENCE trial to treat non-alcoholic steatohepatitis with fibrosis. At the time, CEO Bob Baltera told BioCentury the compound’s effects on glucose metabolism and liver enzymes warrant a pivotal trial (see “Cirius Plots Path Forward”).

Axsome raises $200M following positive depression data
Axsome Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:AXSM) raised $200.1 million through the sale of 2.3 million shares at $87 in a follow-on that closed Monday and included the full exercise of the underwriters’ overallotment. The price is a 3% discount to the CNS company’s close on Dec. 18, before it proposed the offering. The offering follows positive Phase II data for Axsome’s depression candidate on Dec. 16, which sent the company’s stock up 71% (see “Axsome Continues Ascent”)...