Exicure and Allergan Enter Into Collaboration, Option and License Agreement to Discover and Develop SNA-based Treatments for Hair Loss Disorders

Exicure, Inc., (NASDAQ:XCUR) a pioneer in gene regulatory and immunotherapeutic drugs utilizing spherical nucleic acid (SNA™) technology, today announced that Allergan’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Allergan Pharmaceuticals International Limited, and Exicure, Inc. have entered into a global collaboration agreement to discover and develop novel treatments for hair loss disorders based on Exicure’s proprietary SNA technology.

Under the terms of the agreement, Allergan will receive exclusive access and options to license SNA-based therapeutics arising from two collaboration programs related to the treatment of hair loss disorders. Exicure will receive an upfront payment of $25 million and will conduct discovery and development in two collaboration programs for hair loss disorders. In the event that Allergan exercises an option, Allergan will be responsible for clinical development and commercialization of the licensed products. Exicure will be eligible to receive development and regulatory milestones of up to $97.5 million per program and commercial milestones of up to $265 million per program. Exicure will also be eligible to receive tiered royalties on worldwide net product sales of mid-single digit to mid-teens percentages on worldwide net product sales.

“We are excited to combine our knowledge of nucleic acid therapeutics with Allergan’s deep expertise in medical aesthetics to develop and commercialize innovative treatments for hair loss disorders.” said Dr. David Giljohann, chief executive officer of Exicure. “This collaboration is an exciting opportunity to advance Exicure’s SNA technology in an important new therapeutic area.”

Additional Details about the Collaboration and Hair Loss Program

One of the most common hair loss disorders and a subject of the collaboration is androgenetic alopecia also known as pattern baldness, affecting approximately 50 million men and 30 million women in the United States. It is estimated that over $3.5 billion a year is spent on treatments, the majority of which are ineffective.

Conference Call Today at 8:30am ET/7:30am CT

Exicure will hold a conference call at 8:30am ET to provide a corporate update and to discuss the strategic collaboration announced today. A live audio only webcast of the conference call can be accessed in the Investors section of the company’s website at www.exicuretx.com. To participate in the conference call, please dial 866-997-1948 or 270-215-9856 five minutes prior to start time. The conference ID is 9849047. An archived version of the webcast will be available on Exicure’s website for 30 days.

About Allergan plc

Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is a global pharmaceutical leader focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing branded pharmaceutical, device, biologic, surgical and regenerative medicine products for patients around the world. Allergan markets a portfolio of leading brands and best-in-class products primarily focused on four key therapeutic areas including medical aesthetics, eye care, central nervous system and gastroenterology. As part of its approach to delivering innovation for better patient care, Allergan has built one of the broadest pharmaceutical and device research and development pipelines in the industry.

With colleagues and commercial operations located in approximately 100 countries, Allergan is committed to working with physicians, healthcare providers and patients to deliver innovative and meaningful treatments that help people around the world live longer, healthier lives every day.

For more information, visit Allergan’s website at www.Allergan.com.

About Exicure

Exicure, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing therapeutics for immuno-oncology, inflammatory diseases and genetic disorders based on our proprietary Spherical Nucleic Acid, or SNA technology. Exicure believes that its proprietary SNA architecture has distinct chemical and biological properties that may provide advantages over other nucleic acid therapeutics and may have therapeutic potential to target diseases not typically addressed with other nucleic acid therapeutics. Exicure's lead program is in a Phase 1b/2 trial in patients with advanced solid tumors. Exicure is based outside of Chicago, IL and in Cambridge, MA.

For more information, visit Exicure’s website at www.exicuretx.com.

Exicure Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements (including within the meaning of Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended) concerning the Company, the Company’s technology, potential therapies, cash requirements and other matters. Forward-looking statements generally include statements that are predictive in nature and depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, and include words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “expect,” “plan,” “believe,” “intend,” “look forward,” and other similar expressions among others. Statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results could differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement as a result of various factors, including, without limitation: unexpected costs, charges or expenses that reduce cash runway; that Exicure’s pre-clinical or clinical programs do not advance or result in approved products on a timely or cost effective basis or at all; the cost, timing and results of clinical trials; that many drug candidates that have completed Phase 1 trials do not become approved drugs on a timely or cost effective basis or at all; the ability to enroll patients in clinical trials; possible safety and efficacy concerns; regulatory developments; and the ability of Exicure to protect its intellectual property rights. Risks facing the Company and its programs are set forth in the Company’s filings with the SEC. Except as required by applicable law, the Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement (including without limitation its cash runway guidance) or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. 

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