UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM 6-K

 

 

REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER

PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16

UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the Month of August 2020

Commission File Number: 001-38547

 

 

Autolus Therapeutics plc

(Translation of registrant’s name into English)

 

 

Forest House

58 Wood Lane

White City

London W12 7RZ

United Kingdom

(Address of principal executive office)

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F:

☒  Form 20-F    ☐  Form 40-F

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1):  ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7):  ☐

 

 

 

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This Report on Form 6-K (the “Report”) and Exhibit 99.1 to this Report shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into the registration statements on Form F-3 (File No. 333-232690) and Form S-8 (File No. 333-226457) of Autolus Therapeutics plc (including any prospectuses forming a part of such registration statements) and to be a part thereof from the date on which this Report is furnished, to the extent not superseded by documents or reports subsequently filed or furnished.

INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS REPORT ON FORM 6-K

Appointment of New Director

On August 4, 2020, Autolus Therapeutics plc (the “Company”) announced the appointment of Jay T. Backstrom, M.D., M.P.H. to the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”), effective August 1, 2020.

Dr. Backstrom will serve as a Class I director, with an initial term expiring at the Company’s 2022 annual meeting of stockholders, and will serve on the Board’s Research & Development Committee. In connection with the appointment of Dr. Backstrom to the Board, the Board approved an increase in the size of the Board from seven to eight members.

Dr. Backstrom’s compensation for his services as a director will be consistent with the terms of the Company’s non-executive director compensation policy, as described under “Director Compensation” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2019 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on March 3, 2020, as amended on June 30, 2020. Pursuant to the Company’s non-executive director compensation policy, Dr. Backstrom will be granted an initial, one-time equity award of options to purchase 25,000 of the Company’s ordinary shares or American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”) representing its ordinary shares, with an exercise price equal to the closing price of the Company’s ADSs on August 3, 2020, the first business day after the date of appointment. The award will vest and become exercisable in equal monthly installments through the third anniversary of Dr. Backstrom’s date of appointment to the Board, subject to his continued service to the Company through each applicable vesting date. The Company also entered into its standard deed of indemnity agreement for directors and officers with Dr. Backstrom, the form of which was filed as an exhibit to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333- 224720) filed with the SEC on June 8, 2018.

There are no arrangements or understandings between Dr. Backstrom and any other persons pursuant to which Dr. Backstrom was appointed as a director, and there are no related-party transactions in which Dr. Backstrom has an interest requiring disclosure.

Resignation of Chief Medical Officer

On August 4, 2020, the Company announced Dr. Vijay Peddareddigari has resigned as the Company’s Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, effective August 7, 2020, in order to relocate back to the United States. Dr. Peddareddigari’s resignation is not related to any disagreement with the Company on any matter relating to the Company’s operations, policies or practices. The Company thanks Dr. Peddareddigari for his service to the Company and wishes him the best in his future endeavors.

Appointment of New Officer

On August 4, 2020, the Company announced the appointment of Dr. Nushmia Khokhar as the Company’s Senior Vice President, Clinical Development, effective August 1, 2020.

On August 4, 2020, the Company issued a press release announcing the aforementioned changes to the Board and management team, which is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Report.

EXHIBIT LIST

 

Exhibit

  

Description

99.1   

Press release dated August 4, 2020.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

 

Autolus Therapeutics plc

Date: August 26, 2020   By:   /s/ Christian Itin
    Name   Christian Itin, Ph.D.
    Title:   Chief Executive Officer

Exhibit 99.1

 

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Autolus announces changes to its Board and Management Team

August 4, 2020

Dr. Jay T. Backstrom appointed to board of directors

LONDON, Aug. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Autolus Therapeutics plc (Nasdaq: AUTL), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation programmed T cell therapies, today announced the appointment of Dr. Jay T Backstrom to its Board of Directors, effective August 1, 2020. Dr. Backstrom currently serves as EVP, Head of Research & Development at Acceleron Pharma Inc (Acceleron) and prior to that served as Chief Medical Officer and Head of Regulatory Affairs at Celgene Corporation. Additionally, the Company announced that Dr. Nushmia Khokhar has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Clinical Development, and will take over the medical leadership role at Autolus. Dr. Khokhar is a board-certified oncologist with extensive early and late stage clinical development experience, having led several successful registration trials within the industry including the global daratumumab program at Janssen Oncology. Dr. Vijay Peddareddigari, Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, is leaving the Company to return to the US.

“We are delighted with Dr. Jay Backstrom’s appointment to the Board of Directors. Jay brings a wealth of oncology development, regulatory and portfolio strategy experience to the board. Under his leadership Celgene has developed a broad range of therapeutics, including small molecules, biologicals and CAR T programs, in one of the industry’s most significant hemato-oncology pipelines,” said Dr. Christian Itin, chairman and chief executive officer of Autolus. “It is my pleasure to congratulate Dr. Nushmia Khokhar on her appointment as Senior Vice President, Clinical Development and on joining the executive team. Nushmia has been instrumental in overseeing the development of our clinical programs and we look forward to her continued strong leadership. I would also like to thank Vijay for his significant contributions to Autolus and wish him well in his future endeavors. Over the past four years he has played a key leadership role in establishing and executing the clinical development strategy to advance our programmed T cell therapies.”

Dr. Backstrom currently serves as EVP, Head of Research & Development at Acceleron, a role that he has held since December 2019. Prior to that, he spent 10 years at Celgene where he latterly served as Chief Medical Officer and Head of Regulatory Affairs with a focus in hematology/oncology. Prior to Celgene, he served as Vice President, Global Medical Affairs and Safety at Pharmion. Dr. Backstrom began his career in industry in 1990 at Marion Merrell Dow and continued as part of its successor companies including Hoechst Marion Roussel, where he held positions in Clinical Research and Global Drug Surveillance and Pharmacoepidemiology. He also spent nearly three years at Quintiles in Medical and Scientific Services, including Therapeutic Head, Cardiovascular, Respiratory and Critical Care, where he oversaw extensive clinical work across a variety of cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases.

Prior to his move to industry, Dr. Backstrom served as staff physician and Medical Director of the Samuel U. Rodgers Community Health Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Dr. Backstrom holds an M.D. from Temple University School of Medicine and received post-graduate training in Internal Medicine at Temple University Hospital. He also earned a Master’s in Public Health from Saint Louis University School of Public Health.

About Autolus Therapeutics plc

Autolus is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation, programmed T cell therapies for the treatment of cancer. Using a broad suite of proprietary and modular T cell programming technologies, the company is engineering precisely targeted, controlled and highly active T cell therapies that are designed to better recognize cancer cells, break down their defense mechanisms and eliminate these cells. Autolus has a pipeline of product candidates in development for the treatment of hematological malignancies and solid tumors. For more information please visit www.autolus.com.

Contact:

Lucinda Crabtree, PhD

Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications

+44 (0) 7587 372 619

l.crabtree@autolus.com

Julia Wilson

+44 (0) 7818 430877

j.wilson@autolus.com

Susan A. Noonan

S.A. Noonan Communications

+1-212-966-3650

susan@sanoonan.com

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