a2788e
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 June 2023
Commission
File Number 001-15170
GSK plc
(Translation
of registrant's name into English)
980 Great West Road, Brentford, Middlesex, TW8 9GS
(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 . . . .X.
. .
. Form 40-F . . . . . . . .
Issued: 28 June 2023, London UK
GSK completes acquisition of BELLUS Health
GSK plc (LSE/NYSE: GSK) and BELLUS Health Inc. (TSX/NASDAQ: BLU)
today announced GSK has completed the acquisition of BELLUS, a
biopharmaceutical company working to better the lives of patients
suffering from refractory chronic cough (RCC), by way of a plan of
arrangement in accordance with Section 192 of the Canada Business
Corporations Act (the "Arrangement"). The Arrangement was approved
by BELLUS' shareholders on 16 June 2023.
As previously announced, the acquisition of BELLUS includes
camlipixant, a potential best-in-class and highly selective P2X3
antagonist currently in phase III development for the first-line
treatment of adult patients with RCC.
In connection with the closing of the Arrangement, BELLUS also
announced the cancellation of its annual shareholder meeting, which
was scheduled for 30 June 2023.
Luke Miels, Chief Commercial Officer, GSK said: "The
acquisition of BELLUS is highly synergistic with GSK's expertise in
respiratory medicines and is further supported by GSK's leading
R&D, manufacturing, and commercialisation capabilities. We are
now focused on progressing camlipixant through phase III trials to
offer a therapeutic option for RCC patients as soon as
possible."
Following the anticipated regulatory approval and launch of
camlipixant, the acquisition is expected to be accretive to
adjusted EPS from 2027 and has the potential to deliver significant
sales through 2031 and beyond.
Financial Considerations
Upon completion of the Arrangement, GSK acquired all outstanding
common shares of BELLUS for US$14.75 per common share in cash,
representing a total equity value of US$2.0 billion (£1.6
billion/C$2.6). The per-share price represents a premium of
approximately 103% to BELLUS' closing stock price on 17 April 2023
and a premium of approximately 101% to BELLUS' volume-weighted
average price (VWAP) over the 30 trading days up to 17 April
2023.
About RCC
It is estimated that 28 million patients suffer from chronic cough,
with 10 million patients globally and 6 million in the United
States (US) and European Union (EU) suffering from RCC for over a
year.1 RCC
is defined as a persistent cough for more than eight weeks that
does not respond to treatment for an underlying condition or is
otherwise unexplained.2 RCC
significantly impacts quality of life, with patients suffering from
depression (53%), urinary incontinence (~50%), pain, rib fractures,
social withdrawal, and loss of sleep.3,4 There
are no approved medicines for RCC in the US and
EU.
About camlipixant
Camlipixant is an investigational, twice-daily oral P2X3 receptor
antagonist for the treatment of RCC, which is currently being
evaluated in the CALM phase III clinical development programme.
Given the need for novel and effective medicines for RCC,
camlipixant has the potential to be a breakthrough in the treatment
landscape.
Camlipixant is not currently approved anywhere in the
world.
About BELLUS
BELLUS is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company working to better
the lives of patients suffering from persistent
cough.
About GSK in respiratory
For over 50 years, GSK has led the way in developing medicines that
advance the management of asthma and COPD, from introducing the
world's first selective short-acting beta agonist in 1969 to
launching six treatments in five years to create today's
industry-leading respiratory portfolio.
About GSK
GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science,
technology, and talent to get ahead of disease together. Find out
more at gsk.com.
GSK enquiries
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Media:
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Tim Foley
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+44 (0) 20 8047 5502
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(London)
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Sarah Clements
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+44 (0) 20 8047 5502
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(London)
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Kathleen Quinn
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+1 202 603 5003
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(Washington DC)
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Lyndsay Meyer
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+1 202 302 4595
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(Washington DC)
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Investor Relations:
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Nick Stone
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+44 (0) 7717 618834
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(London)
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James Dodwell
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+44 (0) 20 8047 2406
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(London)
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Mick Readey
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+44 (0) 7990 339653
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(London)
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Josh Williams
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+44 (0) 7385 415719
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(London)
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Camilla Campbell
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+44 (0) 7803 050238
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(London)
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Steph Mountifield
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+44 (0) 7796 707505
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(London)
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Jeff McLaughlin
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+1 215 751 7002
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(Philadelphia)
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Frannie DeFranco
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+1 215 751 4855
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(Philadelphia)
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BELLUS enquiries
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Ramzi Benamar
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rbenamar@bellushealth.com
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Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking
statements
GSK cautions investors that any forward-looking statements or
projections made by GSK, including those made in this announcement,
are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual
results to differ materially from those projected. Such factors
include, but are not limited to, those described under Item 3.D
'Risk factors" in the company's Annual Report on Form 20-F for
2022, and Q1 Results for 2023 and any impacts of the COVID-19
pandemic.
Early Warning Reporting
In connection with the arrangement above, 14934792 Canada Inc., a
wholly-owned subsidiary of GSK and the purchaser for purposes of
the arrangement, has filed an early warning report of BELLUS under
BELLUS' profile on SEDAR. A copy of the early warning report can
also be obtained by contacting Alison Pozzobon at 1-855-593-6274.
The address of the 14934792 Canada Inc. is 100 Milverton Drive,
Suite 800, Mississauga, Ontario L5R 4H1, and the address of BELLUS
is 275 Blvd. Armand-Frappier, Laval (Québec) H7V
4A7.
Registered in England & Wales:
No.
3888792
Registered Office:
980
Great West Road
Brentford,
Middlesex
TW8
9GS
References
1
Song et al. The global epidemiology of chronic cough in adults: a
systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur Respir J. 2015; 45:
1479-1481.
2
Meltzer et al. Prevalence and Burden of Chronic Cough in the United
States. J of Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2021;
9:4037-44.
3
Dicpinigaitis et al. Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms Among
Patients With Chronic Cough. CHEST. 2006; 130 (6): 1839 -
43.
4
Chamberlain et al. The impact of chronic cough: a cross-sectional
European survey. Lung. 2015 Jun;193(3):401-8.
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 authorised.
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GSK plc
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(Registrant)
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Date: June
28, 2023
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By:/s/ VICTORIA
WHYTE
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Victoria Whyte
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Authorised
Signatory for and on
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behalf
of GSK plc
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