Bellicum Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Houston, has raised about $64.4 million in net proceeds to fund trials of its lead candidate, BPX-501, an adjunct T-cell therapy being evaluated initially in children with leukemias, lymphomas and genetic blood diseases. The funds will also support phase I trials of its CAR T candidate, BPX-601, and the T-cell receptor candidate BPX-701 as well as preparation for potential future commercialization of BPX-501, research and development and other activities. The funds were raised in a now-closed underwritten public offering of about 5.8 million shares of its common stock, including 750,000 shares sold to underwriters at the public offering price of $12 per share. Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Jefferies LLC acted as lead book-running managers for the offering. Bellicum's technology provides for "off switches" (as well as "on switches") that could help control the potency and toxicity of infused, activated T cells. (See BioWorld Today, July 14, 2016.)

Blueprint Medicines Corp., of Cambridge, Mass., priced an underwritten public offering of 5 million shares of its common stock at $40 per share. It granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 750,000 shares. Goldman, Sachs & Co., Morgan Stanley and Cowen and Co. are acting as joint book-running managers. The company plans to use proceeds to fund clinical trials for BLU-285 in gastrointestinal stromal tumors and systemic mastocytosis, and clinical trials for BLU-554 in hepatocellular carcinoma. It will also fund the completion of its current phase I trial for BLU-667 in non-small-cell lung cancer, medullary thyroid cancer and other advanced solid tumors and the initiation of additional clinical trials for BLU-667 in RET-driven cancers. The company inked a massive deal with Roche Holding AG, of Basel, Switzerland, last year. Shares of Blueprint (NASDAQ:BPMC) closed Thursday at $39.62, down $1.62. (See BioWorld Today, March 16, 2016.)

Cara Therapeutics Inc., of Stamford, Conn., kicked off an $80 million underwritten public offering that it expects will fund the company's clinical and research development work, including the completion of the phase III program for I.V. CR845 in uremic pruritus, two phase III trials of I.V. CR845 in acute pain and a phase IIb trial of oral CR845 in osteoarthritis pain. The number of shares and share price have not yet been disclosed. Piper Jaffray & Co. and Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. Inc. are acting as joint book-running managers for the proposed offering. Cara expects to grant them a 30-day option to purchase up to $12 million of additional shares of its common stock. The company turned in positive clinical data for CR845 earlier this week. (See BioWorld Today, March 29, 2017.)

LAM Therapeutics, a Guilford, Conn.-based portfolio company of the biotech start-up incubator 4Catalyzer, closed a $58 million series C financing, proceeds of which will presumably support post-phase I testing of LAM-003, an orally active, small-molecule, immune-modulating, anti-cancer drug the company acquired, in hematological malignancies as a single agent and in combination therapy. Cara's shares (NASDAQ:CARA) closed Thursday at $18.76, down $1.49. (See BioWorld Today, Feb. 4, 2016.)

Liberty Biopharma Inc., a Richmond, British Columbia-based cell therapy company, is planning to conduct a "best efforts" offering in which it hopes to raise gross proceeds of up to $10 million. It intends to use the net proceeds for ongoing expansion and execution of worldwide sales and marketing plans, strategic acquisitions, general purposes, working capital and reserve. Kernaghan & Partners Ltd. is the offering's sole agent.

Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp., of New York, priced an underwritten public offering of 1.8 million shares of its common stock at $4.45 per share. Gross proceeds are expected to be about $8 million. The company intends to use net proceeds to support continued development of TNX-102 SL, its candidate for the treatment of post-traumatic stress, to further develop other pipeline programs, for working capital and other general corporate purposes, and possibly acquisitions of other companies, products or technologies, though the company said that it's not contemplating any acquisitions right now. Tonix granted underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to 270,000 additional shares. The offering is expected to close on or about April 4. Aegis Capital Corp. is acting as the sole book-running manager. Shares of Tonix (NASDAQ:TNXP) closed Thursday at $4.64, down 93 cents, or 16.7 percent.

Vital Therapies Inc., of San Diego, said underwriters of its public offering have exercised their option to purchase about 1.3 million additional shares of common stock, raising total gross proceeds to about $40.3 million. Sale of the optional shares is expected to close Friday. Vital said it plans to use the net proceeds for the continuing development of its Elad System, working capital and other general corporate purposes. Raymond James & Associates Inc. is acting as sole book-running manager.