James Flynn’s Deerfield Management Ups Its Stake In Neos Therapeutics Inc. (NEOS)

Neos Therapeutics recently joined a list of more than 50 healthcare-related companies that have filed for IPOs so far this year. On July 28, Neos announced the closing of its previously-announced initial public offering of 5.52 million shares of common stock at a price of $15.00 per share, which also includes the greenshoe options allowing the purchase of up to an additional 720,000 shares by the underwriters of the offering. Meanwhile, the shares of the company’s common stock began trading on the NASDAQ on July 23 under the ticker symbol “NEOS”. The pharmaceutical company raised $82.8 million in gross proceeds from the initial public offering, which includes the proceeds from the sale of additional shares subject to the underwriter’s option. Even though the net proceeds from the IPO will be slightly lower, as the aforementioned figure of $82.8 million does not consider the underwriting discounts, commissions, and offering expenses, Neos Therapeutics will hold a substantial amount of capital to move its product candidates towards commercialization.

As Neos enters a market crowded with a high number of other healthcare stocks, the company will have to prove that its products are unique in one way or another in order to outperform its peers. Although the pharmaceutical company is already manufacturing and marketing a generic cough and upper respiratory drug, the value of the company undoubtedly lies in its ADHD liquid medications, which have not received approval from the Food and Drug Administration yet. Neos Therapeutics has filed a new drug application with the U.S. FDA for a dosage form for the treatment of ADHD created through the company’s proprietary technology platform. Therefore, the approval of this dosage form for ADHD by the FDA would bring to market the first-of-its-kind product, which would surely unlock a flourishing revenue stream for the company. However, the delay, limiting, or denial of the company’s dosage form for ADHD still represents a major risk for Neos. At the same time, the fact that Neos has already been marketing its approved cough medication might offer more security to current and potential investors in the company. Neos has already generated revenues of $1 million in 2013 and $758,000 in 2014, which clearly indicates that the failure of one of its product candidates would not mean the end of the company.

Disclosure: None