Cempra Announces Pricing of $25 Million Private Placement

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Oct. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Cempra, Inc. (Nasdaq: CEMP), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing antibiotics to meet critical medical needs in the treatment of bacterial infectious diseases, today announced that it has entered into a securities purchase agreement with a select group of new and existing institutional and accredited investors in connection with a private placement financing. Upon closing of the financing, Cempra will receive gross proceeds of approximately $25 million resulting from the sale of 3,864,461 shares of common stock at the purchase price of $6.50 per share. Jefferies & Company, Inc., Cowen and Company and Stifel Nicolaus Weisel served as placement agents for the financing.

Proceeds from the private placement are expected to be used for general corporate and working capital purposes, including the funding of clinical trials.

The securities to be sold in the private placement have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or applicable state securities laws, and accordingly may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an effective registration statement or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and such applicable state securities laws. Cempra has agreed to file a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission registering the resale of the shares of common stock issued in the private placement.

This release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the securities, nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state.

About Cempra, Inc.
Founded in 2006, Cempra, Inc. is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing antibiotics to meet critical medical needs in the treatment of bacterial infectious diseases. Cempra's two lead product candidates have both completed oral Phase 2 clinical trials and seek to address the need for new treatments targeting drug-resistant bacterial infections in the hospital and in the community. The company also intends to use its series of proprietary lead compounds from its novel macrolide library for uses such as the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases, endocrine diseases and gastric motility disorders. Additional information about Cempra can be found at www.cempra.com.

Please Note: This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events. These statements are just predictions and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual events or results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include, among others: the risks relating to the closing of the financing, including the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, and the anticipated use of proceeds from the financing; the results, timing, costs and regulatory review of our studies and clinical trials; our need to obtain additional funding and our ability to obtain future funding on acceptable terms; our anticipated capital expenditures and our estimates regarding our capital requirements; our ability to obtain FDA approval of our product candidates; our dependence on the success of solithromycin and Taksta; and innovation by our competitors. The reader is referred to the documents that we file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Investor and Media Contacts:
Robert E. Flamm, Ph.D.
Russo Partners, LLC
(212) 845-4226 
[email protected]

Andreas Marathovouniotis
Russo Partners LLC
(212) 845-4235
[email protected]

SOURCE Cempra, Inc.