SAN CARLOS, Calif., Jan. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: IOVA) ("Iovance" or the “Company”), a biotechnology company focused on innovating, developing, and delivering novel polyclonal tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapies for patients with cancer, today announced that on January 18, 2024 (the “Date of Grant”), the Company approved the grant of inducement stock options covering an aggregate of 51,375 shares of Iovance’s common stock to six new non-executive employees.

The awards were granted under Iovance’s 2021 Inducement Plan, which was adopted on September 22, 2021 and amended on January 12, 2022 and May 10, 2023, and provides for the granting of equity awards to new employees of Iovance by the Company’s compensation committee in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). Each of the stock options granted as referenced in this press release has an exercise price of $7.94, the closing price of Iovance’s common stock on the Date of Grant. Each stock option vests over a three-year period, with one-third of the shares vesting on the first anniversary of the employee’s start date (the “First Vesting Date”), and the remaining shares vesting in eight quarterly installments over the next two years, commencing with the first quarter following the First Vesting Date, subject to continued employment with the Company through the applicable vesting dates.

About Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc.

Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc. aims to be the global leader in innovating, developing, and delivering tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapies for patients with cancer. We are pioneering a transformational approach to cure cancer by harnessing the human immune system’s ability to recognize and destroy diverse cancer cells in each patient. Our lead late-stage TIL product candidate, lifileucel for metastatic melanoma, has the potential to become the first approved one-time cell therapy for a solid tumor cancer. The Iovance TIL platform has demonstrated promising clinical data across multiple solid tumors. We are committed to continuous innovation in cell therapy, including gene-edited cell therapy, that may extend and improve life for patients with cancer. For more information, please visit www.iovance.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain matters discussed in this press release are “forward-looking statements” of Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “PSLRA”). All such written or oral statements made in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are intended to be covered by the safe harbor for forward-looking statements provided by the PSLRA. Without limiting the foregoing, we may, in some cases, use terms such as “predicts,” “believes,” “potential,” “continue,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “plans,” “intends,” “forecast,” “guidance,” “outlook,” “may,” “could,” “might,” “will,” “should,” or other words that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes and are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and assessments made in light of management’s experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments, and other factors believed to be appropriate. Forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and we undertake no duty to update or revise any such statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are outside of our control, that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance, achievements, and developments to be materially different from those expressed in or implied by these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results, developments, and business decisions to differ materially from forward-looking statements are described in the sections titled "Risk Factors" in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and include, but are not limited to, the following substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties inherent in our business: the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; risks related to the timing of and our ability to successfully develop, submit, obtain, or maintain U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), European Medicines Agency (“EMA”), or other regulatory authority approval of, or other action with respect to, our product candidates, and our ability to successfully commercialize any product candidates for which we obtain FDA, EMA, or other regulatory authority approval; whether clinical trial results from our pivotal studies and cohorts, and meetings with the FDA, EMA, or other regulatory authorities may support registrational studies and subsequent approvals by the FDA, EMA, or other regulatory authorities, including the risk that the planned single arm Phase 2 IOV-LUN-202 trial may not support registration; preliminary and interim clinical results, which may include efficacy and safety results, from ongoing clinical trials or cohorts may not be reflected in the final analyses of our ongoing clinical trials or subgroups within these trials or in other prior trials or cohorts; the risk that enrollment may need to be adjusted for our trials and cohorts within those trials based on FDA and other regulatory agency input; the risk that the changing landscape of care for cervical cancer patients may impact our clinical trials in this indication; the risk that we may be required to conduct additional clinical trials or modify ongoing or future clinical trials based on feedback from the FDA, EMA, or other regulatory authorities; the risk that our interpretation of the results of our clinical trials or communications with the FDA, EMA, or other regulatory authorities may differ from the interpretation of such results or communications by such regulatory authorities (including from the prior pre-BLA meeting with the FDA and/or regarding our prior meetings with the FDA regarding our NSCLC clinical trials); the risk that the FDA, EMA, or other regulatory authorities may not approve or may delay approval for our BLA submission for lifileucel in metastatic melanoma; the acceptance by the market of our product candidates and their potential reimbursement by payors, if approved, in the U.S. and other international markets; our ability or inability to manufacture our therapies using third party manufacturers or our own facility may adversely affect our potential commercial launch; the results of clinical trials with collaborators using different manufacturing processes may not be reflected in our sponsored trials; the risk regarding the successful integration of the recent Proleukin acquisition; the risk that the successful development or commercialization of our products may not generate sufficient revenue from product sales, and we may not become profitable in the near term, or at all; the risk that unanticipated expenses may decrease our estimated cash balances and forecasts and increase our estimated capital requirements; and other factors, including general economic conditions and regulatory developments, not within our control.

CONTACTS

Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc:
Sara Pellegrino, IRC
Senior Vice President, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications
650-260-7120 ext. 264
Sara.Pellegrino@iovance.com

Jen Saunders
Director, Investor Relations & Public Relations
267-485-3119
Jen.Saunders@iovance.com