NEW YORK, Feb. 14, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against certain officers and directors of Fate Therapeutics, Inc. (“Fate” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: FATE).   The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, and docketed under 23-cv-111-WQH-NLS, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired Fate securities between April 2, 2020 and January 5, 2023, both dates inclusive (the “Class Period”), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants’ violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Company and certain of its top officials.

If you are a shareholder who purchased or otherwise acquired Fate securities during the Class Period, you have until March 22, 2023 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class.  A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. 

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

Fate is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that develops programmed cellular immunotherapies to treat cancer and immune disorders.

On April 2, 2020, after the market closed, Fate announced its entry into a global collaboration and option agreement with Janssen Biotech, Inc. (“Janssen”), one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, for cell-based cancer immunotherapies, under which Fate received a $50 million upfront payment (the “Janssen Collaboration Agreement”). In addition, Fate was eligible for up to $3 billion in various milestone payments and double-digit royalties on any net sales from the collaboration. On the news, Fate’s stock price jumped 8.8% in trading on April 3, 2020.
The Complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company’s business, operations, and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) the Janssen Collaboration Agreement was less sustainable than Fate had represented to investors; (ii) accordingly, certain the clinical programs, milestone payments, and royalty payments associated with the Janssen Collaboration Agreement could not be relied upon as future revenue sources; (iii) as a result, Fate had overstated the impact of the Janssen Collaboration Agreement’s on Fate’s long-term clinical and commercial profitability; and (iv) as a result, the Company’s public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On January 5, 2023, after the markets closed, Fate issued a press release announcing that it had terminated the Janssen Collaboration Agreement. Specifically, the Company disclosed that it was “not able to align with Janssen on their proposal for continuation of our collaboration, where two product candidates targeting high-value, clinically-validated hematology antigens were set to enter clinical development in 2023[.]” As a result of the termination, Fate revealed that all licenses and other rights granted pursuant to the Janssen Collaboration Agreement would terminate, that it would reduce its headcount to about 220 employees in Q1 2023, and that it would discontinue several of its natural cell killer programs in various cancers, including FT516 and FT538 NK cell programs in acute myeloid leukemia, FT516 and FT596 NK cell programs in B-cell lymphoma, and FT538 and FT536 NK cell programs in solid tumors.

On this news, Fate’s stock price fell $6.76 per share, or 61.45%, to close at $4.24 per share on January 6, 2023.

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com.

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby
Pomerantz LLP
rswilloughby@pomlaw.com
888-476-6529 ext. 7980