Form 8-K Crinetics Pharmaceutical For: Jul 06

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

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FORM 8-K

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CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): July 6, 2026

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Crinetics Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

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Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code: (858) 450-6464

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

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Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

 

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Merger Agreement

On July 6, 2026, Crinetics Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, a Massachusetts corporation (“Parent”), and Clark Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (“Merger Sub”), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”). Subject to the terms of the Merger Agreement, Merger Sub will be merged with and into the Company (the “Merger”), with the Company surviving the Merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent. Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined herein have the meanings set forth in the Merger Agreement.

On the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, at the effective time of the Merger (the “Effective Time”), each share of common stock of the Company, par value $0.001 per share (the “Shares”) issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time (other than Shares owned by the Company or any subsidiary of the Company immediately prior to the Effective Time, Shares owned by Parent, Merger Sub or any other subsidiary of Parent immediately prior to the Effective Time, and Shares held by any person who is entitled to demand, and has properly demanded, appraisal in respect of such Shares pursuant to applicable law) will be canceled and automatically converted into the right to receive $85.00 per share in cash, without interest thereon and subject to applicable withholding taxes (the “Merger Consideration”). Immediately prior to the Effective Time, all outstanding unvested stock options and unvested restricted stock units of the Company will become fully vested, and at the Effective Time, each outstanding stock option having a per share exercise price less than the Merger Consideration and restricted stock unit of the Company will be canceled and converted into the right to receive an amount in cash equal to the Merger Consideration (or, in the case of stock options, the difference between the Merger Consideration and the applicable per share exercise price), less any applicable withholding taxes. Any stock option having a per share exercise price equal to or greater than the Merger Consideration will be canceled for no consideration.

Consummation of the Merger is subject to various conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, including, (a) the adoption of the Merger Agreement by the holders of at least a majority of the outstanding Shares entitled to vote thereon (the “Company Stockholder Approval”), (b) the expiration or termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, and any required foreign regulatory clearances, (c) the absence of any legal restraint preventing or prohibiting the consummation of the Merger, (d) the accuracy of each party’s representations and warranties contained in the Merger Agreement (subject to certain materiality and material adverse effect qualifications), (e) each party’s performance in all material respects of its obligations under the Merger Agreement and (f) no Company Material Adverse Effect having occurred that is continuing at the Effective Time. The consummation of the Merger is not subject to a financing condition.

The parties expect the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement (collectively, the “Transactions”) to close in the third quarter of 2026. The Merger Agreement provides that as promptly as reasonably practicable (and in any event within 10 Business Days) after the date of the Merger Agreement, the Company will prepare and file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a preliminary proxy statement in connection with the Merger and will, subject to the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement, convene a special meeting of the Company’s stockholders (the “Company Stockholder Meeting”) for the purpose of voting upon the adoption of the Merger Agreement.

 

The board of directors of the Company (the “Board”) has unanimously (i) determined that the Transactions are fair to, and in the best interests of, the Company and the stockholders of the Company, (ii) duly authorized and approved and declared advisable the Merger, the Merger Agreement and the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the Merger Agreement and the consummation by the Company of the Transactions, (iii) directed that the Merger Agreement be submitted for adopted by the holders of Shares and (iv) recommended the adoption of the Merger Agreement by the holders of Shares.

The Merger Agreement contains customary representations and warranties by Parent, Merger Sub and the Company. The Merger Agreement also contains customary covenants and agreements, including with respect to the operations of the business of the Company between signing and closing, governmental filings and approvals, preparation and filing of the proxy statement, convening and holding the Company Stockholder Meeting, financing cooperation and other matters.

The Merger Agreement contains customary non-solicitation restrictions prohibiting the Company’s solicitation of alternative business combination transactions and restricts the Company’s ability to furnish non-public information to, or participate in any discussions or negotiations with, any third party with respect to any such transaction, subject to customary exceptions in the event of an acquisition proposal that the Board of Directors of the Company determines constitutes, or would reasonably be expected to lead to, a Superior Company Proposal (as defined in the Merger Agreement).

The Merger Agreement contains termination rights for each of Parent, Merger Sub and the Company including by either Parent or the Company if the Effective Time shall not have occurred on or before January 6, 2027 (subject to automatic extension for three months under specified circumstances) or if the Company Stockholder Approval is not obtained at the Company Stockholder Meeting, or by the Company to enter into an alternative transaction that constitutes a Superior Company Proposal, and further provides that upon termination of the Merger Agreement under specified circumstances the Company may be required to pay Parent a termination fee of $350,474,425, which circumstances include (i) a termination by the Company to accept and enter into a definitive agreement with respect to a Superior Company Proposal, (ii) a termination by Parent due to an Adverse Recommendation Change or an Intervening Event Adverse Recommendation and (iii) if the Merger Agreement is terminated under certain specified circumstances and prior to such termination a Company Takeover Proposal is proposed or announced or becomes known to the Board (and is not subsequently withdrawn) and the Company enters into a definitive agreement for, or consummates, a transaction involving a Company Takeover Proposal within twelve months of such termination.

A copy of the Merger Agreement is attached hereto as Exhibit 2.1 and is incorporated herein by reference. The foregoing description of the Merger Agreement is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Merger Agreement. The Merger Agreement has been attached to provide investors with information regarding its terms. It is not intended to provide any other factual information about the Company, Merger Sub or Parent. The representations, warranties and covenants contained in the Merger Agreement were made only as of specified dates for the purposes of the Merger Agreement, were solely for the benefit of the parties to the Merger Agreement and may be subject to qualifications and limitations agreed upon by such parties. In particular, the assertions embodied in the representations and warranties contained in the Merger Agreement may be subject to a contractual standard of materiality different from those generally applicable to stockholders and reports and documents filed with the SEC and are qualified by information in confidential disclosure schedules provided by the parties thereto in connection with the signing of the Merger Agreement. These disclosure schedules include information that modifies, qualifies and creates exceptions to the representations, warranties and covenants set forth in the Merger Agreement. Moreover, certain representations and warranties in the Merger Agreement were used for the purpose of allocating risk between the Company, Merger Sub and Parent, rather than establishing matters of fact. Accordingly, the representations and warranties in the Merger Agreement may not constitute the actual state of facts about the Company, Merger Sub or Parent.

 

Financing of the Merger

Parent expects to finance the Merger with a combination of cash on hand and new debt financing. In connection with, and concurrently with entry into, the Merger Agreement, Parent entered into a debt commitment letter dated July 6, 2026 (the “Debt Commitment Letter”) with Bank of America, N.A., BofA Securities, Inc. and Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc. (collectively, the “Banks”) pursuant to which the Banks have agreed to provide Parent with an unsecured 364-day bridge loan facility (the “Bridge Financing”) in an aggregate principal amount of $4.5 billion on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Debt Commitment Letter for the purposes of financing the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement. The obligations of the Banks to provide the debt financing under the Debt Commitment Letter are subject to conditions customary for a transaction of this type. The Bridge Financing will be available to be drawn upon in the event that Parent and its subsidiaries have not prior to or concurrently with consummation of the Merger received proceeds from permanent financing sufficient to finance the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, which is expected to be an unsecured delayed draw term loan facility. The Merger Agreement requires each of Parent and Merger Sub to use, and to cause their respective affiliates to use, reasonable best efforts to obtain the proceeds of the Bridge Financing. The Merger is not conditioned on Parent’s receipt of the Bridge Financing or any other financing. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, the Company is required to use reasonable best efforts to provide Parent with customary cooperation in connection with the Bridge Financing.

On July 6, 2026, the Company and Parent issued a joint press release announcing the execution of the Merger Agreement. A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.

Cautionary Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Current Report on Form 8-K contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 related to the Company, Parent and the Transactions that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors. While the Company believes the forward-looking statements contained in this Current Report on Form 8-K are accurate, these forward-looking statements represent the beliefs of the Company and Parent only as of the date of this Current Report on Form 8-K, and there are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including all statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectation of the companies’ and members of their senior management teams. Forward-looking statements are not purely historical and may be accompanied by words such as “anticipates,” “may,” “forecasts,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “potentially,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” and other words and terms of similar meaning. Such statements include the statements made by Reshma Kewalramani, M.D. and Scott Struthers, Ph.D. in the joint press release attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1, and statements that may relate to, but are not limited to: the benefits of Parent’s proposed acquisition of the Company and associated integration plans; the expected timing of the completion of the Transactions and other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement; the commercial potential of PALSONIFY and the anticipated potential of atumelnant and the Company’s other pipeline assets, including the potential for PALSONIFY to redefine the treatment paradigm in acromegaly and for atumelnant to become the leading therapy for people struggling with CAH; expectations that the Transactions will accelerate Parent’s revenue growth and enhance Parent’s long-term earnings profile, including the potential for more than $5 billion in annual revenue, and support Parent’s goal of sustained double digit revenue growth; expectations that the Transactions will become accretive to non-GAAP operating income in 2029; expectations for Parent’s financing of the Transactions, including support by the fully committed bridge financing; and any assumptions underlying any of the foregoing.

Forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, or other factors that are difficult to predict and could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those indicated in any such statements due to a number of risks and uncertainties. Those risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ from expectations contemplated by forward-looking statements include, among other things: the occurrence of any event or circumstance that could give rise to the right of the Company or Parent to terminate the Merger Agreement, including circumstances requiring payment of a termination fee pursuant to the Merger Agreement; failure to obtain applicable regulatory or the Company’s stockholder approval in a timely manner or otherwise; the risk that the Transactions may not close in the anticipated timeframe or at all due to one or more of the other closing conditions not being satisfied or waived; the possibility that competing offers will be made; the risk that there may be unexpected costs, charges or expenses resulting from the Transactions; risks related to the ability of the Company and Parent to successfully integrate the businesses and the possibility that integration may be more difficult, time consuming or costly than expected; the risk that the Transactions disrupt the Company’s or Parent’s current plans and operations; the risk that certain restrictions

 

during the pendency of the proposed transaction may impact the Company’s ability to pursue certain business opportunities or strategic transactions; risks related to disruption of each company’s management’s time and attention from ongoing business operations due to the Transactions; the risk that any announcements relating to the Transactions could have adverse effects on the market price of the Company’s and/or Parent’s common stock, credit ratings or operating results; the risk of litigation that could be instituted against the parties or their respective directors, managers or officers and/or regulatory actions related to the Transactions, including the effects of any outcomes related thereto; the effects of the Transactions on relationships with employees, other business partners or governmental entities; the difficulty of predicting the timing or outcome of regulatory approvals or actions, if any; the impact of competitive products and pricing; that Parent may not realize the potential benefits of the Transactions; other business effects, including the effects of industry, economic or political conditions outside of the companies’ control; and actual or contingent liabilities related to the Transactions. In addition, the product candidates being developed by the Company are subject to all the risks inherent in the drug development process, and there can be no assurance that the development of these product candidates will be commercially successful. Forward-looking statements in this Current Report on Form 8-K should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect Parent’s and the Company’s businesses, particularly those risks listed under the heading “Risk Factors” and the other cautionary factors discussed in the parties’ periodic reports filed with the SEC, including Parent’s and the Company’s annual reports on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, all of which are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. All forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to Parent and the Company, and Parent and the Company disclaim any obligation to update the information contained in this Current Report on Form 8-K as new information becomes available, except as required by law.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

This Current Report on Form 8-K is being made in respect of the proposed transaction between the Company and Parent. A meeting of the stockholders of the Company will be announced as promptly as practicable to seek Company stockholder approval in connection with the proposed transaction. The Company intends to file relevant materials with the SEC, including preliminary and definitive proxy statements relating to the proposed transaction. The definitive proxy statement will be mailed to the Company’s stockholders. This communication is not a substitute for the proxy statement or any other document that may be filed by the Company with the SEC. BEFORE MAKING ANY DECISION, COMPANY STOCKHOLDERS ARE URGED TO CAREFULLY READ THE PRELIMINARY AND DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENTS (INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED OR TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC IN CONNECTION WITH THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION OR INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE INTO THE PROXY STATEMENT WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION.

Any vote in respect of resolutions to be proposed at the Company’s stockholder meeting to approve the proposed transaction or other responses in relation to the proposed transaction should be made only on the basis of the information contained in the Company’s proxy statement. You will be able to obtain a free copy of the proxy statement and other related documents (when available) filed by the Company with the SEC at the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov or by accessing the Investors section of the Company’s website at https://ir.crinetics.com.

No Offer or Solicitation

This Current Report on Form 8-K is for informational purposes only and is not intended to, and does not constitute or form part of, an offer, invitation or the solicitation of an offer or invitation to purchase, otherwise acquire, subscribe for, sell or otherwise dispose of any securities, or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction, pursuant to the proposed transaction or otherwise, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law.

 

Participants in the Solicitation

The Company, Parent and their respective directors and executive officers and certain of their employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the Company’s stockholders in connection with the proposed transaction. Information regarding the Company’s directors and executive officers is set forth under the captions “Proposal 1 – Election of Directors”, “Compensation Discussion and Analysis”, “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” and “Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions” in the definitive proxy statement for the Company’s 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, filed with the SEC on April 29, 2026, and in other documents subsequently filed by the Company with the SEC from time to time. Information regarding Parent’s directors and executive officers is set forth under the captions “Proposal 1 – Election of Directors”, “Compensation Discussion and Analysis”, and “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” in the definitive proxy statement for Parent’s 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, filed with the SEC on April 2, 2026, and in other documents subsequently filed by Parent with the SEC from time to time. To the extent holdings of the Company’s securities and Parent’s securities by their respective directors or executive officers have changed since the amounts set forth in such filings, such changes have been or will be reflected on Initial Statements of Beneficial Ownership on Form 3 or Statements of Beneficial Ownership on Form 4 filed with the SEC. These documents may be obtained free of charge from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or by accessing the Company’s website at https://ir.crinetics.com and the Investors section of Parent’s website at https://investors.vrtx.com/. Additional information regarding the interests of participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the proposed transaction will be included in the proxy statement that the Company expects to file in connection with the proposed transaction and other relevant materials the Company may file with the SEC.

(d) Exhibits

* Schedules and similar attachments have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(a)(5) of Regulation S-K. A copy of any omitted schedule will be furnished supplementally to the SEC upon request.

 

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

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