SOMERVILLE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--bluebird bio, Inc. (NASDAQ: BLUE) (“bluebird bio” or the “Company”) today announced that it has entered into a $175 million five-year, term loan facility with Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE: HTGC) (“Hercules”). The transaction strengthens the Company’s balance sheet as it executes on the commercial launches for its three FDA approved gene therapies – LYFGENIA for sickle cell disease, ZYNTEGLO for beta-thalassemia and SKYSONA for cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy..

马萨诸塞州萨默维尔（商业新闻短讯）--蓝鸟生物有限公司（NASDAQ:BLUE）（“蓝鸟生物”或“公司”）今天宣布，它已与Hercules Capital，Inc.（纽约证券交易所：HTGC）（“Hercules”）签订了1.75亿美元的五年期定期贷款协议。该交易加强了该公司的资产负债表，因为该公司在其三种FDA批准的基因疗法的商业上市中得以实施，这三种基因疗法分别是治疗镰状细胞病的LYFGENIA、治疗β地中海贫血的ZYNTEGLO和治疗脑肾上腺白质营养不良的SKYSONA。

The term loan facility provides for up to $175 million of term loans in aggregate, available in four tranches. Upon closing of the transaction, the first tranche of $75 million was drawn. Under the terms of the agreement, bluebird will be eligible to draw two additional tranches of $25 million each, subject to the achievement of commercial milestones.

定期贷款授信提供总计1.75亿美元的定期贷款，分四批提供。交易结束后，提取了第一笔7500万美元。根据协议条款，蓝鸟将有资格获得另外两笔2500万美元的资金，前提是要实现商业里程碑。

Based on launch trajectory and current business plans, and assuming three tranches totaling $125 million are executed, the transaction is expected to extend bluebird’s cash runway through the first quarter of 2026. A fourth tranche of up to $50 million may be available at the sole discretion of Hercules.

根据推出轨迹和当前业务计划，并假设执行了三笔总额为1.25亿美元的资金，该交易预计将把蓝鸟的现金跑道延长至2026年第一季度。Hercules可自行决定提供高达5000万美元的第四批资金。

During the first three years of the five-year term, the Company will be responsible for paying only the interest on any amounts borrowed; any outstanding balance as of April 1, 2027 will be amortized over the remaining life of the loan..

在五年期的前三年内，公司将只负责支付任何借款的利息；截至2027年4月1日的任何未偿余额将在贷款的剩余期限内摊销。

“Since establishing bluebird as an independent gene therapy company in 2021, we have been focused on diligently deploying our capital and strengthening our balance sheet to further our mission,” said Chris Krawtschuk, chief financial officer, bluebird bio. “This financing underscores the value bluebird offers as a standalone gene therapy leader and meaningfully extends our runway, bolstering our ability to bring transformative treatments to patients and their families.”.

首席财务官克里斯·克劳特舒克（ChrisKrawtschuk）表示：“自2021年成立蓝鸟（bluebird）作为一家独立的基因治疗公司以来，我们一直致力于努力部署我们的资本并加强我们的资产负债表，以推进我们的使命。”蓝鸟生物。“这笔资金突显了蓝鸟作为独立基因治疗领导者的价值，并有意义地扩展了我们的跑道，增强了我们为患者及其家人带来变革性治疗的能力。”

“Hercules is excited to partner with bluebird as they launch LYFGENIA and bring this transformational therapy to patients living with sickle cell disease,” said Michael Dutra, Managing Director and Senior Investment Officer at Hercules Capital. “We are proud to support bluebird’s mission of developing and commercializing treatments for severe genetic diseases.

Hercules Capital董事总经理兼高级投资官迈克尔·杜特拉（MichaelDutra）表示：“Hercules很高兴能与蓝鸟合作，推出LYFGENIA，为镰状细胞病患者带来这种转型疗法。”。“我们很自豪地支持蓝鸟开发严重遗传疾病治疗方法并将其商业化的使命。

This financing should help support the availability of their novel gene therapies for patients,” added John Miotti, Principal at Hercules Capital..

这笔资金应该有助于支持他们为患者提供新的基因疗法，”大力士资本负责人约翰·米奥蒂补充道。

Additional details of the loan agreement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on a Current Report on Form 8-K.

贷款协议的其他详细信息将以表格8-K的最新报告提交给美国证券交易委员会。

J. Wood Capital Advisors acted as sole financial advisor to the Company. Latham & Watkins LLP served as legal counsel to bluebird and DLA Piper served as legal counsel to Hercules.

J、 Wood Capital Advisors担任公司的唯一财务顾问。Latham＆Watkins LLP担任蓝鸟的法律顾问，DLA Piper担任大力士的法律顾问。

About bluebird bio, Inc.

关于bluebird bio, Inc.

bluebird bio is pursuing curative gene therapies to give patients and their families more bluebird days.

蓝鸟生物正在寻求治疗性基因疗法，为患者及其家人提供更多的蓝鸟日。

Founded in 2010, bluebird has been setting the standard for gene therapy for more than a decade—first as a scientific pioneer and now as a commercial leader. bluebird has an unrivaled track record in bringing the promise of gene therapy out of clinical studies and into the real-world setting, having secured FDA approvals for three therapies in under two years.

蓝鸟成立于2010年，十多年来一直是基因治疗的标准制定者，最初是科学先驱，现在是商业领袖。蓝鸟在将基因治疗的前景从临床研究中带到现实世界中有着无与伦比的记录，在不到两年的时间内获得了FDA对三种疗法的批准。

Today, we are proving and scaling the commercial model for gene therapy and delivering innovative solutions for access to patients, providers, and payers..

今天，我们正在验证和扩展基因治疗的商业模式，并为患者、提供者和付款人提供创新的解决方案。

With a dedicated focus on severe genetic diseases, bluebird has the largest and deepest ex-vivo gene therapy data set in the field, with industry-leading programs for sickle cell disease, β-thalassemia and cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy. We custom design each of our therapies to address the underlying cause of disease and have developed in-depth and effective analytical methods to understand the safety of our lentiviral vector technologies and drive the field of gene therapy forward..

蓝鸟专注于严重的遗传疾病，拥有该领域最大和最深入的离体基因治疗数据集，拥有业界领先的镰状细胞病，β-地中海贫血和脑肾上腺白质营养不良项目。我们定制设计了每种疗法，以解决疾病的根本原因，并开发了深入有效的分析方法，以了解慢病毒载体技术的安全性，并推动基因治疗领域的发展。

bluebird continues to forge new paths as a standalone commercial gene therapy company, combining our real-world experience with a deep commitment to patient communities and a people-centric culture that attracts and grows a diverse flock of dedicated birds.

蓝鸟作为一家独立的商业基因治疗公司，将我们的现实世界经验与对患者社区的深刻承诺以及以人为中心的文化相结合，不断开拓新的道路，吸引并培育出各种各样的专注鸟类。

For more information, visit bluebirdbio.com or follow us on social media at @bluebirdbio, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

有关更多信息，请访问bluebirdbio.com或在社交媒体上关注我们，网址为@bluebirdbio、LinkedIn、Instagram和YouTube。