Aquestive Therapeutics secures $150 million refinancing from Oaktree Capital to support Anaphylm launch pending FDA approval.
Quiver AI Summary
Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. announced the refinancing of its existing debt by securing a new $150 million facility with Oaktree Capital Management. This move allows the company greater financial flexibility to prepare for the potential launch of Anaphylm™, an investigational treatment for severe allergic reactions, pending FDA approval. Initial funding of $55 million was provided by Oaktree to pay off previous loans, with additional funds released upon FDA approval and achieving specific sales targets. The debt facility will reduce principal repayments and interest rates, supporting the company’s growth strategy. Oaktree expressed enthusiasm for partnering with Aquestive, emphasizing the transformative potential of Anaphylm for patients at risk of anaphylaxis.
Potential Positives
- Aquestive Therapeutics successfully refinanced its existing debt, securing a new $150 million debt facility, which enhances their financial flexibility for future growth.
- The refinancing reduces the company's principal debt repayments from $45 million to zero over the next three years, thereby strengthening its cash flow position.
- The new facility includes milestones that could provide additional capital for the potential launch of Anaphylm™, a product that, if approved, could significantly benefit patients with severe allergic reactions.
- The partnership with Oaktree Capital Management, a reputable leader in life sciences debt financing, adds credibility and strategic support to Aquestive's growth plans.
Potential Negatives
- The company is entering into a new debt facility, which indicates reliance on external financing and may raise concerns about its financial stability and ability to generate cash flow independently.
- The final tranche of funding, amounting to up to $50 million, is contingent on mutual consent of the lenders and the company, which introduces uncertainty regarding future capital availability.
- The need for refinancing may signal potential operational difficulties or shortcomings in the company's previous financial management, which could negatively impact investor confidence.
FAQ
What is the purpose of Aquestive's new $150 million debt facility?
The new debt facility provides flexibility to fund the potential launch of Anaphylm™, pending FDA approval.
How much funding did Oaktree Capital provide at closing?
Oaktree Capital provided $55.0 million, primarily used to repay the existing loan of $45 million plus associated fees.
What are the conditions for the additional $20 million in funding?
The additional $20 million will be available upon FDA approval of Anaphylm and satisfaction of customary conditions.
Who is the CEO of Aquestive Therapeutics?
Daniel Barber is the CEO of Aquestive Therapeutics, expressing excitement about the partnership with Oaktree.
What innovative product is Aquestive developing for allergic reactions?
Aquestive is developing Anaphylm™, a sublingual film for treating severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis.
Disclaimer: This is an AI-generated summary of a press release distributed by GlobeNewswire. The model used to summarize this release may make mistakes. See the full release here.
$AQST Insider Trading Activity
$AQST insiders have traded $AQST stock on the open market 7 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 7 have been sales.
Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $AQST stock by insiders over the last 6 months:
- DANIEL BARBER (President and CEO) sold 180,677 shares for an estimated $753,965
- A ERNEST JR TOTH (Chief Financial Officer) sold 58,254 shares for an estimated $243,093
- CASSIE JUNG (Chief Operating Officer) sold 45,791 shares for an estimated $191,085
- LORI J BRAENDER (Chief Legal Officer) sold 40,102 shares for an estimated $167,345
- PETER E. BOYD (Chief People Officer) sold 29,814 shares for an estimated $124,413
- MELINA CIOFFI (SVP, Regulatory Affairs) sold 25,311 shares for an estimated $105,622
- SHERRY KORCZYNSKI (Chief Commercial Officer) sold 15,741 shares for an estimated $65,687
To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard. You can access data on insider stock transactions through the Quiver Quantitative API insider transaction endpoint.
$AQST Revenue
$AQST had revenues of $13M in Q4 2025. This is an increase of 9.67% from the same period in the prior year.
You can track AQST financials on Quiver Quantitative's AQST stock page.
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$AQST Hedge Fund Activity
We have seen 107 institutional investors add shares of $AQST stock to their portfolio, and 76 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.
Here are some of the largest recent moves:
- RTW INVESTMENTS, LP added 6,250,000 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $40,375,000
- PERCEPTIVE ADVISORS LLC removed 3,012,906 shares (-80.1%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $19,463,372
- BLACKROCK, INC. added 1,249,719 shares (+19.2%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $8,073,184
- FEDERATED HERMES, INC. added 1,249,044 shares (+159.4%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $8,068,824
- BNP PARIBAS FINANCIAL MARKETS added 1,153,175 shares (+6233.4%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $7,449,510
- WELLS FARGO & COMPANY/MN added 1,057,145 shares (+804.6%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $6,829,156
- BALYASNY ASSET MANAGEMENT L.P. added 970,939 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $6,272,265
To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard. You can access data on hedge funds moves and 13F filings through the Quiver Quantitative API 13F endpoint.
Full Release
WARREN, N.J., May 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: AQST) (“Aquestive” or the “Company”), a pharmaceutical company advancing medicines to bring meaningful improvement to patients' lives through innovative science and delivery technologies, today announced the refinancing of its existing debt facility with a new $150 million debt facility with funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. (“Oaktree”).
This transaction provides additional flexibility to fund the launch of Anaphylm™, if approved by the FDA. At closing, Oaktree provided $55.0 million, which was primarily used to repay the Company’s existing loan in the aggregate principal amount of $45 million plus fees associated with such repayment. Upon United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Anaphylm and satisfaction of other customary conditions, an additional $20.0 million will be available. A third tranche of $25.0 million will be available upon the achievement of specified sales milestones, with the final tranche of up to $50.0 million available with the mutual consent of the lenders and the Company. The Company will pay only interest on the new five-year facility with all principal amounts outstanding due at maturity.
“We are excited to begin our relationship with Oaktree, a well-established leader within life sciences debt financing,” said Daniel Barber, CEO of Aquestive Therapeutics. “The new $150 million debt facility will help Aquestive drive growth for years to come. With this agreement, we reduce our principal debt repayments over the next three years from $45 million to zero, reduce our interest rate when compared to the previous debt agreement, complete the pre-approval requirements under our strategic funding agreement with RTW Investments, L.P., and unlock additional capital for the potential launch of Anaphylm, if approved by the FDA.”
"We are delighted to be partnering with Aquestive at this exciting stage in the company's development and believe that Anaphylm has the potential to be a truly transformative rescue treatment for patients suffering from severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis,” said Rahul Anand, Managing Director, Life Sciences Lending at Oaktree. “This transaction underscores Oaktree’s commitment to provide scalable capital solutions to companies developing novel medicines. We look forward to supporting the Aquestive management team as they work on bringing this important therapy to patients and healthcare providers globally.”
Oaktree is a leading provider of debt and royalty financing for the global life sciences industry. Since 2020, funds managed by Oaktree have committed more than $6.0 billion across 45 investments for companies across the healthcare spectrum.
Cantor Fitzgerald acted as the sole placement agent to Aquestive. Dechert LLP acted as counsel to Aquestive and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP served as counsel to Oaktree.
About Aquestive Therapeutics
Aquestive is a pharmaceutical company advancing medicines to bring meaningful improvement to patients' lives through innovative science and delivery technologies. The worldwide leader in delivering trusted, quality medications on oral film, Aquestive operates as both a developer of its own proprietary products and a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) for licensees, with its headquarters in New Jersey and U.S.-based manufacturing facilities in Indiana. The Company is the exclusive manufacturer of four commercialized products marketed by its licensees across six continents using proprietary, best-in-class technologies like PharmFilm®. Aquestive's AdrenaVerse™ platform contains a library of more than 20 epinephrine prodrugs enabling the pursuit of various potential allergy and dermatological indications. The Company is advancing Anaphylm™ (dibutepinephrine) sublingual film for the treatment of severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, and AQST-108 (epinephrine prodrug) topical gel for various potential dermatological conditions, including alopecia areata. For more information, visit Aquestive.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
About Anaphylm™ (dibutepinephrine) Sublingual Film
Anaphylm™ (dibutepinephrine) sublingual film is a polymer matrix-based epinephrine prodrug investigational drug product. Anaphylm is similar in size to a postage stamp, weighs less than an ounce, and begins to dissolve on contact. No water or swallowing is required for administration. The primary packaging for Anaphylm is thinner and smaller than an average credit card, can be carried in a pocket, and is designed to withstand weather excursions such as exposure to rain and/or sunlight. The Anaphylm trade name for AQST-109 has been conditionally approved by the FDA. Final approval of the Anaphylm proprietary name is conditioned on FDA approval of the product candidate.
About Oaktree
Oaktree is a leader among global investment managers specializing in alternative investments, with $223 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2025. The firm emphasizes an opportunistic, value-oriented, and risk-controlled approach to investments in credit, equity, and real estate. The firm has more than 1,500 employees and offices in 26 cities worldwide. For additional information, please visit Oaktree’s website at
http://www.oaktreecapital.com/
Forward-Looking Statement
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “expect,” “estimate,” “intend,” “may,” “will,” or the negative of those terms, and similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the advancement and related timing of our product candidates, including Anaphylm™ (dibutepinephrine) sublingual film and AQST-108 (epinephrine prodrug) topical gel, through clinical development and approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the respective targeted indications; the advancement and related timing of potential international regulatory filings and marketing authorization of Anaphylm outside of the U.S.; and that Anaphylm will be the first and only oral administration of epinephrine, if Anaphylm is approved by the FDA. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks associated with the Company’s development work, including any delays or changes to the timing, cost and success of its product development activities and clinical trials, including relating to Anaphylm and AQST-108, and other risks and uncertainties affecting the Company described in the “Risk Factors” section and in other sections included in its Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Given those uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. All subsequent forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or any person acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements or outlook or guidance after the date of this press release whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law.
PharmFilm® and the Aquestive logo are registered trademarks of Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc.
Investor Inquiries
Astr Partners
Brian Korb
[email protected]