PROTAGONIST THERAPEUTICS, INC. (NASDAQ:PTGX) Files An 8-K Changes in Registrant’s Certifying Accountant
Item 4.01.
(a) On March 13, 2020, the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) dismissed PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (“PwC”) as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, effective immediately.
The reports of PwC on the Company’s financial statements for each of the two fiscal years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019, did not contain an adverse opinion or a disclaimer of opinion, nor were they qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope or accounting principles.
In connection with the audits of the Company’s financial statements for each of the two fiscal years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019, and the subsequent interim period through March 13, 2020, there were no “disagreements” (as that term is defined in Item 304(a)(1)(iv) of Regulation S-K and related instructions) between the Company and PwC on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure or auditing scope or procedures which, if not resolved to the satisfaction of PwC, would have caused PwC to make reference to the subject matter of the disagreement in their reports. There were no “reportable events” (as that term is defined in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K) during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2018, and December 31, 2019, and the subsequent interim period through March 13, 2020.
The Company provided PwC with a copy of the disclosures it is making in this Current Report on Form 8-K and requested that PwC furnish the Company with a letter addressed to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission stating whether it agrees with the statements contained herein. A copy of PwC’s letter, dated March 18, 2020, is filed as Exhibit 16.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.
(b) On March 13, 2020, the Company approved the engagement of Ernst & Young LLP (“EY”) as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, effective immediately. During the fiscal years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019, and the subsequent interim period through March 13, 2020, neither the Company nor anyone acting on its behalf has consulted with EY with respect to (i) the application of accounting principles to a specified transaction, either completed or proposed, or the type of audit opinion that might be rendered on the Company’s financial statements, and neither a written report nor oral advice was provided to the Company that EY concluded was an important factor considered by the Company in reaching a decision as to any accounting, auditing, or financial reporting issue or (ii) any matter that was either the subject of a “disagreement” or “reportable event” as those terms are defined in Item 304(a)(1) of Regulation S-K.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits.
| Exhibit | Description |
| 16.1 | Letter of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP dated March 18, 2020. |
Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc Exhibit
EX-16.1 2 tm2013080d1_ex16-1.htm EXHIBIT 16.1 Exhibit 16.1 March 18,…
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About PROTAGONIST THERAPEUTICS, INC. (NASDAQ:PTGX)
Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a peptide technology platform focused on discovering and developing new chemical entities (NECs) to address significant unmet medical needs. The Company’s product pipeline includes PTG-100, PTG-200 and PTG-300. Its primary focus is on developing oral peptide drugs that target biological pathways also targeted by marketed injectable antibody drugs. PTG-100 is an oral, alpha-4-beta-7 (a4b7) integrin-specific antagonist peptide product candidate, which has completed a Phase I clinical trial in normal healthy volunteers (NHVs). PTG-100 is being developed for treatment of moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis (UC). PTG-200 is an oral Interleukin-23 receptor (IL-23R) antagonist being developed for moderate-to-severe Crohn’s disease (CD). PTG-200 is in investigational new drug (IND) enabling studies. PTG-300 is an injectable hepcidin mimetic for treatment of iron overload related rare diseases.