Here's Why Orexigen Therapeutics' Stock Briefly Spiked Today

What: Shares of Orexigen Therapeutics , a biotech company focusing on the development of anti-obesity medicines, saw its shares briefly rise by as much as 23% on exceptional volume today. This rocket-like rise was sparked by the announcement that the company struck a private placement deal withThe Baupost Group, L.L.C. to purchase 20 million shares of common stock at $3 a share and warrants for 5 million shares. The warrants are reportedlyexercisable for five years at $6 per share. Overall, this deal raised $60 million for the company, according to the press release.

So what: Orexigen is attempting to strengthen its balance sheet as it works toward finding a marketing partner for its fat-fighting pill Contrave/Mysimba in ex-U.S. territories, according to the company. In other words, management apparently wants to be able to approach these negotiations from a position of financial strength, rather than having to hurriedly ink a deal due to problems with its cash runway. That being said, this deal also appears to be tied to Orexigen's restated collaboration agreement with Takeda Pharmaceuticals, wherein Orexigen is now responsible for the first $210 millionof funding for Contrave's upcoming cardiovascular outcomes trial.

Now what: Even after striking this private placement, Orexigen isn't in a great financial position, given its amended collaboration agreement with Takeda. Specifically, this latest influx of funds should give the company around $230 million in cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities. That won't be enough to cover its long-term financial obligations, and Contrave's sales aren't substantial enough -- at least not yet -- to pick up the slack. As such, I'm perfectly fine sitting this one out for the time being.

The article Here's Why Orexigen Therapeutics' Stock Briefly Spiked Today originally appeared on Fool.com.

George Budwell has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.