Sophiris Bio (TSX: SHS), a biopharmaceutical company based in La Jolla, CA, and Vancouver, Canada, has filed for an initial U.S. initial public offering on the NASDAQ. Now based in La Jolla, Sophiris develops a treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH, or enlarged prostate). The company was originally founded in Vancouver, and its stock currently trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Sophiris has also filed a preliminary short form prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in British Columbia and Ontario in connection with the proposed offering. Private equity firm Warburg Pincus owns a 52.3% share of the company, and Canadian venture capital investor BC Advantage Funds owns another 11.5%. All common shares to be sold in the offering will be offered by Sophiris.
