BioXcel Therapeutics Files Chapter 11, Lines Up $125M Teva Asset Sale

BioXcel Therapeutics, Inc., together with subsidiaries OnkosXcel Therapeutics, LLC and OnkosXcel Employee Holdings, LLC, filed a voluntary chapter 11 petition on August 27, 2026 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, case No. 26-11360. The filing pairs a request for postpetition financing with an already-signed asset sale agreement naming Teva Pharmaceuticals International GmbH as stalking-horse bidder for substantially all of the company's assets under section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code.

Chief Restructuring Officer Samir Saleem, a managing director at MERU LLC, states in the First Day Declaration that slow commercial adoption of BioXcel's only approved product, insufficient revenue to cover operating and debt-service costs, and a stock-price decline tied to contract-research-organization misconduct in a 2023 clinical trial left the company unable to raise equity outside of a court-supervised process. The debtors are asking the court to approve up to $19 million in debtor-in-possession financing to carry the case through a sale process anchored by Teva's $57.5 million cash offer.

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BioXcel Therapeutics Files Chapter 11, Lines Up $125M Teva Asset Sale

What are the key takeaways from “BioXcel Therapeutics Files Chapter 11, Lines Up $125M Teva Asset Sale”?

TRANQUILITY Misconduct and the Clinical Reprioritization

BioXcel's only source of revenue is IGALMI (dexmedetomidine) sublingual film, approved by the FDA in April 2022 for acute agitation associated with schizophrenia or bipolar I or II disorder. IGALMI generated $0.6 million in revenue in 2025, down from $2.3 million in 2024, and the company reported a $27.4 million net loss for the six months ended June 30, 2026.

The company's TRANQUILITY Phase 3 trial, testing BXCL501 for agitation associated with Alzheimer's dementia, produced positive topline results on June 29, 2023, but the same announcement disclosed that a contract research organization's principal investigator had submitted a falsified email to the FDA during a clinical-site inspection. BioXcel's stock price fell about 64% in a single day after the disclosure, which the company says impaired its ability to raise the equity needed to fund both the at-home IGALMI label expansion and a restart of the TRANQUILITY program. BioXcel's shares had fallen about 55% during 2026 before the filing, on top of the 2023 decline.

In August 2023, the board approved a Clinical Reprioritization that concentrated resources on the at-home SERENITY program while pausing TRANQUILITY, BXCL502, BXCL503, BXCL504, and further BXCL701 development held through OnkosXcel. BioXcel reduced its workforce by approximately 15% in May 2024 and by a further 28% in September 2024, reducing headcount from about 60 employees to 25 full-time employees as of the petition date.

Credit Agreement and Path to chapter 11

BioXcel entered its senior secured Credit Agreement and a companion revolving instrument, the RIFA, in April 2022, providing for up to $260 million in aggregate financing from funds affiliated with Oaktree Capital Management and the Qatar Investment Authority, with Oaktree Fund Administration, LLC serving as administrative agent. The company drew $70 million under the initial Credit Agreement tranche and $30 million under the RIFA, for $100 million in total funded proceeds; the RIFA was terminated in December 2023 and its balance converted into term loans.

With payment-in-kind interest and amendment fees accruing, BioXcel's principal indebtedness grew to approximately $112 million as of the petition date, up from $101.25 million originally funded. The loans bear 13.0% annual cash interest, mature April 19, 2027, and are secured by substantially all of the debtors' assets. The company also estimates about $17 million of unpaid trade and other ordinary-course obligations, much of it owed to current or former professionals.

As liquidity tightened, the lenders granted successive rounds of covenant relief. A March 2026 Ninth Amendment waived the covenant barring a "going concern" qualification in BioXcel's 2025 audited financials and cut the minimum liquidity covenant from $15 million to $12.5 million, in exchange for a $2.5 million principal prepayment and warrants issued to the lenders. A July 2026 Tenth Amendment then deferred principal and interest that had been due June 30, 2026, reduced the minimum liquidity covenant to $7.5 million, and set a July 31, 2026 deadline for BioXcel to enter a definitive strategic transaction.

To bridge liquidity while that process continued, BioXcel completed a registered direct offering in March 2026 that generated approximately $6.9 million in net proceeds through placement agent Rodman & Renshaw LLC, and the lenders separately provided $1.25 million in prepetition bridge financing ahead of the filing. The petition listed estimated liabilities of $100 million to $500 million and assets of $10 million to $50 million.

DIP Financing and Prepetition Bridge Loan

The debtors are seeking court approval of up to $19 million in new-money debtor-in-possession financing from the existing secured lenders, with up to $9.5 million available upon entry of an interim order and the remainder upon a final order. The facility bears a fixed 13% annual interest rate, matures five months from closing, and includes a pro rata roll-up of prepetition Credit Agreement obligations as new money is funded. The debtors state the DIP proceeds will fund case administration, ongoing operations, and the sale process, and that the facility was sized to provide only the financing needed to consummate an expedited sale rather than sustain a protracted case.

Teva Stalking Horse Agreement and Sale Process

BioXcel engaged MTS Health Partners as investment banker in the fall of 2025 and Rodman & Renshaw as placement agent to run a dual-track process seeking both new equity capital and a buyer or strategic partner. MTS contacted more than 40 potential acquirers, of which 12 held meetings and seven signed nondisclosure agreements and received data-room access, according to the declaration of MTS partner Daun Chung. Cooley LLP and Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP are serving as the debtors' legal counsel in the case.

On July 1, 2026, the board formed a Strategic Process Committee, initially chaired by director David Mack and later joined by director Susan Atkins following her August 12, 2026 appointment, with exclusive authority to negotiate any financing, sale, or chapter 11 filing. On August 12, 2026, the board also formed a Claims Committee, with Atkins as its sole member, to investigate potential claims against current and former officers, directors, and other third parties.

Teva emerged as the most viable bidder after diligence on BioXcel's regulatory portfolio, including the pending supplemental new drug application seeking FDA approval to expand IGALMI to at-home use. Under the proposed asset purchase agreement, Teva would pay $57.5 million in cash at closing plus up to $67.5 million in contingent milestone payments tied to the timing of the sNDA's FDA approval and to future sales, and would assume specified liabilities.

The debtors are requesting bid protections consisting of a $5 million break-up fee if the FDA approves the sNDA before the agreement terminates, or $1.15 million if it has not, plus expense reimbursement capped at $575,000; for auction-comparison purposes the motion values the break-up fee at $1.15 million. Competing bids are due October 9, 2026 at 12:00 p.m., with auction overbids required in minimum $1 million increments.

Teva, which closed a deal in June to acquire neuroscience biotech Emalex Biosciences for up to $900 million, framed the BioXcel transaction as part of a broader growth push. Teva executive vice president of business development Evan Lippman described the transaction as strengthening Teva's neuroscience portfolio while preserving its risk-and-value discipline. The FDA's target action date for the pending sNDA is November 14, 2026.

Key Timeline

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the claims agent for BioXcel Therapeutics?

Stretto, Inc. is serving as the claims and noticing agent for the chapter 11 cases, per the debtors' first-day filings.

What is Teva paying to acquire BioXcel's assets?

Teva's stalking-horse bid consists of $57.5 million in cash at closing plus up to $67.5 million in contingent milestone payments tied to FDA approval timing and future sales, with the transaction subject to higher or better offers at auction.

When is BioXcel's bid deadline?

Competing bids are due October 9, 2026 at 12:00 p.m., with any resulting auction and sale hearing to follow under the proposed bidding procedures, which remain subject to court approval.

Will IGALMI remain available to patients during the bankruptcy?

The company says IGALMI remains commercially available and that it intends to continue supplying the product and supporting patients, prescribers, and trade partners throughout the chapter 11 process.

BioXcel's case follows a run of biotech and pharmaceutical chapter 11 filings structured around a single stalking-horse sale, including Sangamo Therapeutics, Timber Pharmaceuticals, and Eiger BioPharmaceuticals.