NEW YORK, Oct. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C., a nationally recognized shareholder rights law firm, announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of investors that purchased Evolus, Inc. (NASDAQ: EOLS) common stock between February 1, 2019 and July 6, 2020 (the “Class Period”). Investors have until December 15, 2020 to apply to the Court to be appointed as lead plaintiff in the lawsuit.
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Beginning in February 2019, Evolus embarked on a public campaign to hype the market right before the commercial launch of its sole leading product Jeuveau™. To secure an aggressive growth and an rapid influx of revenue, Evolus disseminated dozens of public statements in which they promoted Jeuveau™ as a proprietary formulation of the botulinum toxic type A complex, purportedly developed by Korean bioengineering company Daewoong through years of clinical research and millions of dollars’ worth of investment in research and development. Among other things, Evolus promised investors that it would attain the number two U.S. market position within 24 months of launch.
The investing public learned the real truth about Jeuveau™ on July 6, 2020 when the U.S. International Trade Commission (“ITC”) issued its Initial Final Determination in a case brought by Allergan and Medytox against Evolus, alleging that Evolus stole certain trade secrets to develop Jeuveau™. Coming as a great surprise to the unsuspecting investors, the ITC Judge found that Evolus misappropriated the botulinum toxin strain as well as the manufacturing processes that led to its development and manufacture. To make things even more catastrophic, the ITC Judge recommended a ten-year long ban on Evolus’ ability to import Jeuveau™ into the United States and a ten-year long cease and desist order preventing Evolus from selling Jeuveau™ in the United States.
On this news Evolus’s share price declined sharply, falling 37% over the course of two trading days, to close at $3.35 on July 8, 2020. Following the news of the ITC’s Initial Final Determination and the subsequent price drop of Evolus’s common shares, several securities analysts downgraded Evolus’s rating and significantly lowered the Company’s price target.
The complaint, filed on October 16, 2020, alleges that throughout the Class period defendants made materially false and misleading statements, and failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company’s business, operational, and compliance policies. Specifically, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and failed to disclose to investors that: (i) the real source of botulinum toxin bacterial strain as well as the manufacturing processes used to develop Jeuveau™ originated with and were misappropriated from Medytox; (ii) sufficient evidentiary support existed for the allegations that Evolus misappropriated certain trade secrets relating to the botulin toxin strain and the manufacturing processes for the development of Jeuveau™; (iii) as a result, Evolus faced a real threat of regulatory and/or court action, prohibiting the import, marketing, and sale of Jeuveau™; which in turn (iv) seriously threatened Evolus’ ability to commercialize Jeuveau™ in the United States and generate revenue; and (v) any revenues generated from the sale of Jeuveau™ were based on Evolus’ unlawful activities, including the misappropriation of trade secrets and secret manufacturing processes belonging to Allergan and Medytox.
If you purchased Evolus common stock during the Class Period and suffered a loss, are a long-term stockholder, have information, would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Brandon Walker, Melissa Fortunato, or Marion Passmore by email at investigations@bespc.com, telephone at (212) 355-4648, or by filling out this contact form. There is no cost or obligation to you.
About Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C.:
Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. is a nationally recognized law firm with offices in New York and California. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in commercial, securities, derivative, and other complex litigation in state and federal courts across the country. For more information about the firm, please visit www.bespc.com. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
Contact Information:
Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C.
Brandon Walker, Esq.
Melissa Fortunato, Esq.
Marion Passmore, Esq.
(212) 355-4648
investigations@bespc.com
www.bespc.com