Underwriting Agreement, dated March 29, 2022, by and among Geron Corporation, Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated and Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated, as representatives of the underwriters named therein
EXHIBIT 1.1
Execution Version
GERON CORPORATION
(a Delaware corporation)
53,333,334 Shares of Common Stock
Pre-Funded Warrants to Purchase up to 18,095,238 Shares of Common Stock
Common Warrants to Purchase up to 35,714,286 Shares of Common Stock
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
Dated: March 29, 2022
GERON CORPORATION
(a Delaware corporation)
53,333,334 Shares of Common Stock
Pre-Funded Warrants to Purchase up to 18,095,238 Shares of Common Stock
Common Warrants to Purchase up to 35,714,286 Shares of Common Stock
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
March 29, 2022
Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated
Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated
as Representatives of the several Underwriters
c/o Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated
787 Seventh Avenue, 11th Floor
New York, New York 10019
c/o Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated
777 East Wisconsin AvenueMilwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Geron Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), confirms its agreement with Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated (“Stifel”) and Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated (“Baird”) and each of the other Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto (collectively, the “Underwriters,” which term shall also include any underwriter substituted as hereinafter provided in Section 10 hereof), for whom Stifel and Baird are acting as representatives (in such capacity, the “Representatives”), with respect to the sale by the Company and the purchase by the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, of (i) the respective numbers of shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, of the Company (“Common Stock”) set forth in Schedule A hereto (the “Shares”); (ii) the respective numbers of pre-funded warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock as set forth in Schedule A hereto (the “Pre-Funded Warrants”); and (iii) the respective numbers of warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock as set forth in Schedule A hereto (the “Common Warrants” and, together with the Pre-Funded Warrants, “the Warrants,” and such Shares and Warrants hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Securities”). As used herein, “Warrant Shares” means the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants.
The Company understands that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of the Securities as soon as the Representatives deem advisable after this Agreement has been executed and delivered.
The Company has prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-248637) covering the public offering and sale of certain securities, including the Securities, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (the “1933 Act Regulations”), which registration statement was declared effective on November 6, 2020. Such registration statement, as of any time, means such registration statement as amended on the date it was declared effective or by any post-effective amendments thereto to such time, including the exhibits and any schedules thereto at such time, the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein at such time pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act and the documents otherwise deemed to be a part thereof as of such time pursuant to Rule 430B under the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 430B”), is referred to herein as the “Registration Statement;” provided, however, that the “Registration Statement” without reference to a time means such registration statement as amended by any post-effective amendments thereto as of the time of the first contract of sale for the Securities, which time shall be considered the “new effective date” of such registration statement with
respect to the Securities within the meaning of paragraph (f)(2) of Rule 430B, including the exhibits and schedules thereto as of such time, the documents incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference therein at such time pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act and the documents otherwise deemed to be a part thereof as of such time pursuant to Rule 430B. Any registration statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) of the 1933 Act Regulations to register a portion of the Securities is herein referred to as the “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement,” and after such filing, the term “Registration Statement” shall include the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement. Each preliminary prospectus (including any preliminary prospectus supplement) used in connection with the offering of the Securities, including the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act, are collectively referred to herein as a “preliminary prospectus.” Promptly after execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company will prepare and file a final prospectus relating to the Securities in accordance with the provisions of Rule 424(b) under the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 424(b)”). The final prospectus, in the form first furnished or made available to the Underwriters for use in connection with the offering of the Securities, including the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act, are collectively referred to herein as the “Prospectus.” For purposes of this Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing shall be deemed to include the copy filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system (or any successor system)(“EDGAR”).
As used in this Agreement:
“Applicable Time” means 6:30 P.M., New York City time, on March 29, 2022 or such other time as agreed by the Company and the Representatives.
“General Disclosure Package” means any Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectuses issued at or prior to the Applicable Time, the most recent preliminary prospectus (including the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act) that is included in the Registration Statement prior to the Applicable Time, and the information included on Schedule B-1 hereto, all considered together.
“Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 433”), including without limitation any “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 405”)) relating to the Securities that is (i) required to be filed with the Commission by the Company, (ii) a “road show that is a written communication” within the meaning of Rule 433(d)(8)(i), whether or not required to be filed with the Commission, or (iii) exempt from filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d)(5)(i) because it contains a description of the Securities or of the offering that does not reflect the final terms, in each case in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g).
“Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is intended for general distribution to prospective investors (other than a “bona fide electronic road show,” as defined in Rule 433), as evidenced by its being specified in Schedule B-2 hereto.
“Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is not an Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus.
All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information which is “contained,” “included” or “stated” (or other references of like import) in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to include all such financial statements and schedules and other information incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be, prior to the execution and delivery of this Agreement; and all references in this Agreement to amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to include the filing of any document under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (the “1934 Act Regulations”), incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, such preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be, at or after the execution and delivery of this Agreement.
SECTION 1. Representations and Warranties.
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(a) Representations and Warranties by the Company. The Company represents and warrants to each Underwriter as of the date hereof, the Applicable Time, the Closing Time (as defined below) (except to the extent expressly made as of an earlier date, in which case as of such earlier date), and agrees with each Underwriter, as follows:
(i) Registration Statement and Prospectuses. The Company meets the requirements for use of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act. Each of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto has become effective under the 1933 Act. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto has been issued under the 1933 Act, no order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus has been issued and no proceedings for any of those purposes have been instituted or are pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, contemplated. The Company has complied with each request from the Commission for preservation of documentation or additional information.
Each of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the time of its effectiveness and at each deemed effective date with respect to the Underwriters pursuant to Rule 430B(f)(2) under the 1933 Act Regulations, complied in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations. Each preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, at the time each was filed with the Commission, complied in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act Regulations and each preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with this offering was identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
The documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, when they became effective or at the time they were or hereafter are filed with the Commission, complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission under the 1934 Act Regulations.
(ii) Accurate Disclosure. The Registration Statement, when it became or becomes effective, and the Prospectus, and any amendment or supplement thereto, on the date of such Prospectus or amendment or supplement, conformed and will conform in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act. Neither the Registration Statement nor any amendment thereto, at its effective time or at the Closing Time, contained, contains or will contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. As of the Applicable Time, neither (A) the General Disclosure Package nor (B) any individual Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus, when considered together with the General Disclosure Package, included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. Neither the Prospectus nor any amendment or supplement thereto, as of its issue date, at the time of any filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) or at the Closing Time, included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, at the time the Registration Statement became effective or when such documents incorporated by reference were filed with the Commission, as the case may be, when read together with the other information in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, as the case may be, did not and will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the case of the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
The representations and warranties in this subsection shall not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein. For purposes of this Agreement, the only information so furnished shall be the information in the first paragraph under the heading “Underwriting–Commissions and Discounts,” the information in the second, third and fourth paragraphs under the heading “Underwriting–Short Sales, Stabilizing Transactions, and Penalty Bids” in each case contained in the Prospectus (collectively, the “Underwriter Information”).
(iii) Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses. Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue date and as of each Applicable Time, did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will
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conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, including any document incorporated by reference therein, and any preliminary or other prospectus deemed to be a part thereof that has not been superseded or modified. The foregoing sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus based upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by the Underwriters specifically for use therein.
(iv) Company Not Ineligible Issuer. At the time of filing the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the earliest time thereafter that the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) of the 1933 Act Regulations) of the Securities and at the date hereof, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405, without taking account of any determination by the Commission pursuant to Rule 405 that it is not necessary that the Company be considered an ineligible issuer.
(v) Independent Accountants. Ernst & Young LLP, the accountants who certified the financial statements incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, are independent public accountants as required by the 1933 Act, the 1933 Act Regulations, the 1934 Act, the 1934 Act Regulations and the Public Accounting Oversight Board. To the Company’s knowledge, Ernst & Young LLP is not in violation of the auditor independence requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 with respect to the Company.
(vi) Financial Statements. The financial statements incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, together with the related notes, present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at the dates indicated and the results of operations, stockholders’ equity and cash flows of the Company for the periods specified (subject, in the case of unaudited statements, to normal year-end audit adjustments); said financial statements have been prepared in compliance with the requirements of the 1934 Act, as applicable, and in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis (except for such adjustments to accounting standards and practices as are noted therein and except in the case of unaudited financial statements to the extent they may exclude footnotes or may be condensed or summary statements) during the periods involved. The selected financial data and the summary financial information, if any, included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus present fairly, in all material respects, the information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements included therein and the books and records of the Company. Except as included therein, no historical or pro forma financial statements or supporting schedules are required to be included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus under the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations; and the Company does not have any material liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent (including any off-balance sheet obligations), not described in the Registration Statement (including the exhibits thereto and the documents incorporated by reference therein), the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus which are required to be described in the Registration Statement, General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (including exhibits thereto and the documents incorporated by reference therein).
(vii) No Material Adverse Change in Business. Except as otherwise stated or contemplated therein, since the respective dates as of which information is given in the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (including any documents incorporated by reference therein), there has been no material adverse change in the (A) assets, business, operations, earnings, properties, condition (financial or otherwise), prospects, stockholders’ equity (as set forth on the Company’s most recent balance sheet included in the documents incorporated by reference therein) or results of operations of the Company taken as a whole (a “Material Adverse Effect”), (B) there have been no transactions entered into by the Company, other than those in the ordinary course of business, which are material with respect to the Company taken as a whole, (C) any obligation or liability, direct or contingent (including any off-balance sheet obligations), incurred by the Company, which is material to the Company taken as a whole, (D) any material change in the capital stock (other than (i) as described in a current report on Form 8-K, a proxy statement filed on Schedule 14A or a Registration Statement on Form S-4 and otherwise publicly announced or (ii) changes in the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock due to the issuance of shares upon the exercise or conversion of securities exercisable for, or convertible into, shares of Common Stock, or the vesting of equity awards) or outstanding long-term indebtedness of the Company or (E) any dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made on the capital stock of the Company, other than in each case above (i) in the ordinary course of business, (ii) as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or Prospectus (including the documents incorporated or deemed to be
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incorporated by reference therein) or (iii) where such matter, item, change or development would not make the statements in the Registration Statement, General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.
(viii) Good Standing of the Company. The Company has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware and has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (including the documents incorporated by reference therein); and the Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each other jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(ix) Good Standing of Subsidiaries. The Company has no significant subsidiaries (as such term is defined in Rule 1-02(w) of Regulation S-X promulgated by the Commission).
(x) Capitalization. The issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company have been validly issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and, other than as disclosed in or contemplated by the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, are not subject to any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or similar rights. The Company has an authorized, issued and outstanding capitalization as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus under the heading “Description of Capital Stock” as of the dates referred to therein (other than the grant of additional options or other equity awards under the Company’s existing equity compensation plans, or changes in the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock due to the issuance of shares upon the exercise, vesting or conversion of securities exercisable for, or convertible into, shares of Common Stock outstanding on the date hereof or described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (including the documents incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference therein at such time pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act and the documents otherwise deemed to be a part thereof as of such time pursuant to Rule 430B or as a result of the issuance of Securities)) and such authorized capital stock conforms in all material respects to the description thereof set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (including the documents incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference therein at such time pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act and the documents otherwise deemed to be a part thereof as of such time pursuant to Rule 430B). The description of the Common Stock in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus is complete and accurate in all material respects. Other than as set forth or described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (including the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein), as of the dates referred to therein, the Company did not have outstanding any options to purchase, or any rights or warrants to subscribe for, or any securities or obligations convertible into, or exchangeable for, or any contracts or commitments to issue or sell, any shares of capital stock or other securities. The Warrant Shares have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance pursuant to the terms of the Warrants, and when the Warrant Shares are issued by the Company upon valid exercise of the Warrants, such Warrant Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and, other than as disclosed in or contemplated by the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, not subject to any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or similar rights. The Company has reserved and kept available for the exercise of the Warrants such number of authorized but unissued shares as are sufficient to permit the exercise in full of the Warrants.
(xi) Authorization of Agreement. The Company has full legal right, power and authority to enter into this Agreement and perform the transactions contemplated hereby. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and is a legal, valid and binding agreement of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except to the extent that (i) enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and by general equitable principles and (ii) the indemnification and contribution provisions of Section 6 hereof may be limited by federal or state securities laws and public policy considerations in respect thereof.
(xii) Authorization and Description of Securities. The Securities to be purchased by the Underwriters from the Company have been duly authorized for issuance and sale to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement and, when issued and delivered by the Company pursuant to this Agreement against payment of the consideration set forth herein, will be validly issued and fully paid and non-assessable, free and clear of any pledge, lien,
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encumbrance, security interest or other claim, including any statutory or contractual preemptive rights, resale rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights, and will be registered pursuant to Section 12 of the 1934 Act. The Securities conform to all statements relating thereto contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and such description conforms to the rights set forth in the instruments defining the same. The forms of the Pre-Funded Warrants and Common Warrants, as set forth in Exhibit D and Exhibit E hereto, respectively, have been duly authorized by the Company. All necessary corporate action has been duly and validly taken by the Company to authorize the issuance and delivery of the Warrant Shares by the Company.
(xiii) Registration Rights. There are no persons with registration rights or other similar rights to have any securities registered for sale pursuant to the Registration Statement or otherwise registered for sale or sold by the Company under the 1933 Act pursuant to this Agreement.
(xiv) Absence of Violations, Defaults and Conflicts. The Company is not (A) in violation of its charter or bylaws or similar organizational documents, (B) in default, and no event has occurred that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute such a default, in the due performance or observance of any term, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the Company is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company is subject (collectively, “Agreements and Instruments”), except for such default that would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect, or (C) in violation of any law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any arbitrator, court, governmental body, regulatory body, administrative agency or other authority, body or agency having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties, assets or operations (each, a “Governmental Entity”), except for such violations that would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein and in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (including the issuance and sale of the Securities and the use of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities as described therein under the caption “Use of Proceeds”) and compliance by the Company with its obligations hereunder have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and do not and will not, whether with or without the giving of notice or passage of time or both, conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default or Repayment Event (as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any properties or assets of the Company pursuant to, the Agreements and Instruments (except for such conflicts, breaches, defaults or Repayment Events or liens, charges or encumbrances that would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect), nor will such action result in any violation of (i) the provisions of the charter or by-laws of the Company or (ii) any law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any Governmental Entity except, in the case of clause (ii), for any such violation that would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect. As used herein, a “Repayment Event” means any event or condition which gives the holder of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company.
(xv) Absence of Labor Dispute. No labor dispute with the employees of the Company exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is threatened which would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(xvi) Absence of Proceedings. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no legal, governmental or regulatory actions, suits or proceedings pending, nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any legal, governmental or regulatory investigations, to which the Company is a party or to which any property of the Company is the subject that, individually or in the aggregate, if determined adversely to the Company, would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or materially and adversely affect the ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement; to the Company’s knowledge, no such actions, suits or proceedings are threatened or contemplated by any governmental or regulatory authority or threatened by others that, individually or in the aggregate, if determined adversely to the Company, would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and (i) there are no current or pending legal, governmental or regulatory actions, suits or proceedings or, to the Company’s knowledge, investigations that are required under the 1933 Act to be described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and Prospectus that are not described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and Prospectus including any the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference
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therein; and (ii) there are no contracts or other documents that are required under the 1933 Act to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement that are not so filed.
(xvii) Accuracy of Exhibits. There are no contracts or documents which are required to be described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement which have not been so described and filed as required.
(xviii) Absence of Further Requirements. No filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any Governmental Entity is necessary or required for the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder, in connection with the offering, issuance or sale of the Securities hereunder or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except such as have been already obtained or as may be required under the 1933 Act, the 1933 Act Regulations, the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC, state securities laws or the rules of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”).
(xix) Possession of Licenses and Permits. The Company possesses or has obtained, all licenses, certificates, consents, orders, approvals, permits and other authorizations issued by, and has made all declarations and filings with, the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory authorities that are necessary for the ownership or lease of its properties or the conduct of its business as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (the “Permits”), except where the failure to possess, obtain or make the same would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company has not received written notice of any proceeding relating to revocation or modification of any such Permit nor has any reason to believe that such Permit will not be renewed in the ordinary course, except where the failure to obtain any such renewal would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(xx) Studies, Tests and Trials. The description of the results of the studies, tests and trials contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are accurate in all material respects (except that the foregoing representation shall be to the Company’s knowledge, after due inquiry, with respect to such studies, tests and trials conducted by third parties), and the Company has no knowledge of any other studies, tests or trials, the results of which could reasonably be expected to materially discredit or materially call into question the results described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(xxi) Clinical Trials. Any clinical trials, pre-clinical trials and other studies and tests described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus were and, if still pending, are being conducted (to the Company’s knowledge, after due inquiry, with respect to such studies conducted by third parties) in accordance, in all material respects, with standard medical and scientific research procedures and all applicable rules, regulations and policies of the FDA, and all applicable foreign regulatory requirements and standards, except where the failure to do so would not have a Material Adverse Effect. For purposes of clarity, any clinical, pre-clinical and other studies and tests conducted by third parties for any product candidate for which the Company does not hold an Investigational New Drug Application shall not be deemed to be conducted on behalf of the Company. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or except as would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect, the Company has not received any notices or correspondence from the FDA or any other Governmental Entity requiring the Company to terminate or suspend any ongoing clinical or pre-clinical studies or tests.
(xxii) Title to Property. The Company has good and marketable title in fee simple to all items of real property and good and valid title to all personal property (excluding Intellectual Property, as defined below) described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus as being owned by it that are material to the business of the Company, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and claims, except those that (i) do not materially interfere with the use made of such property by the Company or (ii) would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect. Any real property described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or Prospectus as being leased by the Company is held by the Company under valid, existing and enforceable leases, except those that (A) do not materially interfere with the use made or proposed to be made of such property by the Company or (B) would not be reasonably expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(xxiii) Possession of Intellectual Property. To its knowledge, the Company owns or possesses adequate rights to use all patents, patent applications, trademarks (both registered and unregistered), service marks, trade names, trademark registrations, service mark registrations, copyrights, licenses and know-how (including trade secrets
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and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures) (collectively, the “Intellectual Property”) necessary to the conduct of the business now conducted except to the extent that the failure to own or possess adequate rights to use such Intellectual Property would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; except as disclosed in writing to Underwriters, the Company has not received any written notice of any claim of infringement or conflict which asserted Intellectual Property rights of others, which infringement or conflict, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, would result in a Material Adverse Effect; there are no pending, or to the Company’s knowledge, threatened judicial proceedings or interference proceedings against the Company challenging the Company’s rights in or to or the validity of the scope of any of the Company’s owned patents, patent applications or proprietary information, except for any such proceedings that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. To the Company’s knowledge, no other entity or individual has any right or claim in any of the Company’s solely owned patents, patent applications or any patent to be issued therefrom by virtue of any contract, license or other agreement entered into between such entity or individual and the Company or by any non-contractual obligation of the Company, other than by written contract, license or other agreement with the Company and other than such rights or claims that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company has not received any written notice of any claim challenging the rights of the Company in or to any Intellectual Property owned, licensed or optioned by the Company which claim, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, would result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(xxiv) Environmental Laws. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or except as would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect, (A) the Company is in compliance with all applicable federal, state, local and foreign laws, rules, regulations, decisions and orders relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), (B) the Company has all permits, licenses or other approvals required under any applicable Environmental Laws and is in compliance with their requirements, (C) has not received notice of any actual or potential liability for the investigation or remediation of any disposal or release of hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants, except, in the case of any of clauses (A) or (B) above, for any such failure to comply or failure to receive required permits, licenses, other approvals or liability as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(xxv) Health Care Laws. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its business operations is in violation of any Health Care Laws, except where the failure to be in compliance would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect. For purposes of this Agreement, “Health Care Laws” means (A) the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and the regulations promulgated thereunder, (B) federal and state fraud and abuse laws, including, the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (42 U.S.C. §1320a-7b(b)), the Stark Law (42 U.S.C. §1395nn), the civil False Claims Act (31 U.S.C. §3729 et seq.), Sections 1320a-7 and 1320a-7a of Title 42 of the United States Code and the regulations promulgated pursuant to such statutes, (C) the administrative simplification provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (18 U.S.C. §§669, 1035, 1347 and 1518; 42 U.S.C. §1320d et seq.) and the regulations promulgated thereunder, (D) Titles XVII (42 U.S.C. §1395 et seq.) and XIX (42 U.S.C. §1396 et seq.) of the Social Security Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder, (E) the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (42 U.S.C. §1395w-101 et seq.) and the regulations promulgated thereunder, (F) the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, (G) all statutes, rules or regulations applicable to the ownership, testing, development, manufacture, quality, safety, accreditation, packaging, use, distribution, labeling, promotion, sale, offer for sale, import, export or disposal of any product manufactured or distributed by the Company and (H) any and all other health care laws and regulations applicable to the business of the Company as currently conducted by it as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, each of (A) through (H) as may be amended from time to time.
(xxvi) Accounting Controls and Disclosure Controls. The Company maintains a system of internal accounting controls designed to provide reasonable assurances that: (A) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (B) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets; (C) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (D) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate
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action is taken with respect to any differences. The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and is prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto. The Company is not aware of any material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting. Since the date of the latest audited financial statements of the Company included in the Prospectus, there has been (1) no material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and (2) no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (other than as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus). The Company maintains an effective system of disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15 and Rule 15d-15 under the 1934 Act Regulations) that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the 1934 Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, and is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including its principal executive officer or officers and principal financial officer or officers, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding disclosure.
(xxvii) Payment of Taxes. The Company has filed all federal, state, local and foreign tax returns which have been required to be filed and paid all taxes shown thereon through the date hereof, to the extent that such taxes have become due and are not being contested in good faith, except where the failure to do so would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. No tax deficiency has been determined adversely to the Company which has had, or would reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect. The Company has no knowledge of any federal, state or other governmental tax deficiency, penalty or assessment which has been asserted or threatened against it which would have a Material Adverse Effect.
(xxviii) Insurance. The Company carries, or is covered by, insurance in such amounts and covering such risks as the Company reasonably believes are adequate for the use of its properties and as is customary for companies of similar size engaged in similar businesses in similar industries.
(xxix) Investment Company Act. The Company is not required, and upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated and the application of the net proceeds therefrom as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus will not be required, to register as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).
(xxx) Absence of Manipulation. The Company has not taken, nor will the Company take, directly or indirectly, any action which constitutes, or might reasonably be expected, to constitute, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities or to result in a violation of Regulation M under the 1934 Act.
(xxxi) Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. None of the Company or, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is aware of or has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that would result in a violation by such persons of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (the “FCPA”), including, without limitation, making use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce corruptly in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay or authorization of the payment of any money, or other property, gift, promise to give, or authorization of the giving of anything of value to any “foreign official” (as such term is defined in the FCPA) or any foreign political party or official thereof or any candidate for foreign political office, in contravention of the FCPA and the Company and, to the knowledge of the Company, its affiliates have conducted their businesses in compliance with the FCPA and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure, and which are reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith.
(xxxii) Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any Governmental Entity (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”), except as would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect; and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any Governmental Entity involving the Company with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.
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(xxxiii) OFAC. Neither the Company nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or representative of the Company is an individual or entity (“Person”) currently the subject or target, or is owned or controlled by a Person that is, of any sanctions administered or enforced by the United States Government, including, without limitation, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), the United Nations Security Council (“UNSC”), the European Union, Her Majesty’s Treasury (“HMT”), or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor is the Company located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions; and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the sale of the Securities, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiaries, joint venture partners or other Person, to fund any activities of or business with any Person, or in any country or territory, that, at the time of such funding, is the subject of Sanctions or in any other manner that will result in a violation by any Person (including any Person participating in the transaction, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise) of Sanctions. The Company represents and covenants that, except as detailed in the Prospectus, for the past five years, the Company has not knowingly engaged in, is not now knowingly engaged in, and will not knowingly engage in, any dealings or transactions with any Person, or in any country or territory, that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject of Sanctions.
(xxxiv) Lending Relationship. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company (i) does not have any material lending or other relationship with any bank or lending affiliate of any Underwriter and (ii) does not intend to use any of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities to repay any outstanding debt owed to any affiliate of any Underwriter.
(xxxv) Statistical and Market-Related Data. Any statistical and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes, after reasonable inquiry, to be reliable and accurate and, to the extent required, the Company has obtained the written consent to the use of such data from such sources.
(xxxvi) No Rated Securities. The Company has no debt securities or preferred stock that is rated by any “nationally recognized statistical rating agency” (as that term is defined by the Commission for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) under the 1933 Act).
(xxxvii) Information Technology. Except as would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, the Company’s information technology assets and equipment, computers, systems, networks, hardware, software, websites, applications, and databases (collectively, “IT Systems”) are adequate for, and operate and perform as required in connection with the operation of the business of the Company as currently conducted, and to the knowledge of the Company are free and clear of all bugs, errors, defects, Trojan horses, time bombs, malware and other corruptants. For purpose of clarity, any third-party information technology systems over which the Company does not exercise control shall not be deemed to be the Company’s IT Systems. The Company has implemented and maintained or caused to be implemented and maintained commercially reasonable controls, policies, procedures, and safeguards to maintain and protect its material confidential information and the integrity, continuous operation, redundancy and security of all of the Company’s IT Systems, and the confidentiality of any information from which a person can be identified or potentially identified (“Personal Data”)) used in connection with its businesses, and to the Company’s knowledge there have been no breaches, violations, outages or unauthorized uses of or accesses to same, except for those that have been remedied without material cost or liability or the duty to notify any other person, nor any incidents under internal review or investigations relating to the same. Except as would not result in a Material Adverse Effect, the Company is presently in compliance with all applicable laws or statutes and all applicable judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, internal policies and material contractual obligations, in each of the foregoing cases as relating to the privacy and security of the Company’s IT Systems and Personal Data and to the protection of such IT Systems and Personal Data used in connection with its business from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification. Except as would not result in a Material Adverse Effect, the Company has taken all necessary actions to comply with the European Union General Data Protection Regulation and all other applicable privacy laws and regulations with respect to Personal Data used in connection with its business.
(xxxviii) Officer’s Certificates. Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company delivered to the Representatives or to counsel for the Underwriters shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to each Underwriter as to the matters covered thereby.
SECTION 2. Sale and Delivery to Underwriters; Closing.
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(a) Securities. On the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to sell to each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, and each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase from the Company, at the price per share set forth in Schedule A hereto the number of Shares, Pre-Funded Warrants and Common Warrants set forth in Schedule A hereto opposite the name of such Underwriter, plus any additional number of Securities which such Underwriter may become obligated to purchase pursuant to the provisions of Section 10 hereof, subject, in each case, to such adjustments among the Underwriters as the Representatives in their sole discretion shall make to eliminate any sales or purchases of fractional shares.
(d) Payment. Payment of the purchase price for the Securities, and delivery of (i) the Shares and Common Warrants through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company and (ii) the Pre-Funded Warrants to the Representatives for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters, in each such case, issued in such names and in such denominations as the Representatives may direct by notice in writing to the Company, shall be made at the offices of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111, or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company, at 10:00 A.M. (New York City time) on the second (third, if the pricing occurs after 4:30 P.M. (New York City time) on any given day) business day after the date hereof (unless postponed in accordance with the provisions of Section 10), or such other time not later than ten business days after such date as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company (such time and date of payment and delivery being herein called the “Closing Time”).
Payment shall be made to the Company by wire transfer of immediately available funds to a bank account designated by the Company, against delivery to the Representatives for the respective accounts of the Underwriters of certificates or security entitlements for the Securities to be purchased by them. It is understood that each Underwriter has authorized the Representatives, for its account, to accept delivery of, receipt for, and make payment of the purchase price for, the Securities which it has agreed to purchase. Each of the Representatives, individually and not as representatives of the Underwriters, may (but shall not be obligated to) make payment of the purchase price for the Securities to be purchased by any Underwriter whose funds have not been received by the Closing Time, but such payment shall not relieve such Underwriter from its obligations hereunder.
SECTION 3. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants with each Underwriter as follows:
(a) Compliance with Securities Regulations and Commission Requests. The Company, subject to Section 3(b), will comply with the requirements of Rule 430B, and will notify the Representatives immediately, and confirm the notice in writing, (i) when any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement shall become effective or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus shall have been filed, (ii) of the receipt of any comments from the Commission, (iii) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus, including any document incorporated by reference therein or for additional information, (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, or of the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceedings for any of such purposes or of any examination pursuant to Section 8(d) or 8(e) of the 1933 Act concerning the Registration Statement and (v) if the Company becomes the subject of a proceeding under Section 8A of the 1933 Act in connection with the offering of the Securities. The Company will effect all filings required under Rule 424(b), in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8)), and will take such steps as it deems necessary to ascertain promptly whether the form of prospectus transmitted for filing under Rule 424(b) was received for filing by the Commission and, in the event that it was not, it will promptly file such prospectus. The Company will make every reasonable effort to prevent the issuance of any stop order, prevention or suspension and, if any such order is issued, to obtain the lifting thereof at the earliest possible moment. The Company shall pay the required Commission filing fees relating to the Securities within the time required by Rule 456(a) and 457(o) under the 1933 Act Regulations.
(b) Continued Compliance with Securities Laws. The Company will comply with the 1933 Act, the 1933 Act Regulations, the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act Regulations so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Securities as contemplated in this Agreement and in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. If at any time when a prospectus relating to the Securities is (or, but for the exception afforded by Rule 172 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 172”), would be) required by the 1933 Act to be delivered in connection with
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sales of the Securities, any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which it is necessary, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters or for the Company, to (i) amend the Registration Statement in order that the Registration Statement will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, (ii) amend or supplement the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus in order that the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, as the case may be, will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances existing at the time it is delivered to a purchaser or (iii) amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, as the case may be, in order to comply with the requirements of the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations, the Company will promptly (A) give the Representatives notice of such event, (B) prepare any amendment or supplement as may be necessary to correct such statement or omission or to make the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus comply with such requirements and, a reasonable amount of time prior to any proposed filing or use, furnish the Representatives with copies of any such amendment or supplement and (C) file with the Commission any such amendment or supplement; provided that the Company shall not file or use any such amendment or supplement to which the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters shall object. The Company will furnish to the Underwriters such number of copies of such amendment or supplement as the Underwriters may reasonably request. The Company has given the Representatives notice of any filings made pursuant to the 1934 Act or 1934 Act Regulations within 48 hours prior to the Applicable Time; the Company will give the Representatives notice of its intention to make any such filing from the Applicable Time to the Closing Time and will furnish the Representatives with copies of any such documents a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing, as the case may be, and will not file or use any such document to which the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters shall reasonably object.
(c) Delivery of Registration Statements. If requested, the Company has furnished or will deliver to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters, without charge, signed copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed and each amendment thereto (including exhibits filed therewith) and signed copies of all consents and certificates of experts, and will also deliver to the Representatives, without charge, a conformed copy of the Registration Statement as originally filed and each amendment thereto (without exhibits) for each of the Underwriters. The copies of the Registration Statement and each amendment thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
(d) Delivery of Prospectuses. The Company has delivered to each Underwriter, without charge, as many copies of each preliminary prospectus as such Underwriter reasonably requested, and the Company hereby consents to the use of such copies for purposes permitted by the 1933 Act. The Company will furnish to each Underwriter, without charge, during the period when a prospectus relating to the Securities is (or, but for the exception afforded by Rule 172, would be) required to be delivered under the 1933 Act, such number of copies of the Prospectus (as amended or supplemented) as such Underwriter may reasonably request. The Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
(e) Blue Sky Qualifications. The Company will use its reasonable best efforts, in cooperation with the Underwriters, to qualify the Securities for offering and sale under the applicable securities laws of such states and other jurisdictions (domestic or foreign) as the Representatives may designate and to maintain such qualifications in effect so long as required to complete the distribution of the Securities; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject.
(f) Rule 158. The Company will timely file such reports pursuant to the 1934 Act as are necessary in order to make generally available to its securityholders as soon as practicable an earnings statement for the purposes of, and to provide to the Underwriters the benefits contemplated by, the last paragraph of Section 11(a) of the 1933 Act.
(g) Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Securities in the manner specified in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under “Use of Proceeds.”
(h) Listing. The Company will use its best efforts to effect and maintain the listing of the Shares on the Nasdaq Global Select Market.
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(i) Restriction on Sale of Securities. During a period of 90 days from the date of the Prospectus, the Company will not, without the prior written consent of Stifel, (i) directly or indirectly, offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase or otherwise transfer or dispose of any shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or file any registration statement under the 1933 Act with respect to any of the foregoing or (ii) enter into any swap or any other agreement or any transaction that transfers, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, the economic consequence of ownership of the Common Stock, whether any such swap or transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise. The foregoing sentence shall not apply to (A) the Securities to be sold hereunder, (B) any shares of Common Stock issued by the Company upon the exercise, settlement or vesting of any warrant, right, option, restricted stock unit or other equity award, or the conversion of a security outstanding on the date hereof and referred to in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (C) any shares of Common Stock issued, or any options to purchase Common Stock, restricted stock units or other equity awards granted, in each case pursuant to existing equity compensation plans or arrangements of the Company referred to in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (D) any shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to existing defined-contribution savings plans under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code (including any shares issued as Company matching contributions) referred to in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (E) any shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to any non-employee director stock plan or dividend reinvestment plan referred to in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (F) any shares of Common Stock issued to one or more counterparties in connection with the consummation of any strategic partnership, joint venture, collaboration or other strategic transaction, or the acquisition or license of any business products or technology, provided that the aggregate number of shares that the Company may sell or issue or agree to sell or issue pursuant to this clause (F) shall not exceed 5% of the total number of shares of the Company’s Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately following the completion of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, or (G) the filing of any registration statement on Form S-8 (including any post-amendments to any such registration statement) in respect of any equity compensation plans or arrangements maintained by the Company. In addition, notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 3(i), the Company shall be permitted to keep in effect the At Market Issuance Sales Agreement, dated September 4, 2020, by and between the Company and B. Riley Securities, Inc. (the “B. Riley Agreement”), provided, however that no sales of Common Stock under the B. Riley Agreement shall be made during the 90-day restricted period.
(j) Reporting Requirements. The Company, during the period when a Prospectus relating to the Securities is (or, but for the exception afforded by Rule 172, would be) required to be delivered under the 1933 Act, will file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the 1934 Act within the time periods required by the 1934 Act and 1934 Act Regulations.
(k) Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company agrees that, unless it obtains the prior written consent of the Representatives, it will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus,” or a portion thereof, required to be filed by the Company with the Commission or retained by the Company under Rule 433; provided that the Representatives will be deemed to have consented to the Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses listed on Schedule B-2 hereto and any “road show that is a written communication” within the meaning of Rule 433(d)(8)(i) that has been reviewed by the Representatives. The Company represents that it has treated or agrees that it will treat each such free writing prospectus consented to, or deemed consented to, by the Representatives as an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, and that it has complied and will comply with the applicable requirements of Rule 433 with respect thereto, including timely filing with the Commission where required, legending and record keeping. If at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicted or would conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus or included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Representatives and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict, untrue statement or omission.
SECTION 4. Payment of Expenses.
(a) Expenses. The Company will pay or cause to be paid all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including (i) the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement (including
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financial statements and exhibits) as originally filed and each amendment thereto, (ii) the preparation, printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of each preliminary prospectus, each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto and any costs associated with electronic delivery of any of the foregoing by the Underwriters to investors, (iii) the preparation, issuance and delivery of the certificates for the Securities to the Underwriters, including any stock or other transfer taxes and any stamp or other duties payable upon the sale, issuance or delivery of the Securities to the Underwriters, (iv) the fees and disbursements of the Company’s counsel, accountants and other advisors, (v) the qualification of the Securities under securities laws in accordance with the provisions of Section 3(e) hereof, including filing fees and the reasonable and reasonably-documented fees and disbursements, not to exceed $10,000, of counsel for the Underwriters in connection therewith and in connection with the preparation of the Blue Sky Survey and any supplement thereto, (vi) the fees and expenses of any transfer agent, warrant agent or registrar for the Securities, (vii) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any “road show” undertaken in connection with the marketing of the Securities, including without limitation, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged by the Company in connection with the road show presentations, travel and lodging expenses of the representatives and officers of the Company and any such consultants, and the cost of aircraft and other transportation chartered in connection with the road show, (viii) the filing fees incident to, and the reasonable and reasonably-documented fees and disbursements, not to exceed $20,000, of counsel to the Underwriters in connection with, the review by FINRA of the terms of the sale of the Securities, (ix) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the listing of the Shares on the Nasdaq Global Select Market and (x) the costs and expenses (including, without limitation, any damages or other amounts payable in connection with legal or contractual liability) associated with the reforming of any contracts for sale of the Securities made by the Underwriters caused by a breach of the representation contained in the third sentence of Section 1(a)(ii). It is understood that except as provided by this Section 4(a) and Section 4(b) hereof, the Underwriters will pay all of their costs and expenses, including fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters and any stock or other transfer taxes and any stamp or other duties payable upon the sale, issuance or delivery of the Securities by the Underwriters.
(b) Termination of Agreement. If this Agreement is terminated by the Representatives prior to the payment and delivery of the Securities in accordance with the provisions of Section 5 (other than by reason of (i) the failure to satisfy the condition set forth in Section 5(d) or (ii) termination pursuant to Sections 9(a)(i), 9(a)(ii), 9(a)(iv), 9(a)(v) and 9(a)(vi)), the Company shall reimburse the Underwriters for all of their out-of-pocket expenses actually incurred by them, including the reasonable and reasonably-documented fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters.
(c) Allocation of Expenses. The provisions of this Section shall not affect any agreement that the Company may make for the sharing of such costs and expenses.
SECTION 5. Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations. The obligations of the several Underwriters hereunder are subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company contained herein or in certificates of any officer of the Company delivered pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder, and to the following further conditions:
(a) Effectiveness of Registration Statement. The Registration Statement has become effective and, at the Closing Time, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto has been issued under the 1933 Act, no order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus has been issued and no proceedings for any of those purposes have been instituted or are pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, contemplated; and the Company has complied with each request (if any) from the Commission for additional information. The Company shall have paid the required Commission filing fees relating to the Securities in accordance with Rules 456(a) and 457(o) under the 1933 Act Regulations.
(b) Opinion of Counsel for Company. At the Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received the opinion and negative assurance letter, each dated the Closing Time, of Cooley LLP, counsel for the Company, in form and substance stating in effect the matters set forth on Exhibit A hereto.
(c) Opinion of Intellectual Property Counsel for Company. At the Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received the opinion, dated the Closing Time, of Bozicevic, Field & Francis LLP, intellectual property counsel for the Company, in form and substance stating in effect the matters set forth on Exhibit B hereto.
(d) Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters. At the Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received the opinion and negative assurance letter, each dated the Closing Time, of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., counsel for the Underwriters, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, together with signed or
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reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters. In giving such opinion such counsel may rely, as to all matters governed by the laws of jurisdictions other than the law of the State of New York, the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware and the federal securities laws of the United States, upon the opinions of counsel satisfactory to the Representatives. Such counsel may also state that, insofar as such opinion involves factual matters, they have relied, to the extent they deem proper, upon certificates of officers and other representatives of the Company and certificates of public officials.
(e) Officers’ Certificate. At the Closing Time, there shall not have been, since the date hereof or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, any Material Adverse Effect in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, and the Representatives shall have received a certificate of the Chief Executive Officer or the President of the Company and of the chief financial or chief accounting officer of the Company, dated the Closing Time, to the effect that (i) there has been no such material adverse change, (ii) the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of the Closing Time, (iii) the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to the Closing Time, and (iv) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement under the 1933 Act has been issued, no order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus has been issued and no proceedings for any of those purposes have been instituted or are pending or, to their knowledge, contemplated.
(f) Regulatory Certificate. At the Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received a regulatory certificate, dated the Closing Time, of the Chief Medical Officer of the Company, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives.
(g) Intellectual Property Certificate. At the Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received an intellectual property certificate, dated the Closing Time, of the Chief Legal Officer of the Company, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives.
(h) Accountant’s Comfort Letter. At the time of the execution of this Agreement, the Representatives shall have received from Ernst & Young LLP a letter, dated such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(i) Bring-down Comfort Letter. At the Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received from Ernst & Young LLP a letter, dated as of the Closing Time, to the effect that they reaffirm the statements made in the letter furnished pursuant to subsection (f) of this Section, except that the specified date referred to shall be a date not more than three business days prior to the Closing Time.
(j) Exchange Listing. The Company shall have filed a Notification: Listing of Additional Shares with the Nasdaq Stock Market to satisfy the Company’s notification obligation under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(e)(2).
(k) Lock-up Agreements. At the date of this Agreement, the Representatives shall have received an agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit C hereto signed by the persons listed on Schedule C hereto.
(l) Additional Documents. At the Closing Time, counsel for the Underwriters shall have been furnished with such documents and opinions as they may require for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or warranties, or the fulfillment of any of the conditions, herein contained (including, without limitation, copies of the executed Warrants); and all proceedings taken by the Company in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated shall be reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters.
(m) Termination of Agreement. If any condition specified in this Section shall not have been fulfilled when and as required to be fulfilled, this Agreement may be terminated by the Representatives by notice to the Company at any time at or prior to Closing Time, and such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section 4 and except that Sections 1, 6, 7, 8, 14, 15 and 16 shall survive any such termination and remain in full force and effect.
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SECTION 6. Indemnification. (a) Indemnification of Underwriters. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its affiliates (as such term is defined in Rule 501(b) under the 1933 Act (each, an “Affiliate”)), its selling agents and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act as follows:
(i) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including any information deemed to be a part thereof pursuant to Rule 430B, or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included (A) in any preliminary prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) or (B) in any materials or information provided to investors by, or with the approval of, the Company in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Common Stock (“Marketing Materials”), including any roadshow or investor presentations made to investors by the Company (whether in person or electronically), or the omission or alleged omission in any preliminary prospectus, Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, Prospectus or in any Marketing Materials of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;
(ii) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, to the extent of the aggregate amount paid in settlement of any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or of any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission; provided that (subject to Section 6(d) below) any such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company;
(iii) against any and all expense whatsoever, as incurred (including the fees and disbursements of counsel chosen by the Representatives), reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission, to the extent that any such expense is not paid under (i) or (ii) above;
provided, however, that this indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense to the extent arising out of any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including any information deemed to be a part thereof pursuant to Rule 430B, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information.
(b) Indemnification of Company, Directors and Officers. Each Underwriter severally agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, each of its officers who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act, against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the indemnity contained in subsection (a) of this Section, as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including any information deemed to be a part thereof pursuant to Rule 430B, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information.
(c) Actions against Parties; Notification. Each indemnified party shall give notice as promptly as reasonably practicable to each indemnifying party of any action commenced against it in respect of which indemnity may be sought hereunder, but failure to so notify an indemnifying party shall not relieve such indemnifying party from any liability hereunder to the extent it is not materially prejudiced as a result thereof and in any event shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have otherwise than on account of this indemnity agreement. In the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 6(a) above, counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected by the Representatives, and, in the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 6(b) above, counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected by the Company. An indemnifying party may participate at its own expense in the defense of any such action; provided, however, that counsel to the indemnifying party shall not (except with the consent of the indemnified party) also be counsel to the indemnified party. In no event shall the indemnifying parties be liable for fees and expenses of more than one counsel (in addition to one local counsel in any applicable jurisdiction) separate from their own counsel for all indemnified parties in connection with any one action or separate but similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or circumstances. No indemnifying party shall, without the
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prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever in respect of which indemnification or contribution could be sought under this Section 6 or Section 7 hereof (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or consent (i) includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such litigation, investigation, proceeding or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified party.
(d) Settlement without Consent if Failure to Reimburse. If at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel, such indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of the nature contemplated by Section 6(a)(ii) effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 45 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least 30 days prior to such settlement being entered into and (iii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed such indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement.
SECTION 7. Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in Section 6 hereof is for any reason unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount of such losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by such indemnified party, as incurred, (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and of the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations.
The relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company, on the one hand, and the total underwriting discount received by the Underwriters, on the other hand, in each case as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate public offering price of the Securities as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus.
The relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any such untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.
The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 7 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this Section 7. The aggregate amount of losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by an indemnified party and referred to above in this Section 7 shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the underwriting commissions received by such Underwriter in connection with the Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public.
No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the 1933 Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
For purposes of this Section 7, each person, if any, who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act and each Underwriter’s Affiliates and selling agents shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and each director of the Company, each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section
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15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company. The Underwriters’ respective obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 7 are several in proportion to the number of Securities set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule A hereto and not joint.
SECTION 8. Representations, Warranties and Agreements to Survive. All representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement or in certificates of officers of the Company submitted pursuant hereto, shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or its Affiliates or selling agents, any person controlling any Underwriter, its officers or directors, any person controlling the Company and (ii) delivery of and payment for the Securities.
SECTION 9. Termination of Agreement.
(a) Termination. The Representatives may terminate this Agreement, by notice to the Company, at any time at or prior to the Closing Time (i) if there has been, in the judgment of the Representatives, since the time of execution of this Agreement or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, any Material Adverse Effect, or (ii) if there has occurred any material adverse change in the financial markets in the United States or the international financial markets, any outbreak of hostilities or escalation thereof or other calamity or crisis or any change or development involving a prospective change in national or international political, financial or economic conditions, in each case the effect of which is such as to make it, in the judgment of the Representatives, impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the completion of the offering or to enforce contracts for the sale of the Securities, or (iii) if trading in any securities of the Company has been suspended or materially limited by the Commission or the Nasdaq Global Select Market, or (iv) if trading generally on the NYSE Amex or the New York Stock Exchange or in the Nasdaq Global Select Market has been suspended or materially limited, or minimum or maximum prices for trading have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices have been required, by any of said exchanges or by order of the Commission, FINRA or any other governmental authority, or (v) a material disruption has occurred in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States, or (vi) if a banking moratorium has been declared by either Federal or New York authorities.
(b) Liabilities. If this Agreement is terminated pursuant to this Section, such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section 4 hereof, and provided further that Sections 1, 6, 7, 8, 14, 15 and 16 shall survive such termination and remain in full force and effect.
SECTION 10. Default by One or More of the Underwriters. If one or more of the Underwriters shall fail at the Closing Time to purchase the Securities which it or they are obligated to purchase under this Agreement (the “Defaulted Securities”), the Representatives shall have the right, within 24 hours thereafter, to make arrangements for one or more of the non-defaulting Underwriters, or any other underwriters, to purchase all, but not less than all, of the Defaulted Securities in such amounts as may be agreed upon and upon the terms herein set forth; if, however, the Representatives shall not have completed such arrangements within such 24-hour period, then if the number of Defaulted Securities does not exceed 10% of the number of Securities to be purchased on such Closing Time, each of the non-defaulting Underwriters shall be obligated, severally and not jointly, to purchase the full amount thereof in the proportions that their respective underwriting obligations hereunder bear to the underwriting obligations of all non-defaulting Underwriters.
No action taken pursuant to this Section shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of its default.
In the event of any such default which does not result in a termination of this Agreement either the (i) Representatives or (ii) the Company shall have the right to postpone Closing Time, for a period not exceeding seven days in order to effect any required changes in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements. As used herein, the term “Underwriter” includes any person substituted for an Underwriter under this Section 10.
SECTION 11. Notices. All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted by any standard form of telecommunication. Notices to the Underwriters shall be directed to c/o Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, 787 Seventh Avenue, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10019, Attention: Equity Capital Markets, and c/o Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated, 777 East Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53202, Attention: Syndicate Department (facsimile ###-###-####), with a copy to Legal Department (facsimile ###-###-####); notices to the Company shall be directed to it at 919 East Hillsdale Blvd., Suite 250, Foster City, California 94404, attention of General Counsel (facsimile: (650) 473-7750), with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to Cooley LLP, 3175 Hanover Street, Palo Alto, California 94304, attention of Chadwick L. Mills (facsimile: (650) 849-7400).
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SECTION 12. No Advisory or Fiduciary Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (a) the purchase and sale of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement, including the determination of the public offering price of the Securities and any related discounts and commissions, is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other hand, (b) in connection with the offering of the Securities and the process leading thereto, each Underwriter is and has been acting solely as a principal and is not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, or its stockholders, creditors, employees or any other party, (c) no Underwriter has assumed or will assume an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering of the Securities or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters) and no Underwriter has any obligation to the Company with respect to the offering of the Securities except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement, (d) the Underwriters and their respective affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the Company, and (e) the Underwriters have not provided any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to the offering of the Securities and the Company has consulted its own respective legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate.
SECTION 13. Parties. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Underwriters, the Company and their respective successors. Nothing expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person, firm or corporation, other than the Underwriters, the Company and their respective successors and the controlling persons and officers and directors referred to in Sections 6 and 7 and their heirs and legal representatives, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision herein contained. This Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof are intended to be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Underwriters, the Company and their respective successors, and said controlling persons and officers and directors and their heirs and legal representatives, and for the benefit of no other person, firm or corporation. No purchaser of Securities from any Underwriter shall be deemed to be a successor by reason merely of such purchase.
SECTION 14. Trial by Jury. The Company and each of the Underwriters hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.
SECTION 15. Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes.
(a) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from such Underwriter of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
(b) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of such Underwriter becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against such Underwriter are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
As used in this Section 15:
“BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k).
“Covered Entity” means any of the following:
(i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b);
(ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or
(iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b).
“Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable.
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“U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
SECTION 16. GOVERNING LAW. THIS AGREEMENT AND ANY CLAIM, CONTROVERSY OR DISPUTE ARISING UNDER OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF, THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT REGARD TO ITS CHOICE OF LAW PROVISIONS.
SECTION 17. Consent to Jurisdiction; Waiver of Immunity. Any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby (“Related Proceedings”) shall be instituted in (i) the federal courts of the United States of America located in the City and County of New York, Borough of Manhattan or (ii) the courts of the State of New York located in the City and County of New York, Borough of Manhattan (collectively, the “Specified Courts”), and each party irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction (except for proceedings instituted in regard to the enforcement of a judgment of any such court (a “Related Judgment”), as to which such jurisdiction is non-exclusive) of such courts in any such suit, action or proceeding. Service of any process, summons, notice or document by mail to such party’s address set forth above shall be effective service of process for any suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court. The parties irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or other proceeding in the Specified Courts and irrevocably and unconditionally waive and agree not to plead or claim in any such court that any such suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum.
SECTION 18. TIME. TIME SHALL BE OF THE ESSENCE OF THIS AGREEMENT. EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE SET FORTH HEREIN, SPECIFIED TIMES OF DAY REFER TO NEW YORK CITY TIME.
SECTION 19. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement.
SECTION 20. Effect of Headings. The Section headings herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.
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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to the Company a counterpart hereof, whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts, will become a binding agreement between the Underwriters and the Company in accordance with its terms.
Very truly yours,
GERON CORPORATION
By /s/ John Scarlett
Title: President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board
CONFIRMED AND ACCEPTED,
as of the date first above written:
STIFEL, NICOLAUS & COMPANY, INCORPORATED
By /s/ Sean Cessna
Sean Cessna
Managing Director
ROBERT W. BAIRD & CO. INCORPORATED
By /s/ Lance Lange
Authorized Signatory
For itself and as Representatives of the other Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto.
[Signature page to Underwriting Agreement]
SCHEDULE A
The public offering price per share for the Shares and Common Warrants shall be $1.05. The public offering price per share for the Pre-Funded Warrants shall be $1.049.
The purchase price per share for the Shares and Common Warrants to be paid by the several Underwriters shall be $0.987. The purchase price per share for the Pre-Funded Warrants to be paid by the several Underwriters shall be $0.98606.
Name of Underwriter | Number of Shares
| Number of Pre-Funded Warrants | Number of Common Warrants(1) |
Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated | 38,666,667 | 13,119,047 | 25,892,857 |
Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated | 12,000,000 | 4,071,429 | 8,035,715 |
Needham & Company, LLC | 2,666,667 | 904,762 | 1,785,714 |
Total | 53,333,334 | 18,095,238 | 35,714,286 |
(1) Each Common Warrant is exercisable for 0.5 of a share of Common Stock.
Sch. A-1
SCHEDULE B-1
Pricing Terms
| 1. | The Company is selling 53,333,334 shares of Common Stock, Pre-Funded Warrants to purchase 18,095,238 shares of Common Stock and Common Warrants to purchase 35,714,286 shares of Common Stock. |
| 2. | The public offering price per share for the Shares and Common Warrants shall be $1.05. The public offering price per share for the Pre-Funded Warrants shall be $1.049. |
| 3. | The estimated net proceeds to the Company after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions are $70.5 million. |
Sch. B-1-1
SCHEDULE B-2
Free Writing Prospectuses
None.
Sch. B-2-1
SCHEDULE C
List of Persons and Entities Subject to Lock-up
John A. Scarlett, M.D.
Olivia K. Bloom
Andrew J. Grethlein, Ph.D.
Anil Kapur
Aleksandra Rizo, M.D., Ph.D.
Stephen N. Rosenfield, J.D.
Dawn C. Bir
Karin Eastham
V. Bryan Lawlis, Ph.D.
Susan M. Molineaux, Ph.D.
Elizabeth G. O’Farrell
Robert J. Spiegel, M.D., FACP
Sch. C-1
Exhibit A
FORM OF OPINION OF COMPANY’S COUNSEL
TO BE DELIVERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 5(B)
A-1
Exhibit B
FORM OF OPINION OF COMPANY’S INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY COUNSEL
TO BE DELIVERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 5(C)
B-1
Exhibit C
FORM OF LOCK-UP AGREEMENT
LOCK-UP AGREEMENT
____________________, 2022
GERON CORPORATION
919 East Hillsdale Blvd.
Suite 250
Foster City, CA 94404
Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated
787 Seventh Avenue, 11th Floor
New York, New York 10019
Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated
777 East Wisconsin AvenueMilwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
as Representatives of the several
Underwriters to be named in the
within-mentioned Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriters”)
Re:Proposed Public Offering by Geron Corporation
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The undersigned, a stockholder and an officer and/or director of Geron Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), understands that Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated (“Stifel”) and Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated (together, the “Representatives”) propose to enter into an Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with the Company providing for the public offering of shares (the “Shares”) of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”) and/or warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock (together with the Shares, the “Securities”). In recognition of the benefit that such an offering will confer upon the undersigned as a stockholder and an officer and/or director of the Company, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the undersigned agrees with each underwriter to be named in the Underwriting Agreement that, during the period beginning on the date hereof and ending on the date that is 90 days from the date of the Underwriting Agreement (subject to extensions as discussed below, the “Lock-Up Period”), the undersigned will not, without the prior written consent of Stifel, directly or indirectly, (i) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant for the sale of, or otherwise dispose of or transfer any shares of the Company’s Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Common Stock, whether now owned or hereafter acquired by the undersigned or with respect to which the undersigned has or hereafter acquires the power of disposition (collectively, the “Lock-Up Securities”), or exercise any right with respect to the registration of any of the Lock-up Securities, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or (ii) enter into any swap or any other agreement or any transaction that transfers, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, the economic consequence of ownership of the Lock-Up Securities, whether any such swap or transaction is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or other securities, in cash or otherwise; provided, however, that the foregoing restrictions shall (1) no longer apply to the undersigned at such time as the undersigned ceases to be an officer and/or director of the Company, provided that in any such case, any transfers made are not required to be reported with the Securities and Exchange
C-1
Commission on Form 4 in accordance with Section 16(a) (“Section 16(a)”) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), during the Lock-Up Period, and (2) not apply to the exercise of any option, warrant or other right to acquire shares of Common Stock on a cash basis or the conversion of any convertible security into securities of the Company, provided that in any such case, the Common Stock issued upon such exercise, settlement or conversion shall remain subject to the provisions of this lock-up agreement.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, and subject to the conditions in this paragraph, the undersigned may transfer the Lock-Up Securities without the prior written consent of Stifel, provided that (1) the Representatives receive a signed lock-up agreement for the balance of the Lock-Up Period from each donee, trustee, distributee, or transferee, as the case may be, (2) any such transfer shall not involve a disposition for value, (3) in the case of clauses (i) through (iii) and (v) below, such transfers are not required to be reported with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Form 4 in accordance with Section 16(a) Exchange Act during the Lock-Up Period, and (4) the undersigned does not otherwise voluntarily effect any public filing or report regarding such transfers during the Lock-Up Period:
(i)as a bona fide gift or gifts; or
(ii)to the immediate family (as defined below) of the undersigned or to any trust for the direct or indirect benefit of the undersigned or the immediate family of the undersigned; or
(iii)to any corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other entity all of the beneficial ownership interests of which are held exclusively by the undersigned or the immediate family of the undersigned; or
(iv)pursuant to a qualified domestic order or in connection with a divorce settlement; or
(v)by will or intestate succession to the legal representative, heir, beneficiary or immediate family of the undersigned upon the death of the undersigned.
As used herein, “immediate family” shall mean the spouse, domestic partner, lineal descendant, father, mother, brother, sister or any other person with whom the undersigned has a relationship by blood, marriage or adoption not more remote than first cousin.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, and subject to the conditions in this paragraph, the undersigned may also transfer the Lock-Up Securities without the prior written consent of Stifel if any such transfers are made by the undersigned: (i) pursuant to a written trading plan intended to meet the requirements of Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act (a “10b5-1 Plan”) that is in effect as of the date hereof; (ii) to satisfy tax withholding obligations of the undersigned upon exercise or vesting of stock options, restricted stock units or other equity awards, or in connection with the “net” or cashless exercise of stock options, pursuant to the Company’s equity compensation plans and arrangements; or (iii) pursuant to the conversion or sale of, or an offer to purchase, all or substantially all of the outstanding Common Stock, whether pursuant to a merger, tender offer or otherwise; provided, however, that in the case of any transfer described in clause (i) of this paragraph, it shall be a condition to the transfer that if the undersigned is required to file a report under Section 16(a), the undersigned shall include a statement in such report to the effect that such transfer is being made pursuant to a previously adopted 10b5-1 Plan; provided further that in the case of any transfer described in clause (ii) of this paragraph, it shall be a condition to the transfer that if the undersigned is required to file a report under Section 16(a), the undersigned shall include a statement in such report to the effect that such transfer is being made for tax withholding obligations; and provided further that in the case of any conversion or sale described in clause (iii) of this paragraph, in the event that such transaction is abandoned, the Lock-Up Securities shall remain subject to the restrictions hereunder.
Furthermore, the undersigned may sell shares of Common Stock of the Company purchased by the undersigned on the open market following the Public Offering if and only if (i) such sales are not required to be reported during the Lock-Up Period in any public report or filing with the Securities Exchange Commission, or otherwise and (ii) the undersigned does not otherwise voluntarily effect any public filing or report regarding such sales during the Lock-Up Period. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, the undersigned shall be permitted to establish a new 10b5-1 Plan at any time during the Lock-Up Period; provided that (y) such 10b5-1 Plan does not permit transfers or sales of Common Stock or any security convertible into Common Stock during the Lock-Up Period and (z) the undersigned shall not make any public announcement or filing under the Exchange Act with respect to such 10b5-1 Plan during the Lock-Up Period.
The undersigned also agrees and consents to the entry of stop transfer instructions with the Company’s transfer agent and registrar against the transfer of the Lock-Up Securities except in compliance with the foregoing restrictions.
C-2
This lock-up agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
It is understood that, if (1) the Company notifies the Representatives that it does not intend to proceed with the public offering of the Securities, (2) the Underwriting Agreement does not become effective, (3) the Underwriting Agreement (other than the provisions thereof which survive termination) shall terminate or be terminated for any reason prior to payment for and delivery of the Securities, or (4) the public offering of the Securities shall not have been completed by April 30, 2022, then this lock-up agreement shall immediately be terminated and the undersigned shall automatically be released from all of his or her or obligations under this lock-up agreement.
[Signature page follows]
C-3
Very truly yours,
Signature:
Print Name:
Date:
C-4
Exhibit D
FORM OF PRE-FUNDED WARRANT
D-1
Exhibit E
FORM OF COMMON WARRANT