Northstar Neuroscience, Inc. 6,000,000 Shares 1 Common Stock
Exhibit 1.1
Northstar Neuroscience, Inc.
6,000,000 Shares 1
Common Stock
($0.001 par value)
Underwriting Agreement
New York, New York
, 2006
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Cowen & Co., LLC
First Albany Capital Inc.
Leerink Swann & Co., Inc.
As Representatives of the several Underwriters,
c/o Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
388 Greenwich Street
New York, New York 10013
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Northstar Neuroscience, Inc., a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Washington (the “Company”), proposes to sell to the several underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the “Underwriters”), for whom you (the “Representatives”) are acting as representatives, 6,000,000 shares of Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share (“Common Stock”) of the Company (said shares to be issued and sold by the Company being hereinafter called the “Underwritten Securities”). The Company also proposes to grant to the Underwriters an option to purchase up to 900,000 additional shares of Common Stock to cover over-allotments (the “Option Securities”; the Option Securities, together with the Underwritten Securities, being hereinafter called the “Securities”). To the extent there are no additional Underwriters listed on Schedule I other than you, the term Representatives as used herein shall mean you, as Underwriters, and the terms Representatives and Underwriters shall mean either the singular or plural as the context requires. Certain terms used herein are defined in Section 19 hereof.
1. Representations and Warranties. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each Underwriter as set forth below in this Section 1.
(a) The Company has prepared and filed with the Commission a registration statement (file number 333-132135) on Form S-1, including a related preliminary prospectus, for registration under the Act of the offering and sale of the Securities. Such
| 1 | Plus an option to purchase from the Company, up to 900,000 additional Securities to cover over-allotments. |
Registration Statement, including any amendments thereto filed prior to the Execution Time, has become effective. The Company may have filed one or more amendments thereto, including a related preliminary prospectus, each of which has previously been furnished to you. The Company will file with the Commission a final prospectus in accordance with Rule 424(b). As filed, such final prospectus shall contain all information required by the Act and the rules thereunder and, except to the extent the Representatives shall agree in writing to a modification, shall be in all material respects in the form furnished to you prior to the Execution Time or, to the extent not completed at the Execution Time, shall contain only such specific additional information and other changes (beyond that contained in the latest Preliminary Prospectus) as the Company has advised you, prior to the Execution Time, will be included or made therein.
(b) On the Effective Date, the Registration Statement did, and when the Prospectus is first filed in accordance with Rule 424(b) and on the Closing Date (as defined herein) and on any date on which Option Securities are purchased, if such date is not the Closing Date (a “settlement date”), the Prospectus (and any supplements thereto) will, comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Act and the rules thereunder; on the Effective Date and at the Execution Time, the Registration Statement did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading; and on the date of any filing pursuant to Rule 424(b) and on the Closing Date and any settlement date, the Prospectus (together with any supplement thereto) 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, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that the Company makes no representations or warranties as to the information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement, or the Prospectus (or any supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for inclusion in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (or any supplement thereto), it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 8 hereof.
(c) (i) The Disclosure Package and the price to the public, the number of Underwritten Securities and the number of Option Securities to be included on the cover page of the Prospectus, when taken together as a whole, and (ii) each electronic roadshow when taken together as a whole with the Disclosure Package, and the price to the public, the number of Underwritten Securities and the number of Option Securities to be included on the cover page of the Prospectus, do not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The preceding sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from the Disclosure Package based upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by or on behalf of any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 8 hereof.
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(d) (i) At the time of filing the Registration Statement and (ii) as of the Execution Time (with such date being used as the determination date for purposes of this clause (ii)), 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.
(e) Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus does not include any information that conflicts with the information contained in the Registration Statement, including any document incorporated by reference therein 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 any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 8 hereof.
(f) The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing under the laws of the State of Washington with full corporate power and authority to own or lease, as the case may be, and to operate its properties and conduct its business as described in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. The Company is not required to be qualified to do business as a foreign corporation in any jurisdiction. The company has no subsidiaries.
(g) [Reserved]
(h) The Company’s authorized equity capitalization is as set forth in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; the capital stock of the Company conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; the outstanding shares of Common Stock have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and nonassessable; the Securities have been duly and validly authorized, and, when issued and delivered to and paid for by the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement, will be fully paid and nonassessable; the Securities are duly listed, and admitted and authorized for trading, subject to official notice of issuance and evidence of satisfactory distribution, on the Nasdaq National Market; the certificates for the Securities are in valid and sufficient form; the holders of outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company are not entitled to preemptive or other rights to subscribe for the Securities; and, except as set forth in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, no options, warrants or other rights to purchase, agreements or other obligations to issue, or rights to convert any obligations into or exchange any securities for, shares of capital stock of or ownership interests in the Company are outstanding.
(i) There is no franchise, contract or other document of a character required to be described in the Registration Statement or Prospectus, or to be filed as an exhibit thereto, which is not described or filed as required (and the Statutory Prospectus contains in all material respects the same description of the foregoing matters contained in the Prospectus); and the statements in the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus under the headings “Risk Factors - Risks Related to Intellectual Property”, “Risk Factors - Risks Related to this Offering - Anti-takeover defenses that we have in place could
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prevent or frustrate attempts to change our direction or management”, “Business - Product Development, Manufacturing and Supplier Relationships”, “Business - Patents and Proprietary Rights”, “Business - Government Regulation”, “Management - Employment Agreements”, “Management - Benefit Plans”, “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions”, “Description of Capital Stock”, “Shares Eligible for Future Sale” and “Material U.S. Federal Income and Estate Tax Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders” insofar as such statements summarize legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings discussed therein, are accurate and fair summaries of such legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings.
(j) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(k) The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, will not be an “investment company” as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(l) No consent, approval, authorization, filing with or order of any court or governmental agency or body is required in connection with the transactions contemplated herein, except such as have been obtained under the Act or the Exchange Act and such as may be required under the blue sky laws of any jurisdiction in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Securities by the Underwriters in the manner contemplated herein and in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(m) Neither the issue and sale of the Securities nor the consummation of any other of the transactions herein contemplated nor the fulfillment of the terms hereof will conflict with, result in a breach or violation of, or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company pursuant to, (i) the articles of incorporation or bylaws of the Company, (ii) the terms of any indenture, contract, lease, mortgage, deed of trust, note agreement, loan agreement or other agreement, obligation, condition, covenant or instrument to which the Company is a party or bound or to which its property is subject, or (iii) any statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree applicable to the Company of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties, except, in the case of clause (ii) above, for such conflicts, breaches, violations, liens, charges or encumbrances that could not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), prospects, earnings, business or properties of the Company, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
(n) No holders of securities of the Company have rights to the registration of such securities under the Registration Statement.
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(o) The historical financial statements and schedules of the Company included in the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and the Registration Statement present fairly in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the Company as of the dates and for the periods indicated, comply as to form with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved (except as otherwise noted therein). The selected financial data set forth under the caption “Selected Financial Data” in the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and Registration Statement fairly present, on the basis stated in the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and the Registration Statement, the information included therein.
(p) No action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or its property (other than processing of the Company’s patent applications before applicable patent authorities) is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened that (i) could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the performance of this Agreement or the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated hereby or (ii) could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), prospects, earnings, business or properties of the Company, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
(q) The Company owns or leases all such properties as are necessary to the conduct of its operations as presently conducted.
(r) The Company is not in violation or default of (i) any provision of its articles of incorporation or bylaws, (ii) the terms of any indenture, contract, lease, mortgage, deed of trust, note agreement, loan agreement or other agreement, obligation, condition, covenant or instrument to which it is a party or bound or to which its property is subject, or (iii) any statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having jurisdiction over the Company or such subsidiary or any of its properties, as applicable, except, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, where such violations or defaults could not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), prospects, earnings, business or properties of the Company, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
(s) Ernst & Young LLP, who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and delivered their report with respect to the audited financial statements and schedules included in the Prospectus, are independent public accountants with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Act and the applicable published rules and regulations thereunder.
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(t) There are no transfer taxes or other similar fees or charges under Federal law or the laws of any state, or any political subdivision thereof, required to be paid in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the issuance by the Company or sale by the Company of the Securities.
(u) Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company owns, possesses, licenses or has other rights to use, on reasonable terms, all patents, patent applications, trade and service marks, trade and service mark registrations, trade names, copyrights, licenses, inventions, trade secrets, technology, know-how and other intellectual property (collectively, the “Intellectual Property”) necessary for the conduct of the Company’s business as now conducted or as proposed in the Prospectus to be conducted. Except as set forth in the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus under the caption “Business—Patents and Proprietary Rights,” (i) to the Company’s knowledge, there are no rights of third parties to any such Intellectual Property; (ii) there is no material infringement by third parties of any such Intellectual Property; (iii) there is no pending or overtly threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the Company’s rights in or to any such Intellectual Property, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim; (iv) there is no pending or overtly threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the validity or scope of any such Intellectual Property, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim; (v) there is no pending or overtly threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others that the Company infringes or otherwise violates any valid claim of a patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret or other proprietary rights of others, and the Company is unaware of any other fact which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim; (vi) there is no U.S. patent which contains claims that dominate or may dominate any Intellectual Property described in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus as being owned by or licensed to the Company or that interferes with the issued or pending claims of any such Intellectual Property; and (vii) there is no prior art of which the Company is aware that may render any U.S. patent held by the Company invalid or any U.S. patent application held by the Company unpatentable which has not been disclosed to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
(v) Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company (i) does not have any material lending or other relationship with any bank or lending affiliate of Citigroup Global Markets Holdings Inc. and (ii) does not intend to use any of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities hereunder to repay any outstanding debt owed to any affiliate of Citigroup Global Markets Holdings Inc.
(w) Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company has operated and currently is in compliance in all material respects with all applicable rules and regulations of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and comparable foreign medical device regulatory agencies outside of the United States.
(x) The preclinical tests and clinical trials that are described in, or the results of which are referred to in, the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the
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Prospectus were and, if still pending, are, to the Company’s knowledge after due inquiry, being conducted in all material respects in accordance with protocols filed with the appropriate regulatory authorities for each such test or trial, as the case may be; the description of the results of such tests and trials contained in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus accurately summarize in all material respects the data derived from such tests and trials, and the Company has no knowledge of any other studies or tests the results of which call into question, the results described or referred to in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; the Company has not received any notices or other correspondence from the Food and Drug Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or any committee thereof or from any other U.S. or foreign government or drug or medical device regulatory agency requiring the termination or suspension, or modification that would cause a material delay in the development and commercialization timelines disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, of any clinical trials that are described or referred to in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(y) The Company has filed all foreign, federal, state and local tax returns that are required to be filed or has requested extensions thereof (except in any case in which the failure so to file would not have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), prospects, earnings, business or properties of the Company, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto)) and has paid all taxes required to be paid by it and any other assessment, fine or penalty levied against it, to the extent that any of the foregoing is due and payable, except for any such assessment, fine or penalty that is currently being contested in good faith or as would not have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), prospects, earnings, business or properties of the Company, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
(z) No labor problem or dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists or is threatened or imminent, and the Company is not aware of any existing or imminent labor disturbance by the employees of any of its or its subsidiaries’ principal suppliers, contractors or customers, that could have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), prospects, earnings, business or properties of the Company, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
(aa) The Company is insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are prudent and customary in the businesses in which it is engaged; all policies of insurance insuring the Company or its business, assets, employees, officers and directors are in full force and effect; the Company is in compliance with the terms of such policies and instruments in all material respects; and there are no claims by the Company under any such policy or instrument as to which any insurance company is denying liability or defending under a reservation of
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rights clause; the Company has not been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for; and the Company has no any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that would not have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), prospects, earnings, business or properties of the Company, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
(bb) [Reserved]
(cc) The Company possesses all licenses, certificates, permits and other authorizations issued by the appropriate federal, state or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct its business as presently conducted, and the Company has not received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such certificate, authorization or permit which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), prospects, earnings, business or properties of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
(dd) The Company maintains a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.
(ee) The Company has not taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would constitute or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.
(ff) The Company (i) is in compliance with any and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (“Environmental Laws”), (ii) has received and is in compliance with all permits, licenses or other approvals required of it under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct its business as presently conducted and (iii) has not received notice of any actual or potential liability under any environmental law, except where such non-compliance with Environmental Laws, failure to receive required permits, licenses or other approvals, or liability would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse change in the condition (financial or otherwise), prospects, earnings, business or
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properties of the Company, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto). Except as set forth in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company has not been named as a “potentially responsible party” under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended.
(gg) [Reserved]
(hh) The minimum funding standard under Section 302 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (“ERISA”), has been satisfied by each “pension plan” (as defined in Section 3(2) of ERISA) which has been established or maintained by the Company, and the trust forming part of each such plan which is intended to be qualified under Section 401 of the Code is so qualified; the Company has fulfilled its obligations, if any, under Section 515 of ERISA; the Company does not maintain and is not required to contribute to a “welfare plan” (as defined in Section 3(1) of ERISA) which provides retiree or other post-employment welfare benefits or insurance coverage (other than “continuation coverage” (as defined in Section 602 of ERISA)); each pension plan and welfare plan established or maintained by the Company is in compliance in all material respects with the currently applicable provisions of ERISA; and the Company has not incurred or could reasonably be expected to incur any withdrawal liability under Section 4201 of ERISA, any liability under Section 4062, 4063, or 4064 of ERISA, or any other liability under Title IV of ERISA.
(ii) There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company and any of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply with any provision of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith (the “Sarbanes Oxley Act”), including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications.
Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company and delivered to the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters in connection with the offering of the Securities shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company, as to matters covered thereby, to each Underwriter.
2. Purchase and Sale. (a) Subject to the terms and conditions and in reliance upon the representations and warranties herein set forth, the Company agrees to sell to each Underwriter, and each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at a purchase price of $ per share, the amount of the Underwritten Securities set forth opposite such Underwriter’s name in Schedule I hereto.
(b) Subject to the terms and conditions and in reliance upon the representations and warranties herein set forth, the Company hereby grants an option to the several Underwriters to purchase, severally and not jointly, up to Option Securities at the same purchase price per share as the Underwriters shall pay for the Underwritten Securities. Said option may be exercised only to cover over-allotments in
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the sale of the Underwritten Securities by the Underwriters. Said option may be exercised in whole or in part at any time on or before the 30th day after the date of the Prospectus upon written or telegraphic notice by the Representatives to the Company setting forth the number of shares of the Option Securities as to which the several Underwriters are exercising the option and the settlement date. The number of Option Securities to be purchased by each Underwriter shall be the same percentage of the total number of shares of the Option Securities to be purchased by the several Underwriters as such Underwriter is purchasing of the Underwritten Securities, subject to such adjustments as you in your absolute discretion shall make to eliminate any fractional shares.
3. Delivery and Payment. Delivery of and payment for the Underwritten Securities and the Option Securities (if the option provided for in Section 2(b) hereof shall have been exercised on or before the third Business Day prior to the Closing Date) shall be made at 10:00 AM, New York City time, on , 2006, or at such time on such later date not more than three Business Days after the foregoing date as the Representatives shall designate, which date and time may be postponed by agreement between the Representatives and the Company or as provided in Section 9 hereof (such date and time of delivery and payment for the Securities being herein called the “Closing Date”). Delivery of the Securities shall be made to the Representatives for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters against payment by the several Underwriters through the Representatives of the purchase price thereof to or upon the order of the Company by wire transfer payable in same-day funds to an account specified by the Company. Delivery of the Underwritten Securities and the Option Securities shall be made through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company unless the Representatives shall otherwise instruct.
If the option provided for in Section 2(b) hereof is exercised after the third Business Day prior to the Closing Date, the Company will deliver the Option Securities (at the expense of the Company) to the Representatives, at 388 Greenwich Street, New York, New York, on the date specified by the Representatives (which shall be within three Business Days after exercise of said option) for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters, against payment by the several Underwriters through the Representatives of the purchase price thereof to or upon the order of the Company by wire transfer payable in same-day funds to an account specified by the Company. If settlement for the Option Securities occurs after the Closing Date, the Company will deliver to the Representatives on the settlement date for the Option Securities, and the obligation of the Underwriters to purchase the Option Securities shall be conditioned upon receipt of, supplemental opinions, certificates and letters confirming as of such date the opinions, certificates and letters delivered on the Closing Date pursuant to Section 6 hereof.
4. Offering by Underwriters. It is understood that the several Underwriters propose to offer the Securities for sale to the public as set forth in the Prospectus.
5. Agreements. The Company agrees with the several Underwriters that:
(a) Prior to the termination of the offering of the Securities, the Company will not file any amendment of the Registration Statement or supplement to the Prospectus or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement unless the Company has furnished you a copy for
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your review prior to filing and will not file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which you reasonably object. The Company will cause the Prospectus, properly completed, and any supplement thereto to be filed in a form approved by the Representatives with the Commission pursuant to the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) within the time period prescribed and will provide evidence satisfactory to the Representatives of such timely filing. The Company will promptly advise the Representatives (1) when the Prospectus, and any supplement thereto, shall have been filed (if required) with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) or when any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement shall have been filed with the Commission, (2) when, prior to termination of the offering of the Securities, any amendment to the Registration Statement shall have been filed or become effective, (3) of any request by the Commission or its staff for any amendment of the Registration Statement, or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, or for any supplement to the Prospectus or for any additional information, (4) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any notice objecting to its use or the institution or threatening of any proceeding for that purpose and (5) of the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for sale in any jurisdiction or the institution or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose. The Company will use its best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such stop order or the occurrence of any such suspension or objection to the use of the Registration Statement and, upon such issuance, occurrence or notice of objection, to obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal of such stop order or relief from such occurrence or objection, including, if necessary, by filing an amendment to the Registration Statement or a new registration statement and using its best efforts to have such amendment or new registration statement declared effective as soon as practicable.
(b) If, at any time prior to the filing of the Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b), any event occurs as a result of which the Disclosure Package would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein in the light of the circumstances under which they were made at such time not misleading, the Company will (i) notify promptly the Representatives so that any use of the Disclosure Package may cease until it is amended or supplemented; (ii) amend or supplement the Disclosure Package to correct such statement or omission; and (iii) supply any amendment or supplement to you in such quantities as you may reasonably request.
(c) If, at any time when a prospectus relating to the Securities is required to be delivered under the Act (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172), any event occurs as a result of which the Prospectus as then supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein in the light of the circumstances under which they were made at such time not misleading, or if it shall be necessary to amend the Registration Statement or supplement the Prospectus to comply with the Act or the rules thereunder, the Company promptly will (1) notify the Representatives of any such event; (2) prepare and file with the Commission, subject to the second sentence of paragraph (a) of this Section 5, an amendment or supplement which will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance; and (3) supply any supplemented Prospectus to you in such quantities as you may reasonably request.
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(d) As soon as practicable, the Company will make generally available to its security holders and to the Representatives an earnings statement or statements of the Company which will satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Act and Rule 158.
(e) The Company will furnish to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters conformed copies of the Registration Statement (including exhibits thereto) and, so long as delivery of a prospectus by an Underwriter or dealer may be required by the Act (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172), as many copies of each Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and any supplement thereto as the Representatives may reasonably request.
(f) The Company will arrange, if necessary, for the qualification of the Securities for sale under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives may designate and will maintain such qualifications in effect so long as required for the distribution of the Securities; provided that in no event shall the Company be obligated to qualify to do business in any jurisdiction where it is not now so qualified or to take any action that would subject it to service of process in suits, other than those arising out of the offering or sale of the Securities, in any jurisdiction where it is not now so subject.
(g) The Company will not, without the prior written consent of Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Cowen & Co., LLC, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, or otherwise dispose of, (or enter into any transaction which is designed to, or might reasonably be expected to, result in the disposition (whether by actual disposition or effective economic disposition due to cash settlement or otherwise) by the Company or any affiliate of the Company or any person in privity with the Company or any affiliate of the Company) directly or indirectly, including the filing (or participation in the filing) of a registration statement with the Commission in respect of, or establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act, any other shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of Common Stock; or publicly announce an intention to effect any such transaction, for a period of 180 days after the date of the Underwriting Agreement, provided, however, that (i) the Company may issue and sell Common Stock pursuant to any employee stock option plan, stock ownership plan or dividend reinvestment plan of the Company in effect at the Execution Time or upon the execution of this Agreement, (ii) the Company may issue Common Stock issuable upon the conversion of securities or the exercise of warrants outstanding at the Execution Time and (iii) the Company may file registration statements on Form S-8 relating to shares of Common Stock which may be issued pursuant to any employee stock incentive plan of the Company in effect as of the date hereof or described in the Registration Statement.
(h) The Company will not, without the prior written consent of Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Cowen & Co., LLC, waive the provisions set forth in Section 1.14 of the Fourth Amended and Restated Investors’ Rights Agreement, dated April 9, 2004, as amended (the “IRA”).
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(i) The Company will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would constitute or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.
(j) The Company agrees to pay the costs and expenses relating to the following matters: (i) the preparation, printing or reproduction and filing with the Commission of the Registration Statement (including financial statements and exhibits thereto), each Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and each amendment or supplement to any of them; (ii) the printing (or reproduction) and delivery (including postage, air freight charges and charges for counting and packaging) of such copies of the Registration Statement, each Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and all amendments or supplements to any of them, as may, in each case, be reasonably requested for use in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities; (iii) the preparation, printing, authentication, issuance and delivery of certificates for the Securities, including any stamp or transfer taxes in connection with the original issuance and sale of the Securities; (iv) the printing (or reproduction) and delivery of this Agreement, any blue sky memorandum (up to an aggregate maximum of $5,000) and all other agreements or documents printed (or reproduced) and delivered in connection with the offering of the Securities; (v) the registration of the Securities under the Exchange Act and the listing of the Securities on the Nasdaq National Market; (vi) any registration or qualification of the Securities for offer and sale under the securities or blue sky laws of the several states (including filing fees and the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel for the Underwriters relating to such registration and qualification); (vii) any filings required to be made with the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (including filing fees and the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel for the Underwriters relating to such filings); (viii) the transportation and other expenses incurred by or on behalf of Company representatives in connection with presentations to prospective purchasers of the Securities; (ix) the fees and expenses of the Company’s accountants and the fees and expenses of counsel (including local and special counsel) for the Company; and (x) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder.
(k) The Company agrees that, unless it has obtained or will obtain the prior written consent of the Representatives, and each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees with the Company that, unless it has obtained or will obtain, as the case may be, the prior written consent of the Company, it has not made and 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” (as defined in Rule 405) required to be filed by the Company with the Commission or retained by the Company under Rule 433; provided that the prior written consent of the parties hereto shall be deemed to have been given in respect of the Free Writing Prospectuses included in Schedule II hereto and any electronic road show. Any such free writing prospectus consented to by the
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Representatives or the Company is hereinafter referred to as a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.” The Company agrees that (x) it has treated and will treat, as the case may be, each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and (y) it has complied and will comply, as the case may be, with the requirements of Rules 164 and 433 applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including in respect of timely filing with the Commission, legending and record keeping.
6. Conditions to the Obligations of the Underwriters. The obligations of the Underwriters to purchase the Underwritten Securities and the Option Securities, as the case may be, shall be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company contained herein as of the Execution Time, the Closing Date and any settlement date pursuant to Section 3 hereof, to the accuracy of the statements of the Company made in any certificates pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions:
(a) The Prospectus, and any supplement thereto, has been filed in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b); any material required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act shall have been filed with the Commission within the applicable time periods prescribed for such filings by Rule 433; and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any notice objecting to its use shall have been issued and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or threatened.
(b) The Company shall have requested and caused DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary US LLP, counsel for the Company, to have furnished to the Representatives their opinion, dated the Closing Date and addressed to the Representatives, to the effect that:
(i) the Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation under the laws of the State of Washington, with full corporate power and authority to own or lease, as the case may be, and to operate its properties and conduct its business as described in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus;
(ii) the Company’s authorized equity capitalization is as set forth in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; the capital stock of the Company conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the caption “Description of Capital Stock”; the outstanding shares of Common Stock have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and nonassessable; the Securities have been duly and validly authorized, and, when issued and delivered to and paid for by the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement, will be fully paid and nonassessable; the Securities are duly listed, and admitted and authorized for trading, subject to official notice of issuance and evidence of satisfactory distribution, on the Nasdaq National Market; the certificates for the Securities are in valid and sufficient form; the holders of outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company are not entitled to preemptive rights under Washington law or
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the Company’s articles of incorporation or, to such counsel’s knowledge, similar contractual rights, or other rights to subscribe for the Securities; and, to such counsel’s knowledge, no options, warrants or other rights to purchase, agreements or other obligations to issue, or rights to convert any obligations into or exchange any securities for, shares of capital stock of or ownership interests in the Company are outstanding other than those described in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus;
(iii) to the knowledge of such counsel, there is no pending or threatened action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or its or their property of a character required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement which is not adequately disclosed in the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, and there is no contract or other document of a character required to be described in the Registration Statement or Prospectus, or to be filed as an exhibit thereto, which is not described or filed as required; and the statements included in the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus under the heading “Risk Factors - Risks Related to this Offering - Anti-takeover defenses that we have in place could prevent or frustrate attempts to change our direction or management”, “Business - Product Development, Manufacturing and Supplier Relationships”, “Management - Employment Agreements”, “Management - Benefit Plans”, “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions”, “Shares Eligible for Future Sale” and “Material U.S. Federal Income and Estate Tax Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders”, insofar as such statements summarize legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings discussed therein, are accurate and fair summaries of such legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings;
(iv) the Registration Statement has become effective under the Act; any required filing of the Prospectus, and any supplements thereto, pursuant to Rule 424(b) has been made in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b); to the knowledge of such counsel, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or threatened;
(v) this Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company;
(vi) the Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Prospectus, will not be, an “investment company” as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended;
(vii) no consent, approval, authorization, filing with or order of any court or governmental agency or body under U.S. federal, New York
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state or Washington state law that in such counsel’s experience is normally applicable in relation to transactions of the type contemplated by this Agreement required in connection with the transactions contemplated herein, except such as have been obtained under the Act and such as may be required under the blue sky laws of any jurisdiction in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Securities by the Underwriters in the manner contemplated in this Agreement and in the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus and such other approvals (specified in such opinion) as have been obtained;
(viii) neither the issue and sale of the Securities, nor the consummation of any other of the transactions herein contemplated nor the fulfillment of the terms hereof will conflict with, result in a breach or violation of, or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company pursuant to, (i) the articles of incorporation or by-laws of the Company, (ii) the terms of any indenture, contract, lease, mortgage, deed of trust, note agreement, loan agreement or other agreement, obligation, condition, covenant or instrument to which the Company is a party or bound or to which its property is subject that is in an exhibit to, or is described in, the Registration Statement or is otherwise known to such counsel, or (iii) any statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree applicable to the Company of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties; and
(ix) except as described in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, no holders of securities of the Company have rights to the registration of such securities under the Registration Statement.
Such counsel shall also state that, in the course of acting as counsel for the Company in connection with the preparation of the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, such counsel has participated in conferences with officers and other representatives of the Company, representatives of and counsel for the Underwriters and representatives of the registered independent public accounting firm of the Company, during which the contents of the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus were discussed; while the limitations inherent in the independent verification of factual matters and the character of determinations involved in the registration process are such that such counsel is not passing upon and does not assume any responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (except to the extent expressly set forth in paragraphs (ii) and (iii) above), subject to the foregoing and based on such participation and discussions:
(a) the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (other than the financial statements and other financial and statistical information contained therein, as to which such counsel need express no opinion) comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Act and the rules thereunder;
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(b) no facts have come to such counsel’s attention that have caused such counsel to believe that on the Effective Date the Registration Statement contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or that the Prospectus as of its date and on the Closing Date included or includes any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (in each case, other than the financial statements and other financial and statistical information contained therein, as to which such counsel need express no opinion); and
(c) such counsel has no reason to believe that the documents specified in a schedule to such counsel’s letter, consisting of those included in the Disclosure Package and the price to the public, the number of Underwritten Securities and the number of Option Securities on the cover page of the Prospectus, when taken together as a whole, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (other than the financial statements and other financial and statistical information contained therein, as to which such counsel need express no opinion).
In rendering such opinion, such counsel may rely (A) as to matters involving the application of laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Washington or New York or the Federal laws of the United States, to the extent they deem proper and specified in such opinion, upon the opinion of other counsel of good standing whom they believe to be reliable and who are satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters and (B) as to matters of fact, to the extent they deem proper, on certificates of responsible officers of the Company and public officials. References to the Prospectus in this paragraph (b) shall also include any supplements thereto at the Closing Date. For the purpose of this Section 6(b), “Disclosure Package” shall mean (i) the Statutory Prospectus and (ii) the Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses, if any, identified in Schedule II to this Agreement.
(c) The Company shall have requested and caused Perkins Coie LLP, intellectual property counsel for the Company, to have furnished to the Representatives their opinion, dated the Closing Date and addressed to the Representatives, to the effect that:
(i) the statements included in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus relating to patents (collectively, the “Intellectual Property Information”), at the time such Registration Statement became effective, at the Execution Time, as of the date of the Prospectus and as of the date hereof, are accurate and complete in all
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material respects and present fairly the information purported to be shown; nothing has come to the attention of such counsel that causes such counsel to believe that the Intellectual Property Information, at the time such Registration Statement became effective, or as of the date hereof, contained or contains an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or that the Intellectual Property Information included in the Prospectus (as of the date of such Prospectus or as of the date hereof) and the Disclosure Package (at the Execution Time) contained or contains an untrue statement of material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;
(ii) such counsel is unaware of (i) any legal or governmental proceedings pending relating to patent rights of the Company (other than normal processing of the Company’s patent applications before applicable patent authorities), and (ii) is unaware that any such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental authorities or others;
(iii) such counsel is not aware of any contracts or other documents, relating to the patents of the Company that is of a character required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement which have not been so described or filed as required;
(iv) to the knowledge of such counsel, (i) the Company is not infringing, and, upon the commercialization and sale of the products or services described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus as under development, would not infringe, the valid claim of any issued patents of others, and such counsel is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for a claim of any such infringement of a valid claim of any issued patents of others, and (ii) there are no infringements by others of any of the patents of the Company, and such counsel is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for a claim of any such infringement;
(v) such counsel has no knowledge of any facts which would preclude the Company from having valid license rights or clear title to the patents referenced in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus; such counsel has no knowledge that the Company lacks or will be unable to obtain any rights or licenses to use all patents and other material intangible property and assets that are, or would be, necessary to conduct the business now conducted or proposed to be conducted by the Company as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, except as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; and
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such counsel is unaware of any facts which form a basis for a finding of unenforceability or invalidity of any of the patents and other material intellectual property and assets of the Company; and
(vi) such counsel is not aware of any fact with respect to the allowed claims of patent applications of the Company presently on file that (i) would preclude the issuance of patents with respect to such applications, (ii) would lead such counsel to conclude that such patents, when issued, would not be valid and enforceable in accordance with applicable regulations or (iii) would result in a third party having any rights in any patents issuing from such patent applications.
(d) The Company shall have requested and caused Buc & Beardsley, FDA counsel for the Company, to have furnished to the Representatives their opinion, dated the Closing Date and addressed to the Representatives, to the effect that:
(i) the statements included in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the captions (A) “Risk Factors - Risks Related to our Business and Industry - We may not secure regulatory approval for our Northstar Stroke Recovery System or any other products that we may develop in the future, even if we believe our clinical trial results demonstrate the efficacy of our cortical stimulation therapy”, (B) “Risk Factors - Risks Related to our Business and Industry - Even if our Northstar Stroke Recovery System, or any other product we develop, is approved by regulatory authorities, if we fail to comply with ongoing regulation, or if we experience unanticipated problems with our products, our products could be subject to restrictions or withdrawal from the market and we or our suppliers could be subject to legal action”, (C) “Risk Factors - Risks Related to our Business and Industry - We have used two different implantable pulse generators, or IPGs, in our EVEREST trial, switching from a third party IPG to our proprietary IPG after treating 16 investigational patients, which could cause the FDA to require us to treat additional patients in our EVEREST trial” (except as to the second sentence under this caption), (D) “Risk Factors - Risks Related to our Business and Industry - The manufacturing facilities of our suppliers must comply with applicable regulatory requirements. If these manufacturing facilities do not receive regulatory approval, our business and our results of operations would be harmed” and (E) “Business - Government Regulation - United States” (collectively, the “Regulatory Information”) that summarize the provisions of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”) and implementing regulations, are accurate summaries in all material respects of the provisions purported to be summarized under such captions and do not omit to summarize applicable provisions of the FDCA or its implementing regulations necessary to make those statements not misleading; and
(ii) nothing has come to the attention of such counsel, without making any independent investigation, that causes such counsel to believe that (A) the Regulatory Information, (B) the fifth sentence of the first paragraph under the caption “Business - EVEREST (Pivotal Trial for Stoke Motor Recovery)” and (C) the first and third sentences in the last paragraph under the caption “Business - EVEREST (Pivotal Trial for Stoke Motor Recovery)” (collectively, the “Regulatory Statements”), at the time such Registration Statement became effective, or as of the date hereof, contained or contains an untrue statement of a material fact related to FDA matters or omitted or omits to state a material fact related to FDA matters required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or that the Regulatory Statements included in the Prospectus (as of the date of such Prospectus or as of the Closing Date) and the Disclosure Package (at the Execution Time) contained or contains an untrue statement of material fact related to FDA matters or omitted or omits to state a material fact related to FDA matters required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
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(e) The Representatives shall have received from Dewey Ballantine LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, such opinion or opinions, dated the Closing Date and addressed to the Representatives, with respect to the issuance and sale of the Securities, the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package, the Prospectus (together with any supplement thereto) and other related matters as the Representatives may reasonably require, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they request for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon such matters.
(f) The Company shall have furnished to the Representatives a certificate of the Company, signed by the President and the principal financial or accounting officer of the Company, dated the Closing Date, to the effect that the signers of such certificate have carefully examined the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, the Disclosure Package and any amendment or supplement thereto, as well as each electronic roadshow used in connection with the offering of the Securities, and this Agreement and that:
(i) the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct on and as of the Closing Date with the same effect as if made on the Closing Date and the Company has complied with all the agreements and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to the Closing Date;
(ii) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any notice objecting to its use has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened; and
(iii) since the date of the most recent financial statements included in the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto), there has been no material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), prospects, earnings, business or properties of the Company, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
(g) The Company shall have requested and caused Ernst & Young LLP to have furnished to the Representatives, at the Execution Time and at the Closing Date, letters, dated respectively as of the Execution Time and as of the Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, confirming that they are independent accountants within the meaning of the Act and the applicable rules and regulations adopted by the Commission thereunder and stating in effect that:
(i) in their opinion the audited financial statements and pro forma financial statements included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and reported on by them comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the related rules and regulations adopted by the Commission;
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(ii) on the basis of a reading of the latest unaudited financial statements made available by the Company; carrying out certain specified procedures (but not an examination in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards) which would not necessarily reveal matters of significance with respect to the comments set forth in such letter; a reading of the minutes of the meetings of the shareholders, directors and the Audit and Compensation committees of the Company; and inquiries of certain officials of the Company who have responsibility for financial and accounting matters of the Company as to transactions and events subsequent to December 31, 2005, nothing came to their attention which caused them to believe that:
(1) with respect to the period subsequent to December 31, 2005, there were any changes, at a specified date not more than five days prior to the date of the letter, in the long-term debt of the Company or capital stock of the Company or increases in the shareholders’ deficit of the Company as compared with the amounts shown on the December 31, 2005 balance sheet included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, or for the period from January 1, 2006 to such specified date there were any increases, as compared with the comparable period in 2005, in total or per share amounts of net loss of the Company, except in all instances for changes or decreases set forth in such letter, in which case the letter shall be accompanied by an explanation by the Company as to the significance thereof unless said explanation is not deemed necessary by the Representatives;
(2) the information included in the Registration Statement and Prospectus in response to Regulation S-K, Item 301 (Selected Financial Data), and Item 302 (Supplementary Financial Information) is not in conformity with the applicable disclosure requirements of Regulation S-K; and
(iii) they have performed certain other specified procedures as a result of which they determined that certain information of an accounting, financial or statistical nature (which is limited to accounting, financial or statistical information derived from the general accounting records of the Company) set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus agrees with the accounting records of the Company, excluding any questions of legal interpretation.
References to the Prospectus in this paragraph (g) include any supplement thereto at the date of the letter.
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(h) Subsequent to the Execution Time or, if earlier, the dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement (exclusive of any amendment thereof) and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto), there shall not have been (i) any change or decrease specified in the letter or letters referred to in paragraph (e) of this Section 6 or (ii) any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the condition (financial or otherwise), earnings, business or properties of the Company, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto) the effect of which, in any case referred to in clause (i) or (ii) above, is, in the sole judgment of the Representatives, so material and adverse as to make it impractical or inadvisable to proceed with the offering or delivery of the Securities as contemplated by the Registration Statement (exclusive of any amendment thereof), the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
(i) Prior to the Closing Date, the Company shall have furnished to the Representatives such further information, certificates and documents as the Representatives may reasonably request.
(j) Subsequent to the Execution Time, there shall not have been any decrease in the rating of any of the Company’s debt securities by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” (as defined for purposes of Rule 436(g) under the Act) or any notice given of any intended or potential decrease in any such rating or of a possible change in any such rating that does not indicate the direction of the possible change.
(k) The Securities shall have been listed and admitted and authorized for trading on the Nasdaq National Market, and satisfactory evidence of such actions shall have been provided to the Representatives.
(l) At the Execution Time, the Company shall have furnished to the Representatives a letter substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto from (i) each of its directors and officers; and (ii) holders of an aggregate of over 98% (excluding shares held by Boston Scientific Corporation, who are subject to restrictions on resale pursuant to the IRA) of the outstanding and issuable shares of capital stock of the Company, addressed to the Representatives.
If any of the conditions specified in this Section 6 shall not have been fulfilled when and as provided in this Agreement, or if any of the opinions and certificates mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall not be reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters, this Agreement and all obligations of the Underwriters hereunder may be canceled at, or at any time prior to, the Closing Date by the Representatives. Notice of such cancellation shall be given to the Company in writing or by telephone or facsimile confirmed in writing.
The documents required to be delivered by this Section 6 shall be delivered at the office of Dewey Ballantine LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, at 1301 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York, 10019, on the Closing Date.
7. Reimbursement of Underwriters’ Expenses. If the sale of the Securities provided for herein is not consummated because any condition to the obligations of the
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Underwriters set forth in Section 6 hereof is not satisfied, because of any termination pursuant to Section 10 hereof or because of any refusal, inability or failure on the part of the Company to perform any agreement herein or comply with any provision hereof other than by reason of a default by any of the Underwriters, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters severally through Citigroup Global Markets Inc. on demand for all out-of-pocket expenses (including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel) that shall have been incurred by them in connection with the proposed purchase and sale of the Securities.
8. Indemnification and Contribution. (a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, the directors, officers, employees and agents of each Underwriter and each person who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act against any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which they or any of them may become subject under the Act, the Exchange Act or other Federal or state statutory law or regulation, at common law or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the registration statement for the registration of the Securities as originally filed or in any amendment thereof, or in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or in any amendment thereof or supplement thereto, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and agrees to reimburse each such indemnified party, as incurred, for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action; provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon any such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made therein in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for inclusion therein. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have.
(b) Each Underwriter severally and not jointly agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors, each of its officers who signs the Registration Statement, and each person who controls the Company within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act, to the same extent as the foregoing indemnity from the Company to each Underwriter, but only with reference to written information relating to such Underwriter furnished to the Company by or on behalf of such Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for inclusion in the documents referred to in the foregoing indemnity. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability which any Underwriter may otherwise have. The Company acknowledges that the statements set forth in (i) the last paragraph of the cover page regarding delivery of the Securities and, under the captions “Underwriting” and “Plan of Distribution”, (ii) the list of Underwriters and their respective participation in the sale of the Securities, (iii) the sentences related to concessions and reallowances and (iv) the paragraph related to stabilization, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus constitute the only information furnished in writing by or on behalf of the several Underwriters for inclusion in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus.
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(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 8 of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under this Section 8, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the failure so to notify the indemnifying party (i) will not relieve it from liability under paragraph (a) or (b) above unless and to the extent it did not otherwise learn of such action and such failure results in the forfeiture by the indemnifying party of substantial rights and defenses and (ii) will not, in any event, relieve the indemnifying party from any obligations to any indemnified party other than the indemnification obligation provided in paragraph (a) or (b) above. The indemnifying party shall be entitled to appoint counsel of the indemnifying party’s choice at the indemnifying party’s expense to represent the indemnified party in any action for which indemnification is sought (in which case the indemnifying party shall not thereafter be responsible for the fees and expenses of any separate counsel retained by the indemnified party or parties except as set forth below); provided, however, that such counsel shall be satisfactory to the indemnified party. Notwithstanding the indemnifying party’s election to appoint counsel to represent the indemnified party in an action, the indemnified party shall have the right to employ separate counsel (including local counsel), and the indemnifying party shall bear the reasonable fees, costs and expenses of such separate counsel if (i) the use of counsel chosen by the indemnifying party to represent the indemnified party would present such counsel with a conflict of interest, (ii) the actual or potential defendants in, or targets of, any such action include both the indemnified party and the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded that there may be legal defenses available to it and/or other indemnified parties which are different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party, (iii) the indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party within a reasonable time after notice of the institution of such action or (iv) the indemnifying party shall authorize the indemnified party to employ separate counsel at the expense of the indemnifying party. An indemnifying party will not, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any pending or threatened claim, action, suit or proceeding in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties to such claim or action) unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such claim, action, suit or proceeding.
(d) In the event that the indemnity provided in paragraph (a), (b) or (c) of this Section 8 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party for any reason, the Company and the Underwriters severally agree to contribute to the aggregate losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with investigating or defending same) (collectively “Losses”) to which the Company and one or more of the Underwriters may be subject in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and by the Underwriters on the other from the offering of the Securities;
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provided, however, that in no case shall any Underwriter (except as may be provided in any agreement among underwriters relating to the offering of the Securities) be responsible for any amount in excess of the underwriting discount or commission applicable to the Securities purchased by such Underwriter hereunder. If the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is unavailable for any reason, the Company and the Underwriters severally shall contribute in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such Losses as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. Benefits received by the Company shall be deemed to be equal to the total net proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by it, and benefits received by the Underwriters shall be deemed to be equal to the total underwriting discounts and commissions, in each case as set forth on the cover page of the Prospectus. Relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any untrue or any alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information provided by the Company on the one hand or the Underwriters on the other, the intent of the parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such untrue statement or omission. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution were determined by pro rata allocation or any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above. Notwithstanding the provisions of this paragraph (d), no person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 8, each person who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act and each director, officer, employee and agent of an Underwriter shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and each person who controls the Company within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act, each officer of the Company who shall have signed the Registration Statement and each director of the Company shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company, subject in each case to the applicable terms and conditions of this paragraph (d).
9. Default by an Underwriter. If any one or more Underwriters shall fail to purchase and pay for any of the Securities agreed to be purchased by such Underwriter or Underwriters hereunder and such failure to purchase shall constitute a default in the performance of its or their obligations under this Agreement, the remaining Underwriters shall be obligated severally to take up and pay for (in the respective proportions which the amount of Securities set forth opposite their names in Schedule I hereto bears to the aggregate amount of Securities set forth opposite the names of all the remaining Underwriters) the Securities which the defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase; provided, however, that in the event that the aggregate amount of Securities which the defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase shall exceed 10% of the aggregate amount of Securities set forth in Schedule I hereto, the remaining Underwriters shall have the right to purchase all, but shall not be under any obligation to purchase any, of the Securities, and if such nondefaulting Underwriters do not purchase all the Securities, this Agreement will terminate without liability to any nondefaulting Underwriter or the Company. In the event of a default by any Underwriter as
25
set forth in this Section 9, the Closing Date shall be postponed for such period, not exceeding five Business Days, as the Representatives shall determine in order that the required changes in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements may be effected. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter of its liability, if any, to the Company and any nondefaulting Underwriter for damages occasioned by its default hereunder.
10. Termination. This Agreement shall be subject to termination in the absolute discretion of the Representatives, by notice given to the Company prior to delivery of and payment for the Securities, if at any time prior to such time (i) trading in the Company’s Common Stock shall have been suspended by the Commission or the Nasdaq National Market or trading in securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq National Market shall have been suspended or limited or minimum prices shall have been established on such Exchange or the Nasdaq National Market, (ii) a banking moratorium shall have been declared either by Federal or New York State authorities or (iii) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities, declaration by the United States of a national emergency or war, or other calamity or crisis the effect of which on financial markets is such as to make it, in the sole judgment of the Representatives, impractical or inadvisable to proceed with the offering or delivery of the Securities as contemplated by the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
11. Representations and Indemnities to Survive. The respective agreements, representations, warranties, indemnities and other statements of the Company or its officers and of the Underwriters set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or the Company or any of the officers, directors, employees, agents or controlling persons referred to in Section 8 hereof, and will survive delivery of and payment for the Securities. The provisions of Sections 7 and 8 hereof shall survive the termination or cancellation of this Agreement.
12. Notices. All communications hereunder will be in writing and effective only on receipt, and, if sent to the Representatives, will be mailed, delivered or telefaxed to the Citigroup Global Markets Inc. General Counsel (fax no.: (212) 816-7912) and confirmed to the General Counsel, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., at 388 Greenwich Street, New York, New York, 10013, Attention: General Counsel; or, if sent to the Company, will be mailed, delivered or telefaxed to ###-###-#### and confirmed to it at 2401 Fourth Avenue, Suite 300, Seattle, Washington, 98121, attention of the Legal Department, with a copy to DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary US LLP, attn. Mark F. Hoffman, Esq., 701 Fifth Avenue, Suite 7000, Seattle, Washington, 98104, fax ###-###-####.
13. Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the officers, directors, employees, agents and controlling persons referred to in Section 8 hereof, and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder.
14. No fiduciary duty. The Company hereby acknowledges that (a) the purchase and sale of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters and any affiliate
26
through which it may be acting, on the other, (b) the Underwriters are acting as principal and not as an agent or fiduciary of the Company and (c) the Company’s engagement of the Underwriters in connection with the offering and the process leading up to the offering is as independent contractors and not in any other capacity. Furthermore, the Company agrees that it is solely responsible for making its own judgments in connection with the offering (irrespective of whether any of the Underwriters has advised or is currently advising the Company on related or other matters). The Company agrees that it will not claim that the Underwriters have rendered advisory services of any nature or respect, or owe an agency, fiduciary or similar duty to the Company, in connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto.
15. Integration. This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements and understandings (whether written or oral) between the Company and the Underwriters, or any of them, with respect to the subject matter hereof.
16. Applicable Law. This Agreement will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to contracts made and to be performed within the State of New York.
17. Waiver of Jury Trial. The Company 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.
18. Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same agreement.
19. Headings. The section headings used herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.
20. Definitions. The terms which follow, when used in this Agreement, shall have the meanings indicated.
“Act” shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.
“Business Day” shall mean any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a legal holiday or a day on which banking institutions or trust companies are authorized or obligated by law to close in New York City.
“Commission” shall mean the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Disclosure Package” shall mean (i) the Statutory Prospectus, (ii) the Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses, if any, identified in Schedule II hereto, and (iii) any other Free Writing Prospectus that the parties hereto shall hereafter expressly agree in writing to treat as part of the Disclosure Package.
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“Effective Date” shall mean each date and time that the Registration Statement, any post-effective amendment or amendments thereto and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement became or become effective.
“Exchange Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.
“Execution Time” shall mean the date and time that this Agreement is executed and delivered by the parties hereto.
“Free Writing Prospectus” shall mean a free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 405.
“Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” shall mean an issuer free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 433.
“Preliminary Prospectus” shall mean any preliminary prospectus referred to in paragraph 1(a) above and any preliminary prospectus included in the Registration Statement at the Effective Date that omits Rule 430A Information.
“Prospectus” shall mean the prospectus relating to the Securities that is first filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) after the Execution Time.
“Registration Statement” shall mean the registration statement referred to in paragraph 1(a) above, including exhibits and financial statements and any prospectus supplement relating to the Securities that is filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) and deemed part of such registration statement pursuant to Rule 430A, as amended at the Execution Time and, in the event any post-effective amendment thereto or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement becomes effective prior to the Closing Date, shall also mean such registration statement as so amended or such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, as the case may be.
“Rule 158”, “Rule 172”, “Rule 405”, “Rule 424” and “Rule 433” refer to such rules under the Act.
“Rule 430A Information” shall mean information with respect to the Securities and the offering thereof permitted to be omitted from the Registration Statement when it becomes effective pursuant to Rule 430A.
“Rule 462(b) Registration Statement” shall mean a registration statement and any amendments thereto filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) relating to the offering covered by the registration statement referred to in Section 1(a) hereof.
“Statutory Prospectus” shall mean the preliminary prospectus relating to the Securities that is included in the registration statement relating to the Securities immediately prior to the Execution Time, including any document that is incorporated by reference therein.
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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to us the enclosed duplicate hereof, whereupon this letter and your acceptance shall represent a binding agreement among the Company and the several Underwriters.
| Very truly yours, | ||
| Northstar Neuroscience, Inc. | ||
| By: |
| |
| Name: | Alan J. Levy | |
| Title: | President | |
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The foregoing Agreement is hereby
confirmed and accepted as of the
date first above written.
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Cowen & Co., LLC
First Albany Capital Inc.
Leerink Swann & Co., Inc.
By: Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
| By: |
| |
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
For themselves and the other
several Underwriters named in
Schedule I to the foregoing
Agreement.
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SCHEDULE I
| Underwriters | Number of Underwritten Securities to be Purchased | |
| Citigroup Global Markets Inc. | ||
| Cowen & Co., LLC | ||
| First Albany Capital Inc. | ||
| Leerink Swann & Co., Inc. | ||
| Total | 6,000,000 | |
1
SCHEDULE II
Schedule of Free Writing Prospectuses included in the Disclosure Package
2
| [Form of Lock-Up Agreement] | EXHIBIT A |
[Letterhead of officer, director or major shareholder of Corporation]
Northstar Neuroscience, Inc.
Public Offering of Common Stock
, 20
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Cowen & Co., LLC
First Albany Capital Inc.
Leerink Swann & Co., Inc.
As Representatives of the several Underwriters
c/o Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
388 Greenwich Street
New York, New York 10013
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This letter is being delivered to you in connection with the proposed Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”), between Northstar Neuroscience, Inc., a Washington corporation (the “Company”), and each of you as representatives of a group of Underwriters named therein, relating to an underwritten public offering (the “Offering”) of common stock (the “Common Stock”) of the Company.
In order to induce you and the other Underwriters to enter into the Underwriting Agreement, the undersigned will not, without the prior written consent of Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Cowen & Co., LLC, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of (or enter into any transaction which is designed to, or might reasonably be expected to, result in the disposition (whether by actual disposition or effective economic disposition due to cash settlement or otherwise) by the undersigned or any affiliate of the undersigned or any person in privity with the undersigned or any affiliate of the undersigned), directly or indirectly, including the filing (or participation in the filing) of a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission in respect of, or establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission promulgated thereunder with respect to, any shares of capital stock of the Company or any securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, such capital stock, or publicly announce an intention to effect any such transaction, for a period of 180 days after the date of the Underwriting Agreement (the “Lock-up Period”).
The foregoing sentence shall not apply to (i) bona fide gifts, (ii) dispositions to a trust for the direct or indirect benefit of the undersigned and/or the “immediate family” (i.e., any relationship by blood, marriage or adoption, not more remote than first cousins) of the
A-1
undersigned, (iii) dispositions by will or under the laws of descent or (iv) dispositions to a former spouse, child or other dependent pursuant to a domestic relations order or settlement agreement; provided that, (a) the transferee agrees in writing with the Underwriters to be bound by the terms of this letter, (b) such transfer shall not involve a disposition for value, (c) no filing by any party (donor, donee, transferor or transferee) under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act shall be required or shall be made voluntarily in connection with such transfer or disposition (other than a filing on a Form 5 made after the expiration of the 180-day restricted period) and (d) the undersigned notifies Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Cowen & Co., LLC at least two business days prior to the proposed transfer or disposition.
In addition, notwithstanding the foregoing, if the undersigned is a partnership or limited liability company, the undersigned may transfer the undersigned’s shares of Common Stock to partners or members of the undersigned, as applicable, or to the estates of any such partners, or members; and if the undersigned is a trust, the undersigned may transfer the undersigned’s shares of Common Stock to any beneficiary of the undersigned or to the estate of any such beneficiary; and if the undersigned is a corporation, the undersigned may transfer the undersigned’s shares of Common Stock to majority-owned subsidiaries of the undersigned, to holders of securities possessing at least 50% of the undersigned’s outstanding voting power or to entities under common control with the undersigned; provided that (i) the transferee agrees in writing with the Underwriters to be bound by the terms of this letter, (ii) such transfer shall not involve a disposition for value, (iii) no filing by any party (donor, donee, transferor or transferee) under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act shall be required or shall be made voluntarily in connection with such transfer or distribution (other than a filing on a Form 5 made after the expiration of the 180-day restricted period) and (iv) the undersigned notifies Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and SG Cowen & Co., LLC at least two business days prior to the proposed transfer or disposition.
A-2
If for any reason the Underwriting Agreement shall be terminated prior to the Closing Date (as defined in the Underwriting Agreement), the agreement set forth above shall likewise be terminated.
| Yours very truly, |
| [Signature of officer, director or major stockholder] |
| [Name and address of officer, director or major stockholder] |
A-3
