UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
of The Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): December 11, 2020
Cerus Corporation
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 000-21937 | 68-0262011 | ||
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) | (Commission File Number) | (IRS Employer Identification No.) |
1220 Concord Avenue, Suite 600 Concord, California | 94520 | |||
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
(925) 288-6000
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code
N/A
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligations of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
| ☐ | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| ☐ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| ☐ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| ☐ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||
| Common Stock, par value $0.001 | CERS | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
| Item 1.01 | Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement. |
On December 11, 2020, Cerus Corporation (the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) entered into a Controlled Equity OfferingSM Sales Agreement (the “Sales Agreement”) with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. (“Cantor”) and Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated (“Stifel” and with Cantor, the “Sales Agents”), under which we may issue and sell from time to time up to $100,000,000 of our common stock through or to the Sales Agents, as sales agent or principal. The issuance and sale of these shares under the Sales Agreement, if any, is subject to the continued effectiveness of the Company’s shelf registration statement on Form S-3, File No. 333-251302, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 11, 2020. We make no assurance as to the continued effectiveness of this shelf registration statement.
Sales of our common stock, if any, under the Sales Agreement will be made at market prices by any method that is deemed to be an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Each time we wish to issue and sell common stock under the Sales Agreement, we will notify one designated Sales Agent of the number of shares to be issued, the dates on which such sales are anticipated to be made and any minimum price below which sales may not be made. Once we have so instructed such designated Sales Agent, as the case may be, unless such Sales Agent declines to accept the terms of this notice, such Sales Agent has agreed to use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices to sell such shares up to the amount specified on such terms. The obligations of the Sales Agents under the Sales Agreement to sell our common stock are subject to a number of conditions that we must meet.
The offering of common stock pursuant to the Sales Agreement will terminate upon the earlier of (1) the sale of all common stock subject to the Sales Agreement and (2) termination of the Sales Agreement as permitted therein. The Sales Agreement may be terminated by us with respect to either or both Sales Agents at any time upon ten days’ notice. Either Sales Agent may terminate the Sales Agreement, with respect to such Sales Agent’s rights and obligations under the Sales Agreement, at any time upon ten days’ prior notice.
Each Sales Agent is entitled to compensation from us at a fixed commission rate of up to 3.0% of the gross sales price per share of any common stock sold by such Sales Agent under the Sales Agreement.
The foregoing descriptions of the Sales Agreement are not complete and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the full text of the Sales Agreement, a copy of which is filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.
This Current Report on Form 8-K shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the common stock discussed herein, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation, or sale of common stock in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state.
| Item 9.01 | Financial Statements and Exhibits. |
(d) Exhibits
Exhibit | Description | |
| 1.1 | Controlled Equity OfferingSM Sales Agreement, dated December 11, 2020, by and among Cerus Corporation, Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. and Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated. | |
| 5.1 | Opinion of Cooley LLP. | |
| 23.1 | Consent of Cooley LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1). | |
| 104 | Cover page interactive data file (formatted as Inline XBRL). | |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| CERUS CORPORATION | ||||||
| Dated: December 11, 2020 | By: | /s/ Kevin D. Green | ||||
| Kevin D. Green | ||||||
| Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer | ||||||