PART II – OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. | Legal Proceedings. |
We are not party to any material pending legal proceedings. From time to time, we may be involved in legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business.
Except as set forth below, there have been no material changes to the risk factors included in detail in the “Risk Factors” sections appearing in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on February 23, 2023.
Funds affiliated with Baker Bros. Advisors LP hold a significant portion of our total outstanding shares of common stock (including shares of our common stock issuable upon conversion of shares of our Series A Convertible Preferred Stock and Series B Convertible Preferred Stock), and any sale of such shares into the market, or perception that sales could occur, in the future could cause the market price of our common stock to drop significantly.
Pursuant to a Registration Rights Agreement, dated August 7, 2023, among the Company, 667, L.P. and Baker Brothers Life Sciences, L.P., the Company filed with the SEC on August 8, 2023 a prospectus supplement to the prospectus that forms a part of its effective registration statement on Form S-3 registering for resale up to 3,914,910 shares of our common stock (which includes 1,969,797 shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of our Series A Convertible Preferred Stock and 400,000 shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of our Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, each of which are common stock equivalents with no voting rights, that are convertible into shares of common stock on a 1-for-1 basis only to the extent that after giving effect to such conversion the holders thereof and their affiliates and any persons who are members of a Section 13(d) group with the holders or their affiliates would beneficially own (in the aggregate, for purposes of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) no more than 4.99% of the outstanding common stock, which may be increased or decreased up to 19.99% at the holder’s election on 61 days’ notice and certain limitations) owned by funds affiliated with Baker Bros. Advisors LP (“Baker Bros.”). This represents approximately 18.8% of our total outstanding shares of common stock as of July 31, 2023 on a fully as-converted to common stock basis. Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market by Baker Bros., or the perception that these sales might occur, could depress the market price of our common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. We are unable to predict the effect that sales by Baker Bros., or any perception that sales may occur, may have on the prevailing market price of our common stock.
Item 2. | Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds. |
In June of 2023, in accordance with the terms of its Loan and Security Agreement, as amended, (the “Loan Facility”) with Hercules Capital, Inc. (“Hercules”) the Company issued Hercules and affiliates warrants to purchase 1,051 shares of its common stock at an exercise price of $285.31 per share. The warrant had a Black-Scholes value of $0.2 million, and was issued as consideration in connection with the Company’s borrowing of $15 million under the second tranche of the Loan Facility (as described in “Note 6 – Long Term Debt” to the condensed consolidated financial statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q).
All warrants issued to Hercules under the Loan Facility have been issued in reliance upon the exemption provided in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and/or Regulation D promulgated thereunder.
Item 3. | Defaults Upon Senior Securities. |
None.
Item 4. | Mine Safety Disclosures. |
Not applicable.
Item 5. | Other Information. |
On June 15, 2023, Julian Baker and Raymond Cheong, Ph.D./MD were appointed to the Board as Class III directors and will serve terms lasting until the Company’s Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held in 2025, and until their respective successors have been elected and qualified. The same day the Board determined that it was appropriate for the Company to institute changes to its Board governance structure and implement a separation of the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer functions. Effective June 15, 2023, Julian Baker was appointed to serve as the independent Chairman of the Board of Directors and Paul A. Friedman, M.D. continued service as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and as a Class I director on the Board until the Company’s Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held in 2026, and until his successor has been elected and qualified.
Mr. Baker and Dr. Cheong are affiliated with Baker Bros. Advisors LP and its related funds (collectively, “Baker Bros.”), which are significant owners of the Company’s capital stock, as disclosed in SEC filings. Mr. Baker is a managing member of the general partner of Baker Bros. Advisors LP., and Dr. Cheong is a Managing Director at Baker Brothers Investments. In connection with the appointment of Mr. Baker and Dr. Cheong to the Board, Baker Bros. waived rights under that certain Securities Purchase Agreement, dated June 20, 2017 (the “2017 SPA”), as amended by Amendments No. 1 and 2 (collectively, the “SPA”), to designate a director to the Board while Mr. Baker or Dr. Cheong are on the Board or to appoint a Board observer subject the SPA, while Mr. Baker or Dr. Cheong are on the Board or serving as a Board observer.
Registration Rights Agreement Signing; Resale Prospectus Filing
Pursuant to the terms of the 2017 SPA, the Company agreed with certain fund affiliates of Baker Bros. (the “Baker Bros. Funds” or “BBA Investors”) that if the BBA Investors determined, based on the totality of the circumstances, that they may be deemed to be “affiliates” of the Company within the meaning of Rule 144 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), whether through the exercise of their board designation rights under the SPA or otherwise, the Company would enter into the registration rights agreement with the BBA Investors in the form attached to the 2017 SPA (the “Registration Rights Agreement”). The BBA Investors informed the Company prior to the filing of this Form 10-Q they may be deemed to be “affiliates” of the Company and thereafter entered into the Registration Rights Agreement with the Company on August 7, 2023 covering certain resale registration rights with respect to shares of the Company’s common stock (including shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of any securities of the Company) that are now held or are hereafter acquired by the BBA Investors (the “Registrable Securities”).
Under the Registration Rights Agreement, and following request by the BBA Investors, the Company filed, in connection with the filing of this Form 10-Q, a resale prospectus supplement to the prospectus that forms a part of the Company’s effective Registration Statement on Form S-3ASR (the “Resale Prospectus”) registering the Registrable Securities for resale in satisfaction of the Company’s obligations under the Registration Rights Agreement. The Resale Prospectus registers or covers for resale up to 3,914,910 shares of our common stock currently owned or that may be acquired upon the conversion of securities beneficially owned by the Baker Bros. Funds (the “Resale Shares”). The Company is obligated under the Registration Rights Agreement to register additional Registrable Securities acquired by the BBA Investors, so the Company may be required to file additional supplements to the Resale Prospectus in the future to increase the number of shares that are covered thereby. The Company is obligated to use its reasonable best efforts to maintain the effectiveness of the Resale Prospectus (or any other appropriate subsequent form registering the Registrable Securities) until the earlier of such time that (i) all Registrable Securities covered by the Resale Prospectus have been sold or may be sold freely without limitations or restrictions as to volume or manner of sale pursuant to Rule 144 of the Securities Act, or (ii) all Registrable Securities covered by the Resale Prospectus otherwise cease to be considered Registrable Securities pursuant to the terms of the Registration Rights Agreement. Under the Registration Rights Agreement, the Baker Bros. Funds have the right to one underwritten public offering per calendar year, but no more than three underwritten public offerings in total, to effect the sale or distribution of their Registrable Securities, subject to specified exceptions, conditions and limitations. The rights of the Baker Bros. Funds concerning Registrable Securities under the Registration Rights Agreement will continue in effect for up to ten years following the date of the Registration Rights Agreement.
The foregoing description of the Registration Rights Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Registration Rights Agreement, which is incorporated by reference as an exhibit to this Form 10-Q and is incorporated herein by reference. The Company is filing herewith a copy of the opinion of Hogan Lovells US LLP regarding the legality of the Resale Shares, attached hereto as an exhibit to this Form 10-Q.
The Company is not offering for sale any shares of common stock under the Resale Prospectus, and the Company will not receive any proceeds from the sale of any Resale Shares by the selling stockholder from time to time pursuant to the resale prospectus.
The exhibits filed or furnished as part of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are set forth on the Exhibit Index, which Exhibit Index is incorporated herein by reference.
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