Sierra Oncology 424B5 Prospectus supplement for primary offering

As Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)5
Registration No. 333-241443

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

(To prospectus dated August 13, 2020)

LOGO

Up to $30,000,000

Common Stock

We have previously entered into an Open Market Sale Agreement^SM, or the sales agreement, with Jefferies LLC, or Jefferies, relating to shares of our common stock offered by this prospectus supplement. In accordance with the terms of the sales agreement, under this prospectus, we may offer and sell shares of our common stock, $0.001 par value per share, having an aggregate offering price of up to $30,000,000 from time to time through Jefferies acting as our agent.

Our common stock is traded on The Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “SRRA.” The last reported sales price of our common stock on The Nasdaq Global Market on February 11, 2021 was $14.75 per share.

Sales of our common stock, if any, under this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus may be made in sales deemed to be an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act. Jefferies is not required to sell any specific number or dollar amount of securities, but will act as a sales agent using commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices, on mutually agreed terms between Jefferies and us. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in any escrow, trust or similar arrangement.

The compensation to Jefferies for sales of common stock sold pursuant to the sales agreement will be an amount equal to 3.0% of the gross proceeds of any shares of common stock sold under the sales agreement. In connection with the sale of the common stock on our behalf, Jefferies will be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act and the compensation of Jefferies will be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have also agreed to provide indemnification and contribution to Jefferies with respect to certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. See “Plan of Distribution” beginning on page S-11 regarding the compensation to be paid to Jefferies.

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should review carefully the risks and uncertainties referenced under the heading “Risk Factors” on page S-6 of this prospectus supplement as well as those contained in any accompanying prospectus and any related free writing prospectus or prospectus supplement we prepare or authorize in connection with this offering, and in the other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.


		Jefferies

The date of this prospectus supplement is February 12, 2021.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Prospectus Supplement


	PAGE
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS		S-1
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION; INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE		S-2
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY		S-4
THE OFFERING		S-5
RISK FACTORS		S-6
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS		S-8
USE OF PROCEEDS		S-9
DILUTION		S-10
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION		S-11
LEGAL MATTERS		S-12
EXPERTS		S-12

Prospectus


ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS			1
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY			2
RISK FACTORS			4
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS			5
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION			6
INCORPORATION OF INFORMATION BY REFERENCE			7
USE OF PROCEEDS			8
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION			9
DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK			11
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES			14
DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS			20
DESCRIPTION OF SUBSCRIPTION RIGHTS			22
DESCRIPTION OF UNITS			23
LEGAL MATTERS			25
EXPERTS			25

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

This prospectus supplement is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may from time to time sell shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $150,000,000, subject to any applicable limitations of General Instruction I.B.6. of Form S-3. Under this prospectus supplement, we may from time to time sell shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $30,000,000, at prices and on terms to be determined by market conditions at the time of the offering. The $30,000,000 of shares of our common stock that may be sold under this prospectus supplement are included in the $150,000,000 of shares of common stock that may be sold under the registration statement.

This prospectus supplement describes the terms of this offering of common stock and also adds to and updates information contained in the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement. To the extent there is a conflict between the information contained in this prospectus supplement, on the one hand, and the information contained in any document incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement that was filed with the SEC before the date of this prospectus supplement, on the other hand, you should rely on the information in this prospectus supplement. If any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in another document having a later date—for example, a document incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement—the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement.

We have not, and Jefferies has not, authorized anyone to provide you with any information other than that contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying base prospectus or any related free writing prospectus to which we have referred you. Neither we nor Jefferies take any responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information others may give you. We are not, and Jefferies is not, making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted or in which the person making that offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so or to anyone to whom it is unlawful to make an offer or solicitation. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying base prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering, is accurate only as of the date of those respective documents. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates. You should read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying base prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering, in their entirety before making an investment decision.

When we refer to “Sierra,” “Sierra Oncology,” “we,” “our,” “us,” the “Registrant,” the “Company” and “our company” in this prospectus supplement, we mean Sierra Oncology, Inc., a Delaware corporation, unless otherwise specified.

We own various U.S. federal trademark registrations and applications and unregistered trademarks, including our corporate logo. All other service marks, trademarks and trade names appearing in this prospectus supplement are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, the trademarks and tradenames referred to in this prospectus supplement appear without the ^® and ^™ symbols, but those references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights, or the right of the applicable licensor to these trademarks and tradenames.

S-1

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION; INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Available Information

We file reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a web site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information about issuers, such as us, who file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is www.sec.gov.

Our website address is www.sierraoncology.com. The information on our website, however, is not, and should not be deemed to be, a part of this prospectus supplement.

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying base prospectus are part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC and does not contain all of the information in the registration statement. The full registration statement may be obtained from the SEC or us, as provided below. Documents establishing the terms of the offered securities are or may be filed as exhibits to the registration statement. Statements in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying base prospectus about these documents are summaries and each statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the document to which it refers. You should refer to the actual documents for a more complete description of the relevant matters. You may inspect a copy of the registration statement through the SEC’s website, as provided above, or at our offices at 46701 Commerce Center Drive, Plymouth, Michigan 48170 during normal business hours.

Incorporation by Reference

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information that we file with the SEC, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those other documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus supplement, and information we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. A Current Report (or portion thereof) furnished, but not filed, on Form 8-K shall not be incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any future filings we make with the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the termination of any offering of securities made by this prospectus supplement:

•

our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on March 3, 2020;

•

our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2020, June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2020, filed with the SEC on May 7, 2020, August 6 and November 5, 2020, respectively;

•

our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 21, 2020, January 22, 2020, February 6, 2020, April 16, 2020, May 26, 2020 June 3, 2020, June 11, 2020, November 12, 2020, December 18, 2020 and December 22, 2020;

•

our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the SEC on April 24, 2020 (but only with respect to information required by Part III of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019); and

•

the description of our common stock contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A filed with the SEC on July 8, 2015 under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description, including Exhibit 4.5 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on March 3, 2020.

All reports and other documents we subsequently file pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the termination of this offering, including all such documents we may file with the SEC after the date of the initial registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement, will also be incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and deemed to be part of this prospectus from the date of the filing of such reports and documents.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, we are not incorporating by reference any documents, portions of documents, exhibits or other information, whether specifically listed above or filed in the future, that is deemed to have been furnished to, rather than filed with, the SEC, including any information furnished pursuant to Items 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K or related exhibits furnished pursuant to Item 9.01 of Form 8-K.

Any statement contained in a document incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for the purposes of this prospectus supplement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any subsequently filed document that is also incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus supplement.

S-2

We will furnish without charge to you, on written or oral request, a copy of any or all of such documents that has been incorporated herein by reference (other than exhibits to such documents unless such exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference into the documents that this prospectus incorporates). Written or oral requests for copies should be directed Sierra Oncology, Inc., 46701 Commerce Center Drive, Plymouth, Michigan 48170, and our telephone number is (650) 376-8679.

S-3

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY

This summary highlights certain information about us, this offering and selected information contained elsewhere in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and in the documents we incorporate by reference. This summary is not complete and does not contain all of the information you should consider before investing in our common stock. For a more complete understanding of our company and this offering, you should carefully read this entire prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the information incorporated herein and therein and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize for use in connection with this offering, including the “Risk Factors” section beginning on page S-6 of this prospectus supplement and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2020, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, along with our consolidated financial statements and notes to those consolidated financial statements and the other documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.

Our Company

We are a late stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the Phase 3 execution, registration and potential commercialization of momelotinib, a novel drug that may address serious unmet needs in myelofibrosis. Momelotinib is in a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial for patients with myelofibrosis and has been investigated in clinical studies with more than 800 patients worldwide. Several of these patients remain on treatment for more than 10 years.

In the fourth quarter of 2019, we launched MOMENTUM, a randomized double-blind trial designed to enroll 180 myelofibrosis patients who are symptomatic and anemic and have been treated previously with a JAK inhibitor. The Primary Endpoint of the trial is the Total Symptom Score (TSS) response rate of momelotinib compared to danazol at Week 24 (99% power; p-value < 0.05). Danazol has been selected as an appropriate treatment comparator given its use to ameliorate anemia in myelofibrosis patients, as recommended by National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) guidelines. Patients will be randomized 2:1 to receive either momelotinib or danazol. After 24 weeks of treatment, patients on danazol will be allowed to crossover to receive momelotinib.

During 2020 and the first quarter of 2021, we continued to operationalize the MOMENTUM trial on a global basis, and trial enrollment is on track with top-line data currently anticipated in the first half of 2022. Due to the recent global outbreak of COVID-19, our clinical trials have been and may continue to be affected, and we are likely to experience delays in anticipated timelines and milestones, which will be difficult to predict until we have more visibility on the duration and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential institution of additional public health orders. We have experienced and may continue to experience some delays in planned site initiations and activations and may experience future delays in overall enrollment.

We believe that our current resources will be sufficient to execute on our development strategy for momelotinib into the second half of 2022, subject to the potential impact of COVID-19. We are also starting to explore non-dilutive options that could provide additional capital to support our North American commercialization strategy. Our independent accounts, Deloitte & Touche LLP, have not audited, reviewed, compiled or performed any procedures, and do not express an opinion or any other form of assurance with respect to any of such data.

Company Information

We were incorporated in the State of Delaware in May 2003 as Phenome Systems, Inc. and changed our name to ProNAi Therapeutics, Inc. in April 2004. Shortly thereafter, we merged with SenseGene Therapeutics Inc., a Michigan corporation, with ProNAi Therapeutics, Inc. being the surviving corporation. We changed our name to Sierra Oncology, Inc. in January 2017. Our principal executive offices are located at 1820 Gateway Drive, Suite 110, San Mateo, California 94404 and our telephone number is (650) 376-8679. Our website address is www.sierraoncology.com. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not part of, and is not incorporated by reference into, this prospectus. Investors should not rely on any such information in deciding whether to purchase our securities.

S-4

THE OFFERING


Common stock offered by us		Shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $30,000,000.

Common stock to be outstanding immediately after this offering		Up to 12,529,630 shares (as more fully described in the notes following this table), assuming sales of 2,033,898 shares of our common stock in this offering at an offering price of $14.75 per share, which was the last reported sale price of our common shares on The Nasdaq Global Market on February 11, 2021. The actual number of shares issued will vary depending on the sales price under this offering.

Plan of Distribution		“At the market offering” that may be made from time to time through our sales agent, Jefferies LLC. See the section entitled “Plan of Distribution” on page S-11 of this prospectus supplement.

Use of Proceeds		We currently intend to use the net proceeds of this offering primarily for general corporate purposes, which may include costs to prepare for potential commercialization of momelotinib, funding our MOMENTUM Phase 3 trial, research, clinical and process development and manufacturing of our product candidates, working capital and capital expenditures. See the section entitled “Use of Proceeds” on page S-9 of this prospectus supplement.

Risk Factors		Investing in our common stock involves significant risks. See the disclosure under the heading “Risk Factors” on page S-6 in this prospectus and under similar headings in other documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and under similar headings in other documents.

The Nasdaq Global Market symbol		“SRRA”

The number of shares of our common stock shown above to be outstanding after this offering is based on 10,495,732 shares of our common stock outstanding as of September 30, 2020, and excludes:

•

4,246,167 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of options outstanding as of September 30, 2020 with a weighted average exercise price of $19.38 per share;

•

11,104,090 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants outstanding as of September 30, 2020, with a weighted average exercise price of $13.21 per share; and

•

1,018,557 shares of common stock reserved and available for future issuance as of September 30, 2020, under our equity incentives plans, consisting of 885,557 shares of common stock reserved and available for issuance under our 2015 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended, and 133,000 shares of common stock reserved for issuance under our 2018 Equity Inducement Plan, as amended, and 17,500 shares of common stock reserved for issuance under our 2015 Employee Stock Purchase Plan as of September 30, 2020.

S-5

RISK FACTORS

Investment in any securities offered pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying base prospectus involves risks. You should carefully consider the risk factors described below, in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, and in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2020, incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, any amendment or update thereto reflected in subsequent filings with the SEC, including in our Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and all other information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act. The occurrence of any of these risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment in the offered securities.

Risks Relating to this Offering

If you purchase shares of our common stock sold in this offering, you may experience immediate and substantial dilution in the net tangible book value of your shares. In addition, we may issue additional equity or convertible debt securities in the future, which may result in additional dilution to you.

The price per share of our common stock being offered may be higher than the net tangible book value per share of our outstanding common stock prior to this offering. Assuming that an aggregate of 2,033,898 shares of our common stock are sold at a price of $14.75 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market on February 11, 2021, for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $30,000,000, and after deducting commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, new investors in this offering will incur immediate dilution of $4.03 per share. For a more detailed discussion of the foregoing, see the section entitled “Dilution” below.

Our need for future financing may result in the issuance of additional securities which will cause investors to experience dilution.

Our cash requirements may vary from those now planned depending upon numerous factors, including the results of future research and development activities. We expect our expenses to increase if and when we initiate and conduct additional clinical trials and seek marketing approval for our product candidates. In addition, if we obtain marketing approval for any of our product candidates, we expect to incur significant commercialization expenses related to product sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution. Accordingly, we will need to obtain substantial additional funding in connection with our continuing operations. There are no other commitments by any person for future financing. Our securities may be offered to other investors at a price lower than the price per share offered to current stockholders, or upon terms which may be deemed more favorable than those offered to current stockholders. In addition, the issuance of securities in any future financing may dilute an investor’s equity ownership and have the effect of depressing the market price for our securities. Moreover, we may issue derivative securities, including options and/or warrants, from time to time, to procure qualified personnel or for other business reasons. The issuance of any such derivative securities, which is at the discretion of our board of directors, may further dilute the equity ownership of our stockholders.

We may sell shares or other securities in any other offering at a price per share that is less than the price per share paid by investors in this offering, and investors purchasing shares or other securities in the future could have rights superior to existing stockholders. The price per share at which we sell additional shares of our common stock, or securities convertible or exchangeable into common stock, in future transactions may be higher or lower than the price per share paid by investors in this offering. No assurance can be given as to our ability to procure additional financing, if required, and on terms deemed favorable to us. To the extent additional capital is required and cannot be raised successfully, we may then have to limit our then current operations and/or may have to curtail certain, if not all, of our business objectives and plans.

We have broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds from this offering and may not use them effectively.

Our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from this offering, including for any of the purposes described in the section entitled “Use of Proceeds,” and you will not have the opportunity as part of your investment decision to assess whether the net proceeds are being used appropriately. Because of the number and variability of factors that will determine our use of the net proceeds from this offering, their ultimate use may vary substantially from their currently intended use. Our management might not apply our net proceeds in ways that ultimately increase the value of your investment. We expect to use the net proceeds from this offering to prepare for potential commercialization of momelotinib, fund our MOMENTUM Phase 3 trial, research, clinical and process development and manufacturing of our product candidates, working capital, capital expenditures and other general corporate purposes. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could harm our business. Pending their use, we plan to invest the net proceeds from this offering in short-term or long-term, investment-grade, interest-bearing securities. These investments may not yield a favorable return to our stockholders. If we do not invest or apply the net proceeds from this offering in ways that enhance stockholder value, we may fail to achieve expected financial results, which could cause our stock price to decline.

S-6

It is not possible to predict the aggregate proceeds resulting from sales made under the sales agreement.

Subject to certain limitations in the sales agreement and compliance with applicable law, we have the discretion to deliver an issuance notice to Jefferies at any time throughout the term of the sales agreement. The number of shares that are sold through Jefferies after delivering an issuance notice will fluctuate based on a number of factors, including the market price of our common stock during the sales period, any limits we may set with Jefferies in any applicable issuance notice and the demand for our common stock. Because the price per share of each share sold pursuant to the sales agreement will fluctuate over time, it is not currently possible to predict the aggregate proceeds to be raised in connection with sales under the sales agreement.

The common stock offered hereby will be sold in “at the market offerings”, and investors who buy shares at different times will likely pay different prices.

Investors who purchase shares in this offering at different times will likely pay different prices, and so may experience different outcomes in their investment results. We will have discretion, subject to market demand, to vary the timing, prices, and numbers of shares sold, and there is no minimum or maximum sales price. Investors may experience a decline in the value of their shares as a result of share sales made at prices lower than the prices they paid.

Shares of our common stock are subordinate to any preferred stock we may issue and to any future indebtedness.

Shares of our common stock rank junior to any shares of our preferred stock that we may issue in the future and to any future indebtedness we may incur, as well as to all creditor claims and other non-equity claims against us and our assets available to satisfy claims on us, including claims in a bankruptcy or similar proceeding. Any future indebtedness and preferred stock may restrict, payment of dividends on our common stock.

Furthermore, unlike indebtedness, where principal and interest customarily are payable on specified due dates, in the case of our common stock, (i) dividends are payable only when and if declared by our board of directors or a duly authorized committee of our board of directors, and (ii) as a corporation, we are restricted to making dividend payments and redemption payments out of legally available assets. We have never paid a dividend on our common stock and have no current intention to pay dividends in the future. Furthermore, our common stock places no restrictions on our business or operations or on our ability to incur indebtedness or engage in any transactions, subject only to the voting rights available to our shareholders generally.

S-7

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus supplement and documents incorporated herein by reference contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. We caution readers that any forward-looking statement is not a guarantee of future performance and that actual results could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statement. These statements are based on current expectations of future events.

Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding expectations and intentions, costs and expenses, outcome of contingencies, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, objectives of management, debt financing, our future results of operations and financial position, business strategies, market size, potential growth opportunities, current and future nonclinical and clinical development activities, anticipated impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, efficacy and safety profile of our product candidates, expected timing and results of clinical trials, expected timing of the execution of, and expected results from, our exploration of strategic options, collaborations with third parties, the receipt and timing of potential regulatory designations, approvals and commercialization of product candidates, and our objectives for future operations and other statements that are not historical facts. You can find many of these statements by looking for words like “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “may,” “might,” “should,” “will,” “could,” “plan,” “intend,” “project,” “seek” or similar expressions in this prospectus supplement, in documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectus. We intend that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbors created thereby.

These forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs and expectations of our management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from current expectations and projections. Factors that might cause such a difference include those discussed in Part II, Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2020, as well as those discussed in this prospectus supplement, the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any free writing prospectus. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this prospectus supplement or, in the case of documents referred to or incorporated by reference, the date of those documents.

All subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. We do not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this prospectus supplement or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable U.S. securities law. If we do update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.

S-8

USE OF PROCEEDS

We may issue and sell shares of our common stock having aggregate sales proceeds of up to $30.0 million from time to time. Because there is no minimum offering amount required as a condition to close this offering, the actual total public offering amount, commissions and proceeds to us, if any, are not determinable at this time. There can be no assurance that we will sell any shares under or fully utilize the sales agreement with Jefferies as a source of financing.

We currently intend to use any net proceeds from the sale of securities under this prospectus supplement and the accompanying base prospectus primarily to prepare for potential commercialization of momelotinib, fund our MOMENTUM Phase 3 trial, research, clinical and process development and manufacturing of our product candidates, working capital, capital expenditures and other general corporate purposes. Additionally, we may use a portion of the net proceeds from this offering to expand our current business by in-licensing or acquiring, as the case may be, commercial products, product candidates, technologies, compounds, other assets or complementary businesses, using cash or shares of our common stock. However, we have no current commitments or obligations to do so.

The amounts and timing of our actual expenditures will depend on numerous factors, including the progress of our clinical trials and other development efforts and other factors described under “Risk Factors” in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying base prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein, as well as the amount of cash used in our operations. We may find it necessary or advisable to use the net proceeds for other purposes, and we will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds. Pending the uses described above, we plan to invest the net proceeds from this offering in short-term or long-term, investment-grade, interest-bearing securities.

S-9

DILUTION

If you invest in our common stock, your interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the price per share you pay in this offering and the net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after this offering. Our net tangible book value of our common stock as of September 30, 2020 was approximately $105.4 million, or approximately $10.04 per share of common stock based upon 10,495,732 shares outstanding as of September 30, 2020. Net tangible book value per share is equal to our total tangible assets, less our total liabilities, divided by the total number of shares outstanding as of September 30, 2020.

After giving effect to the sale of our common stock in the aggregate amount of $30.0 million at an assumed offering price of $14.75 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market on February 11, 2021, and after deducting commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our as adjusted net tangible book value as of September 30, 2020 would have been $134.3 million, or $10.72 per share of common stock. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $0.68 per share to our existing stockholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of $4.03 per share to new investors in this offering.

The following table illustrates this calculation on a per share basis. The as-adjusted information is illustrative only and will adjust based on the actual price to the public, the actual number of shares sold and other terms of the offering determined at the time shares of our common stock are sold pursuant to this prospectus supplement. The as-adjusted information assumes that all of our common stock in the aggregate amount of $30,000,000 is sold at the assumed offering price of $14.75 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market on February 11, 2021. The shares sold in this offering, if any, will be sold from time to time at various prices.


Assumed public offering price per share			$	14.75
Net tangible book value per share as of September 30, 2020	$	10.04
Increase in net tangible book value per share attributable to the offering		0.68

As adjusted net tangible book value per share after giving effect to the offering				10.72

Dilution per share to new investors participating in the offering			$	4.03

The number of shares of our common stock to be outstanding immediately after this offering is based on 10,495,732 shares of our common stock outstanding as of September 30, 2020. The number of shares outstanding as of September 30, 2020 excludes:

•

4,246,167 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of options outstanding as of September 30, 2020 with a weighted average exercise price of $19.38 per share;

•

11,104,090 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants outstanding as of September 30, 2020, with a weighted average exercise price of $13.21 per share; and

•

The foregoing table does not give effect to the exercise of any outstanding options or warrants. To the extent options or warrants are exercised, there may be further dilution to new investors.

S-10

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We have previously entered into a sales agreement with Jefferies, under which we may offer and sell up to $30.0 million of our shares of common stock from time to time through Jefferies acting as agent. Sales of our shares of common stock, if any, under this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus will be made by any method that is deemed to be an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act.

Each time we wish to issue and sell shares of common stock under the sales agreement, we will notify Jefferies of the number of shares to be issued, the dates on which such sales are anticipated to be made, any limitation on the number of shares to be sold in any one day and any minimum price below which sales may not be made. Once we have so instructed Jefferies, unless Jefferies declines to accept the terms of such notice, Jefferies 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 Jefferies under the sales agreement to sell our shares of common stock are subject to a number of conditions that we must meet.

The settlement of sales of shares between us and Jefferies is generally anticipated to occur on the second trading day following the date on which the sale was made. Sales of our shares of common stock as contemplated in this prospectus supplement will be settled through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company or by such other means as we and Jefferies may agree upon. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in an escrow, trust or similar arrangement.

We will pay Jefferies a commission equal to 3.0% of the aggregate gross proceeds we receive from each sale of our shares of common stock. Because there is no minimum offering amount required as a condition to close this offering, the actual total public offering amount, commissions and proceeds to us, if any, are not determinable at this time. In addition, we have agreed to reimburse Jefferies for the fees and disbursements of its counsel, in connection with the filing of this prospectus supplement, in an amount not to exceed $50,000, in addition to certain ongoing disbursements of its legal counsel, unless we and Jefferies otherwise agree. We estimate that the total expenses for this offering, excluding any commissions or expense reimbursement payable to Jefferies under the terms of the sales agreement, will be approximately $0.1 million. The remaining sale proceeds, after deducting any other transaction fees, will equal our net proceeds from the sale of such shares.

Jefferies will provide written confirmation to us before the open on The Nasdaq Global Market on the day following each day on which shares of common stock are sold under the sales agreement. Each confirmation will include the number of shares sold on that day, the aggregate gross proceeds of such sales and the proceeds to us.

In connection with the sale of the shares of common stock on our behalf, Jefferies will be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act, and the compensation of Jefferies will be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have agreed to indemnify Jefferies against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We have also agreed to contribute to payments Jefferies may be required to make in respect of such liabilities.

The offering of our shares of common stock pursuant to the sales agreement will terminate upon the earlier of (i) the sale of all shares of common stock subject to the sales agreement and (ii) the termination of the sales agreement as permitted therein.

This summary of the material provisions of the sales agreement does not purport to be a complete statement of its terms and conditions. A copy of the sales agreement is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus supplement forms a part.

Jefferies and its affiliates may in the future provide various investment banking, commercial banking, financial advisory and other financial services for us and our affiliates, for which services they may in the future receive customary fees. In the course of its business, Jefferies may actively trade our securities for its own account or for the accounts of customers, and, accordingly, Jefferies may at any time hold long or short positions in such securities.

A prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus in electronic format may be made available on a website maintained by Jefferies, and Jefferies may distribute the prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus electronically.

S-11

LEGAL MATTERS

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation, Palo Alto, California, will pass upon certain legal matters relating to the issuance and sale of the securities offered hereby on behalf of Sierra Oncology, Inc. Jefferies LLC is being represented in connection with this offering by Cooley LLP, New York, New York.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements incorporated in this prospectus by reference from the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report, which is incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements have been so incorporated in reliance upon the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

S-12

PROSPECTUS

$150,000,000

LOGO

Sierra Oncology, Inc.

Common Stock, Preferred Stock,

Debt Securities, Warrants, Subscription Rights and Units

From time to time, we may offer up to $150,000,000 aggregate dollar amount of shares of our common stock or preferred stock, debt securities, warrants to purchase our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities, subscription rights to purchase our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities and/or units consisting of some or all of these securities, in any combination, together or separately, in one or more offerings, in amounts, at prices and on the terms that we will determine at the time of the offering and which will be set forth in a prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus. The prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. The total amount of these securities will have an initial aggregate offering price of up to $150,000,000.

You should read this prospectus, the information incorporated, or deemed to be incorporated, by reference in this prospectus, and any applicable prospectus supplement and related free writing prospectus carefully before you invest.

Our common stock is traded on The Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “SRRA.” On August 5, 2020 the last reported sales price for our common stock was $11.75 per share. None of the other securities we may offer are currently traded on any securities exchange. The applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus will contain information, where applicable, as to any other listing on The Nasdaq Global Market or any securities market or exchange of the securities covered by the prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus.

Under the registration statement to which this prospectus forms a part, we may not sell our securities in a primary offering with a value exceeding one-third of our public float in any 12-month period (unless our public float rises to $75.0 million or more). The aggregate market value of our outstanding common stock held by non-affiliates, or public float, was approximately $71.0 million, based on 10,395,732 shares of outstanding common stock, of which approximately 5,755,745 shares were held by affiliates, and a price of $15.31 per share, which was the last reported sale price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Global Market on June 18, 2020. We have not offered any securities pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6. of Form S-3 in the prior 12-month period that ends on and includes the date of this prospectus, other than $20,000,000 of our common stock that may be issued and sold under an open market sale agreement dated August 6, 2020 with Jefferies LLC, which is being registered concurrently herewith.

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the information under the heading “Risk Factors” beginning on page 4 of this prospectus before investing in our securities.

Common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants, subscription rights and/or units may be sold by us to or through underwriters or dealers, directly to purchasers or through agents designated from time to time. For additional information on the methods of sale, you should refer to the section entitled “Plan of Distribution” in this prospectus. If any underwriters, dealers or agents are involved in the sale of any securities with respect to which this prospectus is being delivered, the names of such underwriters or agents and any applicable fees, discounts or commissions, details regarding over-allotment options, if any, and the net proceeds to us will be set forth in a prospectus supplement. The price to the public of such securities and the net proceeds we expect to receive from such sale will also be set forth in a prospectus supplement.

The date of this prospectus is August 13, 2020

TABLE OF CONTENTS


	PAGE
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS		1
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY		2
RISK FACTORS		4
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS		5
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION		6
INCORPORATION OF INFORMATION BY REFERENCE		7
USE OF PROCEEDS		8
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION		9
DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK		11
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES		14
DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS		20
DESCRIPTION OF SUBSCRIPTION RIGHTS		22
DESCRIPTION OF UNITS		23
LEGAL MATTERS		25
EXPERTS		25

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, from time to time, we may sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings, up to a total dollar amount of $150,000,000, subject to any applicable limitations of General Instruction I.B.6. of Form S-3. We have provided to you in this prospectus a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities under this shelf registration process, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of the offering. We may also add, update or change in the prospectus supplement any of the information contained in this prospectus. To the extent there is a conflict between the information contained in this prospectus and the prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in the prospectus supplement; provided that, if any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in another document having a later date—for example, a document incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement—the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement. You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”

Neither we, nor any agent, underwriter or dealer have authorized anyone to give you any information or to make any representation other than the information and representations contained in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement. We and any agent, underwriter or dealer take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information others may give you. You may not imply from the delivery of this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement, nor from a sale made under this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement, that our affairs are unchanged since the date of this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement or that the information contained in any document incorporated by reference is accurate as of any date other than the date of the document incorporated by reference, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement or any sale of a security. This prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement may only be used where it is legal to sell the securities.

THIS PROSPECTUS MAY NOT BE USED TO OFFER AND SELL SECURITIES UNLESS IT IS ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADDITIONAL PROSPECTUS OR A PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT.

In this prospectus, unless the context otherwise requires, the terms “Sierra,” “Sierra Oncology,” the “Company,” “Registrant,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Sierra Oncology, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary highlights information contained in other parts of this prospectus or incorporated by reference in this prospectus from our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2020 and our other filings with the SEC listed below under the heading “Incorporation of Information by Reference.” This summary may not contain all the information that you should consider before investing in securities. You should read the entire prospectus and the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus carefully, including “Risk Factors” and the financial data and related notes and other information incorporated by reference, before making an investment decision. See “Forward-Looking Statements.”

Our Company

We are a late stage drug development company focused on advancing our product candidate, momelotinib, a potent, selective and orally-bioavailable JAK1 (Janus kinase 1), JAK2 (Janus kinase 2) and ACVR1 (Activin A receptor type 1) inhibitor with a potentially differentiated therapeutic profile for the treatment of myelofibrosis. We have a highly experienced management team with a proven track record of success in drug development. We are oriented towards achieving the successful registration and commercialization of momelotinib.

The Securities We May Offer

With this prospectus, we may offer common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants to purchase our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities, subscription rights to purchase our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities, and/or units consisting of some or all of these securities in any combination. The aggregate offering price of securities that we offer with this prospectus will not exceed $150,000,000, subject to any applicable limitations of General Instruction I.B.6. of Form S-3. Each time we offer securities with this prospectus, we will provide offerees with a prospectus supplement that will contain the specific terms of the securities being offered. The following is a summary of the securities we may offer with this prospectus.

Common Stock

We may offer shares of our common stock, par value $0.001 per share.

Preferred Stock

We may offer shares of our preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share, in one or more series. Our board of directors or a committee designated by the board will determine the dividend, voting, conversion and other rights of the series of shares of preferred stock being offered. Each series of preferred stock will be more fully described in the particular prospectus supplement that will accompany this prospectus, including redemption provisions, rights in the event of our liquidation, dissolution or the winding up, voting rights and rights to convert into common stock.

Debt Securities

We may offer general obligations, which may be secured or unsecured, senior or subordinated and convertible into shares of our common stock or preferred stock. In this prospectus, we refer to the senior debt securities and the subordinated debt securities together as the “debt securities.” Our board of directors will determine the terms of each series of debt securities being offered.

We will issue the debt securities under an indenture between us and a trustee. In this document, we have summarized general features of the debt securities from the indenture. We encourage you to read the indenture, which is an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

Warrants

We may offer warrants for the purchase of debt securities, shares of preferred stock or shares of common stock. We may issue warrants independently or together with other securities. Our board of directors will determine the terms of the warrants.

Subscription Rights

We may offer subscription rights for the purchase of common stock, preferred stock or debt securities. We may issue subscription rights independently or together with other securities. Our board of directors will determine the terms of the subscription rights.

Units

We may offer units consisting of some or all of the securities described above, in any combination, including common stock, preferred stock, warrants and/or debt securities. The terms of these units will be set forth in a prospectus supplement. The description of the terms of these units in the related prospectus supplement will not be complete. You should refer to the applicable form of unit and unit agreement for complete information with respect to these units.

* * *

We were incorporated in the State of Delaware in May 2003 as Phenome Systems, Inc. and changed our name to ProNAi Therapeutics, Inc. in April 2004. Shortly thereafter, we merged with SenseGene Therapeutics Inc., a Michigan corporation, with ProNAi Therapeutics, Inc. being the surviving corporation. We changed our name to Sierra Oncology, Inc. in January 2017. Our principal executive offices are located at 2150 – 885 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6C 3E8, and our telephone number is (604) 558-6536. Our website address is www.sierraoncology.com. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not part of, and is not incorporated by reference into, this prospectus. Investors should not rely on any such information in deciding whether to purchase our securities.

RISK FACTORS

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. The prospectus supplement applicable to each offering of securities will contain a discussion of the risks applicable to an investment in our securities. Prior to making a decision about investing in our securities, you should carefully consider the specific factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in the applicable prospectus supplement, together with all of the other information contained or incorporated by reference in the prospectus supplement or appearing or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. You should also consider the risks, uncertainties and assumptions discussed under Part II, Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2020, which is incorporated herein by reference, and may be amended, supplemented or superseded from time to time by other reports we file with the SEC in the future. The risks and uncertainties we have described are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our operations.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus and documents incorporated herein by reference contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. We caution readers that any forward-looking statement is not a guarantee of future performance and that actual results could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statement. These statements are based on current expectations of future events.

Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding expectations and intentions, costs and expenses, outcome of contingencies, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, objectives of management, debt financing, our future results of operations and financial position, business strategies, market size, potential growth opportunities, current and future nonclinical and clinical development activities, anticipated impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, efficacy and safety profile of our product candidates, expected timing and results of clinical trials, expected timing of the execution of, and expected results from, our exploration of strategic options, collaborations with third parties, the receipt and timing of potential regulatory designations, approvals and commercialization of product candidates, and our objectives for future operations and other statements that are not historical facts. You can find many of these statements by looking for words like “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “may,” “might,” “should,” “will,” “could,” “plan,” “intend,” “project,” “seek” or similar expressions in this prospectus, in documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus or any free writing prospectus. We intend that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbors created thereby.

These forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs and expectations of our management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from current expectations and projections. Factors that might cause such a difference include those discussed in Part II, Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2020, as well as those discussed in this prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any free writing prospectus. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this prospectus or, in the case of documents referred to or incorporated by reference, the date of those documents.

All subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. We do not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this prospectus or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable U.S. securities law. If we do update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities offered hereby. This prospectus, which constitutes a part of the registration statement, does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement, the exhibits filed therewith or the documents incorporated by reference therein. For further information about us and the securities offered hereby, reference is made to the registration statement, the exhibits filed therewith and the documents incorporated by reference therein. Statements contained in this prospectus regarding the contents of any contract or any other document that is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement are not necessarily complete, and in each instance, we refer you to the copy of such contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the registration statement.

We are subject to the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act and are required to file annual, quarterly and other reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains an Internet site (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and various other information about us. You can request these documents by contacting us in writing or by telephone at:

2150 – 885 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6C 3E8

(604) 558-6536

Information about us is also available at our website at http://www.sierraoncology.com. However, the information on our website is not a part of this prospectus and is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus.

INCORPORATION OF INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information that we file with the SEC, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those other documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus, and information we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. A Current Report (or portion thereof) furnished, but not filed, on Form 8-K shall not be incorporated by reference into this prospectus. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any future filings we make with the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the termination of any offering of securities made by this prospectus:

•

our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on March 3, 2020;

•

our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2020 and June 30, 2020, filed with the SEC on May 7, 2020 and August 6, 2020, respectively;

•

our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 21, 2020, January 22, 2020, February 6, 2020, April 16, 2020, May 26, 2020, June 3, 2020, and June 11, 2020;

•

filings we make with the SEC pursuant to the Exchange Act after the date of the initial registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, and prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement.

We will furnish without charge to you, on written or oral request, a copy of any or all of such documents that has been incorporated herein by reference (other than exhibits to such documents unless such exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference into the documents that this prospectus incorporates). Written or oral requests for copies should be directed to Sierra Oncology, Inc., 2150 – 885 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6C 3E8, and our telephone number is (604) 558-6536. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Where You Can Find More Information” for information concerning how to obtain copies of materials that we file with the SEC.

Any statement contained in this prospectus, or in a document, all or a portion of which is incorporated by reference, shall be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any document incorporated by reference modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not, except as so modified or superseded, constitute a part of this prospectus.

USE OF PROCEEDS

We will retain broad discretion over the use of the net proceeds to us from the sale of our securities under this prospectus. Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of securities under this prospectus for general corporate purposes, which may include funding research, clinical and process development and manufacturing of our product candidates, pre-commercial activities, increasing our working capital, reducing indebtedness as applicable, acquisitions or investments in businesses, products or technologies that are complementary to our own and capital expenditures. We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement our intended use for the net proceeds received from the sale of any securities. Pending the application of the net proceeds, we intend to invest the net proceeds in short-term or long-term, investment-grade, interest-bearing securities.

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We may sell the securities covered by this prospectus to one or more underwriters for public offering and sale by them, and may also sell the securities to investors directly or through agents. We will name any underwriter or agent involved in the offer and sale of securities in the applicable prospectus supplement. We have reserved the right to sell or exchange securities directly to investors on our own behalf in jurisdictions where we are authorized to do so. We may distribute the securities from time to time in one or more transactions:

•

at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed;

•

at market prices prevailing at the time of sale;

•

at prices related to such prevailing market prices; or

•

at negotiated prices.

We may directly solicit offers to purchase the securities being offered by this prospectus. We may also designate agents to solicit offers to purchase the securities from time to time. We will name in a prospectus supplement any agent involved in the offer or sale of our securities. Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement, an agent will be acting on a best efforts basis, and a dealer will purchase securities as a principal for resale at varying prices to be determined by the dealer.

If we utilize an underwriter in the sale of the securities being offered by this prospectus, we will execute an underwriting agreement with the underwriter at the time of sale and we will provide the name of any underwriter in the prospectus supplement that the underwriter will use to make resales of the securities to the public. In connection with the sale of the securities, we, or the purchasers of securities for whom the underwriter may act as agent, may compensate the underwriter in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions. The underwriter may sell the securities to or through dealers, and those dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters or commissions from the purchasers for whom they may act as agent.

We will provide in the applicable prospectus supplement any compensation we pay to underwriters, dealers, or agents in connection with the offering of the securities, and any discounts, concessions or commissions allowed by underwriters to participating dealers. Underwriters, dealers and agents participating in the distribution of the securities may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and any discounts and commissions received by them and any profit realized by them on resale of the securities may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions. We may enter into agreements to indemnify underwriters, dealers and agents against civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and to reimburse them for certain expenses. We may grant underwriters who participate in the distribution of our securities under this prospectus an option to purchase additional securities to cover any over-allotments in connection with the distribution.

The securities we offer under this prospectus may or may not be listed through The Nasdaq Global Market or any other securities exchange. To facilitate the offering of securities, certain persons participating in the offering may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the securities. This may include short sales of the securities, which involves the sale by persons participating in the offering of more securities than we sold to them. In these circumstances, these persons would cover such short positions by making purchases in the open market or by exercising their option to purchase additional securities. In addition, these persons may stabilize or maintain the price of the securities by bidding for or purchasing securities in the open market or by imposing penalty bids, whereby selling concessions allowed to dealers participating in the offering may be reclaimed if securities sold by them are repurchased in connection with stabilization transactions. The effect of these transactions may be to stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. These transactions may be discontinued at any time.

We may engage in at the market offerings into an existing trading market in accordance with Rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act. In addition, we may enter into derivative transactions with third parties, or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If the applicable prospectus supplement indicates, in connection with those derivatives, the third parties may sell securities covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, including short sale transactions. If so, the third party may use securities pledged by us or borrowed from us or others to settle those sales or to close out any related open borrowings of stock, and they may use securities received from us in settlement of those derivatives to close out any related open borrowings of stock. The third party in these sale transactions will be an underwriter and will be identified in the applicable prospectus supplement. In addition, we may otherwise loan or pledge securities to a financial institution or other third party that in turn may sell the securities short using this prospectus. The financial institution or other third party may transfer its economic short position to investors in our securities or in connection with a concurrent offering of other securities.

We will file a prospectus supplement to describe the terms of any offering of our securities covered by this prospectus. The prospectus supplement will disclose:

•

the terms of the offer;

•

the names of any underwriters, including any managing underwriters, as well as any dealers or agents;

•

the purchase price of the securities from us;

•

the net proceeds to us from the sale of the securities;

•

any delayed delivery arrangements;

•

any over-allotment or other options under which underwriters, if any, may purchase additional securities from us;

•

any underwriting discounts, commissions or other items constituting underwriters’ compensation, and any commissions paid to agents;

•

in a subscription rights offering, whether we have engaged dealer-managers to facilitate the offering or subscription, including their name or names and compensation;

•

any public offering price; and

•

other facts material to the transaction.

We will bear all or substantially all of the costs, expenses and fees in connection with the registration of our securities under this prospectus. The underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in transactions with us, or perform services for us, in the ordinary course of business.

Under Rule 15c6-1 of the Exchange Act, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in two business days, unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise or the securities are sold by us to an underwriter in a firm commitment underwritten offering. The applicable prospectus supplement may provide that the original issue date for your securities may be more than two scheduled business days after the trade date for your securities. Accordingly, in such a case, if you wish to trade securities on any date prior to the second business day before the original issue date for your securities, you will be required, by virtue of the fact that your securities initially are expected to settle in more than two scheduled business days after the trade date for your securities, to make alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement.

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

General

Our authorized capital stock consists of 500,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share, and 10,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock, $0.001 par value per share. The following description summarizes the most important terms of our capital stock. Because it is only a summary, it does not contain all the information that may be important to you. For a complete description, you should refer to our restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, which are included as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, and to the applicable provisions of Delaware law.

As of June 30, 2020, there were 10,395,732 shares of our common stock outstanding, and no shares of preferred stock outstanding.

Common Stock

Dividend rights

Subject to preferences that may apply to any shares of preferred stock outstanding at the time, the holders of our common stock are entitled to receive dividends out of funds legally available if our board of directors, in its discretion, determines to issue dividends and then only at the times and in the amounts that our board of directors may determine. For more information about our dividend policy, see “Dividend Policy” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

Voting rights

Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders. We have not provided for cumulative voting for the election of directors in our restated certificate of incorporation. Accordingly, holders of a majority of the shares of our common stock are able to elect all of our directors. Our restated certificate of incorporation establishes a classified board of directors, divided into three classes with staggered three-year terms. Only one class of directors will be elected at each annual meeting of our stockholders, with the other classes continuing for the remainder of their respective three-year terms.

No preemptive or similar rights

Our common stock is not entitled to preemptive rights, and is not subject to conversion, redemption or sinking fund provisions.

Right to receive liquidation distributions

Upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding-up, the assets legally available for distribution to our stockholders would be distributable ratably among the holders of our common stock and any participating preferred stock outstanding at that time, subject to prior satisfaction of all outstanding debt and liabilities and the preferential rights of and the payment of liquidation preferences, if any, on any outstanding shares of preferred stock.

Preferred Stock

Our board of directors is authorized, subject to limitations prescribed by Delaware law, to issue preferred stock in one or more series, to establish from time to time the number of shares to be included in each series and to fix the designation, powers, preferences and rights of the shares of each series and any of its qualifications, limitations or restrictions, in each case without further vote or action by our stockholders. Our board of directors can also increase or decrease the number of shares of any series of preferred stock, but not below the number of shares of that series then outstanding, without any further vote or action by our stockholders. Our board of directors may authorize the issuance of preferred stock with voting or conversion rights that could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of our common stock. The issuance of preferred stock, while providing flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could, among other things, have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our company and might adversely affect the market price of our common stock and the voting and other rights of the holders of our common stock.

Anti-Takeover Provisions

The provisions of Delaware law, our restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws could have the effect of delaying, deferring or discouraging another person from acquiring control of our company. These provisions, which are summarized below, may have the effect of discouraging takeover bids. They are also designed, in part, to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to negotiate first with our board of directors. We believe that the benefits of increased protection of our potential ability to negotiate with an unfriendly or unsolicited acquirer outweigh the disadvantages of discouraging a proposal to acquire us because negotiation of these proposals could result in an improvement of their terms.

Delaware Law

We are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or DGCL, regulating corporate takeovers. In general, DGCL Section 203 prohibits a publicly-held Delaware corporation from engaging in a business combination with an interested stockholder for a period of three years following the date on which the person became an interested stockholder unless:

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prior to the date of the transaction, the board of directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;

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the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the voting stock outstanding, but not the outstanding voting stock owned by the interested stockholder, (i) shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers and (ii) shares owned by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; or

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at or subsequent to the date of the transaction, the business combination is approved by the board of directors of the corporation and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder.

Generally, a business combination includes a merger, asset or stock sale, or other transaction or series of transactions together resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. An interested stockholder is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns or, within three years prior to the determination of interested stockholder status, did own 15% or more of a corporation’s outstanding voting stock. We expect the existence of this provision to have an anti-takeover effect with respect to transactions our board of directors does not approve in advance. We also anticipate that DGCL Section 203 may also discourage attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares of common stock held by stockholders.

Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws Provisions

Our restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws include a number of provisions that could deter hostile takeovers or delay or prevent changes in control of our company, including the following:

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Board of Directors vacancies. Our restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws authorize only our board of directors to fill vacant directorships, including newly created seats. In addition, the number of directors constituting our board of directors is permitted to be set only by a resolution adopted by a majority vote of our entire board of directors. These provisions would prevent a stockholder from increasing the size of our board of directors and then gaining control of our board of directors by filling the resulting vacancies with its own nominees. This makes it more difficult to change the composition of our board of directors but promotes continuity of management.

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Classified board. Our restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide that our board of directors is classified into three classes of directors, each with staggered three-year terms. A third party may be discouraged from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us as it is more difficult and time consuming for stockholders to replace a majority of the directors on a classified board of directors.

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Stockholder action; special meetings of stockholders. Our restated certificate of incorporation provides that our stockholders may not take action by written consent, but may only take action at annual or special meetings of our stockholders. As a result, a holder controlling a majority of our capital stock would not be able to amend our amended and restated bylaws or remove directors without holding a meeting of our stockholders called in accordance with our amended and restated bylaws. Further, our amended and restated bylaws and restated certificate of incorporation provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by a majority of our board of directors, the chairman of our board of directors, our Chief Executive Officer or our President, thus prohibiting a stockholder from calling a special meeting. These provisions might delay the ability of our stockholders to force consideration of a proposal or for stockholders controlling a majority of our capital stock to take any action, including the removal of directors.

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Advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals and director nominations. Our amended and restated bylaws provide advance notice procedures for stockholders seeking to bring business before our annual meeting of stockholders or to nominate candidates for election as directors at our annual meeting of stockholders. Our amended and restated bylaws also specify certain requirements regarding the form and content of a stockholder’s notice. These provisions might preclude our stockholders from bringing matters before our annual meeting of stockholders or from making nominations for directors at our annual meeting of stockholders if the proper procedures are not followed. We expect that these provisions might also discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of our company.

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No cumulative voting. The DGCL provides that stockholders are not entitled to the right to cumulate votes in the election of directors unless a corporation’s certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Our restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws do not provide for cumulative voting.

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Directors removed only for cause. Our restated certificate of incorporation provides that stockholders may remove directors only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of our outstanding common stock.

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Amendment of charter provisions. Any amendment of the above provisions in our restated certificate of incorporation requires approval by holders of at least two-thirds of our outstanding common stock.

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Issuance of undesignated preferred stock. Our board of directors has the authority, without further action by the stockholders, to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock with rights and preferences, including voting rights, designated from time to time by our board of directors. The existence of authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock would enable our board of directors to render more difficult or to discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or other means.

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Choice of forum. Our restated certificate of incorporation provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum for any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; any action asserting a breach of fiduciary duty; any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to the DGCL, our restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws; or any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. This exclusive forum provision does not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act. It could apply, however, to a suit that falls within one or more of the categories enumerated in the exclusive forum provision and asserts claims under the Securities Act, inasmuch as Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Our amended and restated bylaws, as amended, provides that the federal district courts of the United States of America will, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act, with such provision in our amended and restated bylaws referred to as a Federal Forum Provision. While there can be no assurance that federal or state courts will follow the holding of the Delaware Supreme Court or determine that the Federal Forum Provision should be enforced in a particular case, application of the Federal Forum Provision means that suits brought by our stockholders to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act must be brought in federal court and cannot be brought in state court.

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is American Stock Transfer and Trust Company, LLC.

Exchange Listing

Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “SRRA.”

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

General

We will issue the debt securities offered by this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement under an indenture to be entered into between us and the trustee identified in the applicable prospectus supplement. The terms of the debt securities will include those stated in the indenture and those made part of the indenture by reference to the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as in effect on the date of the indenture. We have filed a copy of the form of indenture as an exhibit to the registration statement in which this prospectus is included. The indenture will be subject to and governed by the terms of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939.

We may offer under this prospectus up to an aggregate principal amount of $150,000,000 in debt securities, or if debt securities are issued at a discount, or in a foreign currency, foreign currency units or composite currency, the principal amount as may be sold for an aggregate public offering price of up to $150,000,000, subject to any applicable limitations of General Instruction I.B.6. of Form S-3. Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities will represent our direct, unsecured obligations and will rank equally with all of our other unsecured indebtedness.

We may issue the debt securities in one or more series with the same or various maturities, at par, at a premium, or at a discount. We will describe the particular terms of each series of debt securities in a prospectus supplement relating to that series, which we will file with the SEC. The prospectus supplement relating to the particular series of debt securities being offered will specify the particular amounts, prices and terms of those debt securities. These terms may include:

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the title of the series;

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the aggregate principal amount, and, if a series, the total amount authorized and the total amount outstanding;

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the issue price or prices, expressed as a percentage of the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities;

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any limit on the aggregate principal amount;

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the date or dates on which principal is payable;

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the interest rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable) or, if applicable, the method used to determine such rate or rates;

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the date or dates from which interest, if any, will be payable and any regular record date for the interest payable;

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the place or places where principal and, if applicable, premium and interest, is payable;

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the terms and conditions upon which we may, or the holders may require us to, redeem or repurchase the debt securities;

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the denominations in which such debt securities may be issuable, if other than denominations of $1,000 or any integral multiple of that number;

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whether the debt securities are to be issuable in the form of certificated securities (as described below) or global securities (as described below);

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the portion of principal amount that will be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity date if other than the principal amount of the debt securities;

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the currency of denomination;

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the designation of the currency, currencies or currency units in which payment of principal and, if applicable, premium and interest, will be made;

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if payments of principal and, if applicable, premium or interest, on the debt securities are to be made in one or more currencies or currency units other than the currency of denomination, the manner in which the exchange rate with respect to such payments will be determined;

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if amounts of principal and, if applicable, premium and interest may be determined by reference to an index based on a currency or currencies or by reference to a commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index, then the manner in which such amounts will be determined;

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the provisions, if any, relating to any collateral provided for such debt securities;

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any addition to or change in the covenants and/or the acceleration provisions described in this prospectus or in the indenture;

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any events of default, if not otherwise described below under “Events of Default”;

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the terms and conditions, if any, for conversion into or exchange for shares of our common stock or preferred stock;

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any depositaries, interest rate calculation agents, exchange rate calculation agents or other agents; and

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the terms and conditions, if any, upon which the debt securities shall be subordinated in right of payment to our other indebtedness.

We may issue discount debt securities that provide for an amount less than the stated principal amount to be due and payable upon acceleration of the maturity of such debt securities in accordance with the terms of the indenture. We may also issue debt securities in bearer form, with or without coupons. If we issue discount debt securities or debt securities in bearer form, we will describe material U.S. federal income tax considerations and other material special considerations which apply to these debt securities in the applicable prospectus supplement.

We may issue debt securities denominated in or payable in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units. If we do, we will describe the restrictions, elections, and general tax considerations relating to the debt securities and the foreign currency or currencies or foreign currency unit or units in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Debt securities offered under this prospectus and any prospectus supplement will be subordinated in right of payment to certain of our outstanding senior indebtedness. In addition, we will seek the consent of the holders of any such senior indebtedness prior to issuing any debt securities under this prospectus to the extent required by the agreements evidencing such senior indebtedness.

Registrar and Paying Agent

The debt securities may be presented for registration of transfer or for exchange at the corporate trust office of the security registrar or at any other office or agency that we maintain for those purposes. In addition, the debt securities may be presented for payment of principal, interest and any premium at the office of the paying agent or at any office or agency that we maintain for those purposes.

Conversion or Exchange Rights

Debt securities may be convertible into or exchangeable for shares of our common stock. The terms and conditions of conversion or exchange will be stated in the applicable prospectus supplement. The terms will include, among others, the following:

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the conversion or exchange price;

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the conversion or exchange period;

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provisions regarding the convertibility or exchangeability of the debt securities, including who may convert or exchange;

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events requiring adjustment to the conversion or exchange price;

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provisions affecting conversion or exchange in the event of our redemption of the debt securities; and

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any anti-dilution provisions, if applicable.

Registered Global Securities

If we decide to issue debt securities in the form of one or more global securities, then we will register the global securities in the name of the depositary for the global securities or the nominee of the depositary, and the global securities will be delivered by the trustee to the depositary for credit to the accounts of the holders of beneficial interests in the debt securities.

The prospectus supplement will describe the specific terms of the depositary arrangement for debt securities of a series that are issued in global form. None of us, the trustee, any payment agent or the security registrar will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in a global debt security or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to these beneficial ownership interests.

No Protection in the Event of Change of Control

The indenture does not have any covenants or other provisions providing for a put or increased interest or otherwise that would afford holders of our debt securities additional protection in the event of a recapitalization transaction, a change of control or a highly leveraged transaction. If we offer any covenants or provisions of this type with respect to any debt securities covered by this prospectus, we will describe them in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Covenants

Unless otherwise indicated in this prospectus or the applicable prospectus supplement, our debt securities will not have the benefit of any covenants that limit or restrict our business or operations, the pledging of our assets or the incurrence by us of indebtedness. We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement any material covenants in respect of a series of debt securities.

Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets

The form of indenture provides that we will not consolidate with or merge into any other person or convey, transfer, sell or lease our properties and assets substantially as an entirety to any person, unless:

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we are the surviving person of such merger or consolidation, or if we are not the surviving person, the person formed by the consolidation or into or with which we are merged or the person to which our properties and assets are conveyed, transferred, sold or leased, is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the U.S., any state or the District of Columbia or a corporation or comparable legal entity organized under the laws of a foreign jurisdiction and has expressly assumed all of our obligations, including the payment of the principal of and, premium, if any, and interest on the debt securities and the performance of the other covenants under the indenture; and

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immediately before and immediately after giving effect to the transaction on a pro forma basis, no event of default, and no event which, after notice or lapse of time or both, would become an event of default, has occurred and is continuing under the indenture.

Events of Default

Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, the following events will be events of default under the indenture with respect to debt securities of any series:

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we fail to pay any principal or premium, if any, when it becomes due;

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we fail to pay any interest within 30 days after it becomes due;

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we fail to observe or perform any other covenant in the debt securities or the indenture for 90 days after written notice specifying the failure from the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series; and

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certain events involving bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of us or any of our significant subsidiaries.

The trustee may withhold notice to the holders of the debt securities of any series of any default, except in payment of principal of or premium, if any, or interest on the debt securities of a series, if the trustee considers it to be in the best interest of the holders of the debt securities of that series to do so.

If an event of default (other than an event of default resulting from certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization) occurs, and is continuing, then the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may accelerate the maturity of the debt securities. If this happens, the entire principal amount, plus the premium, if any, of all the outstanding debt securities of the affected series plus accrued interest to the date of acceleration will be immediately due and payable. At any time after the acceleration, but before a judgment or decree based on such acceleration is obtained by the trustee, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of outstanding debt securities of such series may rescind and annul such acceleration if:

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all events of default (other than nonpayment of accelerated principal, premium or interest) have been cured or waived;

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all lawful interest on overdue interest and overdue principal has been paid; and

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the rescission would not conflict with any judgment or decree.

In addition, if the acceleration occurs at any time when we have outstanding indebtedness that is senior to the debt securities, the payment of the principal amount of outstanding debt securities may be subordinated in right of payment to the prior payment of any amounts due under the senior indebtedness, in which case the holders of debt securities will be entitled to payment under the terms prescribed in the instruments evidencing the senior indebtedness and the indenture.

If an event of default resulting from certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization occurs, the principal, premium and interest amount with respect to all of the debt securities of any series will be due and payable immediately without any declaration or other act on the part of the trustee or the holders of the debt securities of that series.

The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of a series will have the right to waive any existing default or compliance with any provision of the indenture or the debt securities of that series and to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee, subject to certain limitations specified in the indenture.

No holder of any debt security of a series will have any right to institute any proceeding with respect to the indenture or for any remedy under the indenture, unless:

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the holder gives to the trustee written notice of a continuing event of default;

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the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the affected series make a written request and offer reasonable indemnity to the trustee to institute a proceeding as trustee;

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the trustee fails to institute a proceeding within 60 days after such request; and

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the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the affected series do not give the trustee a direction inconsistent with such request during such 60-day period.

These limitations do not, however, apply to a suit instituted for payment on debt securities of any series on or after the due dates expressed in the debt securities.

We will periodically deliver certificates to the trustee regarding our compliance with our obligations under the indenture.

Modification and Waiver

From time to time, we and the trustee may, without the consent of holders of the debt securities of one or more series, amend the indenture or the debt securities of one or more series, or supplement the indenture, for certain specified purposes, including:

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to provide that the surviving entity following a change of control permitted under the indenture will assume all of our obligations under the indenture and debt securities;

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to provide for certificated debt securities in addition to uncertificated debt securities;

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to comply with any requirements of the SEC under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939;

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to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of debt securities of any series as permitted by the indenture;

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to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency, or make any other change that does not materially and adversely affect the rights of any holder; and

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to appoint a successor trustee under the indenture with respect to one or more series.

From time to time we and the trustee may, with the consent of holders of at least a majority in principal amount of an outstanding series of debt securities, amend or supplement the indenture or the debt securities series, or waive compliance in a particular instance by us with any provision of the indenture or the debt securities. We may not, however, without the consent of each holder affected by such action, modify or supplement the indenture or the debt securities or waive compliance with any provision of the indenture or the debt securities in order to:

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reduce the amount of debt securities whose holders must consent to an amendment, supplement, or waiver to the indenture or such debt security;

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reduce the rate of or change the time for payment of interest or reduce the amount of or postpone the date for payment of sinking fund or analogous obligations;

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reduce the principal of or change the stated maturity of the debt securities;

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make any debt security payable in money other than that stated in the debt security;

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change the amount or time of any payment required or reduce the premium payable upon any redemption, or change the time before which no such redemption may be made;

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waive a default in the payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the debt securities or a redemption payment;

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waive a redemption payment with respect to any debt securities or change any provision with respect to redemption of debt securities; or

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take any other action otherwise prohibited by the indenture to be taken without the consent of each holder affected by the action.

Defeasance of Debt Securities and Certain Covenants in Certain Circumstances

The indenture permits us, at any time, to elect to discharge our obligations with respect to one or more series of debt securities by following certain procedures described in the indenture. These procedures will allow us either:

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to defease and be discharged from any and all of our obligations with respect to any debt securities except for the following obligations (which discharge is referred to as “legal defeasance”):

to register the transfer or exchange of such debt securities;

to replace temporary or mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen debt securities;

to compensate and indemnify the trustee; or

to maintain an office or agency in respect of the debt securities and to hold monies for payment in trust; or

to be released from our obligations with respect to the debt securities under certain covenants contained in the indenture, as well as any additional covenants which may be contained in the applicable supplemental indenture (which release is referred to as “covenant defeasance”).

In order to exercise either defeasance option, we must irrevocably deposit with the trustee or other qualifying trustee, in trust for that purpose:

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money;

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U.S. Government Obligations (as described below) or Foreign Government Obligations (as described below) that through the scheduled payment of principal and interest in accordance with their terms will provide money; or

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a combination of money and/or U.S. Government Obligations and/or Foreign Government Obligations sufficient in the written opinion of a nationally-recognized firm of independent accountants to provide money;

that, in each case specified above, provides a sufficient amount to pay the principal of, premium, if any, and interest, if any, on the debt securities of the series, on the scheduled due dates or on a selected date of redemption in accordance with the terms of the indenture.

In addition, defeasance may be effected only if, among other things:

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in the case of either legal or covenant defeasance, we deliver to the trustee an opinion of counsel, as specified in the indenture, stating that as a result of the defeasance neither the trust nor the trustee will be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940;

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in the case of legal defeasance, we deliver to the trustee an opinion of counsel stating that we have received from, or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service a ruling to the effect that, or there has been a change in any applicable federal income tax law with the effect that (and the opinion shall confirm that), the holders of outstanding debt securities will not recognize income, gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes solely as a result of such legal defeasance and will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner, including as a result of prepayment, and at the same times as would have been the case if legal defeasance had not occurred;

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in the case of covenant defeasance, we deliver to the trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that the holders of the outstanding debt securities will not recognize income, gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a result of covenant defeasance and will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if covenant defeasance had not occurred; and

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certain other conditions described in the indenture are satisfied.

If we fail to comply with our remaining obligations under the indenture and applicable supplemental indenture after a covenant defeasance of the indenture and applicable supplemental indenture, and the debt securities are declared due and payable because of the occurrence of any undefeased event of default, the amount of money and/or U.S. Government Obligations and/or Foreign Government Obligations on deposit with the trustee could be insufficient to pay amounts due under the debt securities of the affected series at the time of acceleration. We will, however, remain liable in respect of these payments.

The term “U.S. Government Obligations” as used in the above discussion means securities that are direct obligations of or non-callable obligations guaranteed by the United States of America for the payment of which obligation or guarantee the full faith and credit of the United States of America is pledged.

The term “Foreign Government Obligations” as used in the above discussion means, with respect to debt securities of any series that are denominated in a currency other than U.S. dollars, (1) direct obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency for the payment of which obligations its full faith and credit is pledged or (2) obligations of a person controlled or supervised by or acting as an agent or instrumentality of such government the timely payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation by that government, which in either case under clauses (1) or (2), are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer.

Regarding the Trustee

We will identify the trustee with respect to any series of debt securities in the prospectus supplement relating to the applicable debt securities. You should note that if the trustee becomes a creditor of ours, the indenture and the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 limit the rights of the trustee to obtain payment of claims in certain cases, or to realize on certain property received in respect of any such claim, as security or otherwise. The trustee and its affiliates may engage in, and will be permitted to continue to engage in, other transactions with us and our affiliates. If, however, the trustee acquires any “conflicting interest” within the meaning of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, it must eliminate such conflict or resign.

The holders of a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding debt securities of any series may direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for exercising any remedy available to the trustee. If an event of default occurs and is continuing, the trustee, in the exercise of its rights and powers, must use the degree of care and skill of a prudent person in the conduct of his or her own affairs. Subject to that provision, the trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under the indenture at the request of any of the holders of the debt securities, unless they have offered to the trustee reasonable indemnity or security.

No Individual Liability of Incorporators, Stockholders, Officers or Directors

Each indenture provides that no incorporator and no past, present or future stockholder, officer or director of our company or any successor corporation in those capacities will have any individual liability for any of our obligations, covenants or agreements under the debt securities or such indenture.

Governing Law

The indentures and the debt securities will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.

DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

General

We may issue warrants for the purchase of our debt securities, preferred stock, common stock, or any combination thereof. Warrants may be issued independently or together with our debt securities, preferred stock or common stock and may be attached to or separate from any offered securities. Each series of warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and a bank or trust company, as warrant agent. The warrant agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the warrants. The warrant agent will not have any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or with any holders or beneficial owners of warrants. This summary of certain provisions of the warrants is not complete. For the terms of a particular series of warrants, you should refer to the prospectus supplement for that series of warrants and the warrant agreement for that particular series.

Debt Warrants

The prospectus supplement relating to a particular issue of warrants to purchase debt securities will describe the terms of the debt warrants, including the following:

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the title of the debt warrants;

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the offering price for the debt warrants, if any;

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the aggregate number of the debt warrants;

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the designation and terms of the debt securities, including any conversion rights, purchasable upon exercise of the debt warrants;

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if applicable, the date from and after which the debt warrants and any debt securities issued with them will be separately transferable;

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the principal amount of debt securities that may be purchased upon exercise of a debt warrant and the exercise price for the warrants, which may be payable in cash, securities or other property;

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the dates on which the right to exercise the debt warrants will commence and expire;

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if applicable, the minimum or maximum amount of the debt warrants that may be exercised at any one time;

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whether the debt warrants represented by the debt warrant certificates or debt securities that may be issued upon exercise of the debt warrants will be issued in registered or bearer form;

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information with respect to book-entry procedures, if any;

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the currency or currency units in which the offering price, if any, and the exercise price are payable;

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if applicable, a discussion of material U.S. federal income tax considerations;

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the antidilution provisions of the debt warrants, if any;

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the redemption or call provisions, if any, applicable to the debt warrants;

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any provisions with respect to the holder’s right to require us to repurchase the debt warrants upon a change in control or similar event; and

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any additional terms of the debt warrants, including procedures and limitations relating to the exchange, exercise, and settlement of the debt warrants.

Debt warrant certificates will be exchangeable for new debt warrant certificates of different denominations. Debt warrants may be exercised at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the prospectus supplement. Prior to the exercise of their debt warrants, holders of debt warrants will not have any of the rights of holders of the debt securities purchasable upon exercise and will not be entitled to payment of principal or any premium, if any, or interest on the debt securities purchasable upon exercise.

Equity Warrants

The prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of warrants to purchase our common stock or preferred stock will describe the terms of the warrants, including the following:

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the title of the warrants;

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the offering price for the warrants, if any;

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the aggregate number of warrants;

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the designation and terms of the common stock or preferred stock that may be purchased upon exercise of the warrants;

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if applicable, the designation and terms of the securities with which the warrants are issued and the number of warrants issued with each security;

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if applicable, the date from and after which the warrants and any securities issued with the warrants will be separately transferable;

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the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock that may be purchased upon exercise of a warrant and the exercise price for the warrants;

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the dates on which the right to exercise the warrants shall commence and expire;

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if applicable, the minimum or maximum amount of the warrants that may be exercised at any one time;

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the currency or currency units in which the offering price, if any, and the exercise price are payable;

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if applicable, a discussion of material U.S. federal income tax considerations;

•

the antidilution provisions of the warrants, if any;

•

the redemption or call provisions, if any, applicable to the warrants;

•

any provisions with respect to a holder’s right to require us to repurchase the warrants upon a change in control or similar event; and

•

any additional terms of the warrants, including procedures and limitations relating to the exchange, exercise and settlement of the warrants.

Holders of equity warrants will not be entitled:

•

to vote, consent, or receive dividends;

•

receive notice as stockholders with respect to any meeting of stockholders for the election of our directors or any other matter; or

•

exercise any rights as stockholders.

DESCRIPTION OF SUBSCRIPTION RIGHTS

We may issue subscription rights to purchase our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities. These subscription rights may be offered independently or together with any other security offered hereby and may or may not be transferable by the stockholder receiving the subscription rights in such offering. In connection with any offering of subscription rights, we may enter into a standby arrangement with one or more underwriters or other purchasers pursuant to which the underwriters or other purchasers may be required to purchase any securities remaining unsubscribed for after such offering.

The prospectus supplement relating to any subscription rights we offer, if any, will, to the extent applicable, include specific terms relating to the offering, including some or all of the following:

•

the price, if any, for the subscription rights;

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the exercise price payable for our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities upon the exercise of the subscription rights;

•

the number of subscription rights to be issued to each stockholder;

•

the number and terms of our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities which may be purchased per each subscription right;

•

the extent to which the subscription rights are transferable;

•

any other terms of the subscription rights, including the terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of the subscription rights;

•

the date on which the right to exercise the subscription rights shall commence, and the date on which the subscription rights shall expire;

•

the extent to which the subscription rights may include an over-subscription privilege with respect to unsubscribed securities or an over-allotment privilege to the extent the securities are fully subscribed; and

•

if applicable, the material terms of any standby underwriting or purchase arrangement which may be entered into by us in connection with the offering of subscription rights.

The description in the applicable prospectus supplement of any subscription rights we offer will not necessarily be complete and will be qualified in its entirety by reference to the applicable subscription rights certificate, which will be filed with the SEC if we offer subscription rights. We urge you to read the applicable subscription rights certificate and any applicable prospectus supplement in their entirety.

DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

We may issue units consisting of some or all of the securities described above, in any combination, including common stock, preferred stock, warrants and/or debt securities. The terms of these units will be set forth in a prospectus supplement. The description of the terms of these units in the applicable prospectus supplement will not be complete. You should refer to the applicable form of unit and unit agreement for complete information with respect to these units.

CANADIAN SECURITIES EXEMPTION

Pursuant to a British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) exemption order of general application—BCI 72-503 Distribution of Securities outside British Columbia (BCI 72-503), for so long as we are not a reporting issuer in British Columbia, the distribution of stock by us under U.S. public offerings from time to time is exempt from the prospectus requirements under British Columbia securities laws if all of the following conditions are met:

(i)

the distribution is being made either:

to purchasers not resident in Canada; or

through the facilities of a securities exchange or market outside Canada in circumstances where we have no reason to believe that there are purchasers resident in Canada;

(ii)

we have either:

filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission in accordance with U.S. federal securities laws registering the securities, and that registration statement has become effective; or

filed and received regulatory approval for a disclosure document, similar to a prospectus under British Columbia securities laws, in accordance with the securities laws of a jurisdiction outside of Canada registering our securities in connection with the distribution or qualifying our securities for distribution in such jurisdiction; and

(iii)

within 10 days after we complete the distribution of our securities (or any tranche thereof), we file with the BCSC:

a report of exempt distribution in Form 45-106F1 Report of Exempt Distribution (excluding Schedule 1—Confidential Purchaser Information); and

a copy of the registration statement or prospectus document referred to in item (ii) above.

If, for any reason, we are unable to rely on BCI 72-503 to issue stock in U.S. public offerings, and an alternative exemptive relief provision is not available to us under British Columbia securities laws, then we would be required to prepare and file a prospectus with the BCSC qualifying our securities for public distribution to distribute the stock in U.S. public offerings.

LEGAL MATTERS

Fenwick & West LLP, Seattle, Washington, will issue an opinion about certain legal matters with respect to the securities. Any underwriters or agents will be advised about legal matters relating to any offering by their own counsel.

EXPERTS

The financial statements incorporated in this prospectus by reference from our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report, which is incorporated herein by reference. Such financial statements have been so incorporated in reliance upon the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

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Up to $30,000,000

Common Stock

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

Jefferies

February 12, 2021

Sierra Oncology (SRRA) 424B5Prospectus supplement for primary offering