PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
This summary highlights certain information about us, the exchange transaction pursuant to which we issued to the selling stockholders the Warrants and selected information contained elsewhere in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus. This summary is not complete and does not contain all of the information that you should consider before making an investment decision. For a more complete understanding of our company, you should read and consider carefully the more detailed information included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement, including the risk factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” beginning on page 7 of this prospectus, as well as the information incorporated herein by reference, before making an investment decision.
Except as otherwise indicated herein or as the context otherwise requires, references in this prospectus to “KemPharm,” “the company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to KemPharm, Inc.
Company Overview
We are a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of proprietary prodrugs to treat serious medical conditions through our proprietary Ligand Activated Therapy, or LAT, technology. We utilize our proprietary LAT technology to generate improved prodrug versions of drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, as well as to generate prodrug versions of existing compounds that may have applications for new disease indications. Our product candidate pipeline is focused on the high need areas of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, and stimulant use disorder, or SUD, and idiopathic hypersomnia, or IH. Our newly approved product, AZSTARYS, formerly referred to as KP415, and KP484, are both based on a prodrug of d-methylphenidate, or d-MPH, but with differing extended-release, or ER, effect profiles, and are intended for the treatment of ADHD. Our lead clinical development product candidate, KP879, is also based on a prodrug of d-MPH and is intended for the treatment of stimulant use disorder, or SUD. Our preclinical prodrug product candidate for the treatment of ideopathic hypersomnia, or IH, is KP1077. We have entered into a collaboration and license agreement with Commave Therapeutics SA (formerly known as Boston Pharmaceuticals S.A.), an affiliate of Gurnet Point Capital, or Commave, for the development, manufacture and commercialization of AZSTARYS, and any other of our product candidates containing serdexmethylphenidate, or SDX, and d-MPH. In addition, we have entered into a commercial partnership with KVK-Tech, Inc., or KVK, for APADAZ®, an FDA approved immediate-release, or IR, combination product of benzhydrocodone, our prodrug of hydrocodone, and acetaminophen, or APAP, for the short-term (no more than 14 days) management of acute pain severe enough to require an opioid analgesic and for which alternative treatments are inadequate.
Warrant Exercise Inducement Transaction
On June 18, 2021, we entered into warrant exercise inducement offer letters, or the Inducement Letters, with certain holders, or the Exercising Holders, of the Exchange Warrants, pursuant to which such Exercising Holders agreed to exercise for cash their Exchange Warrants to purchase 6,117,509 shares of our common stock in exchange for our agreement to issue the Warrants, on substantially the same terms as the Exchange Warrants, except as set forth in the following sentence, to purchase up to 1,529,379 shares of our common stock, which is equal to 25% of the number of shares of our common stock issued upon exercise of the Exchange Warrants. The purchase price of the Warrants was $0.125 per share underlying each Warrant, and the Warrants have an exercise price of $16.50 per share. The transaction in which the Warrants were issued in exchange for the exercise of the Exchange Warrants is referred to as the Exchange. The Exchange Warrants are described in greater detail below under the section entitled “Description of Capital Stock—Outstanding Warrants.”
The Inducement Letters contain customary representations, warranties and covenants made by us and the selling stockholders, including a covenant by us for the benefit of the selling stockholders to file a registration statement to register for resale under the Securities Act the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants issued pursuant to the terms of the Inducement Agreements in the Exchange.