The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS SUBJECT TO COMPLETION DATED JUNE 15, 2018
12,396,694 Common Shares
Pre-Funded Warrants to Purchase Common Shares
Warrants to Purchase Common Shares
We are offering 12,396,694 of our common shares and warrants, each warrant entitling the holder to purchase of a common share (each a “warrant”) at an exercise price per whole common share equal to % of the public offering price of a common share unit (as defined below). The warrants will become exercisable upon issuance, and will expire years after issuance. We are also offering the common shares that are issuable upon the exercise of the warrants offered hereby.
We are also offering to each purchaser whose purchase of common shares and warrants in this offering would otherwise result in the purchaser, together with its affiliates and certain related parties, beneficially owning more than 9.99% of our outstanding common shares immediately following the consummation of this offering, the opportunity to purchase, if the purchaser so chooses, pre-funded warrants, in lieu of common shares that would otherwise result in the purchaser’s beneficial ownership exceeding 9.99% of our outstanding common shares. Subject to limited exceptions, a holder of pre-funded warrants will not have the right to exercise any portion of its pre-funded warrants if the holder, together with its affiliates, would beneficially own in excess of 9.99% of the number of common shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise. Each pre-funded warrant will be exercisable for one common share. Each pre-funded warrant will become exercisable upon issuance and will expire ten years after issuance. This offering also relates to the common shares issuable upon exercise of any pre-funded warrants offered hereby.
The common shares and the accompanying warrants will be sold in units (each, a “common share unit”) and the pre-funded warrants and the accompanying warrants will be sold in units (each, a “pre-funded warrant unit” and, together with the common share units, the “units”), with each common share unit consisting of one common share and one warrant to purchase of a common share and each pre-funded warrant unit consisting of one pre-funded warrant and one warrant to purchase of a common share. Each common share unit will be sold at a price of $ per unit.
The purchase price of each pre-funded warrant unit will equal the price per unit at which common share units are being sold to the public in this offering, minus $0.05, and the exercise price of each pre-funded warrant will equal $0.05 per share. The pre-funded warrants will be immediately exercisable and may be exercised at any time until all of the pre-funded warrants are exercised in full. For each pre-funded warrant unit we sell, the number of common share units we are offering will be decreased on a one-for-one basis. As a result, because each common share unit and each pre-funded warrant unit includes a warrant, the number of warrants sold in this offering will not change due to a change in the mix of the common share units and pre-funded warrant units sold in this offering. The units will be mandatorily separable immediately upon issuance.
Our common shares are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “EARS”. On June 8, 2018, the last reported sale price of our common shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market was $1.21 per common share. The public offering price per unit will be determined between us, the underwriters and investors based on market conditions at the time of pricing, and may be at a discount to the current market price of our common shares.
The warrants and pre-funded warrants are not and will not be listed for trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market, or any other securities exchange or nationally recognized trading system. There is no market through which the warrants or pre-funded warrants may be sold, and purchasers may not be able to resell the warrants or pre-funded warrants purchased under this prospectus. This may affect the pricing of the warrants or prefunded warrants in the secondary market, the transparency and availability of trading prices, and the liquidity of the warrants or pre-funded warrants.
We are an “emerging growth company” as defined under the federal securities laws and, as such, are subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. See “Prospectus Summary — Implications of Being an “Emerging Growth Company and a Foreign Private Issuer.”
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page
8.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
| | | Per Common Share Unit(1) | | | Per Pre-Funded Warrant Unit(1) | | | Total | |
Public offering price | | | | $ | | | | | | $ | | | | | | $ | | | |
Underwriting discounts and commissions(2) | | | | $ | | | | | | $ | | | | | | $ | | | |
Proceeds, before expenses, to us(3) | | | | $ | | | | | | $ | | | | | | $ | | | |
(1)
The public offering price and underwriting discounts and commissions correspond to a public offering price per common share of $ , a public offering price per warrant of $0.01 and a public offering price per pre-funded warrant of $ .
(2)
See “Underwriting” for a description of compensation payable to the underwriters.
(3)
The amount of the offering proceeds to us presented in this table does not give effect to any exercise of the pre-funded warrants or the warrants being issued in this offering.
We have granted the underwriters an option for a period of 30 days from the date of this prospectus to purchase up to an additional 1,859,504 common shares and/or additional warrants to purchase up to common shares from us to cover over-allotments.
Delivery of the common share units and the pre-funded warrant units, if any, is expected to be made on or about , 2018.
A.G.P.
Prospectus dated , 2018