Item 3.01 Notice of Delisting or Failure to Satisfy a Continued Listing Rule or Standard; Transfer of Listing
As previously announced, on August 25, 2021, Allena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company”) received a letter from the Listing Qualifications Department (the “Staff”) of the Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) notifying the Company that it had not maintained a minimum closing bid price of $1.00 per share (the “Minimum Bid Price Requirement”) for the minimum period required for continued listing on The Nasdaq Global Select Market pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). Pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), the Company was provided an initial period of 180 calendar days, or until February 21, 2022, to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement.
In accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A)(ii), on February 22, 2022 the Company applied to transfer its securities to Nasdaq Capital Market and requested a second 180-day period to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement. On February 24, 2022, Nasdaq approved the Company’s request for a second 180-day period, or until August 22, 2022, to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement.
If it appears to the Staff that the Company will not be able to cure the deficiency, the Staff will provide written notice to the Company that its common stock will be subject to delisting. At that time, the Company may appeal the Staff’s delisting determination to a Nasdaq Hearing Panel (the “Panel”). The Company expects that its stock would remain listed pending the Panel’s decision. There can be no assurance that, if the Company does appeal the Staff’s delisting determination to the Panel, such appeal would be successful.
The Company intends to monitor the closing bid price of its common stock and may, if appropriate, consider available options to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement, which could include seeking to effect a reverse stock split. However, there can be no assurance that the Company will be able to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement or maintain compliance with any of the other Nasdaq continued listing requirements.
Item 8.01 Other Events
Reference is made to the Company’s previously disclosed loan and security agreement with Pontifax Medison Finance (Israel) L.P. and Pontifax Medison Finance (Cayman) L.P. (together “Pontifax”) (“Pontifax Agreement”), under which an initial loan of $10.0 million was advanced on September 29, 2020. Amounts outstanding under the Pontifax Agreement have a fixed interest rate of 9.0% per annum. The Pontifax Agreement has a term of 48 months and an interest only period of 24 months. Upon the expiration of the interest only period on September 29, 2022, amounts borrowed are required to be repaid over eight equal quarterly payments of principal and interest. At its option, Pontifax has the right to convert any portion of the initial loan then outstanding at a conversion price of $4.10 per share. At its option, the Company may prepay all or part of the outstanding borrowings under the Pontifax Agreement at any time without any prepayment premium or penalty. On February 24, 2022, the Company prepaid $2.0 million of the outstanding principal amount and, from and after that date, interest ceased to accrue on that amount.
