Item 1. | Security and Issuer |
This Statement on Schedule 13D (this “Schedule 13D”) is filed by Viridian, LLC (“Viridian”) and Lazarus Life Sciences I, LLC (“Lazarus” and, together with Viridian, the “Reporting Persons”), with respect to the shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share (the “Common Stock”) of Catabasis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company” or the “Issuer”), with principal executive offices located at 100 High Street, 28th Floor, Boston, MA 02110.
Item 2. | Identify and Background |
The principal business of each of the Reporting Persons is to own, manage, hold for investment, encumber, sell, dispose of and otherwise realize the economic benefit from their investments and activities in the biotechnology sector. Viridian’s principal executive offices are located at 203 Crescent Street, Bldg. #17, Suite #102B, Waltham, MA 02453. Lazarus’ principal executive offices are located at 2001 Market St., Suite 2500, Philadelphia, PA 19103. During the last five years, neither of the Reporting Persons has been (i) convicted in a criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations or similar misdemeanors) or (ii) a party to a civil proceeding of a judicial or administrative body of competent jurisdiction and, as a result of such proceeding, was or is subject to a judgment, decree or final order enjoining future violations of, or prohibiting or mandating activities subject to, federal or state securities laws or finding any violation with respect to such laws.
Item 3. | Source and Amount of Funds or Other Consideration |
The Reporting Persons acquired beneficial ownership of shares of the Issuer’s Common Stock upon the conversion of the Issuer’s Series X Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Conversion”). The Issuer’s stockholders approved the Conversion at a stockholders’ meeting held on June 2, 2021 (the “Stockholders’ Meeting”). Each share of the Issuer’s Series X Convertible Preferred Stock was automatically converted into 1,000 shares of the Issuer’s Common Stock four business days after the Stockholders’ Meeting, on June 8, 2021. The Reporting Persons’ shares of Series X Convertible Preferred Stock were acquired pursuant to the Merger described below in Item 4.
Item 4. | Purpose of Transaction |
On January 28, 2021, the Issuer acquired Quellis Biosciences, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Quellis”), pursuant to that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated January 28, 2021 (the “Merger Agreement”), by and among the Issuer, Cabo Merger Sub I, Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of the Issuer (“First Merger Sub”), Cabo Merger Sub II, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and wholly owned subsidiary of the Issuer (“Second Merger Sub”), and Quellis. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, First Merger Sub merged with and into Quellis, pursuant to which Quellis was the surviving entity and became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Issuer (the “First Merger”). Immediately following the First Merger, Quellis merged with and into Second Merger Sub, pursuant to which Second Merger Sub was the surviving entity (the “Second Merger,” together with the First Merger, the “Merger”). The Merger is intended to qualify as a tax-free reorganization for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, at the closing of the Merger, the Issuer issued to the stockholders of Quellis 3,332,669 shares of Common Stock, and 50,504 shares of newly designated Series X Convertible Preferred Stock (as described below). In addition, the Issuer assumed (i) outstanding Quellis stock options, which became options for Common Stock, and (ii) a warrant exercisable for Quellis common stock, that became a warrant to purchase 2,805 shares of Series X Convertible Preferred Stock at an exercise price of $341.70 per share, and 185,136 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $0.35 per share, which warrant is exercisable until December 14, 2030. See the Current Report on Form 8-K filed by the Issuer with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 28, 2021 for further details.
At the time of the filing of this Schedule 13D, the Reporting Persons currently have no plans or proposals which relate to or would result in (a) the acquisition by any person of additional securities of the Issuer, or the disposition of securities of the Issuer; (b) an extraordinary corporate transaction, such as a merger, reorganization or liquidation, involving the Issuer; (c) a sale or transfer of a material amount of assets of the Issuer; (d) any change in the present board of directors or management of the issuer, including any plans or proposals to change the number or term of directors or to fill any existing vacancies on the board; (e) any material change in the present capitalization or dividend policy of the Issuer; (f) any other material change in the Issuer’s business or corporate structure including but not limited to, if the Issuer is a registered closed-end investment company, any plans or proposals to make any changes in its investment policy for which a vote is required by