WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K/A
Amendment No. 1
x ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007
or
o TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from ______________to______________
Commission file number 001-16043
SYNVISTA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware | | 13-3304550 |
(State or other jurisdiction of | | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
incorporation or organization) | | |
221 W. Grand Avenue, Montvale, New Jersey 07645
(Address of principal executive offices)
(Zip Code)
(201) 934-5000
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| | Name of Each Exchange |
Title of Each Class | | On Which Registered |
Common Stock, Par Value $.01 per share | | American Stock Exchange |
Preferred Stock Purchase Rights | | American Stock Exchange |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes o No x
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Yes x No o
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of Registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. x
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large accelerated filer o Accelerated filer o Non-accelerated filer o (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) Smaller reporting company x
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
Yes o No x
The aggregate market value of the Registrant’s voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the Registrant, based on the American Stock Exchange closing price of the common stock ($4.50 per share), as of June 30, 2007, was $8,510,990.
At April 25, 2008, 2,586,326 shares of the Registrant’s common stock, par value $.01 per share, were outstanding.
Documents Incorporated By Reference
None.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXPLANATORY NOTE |
Part III |
| Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance |
| Item 11. Executive Compensation |
| Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters |
| Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence |
| Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services |
Part IV |
| Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules. |
SIGNATURES |
EX-31.1 SECTION 302 CERTIFICATION OF CEO |
EX-31.2 SECTION 302 CERTIFICATION OF CFO |
EX-32.1 SECTION 906 CERTIFICATION |
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Synvista Therapeutics, Inc. (“Synvista” or the “Company”) is filing this Amendment No. 1 to its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007, originally filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 31, 2008, for the purpose of amending and supplementing Part III of the Annual Report on Form 10-K. This Amendment No. 1 on Form 10-K/A does not change the previously reported financial statements or any of the other disclosure contained in Part I or Part II of the Form 10-K. This amendment changes the Annual Report on Form 10-K only by including information required by Part III (Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14). Part IV is also being amended to update the Exhibit Index and to add new certifications in accordance with Rule 13a - 14 under the Exchange Act.
PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.
The Board of Directors
Pursuant to our Restated Certificate of Incorporation, our Board of Directors is divided into three classes, each of which serves a term of three years. Class B consists of Dr. Berkowitz, whose term will expire at the annual meeting of stockholders in 2008. Class C consists of Ms. Tanner and Mr. Yetter, whose terms will expire at the annual meeting of stockholders in 2009. Class A consists of Mr. John F. Bedard, whose term will expire at the annual meeting of stockholders in 2010.
The current Board of Directors is comprised of the following persons:
| | | | Served as a | | | |
Name | | Age | | Director Since | | Positions with Synvista | |
John F. Bedard | | | 58 | | | 2007 | | | Director | |
Noah Berkowitz, M.D., Ph.D. | | | 44 | | | 2006 | | | President, Chief Executive Officer and Director | |
Mary C. Tanner | | | 57 | | | 2006 | | | Director | |
Wayne P. Yetter | | | 62 | | | 2006 | | | Director | |
Our Board has determined that the following members of the Board qualify as independent under the definition promulgated by the American Stock Exchange: Mr. Bedard, Ms. Tanner and Mr. Yetter.
The principal occupations and business experience, for at least the past five years, of each director are as follows:
John F. Bedard, has served as a director of the Company since September 2007. Mr. Bedard has also been on the Board of Directors for EpiCept Corporation since January 2006. Prior to that time he was on the Board of Directors for Maxim Pharmaceuticals (October, 2004 to January, 2006) until the merger of Maxim with EpiCept. Mr. Bedard started consulting after his retirement from Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) in 2002. At BMS, Mr. Bedard was Vice President, FDA Liaison & Global Strategy, where for the last 14 years he directed the development and registration programs for cardiovascular, metabolic, dermatology, and immunology programs. He also directed the worldwide Good Laboratory Practice and Good Clinical Practice programs for BMS. Over his 25-year career, Mr. Bedard has directed development and registration programs in numerous therapeutic areas. A partial listing of Mr. Bedard’s development program experience follows: Pravachol® for hyperlipidemia, primary and secondary prevention of MI, stroke, and revascularization; Capoten® for post-MI and diabetic nephropathy; Monopril® for hypertension; Avapro for hypertension; Glucovance® for Type 2 diabetes; Glucophage XR for Type 2 diabetes; Dovonex® for psoriasis; Vaniqa® for female hirsutism; Inderal® for post-MI and Inderal LA; and Droxia® for sickle cell anemia. Four of the development programs became marketed franchises with annual sales in excess of $1 billion. Mr. Bedard is a member of DIA, NY Academy of Sciences, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He received a B.A. in Chemistry from Rutgers University and an M.S. in Chemistry from St Joseph’s University.
Noah Berkowitz, M.D., Ph.D., the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, joined the Company following its merger with HaptoGuard in July 2006. Dr. Berkowitz earned his B.A., M.D., and Ph.D. from Columbia University and trained at the National Cancer Institute in medical oncology. Prior to founding HaptoGuard in 2004, he was a consultant to a variety of biotechnology companies in Israel, including Predix Pharmaceuticals, IDGene and Teva. He was previously Vice President of Clinical Development at IMPATH Inc., a NASDAQ-traded, “cancer information company,” where he co-developed a division, IMPATH Predictive Oncology, focused on biopharmaceutical partnerships supporting the discovery and development of cancer-related, targeted diagnostics and therapeutics. Prior to IMPATH, Dr. Berkowitz was the founder of Physician Choice Inc., a contract research organization specializing in pharmacoeconomics and outcomes.
Mary C. Tanner has served as a director of the Company since July 2006. Ms. Tanner is a Principal and founder of Life Sciences Partners, a healthcare advisory and investment firm. Previously, from 2000 to 2004, she was Senior Managing Director at Bear Stearns & Co., and Senior Managing Director and head of the Life Sciences practice at Lehman Brothers, Inc. During her 25 year career on Wall Street, Ms. Tanner has worked on or supervised over 550 transactions with a total value of over $175 billion, including ten large pharmaceutical mergers. Ms. Tanner is also a member of the Board of Directors, as well as the Audit Committee, of Evotec AG. Ms. Tanner received her B.A. from Harvard University.
Wayne Yetter has served as a director of the Company since July 2006. Mr. Yetter has served as Chief Executive Officer of Verispan, LLC, a healthcare information company founded by Quintiles Transnational Corp. and McKesson Corp, since September 2005. From November 2004 through September 2005, Mr. Yetter served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Odyssey Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to assist Odyssey’s parent, PLIVA d.d., implement its strategy to exit the proprietary pharmaceutical business. After serving in Vietnam, Mr. Yetter began his career in the pharmaceuticals industry in 1970 as a sales representative for Pfizer. From Pfizer, he joined Merck & Co in 1977, where he led the Marketing Operations Group and then became President of the Asia Pacific region before starting the new company, Astra Merck, in 1991 as President and CEO. Mr. Yetter then joined Novartis Pharmaceuticals in 1997, where he was President and CEO of the U.S. pharmaceutical business. In 1999, he joined IMS and later led its spinout company, Synavant, where he was Chairman and CEO for three years before the company merged with Dendrite International in 2003. Following the merger, Mr. Yetter founded and has acted as principal of BioPharm Advisory LLC since September 2003. Mr. Yetter was formerly Chairman of the Board for Transkaryotic Therapies Inc., which was acquired by Shire Pharmaceuticals in 2005. Mr. Yetter is also a member of the Board of Directors of Matria Health Care, Epicept Corporation and Infusystem Holdings, Inc. Mr. Yetter was also named to the Board Directors of Noven Pharmaceuticals in January 2008. Mr. Yetter received his B.A. in Biology from the Wilkes University, and his M.B.A. from Bryant University.
Committees of the Board of Directors and Meetings
The Board of Directors has a Compensation Committee, which reviews incentive compensation for employees of and consultants to Synvista, as well as salaries and incentive compensation of executive officers. In 2007, the Compensation Committee was comprised of Mary C. Tanner and Wayne P. Yetter.
The Board of Directors has a Nominating and Governance Committee, which we refer to in this document as the Nominating Committee, which reviews the qualifications of candidates and proposes nominees to serve as directors on our Board of Directors and nominees for membership on Board committees and develops and recommends to the Board corporate governance guidelines applicable to the Company. In 2007, the Nominating Committee was comprised of John F. Bedard, Mary C. Tanner and Wayne P. Yetter.
The Board of Directors has an Audit Committee, which oversees the accounting and financial reporting processes and the audits of our financial statements. In 2007, the Audit Committee was comprised of John F. Bedard, Mary C. Tanner and Wayne P. Yetter.
All of the current members of the Compensation Committee, the Nominating Committee and the Audit Committee, are independent, as such term is defined by Section 121.A of the American Stock Exchange listing standards. Our Board of Directors has determined that Ms. Tanner is an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined in Item 407(d)(5)(ii) of Regulation S-K.
The Audit Committee held 7 meetings, the Compensation Committee held 4 meetings and the Nominating Committee held 1 meeting during the year ended December 31, 2007. There were 11 meetings of the Board of Directors in 2007. Each of the incumbent directors attended at least 75% of the aggregate of (i) the total number of meetings of the Board of Directors held during the year ended December 31, 2007 and (ii) the total number of meetings held by all committees of the Board on which he or she served during the year ended December 31, 2007. The Board has adopted written charters for each of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating Committee. These written charters are available on our website at www.Synvista.com.
Director Nomination Process
The Nominating Committee reviews the qualifications of candidates and proposes nominees to serve as directors on our Board of Directors and nominees for membership on Board committees. It is the Nominating Committee’s policy to consider potential candidates for Board membership recommended by its members, management, stockholders and others. The Nominating Committee has not established any specific minimum qualifications that must be met for a recommendation for a position on the Board of Directors. Instead, the Nominating Committee conducts appropriate and necessary inquiries into the backgrounds and qualifications of possible candidates for nomination to the Board of Directors giving due consideration to such criteria, including without limitation, diversity, experience, skill set and the ability to act on behalf of stockholders, as it believes appropriate and in the best interests of Synvista and its stockholders. All potential director candidates are evaluated based upon the same criteria, and the Nominating Committee makes no distinction in its evaluation of candidates based upon whether such candidates are recommended by stockholders or others. Once the evaluation is complete, the Nominating Committee recommends the nominees to the Board of Directors, which makes the final determination. If a stockholder wishes to nominate a candidate to be considered for election as a director at the 2008 annual meeting of stockholders using the procedures set forth in our amended and restated by-laws, it must follow the procedures described in “Advance Notice of Stockholder Nominees for Director and Other Stockholder Proposals” set forth in our amended and restated by-laws. If a stockholder wishes simply to propose a candidate for consideration as a nominee by the Nominating Committee, it should follow the procedures set forth in Appendix B, “Procedures for Shareholders Submitting Nominating Recommendations,” to our Nominating Committee Charter, which is available on our website at www.Synvista.com.
Stockholder Communications to the Board
Stockholders and other parties interested in communicating directly with the Board of Directors may do so by writing to any Board of Director, c/o, Synvista Therapeutics, Inc., 221 West Grand Avenue, Suite 200, Montvale, New Jersey 07645. All correspondence received by Synvista and addressed to a member of the Board or the full Board will be forwarded directly to the Board of Directors.
Director Attendance at Annual Meeting
Our incumbent Directors, except for Mr. Bedard, attended our annual meeting of stockholders in 2007. Mr. Bedard was not serving on our Board of Directors at the time of our 2007 annual meeting. Each Director is expected to dedicate sufficient time, energy and attention to ensure the diligent performance of his or her duties, including attending meetings of the stockholders, the Board and committees of which he or she is a member.
Executive Officers
The following table sets forth certain information regarding our executive officer who is not also a director. We have an employment agreement with Noah Berkowitz, M.D., the terms of which are described elsewhere in this Form 10-K/A.
Name | | Age | | Position |
Carl M. Mendel, M.D. | | 53 | | Vice President of Clinical Development and Chief Medical Officer |
Carl M. Mendel, M.D., has served as our Vice President of Clinical Development and Chief Medical Officer since September 2007. Dr. Mendel received his B.A. from Columbia University in New York and his M.D. from the University of California, San Diego. He did his post-graduate training in Internal Medicine at LAC/USC Medical Center in Los Angeles and in Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of California, San Francisco, where he joined the faculty as Assistant Professor of Medicine. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and in Endocrinology and Metabolism. He joined the pharmaceutical industry in 1993 and has held positions of increasing responsibility at Merck, Knoll, Aventis, and sanofi-aventis. He joined Synvista in October, 2007 from sanofi-aventis, where he was Vice President of Metabolism Projects. Dr. Mendel has had extensive experience working in both early- and late-stage drug development, as well as in medical affairs (supporting marketed products), and has contributed to a number of drug approvals. He has led numerous collaborations and co-development projects with other companies and has significant in-licensing experience.
SECTION 16(a) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, requires our officers and directors, and persons who own more than 10% of a registered class of our equity securities, to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership on Forms 3, 4 and 5 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Officers, directors and greater than 10% stockholders are required by Securities and Exchange Commission regulation to furnish us with copies of all Forms 3, 4 and 5, and any amendments thereto, they file.
Based solely on our review of the copies of such forms we have received and written representations from certain reporting persons that they were not required to file Forms 5 for specified fiscal years, we believe that all of our officers, directors, and greater than 10% beneficial owners complied with all filing requirements applicable to them with respect to transactions in our equity securities during fiscal year 2007.
CODE OF BUSINESS CONDUCT AND ETHICS
Synvista has adopted a code of business conduct and ethics that applies to all of its employees, including its chief executive officer and chief financial and accounting officers. The text of the code of business conduct and ethics is posted on Synvista’s website at www.Synvista.com. Disclosure regarding any amendments to, or waivers from, provisions of the code of business conduct and ethics that apply to Synvista’s directors, principal executive and financial officers will be included in a Current Report on Form 8-K within four business days following the date of the amendment or waiver, unless website posting of such amendments or waivers is then permitted by the rules of the American Stock Exchange, Inc.
Item 11. Executive Compensation.
Summary Compensation Table
The following table provides certain information concerning the compensation earned for the last two fiscal years by our principal executive officer and our two other most highly compensated executive officers who were serving as executive officers as of December 31, 2007. We refer to the officers listed in the table below collectively as our “Named Executive Officers.”
Name and Principal Position | | Year | | Salary ($) | | Bonus ($) | | Option Awards ($)(2) | | All Other Compensation ($) | | Total ($) | |
Noah Berkowitz, M.D., Ph.D. | | | 2007 | | | 264,000 | | | 83,160 | (1) | | 85,916 | | | 12,000 | (3) | | 445,076 | |
President and Chief Executive Officer | | | 2006 | | | 240,000 | | | 54,000 | (4) | | — | | | 3,558 | (3) | | 297,558 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Carl M. Mendel, M.D., Ph.D.(5) | | | 2007 | | | 66,250 | | | 20,000 | | | 11,707 | | | — | | | 97,957 | |
Vice President, Clinical Development and Chief Medical Officer | | | 2006 | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Malcolm W. MacNab, M.D., Ph.D. (6) | | | 2007 | | | 240,000 | | | 72,000 | | | 133,808 | | | 22,000 | (8) | | 467,808 | |
Former Vice President, Clinical Development | | | 2006 | | | 240,000 | | | 36,000 | (7) | | 58,206 | | | — | | | 334,206 | |
(1) | Represents a cash bonus for performance during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007, which was paid in 2007. |
(2) | Represents the dollar amount recognized for financial statement reporting purposes for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007, in accordance with FAS 123(R), of awards pursuant to the stock option program. Assumptions used in the calculations of this amount are included in Note 11 - Stockholders’ Equity to our audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007 included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 31, 2008. |
(3) | Represents an expense for a car allowance. |
(4) | Represents a cash bonus for performance during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, which was paid in 2007. |
(5) | Dr. Mendel’s employment with us commenced in October 2007. |
(6) | Dr. MacNab resigned as our Vice President, Clinical Development on December 31, 2007. |
(7) | Represents a cash bonus for performance during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, which was paid in 2007. |
(8) | Represents commuting costs. |
Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table
Employment Agreements
Noah Berkowitz, M.D., Ph.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer
On February 1, 2007, we entered into an amendment to Dr. Berkowitz’s Employment Agreement dated March 1, 2005. Pursuant to the amendment, Dr. Berkowitz is entitled to receive an annual base salary of $264,000. Effective as of January 1, 2008, Dr. Berkowitz will be entitled to receive an annual base salary of $300,000. He is also eligible to receive an annual cash bonus in an amount up to 35% of his annual base salary, based upon the achievement of certain milestones and objectives. The percentage amount associated with each of these milestones will be established in the first quarter of the year by the Compensation Committee. Dr. Berkowitz also receives a car allowance in the amount of $1,000 per month.
Dr. Berkowitz is entitled to certain benefits in connection with a termination of his employment or a change in control discussed below under “—Potential Payments Upon Termination of Change in Control.”
Malcolm MacNab, M.D., Ph.D.
Former Vice President, Clinical Development
On February 1, 2007, the Board of Directors amended Dr. MacNab’s Employment Agreement dated February 7, 2005. Pursuant to this amendment, Dr. MacNab was entitled to receive an annual base salary of $240,000, and in lieu of an increase in base salary, we were obligated to pay travel expenses to our offices in New Jersey from his home in Massachusetts. He was also eligible to receive an annual cash bonus in an amount up to 30% of his annual base salary. One-half of his bonus was dependent on the achievement of corporate milestones and one-half of his bonus was dependent on the achievement of individual milestones. The annual milestones, as well as the specified percentage of the total bonus of each specific milestone, were established by the Chief Executive Officer and/or the Board of Directors.
Dr. MacNab resigned from the Company on December 31, 2007 and is providing services to us as a consultant. He has been contracted for a period of 12 months for a monthly consulting fee of $5,000 per month.
On November 1, 2006, Dr. MacNab received an option to purchase 20,000 shares of common stock. The amount of this grant was based on targeting 1.5% ownership of the Company on a fully diluted basis. The fair value of this award using the Black-Scholes model is $142,100. These options will become exercisable in four equal annual installments commencing on January 1, 2007 until fully vested, and will continue to vest during the time Dr. MacNab provides consulting services to us.
In addition to provisions in the above-described agreements requiring each individual to maintain the confidentiality of our information and assign inventions to us, the above named executive officers have agreed that during the terms of their agreements and for one year thereafter, they will not compete with us by engaging in any capacity in any business that is competitive with our business.
Carl Mendel, M.D., Ph.D.
Vice President, Chief Development and Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Mendel is an at-will employee of ours. He currently receives an annual base salary of $275,000. He is also eligible to receive an annual cash bonus in an amount up to 20% of his annual base salary, based upon the achievement of certain milestones and objectives. The percentage amount associated with each of these milestones will be established in the first quarter of the year by the Compensation Committee.
401(k) Plan
We have a tax-qualified employee savings and retirement plan (the “401(k) Plan”) covering all of our employees. Pursuant to the 401(k) Plan, employees may elect to reduce their current compensation by up to the statutorily prescribed annual limit, which was $15,000 in 2006, and have the amount of such reduction contributed to the 401(k) Plan. The 401(k) Plan does not require that we make additional matching contributions to the 401(k) Plan on behalf of participants in the 401(k) Plan. However, in 1998, we began making discretionary contributions at a rate of 25% of employee contributions up to a maximum of 5% of their base salary. Contributions by employees to the 401(k) Plan and income earned on such contributions are not taxable to employees until the contributions are withdrawn from the 401(k) Plan. The Trustees under the 401(k) Plan invest the assets of the 401(k) Plan at the direction of each participant.
2007 Bonus
Our compensation program provides executive officers with the opportunity to earn an annual cash incentive award, the amount of which is based upon (1) the position level of the executive officer, and (2) the attainment of specific individual non-financial performance objectives. The Compensation Committee sets these performance objectives at the beginning of the fiscal year. Currently, executive officers and certain senior non-executive employees may be eligible for annual performance-based cash bonuses in amounts ranging from 15%-35% of their base salaries, as set forth in their employment offer letters. In its discretion, the Compensation Committee may, however, award bonus payments to our executive officers above or below the amounts specified in their respective offer letters, depending on the achievement by the executive officers of performance goals as set and determined by the Committee. As provided in his employment agreement, our Chief Executive Officer is eligible for an annual performance-based bonus of up to 35% of his annual base salary, the specific amount of which, if any, will be determined by the Board of Directors or the Compensation Committee in their sole discretion.
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
The following table shows grants of stock options and grants of unvested stock awards outstanding on the last day of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007, including both awards subject to performance conditions and non-performance-based awards, to each of the executive officers named in the Summary Compensation Table. During the year ended December 31, 2007, none of the Named Executive Officers exercised any of their stock options. Each of the stock options granted to our Named Executive Officers expires ten years after the date of the grant. Unless otherwise noted, the stock options vest in equal quarterly installments over a four-year period commencing on the date of grant.
Option Awards
Name | | Option Grant Date | | Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Exercisable | | Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Unexercisable | | Option Exercise Price ($) | | Option Expiration Date | |
Noah Berkowitz, M.D., Ph.D. | | | 10/3/2007 | | | 65,000 | | | 395,000 | (1) | | 2.67 | | | 10/3/2017 | |
President and Chief Executive Officer | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Malcolm W. MacNab, M.D., Ph.D. | | | 11/1/2006 | | | — | | | 20,000 | (2) | | 7.50 | | | 11/1/2016 | |
Former Vice President, Clinical Development | | | 2/7/2005 | | | 17,605 | | | 3,521 | (3) | | 8.00 | | | 2/07/2015 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Carl M. Mendel, M.D. | | | 10/1/2007 | | | — | | | 70,000 | (4) | | 3.00 | | | 10/1/2017 | |
Vice President of Clinical Development and Chief Medical Officer | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
(1) | The option grant of 460,000 shares contains the following vesting provisions: 260,000 shares vesting 25% immediately and 25% per year over three years from the date of grant; and 200,000 restricted option shares with the restriction on 50,000 shares removed for the achievement of each of four key milestones. The options will vest 50% at the time the restriction is removed and 25% over each of the following two years. |
(2) | The options vest in four equal annual installments commencing on January 1, 2007 until fully vested. |
(3) | The options vest semi-annually over three years commencing on February 7, 2005. |
(4) | The options vest in four equal annual installments commencing on October 1, 2007. |
Potential Payments upon Termination or Change-In-Control
Noah Berkowitz, M.D., Ph.D.,
President and Chief Executive Officer
The employment agreement with Dr. Berkowitz provides for two types of terminations:
· | “Termination of Employment by the Company.” In the event that Dr. Berkowitz is terminated due to Disability, as that term is defined in Dr. Berkowitz’s employment agreement, we are obligated to pay his salary and benefits for 12 months following the date of termination in equal, monthly installments. For a termination constituting Cause, as that term is defined in Dr. Berkowitz’s employment agreement, we are obligated to pay only his accrued and unpaid salary and benefits through the date of such termination. All unvested options on the termination date will be cancelled. In the event of a termination Without Cause, as that term is defined in Dr. Berkowitz’s employment agreement, is determined by a majority vote of the Board of Directors, Dr. Berkowitz is entitled to receive his salary and benefits for a period of 12 months after the termination date. In addition, the monthly vesting of his options shall continue for an additional 12 months from the termination date. If Dr. Berkowitz had been terminated without cause on December 31, 2007, he would have been eligible to receive an aggregate of approximately $266,500, which is inclusive of his annual salary and life insurance premium benefit. |
· | “Termination of Employment by the Executive.” Dr. Berkowitz may choose to resign from his position for “Good Reason.” Events that qualify as Good Reason include (i) a change in his title or responsibilities, (ii) our failure to provide executive salary or benefits, or (iii) the relocation of our primary office to a location, or the requirement to perform a majority of his duties at any location to which the commute time exceeds one hour and fifteen minutes. If Dr. Berkowitz elects to terminate his employment due to event (i) or (ii), we are obligated to pay his salary and benefits for a period of 12 months after the termination date. The monthly vesting of his options shall continue for an additional 12 months from the termination date. If he elects to terminate his employment due to event (iii), we would be obligated to pay his salary and benefits for a period of six months after the termination date. If Dr. Berkowitz had been terminated under the above circumstance on December 31, 2007, he would have been eligible to receive an aggregate of approximately $133,250, which is inclusive of six months of salary and life insurance premium benefit. The monthly vesting of his options shall continue for an additional six months from the termination date. |
If Dr. Berkowitz elects to terminate his employment for any other reason than those stated above, his employment agreement will terminate immediately and he would receive the accrued and unpaid salary benefits through the date of such termination.
Malcolm MacNab, M.D., Ph.D.,
Former Vice President, Clinical Development
Pursuant to our Stock Option Grant Agreement with Dr. MacNab dated November 1, 2006, upon a change in control, any portion of Dr. MacNab’s options, which are not vested and exercisable, shall vest and become exercisable immediately prior to a change in control. As defined in the Stock Option Grant Agreement, a change in control shall be deemed to occur if (i) we are merged with or into or consolidated with another corporation or other entity under circumstances where our stockholders immediately prior to such merger or consolidation do not own after such merger or consolidation shares representing at least 50% of the voting power of us or the surviving or resulting corporation or other entity, as the case may be, or (ii) we are liquidated, sell or otherwise dispose of substantially all of our assets to another corporation or entity, or (iii) any person (as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d)(2) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) becomes the beneficial owner (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) of 40% or more of our common stock other than pursuant to a plan or arrangement entered into by such person and us or otherwise approved by our Board of Directors, or (iv) during any period of two consecutive years, individuals who at the beginning of such period constitute the entire Board of Directors shall cease for any reason to constitute a majority of the Board unless the election or nomination for election by our stockholders of each new director was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds of the directors then still in office who were directors at the beginning of the period. If Dr. MacNab had been terminated under the above circumstance on December 31, 2007, he would have been eligible to purchase 17,605 shares of common stock subject to options.
Dr. MacNab resigned as Vice President, Clinical Development on December 31, 2007.
The following table shows the total compensation paid or accrued during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007 to each person who served as one of our directors during 2007.
All of our Board of Directors are reimbursed for their expenses for each Board meeting attended. Directors who are not also compensated as our employees receive $1,500 per Board meeting attended in person and $750 for each Board meeting attended by telephone. Directors also receive an annual retainer in cash for their services on the Board of $25,000.
Pursuant to the Synvista 2005 Stock Plan, as amended on July 19, 2006, non-employee directors also receive, upon the date of their election or re-election to the Board and on the dates of the next two annual meetings of stockholders (subject to their continued service on the Board of Directors), a stock option to purchase 20,000 shares of our common stock (subject to adjustment if they received stock options upon appointment to the Board between annual meetings of stockholders to fill a vacancy or newly created directorship) at an exercise price equal to the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant. Each of these options will vest and become exercisable upon completion of one full year of service and shall have a term of ten years regardless of whether the director ceases to be a director.
The Delaware General Corporation Law authorizes corporations to limit or eliminate, subject to certain conditions, the personal liability of directors to corporations and their stockholders for monetary damages for breach of their fiduciary duties. Our restated certificate of incorporation and restated bylaws limit the liability of our directors to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law.
We have obtained director and officer liability insurance to cover liabilities our directors and officers may incur in connection with their services to us, including matters arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Our restated certificate of incorporation and restated bylaws also provide that we will indemnify any of our directors and officers who, by reason of the fact that he or she is one of our officers or directors, is involved in a legal proceeding of any nature. We will repay certain expenses incurred by a director or officer in connection with any civil or criminal action or proceeding, specifically including actions by us or in our name (derivative suits). Such indemnifiable expenses include, to the maximum extent permitted by law, attorneys’ fees, judgments, civil or criminal fines, settlement amounts and other expenses customarily incurred in connection with legal proceedings. A director or officer will not receive indemnification if he or she is found not to have acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, our best interest. We believe that these provisions and agreements are necessary to attract and retain qualified persons as directors and officers.
Such limitation of liability and indemnification does not affect the availability of equitable remedies. In addition, we have been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission, indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
The following table sets forth certain information regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of April 15, 2008, except as otherwise set forth below, by (i) each person who is known by us to own beneficially more than 5% of the common stock, (ii) each director, (iii) each named executive officer and (iv) all current directors and named executive officers as a group. Unless otherwise indicated, the address for each director and executive officer listed is 221 West Grand Avenue, Suite 200, Montvale, NJ 07645.
**Assumes that shares of Series B Preferred Stock have been converted to common stock.
The following table provides certain aggregate information with respect to all of our equity compensation plans in effect as of December 31, 2007.
Our Audit Committee reviews and approves, in advance, all related party transactions.
Since January 2007, there has not been, nor is there currently proposed, any transaction or series of similar transactions to which we were or are to be a party in which the amount involved exceeded or exceeds $120,000 and in which any director, executive officer, holder of more than 5% of our common stock or any member of the immediate family of any of the foregoing persons had or will have a direct or indirect material interest.
Our Board has determined that the following members of the Board qualify as independent under the definition promulgated by the American Stock Exchange: Mr. Bedard, Ms. Tanner and Mr. Yetter.
J.H. Cohn served as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2007 and December 31, 2006.
The following table summarizes the fees paid or payable to J.H. Cohn for services rendered for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007:
The following table summarizes the fees paid or payable to J.H. Cohn for services rendered for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006:
*Information set forth above under the caption “Audit Fees” relates to fees we paid the independent registered public accountants for professional services for the audit of our financial statements included in our Form 10-K, review of our financial statements included in our Forms 10-Q and for the issuance of comfort letters and/or consents in connection with registration statements. “Audit-Related Fees” are fees we paid for assurance and related services by the independent registered public accountants that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our financial statements, including special procedures required to meet certain regulatory requirements.
Consistent with SEC policies regarding auditor independence, the Audit Committee has responsibility for appointing, setting compensation and overseeing the work of the independent registered public accounting firm. In recognition of this responsibility, the Audit Committee has established a policy to pre-approve all audit and permissible non-audit services provided by the independent auditor.
Prior to engagement of the independent auditor for the next year’s audit, management will submit an aggregate of services expected to be rendered during that year for each of four categories of services to the Audit Committee for approval.
Prior to engagement, the Audit Committee pre-approves these services by category of service. The fees are budgeted and the Audit Committee requires the independent auditor and management to report actual fees versus the budget periodically throughout the year by category of service. During the year, circumstances may arise when it may become necessary to engage the independent auditor for additional services not contemplated in the original pre-approval. In those instances, the Audit Committee requires specific pre-approval before engaging the independent auditor.
The Audit Committee may delegate pre-approval authority to one or more of its members. The member to whom such authority is delegated must report, for informational purposes only, any pre-approval decisions to the Audit Committee at its next scheduled meeting.