1 As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 30, 2000 Registration No. 333- ================================================================================ SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 ----------------- FORM S-8 REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 ----------------- COULTER PHARMACEUTICAL, INC. (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) Delaware 94-3219075 (State or other jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) incorporation or organization) ----------------- COULTER PHARMACEUTICAL, INC. 600 GATEWAY BOULEVARD SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94080 (Address of principal executive offices) ----------------- 1996 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN (Full title of the plans) ----------------- MICHAEL F. BIGHAM PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER COULTER PHARMACEUTICAL, INC. 600 GATEWAY BOULEVARD SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94080 (650) 553-2000 ----------------- (Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service) ----------------- Copies to: ROBERT L. JONES, ESQ. COOLEY GODWARD LLP FIVE PALO ALTO SQUARE 3000 EL CAMINO REAL PALO ALTO, CA 94306-2155 (650) 843-5000 ----------------- CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE ======================================================================================================== PROPOSED MAXIMUM PROPOSED MAXIMUM TITLE OF SECURITIES AMOUNT TO BE OFFERING PRICE AGGREGATE AMOUNT OF TO BE REGISTERED REGISTERED PER SHARE(1) OFFERING PRICE(1) REGISTRATION FEE - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stock Options and Common Stock (par value $.001)............. 850,000 shares $35.00 29,750,000 $7,854.00 ======================================================================================================== (1) Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the amount of the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(h). The price per share and aggregate offering price are based upon the average of the high and low prices of Registrant's Common Stock on October 25, 2000 as reported on the Nasdaq National Market. 2 INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE The following documents filed by Coulter Pharmaceutical, Inc. (the "Company") with the Securities and Exchange Commission are incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement: (a) The Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1999, filed on March 27, 2000, including all material incorporated by reference therein and any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating any of such reports, statements or descriptions; (b) The Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2000, filed on May 16, 2000, including all material incorporated by reference therein and any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating any of such reports, statements or descriptions; (c) The Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2000, filed on August 11, 2000, including all material incorporated by reference therein and any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating any of such reports, statements or descriptions; (d) The Company's latest prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Act"), filed on September 8, 2000, including all material incorporated by reference therein and any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating any of such reports, statements or descriptions; (e) The description of our common stock set forth in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A, filed on December 20, 1996, including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating any of such reports, statements or descriptions; and (f) The Proxy Statement for our 2000 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating any of such reports, statements or descriptions. All reports and other documents subsequently filed by the Company pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference herein and to be a part of this registration statement from the date of the filing of such reports and documents. NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL The legality of the Common Stock offered hereby will be passed upon for the Company by Cooley Godward LLP, Palo Alto, California. INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS Under Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law the Company has broad powers to indemnify its directors and officers against liabilities they may incur in such capacities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). The Company's By-laws also provide that the Company will indemnify its directors and executive officers, and may indemnify its other officers, employees and other agents, to the fullest extent not prohibited by Delaware law. The Company's Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the "Restated Certificate") provides that the liability of its directors for monetary damages shall be eliminated to the fullest extent permissible under Delaware law. Pursuant to Delaware law, this includes elimination of liability for monetary damages for breach of the directors' fiduciary duty of care to the Company and its stockholders. These provisions do not eliminate the directors' duty of care and, in appropriate circumstances, equitable remedies such as injunctive or other forms of non-monetary relief will remain available under Delaware law. In addition, each director will continue to be subject to liability for breach of the director's duty of loyalty to the Company, for acts or omissions not in good faith or involving intentional misconduct, for knowing violations of law, for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit, and for payment of dividends or approval of stock repurchases or redemptions that are unlawful under Delaware law. The provision also does not affect a director's responsibilities under any other laws, such as the federal securities laws or state or federal environmental laws. 3 The Company has been authorized by the Board to enter into agreements with its directors and officers that require the Company to indemnify such persons to the fullest extent authorized or permitted by the provisions of the Restated Certificate and Delaware law against expenses, judgments, fines, settlements and other amounts actually and reasonably incurred (including expenses of a derivative action) in connection with any proceeding, whether actual or threatened, to which any such person may be made a party by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director, officer, employee or other agent of the Company or any of its affiliated enterprises. Delaware law permits such indemnification provided such person acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interest of the Company and, with respect to any criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful. The indemnification agreements also set forth certain procedures that will apply in the event of a claim for indemnification thereunder. At present, there is no pending litigation or proceeding involving a director or officer of the Company as to which indemnification is being sought nor is the Company aware of any threatened litigation that may result in claims for indemnification by any officer or director. EXHIBITS EXHIBIT NUMBER - -------------- 5.1 Opinion of Cooley Godward LLP 23.1 Consent of Ernst & Young LLP, Independent Auditors 23.2 Consent of Cooley Godward LLP is contained in Exhibit 5.1 to this Registration Statement 24.1 Power of Attorney is contained on the signature pages. 99.1 1996 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended as of June 13, 2000. 99.2* Form of Incentive Stock Option Agreement used in connection with the Incentive Plan 99.3* Form of Nonstatutory Stock Option Agreement used in connection with the Incentive Plan * Documents incorporated by reference from the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-17661) filed with the SEC on December 11, 1996. UNDERTAKINGS 1. The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes: (a) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement: (i) To include any prospectus required by section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act; (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the "Calculation of Registration Fee" table in the effective registration statement. (iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement; Provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(i) and (a)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the issuer pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference herein. 4 (b) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. (c) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. 2. The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. 5 SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of South San Francisco, State of California, on October 30, 2000. COULTER PHARMACEUTICAL, INC. /s/ Michael F. Bigham ---------------------------------------- Michael F. Bigham President & Chief Executive Officer POWER OF ATTORNEY KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Michael F. Bigham and William G. Harris, and each or any one of them, his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, or their or his substitutes or substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated. SIGNATURE TITLE DATE - --------------------------------- -------------------------- ---------------- /s/ Michael F. Bigham President, Chief Executive October 30, 2000 - --------------------------------- Officer and Director (Michael F. Bigham) /s/ William G. Harris Senior Vice President, October 30, 2000 - --------------------------------- Chief Financial Officer (William G. Harris) /s/ Arnold Oronsky, Ph.D. Chairman of the Board October 30, 2000 - --------------------------------- (Arnold Oronsky, Ph.D.) /s/ Brian G. Atwood Director October 30, 2000 - --------------------------------- (Brian G. Atwood) /s/ Joseph R. Coulter, III Director October 30, 2000 - --------------------------------- (Joseph R. Coulter, III) /s/ Donald L. Lucas Director October 30, 2000 - --------------------------------- (Donald L. Lucas) /s/ Robert Momsen Director October 30, 2000 - --------------------------------- (Robert Momsen) 6 SIGNATURE TITLE DATE - --------------------------------- -------------------------- ---------------- /s/ George J. Sella, Jr. Director October 30, 2000 - --------------------------------- (George J. Sella, Jr.) /s/ Samuel R. Saks, M.D. Director October 30, 2000 - --------------------------------- (Samuel R. Saks, M.D.) 7 EXHIBIT INDEX EXHIBIT NUMBER - -------------- 5.1 Opinion of Cooley Godward LLP 23.1 Consent of Ernst & Young LLP, Independent Auditors 23.2 Consent of Cooley Godward LLP is contained in Exhibit 5.1 to this Registration Statement 24 Power of Attorney is contained on the signature pages. 99.1 1996 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended as of June 13, 2000. 99.2* Form of Incentive Stock Option Agreement used in connection with the Incentive Plan 99.3* Form of Nonstatutory Stock Option Agreement used in connection with the Incentive Plan * Documents incorporated by reference from the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-17661) filed with the SEC on December 11, 1996.