HILLEVAX, INC. Common Stock ($0.0001 par value per share) AT-THE-MARKET EQUITY OFFERING SALES AGREEMENT
Exhibit 1.2
Common Stock
($0.0001 par value per share)
AT-THE-MARKET EQUITY OFFERING SALES AGREEMENT
May 12, 2023
▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & COMPANY, INCORPORATED
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
New York, NY 10019
Ladies and Gentlemen:
HilleVax, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), proposes, subject to the terms and conditions stated herein, to issue and sell from time to time to or through ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & Company, Incorporated (“▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇”), as sales agent and/or principal (“Agent”), shares (the “Shares”) of the Company’s common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (the “Common Stock”), having an aggregate offering price of up to $100,000,000 on the terms set forth in Section 2 of this At-The-Market Equity Offering Sales Agreement (the “Agreement”).
Section 1. Representations and Warranties. The Company represents and warrants to the Agent that as of the date of this Agreement, any applicable Registration Statement Amendment Date (as defined in Section 3 below), each Company Periodic Report Date (as defined in Section 3 below), each Applicable Time (as defined in Section 1(a) below) and each Settlement Date (as defined in Section 2 below):
a) Registration Statement and Prospectus. The Company has filed or will file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form S-3, including a base prospectus, in respect of the Company’s Common Stock (including the Shares) and other securities. The base prospectus filed as part of such registration statement is hereinafter called the “Base Prospectus”; the various parts of such registration statement, including all exhibits thereto and any prospectus or prospectus supplement relating to the Shares that is filed with the Commission and deemed by virtue of Rule 430B of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). to be part of such registration statement, each as amended at the time such part of the registration statement became effective, including any post-effective amendments thereto, are hereinafter collectively called the “Registration Statement”; the Base Prospectus, together with the prospectus specifically relating to the Shares and filed as part of such Registration Statement, as updated by any prospectus supplement specifically relating to the Shares prepared and filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the 1933 Act, is hereinafter called the “Prospectus”; any reference herein to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act; any reference to any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, any prospectus supplement relating to the Shares filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the 1933 Act and any documents filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (the “1934 Act Regulations”), and incorporated therein, in each case after the date of the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, as the case may be; any reference to any amendment to the Registration Statement shall be deemed to refer to and include any annual report of the Company filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the 1934 Act after the effective date of the Registration Statement that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement; and any “issuer free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 433 under the 1933 Act relating to the Shares is hereinafter called an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus”.
No order preventing or suspending the use of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus has been issued by the Commission, and the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, at the time of filing thereof, conformed or will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the 1933 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (the “1933 Act Regulations”). The Registration Statement, at the time it became effective, did not or will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. The Prospectus, as of its date, did not or will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, when they became effective or were filed with the Commission, as the case may be, complied in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act Regulations, and, when read together with the other information in the Prospectus, (a) at the time the Registration Statement became or becomes effective, (b) at the time the Prospectus was or is issued and (c) on the date of this Agreement, did not or will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
For the purposes of this Agreement, the “Applicable Time” means, with respect to any Shares, the time of sale of such Shares pursuant to this Agreement; the Prospectus and the applicable Issuer Free Writing Prospectus(es) issued at or prior to such Applicable Time, taken together as of each Applicable Time and each Settlement Date, will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and each applicable Issuer Free Writing Prospectus will not conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, or the Prospectus and each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus as of such Applicable Time will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
b) Emerging Growth Company. The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act (an “Emerging Growth Company”).
c) Financial Statements. The financial statements (including the related notes thereto) of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and present fairly in all material respects the financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries as of the dates indicated and the results of their operations and the changes in their cash flows for the periods specified; such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) in the United States applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods covered thereby, and any supporting schedules included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement present fairly in all material respects the information required to be stated therein; and the other financial information included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus has been derived from the accounting records of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries and presents fairly in all material respects the information shown thereby.
d) No Material Adverse Change. Since the date of the most recent financial statements of the Company included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, except as otherwise disclosed therein, (i) there has not been any material change in the capital stock (other than the issuance of shares of Common Stock upon exercise of stock options and warrants described as outstanding in, and the grant of options and awards under existing equity incentive plans described in, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus), short-term debt or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or any dividend or distribution of any kind declared, set aside for payment, paid or made by the Company on any class of capital stock, or any material adverse change, or any development that would reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change, in or affecting the business, properties, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity, results of operations or prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole; (ii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has entered into any transaction or agreement (whether or not in the ordinary course of business) that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole or incurred any liability or obligation, direct or contingent,
that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole; and (iii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sustained any loss or interference with its business that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole and that is either from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor disturbance or dispute or any action, order or decree of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, except in each case as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
e) Organization and Good Standing. The Company and each of its subsidiaries have been duly organized and are validly existing and in good standing under the laws of their respective jurisdictions of organization, are duly qualified to do business and are in good standing in each jurisdiction in which their respective ownership or lease of property or the conduct of their respective businesses requires such qualification, and have all power and authority necessary to own or hold their respective properties and to conduct the businesses in which they are engaged, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing or have such power or authority would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the business, properties, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity, results of operations or prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole or on the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement (a “Material Adverse Effect”). The Company does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or other entity other than the subsidiaries listed in Exhibit 21 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for its most recently completed fiscal year or certain other subsidiaries that singularly, or in the aggregate, is not a significant subsidiary.
f) Capitalization. The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus; all the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable and are not subject to any pre-emptive or similar rights that have not been duly waived or satisfied; except as described in or expressly contemplated by the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (including any documents incorporated by reference therein and any supplement thereto, the “Disclosure Documents”), there are no outstanding rights (including, without limitation, pre-emptive rights that have not been duly waived or satisfied), warrants or options to acquire, or instruments convertible into or exchangeable for, any shares of capital stock or other equity interest in the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or any contract, commitment, agreement, understanding or arrangement of any kind relating to the issuance of any capital stock of the Company or any such subsidiary, any such convertible or exchangeable securities or any such rights, warrants or options; the capital stock of the Company conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus; and all the outstanding shares of capital stock or other equity interests of each subsidiary owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable (except, in the case of any foreign subsidiary, for directors’ qualifying shares) and are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of any lien, charge, encumbrance, security interest, restriction on voting or transfer or any other claim of any third party, except as otherwise disclosed in the Disclosure Documents. The Company’s Common Stock has been registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the 1934 Act and is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (“Nasdaq”), and, to the Company’s knowledge, the Company has taken no action designed to, or likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration or listing of the Common Stock from Nasdaq, nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission or Nasdaq is contemplating terminating such registration or listing. except as otherwise disclosed in the Disclosure Documents.
g) Stock Options. With respect to the stock options (the “Stock Options”) granted pursuant to the stock-based compensation plans of the Company and its subsidiaries (the “Company Stock Plans”), (i) each Stock Option intended to qualify as an “incentive stock option” under Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), so qualifies, (ii) each grant of a Stock Option was duly authorized no later than the date on which the grant of such Stock Option was by its terms to be effective (the “Grant Date”) by all necessary corporate action, including, as applicable, approval by the board of directors of the Company (or a duly constituted and authorized committee thereof) and any required stockholder approval by the necessary number of votes or written consents, and, to the knowledge of the Company (other than with respect to due execution and delivery by the Company), the award agreement governing such grant (if any) was duly executed and delivered by each party thereto, (iii) each such grant
was made in accordance with the terms of the Company Stock Plans and all other applicable laws and regulatory rules or requirements in all material respects, and (iv) each such grant was properly accounted for in accordance with GAAP in the financial statements (including the related notes) of the Company in all material respects. The Company has not knowingly granted, and there is no and has been no policy or practice of the Company of granting, Stock Options prior to, or otherwise coordinating the grant of Stock Options with, the release or other public announcement of material information regarding the Company or its subsidiaries or their results of operations or prospects.
h) Due Authorization. The Company has full right, power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder; and all action required to be taken for the due and proper authorization, execution and delivery by it of this Agreement and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby has been duly and validly taken.
i) Authorization of Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
j) The Shares. The Shares have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance and sale pursuant to this Agreement and, when issued and delivered by the Company pursuant to this Agreement against payment of the consideration set forth herein, will be validly issued and fully paid and non-assessable; the Common Stock conforms in all material respects to all statements relating thereto contained in the Prospectus and such description conforms to the rights set forth in the instruments defining the same; and the issuance of the Shares is not subject to the preemptive or other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company.
k) Descriptions of the Agreement. This Agreement conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
l) No Violation or Default. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is (i) in violation of its charter or by-laws or similar organizational documents; (ii) in default, and no event has occurred that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute such a default, in the due performance or observance of any term, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any property or asset of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject; or (iii) in violation of any applicable law or statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority having jurisdiction over the Company, except, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, for any such default or violation that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
m) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement, the issuance and sale of the Shares and the consummation of the transactions by the Company contemplated by this Agreement or the Prospectus will not (i) conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, result in the termination, modification or acceleration of, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property, right or asset of the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any property, right or asset of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject, (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws or similar organizational documents of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or (iii) result in the violation of any law or statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority having jurisdiction over the Company, except, in the case of clauses (i) and (iii) above, for any such conflict, breach, violation, default, lien, charge or encumbrance that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
n) No Consents Required. No consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority is required for the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement, the issuance and sale of the Shares and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except for the registration of the Shares under the Securities Act and such consents, approvals, authorizations, orders and registrations or qualifications as may be required by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) and under applicable state securities laws in connection with the distribution of the Shares by the Agents.
o) Legal Proceedings. Except as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there are no legal, governmental or regulatory investigations, actions, demands, claims, suits, arbitrations, inquiries or proceedings (“Actions”) pending to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is or may reasonably be expected to become a party or to which any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is or may reasonably be expected to become the subject that, individually or in the aggregate, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; to the knowledge of the Company, no such Actions that would reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, to have a Material Adverse Effect are threatened or contemplated by any governmental or regulatory authority or threatened by others; and (i) there are no current or pending Actions that are required under the Securities Act to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus that are not so described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and (ii) there are no statutes, regulations or contracts or other documents that are required under the Securities Act to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement or described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus that are not so filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement or described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
p) Independent Accountants. Ernst & Young LLP, who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries within the applicable rules and regulations adopted by the Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) and as required by the Securities Act.
q) Title to Real and Personal Property. The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to, or have valid rights to lease or otherwise use, all items of real and personal property that are material to the respective businesses of the Company and its subsidiaries, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, claims and defects and imperfections of title except those that (i) do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its subsidiaries or (ii) could not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect, or (iii) are disclosed in the Disclosure Documents.
r) Intellectual Property. Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Documents, (i) the Company and its subsidiaries own or have valid and enforceable licenses to use any and all patents, trademarks, service marks, trade names, trade dress, trademark registrations, service mark registrations, domain names, social media accounts, and other source indicators (and all goodwill associated with any of the foregoing), copyrights and copyrightable works, know-how, trade secrets, inventions, software, databases, systems, procedures, proprietary or confidential information and other worldwide intellectual property and proprietary rights (including any and all issuances and registrations and applications for issuance or registration of any of the foregoing, as applicable) (collectively, “Intellectual Property”) used or held for use in, or otherwise necessary for, the conduct of their respective businesses as currently conducted and as proposed to be conducted in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, except where failure to own or possess any of the foregoing rights would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; (ii) to the Company’s knowledge, the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ conduct of their respective businesses as currently conducted and as proposed to be conducted in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus does not infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate, and has not infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated, any Intellectual Property of any third party, except to the extent any such infringement, misappropriation, or violation would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect; (iii) to the knowledge of the Company, there is no pending, and the Company and its subsidiaries have not received any notice of and are otherwise not aware of any threatened, action, suit, proceeding or claim by any person (A) challenging the Company’s or any of its subsidiaries’ rights in or to any of the Intellectual Property owned by or licensed to
the Company or any of its subsidiaries, (B) challenging the validity, enforceability or scope of any of the Intellectual Property owned by or licensed to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or (C) alleging that the Company or any of its subsidiaries has infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated any Intellectual Property of any third party, except to the extent, in each case of the foregoing (A)-(C), as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect,; (iv) to the knowledge of the Company, the Intellectual Property of the Company and its subsidiaries is not being infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated by any third party; (v) except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, all Intellectual Property owned by the Company or any of its subsidiaries is owned solely and exclusively by the Company or such subsidiaries and the Company and its subsidiaries own such Intellectual Property and hold all of their rights under all Intellectual Property licensed to them, in each case, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects, other than customary reversionary rights and retained rights of licensors; (vi) the Company and its subsidiaries are not aware of any facts that would reasonably support a finding that any of the Intellectual Property owned by or licensed to the Company is invalid or unenforceable; (vii) the Company and its subsidiaries have taken commercially reasonable steps to maintain and protect any confidential information and trade secrets of the Company and its subsidiaries and to protect any confidential information provided to them by any third party; (vii) the Company and its subsidiaries have taken commercially reasonable actions to maintain and protect all registered Intellectual Property (including all applications therefor) owned by the Company or any of its subsidiaries; and (ix) all employees or contractors involved in the development of Intellectual Property for or on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries have executed an invention assignment agreement whereby such employees or contractors presently assign all of their right, title and interest in and to such Intellectual Property to the Company or its applicable subsidiary, and to the Company’s knowledge no such agreement has been breached or violated, except to the extent as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.
s) No Undisclosed Relationships. No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the one hand, and the directors, officers, stockholders, customers, suppliers or other affiliates of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the other, that is required by the Securities Act to be described in each of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and that is not so described in such documents.
t) Investment Company Act. The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, will not be required to register as an “investment company” or an entity “controlled” by an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the “Investment Company Act”).
u) Taxes. The Company and its subsidiaries have paid all material federal, state, local and foreign taxes and filed all material tax returns required to be paid or filed through the date hereof; and except as otherwise disclosed in the Disclosure Documents, there is no material tax deficiency that has been, or could reasonably be expected to be, asserted against the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective properties or assets.
v) Licenses and Permits. The Company and its subsidiaries possess all licenses, sub-licenses, certificates, permits and other authorizations issued by, and have made all declarations and filings with, the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory authorities that are necessary for the ownership or lease of their respective properties or the conduct of their respective businesses as described in each of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, except where the failure to possess or make the same would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or except as disclosed in the Disclosure Documents; and except as described in the Disclosure Documents, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received written notice of any revocation or modification of any such license, sub-license, certificate, permit or authorization or has any reason to believe that any such license, sub-license, certificate, permit or authorization will not be renewed in the ordinary course, except where such revocation or suspension would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
w) No Labor Disputes. No labor disturbance by or dispute with employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is contemplated or threatened, and the Company is not aware of any existing or imminent labor disturbance by, or dispute with, the employees of any of its or its subsidiaries’ principal suppliers, contractors or customers, except as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or as otherwise disclosed in the Disclosure Documents. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of cancellation or termination with respect to any collective bargaining agreement to which it is a party.
x) Certain Environmental Matters. Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Documents, (i) the Company and its subsidiaries (x) are in compliance with all, and have not violated any, applicable federal, state, local and foreign laws (including common law), rules, regulations, requirements, decisions, judgments, decrees, orders and other legally enforceable requirements relating to pollution or the protection of human health or safety, the environment, natural resources, hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (collectively, “Environmental Laws”); (y) have received and are in compliance with all, and have not violated any, permits, licenses, certificates or other authorizations or approvals required of them under any Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses; and (z) have not received notice of any actual or potential liability or obligation under or relating to, or any actual or potential violation of, any Environmental Laws, including for the investigation or remediation of any disposal or release of hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants, and have no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in any such notice; (ii) there are no costs or liabilities associated with Environmental Laws of or relating to the Company or its subsidiaries, except in the case of each of (i) and (ii) above, for any such matter as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and (iii) except as described in the Prospectus, (x) there is no proceeding that is pending, or that is known by the Company to be contemplated, against the Company or any of its subsidiaries under any Environmental Laws in which a governmental entity is also a party, other than such proceeding regarding which the Company reasonably believes no monetary sanctions of $100,000 or more will be imposed, (y) the Company and its subsidiaries are not aware of any facts or issues regarding compliance with Environmental Laws, or liabilities or other obligations under Environmental Laws or concerning hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants, that would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, and (z) none of the Company or its subsidiaries anticipates material capital expenditures relating to any Environmental Laws.
y) Compliance with ERISA. (i) Each employee benefit plan, within the meaning of Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), for which the Company or any member of its “Controlled Group” (defined as any entity, whether or not incorporated, that is under common control with the Company within the meaning of Section 4001(a)(14) of ERISA or any entity that would be regarded as a single employer with the Company under Section 414(b),(c),(m) or (o) of the Code) would have any liability (each, a “Plan”) has been maintained in compliance with its terms and the requirements of any applicable statutes, orders, rules and regulations, including but not limited to ERISA and the Code, except for noncompliance that would not reasonably be expected to result in a material liability to the Company; (ii) no prohibited transaction, within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, has occurred with respect to any Plan, excluding transactions effected pursuant to a statutory or administrative exemption; (iii) for each Plan that is subject to the funding rules of Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA, no Plan has failed (whether or not waived), or is reasonably expected to fail, to satisfy the minimum funding standards (within the meaning of Section 302 of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code) applicable to such Plan; (iv) no Plan is, or is reasonably expected to be, in “at risk status” (within the meaning of Section 303(i) of ERISA) and no Plan that is a “multiemployer plan” within the meaning of Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA is in “endangered status” or “critical status” (within the meaning of Sections 304 and 305 of ERISA) (v) the fair market value of the assets of each Plan exceeds the present value of all benefits accrued under such Plan (determined based on those assumptions used to fund such Plan); (vi) no “reportable event” (within the meaning of Section 4043(c) of ERISA and the regulations promulgated thereunder) has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur; (vii) each Plan that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified, and to the knowledge of the Company, nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which would cause the loss of such qualification; (viii) neither the Company nor any member of the Controlled Group has incurred, nor reasonably expects to incur, any liability under Title IV of ERISA (other than contributions to the Plan or
premiums to the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation, in the ordinary course and without default) in respect of a Plan (including a “multiemployer plan” within the meaning of Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA); and (ix) none of the following events has occurred or is reasonably likely to occur: (A) a material increase in the aggregate amount of contributions required to be made to all Plans by the Company or its Controlled Group affiliates in the current fiscal year of the Company and its Controlled Group affiliates compared to the amount of such contributions made in the Company’s and its Controlled Group affiliates’ most recently completed fiscal year; or (B) a material increase in the Company and its subsidiaries’ “accumulated post-retirement benefit obligations” (within the meaning of Accounting Standards Codification Topic 715-60) compared to the amount of such obligations in the Company and its subsidiaries’ most recently completed fiscal year, except in each case with respect to the events or conditions set forth in (i) through (ix) hereof, as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
z) Disclosure Controls. Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Documents, the Company and its subsidiaries maintain an effective system of “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the 1934 Act) that complies with the applicable requirements of the 1934 Act and that has been designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it files or submits under the 1934 Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, including controls and procedures designed to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
aa) Accounting Controls. The Company and its subsidiaries maintain systems of “internal control over financial reporting” (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the 1934 Act) that are designed to comply with the applicable requirements of the 1934 Act and have been designed by, or under the supervision of, their respective principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP. Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Documents, the Company and its subsidiaries maintain internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Documents, there are no material weaknesses in the Company’s internal controls. The Company’s auditors and the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company have been advised of: (i) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls over financial reporting known to the Company which have adversely affected or are reasonably likely to adversely affect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and (ii) any fraud known to the Company, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting.
bb) Insurance. The Company and its subsidiaries have insurance covering their respective properties, operations, personnel and businesses, including business interruption insurance, which insurance is in amounts and insures against such losses and risks as the Company reasonably believes are adequate to protect the Company and its subsidiaries and their respective businesses; and except as disclosed in the Disclosure Documents neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has (i) received notice from any insurer or agent of such insurer that capital improvements or other expenditures are required or necessary to be made in order to continue such insurance or (ii) any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage at reasonable cost from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business.
cc) Cybersecurity. Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or as otherwise disclosed in the Disclosure Documents., (i) the Company and its subsidiaries’ information technology assets and equipment, computers, systems, networks, hardware, software, websites, applications, and databases (collectively, “IT Systems”) operate
and perform in all respects as required in connection with the operation of the business of the Company and its subsidiaries as currently conducted, and to knowledge of the Company, are free and clear of all bugs, errors, defects, Trojan horses, time bombs, malware and other corruptants; (ii) the Company and its subsidiaries have implemented and maintained commercially reasonable controls designed to maintain and protect the confidentiality, integrity, availability, privacy and security of all IT Systems and data (including all personal, personally identifiable, sensitive, confidential or regulated data of their respective customers, employees, suppliers, vendors and any third party data maintained by or on behalf of the Company and its subsidiaries (“Personal Data”)) collected, used or otherwise processed in connection with their businesses; (iii) there have been no breaches, outages or unauthorized uses of, accesses to or other compromise of or relating to any of the Personal Data or IT Systems; (iv) there are no incidents under internal review or to the knowledge of the Company, investigations relating to any security breach or other compromise of the Personal Data or IT Systems; (v) the Company and its subsidiaries have not been notified of, and have no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in any security breach or other compromise to their IT Systems or Personal Data; and (vi) the Company and its subsidiaries have implemented commercially reasonable backup and disaster recovery technology.
dd) Data Protection. Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Documents, (i) and except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, the Company and its subsidiaries are presently, and have been, in compliance with all internal and external privacy policies, contractual obligations, applicable state, federal and international laws (including, to the extent applicable, the European Union General Data Protection Regulation), statutes, judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or other governmental or regulatory authority and any legal obligations regarding the collection, use, transfer, import, export, storage, protection, disposal, disclosure or other processing by the Company and its subsidiaries of Personal Data (“Data Security Obligations”); (ii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any written, or to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, notification of or complaint regarding non-compliance with any Data Security Obligation or has any knowledge of any event or conditions that would reasonably be expected to result in any such notification of or complaint; and (iii) there is no pending, or to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body pending or threatened alleging non-compliance with any Data Security Obligation.
ee) No Unlawful Payments. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor any director, officer or employee of the Company or any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any agent, affiliate or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has (i) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (ii) made or taken an act in furtherance of an offer, promise or authorization of any direct or indirect unlawful payment or benefit to any foreign or domestic government official or employee, including of any government-owned or controlled entity or of a public international organization, or any person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any of the foregoing, or any political party or party official or candidate for political office; (iii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, or any applicable law or regulation implementing the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, or committed an offence under the Bribery Act 2010 of the United Kingdom or any other applicable anti-bribery or anti-corruption law; or (iv) made, offered, agreed, requested or taken an act in furtherance of any unlawful bribe or other unlawful benefit, including, without limitation, any rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful or improper payment or benefit. The Company and its subsidiaries have instituted, maintain and enforce, and will continue to maintain and enforce policies and procedures designed to promote and ensure compliance with all applicable anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws.
ff) Compliance with Anti-Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the applicable money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions where the Company or any of its subsidiaries conducts business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.
gg) No Conflicts with Sanctions Laws. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries, directors, officers, or employees, nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any agent, affiliate or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is currently the subject or the target of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. government, (including, without limitation, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“OFAC”) or the U.S. Department of State and including, without limitation, the designation as a “specially designated national” or “blocked person”), the United Nations Security Council (“UNSC”), the European Union, His Majesty’s Treasury (“HMT”) or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor is the Company or any of its subsidiaries located, organized or resident in a country, region or territory that is the subject or target of Sanctions, including, without limitation, the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic, the Crimea Region of Ukraine, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria (each, a “Sanctioned Country”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering of the Shares hereunder, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity (i) to fund or facilitate any activities of or business with any person that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject or target of Sanctions, (ii) to fund or facilitate any activities of or business in any Sanctioned Country or (iii) in any other manner that will result in a violation by any person (including any person participating in the transaction, whether as Agent, advisor, investor or otherwise) of Sanctions. For the past five years, the Company and its subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in and are not now knowingly engaged in any dealings or transactions with any person that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject or the target of Sanctions or with any Sanctioned Country.
hh) No Restrictions on Subsidiaries. Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Documents, no subsidiary of the Company is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, under any agreement or other instrument to which it is a party or is subject, from paying any dividends to the Company, from making any other distribution on such subsidiary’s capital stock or similar ownership interest, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of such subsidiary’s properties or assets to the Company or any other subsidiary of the Company.
ii) No Broker’s Fees. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is a party to any contract, agreement or understanding with any person (other than this Agreement) that would give rise to a valid claim against any of them or any Agent for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or like payment in connection with the offering and sale of the Shares.
▇▇) No Registration Rights. No person has the right to require the Company or any of its subsidiaries to register any securities for sale under the Securities Act by reason of the filing of the Registration Statement with the Commission or the issuance and sale of the Shares, except for such rights that have been validly waived.
kk) No Stabilization. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries or affiliates has taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Shares.
ll) Margin Rules. Neither the issuance, sale and delivery of the Shares nor the application of the proceeds thereof by the Company as described in each of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus will violate Regulation T, U or X of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or any other regulation of such Board of Governors.
mm) Forward-Looking Statements. No forward-looking statement (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the 1934 Act) included in any of the Registration Statement or the Prospectus has been made or reaffirmed without a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good faith.
nn) Statistical and Market Data. Nothing has come to the attention of the Company that has caused the Company to believe that the statistical and market-related data included in each of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus is not based on or derived from sources that are reliable and accurate in all material respects.
oo) Clinical Trials. Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Documents: the clinical and preclinical trials conducted by or on behalf of or sponsored by the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or in which the Company or any of its subsidiaries has participated, that are described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, or the results of which are referred to in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as applicable, were, and if still pending are, being conducted in all material respects in accordance with standard medical and scientific research standards and procedures and all applicable statutes and all applicable rules and regulations of the FDA and other applicable regulatory authorities (including, without limitation, any foreign, federal, state or local governmental or regulatory authority performing functions similar to those performed by the FDA having jurisdiction over such trials) (collectively, the “Regulatory Authorities”); the descriptions in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus of the results of such studies and tests are accurate and complete in all material respects and fairly present the data derived from such trials; neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has any knowledge of any other trials, the results of which are materially inconsistent with or reasonably call into question the results described or referred to in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus; the Company and each of its subsidiaries have operated at all times during the last three years and are currently in compliance with all applicable statutes, rules and regulations of the Regulatory Authorities except where failures to so comply would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any written notices or correspondence from the applicable Regulatory Authorities or any other governmental agency requiring or threatening the termination, material adverse modification or suspension of any clinical or preclinical trials that are described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or the results of which are referred to in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, and, to the best knowledge of the Company and its subsidiaries, there are no reasonable grounds for the same.
pp) Regulatory Filings. Except in each case, as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or as otherwise disclosed in the Disclosure Documents, during the last three years: (i) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has failed to file with the applicable Regulatory Authorities any required filing, declaration, listing, registration, report or submission; (ii) all such filings, declarations, listings, registrations, reports or submissions were in compliance with applicable laws when filed (or were corrected by subsequent submission); and (iii) no deficiencies have been asserted in writing by any applicable Regulatory Authority with respect to any such filings, declarations, listings, registrations, reports or submissions.
qq) ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇ Act. There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or to the knowledge of the Company, any of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply with any applicable provision of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇ Act of 2002, as amended and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith (the “▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇ Act”), including Section 402 related to loans.
rr) Status under the Securities Act. At the time of filing the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the earliest time thereafter that the Company or any offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) under the Securities Act) of the Shares and at the date hereof, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
ss) Stamp Taxes. No stamp duties or other issuance or transfer taxes are payable by or on behalf of the Agent in the United States or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof solely in connection with (A) the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, (B) the issuance and delivery of the Shares in the manner contemplated by this Agreement and the Prospectus or (C) the sale and delivery by the Agent of the Shares as contemplated herein and in the Prospectus.
tt) No Ratings. There are no debt securities, convertible securities or preferred stock issued or guaranteed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries that are rated by a “nationally recognized statistical rating organization”, as such term is defined in Section 3(a)(62) under the 1934 Act.
uu) Deemed Representation. Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company delivered to the Agent or to counsel for the Agent pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to the Agent as to the matters covered thereby as of the date or dates indicated in such certificate.
Section 2. Sale and Delivery of Shares.
a) Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Company agrees to issue and sell exclusively through the Agent acting as sales agent or directly to the Agent acting as principal from time to time, and the Agent agrees to use its commercially reasonable efforts to sell as sales agent for the Company, the Shares. Sales of the Shares, if any, through the Agent acting as sales agent or directly to the Agent acting as principal shall be made in transactions that are deemed to be “at-the-market offerings” as defined in Rule 415 under the 1933 Act or in negotiated transactions with the consent of the Company. Nothing contained herein restricts, nor may be deemed to restrict, the Company from undertaking another offering of its securities pursuant to a separate registration under the 1933 Act (or an exemption from such registration), or another offering under the Registration Statement, provided the Company complies with Section 3(o) hereof. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 3(l), the Agent shall not purchase the Shares sold pursuant to this Agreement for its own account as principal unless expressly authorized in writing to do so by the Company.
b) The Shares are to be sold on a daily basis or otherwise as shall be agreed to by the Company and the Agent on that trading day (other than a day on which Nasdaq is scheduled to close prior to its regular weekday closing time, each, a “Trading Day”) that the Company has satisfied its obligations under Section 6 of this Agreement and that the Company has instructed the Agent to make such sales. For the avoidance of doubt, the foregoing limitation shall not apply to sales solely to employees or security holders of the Company or its Subsidiaries, or to a trustee or other person acquiring such securities for the accounts of such persons in which the Agent is acting for the Company in a capacity other than as Agent under this Agreement. On any Trading Day, the Company may instruct the Agent by telephone (confirmed promptly by telecopy or email by any of the individuals from the Company set forth on Schedule 1 hereto and shall be addressed to each of the individuals from the Agent set forth on Schedule 1 hereto, which confirmation will be promptly acknowledged by the Agent) as to the maximum aggregate dollar value or number of Shares to be sold by the Agent on such day (in any event not in excess of the number available for issuance under the Prospectus and the currently effective Registration Statement) and the minimum price per Share at which such Shares may be sold. Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the Agent shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to sell as sales agent all of the Shares so designated by the Company. The Company and the Agent each acknowledge and agree that (A) there can be no assurance that the Agent will be successful in selling the Shares, and (B) the Agent will incur no liability or obligation to the Company or any other person or entity if they do not sell Shares for any reason other than a failure by the Agent to use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices and applicable law and regulations to sell such Shares as required by this Agreement.
c) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not authorize the issuance and sale of, and the Agent as sales agent shall not be obligated to use its commercially reasonable efforts to sell, any Shares pursuant to this Agreement (i) at a price lower than the minimum price therefor authorized from time to time, or (ii) in a number in excess of the number or maximum aggregate dollar value of Shares authorized from time to time to be issued and sold under this Agreement, in each case, by the Company’s board of directors, or a duly authorized committee thereof, and notified to the Agent in writing. In addition, the Company may, upon notice to the Agent, suspend the offering of the Shares or the Agent may, upon notice to the Company, suspend the offering of the Shares with respect to which the Agent is acting as sales agent for any reason and at any time; provided, however, that such suspension or termination shall not affect or impair the parties’ respective obligations with respect to the Shares sold hereunder prior to the giving of such notice. Any notice given pursuant to the preceding sentence may be given by telephone by any of the individuals from the Company set forth on Schedule 1 hereto (confirmed promptly by telecopy or email and shall be addressed to each of the individuals from the Agent set forth on Schedule 1 hereto, which confirmation will be promptly acknowledged).
d) The gross sales price of any Shares sold pursuant to this Agreement by the Agent acting as sales agent of the Company shall be the market price prevailing at the time of sale for shares of the Company’s Common Stock sold by the Agent on Nasdaq or otherwise, at prices relating to prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices. The compensation payable to the Agent for sales of Shares with respect to which the Agent acts as sales agent shall be equal to up to 3.0% of the gross sales price of the Shares for amounts of Shares sold pursuant to this Agreement. The remaining proceeds, after further deduction for any transaction fees imposed by any governmental, regulatory or self-regulatory organization in respect of such sales, shall constitute the net proceeds to the Company for such Shares (the “Net Proceeds”). The Agent shall notify the Company as promptly as practicable if any deduction referenced in the preceding sentence will be required.
e) If acting as a sales agent hereunder, the Agent shall provide written confirmation to the Company promptly following the close of trading on Nasdaq, each day in which Shares are sold under this Agreement setting forth the number of Shares sold on such day, the aggregate gross sales proceeds of the Shares, the Net Proceeds to the Company and the compensation payable by the Company to such Agent with respect to such sales.
f) Under no circumstances shall the aggregate offering price or number, as the case may be, of Shares sold pursuant to this Agreement exceed the aggregate offering price or number, as the case may be, of Shares of Common Stock (i) set forth in the preamble paragraph of this Agreement, (ii) available for issuance under the Prospectus and the then currently effective Registration Statement or (iii) authorized from time to time to be issued and sold under this Agreement by the Company’s board of directors, or a duly authorized committee thereof, and notified to the Agent in writing. In addition, under no circumstances shall any Shares with respect to which the Agent acts as sales agent be sold at a price lower than the minimum price therefor authorized from time to time by the Company’s board of directors, or a duly authorized committee thereof, and notified to the Agent in writing.
g) Settlement for sales of Shares pursuant to this Section 2 will occur on the second business day that is also a Trading Day following the trade date on which such sales are made, unless another date shall be agreed to by the Company and the Agent (each such day, a “Settlement Date”). On each Settlement Date, the Shares sold through the Agent for settlement on such date shall be delivered by the Company to the Agent against payment of the Net Proceeds from the sale of such Shares. Settlement for all Shares shall be effected by book-entry delivery of Shares to the Agent’s account at The Depository Trust Company against payments by the Agent of the Net Proceeds from the sale of such Shares in same day funds delivered to an account designated by the Company. If the Company shall default on its obligation to deliver Shares on any Settlement Date, the Company shall (i) indemnify and hold the Agent harmless against any loss, claim or damage arising from or as a result of such default by the Company and (ii) pay the Agent any commission to which it would otherwise be entitled absent such default.
h) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Company and the Agent agree that no sales of Shares shall take place, and the Company shall not request the sale of any Shares that would be sold, and the Agent shall not be obligated to sell, during any period in which the Company is, or would reasonably be deemed to be, in possession of material non-public information, provided that, unless otherwise agreed between the Company and the Agent, for purposes of this paragraph (h), such period shall be deemed to end on the date on which the Company’s next subsequent Annual Report on Form 10-K or Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, as the case may be, is filed with the Commission.
i) Any obligation of the Agent to use its commercially reasonable efforts to sell the Shares on behalf of the Company as sales agent shall be subject to the continuing accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company herein, to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the continuing satisfaction of the additional conditions specified in Section 6 of this Agreement.
Section 3. Covenants. The Company agrees with the Agent:
a) During any period when the delivery of a prospectus is required in connection with the offering or sale of Shares (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 153 or 172, or in lieu thereof, a notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the 1933 Act), (i) to make no further amendment or any supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (other than an amendment or supplement relating to an offering of the Company’s securities which is unrelated to the offering of the Shares hereunder) prior to any Settlement Date which shall be disapproved by the Agent promptly after reasonable notice thereof and to advise the Agent, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the time when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus (other than an amendment or supplement relating to an offering of the Company’s securities which is unrelated to the offering of the Shares hereunder) has been filed and to furnish the Agent with copies thereof, (ii) to file promptly all other material required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the 1933 Act, (iii) subject, to any permitted extensions, to file promptly all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the 1934 Act, (iv) to advise the Agent, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of the Prospectus or other prospectus in respect of the Shares, of the suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose, or of any request by the Commission for the amending or supplementing of the form of the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or for additional information, and (v) in the event of the issuance of any such stop order or of any such order preventing or suspending the use of the Prospectus in respect of the Shares or suspending any such qualification, to promptly use its commercially reasonable efforts to obtain the withdrawal of such order; and in the event of any such issuance of a notice of objection, promptly to take such commercially reasonable steps as may be necessary to permit offers and sales of the Shares by the Agent, which may include, without limitation, amending the Registration Statement or filing a new registration statement, at the Company’s expense (references herein to the Registration Statement shall include any such amendment or new registration statement). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not be required to furnish any document to the extent such document is available on the Commission’s Electronic Data-Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval System (“▇▇▇▇▇”).
b) Promptly from time to time to take such action as the Agent may reasonably request to qualify the Shares for offering and sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions as the Agent may request and to comply with such laws so as to permit the continuance of sales and dealings therein in such jurisdictions for as long as may be necessary to complete the sale of the Shares, provided that in connection therewith the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction; and to promptly advise the Agent of the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offer or sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose.
c) During any period when the delivery of a prospectus is required (whether physically or through compliance with Rules 153 or 172, or in lieu thereof, a notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the 1933 Act) in connection with the offering or sale of Shares, the Company will make available to the Agent, as soon as practicable after the execution of this Agreement, and thereafter from time to time furnish to the Agent, copies of the most recent Prospectus in such quantities and at such locations as the Agent may reasonably request for the purposes contemplated by the 1933 Act. During any period when the delivery of a prospectus is required (whether physically or through compliance with Rules 153 or 172, or in lieu thereof, a notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the 1933 Act) in connection with the offering or sale of Shares, and if at such time any event shall have occurred as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made when such Prospectus is delivered, not misleading, or, if for any other reason it shall be necessary during such same period to amend or supplement the Prospectus or to file under the 1934 Act any document incorporated by reference in the Prospectus in order to comply with the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act, to notify the Agent and to file such document and to prepare and furnish without charge to the Agent as many written and electronic copies as the Agent may from time to time reasonably request of an amended Prospectus or a supplement to the Prospectus which will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not be required to furnish any document to the extent such document is available on ▇▇▇▇▇.
d) To make generally available to its securityholders as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than sixteen months after the effective date of the Registration Statement (as defined in Rule 158(c) under the 1933 Act), an earnings statement of the Company and its Subsidiaries (which need not be audited) complying with Section 11(a) of the 1933 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (including, at the option of the Company, Rule 158), which requirement may be satisfied by publicly filing the required information on ▇▇▇▇▇.
e) To use the Net Proceeds received by it from the sale of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement in the manner specified in the Prospectus under the heading “Use of Proceeds”.
f) In connection with the offering and sale of the Shares, the Company will file with Nasdaq all documents and notices, and make all certifications, required by Nasdaq of companies that have securities that are listed or quoted on Nasdaq and will use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain such listings or quotations.
g) To not take, directly or indirectly, and to cause its affiliates to refrain from taking, any action designed to cause or result in, or that has constituted or might reasonably be expected to constitute, under the 1934 Act or otherwise, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any securities of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Shares.
h) In each Annual Report on Form 10-K or Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed by the Company in respect of any quarter in which sales of Shares were made by or through the Agent under this Agreement (each date on which any such document is filed, and any date on which an amendment to any such document is filed, a “Company Periodic Report Date”), the Company shall set forth with regard to such quarter the number of Shares sold through the Agent under this Agreement and the Net Proceeds received by the Company with respect to sales of Shares pursuant to this Agreement.
i) On or prior the date on which the Company first instructs the Agent to sell Shares pursuant to Section 2(b) hereof (the “First Sales Instruction Date”) and, after the First Sales Instruction Date, each time the Shares are delivered to the Agent as principal on a Settlement Date and promptly after each (i) date the Registration Statement or the Prospectus shall be amended or supplemented (other than (1) by an amendment or supplement providing solely for the determination of the terms of the Shares, (2) in connection with the filing of a prospectus supplement that contains solely the information set forth in Section 3(h), (3) in connection with the filing of any current reports on Form 8-K (other than any current reports on Form 8-K which contain financial statements, supporting schedules or other financial data, including any current report on Form 8-K under Item 2.02 of such form that is considered “filed” under the 1934 Act) or (4) by a prospectus supplement relating to the offering of other securities (including, without limitation, other shares of Common Stock)) (each such date, a “Registration Statement Amendment Date”) and (ii) Company Periodic Report Date, the Company will furnish or cause to be furnished forthwith to the Agent a certificate dated the date of effectiveness of such amendment or the date of filing with the Commission of such supplement or other document, as the case may be, in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Agent to the effect that the statements contained in the certificate referred to in Section 6(e) of this Agreement which were last furnished to the Agent are true and correct at the time of such amendment, supplement or filing, as the case may be, as though made at and as of such time (except that such statements shall be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended and supplemented to such time) or, in lieu of such certificate, a certificate of the same tenor as the certificate referred to in said Section 6(e), but modified as necessary to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended and supplemented, or to the document incorporated by reference into the Prospectus, to the time of delivery of such certificate. As used in this paragraph, to the extent there shall be an Applicable Time on or following the date referred to in clause (i) or (ii) above, promptly shall be deemed to be on or prior to the next succeeding Applicable Time. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not be required to deliver any such certificate at any time there is no instruction to sell Shares delivered pursuant to Section 2(b) then in effect; provided however, that such a certificate shall then be required to be delivered to the Agent prior to any further sales of Shares under this Agreement covering the period which would most recently have been required but for this sentence.
j) On or prior to the First Sales Instruction Date and, after the First Sales Instruction Date, after each (i) Registration Statement Amendment Date and (ii) Company Periodic Report Date, the Company will furnish or cause to be furnished to the Agent and to counsel to the Agent the written opinion and negative assurance letter of ▇▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLP, counsel to the Company, and the written opinion of ▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLP, intellectual property counsel to the Company, or other counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Agent, dated the date of effectiveness of such amendment or the date of filing with the Commission of such supplement or other document, as the case may be, in a form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Agent and its counsel, of the same tenor as the opinions and letters referred to in Sections 6(c) and 6(d) of this Agreement, but modified as necessary to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended and supplemented, or to the document incorporated by reference into the Prospectus, to the time of delivery of such opinion and letter or, in lieu of such opinion and letter, counsel last furnishing such letter to the Agent shall furnish such Agent with a letter substantially to the effect that the Agent may rely on such last opinion and letter to the same extent as though each were dated the date of such letter authorizing reliance (except that statements in such last letter shall be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended and supplemented to the time of delivery of such letter authorizing reliance). As used in this paragraph, to the extent there shall be an Applicable Time on or following the date referred to in clause (i) or (ii) above, promptly shall be deemed to be on or prior to the next succeeding Applicable Time. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not be required to furnish or cause to be furnished any such opinion or statement at any time there are no instructions to sell Shares delivered pursuant to Section 2(b); provided, however, that such an opinion or letter shall then be required to be furnished to the Agent prior to any further sales of Shares under this Agreement covering the period which would most recently have been required but for this sentence.
k) On or prior to the First Sales Instruction Date, and, after the First Sales Instruction Date, promptly after each (i) Registration Statement Amendment Date and (ii) Company Periodic Report Date, the Company will cause ▇▇▇▇▇ & Young LLP, or other independent accountants reasonably satisfactory to the Agent, to furnish to the Agent a letter, dated the date of effectiveness of such amendment or the date of filing of such supplement or other document with the Commission, as the case may be, in form reasonably satisfactory to the Agent and its counsel, of the same tenor as the letter referred to in Section 6(e) hereof, but modified as necessary to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as amended and supplemented, or to the document incorporated by reference into the Prospectus, to the date of such letter. As used in this paragraph, to the extent there shall be an Applicable Time on or following the date referred to in clause (i) or (ii) above, promptly shall be deemed to be on or prior to the next succeeding Applicable Time. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (y) the Company shall not be required to furnish or cause to be furnished any such comfort letter at any time there are not instructions to sell Shares delivered pursuant to Section 2(b); provided, however, that such comfort letter shall then be required to be furnished to the Agent prior to any further sales of Shares under this Agreement covering the period which would most recently have been required but for this sentence, and (z) the Company shall be required to furnish no more than one comfort letter hereunder per each filing of an annual report on Form 10-K or a quarterly report on Form 10-Q.
l) The Company consents to the Agent trading, in compliance with applicable securities laws, in the Company’s Common Stock for the Agent’s own account and for the account of its clients at the same time as sales of Shares occur pursuant to this Agreement.
m) The Company will cooperate timely with any reasonable due diligence review conducted by the Agent or its counsel from time to time in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, including, without limitation, and upon reasonable notice providing information and making available documents and appropriate corporate officers, during regular business hours and at the Company’s principal offices, as the Agent may reasonably request.
n) During each period commencing on the date on which the Company has given an instruction to sell Shares pursuant to Section 2(b) and ending on the close of business of the Settlement Date of the last Shares sold pursuant to such instruction, the Company will not, without giving the Agent at least five business days’ prior written notice specifying the nature of the proposed sale and the date of such proposed sale or otherwise obtaining the Agent’s written consent, (A) offer, pledge, publicly announce the intention to sell, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant for the sale of, lend or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of Common Stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for or repayable with Common Stock, or file any registration statement under the 1933 Act with respect to any of the foregoing (other than a shelf registration statement under Rule 415 under the 1933 Act, a registration statement on Form S-8 or post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement) or (B) enter into any swap or other agreement or any transaction that transfers in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, any of the economic consequence of ownership of the Common Stock, or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for or repayable with Common Stock, whether any such swap or transaction described in clause (A) or (B) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise. The foregoing sentence shall not apply to (i) the Shares to be offered and sold through the Agent pursuant to this Agreement, (ii) issuance or sale of Shares, options to purchase Shares or Shares issuable upon the exercise of options or other equity awards pursuant to any employee or director share option, incentive or benefit plan, share purchase or ownership plan, long-term incentive plan, dividend reinvestment plan, inducement award under Nasdaq rules or other compensation plan of the Company or its subsidiaries, that is disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (iii) issuance or sale of Shares issuable upon exchange, conversion or redemption of securities or the exercise or vesting of warrants, options or other equity awards outstanding at the date an applicable instruction to sell Shares is delivered, (iv) issuance or sale of Shares or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Shares as consideration for mergers, acquisitions or other business combinations, joint ventures, collaborations, licensing arrangements, strategic alliances, or manufacturing, distribution, marketing, supply, sponsored research, technology transfer or development, or third-party service arrangements occurring after the date of this Agreement which are not used primarily for capital raising purposes; provided that the aggregate number of share of Common Stock issued or issuable in connection with this clause (iv) do not exceed 5% of the number of shares of Common Stock of the Company then outstanding; and (v) modification of any outstanding options, warrants of any rights to purchase or acquire Shares.
Section 4. Free Writing Prospectus.
a) (i) The Company represents and agrees that without the prior consent of the Agent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned, or delayed, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Shares that would constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405 under the 1933 Act; and (ii) the Agent represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of the Company, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned, or delayed, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Shares that would constitute a free writing prospectus required to be filed with the Commission.
b) The Company has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 under the 1933 Act applicable to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (including any free writing prospectus identified in Section 4(a) hereof), including timely filing with the Commission or retention where required and legending.
Section 5. Payment of Expenses.
a) The Company covenants and agrees with the Agent that the Company will pay or cause to be paid the following: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel and accountants in connection with the registration of the Shares under the 1933 Act and all other expenses in connection with the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and amendments and supplements thereto and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Agent; (ii) the cost of printing or producing this Agreement, any Blue Sky and Legal
Investment Memoranda, closing documents (including any compilations thereof) and any other documents in connection with the offering, purchase, sale and delivery of the Shares; (iii) all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Shares for offering and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 3(b) hereof, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Agent in connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky and Legal Investment Surveys; (iv) any filing fees incident to, and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Agent in connection with, any required review by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) of the terms of the sale of the Shares; (v) all fees and expenses in connection with listing or quoting the Shares on Nasdaq; (vi) the cost of preparing the Shares; (vii) the costs and charges of any transfer agent or registrar or any dividend distribution agent; (viii) the reasonable and documented fees and disbursements of counsel to the Agent, and (ix) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder which are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Section. The fees and disbursements of counsel to the Agent pursuant to subsections (iii), (iv) and (viii) shall not exceed in the aggregate (A) $75,000 in connection with the execution of this Agreement and (B) $10,000 in connection with every date specified in Section 3(i) hereof on which the Company is required to provide a certificate. It is understood, however, that, except as provided in this Section, and Section 7 hereof, the Agent will pay all of its own costs and expenses, including the fees of its counsel, transfer taxes on resale of any of the Shares by it, and any advertising expenses connected with any offers it may make.
Section 6. Conditions of Agent’s Obligation. The obligations of the Agent hereunder shall be subject, in its discretion, to the condition that all representations and warranties and other statements of the Company herein or in certificates of any officer of the Company delivered pursuant to the provisions hereof are true and correct as of the time of the execution of this Agreement, and as of each Registration Statement Amendment Date, Company Periodic Report Date, Applicable Time and Settlement Date, to the condition that the Company shall have performed all of its obligations hereunder theretofore to be performed, and the following additional conditions:
a) Any other material required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the 1933 Act shall have been filed with the Commission within the applicable time periods prescribed for such filings by Rule 433; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part thereof shall have been issued and no proceeding for that purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission and no notice of objection of the Commission to the use of the form of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the 1933 Act shall have been received; no stop order suspending or preventing the use of the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; and all requests for additional information on the part of the Commission shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of the Agent.
b) On every date specified in Section 3(j) hereof, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Procter LLP, counsel for the Agent, shall have furnished to the Agent such written opinion or opinions, dated as of such date, with respect to such matters as the Agent may reasonably request, and such counsel shall have received such papers and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters.
c) On every date specified in Section 3(j) hereof, ▇▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLP, counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to the Agent such written opinion or opinions, dated as of such date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Agent.
d) On every date specified in Section 3(j) hereof, ▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLP, intellectual property counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to the Agent such written opinion or opinions, dated as of such date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Agent.
e) At the dates specified in Section 3(k) hereof, the independent accountants of the Company who have certified the financial statements of the Company and its Subsidiaries included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus shall have furnished to the Agent a letter dated as of the date of delivery thereof and addressed to the Agent in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Agent and its counsel, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements of the Company and its Subsidiaries included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
f) Prior to the First Sales Instruction Date, the Agent shall have received a certificate, signed on behalf of the Company by its corporate Secretary, in form and substance satisfactory to the Agent and its counsel.
g) (i) On each date on which the Company delivers instructions to sell shares pursuant to Section 2(b) hereof, and on such other dates as reasonably requested by the Agent, the Company will furnish or cause to be furnished promptly to the Agent a certificate of an officer in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Agent stating the minimum price for the sale of such Shares pursuant to this Agreement and the maximum number of Shares that may be issued and sold pursuant to this Agreement or, alternatively, maximum gross proceeds from such sales, as authorized from time to time by the Company’s board of directors or a duly authorized committee thereof or, in connection with any amendment, revision or modification of such minimum price or maximum Share number or amount, a new certificate with respect thereto and (ii) on each date the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate to the Agent pursuant to Section 3(i), the Agent shall have received a certificate executed by the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, dated as of the date thereof, to the effect that (A) there has been no Material Adverse Effect since the date as of which information is given in the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented, (B) the representations and warranties in Section 1 hereof are true and correct as of such date and (C) the Company has complied with all of the agreements entered into in connection with the transaction contemplated herein and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied.
h) Since the date of the latest audited financial statements then included or incorporated by reference in the Prospectus, no Material Adverse Effect shall have occurred.
i) The Company shall have complied with the provisions of Section 3(c) hereof with respect to the timely furnishing of prospectuses.
j) On such dates as reasonably requested by the Agent, the Company shall have conducted due diligence sessions, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Agent.
k) All filings with the Commission required by Rule 424 under the 1933 Act to have been filed by each Applicable Time or related Settlement Date shall have been made within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by Rule 424 (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8)).
l) The Shares shall have received approval for listing or quotation on Nasdaq prior to the first Settlement Date.
m) Prior to any Settlement Date, the Company shall have furnished to the Agent such further information, documents or certificates as the Agent may reasonably request.
Section 7. Indemnification.
a) The Company will indemnify and hold harmless the Agent against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which the Agent may become subject, under the 1933 Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any “issuer information” filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the 1933 Act, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and will reimburse the Agent for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Agent in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, in reliance upon and in strict conformity with written information furnished to the Company by the Agent expressly for use therein.
b) The Agent will indemnify and hold harmless the Company against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which the Company may become subject, under the 1933 Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, in reliance upon and in strict conformity with written information furnished to the Company by the Agent expressly for use therein; and will reimburse the Company for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred.
c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under such subsection, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the omission so to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have to any indemnified party otherwise than under such subsection except and then only to the extent such indemnifying party is materially prejudiced thereby. In case any such action shall be brought against any indemnified party and it shall notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it shall wish, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party, and, after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election so to assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party shall not be liable to such indemnified party under this Section 7 for any legal expenses of other counsel or any other expenses, in each case subsequently incurred by such indemnified party, in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation. No indemnifying party shall, without the written consent of the indemnified party, effect the settlement or compromise of, or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to, any pending or threatened action or claim in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified party is an actual or potential party to such action or claim) unless such settlement, compromise or judgment (i) includes an unconditional release of the indemnified party from all liability arising out of such action or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act, by or on behalf of any indemnified party.
d) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 7 is unavailable to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Agent on the other from the offering of the Shares to which such loss, claim, damage or liability (or action in respect thereof) relates. If, however, the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is not permitted by applicable law, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to such amount paid or payable by such indemnified party in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Agent on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof), as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Agent on the other shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total commissions received by the Agent. The relative fault shall be
determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company on the one hand or the Agent on the other and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Company and the Agent agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this subsection (d) were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this subsection (d). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to above in this subsection (d) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (d), the Agent shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total compensation received by the Agent with respect to sales of the Shares sold by it to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which the Agent has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the 1933 Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
e) The obligations of the Company under this Section 7 shall be in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to the directors, officers, employees, attorneys and agents of the Agent and to each person, if any, who controls the Agent within the meaning of the 1933 Act and each broker dealer affiliate of the Agent; and the obligations of the Agent under this Section 7 shall be in addition to any liability which the Agent may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each director, officer, employee, attorney and agent of the Company and to each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the 1933 Act.
Section 8. Representations, Warranties and Agreements to Survive Delivery. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company and the Agent, as set forth in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of them, respectively, pursuant to this Agreement, shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation (or any statement as to the results thereof) made by or on behalf of the Agent or any controlling person of the Agent, or the Company, or any officer or director or controlling person of the Company, and shall survive delivery of and payment for the Shares.
Section 9. No Advisory or Fiduciary Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) the Agent is acting solely in the capacity of an arm’s length contractual counterparty to the Company with respect to the offering of Shares contemplated hereby (including in connection with determining the terms of such offering) and (ii) the Agent has not assumed an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether the Agent has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters) or any other obligation to the Company with respect to the offer and sales of the Shares except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement and (iii) the Company has consulted its own legal and financial advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate. The Company agrees that it will not claim that the Agent has rendered advisory services of any nature or respect, or owe a fiduciary or similar duty to the Company, in connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto.
Section 10. Termination.
a) The Company shall have the right, by giving written notice as hereinafter specified, to terminate this Agreement in its sole discretion at any time. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party, except that (i) with respect to any pending sale through the Agent for the Company, the obligations of the Company, including in respect of compensation of the Agent, shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination; and (ii) the provisions of Section 1, Section 5(b), Section 7, Section 8, Section 14 and Section 15 of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.
b) The Agent shall have the right, by giving written notice as hereinafter specified, to terminate this Agreement in its sole discretion at any time. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that, (i) with respect to any pending sale through the Agent for the Company, the obligations of the Agent shall remain in full force and effect through completion of the sale notwithstanding such termination; and (ii) the provisions of Section 1, Section 5(b), Section 7, Section 8, Section 14 and Section 15 of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.
c) Unless earlier terminated pursuant to this Section 10, this Agreement shall automatically terminate upon the issuance and sale of all of the Shares by the Agent on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein except any termination pursuant to this clause (c) shall in all cases be deemed to provide that Section 1, Section 5(b), Section 7, Section 8, Section 14 and Section 15 of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.
d) This Agreement shall remain in full force and effect until and unless terminated pursuant to Section 10(a), (b) or (c) above or otherwise by mutual agreement of the parties; provided that any such termination by mutual agreement or pursuant to this clause (d) shall in all cases be deemed to provide that Section 1, Section 5(b), Section 7, Section 8, Section 14 and Section 15 of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.
e) Any termination of this Agreement shall be effective on the date specified in such notice of termination; provided that such termination shall not be effective until the close of business on the date of receipt of such notice by the Agent or the Company, as the case may be. If such termination shall occur prior to the Settlement Date for any sale of Shares, such sale shall settle in accordance with the provisions of Section 2(h) hereof.
Section 11. Notices. All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in writing, and if to the Agent shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to:
▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & Company, Incorporated
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, 15th Floor
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
Attention: Syndicate Department
With a copy to:
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Procter LLP
The New York Times Building
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
Attention: ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
and if to the Company to:
▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
Suite 100 - #9995
Boston, Massachusetts 02109
Attention: General Counsel
With a copy to:
▇▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLP
▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
San Diego, California 92130
Attention: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇
Any such statements, requests, notices or agreements shall take effect upon receipt thereof.
Section 12. Parties. This Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure solely to the benefit of, the Agent and the Company and, to the extent provided in Sections 7 and 8 hereof, the officers, directors, employees, attorneys and agents of the Company and the Agent and each person who controls the Company or the Agent, and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns, and no other person shall acquire or have any right under or by virtue of this Agreement. No purchaser of Shares through the Agent shall be deemed a successor or assign by reason merely of such purchase.
Section 13. Time of the Essence. Time shall be of the essence of this Agreement. As used herein, the term “business day” shall mean any day when the Commission’s office in Washington, D.C. is open for business.
Section 14. Waiver of Jury Trial. The Company and the Agent hereby irrevocably waive, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.
Section 15. Governing Law. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT REFERENCE TO ITS PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAW.
Section 16. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed by any one or more of the parties hereto and thereto in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such respective counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument. This Agreement may be delivered by any party by facsimile or other electronic transmission.
Section 17. Severability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any Section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other Section, paragraph or provision hereof. If any Section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement is for any reason determined to be invalid or unenforceable, there shall be deemed to be made such minor changes (and only such minor changes) as are necessary to make it valid and enforceable.
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to the Company a counterpart hereof, whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts, will become a binding agreement between the Agent and the Company in accordance with its terms.
| Very truly yours, | ||||
| HILLEVAX, INC. | ||||
| By: | /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ | |||
| Name: | ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ | |||
| Title: | Chief Financial Officer | |||
| Accepted as of the date hereof: | ||||
| ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & COMPANY, INCORPORATED | ||||
| By: | /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ | |||
| Name: | ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ | |||
| Title: | Managing Director | |||
Schedule 1
Notice Parties
The Company
▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, M.D., Ph.D.
▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
The Agent
▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇