Filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration File No. 333-239751
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CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE |
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Title of Securities to be Registered |
Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price |
Amount of Registration Fee(1)(2) |
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Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share |
$100,000,000 |
$0 |
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We previously registered an aggregate offering amount of $250,000,000 of shares of our common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, on the prospectus supplement filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) on October 13, 2020 (the “Prior Prospectus Supplement”), and an accompanying prospectus dated July 8, 2020, pursuant to a Registration Statement on Form S-3ASR (File No. 333-239751) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 8, 2020.
Of the aggregate offering amount of $250,000,000 shares of our common stock, $116,574,346 have not been sold (the “Unsold Shares”). The offering pursuant to the Prior Prospectus Supplement has been terminated and all of the Unsold Shares are hereby included in the shares of our common stock being offered by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.
As reflected under the caption “Calculation of Registration Fee” in the Prior Prospectus Supplement, a registration fee of $27,275 was previously paid in connection with the registration of the aggregate offering amount of $250,000,000 of shares of our common stock referred to above, which registration fee was calculated in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) of the Securities Act. A portion of that registration fee, $12,718 (the “Remaining Registration Fee”), was previously paid in connection with the registration of the Unsold Shares pursuant to the Prior Prospectus Supplement and the Registration Statement referred to above. Accordingly, the Remaining Registration Fee of $12,718 continues to be applied to the Unsold Shares, which have a greater aggregate offering amount than the shares offered pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. As a result, the registrant is not paying a registration fee at this time. |
| (2) |
Calculated in accordance with Rule 457(r) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). In accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) under the Securities Act, this “Calculation of Registration Fee” table shall be deemed to update the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the Registration Statement referred to above to continue the offering of Unsold Securities initially registered under the Prior Prospectus Supplement. |
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Cantor |
B. Riley Securities |
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
(To Prospectus, dated July 8, 2020)
Up to $100,000,000 of Shares
Common Stock
We have entered into a Controlled Equity OfferingSM Sales Agreement (the “Sales Agreement”), with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. (“Cantor”) and B. Riley Securities, Inc. (“B. Riley Securities”), relating to shares of our common stock offered by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. In accordance with the terms of the Sales Agreement, we may offer and sell shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $100,000,000 from time to time through Cantor and B. Riley Securities, acting as our sales agents.
Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “VXRT.” On September 13, 2021, the last reported sale price of our common stock on The Nasdaq Capital Market was $8.76. As of September 13, 2021, there were 125,271,125 shares of our common stock outstanding.
Sales of our common stock, if any, under this prospectus supplement may be made in sales deemed to be an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Each of the sales agents will use its commercially reasonable efforts to sell on our behalf all the shares of common stock requested to be sold by us, consistent with its normal trading and sales practices, on mutually agreed terms between such sales agent and us. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in any escrow, trust or similar arrangement. We provide more information about how the shares of common stock will be sold in the section entitled “Plan of Distribution.”
The sales agents will receive from us in the aggregate a fixed commission of up to 3% of the gross proceeds of any shares of common stock sold through them under the Sales Agreement. In connection with the sale of our common stock on our behalf, the sales agents will be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act and the compensation of the sales agents will be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have also agreed to provide indemnification and contribution to Cantor and B. Riley Securities with respect to certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.
Investing in our securities involves risks. See the “Risk Factors” on page S-5 of this prospectus supplement and any similar section contained in the applicable prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement.
Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus supplement is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
September 16, 2021
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
We provide information to you about this offering of shares of our common stock in two separate documents that are bound together: (1) this prospectus supplement, which describes the specific details regarding this offering; and (2) the accompanying base prospectus, which provides general information, some of which may not apply to this offering. Generally, when we refer to this “prospectus,” we are referring to both documents combined. If information in this prospectus supplement is inconsistent with the accompanying base prospectus, you should rely on this prospectus supplement. However, if any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in another document having a later date-for example, a document incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement-the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement as our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since the earlier dates.
We have not authorized anyone to provide you with any information or to make any representation, other than those contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement or in any free writing prospectus we have prepared. We take no responsibility for, and provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. Neither we nor any of the sales agents are making an offer to sell or soliciting an offer to buy our securities in any jurisdiction where an offer or solicitation is not authorized or in which the person making that offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so or to anyone to whom it is unlawful to make an offer or solicitation. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying base prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and in any free writing prospectus that we may authorize for use in connection with this offering, is accurate only as of the date of those respective documents. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates. You should read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying base prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize for use in connection with this offering, in their entirety before making an investment decision. You should also read and consider the information in the documents to which we have referred you in the section of this prospectus supplement entitled “Where You Can Find More Information.”
We are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, shares of common stock only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The distribution of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying base prospectus and the offering of the common stock in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying base prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the common stock and the distribution of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying base prospectus outside the United States. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying base prospectus do not constitute, and may not be used in connection with, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities offered by this prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus by any person in any jurisdiction in which it is unlawful for such person to make such an offer or solicitation.
When we refer to “Vaxart,” “we,” “our,” “us” and the “Company” in this prospectus supplement, we mean Vaxart, Inc., and our consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise specified. When we refer to “Cantor” and “B. Riley Securities” in this prospectus supplement, we mean Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. and B. Riley Securities, Inc., respectively. When we refer to “you,” we mean prospective investors in the Company.
Vaxart® and the Vaxart logo are some of our trademarks used in this prospectus supplement. This prospectus supplement also includes trademarks, tradenames and service marks that are the property of other organizations. Solely for convenience, our trademarks and tradenames referred to in this prospectus supplement appear without the ® and ™ symbol, but those references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights, or the right of the applicable licensor to these trademarks and tradenames.
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus supplement, the accompanying base prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering contain forward-looking statements concerning our business, operations and financial performance and condition, as well as our plans, objectives and expectations for our business, operations and financial performance and condition. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “due,” “estimate,” “expect,” “goal,” “intend,” “may,” “objective,” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “positioned,” “seek,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would,” and other similar expressions that are predictions or indicate future events and future trends, or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:
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our ability to develop and commercialize our product candidates and clinical results and trial data (including timing for and plans with respect to the COVID-19 vaccine product candidates); |
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pending legal matters; |
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our ability to obtain, maintain and enforce necessary patent and other intellectual property protection; |
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expectations relating to our relationship with manufacturing firms, including their ability to produce bulk vaccines under current Good Manufacturing Practices (“cGMP”) and the timing and capacity thereof; |
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potential partnership opportunities; |
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expectations regarding the future contributions of our management team; |
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the ability of our management team to build out the Company to drive sustainable growth and value creation; |
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our ability to manufacture vaccine tablets; |
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the expected outcome of our phase 1 study evaluating a vaccine candidate for use in COVID-19; |
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expectations regarding our lead COVID-19 vaccine candidate; |
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our expectations regarding the effectiveness and convenience of any COVID-19 vaccine; |
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our anticipated use of proceeds from this offering; and |
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our expectations with respect to the potential advantages we believe our oral vaccine platform can offer over injectable alternatives. |
These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections about our business and the industry in which we operate and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that are in some cases beyond our control. As a result, any or all of our forward-looking statements in this prospectus supplement may turn out to be inaccurate. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, those listed under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus supplement, the base prospectus or the documents incorporated by reference. Potential investors are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and as of the dates indicated in these statements. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, even if new information becomes available in the future. Given these risks and uncertainties, you are cautioned not to rely on such forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. You should, however, review the factors and risks we describe in the reports we will file from time to time with the SEC after the date of this prospectus supplement. See “Where You Can Find More Information.”
In addition, statements that “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this prospectus supplement, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.
This summary provides a general overview of selected information and does not contain all of the information you should consider before buying our common stock. Therefore, you should read the entire prospectus supplement, accompanying base prospectus and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering carefully, including the information incorporated by reference, before deciding to invest in our common stock. Investors should carefully consider the information set forth under “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-5 and incorporated by reference to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
Our Company
We are a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a range of oral recombinant vaccines based on our proprietary delivery platform. Our vaccines are designed to be orally administered using tablets stable at room temperature that can be stored and shipped without refrigeration and that eliminate the risk of needle-stick injury. We have tested our proprietary tablet vaccine delivery platform in humans in influenza and believe it is suitable to deliver recombinant vaccines, positioning the company to develop oral versions of currently marketed vaccines and to design recombinant vaccines for new indications. Our development programs currently include tablet vaccines designed to protect against coronavirus, norovirus, seasonal influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), as well as a therapeutic vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV), our first immuno-oncology indication. We have filed broad domestic and international patents covering its proprietary technology and creations for oral vaccination using adenovirus and TLR3 agonists.
Corporate History and Reorganization
Vaxart Biosciences, Inc. was originally incorporated in California in March 2004, under the name West Coast Biologicals, Inc. We changed its name to Vaxart, Inc. in July 2007, and reincorporated in the state of Delaware.
On February 13, 2018, we completed a business combination with Aviragen Therapeutics, Inc. (“Aviragen”), a publicly traded company. Under the terms of the agreement and plan of merger and reorganization, dated October 27, 2017, Vaxart, Inc. survived as a wholly owned subsidiary of Aviragen and changed its name to Vaxart Biosciences, Inc. and Aviragen changed its name to Vaxart, Inc. Our common stock subsequently began trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “VXRT.”
Our corporate headquarters and laboratory are located at 170 Harbor Way, Suite 300, South San Francisco, CA 94080, and our telephone number is (650) 550-3500. We maintain a website at https://www.vaxart.com, to which we regularly post copies of our press releases as well as additional information about us. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not a part of this prospectus supplement. We have included our website address in this prospectus supplement solely as an inactive textual reference.
The Offering
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Common stock offered by us |
Shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $100,000,000. |
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Common stock to be outstanding after this offering |
Up to 136,686,650 shares of common stock (as more fully described in the notes following this table), assuming sales of 11,415,525 shares of our common stock in this offering at an offering price of $8.76 per share, which was the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on September 13, 2021. The actual number of shares issued will vary depending on the sales price under this offering and the number of authorized shares available for issuance. |
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Plan of distribution |
“At the market offering” that may be made from time to time through our sales agents, Cantor and B. Riley Securities. See the section entitled “Plan of Distribution” on page S-8 of this prospectus supplement. |
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Use of proceeds |
We currently intend to use the net proceeds from this offering to support the clinical and preclinical development of our product candidates, to conduct clinical trials, to manufacture our products, and for general corporate and working capital purposes. See the section titled “Use of Proceeds.” |
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Risk factors |
Investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should read the section titled “Risk Factors,” in this prospectus supplement and in the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement for a discussion of factors to consider before deciding to purchase shares of our common stock. |
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Nasdaq Capital Market symbol |
“VXRT” |
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The number of shares of common stock to be outstanding after this offering is based on 125,271,125 shares of common stock outstanding as of September 13, 2021, and excludes:
● 9,058,799 shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock options with a weighted-average exercise price of $4.54 per share; ● 232,434 shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding warrants with a weighted-average exercise price of $3.33 per share; and ● 7,081,392 shares reserved for future issuance under our 2019 Equity Incentive Plan. |
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Except as otherwise indicated herein, all information in this prospectus supplement, including the number of shares that will be outstanding after this offering, assumes no further exercise of outstanding options or warrants.
Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the risks described below and discussed under the section captioned “Risk Factors” contained in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, each of which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus in their entirety, together with other information in this prospectus, and the information and documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering before you make a decision to invest in our common stock. If any of the risks described therein or below actually occur, our business, operating results, prospects or financial condition could be materially and adversely affected. This could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline and you may lose all or part of your investment. The risks described below are not the only ones that we face. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our business operations.
Risks Related to the Offering
You may experience immediate and substantial dilution in the net tangible book value per share of the common stock you purchase in the offering. In addition, we may issue additional equity or convertible debt securities in the future, which may result in additional dilution to you.
The offering price per share in this offering may exceed the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our common stock outstanding as of June 30, 2021. Assuming that an aggregate of 11,415,525 shares of our common stock are sold at a price of $8.76 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on September 13, 2021, for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $100,000,000, and after deducting commissions and estimated aggregate offering expenses payable by us, you would experience immediate dilution of $6.55 per share, representing the difference between our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share as of June 30, 2021, after giving effect to this offering and the assumed offering price. The exercise of outstanding stock options and warrants could result in further dilution of your investment. See the section titled “Dilution” below for a more detailed illustration of the dilution you may incur if you participate in this offering. In addition, to the extent we need to raise additional capital in the future and we issue additional shares of common stock or securities convertible or exchangeable for our common stock, our then existing stockholders may experience dilution and the new securities may have rights senior to those of our common stock offered in this offering.
Our management team may invest or spend the proceeds of this offering in ways with which you may not agree or in ways which may not yield a significant return.
Our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from this offering, including for any of the purposes described in the section entitled “Use of Proceeds,” and you will not have the opportunity as part of your investment decision to assess whether the net proceeds are being used appropriately. Because of the number and variability of factors that will determine our use of the net proceeds from this offering, their ultimate use may vary substantially from their currently intended use. Our management might not apply our net proceeds in ways that ultimately increase the value of your investment. The failure by our management to apply the proceeds from this offering effectively could harm our business. Pending their use, we may invest the net proceeds from this offering in short-term, investment-grade, interest-bearing securities. These investments may not yield a favorable return to our stockholders. If we do not invest or apply the net proceeds from this offering in ways that enhance stockholder value, we may fail to achieve expected financial results, which could cause our stock price to decline.
Resales of our common stock in the public market during this offering by our stockholders may cause the market price of our common stock to fall.
We may issue common stock from time to time in connection with this offering. This issuance from time to time of these new shares of our common stock, or our ability to issue these shares of common stock in this offering, could result in resales of our common stock by our current stockholders concerned about the potential dilution of their holdings. In turn, these resales could have the effect of depressing the market price for our common stock.
Sales of our common stock in this offering, or the perception that such sales may occur, could cause the market price of our common stock to fall.
We may issue and sell shares of our common stock for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $100,000,000 from time to time in connection with this offering. The actual number of shares of common stock that may be issued and sold in this offering, as well as the timing of any such sales, will depend on a number of factors, including, among others, the prices at which any shares are actually sold this offering (which may be influenced by market conditions, the trading price of our common stock and other factors) and our determinations as to the appropriate timing, sources and amounts of funding we need. The issuance and sale from time to time of these new shares of common stock, or the mere fact that we are able to issue and sell these shares in this offering, could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.
It is not possible to predict the actual number of shares of common stock we will sell under the Sales Agreement, or the gross proceeds resulting from those sales.
Subject to certain limitations in the Sales Agreement and compliance with applicable law, we have the discretion to deliver a placement notice to the sales agents at any time throughout the term of the Sales Agreement. The number of shares that are sold through the sales agents after delivering a placement notice will fluctuate based on a number of factors, including the market price of our shares during the sales period, the number of authorized shares available for issuance, the limits we set with the sales agents in any applicable placement notice, and the demand for our shares during the sales period. Because the price per share of each share sold will fluctuate during this offering, it is not currently possible to predict the number of shares that will be sold or the gross proceeds to be raised in connection with those sales.
You may experience future dilution as a result of future equity offerings.
To raise additional capital, we may in the future offer additional shares of our common stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock at prices that may not be the same as the price per share in this offering. We may sell shares or other securities in any other offering at a price per share that is less than the price per share paid by investors in this offering, and investors purchasing shares or other securities in the future could have rights superior to existing stockholders. The price per share at which we sell additional shares of our common stock, or securities convertible or exchangeable into common stock, in future transactions may be higher or lower than the price per share paid by investors in this offering.
We may issue and sell shares of our common stock having aggregate gross sales proceeds of up to $100,000,000 from time to time. Because there is no minimum offering amount required as a condition to close this offering, the actual total public offering amount, commissions and proceeds to us, if any, are not determinable at this time.
We will retain broad discretion over the use of the net proceeds from the sale of the securities offered hereby. We currently intend to use the net proceeds from this offering to support the clinical and preclinical development of our product candidates, to conduct clinical trials, to manufacture our products, and for general corporate and working capital purposes.
The amounts and timing of our actual expenditures will depend on numerous factors, including the factors described under “Risk Factors” in this prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference herein, as well as the amount of cash used in our operations. We may find it necessary or advisable to use the net proceeds for other purposes, and we will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds.
Pending the uses described above, we plan to invest the net proceeds from this offering in short- and intermediate-term, interest-bearing obligations, investment-grade instruments, certificates of deposit or direct or guaranteed obligations of the U.S. government.
We have never declared or paid dividends on shares of our common stock. We intend to retain future earnings, if any, to support the development of our vaccine candidates and our business and therefore do not anticipate paying cash dividends for the foreseeable future. Payment of future dividends, if any, will be at the discretion of our board of directors after taking into account various factors, including current financial condition, operating results and current and anticipated cash needs.
If you invest in our securities, your interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the offering price and the as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock after this offering. Our net tangible book value as of June 30, 2021, was approximately $185.3 million, or $1.51 per share. After giving effect to pro forma adjustments for the exercise of 175,727 options and warrants between July 1, 2021 and September 13, 2021, for cash proceeds of approximately $0.3 million and for the issuance of 2,280,931 shares under an Open Market Sales Agreement dated October 13, 2020, by and among the Company, Jefferies LLC and Piper Sandler & Co., for net cash proceeds of approximately $20.3 million, our as adjusted net tangible book value as of June 30, 2021, would have been approximately $205.9 million, or $1.64 per share. Net tangible book value is total tangible assets less total liabilities, divided by the total number of outstanding shares of common stock.
After giving effect to the sale of our common stock in the aggregate amount of $100,000,000 in this offering at an assumed offering price of $8.76, the last reported sale price of our common stock on September 13, 2021, and after deducting estimated commissions and offering expenses payable by us, our as adjusted net tangible book value as of June 30, 2021, would have been approximately $302.6 million, or $2.21 per share.
This represents an immediate increase in adjusted net tangible book value of $0.57 per share to existing stockholders and immediate dilution in net tangible book value of $6.55 per share to investors purchasing common stock in this offering.
The following table illustrates this dilution per share to investors participating in this offering:
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Assumed offering price per share |
$ | 8.76 | ||||||
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Net tangible book value per share as of June 30, 2021, after pro forma adjustments for the sale of shares under a prior at the market sales agreement and for options and warrants exercised |
$ | 1.64 | ||||||
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Increase in as adjusted net tangible book value per share attributable to existing investors |
0.57 | |||||||
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Pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share after giving effect to this offering |
2.21 | |||||||
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Dilution per share to new investors in this offering |
$ | 6.55 |
The table above assumes for illustrative purposes that an aggregate of 11,415,525 shares of our common stock are sold at a price of $8.76 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on September 13, 2021, for aggregate gross proceeds of $100,000,000. The shares sold in this offering, if any, will be sold from time to time at various prices.
An increase of $1.00 per share in the price at which the shares are sold from the assumed offering price of $8.76 per share shown in the table above, assuming an aggregate amount of $100,000,000 is sold at that price, would increase our as adjusted net tangible book value per share after the offering to $2.23 per share and would increase the dilution in net tangible book value per share to new investors to $7.53 per share, after deducting commissions and estimated aggregate offering expenses payable by us. A decrease of $1.00 per share in the price at which the shares are sold from the assumed offering price of $8.76 per share shown in the table above, assuming an aggregate amount of $100,000,000 is sold at that price, would cause our as adjusted net tangible book value per share after the offering to be $2.19 per share and would decrease the dilution in net tangible book value per share to new investors to $5.57 per share, after deducting commissions and estimated aggregate offering expenses payable by us. The as adjusted information discussed above is illustrative only.
The above discussion and table are based on 125,271,125 shares of common stock outstanding as of September 13, 2021, and exclude:
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9,058,799 shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock options with a weighted-average exercise price of $4.54 per share; |
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232,434 shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding warrants with a weighted-average exercise price of $3.33 per share; and |
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7,081,392 shares reserved for future issuance under our 2019 Equity Incentive Plan. |
Except as otherwise indicated herein, all information in this prospectus supplement, including the number of shares that will be outstanding after this offering, assumes no further exercise of outstanding options or warrants.
To the extent that outstanding options are exercised or outstanding restricted stock units are settled, you may experience further dilution. We may choose to raise additional capital due to market conditions or strategic considerations even if at that time we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans.
To the extent that additional capital is raised through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the issuance of these securities could result in further dilution to our stockholders.
We have entered into a Controlled Equity OfferingSM Sales Agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., or Cantor Fitzgerald, and B. Riley Securities, Inc., or B. Riley Securities, under which we may issue and sell shares of our common stock having an aggregate gross sales price of up to $100,000,000 from time to time through one or both of Cantor Fitzgerald and B. Riley Securities acting as sales agents. The sales agreement is incorporated into the registration statement of which this prospectus supplement is a part. See “Where You Can Find More Information” below.
Following delivery of a placement notice and subject to the terms and conditions of the sales agreement, Cantor Fitzgerald and B. Riley Securities may offer and sell our common stock by any method permitted by law deemed to be an “at-the-market offering” as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) promulgated under the Securities Act. We may instruct Cantor Fitzgerald and B. Riley Securities not to sell common stock if the sales cannot be effected at or above the price designated by us from time to time. We, Cantor Fitzgerald or B. Riley Securities may suspend the offering of common stock upon notice and subject to other conditions.
We will pay each of Cantor Fitzgerald and B. Riley Securities commissions, in cash, for its services in acting as agent in the sale of our common stock. Cantor Fitzgerald and B. Riley Securities in the aggregate will be entitled to compensation at a fixed commission rate of up to 3.0% of the gross sales price per share sold. Because there is no minimum offering amount required as a condition to close this offering, the actual total public offering amount, commissions and proceeds to us, if any, are not determinable at this time. We have also agreed to reimburse Cantor Fitzgerald and B. Riley Securities for certain of their expenses in an amount up to $75,000. We estimate that the total expenses for the offering, excluding compensation and reimbursements payable to Cantor Fitzgerald and B. Riley Securities under the terms of the sales agreement, will be approximately $300,000.
Settlement for sales of common stock will occur on the second trading day following the date on which any sales are made, or on some other date that is agreed upon by us and Cantor Fitzgerald or B. Riley Securities in connection with a particular transaction, in return for payment of the net proceeds to us. Sales of our common stock as contemplated in this prospectus supplement will be settled through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company or by such other means as we and Cantor Fitzgerald or B. Riley Securities may agree upon. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in an escrow, trust or similar arrangement. Cantor Fitzgerald and B. Riley Securities will use their commercially reasonable efforts consistent with their normal trading and sales practices, to solicit offers to purchase the common stock under the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the sales agreement. In connection with the sale of the common stock on our behalf, Cantor Fitzgerald and B. Riley Securities will be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act and the compensation of Cantor Fitzgerald and B. Riley Securities will be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have agreed to provide indemnification and contribution to Cantor Fitzgerald and B. Riley Securities against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.
The offering of our common stock pursuant to the sales agreement will terminate as permitted therein. We, Cantor Fitzgerald and B. Riley Securities may each terminate the sales agreement at any time upon ten days’ prior notice.
We have also entered into a separate capital markets advisory agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald dated September 15, 2021, and each of Cantor Fitzgerald and B. Riley Securities and its respective affiliates may in the future provide additional various investment banking, commercial banking and other financial services for us and our affiliates, for which services they may in the future receive customary fees. To the extent required by Regulation M, Cantor Fitzgerald and B. Riley Securities will not engage in any market making activities involving our common stock while the offering is ongoing under this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.
This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus in electronic format may be made available on a website maintained by Cantor Fitzgerald and B. Riley Securities, and Cantor Fitzgerald and B. Riley Securities may distribute this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus electronically.
The validity of the securities being offered by this prospectus will be passed upon for us by Thompson Hine LLP, New York, New York. Latham & Watkins LLP, San Diego, California, is representing the sales agents in connection with this offering.
OUM & Co. LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, has audited our consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, as set forth in their report which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement. Our consolidated financial statements are incorporated by reference in reliance on OUM & Co. LLP’s report, given on their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act, with respect to the securities being offered by this prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information in the registration statement and its exhibits. For further information with respect to us and the securities offered by this prospectus, we refer you to the registration statement and its exhibits. Statements contained in this prospectus as to the contents of any contract or any other document referred to are not necessarily complete, and in each instance, we refer you to the copy of the contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the registration statement. Each of these statements is qualified in all respects by this reference. The SEC maintains an internet website that contains reports, proxy statements, and other information about registrants, like us, that file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is www.sec.gov. The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, the SEC’s website is not incorporated by reference in, and is not part of, this prospectus.
We are subject to the information and periodic reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, and we file periodic reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. We maintain a website at https://www.vaxart.com. You may access our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act with the SEC free of charge at our website as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference in, and is not part of, this prospectus.
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information that we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus. Information in this prospectus supersedes information incorporated by reference that we filed with the SEC prior to the date of this prospectus, while information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede the information in this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus or free writing prospectus provided to you in connection with this offering, or in any other document we subsequently file with the SEC that also is incorporated by reference in this prospectus, modifies or supersedes the original statement.
The following documents filed with the SEC are hereby incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement:
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our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the SEC on February 25, 2021; |
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our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, filed with the SEC on May 6, 2021 and August 5, 2021; |
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our Current Reports on Form 8-K and all amendments thereto, filed with the SEC on January 29, 2021, February 3, 2021, February 3, 2021, February 25, 2021, April 13, 2021, April 23, 2021, May 3, 2021, June 21, 2021, July 9, 2021, July 20, 2021, August 2, 2021, August 5, 2021, and August 23, 2021. |
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the portions of our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A that are deemed to have been “filed” with the SEC on April 30, 2021; and |
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The description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 10, filed with the SEC on May 4, 1970, as amended by our Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 000-04829) filed with the SEC on August 15, 2003. |
All reports and other documents subsequently filed by us pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this prospectus and prior to the termination of this offering shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus and to be part hereof from the date of filing of such reports and other documents.
We will furnish without charge to you, on written or oral request, a copy of any or all of the documents incorporated by reference, including exhibits to these documents. You should direct any requests for documents by writing us at 170 Harbor Way, Suite 300, South San Francisco, CA 94080, or telephoning us at (650) 550-3500.
The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC and state the address of that site (http://www.sec.gov). In addition, we maintain a website at www.vaxart.com. Information contained in our website does not constitute a part of this prospectus.
Notwithstanding the statements in the preceding paragraphs, no document, report or exhibit (or portion of any of the foregoing) or any other information that we have “furnished” or may in the future “furnish” to the SEC pursuant to the Exchange Act shall be incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
In accordance with Rule 412 of the Securities Act, any statement contained in a document incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed modified or superseded to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement.
PROSPECTUS
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Debt Securities
Warrants
Purchase Contracts
Units
We may offer and sell the securities identified above, and any selling securityholders may offer and sell shares of common stock identified above, in each case from time to time in one or more offerings. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of our common stock by any selling securityholders.
Each time we or any of the selling securityholders offer and sell securities, we or such selling securityholders will provide a supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the offering and, if applicable, the selling securityholders, as well as the amounts, prices and terms of the securities. The supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus with respect to that offering. You should carefully read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, together with the documents we incorporate by reference, before you invest in any of our securities.
We may offer and sell the securities described in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement to or through one or more underwriters, dealers and agents, or directly to purchasers, or through a combination of these methods. In addition, any selling securityholders may offer and sell shares of our common stock from time to time, together or separately. If any underwriters, dealers or agents are involved in the sale of any of the securities, their names and any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement between or among them will be set forth, or will be calculable from the information set forth, in the applicable prospectus supplement. See the sections of this prospectus entitled “About this Prospectus” and “Plan of Distribution” for more information. No securities may be sold without delivery of this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of such securities.
Our common stock is traded on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the trading symbol “VXRT.” On July 7, 2020, the last reported sale price of our common stock on The Nasdaq Capital Market was $8.87. As of June 30, 2020, there were 96,140,661 shares of our common stock outstanding.
INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES INVOLVES RISKS. SEE THE “RISK FACTORS” ON PAGE 2 OF THIS PROSPECTUS AND ANY SIMILAR SECTION CONTAINED IN THE APPLICABLE PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT CONCERNING FACTORS YOU SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES.
Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is July 8, 2020.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information different from the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you. No dealer, salesperson or other person is authorized to give any information or to represent anything not contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the securities offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. You should assume that the information in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus is accurate only as of the date on the front of the document and that any information we have incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus, or any sale of our securities. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.
This prospectus is part of an automatic registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) using a “shelf” registration process as a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Under this shelf registration statement, we may sell common stock, preferred stock, various series of debt securities, or warrants to purchase any of such securities, either individually or in combination with other securities described in this prospectus, in one or more offerings from time to time. Selling stockholders may offer and sell, in one or more offerings, shares of common stock as described in this prospectus or the applicable prospectus supplement. There is no limit on the aggregate amount of the securities that we or selling stockholders may offer pursuant to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we, and the common stock selling stockholders, may offer.
Each time we sell any type or series of securities, or selling stockholders offer common stock, under this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will include more specific information about the terms of that offering. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you that may contain material information relating to these offerings. The prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you may also add, update or change any of the information contained in this prospectus or in the documents we have incorporated by reference into this prospectus. This prospectus, together with the applicable prospectus supplement, any related free writing prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, will include all material information relating to the applicable offering. Before buying any of the securities being offered, we urge you to carefully read this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectuses we have authorized for use in connection with a specific offering, together with the additional information incorporated herein by reference as described under the heading “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference.”
This prospectus may not be used to consummate a sale of securities unless it is accompanied by a prospectus supplement.
You should rely only on the information contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, along with the information contained in any free writing prospectuses we have authorized for use in connection with a specific offering. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different or additional information. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the securities offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so.
The information appearing in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus is accurate only as of the date on the front of the document and any information we have incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus, the prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus, or the time of any sale of a security.
This prospectus includes summaries of certain provisions contained in some of the documents described herein, but reference is made to the actual documents for complete information. All of the summaries are qualified in their entirety by the actual documents. Copies of some of the documents referred to herein have been filed, will be filed or will be incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and you may obtain copies of those documents as described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.
The following summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this prospectus or incorporated by reference herein and does not contain all the information that may be important to purchasers of our securities. You should carefully read this prospectus, all documents incorporated by reference, any prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, and the additional information described under the caption “Where You Can Find More Information” in this prospectus, before buying any of the securities being offered. References in this prospectus to “Vaxart,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Vaxart, Inc. and its subsidiaries, on a consolidated basis, unless the context requires otherwise.
This summary highlights selected information contained elsewhere in this prospectus or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, and does not contain all of the information that you need to consider in making your investment decision. You should carefully read the entire prospectus and accompanying base prospectus, and any related free writing prospectus, including the risks of investing in our securities discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors” contained in this prospectus, the base prospectus, and any related free writing prospectus, and under similar headings in the other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus. You should also carefully read the information incorporated by reference into this prospectus , including our financial statements, and the exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Throughout this prospectus, the terms “we,” “us,” “our,” and “our company” refer to Vaxart, Inc.
Our Company
We are a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing oral tablet vaccines designed to generate mucosal and systemic immune responses that protect against a wide range of infectious diseases and has the potential to provide sterilizing immunity for diseases such as coronavirus disease 19 (“COVID-19”). We believe that a room temperature stable tablet vaccine is easier to distribute, store and administer than injectable vaccines and may provide significantly faster response to a pandemic than injectable vaccines, enabling a greater portion of the population to be protected. Our development programs include oral tablet vaccines that are designed to protect against coronavirus, norovirus, seasonal influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, as well as a therapeutic vaccine for human papillomavirus.
Corporate History and Reorganization
Vaxart Biosciences, Inc. was originally incorporated in California in March 2004, under the name West Coast Biologicals, Inc. We changed its name to Vaxart, Inc. in July 2007, and reincorporated in the state of Delaware.
On February 13, 2018, we completed a business combination with Aviragen Therapeutics, Inc.(“Aviragen”), a publicly traded company. Under the terms of the agreement and plan of merger and reorganization, dated October 27, 2017, Vaxart, Inc. survived as a wholly owned subsidiary of Aviragen and changed its name to Vaxart Biosciences, Inc. and Aviragen changed its name to Vaxart, Inc. Our common stock subsequently began trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “VXRT.”
Our corporate headquarters and laboratory are located at 170 Harbor Way, Suite 300, South San Francisco, CA 94080, and our telephone number is (650) 550-3500. We maintain a website at https://www.vaxart.com, to which we regularly post copies of our press releases as well as additional information about us. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not a part of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. We have included our website address in this prospectus supplement solely as an inactive textual reference.
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Prior to making a decision about investing in our securities, you should carefully consider the specific risk factors described below and discussed in the sections entitled “Risk Factors” contained in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 under the heading “Item 1A. Risk Factors,” and as described or may be described in any subsequent quarterly report on Form 10-Q under the heading “Item 1A. Risk Factors,” as well as in any applicable prospectus supplement and contained or to be contained in our filings with the SEC and incorporated by reference in this prospectus, together with all of the other information contained in this prospectus, or any applicable prospectus supplement. For a description of these reports and documents, and information about where you can find them, see “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference.” If any of the risks or uncertainties described in our SEC filings or any prospectus supplement or any additional risks and uncertainties actually occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In that case, the trading price of our securities could decline and you might lose all or part of the value of your investment.
Our development of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate is at an early stage. We may be unable to produce an effective vaccine that successfully immunizes humans against SARS-CoV-2 in a timely manner, if at all.
We are in the business of developing oral vaccines that are administered by tablet rather than by injection. In response to the global outbreak of COVID-19, in January 2020, we announced that we had initiated a program to develop a coronavirus vaccine candidate based on Vector-Adjuvant-Antigen Standardized Technology Platform, our proprietary oral vaccine platform (“VAAST”). However, our development of the vaccine is in early stages, and we may be unable to produce an effective vaccine that successfully immunizes humans against SARS-CoV-2 in a timely manner, if at all.
Since that time, we entered into an agreement with Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (“Emergent”), whereby Emergent will deploy its molecule-to-market contract development and manufacturing (“CDMO”) services to help develop and manufacture our experimental oral COVID-19 vaccine. We also contracted with KindredBio to manufacture bulk vaccine under cGMP to complement the manufacturing capacity of partner Emergent. However, if we are unsuccessful in maintaining our relationships with these and other critical third parties, our ability to develop our oral COVID-19 vaccine candidate and consequently compete in the marketplace could be impaired, and our results of operations may suffer. Even if we are successful, we cannot assure you that these relationships will result in successful development and commercialization of our oral COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
In addition, in June 2020, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with AMS affirming the parties’ intent to establish AMS as a resource for lyophilization development and large-scale manufacturing including tableting and enteric coating for our oral COVID-19 vaccine. AMS is expected to assign dedicated resources and equipment for the scale up and commercial production of the vaccine upon entering a definitive agreement. However, we have not yet entered into any such definitive agreement with AMS, and we may not be able to reach a definitive agreement with AMS on terms acceptable to us, if at all. Even if we are able to establish a definitive agreement with AMS, reliance on them entails additional risks, including (i) our reliance on AMS for regulatory compliance and quality assurance, a possible breach of the manufacturing agreement by AMS; (ii) the possible misappropriation of our proprietary information, including trade secrets and know-how; and (iii) the possible termination or nonrenewal of the agreement by AMS at a time that is costly or inconvenient for us. AMS may not be able to comply with cGMP, regulations or similar regulatory requirements. Our failure, or the failure of AMS, to comply with applicable regulations could result in sanctions being imposed on us, including clinical holds, fines, injunctions, civil penalties, delays, suspension or withdrawal of approvals, license revocation, seizures or recalls of product candidates or products, operating restrictions and criminal prosecutions, any of which could significantly and adversely affect supplies of our potential COVID-19 vaccine.
We are committing financial resources to the development of a COVID-19 vaccine, which may cause delays in or otherwise negatively impact our other development programs. In addition, our management and scientific teams have dedicated substantial efforts to our COVID-19 vaccine development. As of the date of this prospectus, we have 14 full-time employees, which may make us more reliant on our individual employees than companies with a greater number of employees. If we fail to attract and retain management and scientific personnel, we may be unable to successfully produce, develop and commercialize our vaccine candidates.
In addition, the positive preclinical results for our COVID-19 vaccine candidates may not be predictive of the results of later-stage human clinical trials, which could be one of a number of factors that may delay or prevent us from receiving regulatory approval of our vaccine candidate. We may not be successful in developing a vaccine, or another party may be successful in producing a more efficacious vaccine or other treatment for COVID-19, which may also lead to the diversion of governmental and quasi-governmental funding away from us and toward other companies.
The regulatory regime governing Operation Warp Speed is uncertain, and new regulations or policies may materially adversely affect our business and the development of our COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
On June 26, 2020, we announced that our oral COVID-19 vaccine has been selected to participate in a non-human primate challenge study, organized and funded by Operation Warp Speed. The study is designed to demonstrate the efficacy of our oral COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
Operation Warp Speed is a public-private partnership among the Department of Health and Human Services, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority; the Department of Defense; and private companies and firms, to facilitate, at an unprecedented pace, the development, manufacturing, and distribution of vaccines, therapeutics and other countermeasures to address the COVID-19 epidemic throughout the world.
The rules and regulations governing Operation Warp Speed are uncertain and may rapidly evolve as the program progresses. Such rules or regulations may negatively impact our plans to develop our COVID-19 vaccine candidate and failure by us to comply with any laws, rules and regulations, some of which may not exist yet or are subject to interpretation and may be subject to change, could result in a variety of adverse consequences, including civil penalties and fines. Efforts to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards have resulted in, and are likely to continue to result in, increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities.
In addition, we cannot assure you that Operation Warp Speed will have a positive impact on our financial results.
If a coronavirus outbreak occurs and is classified as a pandemic or large epidemic by public health authorities, it is possible that one or more government entities may take actions that directly or indirectly have the effect of abrogating some of our rights or opportunities. If we were to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, the economic value of such a vaccine to us could be limited.
Various government entities, including the U.S. government, are offering incentives, grants and contracts to encourage additional investment by commercial organizations into preventative and therapeutic agents against coronavirus, which may have the effect of increasing the number of competitors and/or providing advantages to known competitors. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully establish a competitive market share for our COVID-19 vaccine, if any.
The novel coronavirus could adversely impact our preclinical studies and clinical trials.
Since the initial report of a novel strain of coronavirus, COVID-19, in Wuhan, China in December 2019, COVID-19 has spread to multiple countries, including the United States. We have active and planned preclinical studies and clinical trial sites in the United States. As COVID-19 continues to spread around the globe, we may experience disruptions that could severely impact our planned preclinical studies and clinical trials, including our preclinical studies for our SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and our clinical trials for our vaccine candidate for the GI.1 and GII.4 norovirus strains.
Effects on our preclinical study and clinical trial programs include, but are not limited to:
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delays in procuring animals for our preclinical studies; |
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delays or difficulties in enrolling participants in our clinical trials; |
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delays or difficulties in preclinical and clinical site initiation, including difficulties in establishing appropriate and safe social distancing and other safeguards at preclinical and clinical sites; |
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interruption of key preclinical study and clinical trial activities, such as preclinical and clinical trial site monitoring, due to limitations to on-site monitoring visits and travel imposed or recommended by research institutions, federal or state governments, employers and others; |
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limitations in employee resources that would otherwise be focused on the conduct of our preclinical studies and clinical trials, including because of sickness of employees or their families, delays or difficulties in conducting site visits and other required travel, and the desire of employees to avoid contact with large groups of people; |
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delays in receiving approval from local and central institutional review boards to initiate or continue our planned preclinical studies and clinical trials; and |
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delays in initiating or continuing preclinical and/or clinical trials due to delays and restrictions with the shipment of investigational product and ancillary supplies to the testing labs or clinical research sites. |
The global outbreak of COVID-19 continues to rapidly evolve. The extent to which COVID-19 may impact our preclinical studies and clinical trials will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence. Factors such as the ultimate geographic spread of the disease, the duration of the outbreak, travel restrictions and social distancing in the United States and other countries, business closures or business disruptions and the effectiveness of actions taken in the United States and other countries to contain and treat the disease will impact our preclinical studies and clinical trials.
The price of our common stock has been volatile and fluctuates substantially, which could result in substantial losses for stockholders.
Our stock price has been, and in the future may be, subject to substantial volatility. As a result of this volatility, our stockholders could incur substantial losses. The stock market in general, and the market for biopharmaceutical companies in particular, has experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. As a result of this volatility, you may not be able to sell your common stock at or above your initial purchase price.
The market price for our common stock may be influenced by many factors, including the results of clinical trials of our products or those of our competitors, regulatory or legal developments, developments, disputes, or other matters concerning patent applications, issued patents, or other proprietary rights, our ability to recruit and retain key personnel, public announcements by us or our strategic collaborators regarding the progress of our development candidates similar public announcements by our competitors, and other factors set forth in this prospectus and in our reports filed with the SEC.
If our quarterly or annual results fall below the expectations of investors or securities analysts, the price of our common stock could decline substantially. Furthermore, any quarterly or annual fluctuations in our results may, in turn, cause the price of our stock to fluctuate substantially. We believe that period-to-period comparisons of our results are not necessarily meaningful and should not be relied upon as an indication of our future performance.
In addition, public statements by us, government agencies, the media or others relating to the coronavirus outbreak (including regarding efforts to develop a coronavirus vaccine) have in the past resulted, and may in the future result, in significant fluctuations in our stock price. Given the global focus on the coronavirus outbreak, any information in the public arena on this topic, whether or not accurate, could have an outsized impact (either positive or negative) on our stock price. Information related to our development, manufacturing and distribution efforts with respect to our vaccine candidates, or information regarding such efforts by competitors with respect to their potential vaccines, may also impact our stock price.
Our stock price is likely to continue to be volatile and subject to significant price and volume fluctuations in response to market and other factors, including the other factors discussed in our filings incorporated by reference herein or in future periodic reports; variations in our quarterly operating results from our expectations or those of securities analysts or investors; downward revisions in securities analysts’ estimates; and announcement by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments.
We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of any securities offered under this prospectus at prices and on terms to be determined by market conditions at the time of offering. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we offer a type or series of securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will describe the specific amounts, prices and other important terms of the securities.
A prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you also may add, update or change information contained in this prospectus or in documents we have incorporated by reference.
This prospectus may not be used to offer or sell securities unless it is accompanied by a prospectus supplement.
We may sell the securities directly to or through agents, underwriters or dealers. We, and our agents, dealers or underwriters, reserve the right to accept or reject all or part of any proposed purchase of securities. If we do offer securities through agents or underwriters, we will include in the applicable prospectus supplement:
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the name of those agents or underwriters; |
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applicable fees, discounts and commissions to be paid to them; |
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details regarding options to purchase additional securities, if any; and |
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the net proceeds to us. |
Common Stock
We may issue shares of our common stock from time to time. Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote per share on all matters submitted to a vote of shareholders. Subject to any preferences of any of our preferred stock that may be outstanding, holders of our common stock are entitled to dividends when and if declared by our board of directors.
Preferred Stock
Our board of directors has the authority, subject to limitations prescribed by Delaware law, to issue preferred stock in one or more series, to establish from time to time the number of shares to be included in each series, and to fix or alter the rights, preferences and privileges of the preferred stock, along with any limitations or restrictions, including voting rights, dividend rights, conversion rights, redemption privileges and liquidation preferences of each class or series of preferred stock.
Each series of preferred stock, if issued, will be more fully described in the particular prospectus supplement that will accompany this prospectus, including redemption provisions, rights in the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding-up, voting rights and rights to convert into common stock.
Warrants
We may issue warrants for the purchase of common stock or preferred stock, in one or more series, from time to time. We may issue warrants independently or together with common stock, preferred stock or debt securities, and the warrants may be attached to or separate from our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities. In this prospectus, we have summarized certain general features of the warrants. We urge you, however, to read the applicable prospectus supplement (and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you) related to the particular series of warrants being offered, as well as the complete warrant agreement and warrant certificate that contain the terms of the warrants. We will file as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from reports that we file with the SEC, the form of warrant agreement, including a form of warrant certificate, that describes the terms of the particular series of warrants we are offering before the issuance of the related series of warrants.
We will evidence each series of warrants by warrant certificates that we will issue. Warrants may be issued under an applicable warrant agreement that we enter into with a warrant agent. We will indicate the name and address of the warrant agent, if applicable, in the prospectus supplement relating to the particular series of warrants being offered.
Debt Securities
We may offer secured or unsecured obligations in the form of one or more series of debt securities, which may be senior, senior subordinated or subordinated obligations. Any subordinated debt securities generally will be entitled to payment only after payment of our senior debt. Senior debt generally includes all debt for money borrowed by us, except debt that is stated in the instrument governing the terms of that debt to be not senior to, or to have the same rank in right of payment as, or to be expressly junior to, the subordinated debt securities. We may issue debt securities that are convertible into shares of our common stock or preferred stock.
The debt securities will be issued under an indenture, as supplemented by a resolution of our board of directors, an officer’s certificate or a supplemental indenture, between us and a trustee. We have summarized the general features of the debt securities to be governed by the indenture. The indenture has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. We encourage you to read the indenture. Instructions on how you can get copies of this document are provided under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”
Purchase Contracts
We may issue purchase contracts for the purchase or sale of:
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debt or equity securities issued by us or securities of third parties, a basket of such securities, an index or indices or such securities; |
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or any combination of the above as specified in the applicable prospectus supplement; |
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currencies; or |
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commodities. |
Each purchase contract will entitle the holder thereof to purchase or sell, and obligate us to sell or purchase, on specified dates, such securities, currencies or commodities at a specified purchase price, which may be based on a formula, all as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. We may, however, satisfy our obligations, if any, with respect to any purchase contract by delivering the cash value of such purchase contract or the cash value of the property otherwise deliverable or, in the case of purchase contracts on underlying currencies, by delivering the underlying currencies, as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. The applicable prospectus supplement will also specify the methods by which the holders may purchase or sell such securities, currencies or commodities and any acceleration, cancellation or termination provisions or other provisions relating to the settlement of a purchase contract.
The purchase contracts may require us to make periodic payments to the holders thereof or vice versa, which payments may be deferred to the extent set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement, and those payments may be unsecured or prefunded on some basis. The purchase contracts may require the holders thereof to secure their obligations in a specified manner to be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Alternatively, purchase contracts may require holders to satisfy their obligations thereunder when the purchase contracts are issued. Our obligation to settle such pre- paid purchase contracts on the relevant settlement date may constitute indebtedness. Accordingly, pre- paid purchase contracts will be issued under the applicable indenture.
Units
We may issue units comprised of one or more of the other classes of securities issued by us as described in this prospectus in any combination. Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit.
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus and the documents we have filed with the SEC that are incorporated by reference contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. These statements relate to future events or to our future operating or financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements relating to:
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our ability to develop and commercialize our product candidates and clinical results and trial data (including timing for and plans with respect to the COVID-19 vaccine product candidates and Operation Warp Speed and the non-human primate challenge study); |
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our intent to enter into a definitive agreement with AMS on terms acceptable to us, if at all; |
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preliminary estimates for our second quarter financial results; |
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our ability to obtain, maintain and enforce necessary patent and other intellectual property protection; |
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expectations relating to our relationship with Emergent and KindredBio, including each company’s ability to produce bulk vaccines under cGMP and the timing and capacity thereof; |
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potential partnership opportunities; |
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expectations regarding the future contributions of our management team; |
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the ability of our management team to build out the Company drive sustainable growth and value creation; |
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our potential role in the reopening of the United States, and the world; |
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our ability to manufacture vaccine tablets; |
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the expected timing of the first phase 1 study; |
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expectations regarding our lead COVID-19 vaccine candidate; |
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our expectations regarding the effectiveness and convenience of any COVID-19 vaccine; |
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the use of proceeds from this offering; and |
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our expectations with respect to the important advantages we believe our oral vaccine platform can offer over injectable alternatives. |
In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “could,” “estimates,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “potential,” “will,” “would,” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. These statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are based on assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. We discuss in greater detail many of these risks in the section titled “Risk Factors”, in any prospectus supplement and free writing prospectuses we may authorize for use in connection with this offering, and in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, as well as any amendments thereto reflected in subsequent filings with the SEC, which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus in their entirety. Also, these forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date of the document containing the applicable statement. Unless required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information or future events or developments.
In addition, statements that “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this prospectus, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.
You should read this prospectus, together with the documents we have filed with the SEC that are incorporated by reference and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize for use in connection with this offering completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify all of the forward-looking statements in the foregoing documents by these cautionary statements.
Except as described in any prospectus supplement or in any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you, we currently intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of securities under this prospectus for general corporate purposes, including manufacturing expenses, clinical trial expenses, research and development expenses and general and administrative expenses. We may also use a portion of the net proceeds to in-license, invest in or acquire businesses or technologies that we believe are complementary to our own, although we have no current plans, commitments or agreements with respect to any acquisitions. As of the date of this prospectus, we cannot specify with certainty all of the particular uses of the proceeds from the sale of securities under this prospectus. Accordingly, we will retain broad discretion over the use of such proceeds. Pending the use of the net proceeds from the sale of securities under this prospectus as described above, we intend to invest the net proceeds in investment-grade, interest-bearing instruments.
The following summary description of our common stock is based on the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as amended from time to time, and amended and restated bylaws and the applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law. This information is qualified entirely by reference to the applicable provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, bylaws and the Delaware General Corporation Law.
General
Our authorized capital stock consists of (i) 150,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share and (ii) 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. As of June 30, 2020, there were 96,140,661 shares of our common stock and no shares of preferred stock outstanding.
The following is a summary of the material provisions of the common stock provided for in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as amended from time to time, and amended and restated bylaws.
Common Stock
Voting
Our common stock is entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders, except that directors will be elected by a plurality of votes cast. Accordingly, the holders of a majority of the shares of common stock entitled to vote in any election of directors are able to elect all of the directors standing for election, if they so choose.
Dividends
Subject to preferences that may be applicable to any then outstanding preferred stock, the holders of common stock are entitled to receive dividends, if any, as may be declared from time to time by our board of directors out of legally available funds. We have never paid cash dividends and have no present intention to pay cash dividends.
Liquidation
In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up, holders of our common stock will be entitled to share ratably in the net assets legally available for distribution to stockholders after the payment of all of our debts and other liabilities, subject to the satisfaction of any liquidation preference granted to the holders of any outstanding shares of preferred stock.
Rights and Preferences
Holders of our common stock have no preemptive, conversion or subscription rights, and there are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to our common stock. The rights, preferences and privileges of the holders of our common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of shares of any series of our preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future.
Fully Paid and Nonassessable
All of our outstanding shares of common stock are fully paid and nonassessable.
Anti-Takeover Effects of Provisions of Our Charter Documents and Delaware Law
Delaware Anti-Takeover Law
We are subject to Section 203 of the DGCL, or Section 203. Section 203 generally prohibits a public Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless:
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prior to the date of the transaction, the board of directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder; |
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the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding upon consummation of the transaction, excluding for purposes of determining the number of shares outstanding (1) shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers and (2) shares owned by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; or |
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on or subsequent to the consummation of the transaction, the business combination is approved by the board and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder. |
Section 203 defines a business combination to include:
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any merger or consolidation involving the corporation and the interested stockholder; |
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any sale, transfer, pledge or other disposition involving the interested stockholder of 10% or more of the assets of the corporation; |
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subject to exceptions, any transaction involving the corporation that has the effect of increasing the proportionate share of the stock of any class or series of the corporation beneficially owned by the interested stockholder; |
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subject to exceptions, any transaction that results in the issuance or transfer by the corporation of any stock of the corporation to the interested stockholder; and |
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the receipt by the interested stockholder of the benefit of any loans, advances, guarantees, pledges or other financial benefits provided by or through the corporation. |
In general, Section 203 defines an interested stockholder as any entity or person beneficially owning 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation and any entity or person affiliated with or controlling or controlled by the entity or person.
Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws
Provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may delay or discourage transactions involving an actual or potential change-in-control or change in our management, including transactions in which stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares or transactions that our stockholders might otherwise deem to be in their best interests. Therefore, these provisions could adversely affect the price of our common stock. Among other things, our certificate of incorporation and bylaws:
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permit our board of directors to issue up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, with any rights, preferences and privileges as they may designate (including the right to approve an acquisition or other change in control); |
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provide that the authorized number of directors may be changed only by resolution adopted by a majority of the board of directors; |
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provide that all vacancies, including newly created directorships, may, except as otherwise required by law or subject to the rights of holders of preferred stock as designated from time to time, be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of directors then in office, even if less than a quorum; |
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require that any action to be taken by our stockholders must be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of stockholders or by action taken by written consent; |
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provide that stockholders seeking to present proposals before a meeting of stockholders or to nominate candidates for election as directors at a meeting of stockholders must provide notice in writing in a timely manner and also specify requirements as to the form and content of a stockholder’s notice; and |
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provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by the chairman of the board, the president or by our board of directors pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the total number of authorized directors (whether or not there exist any vacancies). |
Nasdaq Capital Market Listing
Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “VXRT.”
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC. The transfer agent and registrar’s address is 6201 15th Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11219.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DEBT SECURITIES
As of the date of this prospectus, we have no debt securities issued and outstanding.
The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any future debt securities we may offer, we will describe the particular terms of any debt securities that we may offer in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. The terms of any debt securities we offer under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms we describe below.
We will issue notes under an indenture, which we will enter into with the trustee named in the indenture. Any indenture will be qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939. You should read the summary below, the applicable prospectus supplement and the provisions of the applicable indenture and any related security documents, if any, in their entirety before investing in our debt securities.
We will describe in each prospectus supplement the following terms relating to a series of debt securities:
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the title; |
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the principal amount being offered, and if a series, the total amount authorized and the total amount out-standing; |
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any limit on the amount that may be issued; |
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whether or not we will issue the series of debt securities in global form, and if so, the terms and who the depository will be; |
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the maturity date; |
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the principal amount due at maturity, and whether the debt securities will be issued with an original issue discount; |
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whether and under what circumstances, if any, we will pay additional amounts on any debt securities held by a person who is not a United States person for tax purposes, and whether we can redeem the debt securities if we have to pay such additional amounts; |
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the annual interest rate, which may be fixed or variable, or the method for determining the rate and the date interest will begin to accrue, the dates interest will be payable and the regular record dates for interest payment dates or the method for determining such dates; |
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whether or not the debt securities will be secured or unsecured, and the terms of any secured debt; |
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the terms of the subordination of any series of subordinated debt; |
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the place where payments will be payable; |
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restrictions on transfer, sale or other assignment, if any; |
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our right, if any, to defer payment of interest and the maximum length of any such deferral period; |
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the date, if any, after which the conditions upon which, and the price at which, we may, at our option, re-deem the series of debt securities pursuant to any optional or provisional redemption provisions and the terms of those redemptions provisions; |
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the date, if any, on which, and the price at which we are obligated, pursuant to any mandatory sinking fund or analogous fund provisions or otherwise, to redeem, or at the holder’s option to purchase, the series of debt securities and the currency or currency unit in which the debt securities are payable; |
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whether the indenture will restrict our ability to pay dividends, or will require us to maintain any asset ratios or reserves; |
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whether we will be restricted from incurring any additional indebtedness, issuing additional securities, or entering into a merger, consolidation or sale of our business; |
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a discussion of any material or special United States federal income tax considerations applicable to the debt securities; |
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information describing any book-entry features; |
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provisions for a sinking fund purchase or other analogous fund, if any; |
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any provisions for payment of additional amounts for taxes and any provision for redemption, if we must pay such additional amount with respect to any debt security; |
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whether the debt securities are to be offered at a price such that they will be deemed to be offered at an “original issue discount” as defined in paragraph (a) of Section 1273 of the Internal Revenue Code; |
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the denominations in which we will issue the series of debt securities, if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof; |
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the terms on which a series of debt securities may be convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock, any other of our securities or securities of a third party, and whether conversion or exchange is mandatory, at the option of the holder or at our option; |
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events of default; |
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whether we and/or the debenture trustee may change an indenture without the consent of any holders; |
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the form of debt security and how it may be exchanged and transferred; |
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descriptions of the debenture trustee and paying agent, and the method of payments; and |
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any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of, or restrictions on, the debt securities, including any additional events of default or covenants provided with respect to the debt securities, and any terms which may be required by us or advisable under applicable laws or regulations. |
Specific indentures will contain additional important terms and provisions and will be incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the registration statement that includes this prospectus, or as an exhibit to a report filed under the Exchange Act, incorporated by reference in this prospectus.
We may issue warrants for the purchase of common stock or preferred stock, in one or more series. We may issue warrants independently or together with common stock, preferred stock or debt securities, and the warrants may be attached to or separate from our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities. While the terms summarized below will apply generally to any warrants that we may offer, we will describe the particular terms of any series of warrants in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. The terms of any warrants offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below.
We will file as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from reports that we file with the SEC, the form of warrant agreement, including a form of warrant certificate, that describes the terms of the particular series of warrants we are offering before the issuance of the related series of warrants. The following summaries of material provisions of the warrants and the warrant agreements are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the warrant agreement and warrant certificate applicable to the particular series of warrants that we may offer under this prospectus. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplements related to the particular series of warrants that we may offer under this prospectus, as well as any related free writing prospectuses, and the complete warrant agreements and warrant certificates that contain the terms of the warrants.
General
We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of warrants being offered, including:
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the offering price and aggregate number of warrants offered; |
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the currency for which the warrants may be purchased; |
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if applicable, the number of warrants issued with each share of common stock or preferred stock, or with the principal amount of any debt security; |
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if applicable, the date on and after which the warrants and the related shares will be separately transferable; |
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the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock purchasable upon the exercise of one warrant and the price at which these shares may be purchased upon such exercise; |
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the effect of any merger, consolidation, sale or other disposition of our business on the warrant agreements and the warrants; |
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the terms of any rights to redeem or call the warrants; |
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any provisions for changes to or adjustments in the exercise price or number of shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants; |
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the dates on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence and expire; |
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the various factors considered in determining the exercise or conversion price of the warrants; |
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the manner in which the warrant agreements and warrants may be modified; and |
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any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of or restrictions on the warrants. |
Before exercising their warrants, holders of warrants will not have any of the rights of holders of common stock or preferred stock purchasable upon such exercise, including the right to receive dividends, if any, or, payments upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up or to exercise voting rights:
Exercise of Warrants
Each warrant will entitle the holder to purchase the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock that we specify in the applicable prospectus supplement at the exercise price that we describe in the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants at any time up to the specified time on the expiration date that we set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. After the close of business on the expiration date, unexercised warrants will become void.
Holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants by delivering the warrant certificate representing the warrants to be exercised together with specified information, and paying the required amount to the warrant agent in immediately available funds, as provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. We will set forth on the reverse side of the warrant certificate and in the applicable prospectus supplement the information that the holder of the warrant will be required to deliver to the warrant agent.
Upon receipt of the required payment and the warrant certificate properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will issue and deliver the shares purchasable upon such exercise. If fewer than all of the warrants represented by the warrant certificate are exercised, then we will issue a new warrant certificate for the remaining amount of warrants. If we so indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may surrender securities as all or part of the exercise price for warrants.
Governing Law
Unless we provide otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the warrants and warrant agreements will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware.
Enforceability of Rights by Holders of Warrants
Each warrant agent will act solely as our agent under the applicable warrant agreement and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust with any holder of any warrant. A single bank or trust company may act as warrant agent for more than one issue of warrants. A warrant agent will have no duty or responsibility in case of any default by us under the applicable warrant agreement or warrant, including any duty or responsibility to initiate any proceedings at law or otherwise, or to make any demand upon us. Any holder of a warrant may, without the consent of the related warrant agent or the holder of any other warrant, enforce by appropriate legal action its right to exercise, and receive the securities purchasable upon exercise of, its warrants.
DESCRIPTION OF PURCHASE CONTRACTS
We may issue purchase contracts for the purchase or sale of:
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debt or equity securities issued by us or securities of third parties, a basket of such securities, an index or indices or such securities; |
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or any combination of the above as specified in the applicable prospectus supplement; |
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currencies; or |
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commodities. |
Each purchase contract will entitle the holder thereof to purchase or sell, and obligate us to sell or purchase, on specified dates, such securities, currencies or commodities at a specified purchase price, which may be based on a formula, all as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. We may, however, satisfy our obligations, if any, with respect to any purchase contract by delivering the cash value of such purchase contract or the cash value of the property otherwise deliverable or, in the case of purchase contracts on underlying currencies, by delivering the underlying currencies, as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. The applicable prospectus supplement will also specify the methods by which the holders may purchase or sell such securities, currencies or commodities and any acceleration, cancellation or termination provisions or other provisions relating to the settlement of a purchase contract.
The purchase contracts may require us to make periodic payments to the holders thereof or vice versa, which payments may be deferred to the extent set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement, and those payments may be unsecured or prefunded on some basis. The purchase contracts may require the holders thereof to secure their obligations in a specified manner to be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Alternatively, purchase contracts may require holders to satisfy their obligations thereunder when the purchase contracts are issued. Our obligation to settle such pre- paid purchase contracts on the relevant settlement date may constitute indebtedness. Accordingly, pre- paid purchase contracts will be issued under the applicable indenture.
We may issue units comprised of one or more of the other classes of securities described in this prospectus in any combination. Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security. The units may be issued under unit agreements to be entered into between us and a unit agent, as detailed in the prospectus supplement relating to the units being offered. The prospectus supplement will describe:
the designation and terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances the securities comprising the units may be held or transferred separately;
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a description of the terms of any unit agreement governing the units; |
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a description of the provisions for the payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units; |
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a discussion of material federal income tax considerations, if applicable; and |
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whether the units if issued as a separate security will be issued in fully registered or global form. |
The descriptions of the units in this prospectus and in any prospectus supplement are summaries of the material provisions of the applicable unit agreements. These descriptions do not restate those unit agreements in their entirety and may not contain all the information that you may find useful. We urge you to read the applicable unit agreements because they, and not the summaries, define your rights as holders of the units. For more information, please review the forms of the relevant unit agreements, which will be filed with the SEC promptly after the offering of units and will be available as described in the section titled “Where You Can Find More Information.”
We can issue securities in registered form or in the form of one or more global securities. We describe global securities in greater detail below. We refer to those persons who have securities registered in their own names on the books that we or any applicable trustee, depository or warrant agent maintain for this purpose as the “holders” of those securities. These persons are the legal holders of the securities. We refer to those persons who, indirectly through others, own beneficial interests in securities that are not registered in their own names, as “indirect holders” of those securities.
As we discuss below, indirect holders are not legal holders, and investors in securities issued in book-entry form or in street name will be indirect holders.
Book-Entry Holders
We may issue securities in book-entry form only, as we will specify in the applicable prospectus supplement. This means securities may be represented by one or more global securities registered in the name of a financial institution that holds them as depositary on behalf of other financial institutions that participate in the depositary’s book-entry system. These participating institutions, which are referred to as participants, in turn hold beneficial interests in the securities on behalf of themselves or their customers.
Only the person in whose name a security is registered is recognized as the holder of that security. Securities issued in global form will be registered in the name of the depositary or its participants. Consequently, for securities issued in global form, we will recognize only the depositary as the holder of the securities, and we will make all payments on the securities to the depositary. The depositary passes along the payments it receives to its participants, which in turn pass the payments along to their customers who are the beneficial owners. The depositary and its participants do so under agreements they have made with one another or with their customers; they are not obligated to do so under the terms of the securities.
As a result, investors in a book-entry security will not own securities directly. Instead, they will own beneficial interests in a global security, through a bank, broker or other financial institution that participates in the depositary’s book-entry system or holds an interest through a participant. As long as the securities are issued in global form, investors will be indirect holders, and not holders, of the securities.
Street Name Holders
We may terminate a global security or issue securities in non-global form. In these cases, investors may choose to hold their securities in their own names or in “street name.” Securities held by an investor in street name would be registered in the name of a bank, broker or other financial institution that the investor chooses, and the investor would hold only a beneficial interest in those securities through an account he or she maintains at that institution.
For securities held in street name, we will recognize only the intermediary banks, brokers and other financial institutions in whose names the securities are registered as the holders of those securities, and we will make all payments on those securities to them. These institutions pass along the payments they receive to their customers who are the beneficial owners, but only because they agree to do so in their customer agreements or because they are legally required to do so. Investors who hold securities in street name will be indirect holders, not holders, of those securities.
Legal Holders
Our obligations, as well as the obligations of any applicable trustee and of any third parties employed by us or a trustee, run only to the legal holders of the securities. We do not have obligations to investors who hold beneficial interests in global securities, in street name or by any other indirect means. This will be the case whether an investor chooses to be an indirect holder of a security or has no choice because we are issuing the securities only in global form.
For example, once we make a payment or give a notice to the holder, we have no further responsibility for the payment or notice even if that holder is required, under agreements with depositary participants or customers or by law, to pass it along to the indirect holders but does not do so.
Special Considerations for Indirect Holders
If you hold securities through a bank, broker or other financial institution, either in book-entry form or in street name, you should check with your own institution to find out:
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how it handles securities payments and notices; |
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whether it imposes fees or charges; |
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how it would handle a request for the holders’ consent, if ever required; |
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whether and how you can instruct it to send you securities registered in your own name so you can be a holder, if that is permitted in the future; |
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how it would exercise rights under the securities if there were a default or other event triggering the need for holders to act to protect their interests; and |
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if the securities are in book-entry form, how the depositary’s rules and procedures will affect these matters. |
Global Securities
A global security is a security that represents one or any other number of individual securities held by a depositary. Generally, all securities represented by the same global securities will have the same terms.
Each security issued in book-entry form will be represented by a global security that we deposit with and register in the name of a financial institution or its nominee that we select. The financial institution that we select for this purpose is called the depositary. Unless we specify otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the Depository Trust Company, or DTC, will be the depositary for all securities issued in book-entry form.
A global security may not be transferred to or registered in the name of anyone other than the depositary, its nominee or a successor depositary, unless special termination situations arise. We describe those situations below under “Special Situations When a Global Security Will Be Terminated.” As a result of these arrangements, the depositary, or its nominee, will be the sole registered owner and holder of all securities represented by a global security, and investors will be permitted to own only beneficial interests in a global security. Beneficial interests must be held by means of an account with a broker, bank or other financial institution that in turn has an account with the depositary or with another institution that does. Thus, an investor whose security is represented by a global security will not be a holder of the security, but only an indirect holder of a beneficial interest in the global security.
If the prospectus supplement for a particular security indicates that the security will be issued in global form only, then the security will be represented by a global security at all times unless and until the global security is terminated. If termination occurs, we may issue the securities through another book-entry clearing system or decide that the securities may no longer be held through any book-entry clearing system.
Special Considerations for Global Securities
As an indirect holder, an investor’s rights relating to a global security will be governed by the account rules of the investor’s financial institution and of the depositary, as well as general laws relating to securities transfers. We do not recognize an indirect holder as a holder of securities and instead deal only with the depositary that holds the global security.
If securities are issued only in the form of a global security, an investor should be aware of the following:
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An investor cannot cause the securities to be registered in his or her name and cannot obtain non-global certificates for his or her interest in the securities, except in the special situations we describe below. |
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An investor will be an indirect holder and must look to his or her own bank or broker for payments on the securities and protection of his or her legal rights relating to the securities, as we describe above. |
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An investor may not be able to sell interests in the securities to some insurance companies and to other institutions that are required by law to own their securities in non-book-entry form. |
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An investor may not be able to pledge his or her interest in a global security in circumstances where certificates representing the securities must be delivered to the lender or other beneficiary of the pledge in order for the pledge to be effective. |
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The depositary’s policies, which may change from time to time, will govern payments, transfers, exchanges and other matters relating to an investor’s interest in a global security. We and any applicable trustee have no responsibility for any aspect of the depositary’s actions or for its records of ownership interests in a global security. We and the trustee also do not supervise the depositary in any way. |
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The depositary may, and we understand that DTC will, require that those who purchase and sell interests in a global security within its book-entry system use immediately available funds, and your broker or bank may require you to do so as well. |
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Financial institutions that participate in the depositary’s book-entry system, and through which an investor holds its interest in a global security, may also have their own policies affecting payments, notices and other matters relating to the securities. There may be more than one financial intermediary in the chain of ownership for an investor. We do not monitor and are not responsible for the actions of any of those intermediaries. |
Special Situations When a Global Security Will Be Terminated
In a few special situations described below, the global security will terminate, and interests in it will be exchanged for physical certificates representing those interests. After that exchange, the choice of whether to hold securities directly or in street name will be up to the investor. Investors must consult their own banks or brokers to find out how to have their interests in securities transferred to their own name, so that they will be direct holders. We have described the rights of holders and street name investors above.
The global security will terminate when the following special situations occur:
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if the depositary notifies us that it is unwilling, unable or no longer qualified to continue as depositary for that global security and we do not appoint another institution to act as depositary within 90 days; |
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if we notify any applicable trustee that we wish to terminate that global security; or |
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if an event of default has occurred with regard to securities represented by that global security and has not been cured or waived. |
The applicable prospectus supplement may also list additional situations for terminating a global security that would apply only to the particular series of securities covered by the prospectus supplement. When a global security terminates, the depositary, and not we or any applicable trustee, is responsible for deciding the names of the institutions that will be the initial direct holders.
We may sell our securities covered by this prospectus in any of three ways (or in any combination):
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to or through underwriters or dealers; |
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directly to one or more purchasers; or |
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through agents. |
We may distribute the securities:
from time to time in one or more transactions at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed from time to time;
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“at the market” offerings, as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act, at negotiated prices, at prices prevailing at the time of sale or at prices related to such prevailing market prices, including sales made directly on a national securities exchange or sales made through a market maker other than on an exchange or other similar offerings through sales agents; or |
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at negotiated prices. |
Each time we offer and sell securities covered by this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement or supplements that will describe the method of distribution and set forth the terms of the offering, including:
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the name or names of any underwriters, dealers or agents; |
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the amounts of securities underwritten or purchased by each of them; |
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the purchase price of securities and the proceeds we will receive from the sale; |
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any option under which underwriters may purchase additional securities from us; |
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any underwriting discounts or commissions or agency fees and other items constituting underwriters’ or agents’ compensation; |
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the public offering price of the securities; |
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any discounts, commissions or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers; and |
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any securities exchange or market on which the securities may be listed. |
Any public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers may be changed from time to time. We may determine the price or other terms of the securities offered under this prospectus by use of an electronic auction. We will describe how any auction will determine the price or any other terms, how potential investors may participate in the auction and the nature of the obligations of the underwriter, dealer or agent in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Underwriters or dealers may offer and sell the offered securities from time to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions, at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale. If underwriters or dealers are used in the sale of any securities, the securities will be acquired by the underwriters or dealers for their own account and may be resold from time to time in one or more transactions described above. The securities may be either offered to the public through underwriting syndicates represented by managing underwriters, or directly by underwriters or dealers. Generally, the underwriters’ or dealers’ obligations to purchase the securities will be subject to certain conditions precedent. The underwriters or dealers will be obligated to purchase all of the securities if they purchase any of the securities, unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement. We may use underwriters with whom we have a material relationship. We will describe the nature of any such relationship in the prospectus supplement, naming the underwriter.
We may sell the securities through agents from time to time. The prospectus supplement will name any agent involved in the offer or sale of the securities and any commissions we pay to them. Generally, any agent will be acting on a best efforts basis for the period of its appointment. We may authorize underwriters, dealers or agents to solicit offers by certain purchasers to purchase the securities from us at the public offering price set forth in the prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. The contracts will be subject only to those conditions set forth in the prospectus supplement, and the prospectus supplement will set forth any commissions we pay for solicitation of these contracts.
Agents, dealers and underwriters may be entitled to indemnification by us against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribution with respect to payments which the agents, dealers or underwriters may be required to make in respect thereof. Agents, dealers and underwriters may engage in transactions with, or perform services for us in the ordinary course of business.
All securities we may offer, other than common stock, will be new issues of securities with no established trading market. Any underwriters may make a market in these securities, but will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. We cannot guarantee the liquidity of the trading markets for any securities.
Any underwriter may engage in over-allotment, stabilizing transactions, short covering transactions and penalty bids in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Over-allotment involves sales in excess of the offering size, which create a short position. This short sales position may involve either “covered” short sales or “naked” short sales. Covered short sales are short sales made in an amount not greater than the underwriters’ over-allotment option to purchase additional securities in the relevant offering. The underwriters may close out any covered short position either by exercising their over-allotment option or by purchasing securities in the open market. To determine how they will close the covered short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of securities available for purchase in the open market, as compared to the price at which they may purchase securities through the over-allotment option. Naked short sales are short sales in excess of the over-allotment option. The underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing securities in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that, in the open market after pricing, there may be downward pressure on the price of the securities that could adversely affect investors who purchase securities in the offering. Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security for the purpose of fixing the price of the security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a dealer when the securities originally sold by the dealer are purchased in a covering transaction to cover short positions.
Any underwriters who are qualified market makers on the Nasdaq Capital Market may engage in passive market making transactions in our common stock, preferred stock, warrants and debt securities, as applicable on the Nasdaq Capital Market in accordance with Rule 103 of Regulation M, during the business day prior to the pricing of the offering, before the commencement of offers or sales of the securities. Passive market makers must comply with applicable volume and price limitations and must be identified as passive market makers. In general, a passive market maker must display its bid at a price not in excess of the highest independent bid for such security; if all independent bids are lowered below the passive market maker’s bid, however, the passive market maker’s bid must then be lowered when certain purchase limits are exceeded.
Similar to other purchase transactions, an underwriter’s purchase to cover the syndicate short sales or to stabilize the market price of our securities may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our securities or preventing or mitigating a decline in the market price of our securities. As a result, the price of our securities may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. The imposition of a penalty bid might also have an effect on the price of the securities if it discourages resales of the securities.
Neither we nor any underwriter makes any representation or prediction as to the effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of the securities. If such transactions are commenced, they may be discontinued without notice at any time.
The validity of the securities being offered by this prospectus will be passed upon for us by Thompson Hine LLP, New York, New York. Any underwriters will also be advised about the validity of the securities and other legal matters by their own counsel, which will be named in the prospectus supplement.
OUM & Co. LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, has audited our consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, as set forth in their report which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement. Our consolidated financial statements are incorporated by reference in reliance on OUM & Co. LLP’s report, given on their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
The consolidated financial statements of Vaxart, Inc. as of December 31, 2018, and for the year ended December 31, 2018, have been incorporated by reference herein in reliance upon the report of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing. The audit report covering the December 31, 2018 consolidated financial statements contains an explanatory paragraph that that states that the Company has experienced losses and negative cash flows from operations since its inception, has an accumulated deficit, and has debt obligations, which raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
This prospectus is part of an automatic shelf registration statement that we have filed with the SEC. This prospectus does not contain all of the information in the registration statement and its exhibits. For further information with respect to us and the securities offered by this prospectus, we refer you to the registration statement and its exhibits. Statements contained in this prospectus as to the contents of any contract or any other document referred to are not necessarily complete, and in each instance, we refer you to the copy of the contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the registration statement. Each of these statements is qualified in all respects by this reference. The SEC maintains an internet website that contains reports, proxy statements, and other information about registrants, like us, that file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is www.sec.gov. The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, the SEC’s website is not incorporated by reference in, and is not part of, this prospectus or any prospectus supplement.
We are subject to the information and periodic reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, and we file periodic reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. We maintain a website at https://www.vaxart.com. You may access our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act with the SEC free of charge at our website as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference in, and is not part of, this prospectus.
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information that we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus. Information in this prospectus supersedes information incorporated by reference that we filed with the SEC prior to the date of this prospectus, while information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede the information in this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus or free writing prospectus provided to you in connection with this offering, or in any other document we subsequently file with the SEC that also is incorporated by reference in this prospectus, modifies or supersedes the original statement.
The following documents filed with the SEC are hereby incorporated by reference in this prospectus:
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our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on March 19, 2020; |
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our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed with the SEC on May 12, 2020; |
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our Current Reports on Form 8-K and all amendments thereto, filed with the SEC on January 2, 2020, March 2, 2020, March 19, 2020, April 14, 2020, April 29, 2020, June 9, 2020, June 15, 2020, June 23, 2020, and June 30, 2020; |
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the portions of our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A that are deemed to have been “filed” with the SEC on April 24, 2020; |
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The description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 10, filed with the SEC on May 4, 1970, as amended by our Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 000-04829) filed with the SEC on August 15, 2003. |
All reports and other documents subsequently filed by us pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this prospectus and prior to the termination of this offering shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus and to be part hereof from the date of filing of such reports and other documents.
We will furnish without charge to you, on written or oral request, a copy of any or all of the documents incorporated by reference, including exhibits to these documents. You should direct any requests for documents by writing us at 170 Harbor Way, Suite 300, South San Francisco, CA 94080 telephoning us at (650) 550-3500.
The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC and state the address of that site (http://www.sec.gov). In addition, we maintain a website at www.vaxart.com. Information contained in our website does not constitute a part of this prospectus.
Notwithstanding the statements in the preceding paragraphs, no document, report or exhibit (or portion of any of the foregoing) or any other information that we have “furnished” or may in the future “furnish” to the SEC pursuant to the Exchange Act shall be incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
In accordance with Rule 412 of the Securities Act, any statement contained in a document incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed modified or superseded to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement.
Up to $100,000,000 of Shares
Common Stock
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
| Cantor B. Riley Securities |
September 16, 2021