Erasca, Inc S-3, filed May 9, 2024
Erasca, Inc. (ERAS)
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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 9, 2024
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
ERASCA, INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
| Delaware | 83-1217027 | |
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
3115 Merryfield Row, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92121
(858) 465-6511
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Jonathan E. Lim, M.D.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Erasca, Inc.
3115 Merryfield Row, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92121
(858) 465-6511
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
| Matthew T. Bush Cheston J. Larson Latham & Watkins LLP 12670 High Bluff Drive San Diego, CA 92130 (858) 523-5400 |
David M. Chacko, M.D., Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer Ebun S. Garner, General Counsel Erasca, Inc. 3115 Merryfield Row, Suite 300 San Diego, California 92121 (818) 465-6511 |
APPROXIMATE DATE OF COMMENCEMENT OF PROPOSED SALE TO THE PUBLIC: From time to time after the effective date of this registration statement.
If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. ☐
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box. ☒
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | |||
| Non-accelerated filer | ☒ | Smaller reporting company | ☒ | |||
| Emerging growth company | ☒ | |||||
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of Securities Act. ☐
The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said section 8(a), may determine.
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The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell nor does it seek an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
Subject to Completion, dated May 9, 2024
PROSPECTUS
21,074,651 Shares of Common Stock
This prospectus relates to the proposed resale or other disposition by the selling securityholders identified in this prospectus of up to 21,074,651 shares of our common stock, par value $0.0001 per share. The securities being offered were issued and sold to accredited investors in a private placement, which closed on April 2, 2024. We are not selling any shares of common stock under this prospectus and will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale or other disposition of common stock by the selling securityholders. All expenses of registration incurred in connection with this offering are being borne by us. All selling and other expenses incurred by the selling securityholders will be borne by the selling securityholders.
The selling securityholders may, from time to time, sell, transfer, or otherwise dispose of any or all of their securities on any national securities exchange or quotation service on which the securities may be listed or quoted at the time of sale, in the over-the-counter market, in one or more transactions other than on these exchanges or systems, such as privately negotiated transactions, or using a combination of these methods, and at fixed prices, at prevailing market prices at the time of the sale, at varying prices determined at the time of sale, or at negotiated prices. See the disclosure under the heading “Plan of Distribution” elsewhere in this prospectus for more information about how the selling securityholders may sell or otherwise dispose of their securities hereunder. The selling securityholders may sell any, all or none of the securities offered by this prospectus and we do not know when or in what amount the selling securityholders may sell their securities hereunder following the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES INVOLVES RISKS. SEE THE “RISK FACTORS” ON PAGE 5 OF THIS PROSPECTUS AND ANY SIMILAR SECTION CONTAINED IN OTHER DOCUMENTS THAT ARE INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE INTO THIS PROSPECTUS CONCERNING FACTORS YOU SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES.
Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “ERAS.” On May 8, 2024, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market was $2.15 per share.
Neither the 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 , 2024.
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This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) using a “shelf” registration process. By using a shelf registration statement, the selling securityholders may sell securities from time to time and in one or more offerings as described in this prospectus. We may authorize one or more prospectus supplements or free writing prospectuses to be provided to you that may contain material information relating to these offerings. The prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus with respect to that offering. If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, you should rely on the prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, as applicable. Before purchasing any securities, you should carefully read both this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectuses, together with the additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information; Incorporation by Reference.”
Neither we nor the selling securityholders have authorized anyone to provide you with any information or to make any representations other than those contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectuses prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. We and the selling securityholders take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. The selling securityholders will not make an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement to this prospectus is accurate only as of the date on its respective cover, that the information appearing in any applicable free writing prospectus is accurate only as of the date of that free writing prospectus, and that any information incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, unless we indicate otherwise. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates. This prospectus incorporates by reference, and any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus may contain and incorporate by reference, market data and industry statistics and forecasts that are based on independent industry publications and other publicly available information. Although we believe these sources are reliable, we do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this information and we have not independently verified this information. In addition, the market and industry data and forecasts that may be included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any applicable free writing prospectus may involve estimates, assumptions and other risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement and any applicable free writing prospectus, and under similar headings in other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on this information.
When we refer to “Erasca,” “we,” “our,” “us” and the “Company” in this prospectus, we mean Erasca, Inc., unless otherwise specified. When we refer to “you,” we mean the potential holders of the shares of common stock.
This prospectus also includes trademarks, tradenames and service marks that are the property of other organizations. Solely for convenience, trademarks and tradenames referred to in this prospectus appear without the ® and ™ symbols, 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 that the applicable owner will not assert its rights, to these trademarks and tradenames.
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION; INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
Available Information
We file reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information about issuers, such as us, who file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is http://www.sec.gov.
Our website address is www.erasca.com. The information on, or accessible through, our website, however, is not, and should not be deemed to be, a part of this prospectus.
This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC and does not contain all of the information in the registration statement. The full registration statement may be obtained from the SEC or us, as provided below. Other documents establishing the terms of the offered securities are or may be filed as exhibits to the registration statement or documents incorporated by reference in the registration statement. Statements in this prospectus about these documents are summaries and each statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the document to which it refers. You should refer to the actual documents for a more complete description of the relevant matters. You may inspect a copy of the registration statement through the SEC’s website, as provided above.
Incorporation by Reference
The SEC’s rules allow us to “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus, and subsequent information that we file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede that information. Any statement contained in this prospectus or a previously filed document incorporated by reference will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus or a subsequently filed document incorporated by reference modifies or replaces that statement.
This prospectus incorporates by reference the documents set forth below that have previously been filed with the SEC:
| • | our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on March 27, 2024; |
| • | our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on May 8, 2024; |
| • | the information specifically incorporated by reference into our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 from our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the SEC on April 26, 2024; |
| • | our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on March 28, 2024; and |
| • | the description of our common stock contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A, filed with the SEC on July 13, 2021, and any amendment or report filed with the SEC for the purpose of updating the description. |
All reports and other documents we subsequently file pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), prior to the termination of this offering, including all such documents we may file with the SEC after the date of the initial registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement, but excluding any information furnished to, rather than filed with, the SEC, will also be incorporated by reference into this prospectus and deemed to be part of this prospectus from the date of the filing of such reports and documents.
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You may request a free copy of any of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus (other than exhibits, unless they are specifically incorporated by reference in the documents) by writing or telephoning us at the following address:
Erasca, Inc.
Attention: Corporate Secretary
3115 Merryfield Row, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92121
(858) 465-6511
Exhibits to the filings will not be sent, however, unless those exhibits have specifically been incorporated by reference in this prospectus.
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We are a clinical-stage precision oncology company singularly focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing therapies for patients with RAS/MAPK pathway-driven cancers. Molecular alterations in RAS, the most frequently mutated oncogene, and the MAPK pathway, one of the most frequently altered signaling pathways in cancer, account for approximately 5.4 million new patients diagnosed with cancer globally each year. Our company was co-founded by leading pioneers in precision oncology and RAS targeting to create novel therapies and combination regimens designed to comprehensively shut down the RAS/MAPK pathway for the treatment of patients with cancer. We have assembled one of the deepest, wholly-owned or controlled RAS/MAPK pathway-focused pipelines in the industry, which comprises modality-agnostic programs aligned with our three therapeutic strategies of: (1) targeting key upstream and downstream signaling nodes in the RAS/MAPK pathway; (2) targeting RAS directly; and (3) targeting escape routes that emerge in response to treatment. The target breadth and molecular diversity represented in our pipeline enable us to pursue a systematic, data-driven, portfolio-wide clinical development effort to identify single agent and combination approaches with the goal of prolonging survival in numerous patient populations with high unmet medical needs.
Our modality-agnostic approach aims to allow us to selectively and potently target critical signaling nodes with the most appropriate modality, including small molecule therapeutics and large molecule therapeutics. Our purpose-built pipeline includes three clinical-stage programs (a pan-RAF inhibitor, an ERK inhibitor, and a central nervous system-penetrant EGFR inhibitor), and additional discovery-stage programs targeting other key oncogenic drivers. We believe our world-class team’s capabilities and experience, further guided by our scientific advisory board, which includes the world’s leading experts in the RAS/MAPK pathway, uniquely position us to achieve our bold mission of erasing cancer.
We were incorporated under the laws of the state of Delaware on July 2, 2018. Our principal executive offices are located at 3115 Merryfield Row, Suite 300, San Diego, California 92121, and our telephone number is (858) 465-6511.
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Investment in any securities offered pursuant to this prospectus involves risks. You should carefully consider the risk factors incorporated by reference to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K we file after the date of this prospectus, and all other information contained or incorporated by reference into this prospectus, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act, and the risk factors and other information contained in any applicable free writing prospectus before acquiring any of such securities. The occurrence of any of these risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment in the offered securities.
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, business strategy, research and development plans, the anticipated timing, costs, design and conduct of our ongoing and planned preclinical studies and planned clinical trials for our product candidates, the timing and likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals for our product candidates, our ability to commercialize our product candidates, if approved, the impact of global geopolitical and economic events and war on our business, the pricing and reimbursement of our product candidates, if approved, the potential to develop future product candidates, the potential benefits of current and future licenses, acquisitions, and strategic arrangements with third parties, and our intent to enter into any future strategic arrangements, the timing and likelihood of success, plans and objectives of management for future operations and future results of anticipated product development efforts, are forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. This prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein also contain estimates and other statistical data made by independent parties and by us relating to market size and growth and other data about our industry. This data involves a number of assumptions and limitations, and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to such estimates. In addition, projections, assumptions and estimates of our future performance and the future performance of the markets in which we operate are necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk.
In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue” “could,” “contemplate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will” or “would” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein are only predictions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this prospectus and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, which we discuss in greater detail in the documents incorporated by reference herein, including under the heading “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus. The events and circumstances reflected in our forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Moreover, we operate in an evolving environment. New risk factors and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties. Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus or the documents incorporated by reference herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise. For all forward-looking statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
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We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock in this offering.
The selling securityholders will pay any underwriting discounts and commissions and expenses incurred by the selling securityholders for brokerage, accounting, tax or legal services or any other expenses incurred by the selling securityholders in disposing of the shares. We will bear all other costs, fees and expenses incurred in effecting the registration of the securities covered by this prospectus, including all registration and filing fees, fees and expenses of our counsel and of our independent registered public accountants.
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General
The following description summarizes some of the terms of our capital stock. Because it is only a summary, it does not contain all the information that may be important to you and is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, which are filed as exhibits to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and are incorporated by reference herein. We encourage you to read our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws for additional information.
As of March 31, 2024, our authorized capital stock consisted of 800,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, and 80,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.0001 par value per share.
Common Stock
Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders, including the election of directors, and do not have cumulative voting rights. Accordingly, the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote in any election of directors can elect all of the directors standing for election, if they so choose, other than any directors that holders of any preferred stock we may issue may be entitled to elect. Subject to supermajority votes for some matters, other matters shall be decided by the affirmative vote of our stockholders having a majority in voting power of the votes cast by the stockholders present or represented and voting on such matter. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws also provide that our directors may be removed only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds in voting power of the outstanding shares of capital stock entitled to vote thereon. In addition, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds in voting power of the outstanding shares of capital stock entitled to vote thereon is required to amend or repeal, or to adopt any provision inconsistent with, several of the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. See below under the heading “Anti-Takeover Effects of Delaware Law and Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws.”
Subject to preferences that may be applicable to any then outstanding preferred stock, holders of common stock are entitled to receive ratably those dividends, if any, as may be declared by the board of directors out of legally available funds.
In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, the holders of common stock will be entitled to share ratably in the assets legally available for distribution to stockholders after the payment of or provision for all of our debts and other liabilities, subject to the prior rights of any preferred stock then outstanding.
Holders of common stock have no preemptive or conversion rights or other subscription rights and there are no redemption or sinking funds provisions applicable to the common stock. The outstanding shares of common stock are duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of shares of any series of preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future.
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Computershare Trust Company, N.A. The transfer agent and registrar’s address is 150 Royall Street, Suite 101, Canton, Massachusetts 02021.
Preferred Stock
As of March 31, 2024, there were no outstanding shares of preferred stock. Under the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our board of directors has the authority, without further action by our
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stockholders, to issue up to 80,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series, to establish from time to time the number of shares to be included in each such series, to fix the dividend, voting and other rights, preferences and privileges of the shares of each wholly unissued series and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereon, and to increase or decrease the number of shares of any such series, but not below the number of shares of such series then outstanding. Our board of directors may authorize the issuance of preferred stock with voting or conversion rights that could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of the common stock. The issuance of preferred stock, while providing flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could, among other things, have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in our control and may adversely affect the market price of the common stock and the voting and other rights of the holders of common stock.
Prior to the issuance of shares of each series, the board of directors is required by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the DGCL) and our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to adopt resolutions and file a certificate of designation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware. The certificate of designation fixes for each class or series the designations, powers, preferences, rights, qualifications, limitations and restrictions, including dividend rights, conversion rights, redemption privileges and liquidation preferences.
When we issue shares of preferred stock, the shares will be fully paid and nonassessable and will not have any preemptive or similar rights. Our board of directors may authorize the issuance of preferred stock with voting or conversion rights that could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of the common stock. The issuance of preferred stock, while providing flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could, among other things, have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in our control and may adversely affect the market price of the common stock and the voting and other rights of the holders of common stock.
Registration Rights
Pursuant to the Amended and Restated Stockholders Agreement, dated April 15, 2020, by and among us and certain of our stockholders, certain of our stockholders are entitled to the following rights with respect to the registration of their shares for public resale under the Securities Act. The registration of shares of common stock as a result of the following rights being exercised would enable holders to trade these shares without restriction under the Securities Act when the applicable registration statement is declared effective.
Demand Registration Rights
Form S-1. If at any time the holders of at least a majority of the registrable securities request in writing that we effect a registration with respect to all or a part of the registrable securities then outstanding where the aggregate price to the public of the offering is $20.0 million or more, we may be required to provide notice to all holders of registrable securities and to use commercially reasonable efforts to effect such registration; provided, however, that we will not be required to effect such a registration if, among other things, within the preceding 12 months, we have already effected two registrations for the holders of registrable securities in response to these demand registration rights.
Form S-3. If at any time the holders of the registrable securities request in writing that we effect a registration with respect to all or a part of the registrable securities then outstanding where the price to the public of the offering is $5.0 million or more, we may be required to provide notice to all holders of registrable securities and to use commercially reasonable efforts to effect such registration; provided, however, that we will not be required to effect such a registration if, among other things, within the preceding 12 months, we have already effected two registrations on Form S-3 for the holders of registrable securities.
If the holders requesting registration intend to distribute their shares by means of an underwriting, the underwriter of such offering will have the right to limit the numbers of shares to be underwritten for reasons related to the marketing of the shares.
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Piggyback Registration Rights
If at any time we propose to register any shares of our common stock under the Securities Act, subject to certain exceptions, the holders of registrable securities will be entitled to notice of the registration and to include their shares of registrable securities in the registration. If our proposed registration involves an underwriting, the managing underwriter of such offering will have the right to limit the number of shares to be underwritten for reasons related to the marketing of the shares.
Indemnification
Our stockholders agreement contains customary cross indemnification provisions, under which we are obligated to indemnify holders of registrable securities in the event of material misstatements or omissions in a registration statement attributable to us, and they are obligated to indemnify us for material misstatements or omissions attributable to them.
Expenses
Ordinarily, other than underwriting discounts and commissions, we will be required to pay all expenses incurred by us related to any registration effected pursuant to the exercise of these registration rights. These expenses may include all registration and filing fees, printing expenses, fees and disbursements of our counsel, reasonable fees and disbursements of a counsel for the selling securityholders, blue sky fees and expenses and the expenses of any special audits incident to the registration.
Termination of Registration Rights
The registration rights terminate in August 2026.
Private Placement Registration Rights
We have also agreed to file a registration statement with the SEC by no later than May 17, 2024 to register for resale under the Securities Act all of the shares of our common stock issued, pursuant to a stock purchase agreement dated March 27, 2024, and we have further agreed to use reasonable best efforts to cause such registration statement to be declared effective within the earlier of (i) 45 days (or 60 days if the SEC reviews the registration statement) of the initial filing of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and (ii) the fifth business day after we are notified by the SEC that the registration statement will not be reviewed or will not be subject to further review by the SEC. This registration statement on Form S-3 is being filed with the SEC in accordance with the aforementioned obligations.
Anti-Takeover Effects of Delaware Law and Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws
Some provisions of Delaware law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that could make the following transactions more difficult: an acquisition of us by means of a tender offer; an acquisition of us by means of a proxy contest or otherwise; or the removal of our incumbent officers and directors. It is possible that these provisions could make it more difficult to accomplish or could deter transactions that stockholders may otherwise consider to be in their best interest or in our best interests, including transactions which provide for payment of a premium over the market price for our shares.
These provisions, summarized below, are intended to discourage coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids. These provisions are also designed to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to first negotiate with our board of directors. We believe that the benefits of the increased protection of our potential ability to negotiate with the proponent of an unfriendly or unsolicited proposal to acquire or restructure us outweigh the disadvantages of discouraging these proposals because negotiation of these proposals could result in an improvement of their terms.
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Undesignated Preferred Stock
The ability of our board of directors, without action by the stockholders, to issue up to 80,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock with voting or other rights or preferences as designated by our board of directors could impede the success of any attempt to change control of us. These and other provisions may have the effect of deferring hostile takeovers or delaying changes in control or management of our company.
Stockholder Meetings
Our amended and restated bylaws provide that a special meeting of stockholders may be called only by our chairman of the board of directors, chief executive officer or president, or by a resolution adopted by a majority of our board of directors.
Requirements for Advance Notification of Stockholder Nominations and Proposals
Our amended and restated bylaws establish advance notice procedures with respect to stockholder proposals to be brought before a stockholder meeting and the nomination of candidates for election as directors, other than nominations made by or at the direction of the board of directors or a committee of the board of directors.
Elimination of Stockholder Action by Written Consent
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws eliminate the right of stockholders to act by written consent without a meeting.
Staggered Board of Directors
Our board of directors is divided into three classes. The directors in each class serve for a three-year term, with one class being elected each year by our stockholders. This system of electing directors may tend to discourage a third party from attempting to obtain control of us, because it generally makes it more difficult for stockholders to replace a majority of the directors.
Removal of Directors
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that no member of our board of directors may be removed from office except for cause and, in addition to any other vote required by law, upon the approval of not less than two thirds of the total voting power of all of our outstanding voting stock then entitled to vote in the election of directors.
Stockholders Not Entitled to Cumulative Voting
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not permit stockholders to cumulate their votes in the election of directors. Accordingly, the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock entitled to vote in any election of directors can elect all of the directors standing for election, if they choose, other than any directors that holders of our preferred stock may be entitled to elect.
Delaware Anti-Takeover Statute
We are subject to Section 203 of the DGCL, which prohibits persons deemed to be “interested stockholders” from engaging in a “business combination” with a publicly held Delaware corporation for three years following the date these persons become interested stockholders unless the business combination is, or the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder was, approved in a prescribed manner or another prescribed exception applies. Generally, an “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with affiliates and associates,
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owns, or within three years prior to the determination of interested stockholder status did own, 15% or more of a corporation’s voting stock. Generally, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset or stock sale, or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. The existence of this provision may have an anti-takeover effect with respect to transactions not approved in advance by the board of directors.
Choice of Forum
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for the following types of actions or proceedings under Delaware statutory or common law: (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty or other wrongdoing by any of our directors, officers, employees or agents to us or our stockholders, creditors or other constituents; (iii) any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to any provision of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws; (iv) any action to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of our certificate of incorporation or bylaws; or (v) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine. The provision would not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act. Furthermore, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will also provide that unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause or causes of action arising under the Securities Act, including all causes of action asserted against any defendant to such complaint. For the avoidance of doubt, this provision is intended to benefit and may be enforced by us, our officers and directors, the underwriters to any offering giving rise to such complaint, and any other professional entity whose profession gives authority to a statement made by that person or entity and who has prepared or certified any part of the documents underlying the offering. In any case, stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. The enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that a court could find these types of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation also provides that any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock will be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to this choice of forum provision.
Amendment of Charter and Bylaw Provisions
The amendment of any of the above provisions, except for the provision making it possible for our board of directors to issue preferred stock, would require approval by holders of at least two thirds of the total voting power of all of our outstanding voting stock.
The provisions of Delaware law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws could have the effect of discouraging others from attempting hostile takeovers and, as a consequence, they may also inhibit temporary fluctuations in the market price of our common stock that often result from actual or rumored hostile takeover attempts. These provisions may also have the effect of preventing changes in the composition of our board of directors and management. It is possible that these provisions could make it more difficult to accomplish transactions that stockholders may otherwise deem to be in their best interests.
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This prospectus covers the resale or other disposition from time to time by the selling securityholders identified in the table below of up to an aggregate of 21,074,651 shares of our common stock.
On March 27, 2024, we entered into a stock purchase agreement with the selling securityholders (the Purchase Agreement), pursuant to which we sold in a private placement 21,844,660 shares of common stock at a price of $2.06 per share of common stock, for an aggregate price of approximately $45.0 million.
This prospectus covers the resale or other disposition by the selling securityholders or their pledgees, donees, transferees or other successors-in-interest of up to the total number of shares of common stock issued to the selling securityholders pursuant to the Purchase Agreement.
We are registering 21,074,651 of the above-referenced shares to permit the selling securityholders and their pledgees, donees, transferees or other successors-in-interest that receive their shares after the date of this prospectus to resell or otherwise dispose of the shares in the manner contemplated under “Plan of Distribution” herein.
The following table sets forth information concerning the shares of common stock that may be offered from time to time by each selling securityholder. The number of shares beneficially owned by each selling securityholder is determined under rules issued by the SEC. Under these rules, beneficial ownership includes any shares as to which the selling securityholder has sole or shared voting power or investment power. Percentage ownership is based on 173,358,966 shares of our common stock outstanding as of April 30, 2024. In computing the number of shares beneficially owned by a selling securityholder and their percentage ownership, shares of common stock subject to options, warrants or other rights held by such selling securityholder that are currently exercisable or will become exercisable within 60 days of April 30, 2024 are considered outstanding, although these shares are not considered outstanding for purposes of computing the percentage ownership of any other selling securityholder. For purposes of this table, we have assumed that the selling securityholders will have sold all of the securities covered by this prospectus upon the completion of the offering. Each of the selling securityholders listed has sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares beneficially owned by the selling securityholder unless noted otherwise.
The information in the following table has been provided to us by or on behalf of the selling securityholders and the selling securityholders may have sold, transferred or otherwise disposed of all or a portion of their securities after the date on which they provided us with information regarding their securities. A selling securityholder may sell all, some or none of its securities in this offering. See the section titled “Plan of Distribution.”
| Name of Selling Securityholder |
Shares Beneficially Owned before this Offering Shares |
Maximum Number of Shares to be Sold Pursuant to this Prospectus |
Shares Beneficially Owned after this Offering(1) |
|||||||||||||
| Shares | Percentage | |||||||||||||||
| Averill Master Fund, Ltd(2) |
7,281,553 | 7,281,553 | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Invus Public Equities, L.P.(3) |
7,148,378 | 2,427,184 | 4,721,194 | 2.7 | % | |||||||||||
| Entities affiliated with SilverArc Capital Management, LLC(4) |
6,682,480 | 5,825,243 | 857,237 | * | ||||||||||||
| Entities affiliated with Prosight Management, LP(5) |
3,659,739 | 1,171,739 | 2,488,000 | 1.4 | % | |||||||||||
| Entities affiliated with Sio Capital Management, LLC(6) |
2,427,184 | 2,427,184 | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Point72 Associates, LLC(7) |
1,603,372 | 485,437 | 1,117,935 | * | ||||||||||||
| CVI Investments, Inc.(8) |
1,456,311 | 1,456,311 | — | — | ||||||||||||
| * | Less than 1% |
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| (1) | Assumes the selling securityholders sell all of their shares of our common stock offered pursuant to this prospectus. |
| (2) | Suvretta Capital Management, LLC is the investment manager of Averill Master Fund, Ltd and Aaron Cowen is the control person of Suvretta Capital Management, LLC. Suvretta Capital Management, LLC and Mr. Cowen may be deemed to beneficially own the shares held by Averill Master Fund, Ltd. The principal business address of Suvretta Capital Management, LLC is 540 Madison Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10022. |
| (3) | Invus Public Equities, L.P. (Invus PE) directly holds 7,148,378 Shares. Invus Public Equities Advisors, LLC (Invus PE Advisors) controls Invus PE, as its general partner and accordingly, may be deemed to beneficially own the Shares held by Invus PE. The Geneva branch of Artal International S.C.A. (Artal International) controls Invus PE Advisors, as its managing member and accordingly, may be deemed to beneficially own the Shares held by Invus PE. Artal International Management S.A. (Artal International Management), as the managing partner of Artal International, controls Artal International and accordingly, may be deemed to beneficially own the Shares that Artal International may be deemed to beneficially own. Artal Group S.A. (Artal Group), as the sole stockholder of Artal International Management, controls Artal International Management and accordingly, may be deemed to beneficially own the Shares that Artal International Management may be deemed to beneficially own. Westend S.A. (Westend), as the parent company of Artal Group, controls Artal Group and accordingly, may be deemed to beneficially own the shares that Artal Group may be deemed to beneficially own. Stichting Administratiekantoor Westend (the Stichting), as majority shareholder of Westend, controls Westend and accordingly, may be deemed to beneficially own the Shares that Westend may be deemed to beneficially own. Mr. Amaury Wittouck, as the sole member of the board of the Stichting, controls the Stichting and accordingly, may be deemed to beneficially own the Shares that the Stichting may be deemed to beneficially own. The address for Invus PE and Invus PE Advisors is 750 Lexington Avenue, 30th Floor, New York, NY 10022. The address for Artal International, Artal International Management, Artal Group, Westend and Mr. Wittouck is Valley Park, 44, Rue de la Vallée, L-2661, Luxembourg. The address for the Stichting is Claude Debussylaan, 46, 1082 MD Amsterdam, The Netherlands. |
| (4) | Consists of (i) 4,720,671 shares of common stock held by SilverArc Capital Alpha Fund II, L.P. (Fund II), (ii) 1,647,916 shares of common stock held by Squarepoint Diversified Partners Fund Limited (Squarepoint), (iii) 217,435 shares of common stock held by SilverArc Capital Alpha Fund I, L.P. (Fund I) and (iv) 96,458 shares of common stock held by Atom Master Fund L.P. (Atom Fund). SilverArc Capital Management, LLC is the controlling entity of Fund I, Fund II, Squarepoint and Atom Fund, and is solely owned by Devesh Gandhi. Mr. Gandhi may be deemed to have shared voting and investment power of the securities managed by SilverArc Capital Management, LLC. Mr. Gandhi disclaims beneficial ownership of such securities, except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein. The address for Fund I, Fund II and Squarepoint is 20 Park Plaza, 4th Floor, Boston, MA 02116. |
| (5) | Consists of (i) 839,552 shares of common stock held by Belmont Harbor Master Fund, LP, (ii) 96,403 shares of common stock held by West Tower Partners, LP, (iii) 958,864 shares of common stock held by Prosight Plus Fund, LP (“Prosight Plus Fund”) and (iv) 314,047 shares of common stock held by Prosight Fund, LP (“Prosight Fund”). Each of Prosight Management, LP (“Prosight Management”), Prosight Partners, LLC (“Prosight Partners”) and W. Lawrence Hawkins has shared voting and dispositive power over all of such shares. Prosight Management is the general partner and investment manager of, and may be deemed to indirectly beneficially own securities owned by, Prosight Fund and Prosight Plus Fund. Prosight Management is a sub-advisor for certain separate managed accounts (collectively, the “Managed Accounts”) and may be deemed to indirectly beneficially own securities owned by the Managed Accounts. Prosight Partners is the general partner of, and may be deemed to beneficially own, securities beneficially owned by Prosight Management. Mr. Hawkins is the sole manager of, and may be deemed to beneficially own securities beneficially owned by, Prosight Partners. Prosight Fund disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares of common stock held by each of the Managed Accounts, Prosight Plus Fund and Mr. Hawkins. Prosight Plus Fund disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares of common stock held by each of the Managed Accounts, Prosight Fund, and Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Hawkins disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares of common stock held by each of the Managed Accounts, Prosight Fund and Prosight Plus Fund. The |
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| address for each of the foregoing named reporting persons is c/o Prosight Management, LP, 5956 Sherry Lane, Suite 1365, Dallas, Texas 75225. |
| (6) | Consists of (i) 782,226 shares of common stock held by Sio Partners LP (Partners), (ii) 453,356 shares of common stock held by Sio Partners Offshore LTD (Offshore), (iii) 378,544 shares of common stock held by Compass MAV LLC (Compass), (iv) 241,990 shares of common stock held by Compass Offshore MAV Limited (Compass Offshore) and (v) 571,068 shares of common stock held by Walleye Opportunities Master Fund Ltd (Walleye Master). Sio Capital Management, LLC (Sio Management) is the investment manager of Partners, Offshore, Compass, Compass Offshore and Walleye Master, and Michael Castor is the sole owner and Managing Member of Sio Management. Sio Management and Mr. Castor may be deemed to beneficially own the securities held by Partners, Offshore, Compass, Compass Offshore and Walleye Master. Sio GP LLC is the General Partner of Partners. Each of Sio Capital Management LLC, Sio GP LLC and Michael Castor disclaims beneficial ownership over the securities held of record by stockholders, except to the extent of its or his pecuniary interest therein. The business address of the stockholders is c/o Sio Capital Management, LLC, 600 Third Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10016. |
| (7) | Point72 Asset Management, L.P. maintains investment and voting power with respect to the securities held by certain investment funds it manages, including Point72 Associates, LLC. Point72 Capital Advisors, Inc. is the general partner of Point72 Asset Management, L.P. Mr. Steven A. Cohen controls each of Point72 Asset Management, L.P. and Point72 Capital Advisors, Inc. By reason of the provisions of Rule 13d-3 of the Exchange Act, each of Point72 Asset Management, L.P., Point72 Capital Advisors, Inc., and Mr. Cohen may be deemed to beneficially own the securities directly held byPoint72 Associates, LLC reflected herein. Each of Point72 Asset Management, L.P., Point72Capital Advisors, Inc., and Mr. Cohen disclaims beneficial ownership of any such securities. The address of the principal business office of Point72 Associates, LLC, Point72 Asset Management, L.P., Point72 Capital Advisors, Inc., and Mr. Cohen is 72 Cummings Point Road, Stamford, CT 06902. |
| (8) | Heights Capital Management, Inc., the authorized agent of CVI Investments, Inc. (CVI), has discretionary authority to vote and dispose of the shares held by CVI and may be deemed to be the beneficial owner of these shares. Martin Kobinger, in his capacity as Investment Manager of Heights Capital Management, Inc., may also be deemed to have investment discretion and voting power over the shares held by CVI. Mr. Kobinger disclaims any such beneficial ownership of the shares. The principal business address of CVI is c/o Heights Capital Management, Inc., 101 California Street, Suite 3250, San Francisco, California 94111. |
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The selling securityholders and any of their pledgees, donees, transferees, assignees or other successors-in-interest may, from time to time, sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of any or all of their shares of common stock or interests in shares of common stock on any stock exchange, market or trading facility on which the shares are traded or in private transactions. These dispositions may be at fixed prices, at prevailing market prices at the time of sale, at prices related to the prevailing market price, at varying prices determined at the time of sale, or at negotiated prices. The selling securityholders may use one or more of the following methods when disposing of the shares or interests therein:
| • | ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which the broker-dealer solicits purchasers; |
| • | block trades in which the broker-dealer will attempt to sell the shares as agent but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction; |
| • | through brokers, dealers or underwriters that may act solely as agents; |
| • | purchases by a broker-dealer as principal and resale by the broker-dealer for its account; |
| • | an exchange distribution in accordance with the rules of the applicable exchange; |
| • | privately negotiated transactions; |
| • | settlement of short sales entered into after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part; |
| • | distributions to the selling securityholders’ employees, partners, members or stockholders; |
| • | through the writing or settlement of options or other hedging transactions entered into after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, whether through an options exchange or otherwise; |
| • | broker-dealers may agree with the selling securityholders to sell a specified number of such shares at a stipulated price per share; |
| • | a combination of any such methods of disposition; and |
| • | any other method permitted pursuant to applicable law. |
The selling securityholders may also sell shares under Rule 144 or Rule 904 under the Securities Act, if available, or Section 4(a)(1) under the Securities Act, rather than under this prospectus.
Broker-dealers engaged by the selling securityholders may arrange for other broker-dealers to participate in sales. Broker-dealers may receive commissions or discounts from the selling securityholders (or, if any broker-dealer acts as agent for the purchaser of shares, from the purchaser) in amounts to be negotiated.
The selling securityholders may, from time to time, pledge or grant a security interest in some or all of the shares of common stock owned by them and, if they default in the performance of their secured obligations, the pledgees or secured parties may offer and sell shares of common stock from time to time under this prospectus, or under a supplement or amendment to this prospectus under Rule 424(b)(3) or other applicable provision of the Securities Act amending the list of selling securityholders to include the pledgee, transferee or other successors in interest as selling securityholders under this prospectus.
Upon being notified in writing by a selling securityholder that any material arrangement has been entered into with a broker-dealer for the sale of common stock through a block trade, special offering, exchange distribution or secondary distribution or a purchase by a broker or dealer, we will file a supplement to this prospectus, if required, pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, disclosing (i) the name of each such selling securityholder and of the participating broker-dealer(s), (ii) the number of shares involved, (iii) the price
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at which such shares of common stock were sold, (iv) the commissions paid or discounts or concessions allowed to such broker-dealer(s), where applicable, (v) that such broker-dealer(s) did not conduct any investigation to verify the information set out or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, and (vi) other facts material to the transaction. In addition, upon being notified in writing by a selling securityholder that a donee or pledgee intends to sell more than 500 shares of common stock, we will file a supplement to this prospectus if then required in accordance with applicable securities law.
The selling securityholders also may transfer the shares of common stock in other circumstances, in which case the transferees, pledgees or other successors in interest will be the selling beneficial owners for purposes of this prospectus.
In connection with the sale of the shares of common stock or interests in shares of common stock, the selling securityholders may enter into hedging transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions, which may in turn engage in short sales of the common stock in the course of hedging the positions they assume. The selling securityholders may also sell shares of common stock short and deliver these securities to close out their short positions, or loan or pledge the common stock to broker-dealers that in turn may sell these securities. The selling securityholders may also enter into option or other transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions or the creation of one or more derivative securities which require the delivery to such broker-dealer or other financial institution of shares offered by this prospectus, which shares such broker-dealer or other financial institution may resell pursuant to this prospectus (as supplemented or amended to reflect such transaction).
The selling securityholders and any broker-dealers or agents that are involved in selling the shares may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act in connection with such sales (it being understood that the selling securityholders shall not be deemed to be underwriters solely as a result of their participation in this offering). In such event, any profits realized by such selling securityholders or compensation received by such broker-dealers or agents may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts under the Securities Act. The maximum commission or discount to be received by any member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) or independent broker-dealer will not be greater than 8% of the initial gross proceeds from the sale of any security being sold.
We have advised the selling securityholders that they are required to comply with Regulation M promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, during such time as they may be engaged in a distribution of the shares. The foregoing may affect the marketability of the common stock.
The aggregate proceeds to the selling securityholders from the sale of the common stock offered by them will be the purchase price of the common stock less discounts or commissions, if any. Each of the selling securityholders reserves the right to accept and, together with their agents from time to time, to reject, in whole or in part, any proposed purchase of common stock to be made directly or through agents. We will not receive any of the proceeds from this offering.
We are required to pay all fees and expenses incident to the registration of the shares. We have agreed to indemnify the selling securityholders against certain losses, claims, damages and liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act or otherwise.
We have agreed with the selling securityholders to keep the registration statement of which this prospectus constitutes a part effective until the earliest of (a) such time as all of the shares covered by this prospectus have been disposed of pursuant to and in accordance with the registration statement and (b) such time as the shares become eligible for resale by non-affiliates without any volume limitations or other restrictions and without the current public information requirement pursuant to Rule 144(b)(1)(i) or any other rule of similar effect.
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The validity of the shares of common stock offered hereby will be passed upon for us by Latham & Watkins LLP, San Diego, California.
The consolidated financial statements of Erasca, Inc. as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2023, have been incorporated by reference herein and in the registration statement 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.
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PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 14. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution
The following is an estimate of the expenses (all of which are to be paid by the registrant) that we may incur in connection with the securities being registered hereby.
| SEC registration fee |
$ | 6,532.30 | ||
| Legal fees and expenses |
50,000 | |||
| Accounting fees and expenses |
25,000 | |||
| Miscellaneous |
3,467.70 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Total |
$ | 85,000 | ||
|
|
|
Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers
Section 102 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware permits a corporation to eliminate the personal liability of directors of a corporation to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for a breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except where the director breached his duty of loyalty, failed to act in good faith, engaged in intentional misconduct or knowingly violated a law, authorized the payment of a dividend or approved a stock repurchase in violation of Delaware corporate law or obtained an improper personal benefit. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that no director of the Registrant shall be personally liable to it or its stockholders for monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duty as a director, notwithstanding any provision of law imposing such liability, except to the extent that the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware prohibits the elimination or limitation of liability of directors for breaches of fiduciary duty.
Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware provides that a corporation has the power to indemnify a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or a person serving at the request of the corporation for another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise in related capacities against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with an action, suit or proceeding to which he was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, ending or completed action, suit or proceeding by reason of such position, if such person acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, in any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful, except that, in the case of actions brought by or in the right of the corporation, no indemnification shall be made with respect to any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or other adjudicating court determines that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all of the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.
Our amended and restated bylaws provide that we will indemnify each person who was or is a party or threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (other than an action by or in the right of us) by reason of the fact that he or she is or was, or has agreed to become, a director or officer, or is or was serving, or has agreed to serve, at our request as a director, officer, partner, employee or trustee of, or in a similar capacity with, another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise (all such persons being referred to as an “Indemnitee”), or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with such action, suit or proceeding and any appeal therefrom, if such Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not
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opposed to, our best interests, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, he or she had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful. Our amended and restated bylaws provide that we will indemnify any Indemnitee who was or is a party to an action or suit by or in the right of us to procure a judgment in our favor by reason of the fact that the Indemnitee is or was, or has agreed to become, a director or officer, or is or was serving, or has agreed to serve, at our request as a director, officer, partner, employee or trustee of, or in a similar capacity with, another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) and, to the extent permitted by law, amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, and any appeal therefrom, if the Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, our best interests, except that no indemnification shall be made with respect to any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to us, unless a court determines that, despite such adjudication but in view of all of the circumstances, he or she is entitled to indemnification of such expenses. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent that any Indemnitee has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, he or she will be indemnified by us against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred in connection therewith. Expenses must be advanced to an Indemnitee under certain circumstances.
We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and officers. These indemnification agreements may require us, among other things, to indemnify our directors and officers for some expenses, including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and settlement amounts incurred by a director or officer in any action or proceeding arising out of his or her service as one of our directors or officers, or any of our subsidiaries or any other company or enterprise to which the person provides services at our request.
We maintain a general liability insurance policy that covers certain liabilities of directors and officers of our corporation arising out of claims based on acts or omissions in their capacities as directors or officers.
Any underwriting agreement or distribution agreement that we enter into with any underwriters or agents involved in the offering or sale of any securities registered hereby may require such underwriters or dealers to indemnify us, some or all of our directors and officers and our controlling persons, if any, for specified liabilities, which may include liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Item 16. Exhibits
| Exhibit Number |
Exhibit Description |
Incorporated by Reference | Field Herewith |
|||||||||||||||||
| Form | Date | Number | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3.1 | Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation | 8-K | 7/20/2021 | 3.1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3.2 | Amended and Restated Bylaws | 8-K | 7/20/2021 | 3.2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4.1 | Specimen stock certificate evidencing shares of common stock | S-1 | 6/25/2021 | 4.1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4.2 | Amended and Restated Stockholders Agreement, dated April 15, 2020, by and among the Registrant and certain of its stockholders | S-1 | 6/25/2021 | 4.2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5.1 | Opinion of Latham & Watkins LLP | X | ||||||||||||||||||
| 10.1 | Stock Purchase Agreement, dated March 27, 2024, by and among the Company and the purchasers named therein | 8-K | 3/28/2024 | 10.1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 23.1 | Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | X | ||||||||||||||||||
| 23.2 | Consent of Latham & Watkins LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1) | X | ||||||||||||||||||
| 24.1 | Power of Attorney (included on signature page hereto) | X | ||||||||||||||||||
| 107 | Filing Fee Table | X | ||||||||||||||||||
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Item 17. Undertakings
(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:
(i) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:
(A) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;
(B) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and
(C) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement; provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(i)(A), (a)(i)(B) and (a)(i)(C) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is a part of the registration statement.
(ii) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(iii) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
(iv) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:
(A) Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and
(B) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5) or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.
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(v) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities:
The undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:
(A) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;
(B) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;
(C) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and
(D) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.
(b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
(d) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of Section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act, or the Act, in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the SEC under Section 305(b)(2) of the Act.
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Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of San Diego, State of California, on May 9, 2024.
| ERASCA, INC. | ||
| By: | /s/ Jonathan E. Lim, M.D. | |
| Jonathan E. Lim, M.D. | ||
| Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder | ||
POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints, jointly and severally, Jonathan E. Lim, M.D. and David M. Chacko, M.D., and each one of them, his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, each with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to file and sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this registration statement, and to sign any registration statement for the same offering covered by this registration statement that is to be effective upon filing pursuant to Rule 462(b) promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and all post-effective amendments thereto, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and all documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming that each of said attorneys-in-fact and agents or any of them, or his or their substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof. This power of attorney shall be governed by and construed with the laws of the State of Delaware and applicable federal securities laws.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated:
| Signature |
Title |
Date | ||
| /s/ Jonathan E, Lim, M.D. Jonathan E. Lim, M.D. |
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder (principal executive officer) |
May 9, 2024 | ||
| /s/ David M. Chacko, M.D. David M. Chacko, M.D. |
Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer (principal financial and accounting officer) |
May 9, 2024 | ||
| /s/ James A. Bristol, Ph.D. James A. Bristol, Ph.D. |
Director | May 9, 2024 | ||
| /s/ Alexander W. Casdin Alexander W. Casdin |
Director | May 9, 2024 | ||
| /s/ Julie Hambleton, M.D. Julie Hambleton, M.D. |
Director | May 9, 2024 | ||
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| Signature |
Title |
Date | ||
| /s/ Valerie Harding-Start, Ph.D. Valerie Harding-Start, Ph.D. |
Director | May 9, 2024 | ||
| /s/ Jean I. Liu, J.D. Jean I. Liu, J.D. |
Director | May 9, 2024 | ||
| /s/ Pratik S. Multani, M.D. Pratik S. Multani, M.D. |
Director | May 9, 2024 | ||
| /s/ Michael D. Varney, Ph.D. Michael D. Varney, Ph.D. |
Director | May 9, 2024 | ||
II-6
Exhibit 5.1
| 12670 High Bluff Drive | ||||
| San Diego, California 92130 | ||||
| Tel: +1.858.523.5400 Fax: +1.858.523.5450 | ||||
| www.lw.com
| ||||
|
FIRM / AFFILIATE OFFICES | |||
| Austin | Milan | |||
| Beijing | Munich | |||
| Boston | New York | |||
| Brussels | Orange County | |||
| Century City | Paris | |||
| May 9, 2024 | Chicago | Riyadh | ||
| Dubai | San Diego | |||
| Düsseldorf | San Francisco | |||
| Frankfurt | Seoul | |||
| Hamburg | Silicon Valley | |||
| Hong Kong | Singapore | |||
| Houston | Tel Aviv | |||
| London | Tokyo | |||
| Los Angeles | Washington, D.C. | |||
| Madrid | ||||
Erasca, Inc.
3115 Merryfield Row, Suite 300
San Diego, CA 92121
| Re: | Registration Statement on Form S-3; 21,074,651 Shares of Common Stock, Par Value $0.0001 Per Share |
To the addressee set forth above:
We have acted as special counsel to Erasca, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the resale from time to time by the selling securityholders named in the Registration Statement (as defined below) of up to 21,074,651 shares (the “Shares”) of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”). The Shares are included in a registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) on May 9, 2024 (the “Registration Statement”).
This opinion is being furnished in connection with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Act, and no opinion is expressed herein as to any matter pertaining to the contents of the Registration Statement or the prospectus contained therein, other than as expressly stated herein with respect to the issuance of the Shares.
As such counsel, we have examined such matters of fact and questions of law as we have considered appropriate for purposes of this letter. With your consent, we have relied upon certificates and other assurances of officers of the Company and others as to factual matters without having independently verified such factual matters. We are opining herein as to the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”), and we express no opinion with respect to any other laws.
May 9, 2024
Page 2
Subject to the foregoing and the other matters set forth herein, it is our opinion that, as of the date hereof, the issuance of the Shares has been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and the Shares are validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
This opinion is for your benefit in connection with the Registration Statement and may be relied upon by you and by persons entitled to rely upon it pursuant to the applicable provisions of the Act. We consent to your filing this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the reference to our firm in the prospectus contained therein under the heading “Legal Matters.” In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
| Sincerely, |
| /s/ Latham & Watkins LLP |
Exhibit 23.1
|
KPMG LLP Suite 1100 4655 Executive Drive San Diego, CA 92121-3132 |
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
We consent to the use of our report dated March 27, 2024, with respect to the consolidated financial statements of Erasca, Inc. and subsidiaries, incorporated herein by reference, and to the reference to our firm under the heading “Experts” in the prospectus.
San Diego, California
May 9, 2024
KPMG LLP, a Delaware limited liability partnership and a member firm of
the KPMG global organization of independent member firms affiliated with
KPMG International Limited, a private English company limited by guarantee.