Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc S-3ASR, filed Jan 20, 2021
Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (INO)
Table of Contents
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 20, 2021
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 33-0969592 | |
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
660 West Germantown Pike, Suite 110
Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania 19462
(267) 440-4200
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code of registrant’s principal executive offices)
J. Joseph Kim, Ph.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
660 West Germantown Pike, Suite 110
Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania 19462
(267) 440-4200
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
Brian F. Leaf
Jeffrey Libson
Jaime L. Chase
Darah Protas
Cooley LLP
One Freedom Square, Reston Town Center
11951 Freedom Drive
Reston, Virginia 20190-5640
(703) 456-8000
From time to time after the effective date of this Registration Statement
(Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public)
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, 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 the Securities Act. ☐
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
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| Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered |
Amount to be |
Proposed Price Unit |
Proposed Offering Price |
Amount of Registration Fee | ||||
| Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share |
(1) | (1) | (1) | (2) | ||||
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| (1) | Omitted pursuant to General Instructions II.E of Form S-3. There are being registered hereunder such indeterminate number of shares of common stock as may be sold by the Registrant from time to time. The proposed maximum offering price of the securities will be determined, from time to time, by the Registrant in connection with the issuance by the Registrant of the securities registered hereunder. Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act, the shares being registered hereunder include such indeterminate number of shares of common stock as may be issuable with respect to the shares being registered hereunder as a result of stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions. |
| (2) | In accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r), the Registrant is deferring payment of all of the registration fee. Pursuant to Rule 415(a)(6) under the Securities Act, the securities registered pursuant to this Registration Statement include $150,000,007.83 of securities (the “Unsold Securities”) registered pursuant to Registration Statement No. 333-237172 filed by the Registrant on March 13, 2020 and declared effective on March 31, 2020 (the “Prior Registration Statement”), $150,000,007.83 of which remain unsold as of the date of filing of this Registration Statement. Pursuant to Rule 415(a)(6) under the Securities Act, the filing fee of $19,470 relating to the Unsold Securities under the Prior Registration Statement will continue to be applied pursuant to this Registration Statement. Pursuant to Rule 415(a)(6) under the Securities Act, the offering of the Unsold Securities under the Prior Registration Statement will be deemed terminated as of the date of effectiveness of this Registration Statement. |
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PROSPECTUS
Common Stock
We may, from time to time, offer to sell common stock in amounts, at prices and on terms described in one or more supplements to this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and any supplement carefully before you invest.
This prospectus describes some of the general terms that may apply to an offering of our common stock. The specific terms and any other information relating to a specific offering will be set forth in a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part or in a supplement to this prospectus or may be set forth in one or more documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus. The amendment or supplement, as applicable, may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus with respect to that specific offering.
Our common stock may be offered and sold in the same offering or in separate offerings; to or through underwriters, dealers, and agents; or directly to purchasers; or through a combination of these methods. The names of any underwriter, dealer or agents involved in the sale of our common stock and their compensation will be described in an applicable prospectus supplement. See “Plan of Distribution.”
Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “INO.” On January 19, 2021, the last reported sale price for our common stock was $10.10. You are encouraged to obtain current market quotations for shares of our common stock.
Our principal executive offices are located at 660 W. Germantown Pike, Suite 110, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania 19462, and our telephone number at that address is (267) 440-4200.
Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” on page 3 of this prospectus.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is January 20, 2021.
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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS
This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, using the “shelf” registration process as a “well-known seasoned issuer,” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act. By using a shelf registration statement, we may offer and sell from time to time in one or more offerings the common stock described in this prospectus. No limit exists on the aggregate number of shares of common stock we may sell pursuant to the registration statement.
This prospectus provides you with a general description of our common stock. Each time we sell shares of our common stock, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement, or information incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement that is of a more recent date, may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. To the extent that any statement that we make in a prospectus supplement is inconsistent with statements made in this prospectus, the statements made in this prospectus will be deemed modified or superseded by those made in the prospectus supplement. You should read both this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement, together with the additional information described below under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information”. This prospectus may not be used to consummate a sale of our common stock unless it is accompanied by a prospectus supplement. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you that may contain material information relating to an offering of our common stock.
We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information other than the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any related prospectus supplement, or in any free writing prospectus that we may authorize in connection with an offering of our shares of common stock. No one is making offers to sell or seeking offers to buy shares of our common stock in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information contained in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement is accurate only as of the date on the front of this prospectus or the prospectus supplement, as applicable, and that any information we have incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement is accurate only as of the date given in the document incorporated by reference, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any sale of our common stock. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.
References in this prospectus to “Inovio,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., together with our consolidated subsidiaries.
We have proprietary rights to a number of trademarks used in this prospectus which are important to our business, including SynCon®, CELLECTRA® and the Inovio logo. Solely for convenience, the trademarks and trade names in this prospectus are referred to without the ® and TM symbols, but such references should not be construed as any indicator that their respective owners will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, their rights thereto. All other brand names or trademarks appearing in this prospectus are the property of their respective holders. Use or display by us of other parties’ trademarks, trade dress, or products in this prospectus is not intended to, and does not, imply a relationship with, or endorsements or sponsorship of, us by the trademark or trade dress owners.
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We are a biotechnology company focused on rapidly bringing to market precisely designed DNA medicines to treat, cure, and protect people from diseases associated with human papillomavirus, or HPV, cancer, and infectious diseases. Our DNA medicine pipeline is composed of three types of product candidates, DNA vaccines, DNA immunotherapies and DNA encoded monoclonal antibodies. In clinical trials, we have demonstrated that a DNA medicine can be delivered directly into cells in the body via our proprietary smart device to consistently activate robust and fully functional T cell and antibody responses against targeted cancers and pathogens.
Our novel DNA medicine candidates are made using our proprietary SynCon technology that creates optimized plasmids, which are circular strands of DNA that can produce antigens independently inside a cell to help the person’s immune system recognize and destroy cancerous or virally infected cells.
Our hand-held CELLECTRA smart delivery devices provide optimized uptake of our DNA medicines within the cell, overcoming a key limitation of other DNA-based technology approaches. Human data to date have shown a favorable tolerability profile of our DNA medicines delivered directly into cells in the body using the CELLECTRA smart delivery device in more than 7,000 administrations across approximately 2,500 patients.
Our corporate strategy is to advance, protect, and provide our novel DNA medicines to meet urgent and emerging global health needs. We continue to advance and validate an array of DNA medicine candidates that target COVID-19, HPV-related diseases, cancer, and infectious diseases. We aim to advance these candidates through commercialization and continue to leverage third-party resources through collaborations and partnerships, including product license agreements.
Our partners and collaborators include ApolloBio Corp., AstraZeneca, Beijing Advaccine, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, The U.S. Department of Defense, GeneOne Life Science, HIV Vaccines Trial Network, the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s Medical CBRN Defense Consortium, International Vaccine Institute, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Ology Bioservices, the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Plumbline Life Sciences, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Richter-Helm BioLogics, the University of Pennsylvania, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, and The Wistar Institute.
We or our collaborators are currently conducting or planning clinical studies of our DNA medicines for HPV-associated precancers, including cervical, vulvar, and anal dysplasia; HPV-associated cancers, including head & neck, cervical, anal, penile, vulvar, and vaginal; other HPV-associated disorders, such as recurrent respiratory papillomatosis; glioblastoma multiforme; prostate cancer; HIV; Ebola; Middle East Respiratory Syndrome; Lassa fever; Zika virus; and the COVID-19 virus.
All of our product candidates are in the research and development phase. We have not generated any revenues from the sale of any products, and we do not expect to generate any such revenues for at least the next several years. We earn revenue from license fees and milestone revenue and collaborative research and development agreements. Our product candidates will require significant additional research and development efforts, including extensive preclinical and clinical testing. All product candidates that we advance to clinical testing will require regulatory approval prior to commercial use and will require significant costs for commercialization. We may not be successful in our research and development efforts, and we may never generate sufficient product revenue to be profitable.
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We were incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware in June 2001. Our principal executive offices are located at 660 W. Germantown Pike, Suite 110, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania 19462. Our telephone number is (267) 440-4200. Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “INO.” Our internet website address is www.inovio.com. The information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and you should not consider any information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website as part of this prospectus or in deciding whether to purchase our securities.
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Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before deciding whether to invest in our securities, you should consider carefully the risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, and discussed under the section entitled “Risk Factors” contained in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our most recent 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, together with other information in this prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize for use in connection with this offering. The risks described in these documents are not the only ones we face, but those that we consider to be material. There may be other unknown or unpredictable economic, business, competitive, regulatory or other factors that could have material adverse effects on our future results. Past financial performance may not be a reliable indicator of future performance, and historical trends should not be used to anticipate results or trends in future periods. If any of these risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flow could be seriously harmed. This could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline, resulting in a loss of all or part of your investment. Please also read carefully the section below entitled “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus, and the documents incorporated in this prospectus by reference, contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on our management’s current beliefs, expectations and assumptions about future events, conditions and results and on information currently available to us. Discussions containing these forward-looking statements may be found, among other places, in the sections titled “Business,” “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” incorporated by reference from our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and our most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC, as well as any amendments thereto reflected in subsequent filings with the SEC.
This prospectus contains, and the documents incorporated by reference herein and any applicable prospectus supplement may 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 Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. These statements relate to future events or to our future 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 about:
| • | our history of losses; |
| • | our lack of products that have received regulatory approval; |
| • | uncertainties inherent in clinical trials and product development programs, including but not limited to the fact that pre-clinical and clinical results may not be indicative of results achievable in other trials or for other indications, that results from one study may not necessarily be reflected or supported by the results of other similar studies, that results from an animal study may not be indicative of results achievable in human studies, that clinical testing is expensive and can take many years to complete, that the outcome of any clinical trial is uncertain and failure can occur at any time during the clinical trial process, and that our electroporation technology and DNA vaccines may fail to show the desired safety and efficacy traits in clinical trials; |
| • | the availability of funding; |
| • | the ability to manufacture vaccine candidates; |
| • | our ability to establish or maintain collaborations, licensing or other arrangements; |
| • | the availability or potential availability of alternative therapies or treatments for the conditions we or our collaborators target, including alternatives that may be more efficacious or cost-effective than any therapy or treatment that we and our collaborators hope to develop; |
| • | whether our proprietary rights are enforceable or defensible or infringe or allegedly infringe on rights of others or can withstand claims of invalidity; |
| • | the impact of government healthcare legislation and proposals; and |
| • | our use of the proceeds from any offerings under this prospectus. |
In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expects,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “will,” “would” or the negative or plural of those terms, and similar expressions intended to identify statements about the future, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In addition, statements that “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs
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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, the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, the documents incorporated by reference herein, and any applicable prospectus supplement completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. Given these risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond our control, we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Furthermore, if our forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the inaccuracy may be material. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not regard these statements as a representation or warranty by us or any other person that we will achieve our objectives and plans in any specified time frame, or at all.
Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or developments occurring after the date of this prospectus supplement, even if new information becomes available in the future.
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We will retain broad discretion over the use of the net proceeds from the sale of our common stock offered under this prospectus. Unless we indicate otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, we anticipate that any net proceeds will be used for working capital and general corporate purposes. We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement our intended use for the net proceeds received from the sale of any common stock sold pursuant to that prospectus supplement.
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We may sell the common stock to one or more underwriters for public offering and sale by them and may also sell the common stock to investors directly or through agents. We will name any underwriter or agent involved in the offer and sale of common stock in the applicable prospectus supplement. We have reserved the right to sell or exchange our common stock directly to investors on our own behalf in those jurisdictions where we are authorized to do so.
We may distribute the common stock from time to time in one or more transactions:
| • | at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed; |
| • | at market prices prevailing at the time of sale; |
| • | at prices related to such prevailing market prices; or |
| • | at negotiated prices. |
We may also, from time to time, authorize dealers, acting as our agents, to offer and sell the common stock upon the terms and conditions set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. We, or the purchasers of the common stock for whom the underwriters may act as agents, may compensate underwriters in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions, in connection with the sale of the common stock. Underwriters may sell the common stock to or through dealers, and those dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters and/or commissions from the purchasers for whom they may act as agent. Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, an agent will be acting on a best efforts basis and a dealer will purchase the common stock as a principal and may then resell the common stock at varying prices to be determined by the dealer.
We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement any compensation we pay to underwriters or agents in connection with the offering of our common stock, and any discounts, concessions or commissions allowed by underwriters to participating dealers. Dealers and agents participating in the distribution of the common stock may be deemed to be underwriters, and any discounts and commissions received by them and any profit realized by them on resale of the common stock may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions. We may enter into agreements to indemnify underwriters, dealers and agents against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act and to reimburse these persons for certain expenses. We may grant underwriters who participate in the distribution of the common stock we are offering under this prospectus an option to purchase additional shares in connection with the distribution.
To facilitate the offering of our common stock, certain persons participating in the offering may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain, or otherwise affect the price of the common stock. This may include over-allotments or short sales of the common stock, which involve the sale by persons participating in the offering of more common stock than we sold to them. In these circumstances, these persons would cover such over-allotments or short positions by making purchases in the open market or by exercising their option to purchase additional shares, if any. In addition, these persons may stabilize or maintain the price of the common stock by bidding for or purchasing common stock in the open market or by imposing penalty bids, whereby selling concessions allowed to dealers participating in the offering may be reclaimed if the common stock sold by them is repurchased in connection with stabilization transactions. The effect of these transactions may be to stabilize or maintain the market price of the common stock at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. These transactions may be discontinued at any time.
We may indemnify the underwriters, agents or dealers who participate in the distribution of our common stock against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We may also contribute to payments that the underwriters, dealers or agents or any of their controlling persons may be required to make in respect of such liabilities. Certain underwriters, dealers or agents and their associates may engage in transactions with and perform services for us in the ordinary course of our business.
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Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, certain legal matters in connection with the offering and the validity of the securities offered by this prospectus, and any supplement thereto, will be passed upon by Cooley LLP, Reston, Virginia.
Ernst & Young 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, and the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019, as set forth in their reports, which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement. Our financial statements are incorporated by reference in reliance on Ernst & Young LLP’s reports, given on their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
This prospectus and any prospectus supplement are part of the registration statement on Form S-3 we filed with the SEC under the Securities Act and do not contain all the information set forth or incorporated by reference in the registration statement. Whenever a reference is made in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the reference may not be complete and you should refer to the exhibits that are a part of the registration statement or the exhibits to the reports or other documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus or prospectus supplement for a copy of such contract, agreement or other document. Because we are subject to the information and reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, we file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, including any amendments to those reports, and other information that we file with or furnish to the SEC pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act can also be accessed free of charge on the Investor section of our website, which is located at http://www.inovio.com. These filings will be available as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. Information contained on or accessible through our website is not a part of this prospectus and is not incorporated by reference herein, and the inclusion of our website address in this prospectus is an inactive textual reference only.
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INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. We incorporate by reference the following documents we filed with the SEC pursuant to Section 13 of the Exchange Act and any future filings we will make with the SEC (File No. 001-14888) under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this prospectus until the termination of the offering of the shares covered by this prospectus (in each case, other than those documents or the portions of those documents not deemed to be filed):
| • | Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on March 12, 2020; |
| • | Our definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the SEC on March 27, 2020 (other than information furnished rather than filed); |
| • | Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarters ended March 31, 2020, June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2020 filed with the SEC on May 11, 2020, August 10, 2020 and November 9, 2020, respectively; |
| • | Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on January 2, 2020, January 15, 2020, February 7, 2020, March 9, 2020, April 3, 2020, April 6, 2020, May 12, 2020, May 18, 2020, June 3, 2020, June 25, 2020, September 3, 2020, September 28, 2020, October 15, 2020, November 16, 2020 and January 4, 2021, to the extent the information in such reports is filed and not furnished; and |
| • | Description of our common stock contained set forth in our registration statement on Form 8-A, filed with the SEC on September 12, 2014, including any amendments thereto or reports filed for the purposes of updating this description, including Exhibit 4.9 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on March 12, 2020. |
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” to the SEC pursuant to the Exchange Act shall be incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.
Copies of our reports on Form 10-K, Forms 10-Q, Forms 8-K, and amendments to those reports may also be obtained, free of charge, electronically through our investor relations website located at http://www.inovio.com as soon as reasonably practical after we file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. The reference to our website does not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained in our website. We do not consider information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website to be part of this prospectus or the related registration statement.
You may request, and we will provide to you, a copy of these filings at no cost by writing or telephoning us at the following address:
Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
660 W. Germantown Pike, Suite 110
Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania 19462
Attn: Investor Relations
Phone: (267) 440-4200
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PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 14. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution
The following table sets forth the costs and expenses, payable by us in connection with the offering of common stock being registered.
| Amount to Be Paid |
||||
| Registration fee |
$ | * | ||
| Legal fees and expenses |
** | |||
| Accounting fees and expenses |
** | |||
| Transfer agent fees |
** | |||
| Printing and engraving expenses |
** | |||
| Miscellaneous |
** | |||
| Total |
$ | ** | ||
| * | In accordance with Rule 456(b) and 457(r) we are deferring payment of the registration fee for the securities offered by this prospectus. |
| ** | Since an indeterminate amount of securities is covered by this registration statement, the expenses in connection with the issuance and distribution of the securities are not currently determinable. |
Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers
Section 102 of the Delaware General Corporation Law allows 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.
Under Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or DGCL, we have broad powers to indemnify our directors and officers against liabilities they may incur in such capacities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act. Section 145 of the DGCL generally provides that a Delaware corporation has the power to indemnify its present and former directors, officers, employees and agents against expenses incurred by them in connection with any suit to which they are or are threatened to be made, a party by reason of their serving in such positions so long as they acted in good faith and in a manner they reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation and, with respect to any criminal action, they had no reasonable cause to believe their conduct was unlawful.
Our certificate of incorporation provides that, pursuant to the DGCL, our directors shall not be liable for monetary damages for breach of the directors’ fiduciary duty of care to us and our stockholders. Our amended and restated bylaws provide that we will indemnify, to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL, each person who was or is made a party or is threatened to be made a party to or is involved in any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a director or officer of our company, whether the basis of such proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a director or officer or in any other capacity while serving as a director or officer against all expenses, liability and loss reasonably incurred or suffered by such person in connection therewith.
We believe that these provisions of our certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws are necessary to attract and retain qualified persons as directors and officers. These provisions do not eliminate our directors’ or officers’ duty of care, and, in appropriate circumstances, equitable remedies such as injunctive or
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other forms of non-monetary relief will remain available under the DGCL. In addition, each director will continue to be subject to liability pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, for breach of such director’s duty of loyalty to us, for acts or omissions not in good faith or involving intentional misconduct, for knowing violations of law, for acts or omissions that such director believes to be contrary to our best interests or the best interests of our stockholders, for any transaction from which such director derived an improper personal benefit, for acts or omissions involving a reckless disregard for such director’s duty to us or to our stockholders when such director was aware or should have been aware of a risk of serious injury to us or to our stockholders, for acts or omission that constitute an unexcused pattern of inattention that amounts to an abdication of such director’s duty to us or to our stockholders, for improper transactions between such director and us and for improper loans to directors and officers. These provisions also do not affect a director’s responsibilities under any other law, such as the federal securities law or state or federal environmental laws.
As permitted by Delaware law, we have entered into indemnification agreements with certain of our current directors and officers pursuant to the foregoing provisions. We have an insurance policy covering our officers and directors with respect to certain liabilities, including liabilities arising under the Securities Act or otherwise.
Item 16. Exhibits
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Item 17. Undertakings
(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:
| (1) | To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement: |
| (i) | To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933; |
| (ii) | To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the 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 |
| (iii) | To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement; |
provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii), and (a)(1)(iii) of this section 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 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.
| (2) | 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. |
| (3) | 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. |
| (4) | That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser: |
| (i) | 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 |
| (ii) | 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 |
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| 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. |
| (5) | 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: |
| (i) | Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424; |
| (ii) | 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; |
| (iii) | 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 |
| (iv) | 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 said 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 Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
(d) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:
| (1) | That for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective. |
| (2) | That for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus 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. |
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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 Plymouth Meeting, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, on January 20, 2021.
| INOVIO PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. | ||
| By: | /s/ J. Joseph Kim | |
| J. Joseph Kim | ||
| President and Chief Executive Officer | ||
KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each individual whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints J. Joseph Kim and Peter Kies, and each of them, his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, 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 sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or either of them, or their or his substitutes or substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following individuals in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| Signature | Title | Date | ||
| /s/ J. Joseph Kim J. Joseph Kim |
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer) |
January 20, 2021 | ||
| /s/ Simon X. Benito Simon X. Benito |
Chairman of the Board of Directors |
January 20, 2021 | ||
| /s/ Peter Kies Peter Kies |
Chief Financial Officer (Principal Accounting Officer and Principal Financial Officer) |
January 20, 2021 | ||
| /s/ Ann C. Miller Ann C. Miller |
Director |
January 20, 2021 | ||
| /s/ Jay Shepard Jay Shepard |
Director |
January 20, 2021 | ||
| /s/ David B. Weiner David B. Weiner |
Director |
January 20, 2021 | ||
| /s/ Wendy L. Yarno Wendy L. Yarno |
Director |
January 20, 2021 | ||
| /s/ Lota S. Zoth Lota S. Zoth |
Director |
January 20, 2021 | ||
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Exhibit 5.1
Jaime Chase
202 728 7096
jchase@cooley.com
January 20, 2021
Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
660 W. Germantown Pike, Suite 110
Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania 19462
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the filing of a Registration Statement on Form S-3 (the “Registration Statement”) by the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), relating to an indeterminate number of shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share (“Common Stock”), of the Company (the “Shares”). The Registration Statement includes a prospectus (the “Base Prospectus”) that provides it will be supplemented in the future by one or more prospectus supplements (each, a “Prospectus Supplement”). The Shares are being registered for offer and sale from time to time pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act.
In connection with this opinion, we have examined and relied upon originals, or copies certified to our satisfaction, of such records, documents, certificates, opinions, memoranda and other instruments as in our judgment are necessary or appropriate to enable us to render the opinion expressed below. As to certain factual matters, we have relied upon a certificate of an officer of the Company and have not independently verified such matters.
In rendering this opinion, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures; the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals; the conformity to originals of all documents submitted to us as copies; the accuracy, completeness and authenticity of certificates of public officials; and the due authorization, execution and delivery of all documents where authorization, execution and delivery are prerequisites to the effectiveness of such documents. We have also assumed that, at the time of issuance and sale of the Shares, a sufficient number of shares of Common Stock is authorized and available for issuance and that the consideration for the issuance and sale of such Shares is not less than the par value of the Common Stock.
Our opinion herein is expressed solely with respect to the federal laws of the United States and the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware. We express no opinion to the extent that any other laws are applicable to the subject matter hereof and express no opinion and provide no assurance as to compliance with any federal or state securities law, rule or regulation.
On the basis of the foregoing and in reliance thereon, and subject to the qualifications herein stated, we are of the opinion that, with respect to any offering of Shares, provided that: (i) the Registration Statement and any required post-effective amendment thereto has become effective under the Securities Act and the Base Prospectus and any and all Prospectus Supplement(s) required by applicable laws have been delivered and filed as required by such laws; (ii) the issuance of the Common Stock has been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company; (iii) the issuance and sale of the Shares do not violate any applicable law, are in conformity with the operative certificate of incorporation and bylaws of the Company, do not result in a default under or breach of any agreement or instrument binding upon the Company and comply with any applicable requirement or restriction imposed by any court or governmental body having jurisdiction over the Company; and (iv) the certificates, if any, for the Shares
Cooley LLP 1299 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20004
t: (202) 842-7800 f: (202) 842-7899 COOLEY.COM
Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
January 20, 2021
Page Two
have been duly executed by the Company, countersigned by the transfer agent therefor and duly delivered to the purchasers thereof against payment therefor, then the Shares, when issued and sold as contemplated in the Registration Statement and the related prospectus supplement(s), and in accordance with a duly authorized, executed and delivered purchase, underwriting or similar agreement, will be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the reference to our firm under the caption “Legal Matters” in the prospectus included in the Registration Statement.
Sincerely,
Cooley LLP
| By: | /s/ Jaime L. Chase | |
| Jaime L. Chase |
Cooley LLP 1299 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20004
t: (202) 842-7800 f: (202) 842-7899 COOLEY.COM
Exhibit 23.1
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
We consent to the reference to our firm under the caption “Experts” in this Registration Statement (Form S-3) and related Prospectus of Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for the registration of common stock and to the incorporation by reference therein of our reports dated March 12, 2020, with respect to the consolidated financial statements of Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting of Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., included in its Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 2019 filed, with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
San Diego, California
January 20, 2021