WARRANT AGENT AGREEMENT
Exhibit 4.3
This Warrant Agent Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made as of November 6, 2014 between Mast Therapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Company”), and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, a New York limited liability trust company (“Warrant Agent”).
WHEREAS, the Company is engaged in a public offering (“Offering”) of (A) Series A Units (the “Series A Units”), with each Series A Unit consisting of (i) one share of common stock, par value $0.001 of the Company (the “Common Stock”), and (ii) one-half (0.5) of a warrant, and (B) Series B Units (the “Series B Units”), with each Series B Unit consisting of (i) one pre-funded warrant, and (ii) one-half (0.5) of a warrant;
WHEREAS, the warrants included in the Series A Units together with the warrants included in the Series B Units that are not the pre-funded warrants are herein collectively referred to as the “Warrants,” and the pre-funded warrants included in the Series B Units are herein collectively referred to as the “Pre-Funded Warrants;”
WHEREAS, the terms and conditions of the Warrants are in the form of Warrant attached hereto as Exhibit A;
WHEREAS, the each whole Warrant will provide the right of the holder thereof to purchase up to one share of Common Stock for $0.75 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein;
WHEREAS, the Warrants collectively provide the right of the holders thereof (each, a “Holder”) to purchase up to an aggregate of 22,011,265 shares of Common Stock, subject to adjustment as described herein (collectively, the “Warrant Shares”);
WHEREAS, the Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission a Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-179989) (“Registration Statement”) covering the registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Act”), of, among other securities, the Warrants, the Pre-Funded Warrants, the Warrant Shares and the shares of Common Stock underlying the Pre-Funded Warrants;
WHEREAS, the Company desires the Warrant Agent to act on behalf of the Company, and the Warrant Agent is willing to so act, in connection with the issuance, registration, transfer, exchange, replacement and exercise of the Warrants and, in the Warrant Agent’s capacity as the Company’s transfer agent, deliver the Warrant Shares;
WHEREAS, the Company desires to provide for the form and provisions of the Warrants, the terms upon which they shall be issued and exercised, and the respective rights, limitation of rights, and immunities of the Company, the Warrant Agent, and the Holders; and
WHEREAS, all acts and things have been done and performed which are necessary to make the Warrants, when executed on behalf of the Company and countersigned by or on behalf of the Warrant Agent, as provided herein, the valid, binding and legal obligations of the Company, and to authorize the execution and delivery of this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. CERTAIN DEFINITIONS.
“Affiliate” means any Person that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls or is controlled by or is under common control with a Person, as such terms are used in and construed under Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
“Common Stock Equivalents” means any securities of the Company that would entitle the Holder to acquire at any time Common Stock, including, without limitation, any debt, preferred stock, right, option, warrant or other instrument that is at any time convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for, or otherwise entitles the Holder to receive, Common Stock.
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Person” means an individual or corporation, partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated association, joint venture, limited liability company, joint stock company, government (or an agency or subdivision thereof) or other entity of any kind.
“Trading Day” means a day on which the Common Stock is traded on a Trading Market.
“Trading Market” means any of the following markets or exchanges on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted for trading on the date in question: the NYSE MKT LLC, the Nasdaq Capital Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the New York Stock Exchange or the OTC Bulletin Board (or any successors to any of the foregoing.
“VWAP” means, for any date, the price determined by the first of the following clauses that applies: (a) if the Common Stock is then listed or quoted on a Trading Market, the daily volume weighted average price of the Common Stock for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on the Trading Market on which the Common Stock is then listed or quoted as reported by Bloomberg L.P. (based on a Trading Day from 9:30 a.m. (New York City time) to 4:02 p.m. (New York City time)), (b) if the OTC Bulletin Board is not a Trading Market, the volume weighted average price of the Common Stock for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on the OTC Bulletin Board, (c) if the Common Stock is not then listed or quoted for trading on the OTC Bulletin Board and if prices for the Common Stock are then reported in the “Pink Sheets” published by Pink OTC Markets, Inc. (or a similar organization or agency succeeding to its functions of reporting prices), the most recent bid price per share of the Common Stock so reported, or (d) in all other cases, the fair market value of a share of Common Stock as determined by an independent appraiser selected in good faith by the Holder and reasonably acceptable to the Company, the fees and expenses of which shall be paid by the Company.
“Warrant Certificate” means a certificate in substantially the form attached as Exhibit A representing such number of Warrants and Warrant Shares as is indicated on the face thereof, provided that any reference to the delivery of a Warrant Certificate in this Agreement shall include delivery of a notice from the Depository or a Participant (each as defined below) of the transfer or exercise of Warrants in the form of a Book-Entry Warrant Certificate (as defined below).
2. APPOINTMENT OF WARRANT AGENT. The Company hereby appoints the Warrant Agent to act as agent for the Company for the Warrants, and the Warrant Agent hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to perform the same in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.
3. WARRANTS.
3.1 BOOK-ENTRY WARRANT CERTIFICATES. The Warrants shall initially be issuable in book-entry registration only and evidenced by a global Warrant Certificate (the “Book-Entry Warrant Certificates”). All of the Warrants shall initially be represented by one or more Book-Entry Warrant Certificates deposited with the Depository Trust Company (“Depository”) and registered in the name of Cede & Co., a nominee of the Depository. Ownership of beneficial interests in the Warrants shall be shown on, and the transfer of such ownership shall be effected through, records maintained by (i) the Depository or its nominee for each Book-Entry Warrant Certificate or (ii) institutions that have accounts with the Depository (such institution, with respect to a Warrant in its account, a “Participant”). If the Depository subsequently ceases to make its book-entry settlement system available for the Warrants, the Company may instruct the Warrant Agent regarding other arrangements for book-entry settlement. In the event that the Warrants are not eligible for, or it is no longer necessary to have the Warrants available in, book-entry form, the Warrant Agent shall provide written instructions to the Depository to deliver to the Warrant Agent for cancellation each Book-Entry Warrant Certificate, and the Company shall instruct the Warrant Agent to deliver to each Holder a Warrant Certificate.
3.2 EFFECT OF COUNTERSIGNATURE. The Warrant Certificates shall be executed on behalf of the Company by its Chairman, its Chief Executive Officer, its President or a Vice President, either manually or by facsimile signature, and the Warrant Certificates shall be countersigned by the Warrant Agent either manually or facsimile signature and shall not be valid for any purpose unless so countersigned. In case any officer of the Company who shall have signed any of the Warrant Certificates shall cease to be such officer of the Company before countersignature by the Warrant Agent and issuance and delivery by the Company, such Warrant Certificates, nevertheless, may be countersigned by the Warrant Agent, issued and delivered with the same force and effect as though the person who signed such Warrant Certificate had not ceased to be such officer of the Company; and any Warrant Certificate may be signed on behalf of the Company by any person who, at the actual date of the execution of such Warrant Certificate, shall be a proper officer of the Company to sign such Warrant Certificate, although at the date of the execution of this Agreement any such person was not such an officer.
3.3. REGISTRATION.
3.3.1 WARRANT REGISTER. The Warrant Agent shall maintain books (“Warrant Register”) for the registration of original issuance and the registration of transfer of the Warrants. Upon the initial issuance of the Warrants, the Warrant Agent shall issue and register the Warrants in the names of the respective Holders thereof in such denominations and otherwise in accordance with instructions delivered to the Warrant Agent by the Company. All of the Warrants shall be represented by one or more Warrants and registered in the name of Cede & Co., a nominee of the Depository. Ownership of beneficial interests in the Warrants shall be shown on, and the transfer of such ownership shall be effected through, records maintained (i) by the Depository or its nominee for each Warrant; (ii) by institutions that have accounts with the Depository (such institution, with respect to a Warrant in its account, a “Participant”); or (iii) directly on the book-entry records of the Warrant Agent with respect only to owners of beneficial interests that represent such direct registration.
3.3.2 REGISTERED HOLDER. Prior to due presentment for registration of transfer of any Warrant, the Company and the Warrant Agent may deem and treat the person in whose name such Warrant shall be registered upon the Warrant Register (“registered holder”), as the absolute owner of such Warrant and of each Warrant represented thereby (notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing on the Warrant Certificate made by anyone other than the Company or the Warrant Agent), for the purpose of any exercise thereof, and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.
4. TERMS AND EXERCISE OF WARRANTS
4.1 WARRANT PRICE. Each whole Warrant shall, when countersigned by the Warrant Agent, entitle the registered Holder, subject to the provisions of such whole Warrant and of this Agreement, to purchase from the Company the number of shares of Common Stock stated therein, at the price of $0.75 per share, subject to the adjustments provided in Section 5 hereof and in the last sentence of this Section 4.1. The term “Exercise Price” as used in this Agreement refers to the price per share at which Common Stock may be purchased at the time a Warrant is exercised. The Company in its sole discretion may lower the Exercise Price at any time prior to the Expiration Date.
4.2 DURATION OF WARRANTS. A Warrant may be exercised only during the period (“Exercise Period”) commencing on the date of issuance, which is expected to occur on November 12, 2014 (“Initial Exercise Date”), and terminating at 5:00 p.m., New York City time on the fifth (5th) year anniversary of the Initial Exercise Date (“Expiration Date”). Each Warrant not exercised on or before the Expiration Date shall become void, and all rights thereunder and all rights in respect thereof under this Agreement shall cease at the close of business on the Expiration Date. The Company in its sole discretion may extend the duration of the Warrants by delaying the Expiration Date.
4.3 EXERCISE OF WARRANTS.
4.3.1 EXERCISE OF WARRANT. Exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant may be made, in whole or in part, on any business day not later than 5:00 P.M., New York time, on or after the Initial Exercise Date and on or before the Termination Date by delivery (i) if the Holder elects to exercise the Warrants by means of a “cash exercise,” to the Transfer Agent at its office designated for such purpose, (a) if required pursuant to the immediately following sentence, the Warrants to be exercised shown on the records of the Depository to an account of the Transfer Agent at the Depository designated for such purpose in writing by the Transfer Agent to the Depository from time to time, (b) a Notice of Exercise form annexed hereto, properly delivered by the Holder via electronic mail or facsimile, and (c) the aggregate Exercise Price for the shares specified in the applicable Notice of Exercise, and all applicable taxes and charges due in connection with the exercise of such Warrants, in lawful money of the United States of America by certified or official bank check or by bank wire transfer in immediately available funds (such funds to be delivered on or prior to the Warrant Share Delivery Date (as defined below)) or (ii) if the “cashless exercise” procedure provided in Section 4.3.2 is available and is specified in the applicable Notice of Exercise, pursuant to the “cashless exercise” procedure specified in Section 4.3.2 below. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Holder shall not be required to physically surrender this Warrant to the Company until the Holder has purchased all of the Warrant Shares available hereunder and this Warrant has been exercised in full, in which case, the Holder shall surrender this Warrant to the Company for cancellation within three (3) Trading Days after the date the final Notice of Exercise is delivered to the Company or the Transfer Agent, as applicable. Partial exercises of this Warrant resulting in purchases of a portion of the total number of Warrant Shares available hereunder shall have the effect of lowering the outstanding number of Warrant Shares purchasable hereunder in an amount equal to the applicable number of Warrant Shares purchased. The Holder and the Company shall maintain records showing the number of Warrant Shares purchased and the date of such purchases. The Warrant Agent shall deliver any objection to any Notice of Exercise Form within one (1) Business Day after receipt of such notice.
4.3.2 CASHLESS EXERCISE. If at the time of exercise hereof (i) there is no effective registration statement registering, or the prospectus contained therein is not available for the issuance of the Warrant Shares to the Holder or (ii) the time of exercise is more than two (2) years after the Initial Exercise Date, then this Warrant may be exercised, in whole or in part, at such time by means of a “cashless exercise” in which the Holder shall be entitled to receive that number of Warrant Shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing [(A-B) (X)] by (A), where:
(A) = the VWAP on the Trading Day immediately preceding the date on which a Holder elects to exercise the Warrant by means of a “cashless exercise,” as set forth in the applicable Notice of Exercise;
(B) = the Exercise Price of the Warrant, as adjusted hereunder; and
(X) = the number of Warrant Shares that would be issuable upon exercise of such Warrant in accordance with the terms of the Warrant if such exercise were by means of a cash exercise rather than a cashless exercise.
For clarity, if the time of exercise hereof is less than or on the date that is the two (2) years from the Initial Exercise Date and there is an effective registration statement registering, and the prospectus contained therein is available for, the issuance of the Warrant Shares to the Holder, then this Warrant may only be exercised for cash by wire transfer of immediately available funds in accordance with Section 4.3.1 above. In the event the Holder elects to exercise Warrants on a cashless basis, the Holder shall provide notice of such election to the Company (or such other office or agency of the Company as it may designate by notice in writing to the registered Holder at the address of the Holder appearing on the books of the Company) of a duly executed facsimile copy of the Notice of Exercise form annexed hereto or by electronic mail: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxx.xxx, and the Company shall cause the Warrant Agent to issue the number of shares of Common Stock to such Holder in accordance with the cashless exercise calculation described in this Section 4.3.2. The Company shall deliver any objection to any Notice of Exercise Form within one (1) Business Day after receipt of such notice. Upon receipt of a Notice of Exercise for a cashless exercise, the Warrant Agent will promptly deliver a copy of the Notice of Exercise to the Company to confirm the number of Warrant Shares issuable in connection with the cashless exercise. The Company shall calculate and transmit to the Warrant Agent, and the Warrant Agent shall have no obligation under this section to calculate, the number of Warrant Shares issuable in connection with the cashless exercise.
4.3.3 DELIVERY OF WARRANT SHARES UPON EXERCISE. Warrant Shares purchased hereunder shall be transmitted by the Transfer Agent to the Holder by crediting the account of the Holder’s prime broker with The Depository Trust Company through its system (“DWAC”) system if the Company is then a participant in such system and either (A) there is an effective registration statement permitting the issuance of the Warrant Shares to the Holder, (B) this Warrant is being exercised via cashless exercise , or (C) the Warrant Shares are otherwise eligible to be sold under Rule 144 without regard to the volume or manner of sale restrictions thereunder, and otherwise by physical delivery to the address specified by the Holder in the Notice of Exercise, in each case by the date that is three (3) Trading Days after the latest of (A) the delivery to the Company of the Notice of Exercise and receipt of the DWAC request from the Holder’s prime broker (if applicable), (B) surrender of this Warrant (if required) and (C) payment of the aggregate Exercise Price as set forth above (including by cashless exercise, if permitted) (such date, the “Warrant Share Delivery Date”). Delivery of the Warrant Shares is subject to payment to the Transfer Agent of the Exercise Price (or by cashless exercise, if permitted) and all taxes required to be paid by the Holder, if any.
4.3.4 DELIVERY OF NEW WARRANTS UPON EXERCISE. If this Warrant shall have been exercised in part, the Company shall, at the request of the Holder and upon surrender of this Warrant, at the time of delivery of the certificate or certificates representing Warrant Shares, deliver to the Holder a new Warrant evidencing the rights of the Holder to purchase the unpurchased Warrant Shares called for by this Warrant, which new Warrant shall in all other respects be identical to this Warrant.
4.3.5 RESCISSION RIGHTS. If the Company fails to cause the Transfer Agent to transmit either to the Holder’s prime broker the Warrant Shares or to the Holder a certificate or the certificates representing the Warrant Shares, as applicable pursuant to Section 2(d)(i) hereof by the Warrant Share Delivery Date, then the Holder will have the right to rescind such exercise.
4.3.6 COMPENSATION FOR BUY-IN ON FAILURE TO TIMELY DELIVER SHARES UPON EXERCISE. In addition to any other rights available to the Holder, if the Company fails to cause the Transfer Agent to transmit to the Holder’s prime broker the Warrant Shares, or to the Holder a certificate or the certificates representing the Warrant Shares pursuant to an exercise on or before the Warrant Share Delivery Date, and if after such date the Holder is required by its broker to purchase (in an open market transaction or otherwise) or the Holder’s brokerage firm otherwise purchases, shares of Common Stock to deliver in satisfaction of a sale by the Holder of the Warrant Shares which the Holder anticipated receiving upon such exercise (a “Buy-In”), then the Company shall (A) pay in cash to the Holder the amount, if any, by which (x) the Holder’s total purchase price (including brokerage commissions, if any) for the shares of Common Stock so purchased exceeds (y) the amount obtained by multiplying (1) the number of Warrant Shares that the Company was required to deliver to the Holder in connection with the exercise at issue times (2) the price at which the sell order giving rise to such purchase obligation was executed, and (B) at the option of the Holder, either reinstate the portion of this Warrant and equivalent number of Warrant Shares for which such exercise was not honored (in which case such exercise shall be deemed rescinded) or deliver to the Holder the number of shares of Common Stock that would have been issued had the Company timely complied with its exercise and delivery obligations hereunder. For example, if the Holder purchases Common Stock having a total purchase price of $11,000 to cover a Buy-In with respect to an attempted exercise of shares of Common Stock with an aggregate sale price giving rise to such purchase obligation of $10,000, under clause (A) of the immediately preceding sentence the Company shall be required to pay the Holder $1,000. The Holder shall
provide the Company written notice indicating the amounts payable to the Holder in respect of the Buy-In and evidence of the amount of such loss. Nothing herein shall limit the Holder’s right to pursue any other remedies available to it hereunder, at law or in equity including, without limitation, a decree of specific performance and/or injunctive relief with respect to the Company’s failure to timely deliver certificates representing shares of Common Stock upon exercise of this Warrant as required pursuant to the terms hereof
4.3.7 HOLDER’S EXERCISE LIMITATIONS. The Company shall not effect any exercise of this Warrant, and the Holder shall not have the right to exercise any portion of this Warrant, pursuant to Section 4 or otherwise, to the extent that after giving effect to such issuance after exercise as set forth on the applicable Notice of Exercise, the Holder (together with the Holder’s Affiliates, and any other Persons acting as a group together with the Holder or any of the Holder’s Affiliates) would beneficially own in excess of the Beneficial Ownership Limitation (as defined below). For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by the Holder and its Affiliates shall include the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of this Warrant with respect to which such determination is being made, but shall exclude the number of shares of Common Stock which would be issuable upon (i) exercise of the remaining, nonexercised portion of this Warrant beneficially owned by the Holder or any of its Affiliates and (ii) exercise or conversion of the unexercised or nonconverted portion of any other securities of the Company (including, without limitation, any other Common Stock Equivalents) subject to a limitation on conversion or exercise analogous to the limitation contained herein beneficially owned by the Holder or any of its Affiliates. Except as set forth in the preceding sentence, for purposes of this Section 2(e), beneficial ownership shall be calculated in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, it being acknowledged by the Holder that the Company is not representing to the Holder that such calculation is in compliance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the Holder is solely responsible for any schedules required to be filed in accordance therewith. To the extent that the limitation contained in this Section 2(e) applies, the determination of whether this Warrant is exercisable (in relation to other securities owned by the Holder together with any Affiliates) and of which portion of this Warrant is exercisable shall be in the sole discretion of the Holder, and the submission of a Notice of Exercise shall be deemed to be the Holder’s determination of whether this Warrant is exercisable (in relation to other securities owned by the Holder together with any Affiliates) and of which portion of this Warrant is exercisable, in each case subject to the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall have any obligation to verify or confirm the accuracy of such determination and shall have no liability for exercises of this Warrant that are not in compliance with the Beneficial Ownership Limitation. In addition, a determination as to any group status as contemplated above shall be determined in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. For purposes of this Section 2(e), in determining the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock, the Holder may rely on the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock as reflected in (A) the Company’s most recent periodic or annual report filed with the Commission, as the case may be, (B) a more recent public announcement by the Company or (C) a more recent written notice by the Company or the Warrant Agent setting forth the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding. Upon the written or oral request of the Holder, the Company shall within two Trading Days confirm orally and in writing to the Holder the number of shares of Common Stock then outstanding. In any case, the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock shall be determined after giving effect to the conversion or exercise of securities of the Company, including this Warrant, by the Holder or its Affiliates since the date as of which such number of outstanding shares of Common Stock was reported. The “Beneficial Ownership Limitation” shall be 4.99% of the number of shares of the Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the issuance of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of this Warrant. The Holder, upon not less than 61 days’ prior notice to the Company, may increase or decrease the Beneficial Ownership Limitation provisions of this Section 4.3.7. Any such increase or decrease will not be effective until the 61st day after such notice is delivered to the Company. The provisions of this paragraph shall be construed and implemented in a manner otherwise than in strict conformity with the terms of this Section 4.3.7 to correct this paragraph (or any portion hereof) which may be defective or inconsistent with the intended Beneficial Ownership Limitation herein contained or to make changes or supplements necessary or desirable to properly give effect to such limitation. The limitations contained in this paragraph shall apply to a successor holder of this Warrant.
4.3.8 VALID ISSUANCE. All shares of Common Stock issued upon the proper exercise of a Warrant in conformity with this Agreement shall be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
4.3.9 DATE OF ISSUANCE. Each person in whose name any such certificate for shares of Common Stock is issued shall for all purposes be deemed to have become the holder of record of such shares on the date on which the Warrant was surrendered and payment of the Exercise Price was made, irrespective of the date of delivery of such certificate, except that, if the date of such surrender and payment is a date when the stock transfer books of the Company are closed, such person shall be deemed to have become the holder of such shares at the close of business on the next succeeding date on which the stock transfer books are open.
5. ADJUSTMENTS.
5.1 STOCK DIVIDENDS AND SPLITS. If the Company, at any time while this Warrant is outstanding, effects a stock split or payment of stock dividend, then upon the effective date thereof, the number of shares of Common Stock which Holder shall be entitled to purchase upon exercise of the Warrant shall be increased or decreased, as the case may be, in direct proportion to the increase or decrease in the number of shares of Common Stock by reason of such stock split or payment of stick dividend and the Exercise Price shall be, in the case of an increase in the number of shares, proportionally decreased and, in the case of decrease in the number of shares, proportionally increased. Any adjustment made pursuant to this Section 5.1 shall become effective immediately prior to 9:00 a.m. (New York city time) on the Ex-Dividend Date for such dividend or distribution or the effective date of such subdivision or combination, as the case may be. “Ex-Dividend Date” means, when used with respect to any dividend, distribution or issuance, the first date on which the share of Common Stock trade on the Trading Market, regular way, without the right to receive the relevant dividend, distribution or issuance.
5.2 SUBSEQUENT RIGHTS OFFERINGS. In addition to any adjustments pursuant to Section 3(a) above, if at any time the Company grants, issues or sells any Common Stock Equivalents or rights to purchase stock, warrants, securities or other property pro rata to the record holders of any class of shares of Common Stock (the “Purchase Rights”), then the Holder will be entitled to acquire, upon the terms applicable to such Purchase Rights, the aggregate Purchase Rights which the Holder could have acquired if the Holder had held the number of shares of Common Stock acquirable upon complete exercise of this Warrant (without regard to any limitations on exercise hereof, including without limitation, the Beneficial Ownership Limitation) immediately before the date on which a record is taken for the grant, issuance or sale of such Purchase Rights, or, if no such record is taken, the date as of which the record holders of shares of Common Stock are to be determined for the grant, issue or sale of such Purchase Rights (provided, however, to the extent that the Holder’s right to participate in any such Purchase Right would result in the Holder exceeding the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, then the Holder shall not be entitled to participate in such Purchase Right to such extent (or beneficial ownership of such shares of Common Stock as a result of such Purchase Right to such extent) and such Purchase Right to such extent shall be held in abeyance for the Holder until such time, if ever, as its right thereto would not result in the Holder exceeding the Beneficial Ownership Limitation).
5.3 PRO RATA DISTRIBUTIONS. The Holder, as the holder of this Warrant, shall be entitled to receive such dividends paid and distributions of any kind made to the holders of Common Stock of the Company to the same extent as if the Holder had Exercised this Warrant into Common Stock (without regard to any limitations on exercise herein or elsewhere and without regard to whether or not a sufficient number of shares are authorized and reserved to effect any such exercise and issuance) and had held such shares of Common Stock on the record date for such dividends and distributions. Payments under the preceding sentence shall be made concurrently with the dividend or distribution to the holders of Common Stock.
5.4 FUNDAMENTAL TRANSACTION. If, at any time while this Warrant is outstanding, (i) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions effects any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another Person and the Company is not the surviving corporation, (ii) the Company, directly or indirectly, effects any sale, lease, license, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of its assets in one or a series of related transactions, (iii) any, direct or indirect, purchase offer, tender offer or exchange offer (whether by the Company or another Person) is completed pursuant to which holders of Common Stock are permitted to sell, tender or exchange their shares for other securities, cash or property and has been accepted by the holders of 50% or more of the outstanding Common Stock, (iv) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions effects any reclassification, reorganization or recapitalization of the Common Stock or any compulsory share exchange pursuant to which the Common Stock is effectively converted into or exchanged for other securities, cash or property, or (v) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions consummates a stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination (including, without limitation, a reorganization, recapitalization, spin-off or scheme of arrangement) with another Person or group of Persons whereby such other Person or group of Persons acquires more than 50% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (not including any shares of Common Stock held by the other Person or other Persons making or party to, or associated or affiliated with the other Persons making or party to, such stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination) (each a “Fundamental Transaction”), then, upon any subsequent exercise of this Warrant, the Holder shall have the right to receive, for each Warrant Share that would have been issuable upon such exercise immediately prior to the occurrence of such Fundamental Transaction, at the option of the Holder (without regard to any limitation in Section 2(e) on the exercise of this Warrant), the number of shares of Common Stock of the successor or acquiring corporation or of the Company, if it is the surviving corporation, and any additional consideration (the “Alternate Consideration”) receivable as a result of such Fundamental Transaction by a holder of the number of shares of Common Stock for which this Warrant is exercisable immediately prior to such Fundamental Transaction (without regard to any limitation in Section 2(e) on the exercise of this Warrant). For purposes of any such exercise, the determination of the Exercise Price shall be appropriately adjusted to apply to such Alternate Consideration based on the amount of Alternate Consideration issuable in respect of one share of Common Stock in such
Fundamental Transaction, and the Company shall apportion the Exercise Price among the Alternate Consideration in a reasonable manner reflecting the relative value of any different components of the Alternate Consideration. If holders of Common Stock are given any choice as to the securities, cash or property to be received in a Fundamental Transaction, then the Holder shall be given the same choice as to the Alternate Consideration it receives upon any exercise of this Warrant following such Fundamental Transaction. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, in the event of a Fundamental Transaction the Company or any Successor Entity (as defined below) shall, at the Holder’s option, exercisable at any time concurrently with, or within 30 days after, the consummation of the Fundamental Transaction, purchase this Warrant from the Holder by paying to the Holder an amount of cash equal to the Black Scholes Value of the remaining unexercised portion of this Warrant on the date of the consummation of such Fundamental Transaction. “Black Scholes Value” means the value of this Warrant based on the Black and Scholes Option Pricing Model obtained from the “OV” function on Bloomberg, L.P. (“Bloomberg”) determined as of the day of consummation of the applicable Fundamental Transaction for pricing purposes and reflecting (A) a risk-free interest rate corresponding to the U.S. Treasury rate for a period equal to the time between the date of the public announcement of the applicable Fundamental Transaction and the Expiration Date, (B) an expected volatility equal to the greater of 100% and the 100 day volatility obtained from the HVT function on Bloomberg as of the Trading Day immediately following the public announcement of the applicable Fundamental Transaction, (C) the underlying price per share used in such calculation shall be the greater of (i) the weighted average price of the Common Stock for the Trading Day immediately preceding the date of announcement of the applicable Fundamental Transaction, (ii) the weighted average price of the Common Stock for the Trading Day immediately following the date of announcement of the applicable Fundamental Transaction and (iii) the weighted average price of the Common Stock for the Trading Day immediately preceding the date of consummation of the applicable Fundamental Transaction and (D) a remaining option time equal to the time between the date of the public announcement of the applicable Fundamental Transaction and the Expiration Date. The Company shall cause any successor entity in a Fundamental Transaction in which the Company is not the survivor (the “Successor Entity”) to assume in writing all of the obligations of the Company under this Warrant and the other Transaction Documents in accordance with the provisions of this Section 3(e) pursuant to written agreements and shall, at the option of the Holder, deliver to the Holder in exchange for this Warrant a security of the Successor Entity evidenced by a written instrument substantially similar in form and substance to this Warrant which is exercisable for a corresponding number of shares of capital stock of such Successor Entity (or its parent entity) equivalent to the shares of Common Stock acquirable and receivable upon exercise of this Warrant (without regard to any limitations on the exercise of this Warrant) prior to such Fundamental Transaction, and with an exercise price which applies the exercise price hereunder to such shares of capital stock (but taking into account the relative value of the shares of Common Stock pursuant to such Fundamental Transaction and the value of such shares of capital stock, such number of shares of capital stock and such exercise price being for the purpose of protecting the economic value of this Warrant immediately prior to the consummation of such Fundamental Transaction), and which is reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Holder. Upon the occurrence of any such Fundamental Transaction, the Successor Entity shall succeed to, and be substituted for (so that from and after the date of such Fundamental Transaction, the provisions of this Warrant and the other Transaction Documents referring to the “Company” shall refer instead to the Successor Entity), and may exercise every right and power of the Company and shall assume all of the obligations of the Company under this Warrant and the other Transaction Documents with the same effect as if such Successor Entity had been named as the Company herein.
5.5 CALCULATIONS. All calculations under this Section 5 shall be made to the nearest cent or the nearest 1/100th of a share, as the case may be. For purposes of this Section 5, the number of shares of Common Stock deemed to be issued and outstanding as of a given date shall be the sum of the number of shares of Common Stock (excluding treasury shares, if any) issued and outstanding.
5.6 NOTICES OF CHANGES IN WARRANT. Upon every adjustment of the Exercise Price or the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a Warrant, the Company shall give written notice thereof to the Warrant Agent, which notice shall state the Exercise Price resulting from such adjustment and the increase or decrease, if any, in the number of shares purchasable at such price upon the exercise of a Warrant, setting forth in reasonable detail the method of calculation and the facts upon which such calculation is based. Upon the occurrence of any event specified in this Section 5, then, in any such event, the Company shall give written notice to the Warrant Holder, at the last address set forth for such Holder in the warrant register, of the record date or the effective date of the event. Failure to give such notice, or any defect therein, shall not affect the legality or validity of such event.
5.7 NO FRACTIONAL SHARES. Notwithstanding any provision contained in the Agreement to the contrary, no fractional shares or scrip representing fractional shares shall be issued upon the exercise of Warrants. As to any fraction of a share which the Holder would otherwise be entitled to purchase upon such exercise, the Company shall, at its election, either pay a cash adjustment in respect of such final fraction in an amount equal to such fraction multiplied by the Exercise Price or round up to the next whole share.
5.8 FORM OF WARRANT. The form of Warrant need not be changed because of any adjustment pursuant to this Section 5, and Warrants issued after such adjustment may state the same Exercise Price and the same number of shares as is stated in the Warrants initially issued pursuant to this Agreement. However, the Company may at any time in its sole discretion make any change in the form of Warrant that the Company may deem appropriate and that does not affect the substance thereof, and any Warrant thereafter issued or countersigned, whether in exchange or substitution for an outstanding Warrant or otherwise, may be in the form as so changed.
5.9 NOTICE OF CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS. If during the term in which the Warrants may be exercised by the Holder (A) the Company shall declare a dividend (or any other distribution in whatever form) on the Common Stock, (B) the Company shall declare a special nonrecurring cash dividend on or a redemption of the Common Stock, (C) the Company shall authorize the granting to all holders of the Common Stock rights or warrants to subscribe for or purchase any shares of capital stock of any class, (D) the approval of any stockholders of the Company shall be required in connection with any reclassification of the Common Stock, any consolidation or merger to which the Company is a party, any sale or transfer of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, or any compulsory share exchange whereby the Common Stock is converted into other securities, cash or property, or (E) the Company shall authorize the voluntary or involuntary dissolution, liquidation or winding up of the affairs of the Company, then, in each case, the Company shall cause to be mailed to the Holder at its last address as it shall appear upon the Warrant Register of the Company, at least 20 calendar days prior to the applicable record or effective date hereinafter specified, a notice stating (x) the date on which a record is to be taken for the purpose of such dividend, distribution, redemption, rights or warrants, or if a record is not to be taken, the date as of which the holders of the Common Stock of record to be entitled to such dividend, distributions, redemption, rights or warrants are to be determined or (y) the date on which such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, transfer or share exchange is expected to become effective or close, and the date as of which it is expected that holders of the Common Stock of record shall be entitled to exchange their shares of the Common Stock for securities, cash or other property deliverable upon such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, transfer or share exchange; provided that the failure to mail such notice or any defect therein or in the mailing thereof shall not affect the validity of the corporate action required to be specified in such notice. To the extent that any notice provided hereunder constitutes, or contains, material, non-public information regarding the Company or any of the Subsidiaries, the Company shall simultaneously disclose such information in compliance with applicable securities laws. The Holder shall remain entitled to exercise this Warrant during the period commencing on the date of such notice to the effective date of the event triggering such notice except as may otherwise be expressly set forth herein.
6. TRANSFER AND EXCHANGE OF WARRANTS.
6.1 REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER. The Warrant Agent shall register the transfer, from time to time, of any outstanding Warrant upon the Warrant Register, upon surrender of such Warrant for transfer, properly endorsed with signatures properly guaranteed and accompanied by appropriate instructions for transfer. Upon any such transfer, a new Warrant representing an equal aggregate number of Warrants shall be issued and the old Warrant shall be cancelled by the Warrant Agent. The Warrants so cancelled shall be delivered by the Warrant Agent to the Company from time to time upon request.
6.2 PROCEDURE FOR SURRENDER OF WARRANTS. Warrants may be surrendered to the Warrant Agent, together with a written request for exchange or transfer, and thereupon the Warrant Agent shall issue in exchange therefor one or more new Warrants as requested by the registered Holder so surrendered, representing an equal aggregate number of Warrants; provided, however, that in the event that a Warrant surrendered for transfer bears a restrictive legend, the Warrant Agent shall not cancel such Warrant and issue new Warrants in exchange therefor until the Warrant Agent has received an opinion of counsel for the Company stating that such transfer may be made and indicating whether the new Warrants must also bear a restrictive legend.
6.3 FRACTIONAL WARRANTS. The Warrant Agent shall not be required to effect any registration of transfer or exchange which will result in the issuance of a Warrant Certificate for a fraction of a Warrant.
6.4 SERVICE CHARGES. No service charge shall be made for any exchange or registration of transfer of Warrants.
6.5 WARRANT EXECUTION AND COUNTERSIGNATURE. The Warrant Agent is hereby authorized to countersign and to deliver, in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the Warrants required to be issued pursuant to the provisions of this Section 5, and the Company, whenever required by the Warrant Agent, will supply the Warrant Agent with Warrants duly executed on behalf of the Company for such purpose.
7. OTHER PROVISIONS RELATING TO RIGHTS OF HOLDERS OF WARRANTS.
7.1 NO RIGHTS AS STOCKHOLDER. A Warrant does not entitle the registered Holder to any of the rights of a stockholder of the Company, including, without limitation, the right to receive dividends, or other distributions, exercise any preemptive rights to vote or to consent or to receive notice as stockholders in respect of the meetings of stockholders or the election of directors of the Company or any other matter.
7.2 LOST, STOLEN, MUTILATED, OR DESTROYED WARRANTS. If any Warrant is lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed, the Company and the Warrant Agent may on such terms as to indemnity or otherwise as they may in their discretion impose (which shall, in the case of a mutilated Warrant, include the surrender thereof), issue a new Warrant of like denomination, tenor, and date as the Warrant so lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed. Any such new Warrant shall constitute a substitute contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the allegedly lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed Warrant shall be at any time enforceable by anyone.
7.3 RESERVATION OF COMMON STOCK. The Company shall at all times reserve and keep available a number of its authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock that will be sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Warrants issued pursuant to this Agreement.
7.4 REGISTRATION OF COMMON STOCK. The Company will use its best efforts to maintain the effectiveness of the Registration Statement until the expiration of the Warrants in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.
8. CONCERNING THE WARRANT AGENT AND OTHER MATTERS.
8.1 PAYMENT OF TAXES. The Company will from time to time promptly pay all taxes and charges that may be imposed upon the Company or the Warrant Agent in respect of the issuance or delivery of shares of Common Stock upon the exercise of Warrants, but the Company shall not be obligated to pay any transfer taxes in respect of the Warrants or such shares.
8.2 RESIGNATION, CONSOLIDATION, OR MERGER OF WARRANT AGENT.
8.2.1 APPOINTMENT OF SUCCESSOR WARRANT AGENT. The Warrant Agent, or any successor to it hereafter appointed, may resign its duties and be discharged from all further duties and liabilities hereunder after giving sixty (60) days’ notice in writing to the Company. If the office of the Warrant Agent becomes vacant by resignation or incapacity to act or otherwise, the Company shall appoint in writing a successor Warrant Agent in place of the Warrant Agent. If the Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of 30 days after it has been notified in writing of such resignation or incapacity by the Warrant Agent or by the Holder of the Warrant (who shall, with such notice, submit his Warrant for inspection by the Company), then the Holder of any Warrant may apply to the Supreme Court of the State of New York for the County of New York for the appointment of a successor Warrant Agent at the Company’s cost. Any successor Warrant Agent, whether appointed by the Company or by such court, shall be a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of New York, in good standing and having its principal office in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, and authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers and subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authority. After appointment, any successor Warrant Agent shall be vested with all the authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties, and obligations of its predecessor Warrant Agent with like effect as if originally named as Warrant Agent hereunder, without any further act or deed; but if for any reason it becomes necessary or appropriate, the predecessor Warrant Agent shall execute and deliver, at the expense of the Company, an instrument transferring to such successor Warrant Agent all the authority, powers, and rights of such predecessor Warrant Agent hereunder; and upon request of any successor Warrant Agent the Company shall make, execute, acknowledge, and deliver any and all instruments in writing for more fully and effectually vesting in and confirming to such successor Warrant Agent all such authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties, and obligations.
8.2.2 NOTICE OF SUCCESSOR WARRANT AGENT. In the event a successor Warrant Agent shall be appointed, the Company shall give notice thereof to the predecessor Warrant Agent and the transfer agent for the Common Stock not later than the effective date of any such appointment.
8.2.3 MERGER OR CONSOLIDATION OF WARRANT AGENT. Any corporation into which the Warrant Agent may be merged, converted or with which it may be consolidated or any corporation resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which the Warrant Agent shall be a party shall be the successor Warrant Agent under this Agreement without any further act.
8.3 FEES AND EXPENSES OF WARRANT AGENT.
8.3.1 REMUNERATION. The Company agrees to pay the Warrant Agent the remuneration set forth in that certain Fee Proposal signed by the Company on June 13, 2013 for its services as such Warrant Agent hereunder and will reimburse the Warrant Agent upon demand for all expenditures that the Warrant Agent may reasonably incur in the execution of its duties hereunder.
8.3.2 FURTHER ASSURANCES. The Company agrees to perform, execute, acknowledge, and deliver or cause to be performed, executed, acknowledged, and delivered all such further and other acts, instruments, and assurances as may reasonably be required by the Warrant Agent for the carrying out or performing of the provisions of this Agreement.
8.4 LIABILITY OF WARRANT AGENT.
8.4.1 RELIANCE ON COMPANY STATEMENT. Whenever in the performance of its duties under this Agreement, the Warrant Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any fact or matter be proved or established by the Company prior to taking or suffering any action hereunder, such fact or matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by a statement signed by the President or Chairman of the Board of the Company and delivered to the Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent may rely upon such statement for any action taken or suffered in good faith by it pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement.
8.4.2 INDEMNITY. The Warrant Agent shall be liable hereunder only for its own gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith. The Company agrees to indemnify the Warrant Agent and save it harmless against any and all liabilities, including judgments, costs and reasonable counsel fees, for anything done or omitted by the Warrant Agent in the execution of this Agreement except as a result of the Warrant Agent’s gross negligence, willful misconduct, or bad faith.
8.4.3 EXCLUSIONS. The Warrant Agent shall have no responsibility with respect to the validity or execution of any Warrant (except its countersignature thereof); nor shall it be responsible for any breach by the Company of any covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any Warrant; nor shall it be responsible to make any adjustments required under the provisions of Section 5 hereof or responsible for the manner, method, or amount of any such adjustment or the ascertaining of the existence of facts that would require any such adjustment; nor shall it by any act hereunder be deemed to make any representation or warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any shares of Common Stock to be issued pursuant to this Agreement or any Warrant or as to whether any shares of Common Stock will when issued be valid and fully paid and nonassessable.
8.5 ACCEPTANCE OF AGENCY. The Warrant Agent hereby accepts the agency established by this Agreement and agrees to perform the same upon the terms and conditions herein set forth and among other things, shall account promptly to the Company with respect to Warrants exercised and concurrently account for, and pay to the Company, all moneys received by the Warrant Agent for the purchase of shares of the Company’s Common Stock through the exercise of Warrants.
9. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS.
9.1 SUCCESSORS. All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Warrant Agent shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns.
9.2 NOTICES. Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Warrant Agent to or on the Company shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Company with the Warrant Agent) to the address set forth on the signature page of the Company. Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Company to or on the Warrant Agent shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery, if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Warrant Agent with the Company) to the address set forth on the signature page of the this Agreement, or if sent by electronic mail in portable document format (PDF) by 12:00 noon Pacific Time on the day such notice, statement or demand is to be made.
9.3 APPLICABLE LAW. This Agreement shall be construed and interpreted in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to the conflict of laws principles thereof.
9.4 PERSONS HAVING RIGHTS UNDER THIS AGREEMENT. Nothing in this Agreement expressed and nothing that may be implied from any of the provisions hereof is intended, or shall be construed, to confer upon, or give to, any person or corporation other than the parties hereto. All covenants, conditions, stipulations, promises, and agreements contained in this Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the parties hereto and their successors and assigns.
9.5 EXAMINATION OF THE WARRANT AGENT AGREEMENT. A copy of this Agreement shall be available at all reasonable times at the office of the Warrant Agent in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, for inspection by the registered Holder of any Warrant. The Warrant Agent may require any such Holder to submit his Warrant for inspection by it.
9.6 COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.
9.7 EFFECT OF HEADINGS. The Section headings herein are for convenience only and are not part of this Agreement and shall not affect the interpretation thereof.
9.8 AMENDMENTS. This Agreement may be amended by the parties hereto without the consent of any registered Holder for the purpose of curing any ambiguity, or of curing, correcting or supplementing any defective provision contained herein or adding or changing any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under this Agreement as the parties may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem shall not adversely affect the interest of the registered Holders. All modifications or amendments that adversely affect the interest of the registered Holders, including any amendment to increase the Exercise Price or shorten the Exercise Period, shall require the written consent of each of the Company and the registered Holders of the Warrants. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company may lower the Exercise Price or extend the duration of the Exercise Period in accordance with Sections 4.1 and 4.2, respectively, without such consent.
9.9 SEVERABILITY. This Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or of any other term or provision hereof. Furthermore, in lieu of any such invalid or unenforceable term or provision, the parties hereto intend that there shall be added as a part of this Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible and be valid and enforceable.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been duly executed by the parties hereto as of the day and year first above written.
Mast Therapeutics, Inc. | ||||||
By: | ||||||
Name: | ||||||
Title: |
Address for Notice:
00000 Xx Xxxxxx Xxxx, Xxxxx 000
Xxx Xxxxx, XX 00000
Attn: President
American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC | ||||||
By: | ||||||
Name: | ||||||
Title: |
Address for Notice:
American Stock Transfer & Trust
Company LLC
0000 00xx Xxxxxx, 0xx Xxxxx
Xxxxxxxx, XX 00000
Attn: