Exhibit
(a)(1)(A)
OFFER TO
PURCHASE FOR CASH
ALL OUTSTANDING SHARES OF COMMON STOCK
of
BARRIER THERAPEUTICS, INC.
at
$4.15 NET PER SHARE
by
BENGAL ACQUISITION INC.,
a wholly-owned subsidiary of
XXXXXXX LABORATORIES, INC.
THE OFFER
AND WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS WILL EXPIRE AT 12:00 MIDNIGHT, NEW YORK
CITY TIME, ON MONDAY, AUGUST 4, 2008, UNLESS THE OFFER IS
EXTENDED.
Bengal Acquisition Inc., a Delaware corporation
(“
Purchaser”) and a direct wholly-owned
subsidiary of Xxxxxxx Laboratories, Inc., a Delaware corporation
(“
Parent”), is offering to purchase for cash
all outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per
share (the “
Shares”), of Barrier Therapeutics,
Inc., a Delaware corporation (“
Barrier”), at a
price of $4.15 per Share (the “
Offer Price”),
net to the seller in cash, without interest thereon, subject to
reduction for (i) any dividends or other distributions
declared thereon between June 23, 2008 and such time as the
initial acceptance for payment by Purchaser of any validly
tendered and not properly withdrawn Shares pursuant to the Offer
(the “
Acceptance Time”) and (ii) any
applicable federal
back-up
withholding or other taxes payable by such seller, if any, upon
the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this
Offer
to Purchase and in the related Letter of Transmittal (which,
together with any amendments or supplements thereto,
collectively constitute the “
Offer”).
The Offer is being made pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of
Merger, dated as of June 23, 2008, by and among Barrier,
Parent and Purchaser (the “Merger Agreement”),
and pursuant to which, after the completion of the Offer and the
satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions, Purchaser will be
merged with and into Barrier and Barrier will be the surviving
corporation (the “Merger”).
The board of directors of Barrier duly (i) determined that
it is in the best interests of Barrier and its stockholders, and
declared it advisable, to enter into the Merger Agreement,
(ii) approved the execution, delivery and performance of
the Merger Agreement, including the Offer, the Merger and the
Top-Up
Option (as defined below) and the issuance of Shares upon the
exercise of the
Top-Up
Option and the other transactions contemplated thereby, and
(iii) resolved to recommend that the stockholders of
Barrier accept the Offer, tender their Shares to Purchaser
pursuant to the Offer and, if required by law to consummate the
Merger, vote their Shares in favor of the adoption and approval
of the Merger Agreement. Accordingly, the board of directors
of Xxxxxxx recommends that stockholders accept the Offer and
tender their Shares to Purchaser pursuant to the Offer.
The Offer is not subject to any financing condition. The
Offer is conditioned upon, among other things, (a) there
being validly tendered and not withdrawn prior to the expiration
of the Offer that number of Shares which represents at least a
majority of the total number of all outstanding securities
entitled generally to vote in the election of directors of
Barrier on a fully diluted basis, after giving effect to the
exercise or conversion of all vested options, rights and
securities exercisable or convertible into such voting
securities (the “Minimum Tender Condition”) and
(b) the waiting period applicable to the consummation of
the Offer under the
Xxxx-Xxxxx-Xxxxxx
Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended (the “HSR
Act”) shall have expired or been terminated. The Offer
is also subject to certain other conditions. See “The
Offer — Section 13. Conditions of the
Offer.”
A SUMMARY OF THE PRINCIPAL TERMS OF THE OFFER APPEARS ON
PAGES (i) THROUGH (viii). THIS OFFER TO PURCHASE AND
RELATED LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL AND THE DOCUMENTS REFERENCED
HEREIN AND THEREIN CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION, AND YOU SHOULD
READ THEM CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY BEFORE DECIDING
WHETHER TO TENDER YOUR SHARES IN THE OFFER.
The Information Agent for the Offer is:
Mellon Investor Services
LLC
000 Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
Jersey City, NJ 07310
For Information Call: 000-000-0000
Banks and Brokers Call: 000-000-0000
July 8, 2008
IMPORTANT
If you wish to tender all or any portion of your Shares to
Purchaser pursuant to the Offer, you should either:
(a) complete and sign the Letter of Transmittal for the
Offer (or a manually executed facsimile thereof) in accordance
with the instructions contained in the Letter of Transmittal,
and mail or deliver the Letter of Transmittal (or such manually
executed facsimile thereof) and any other required documents to
American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, the
“
Depositary” for the Offer, and either deliver
the certificates for your Shares to the Depositary along with
the Letter of Transmittal (or such manually executed facsimile
thereof) or tender your Shares by book-entry transfer by
following the procedures described in “
The
Offer — Section 3. Procedures for Tendering
Shares” of this
Offer to Purchase, in each case by the
Expiration Date (as defined below) of the Offer, or
(b) request that your broker, dealer, commercial bank,
trust company or other nominee effect the tender of your Shares
in the Offer. If your Shares are registered in the name of a
broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee,
you must contact that institution in order to tender your Shares
in the Offer.
If you wish to tender your Shares in the Offer and the
certificates representing your Shares are not immediately
available, or you cannot comply in a timely manner with the
procedures for tendering your Shares by book-entry transfer, or
cannot deliver all required documents to the Depositary by the
expiration of the Offer, you may tender your Shares in the Offer
by following the procedures for guaranteed delivery described in
“The Offer — Section 3. Procedures for
Tendering Shares.”
* * *
Questions and requests for assistance may be directed to the
Information Agent at its address and telephone number set forth
on the back cover of this
Offer to Purchase. Requests for
additional copies of this
Offer to Purchase, the Letter of
Transmittal, the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery and other tender
offer materials may be directed to the Information Agent. You
may also contact your broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust
company or other nominee for assistance.
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
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A-1
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SUMMARY
TERM SHEET
This summary highlights selected information from this Offer
to Purchase and may not contain all of the information that is
important to you. This summary term sheet is not meant to be a
substitute for the information contained in the remainder of
this Offer to Purchase, and you should read carefully this
entire Offer to Purchase and the other documents to which this
Offer to Purchase refers to fully understand the Offer, the
Merger and the related transactions.
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Securities Sought |
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All issued and outstanding shares of common stock, par value
$0.0001 per share, of Barrier Therapeutics, Inc. |
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Price Offered Per Share |
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$4.15 net to the seller in cash, without interest thereon,
less (i) any dividends or other distributions declared
thereon between June 23, 2008 and such time as the initial
acceptance for payment by Purchaser of any validly tendered and
not properly withdrawn Shares pursuant to the Offer and
(ii) any applicable federal
back-up
withholding or other taxes payable by such seller, if any. |
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Scheduled Expiration of Offer |
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12:00 midnight, New York City time, on August 4, 2008
unless the Offer is extended. See “The Offer —
Section 1. Terms of the Offer.” |
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Purchaser |
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Bengal Acquisition Inc., a Delaware corporation and a direct
wholly-owned subsidiary of Xxxxxxx Laboratories, Inc., a
Delaware corporation. |
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Minimum Tender Condition |
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At least a majority of the total number of all outstanding
securities entitled generally to vote in the election of
directors of Barrier on a fully diluted basis, after giving
effect to the exercise or conversion of all vested options,
rights and securities exercisable or convertible into such
voting securities. |
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Barrier Board of Directors’ Recommendation |
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The board of directors of Barrier recommends that the Barrier
stockholders accept the Offer, tender their Shares to Purchaser
pursuant to the Offer and, if required by law to consummate the
Merger, vote their Shares in favor of the adoption and approval
of the Merger Agreement. |
The following are some of the questions you, as a stockholder
of Barrier, may have and our answers to those questions. We urge
you to read carefully this entire Offer to Purchase and the
other documents to which this Offer to Purchase refers to fully
understand the Offer, the Merger and the related
transactions.
Who is
offering to buy my shares?
Our name is Bengal Acquisition Inc. We are a Delaware
corporation and a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of Xxxxxxx
Laboratories, Inc., a Delaware corporation. Unless the context
indicates otherwise, we will use the terms
“us,” “we,”
“our” and “Purchaser” in this
Offer to Purchase to refer to Bengal Acquisition Inc. and
“Parent” to refer to Xxxxxxx Laboratories, Inc.
Purchaser was formed for the purpose of entering into a
transaction with, and acquiring control of, Barrier.
Parent is a privately held Delaware corporation, which was
originally incorporated in New York in 1944. Parent is the
world’s largest independent pharmaceutical company
specializing in dermatology. Parent develops, manufactures and
markets a variety of prescription and non-prescription
dermatological products.
We will use the term “Barrier” or the
“Company” to refer to Barrier Therapeutics,
Inc. See “The Offer — Section 9. Certain
Information Concerning Purchaser and Parent.”
i
What
securities are you offering to purchase?
We are offering to purchase all of the outstanding shares of
common stock, par value $0.0001 per Share, of Barrier. Unless
the context requires otherwise, we refer to each share of common
stock of Barrier as a “share” or
“Share”. See “Introduction.”
How much
are you offering to pay for my shares and what is the form of
payment?
We are offering to pay $4.15 per Share (the “Offer
Price”) net to the seller in cash, without interest
thereon, less (i) any dividends or other distributions
declared thereon between June 23, 2008 and the Acceptance
Time and (ii) any applicable federal
back-up
withholding or other taxes payable by such seller, if any. We
use the term “Acceptance Time” to refer to such
time when the Purchaser initially accepts for payment any
validly tendered and not properly withdrawn Shares pursuant to
the Offer. See “Introduction” and “The
Offer — Section 1. Terms of the Offer.”
Will I
have to pay any fees or commissions?
If you are the record owner of your Shares and you tender your
Shares to us in the Offer, you will not have to pay brokerage
fees or similar expenses. If you own your Shares through a
broker, dealer, bank, trust company or other nominee, and your
nominee tenders your Shares on your behalf, your nominee may
charge you a fee for doing so. You should consult your broker,
dealer, bank, trust company or other nominee to determine
whether any charges will apply. See “The
Offer — Section 3. Procedures for Tendering
Shares.”
Do you
have the financial resources to pay for the shares in the Offer
and to otherwise complete the acquisition of Barrier as
contemplated by the Merger Agreement?
We estimate that we will need up to approximately $150,000,000
in the aggregate (i) to purchase Shares tendered pursuant
to the Offer, (ii) to purchase Shares converted in the
Merger, (iii) to cash out all options to purchase Shares
cancelled in the Merger and (iv) pay certain expenses
related to the Offer and the Merger. Purchaser will obtain
sufficient funds to consummate the purchase of Shares in the
Offer and the Merger and other transactions described above by
means of a capital contribution from Parent. As of the date of
this Offer to Purchase, Parent has sufficient cash on hand to
consummate the transactions described above. Consummation of the
Offer is not subject to any financing conditions. See
“The Offer — Section 12. Source and
Amount of Funds.”
Is your
financial condition relevant to my decision to tender my Shares
in the Offer?
We do not think our financial condition is relevant to your
decision whether to tender your Shares and accept the Offer
because:
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the Offer is being made for all outstanding Shares solely for
cash;
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the Offer is not subject to any financing condition;
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if we consummate the Offer, we expect to acquire any Shares not
tendered in the Offer for the same cash price in the Merger,
which also will not be subject to any financing
condition; and
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we, through Parent, will have sufficient funds available to
purchase all Shares validly tendered and not properly withdrawn
prior to the expiration of the Offer, to purchase Shares
converted in the Merger, to cash out all options to purchase
Shares cancelled in the Merger and pay certain expenses related
to the Offer and the Merger.
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See “The Offer — Section 12. Source and
Amount of Funds.”
What are
the most significant conditions to the Offer?
The Offer is conditioned upon, among other things:
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there being validly tendered and not properly withdrawn prior to
the expiration of the Offer that number of Shares which
represents at least a majority of the total number of all
outstanding securities entitled generally
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to vote in the election of directors of Barrier on a fully
diluted basis, after giving effect to the exercise or conversion
of all vested options, rights and securities exercisable or
convertible into such voting securities (the “Minimum
Tender Condition”); and
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the waiting period applicable to the consummation of the Offer
under the
Xxxx-Xxxxx-Xxxxxx
Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended (the “HSR
Act”) shall have expired or been terminated.
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The Offer is also subject to other conditions. We are not
obligated to purchase any validly tendered Shares until all
conditions to the Offer are satisfied or waived. See
“The Offer — Section 13. Conditions of
the Offer.”
Is there
an agreement governing the Offer?
Yes. Barrier, Parent and Purchaser have entered into an
Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of June 23, 2008,
which we refer to as the “Merger Agreement”.
The Merger Agreement provides, among other things, for the terms
and conditions of the Offer and the merger of Purchaser with and
into Barrier, which we refer to as the
“Merger”. See “The Offer —
Section 11. Purpose of the Offer and Plans for Barrier;
Merger Agreement and Other Matters.”
What is
the purpose of the Offer?
We are making the Offer in order to obtain control of, and
acquire the entire equity of, Barrier. Pursuant to the Merger
Agreement, we are required to commence the Offer as the first
step in our plan to acquire all of the outstanding Shares of
Barrier. After the completion of the Offer and the satisfaction
or waiver of certain conditions, we will be merged with and into
Barrier and Barrier will be the surviving corporation and will
become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent. Holders of shares
not tendered in the Offer will be entitled to receive $4.15 per
Share net in cash without interest thereon, less (i) any
dividends or other distributions declared thereon between
June 23, 2008 and the Acceptance Time and (ii) any
applicable federal
back-up
withholding or other taxes payable by such holder, if any. See
“The Offer — Section 10. Background of
the Offer; Contacts with Xxxxxxx” and “The
Tender Offer — Section 11. Purpose of the Offer
and Plans for Barrier; Merger Agreement and Other
Matters.”
What does
the board of directors of Xxxxxxx recommend?
The board of directors of Xxxxxxx recommends that
stockholders accept the Offer, tender their Shares to Purchaser
pursuant to the Offer and, if required by law to consummate the
Merger, vote their Shares in favor of adoption and approval of
the Merger Agreement.
How long
do I have to decide whether to tender into the Offer?
You will have until at least 12:00 midnight, New York City time,
on August 4, 2008 to tender your Shares in the Offer unless
the Offer is extended. If you cannot deliver everything that is
required in order to make a valid tender by that time, you may
be able to use a guaranteed delivery procedure, which is
described in “The Offer — Section 3.
Procedures for Tendering Shares.”
Can the
Offer be extended and under what circumstances?
Yes. We have agreed in the Merger Agreement that, if any of the
conditions to the Offer have not been satisfied or waived by the
Expiration Date, either we or Barrier may extend the expiration
date of the Offer beyond August 4, 2008 until the
satisfaction or waiver of these conditions. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, either Parent or Barrier may terminate the Merger
Agreement at any time after September 21, 2008 (or, under
certain circumstances, December 20, 2008); provided that a
party who is the principal cause of the conditions of the Offer
not being satisfied or the Shares not having been accepted for
payment will not be able to exercise this termination right.
We have agreed in the Merger Agreement that if, at the scheduled
Expiration Date the conditions to the Offer have been satisfied
or waived, but the number of Shares that have been validly
tendered and not properly withdrawn, when added to the Shares
beneficially owned by Parent (if any) represents less than 90%
of the then-issued and outstanding Shares on a fully diluted
basis, then we may extend the Expiration Date (if permitted
under applicable law) for up to two periods, each for up to five
(5) business days.
iii
If permitted under applicable law, (i) we also may elect to
provide one or more subsequent offering periods for the Offer
and (ii) if requested by Xxxxxxx, we will make available a
subsequent offering period of not less than 10 business days. A
subsequent offering period, if included, will be an additional
period of time beginning after we have purchased Shares tendered
during the Offer, during which time any remaining stockholders
may tender, but not withdraw, their Shares and receive the Offer
Price. We currently do not intend to include a subsequent
offering period, although we reserve the right to do so. See
“The Offer — Section 1. Terms of the
Offer.”
How will
I be notified if the Offer is extended?
If we decide to extend the Offer, we will inform the Depositary
of that fact and will make a public announcement of the
extension, no later than 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on
the next business day after the date the Offer was scheduled to
expire. See “The Offer — Section 1. Terms
of the Offer.”
How do I
tender my Shares?
To tender your Shares, you must deliver the certificates
representing your Shares, together with a completed Letter of
Transmittal and any other required documents, to American Stock
Transfer & Trust Company, the Depositary, and
such materials must be received by the Depositary before the
Offer expires. If your shares are held in street name by your
broker, dealer, bank, trust company or other nominee, you should
contact your nominee and give instructions that your Shares be
tendered. If you are unable to deliver any required document or
instrument to the Depositary by the expiration of the Offer, you
may be able to obtain three additional trading days to tender
your Shares using the enclosed Notice of Guaranteed Delivery.
See “The Offer — Section 3. Procedures
for Tendering Shares.”
If I
accept the Offer, when will I get paid?
If the conditions are satisfied and we consummate the Offer and
accept for payment your validly tendered Shares, you will
receive a check in an amount equal to the number of Shares you
tendered multiplied by the Offer Price of $4.15, without
interest thereon, less (i) any dividends or other
distributions declared thereon between June 23, 2008 and
the Acceptance Time and (ii) any applicable federal
back-up
withholding or other taxes payable by you, if any. We will
accept for payment, and will pay for, all Shares validly
tendered and not properly withdrawn at the Expiration Date as
promptly as practicable after the Expiration Date and in any
event in compliance with applicable law. See “The
Offer — Section 3. Procedures for Tendering
Shares.”
In all cases, we will pay for Shares tendered and accepted for
payment pursuant to the Offer only after timely receipt by the
Depositary of (i) certificates representing such Shares or
confirmation of the book-entry transfer of such Shares into the
Depositary’s account at The Depository Trust Company
(“DTC”) pursuant to the procedures set forth in
“The Offer — Section 3.
Procedures for Tendering Shares,” (ii) a Letter of
Transmittal (or a manually executed facsimile thereof), properly
completed and duly executed, with any required signature
guarantees or, in the case of a book-entry transfer, an
Agent’s Message (as defined in “The Offer
— Section 3. Procedures for Tendering
Shares” below) in lieu of the Letter of Transmittal and
(iii) any other documents required by the Letter of
Transmittal. See “The Offer —
Section 3. Procedures for Tendering Shares.”
Accordingly, tendering stockholders may be paid at different
times depending upon when share certificates are actually
received by the Depositary or book-entry confirmations with
respect to Shares are actually received by DTC and when the
Letter of Transmittal and other required materials, properly
executed and completed, as applicable, are received by the
Depositary.
May I
withdraw my previously tendered shares?
You have the right to, and can, withdraw Shares that you
previously tendered at any time until the Offer has expired and,
if we have not by September 8, 2008 agreed to accept your
Shares for payment, you can withdraw them at any time after such
time until we accept your Shares for payment. You may not,
however, withdraw Shares tendered in this Offer during any
subsequent offering period.
iv
To withdraw previously tendered Shares, you must deliver a
written, telegraphic or facsimile withdrawal notice to the
Depositary at one of its addresses set forth on the back cover
to this Offer to Purchase, prior to the Expiration Date. If you
tendered your Shares by giving instructions to your broker,
dealer, bank, trust company or other nominee, you must instruct
your broker, dealer, bank, trust company or other nominee to
arrange for the withdrawal of your Shares. See “The
Offer — Section 3. Procedures for Tendering
Shares” and “The Offer —
Section 4. Withdrawal Rights.”
How will
my options to purchase Shares be treated in the Offer?
If you hold options to purchase Shares issued by Barrier, your
options will, without any action on your part, become fully
exercisable and vested immediately prior to the effective time
of the Merger (the “Effective Time”).
At the Effective Time each option to purchase Shares
then-outstanding will be canceled and each holder thereof will
receive, within five (5) business days following the
Effective Time from Barrier an amount in cash equal to the
product of (x) the excess, if any, of the Merger
Consideration (which shall be equal to $4.15 per Share in cash,
without interest thereon, less (i) any dividends or other
distributions declared thereon between June 23, 2008 and
the Effective Time and (ii) any applicable federal
back-up
withholding or other taxes payable by such holder, if any), over
the exercise price per Share of such option multiplied by
(y) the number of Shares subject to such option to purchase
Shares (with the aggregate amount of such payment rounded up to
the nearest whole cent). See “The
Offer— Section 11. Purpose of the Offer and Plans
for Barrier; Merger Agreement and Other Matters.”
How will
my Restricted Shares be treated in the offer?
If you hold restricted Shares (the “Restricted
Shares”), you may tender your Restricted Shares prior
to the expiration of the Offer. Immediately prior to the
Acceptance Time, all Restricted Shares then-outstanding will
fully vest and all restrictions thereon will lapse. See
“The Offer — Section 11. Purpose of the
Offer and Plans for Barrier; Merger Agreement and Other
Matters.”
Has any
stockholder previously agreed to tender Shares in the
Offer?
Xxxxxxx has advised us that, to its knowledge, each director and
executive officer of Barrier intends to tender his or her Shares
in the Offer.
In connection with the execution of the Merger Agreement, Parent
entered into tender and support agreements (each a
“Stockholder Support Agreement” and,
collectively, the “Stockholder Support
Agreements”) with Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxx, Ph.D. and
JPMP Capital Corp. and its affiliates, pursuant to which, as of
June 23, 2008, such stockholders have agreed, among other
things, to (a) tender, within ten (10) business days
from the date hereof, all Shares beneficially owned by them
(whether currently held or later acquired) in the Offer and not
to withdraw such Shares unless the Offer is or the Stockholder
Support Agreement is terminated and (b) vote such Shares
(i) in favor of approval of the Merger Agreement and each
of the transactions contemplated thereby, (ii) against any
action or agreement submitted for approval of the stockholders
of Barrier that Parent has notified such stockholders in advance
that such proposed action is or would reasonably be expected to
result in any of the conditions to the obligations of Barrier
under the Merger Agreement not being fulfilled or would result
in a breach of any covenant, representation or warranty or any
other obligation or agreement of Barrier contained in the Merger
Agreement or of the stockholders party to the Stockholder
Support Agreements contained in such Stockholder Support
Agreements, respectively, (iii) against any action,
agreement or transaction submitted for approval to the
stockholders of Barrier that would reasonably be expected to
materially impede, interfere or be inconsistent with, delay,
postpone, discourage or materially and adversely affect the
timely consummation of the Offer or the Merger, and
(iv) against any other action, agreement or transaction
submitted for approval to the stockholders of Barrier that would
constitute a competing Takeover Proposal (as defined below)
unless such Stockholder Support Agreement is otherwise
terminated. Based on information provided by Xxxxxxx in the
Merger Agreement and the stockholders who are a party to the
Stockholder Support Agreements, an aggregate of approximately
9.3% of the outstanding Shares as of June 16, 2008 are
subject to the Stockholder Support Agreements.
As used herein, the term “Takeover Proposal”
means any inquiry, proposal or offer from any person or group of
persons other than Parent, Purchaser or their affiliates
relating to any direct or indirect acquisition or purchase of a
v
business or division (or more than one of them) that in the
aggregate constitutes 15% or more of the net revenues, net
income or assets of Barrier and its subsidiaries, taken as a
whole, or 15% or more of the equity interest in Barrier (by vote
or value), any tender offer or exchange offer that if
consummated would result in any person or group of persons
beneficially owning 15% or more of the equity interest (by vote
or value) in Barrier, or any merger, reorganization,
consolidation, share exchange, business combination,
recapitalization, liquidation, dissolution or similar
transaction involving Barrier (or any subsidiary or subsidiaries
of Barrier whose business constitutes 15% or more of the net
revenues, net income or assets of Barrier and its subsidiaries,
taken as a whole).
Do you or
Parent currently own any Shares?
No.
What is
the Top-Up
Option and when could it be exercised?
Upon the recommendation of the board of directors of Barrier,
Xxxxxxx has granted us an assignable and irrevocable option (the
“Top-Up
Option”) to purchase from Barrier, at a price per Share
equal to the Offer Price, the number of newly-issued Shares (the
“Top-Up
Option Shares”) equal to the lesser of (i) the
number of Shares that, when added to the number of Shares owned
by Parent or Purchaser at the time of exercise of the
Top-Up
Option, constitutes one (1) Share more than 90% of the
Shares then-outstanding on a fully diluted basis (after giving
effect to the issuance of the
Top-Up
Option Shares) or (ii) the aggregate number of
Shares Barrier is authorized to issue under its restated
certificate of incorporation, but that are not issued and
outstanding (and are not subscribed for or otherwise committed
to be issued) at the time of exercise of the
Top-Up
Option. The
Top-Up
Option is exercisable only once, at such time as the Purchaser
owns at least 80% of the Shares then outstanding. To exercise
the Top-Up
Option, the Purchaser or Parent must give notice of their
election to exercise the
Top-Up
Option prior to the tenth (10) business day after the later
of the expiration of the Offer or any subsequent offering. The
purchase price may be paid by Parent or Purchaser, at its
election, either entirely in cash or by executing and delivering
to Barrier a promissory note having a principal amount equal to
the purchase price. Any such promissory note will bear interest
at the rate of 3% per annum, and will mature not later than the
fifth anniversary of the date of execution and delivery of such
promissory note and may be prepaid without premium or penalty.
Parent or Purchaser may exercise the
Top-Up
Option, in whole or in part, at any time at or after the
Acceptance Time and prior to the earlier of (x) the
Effective Time and (y) the termination of the Merger
Agreement, provided, however, that the
Top-Up
Option is not exercisable unless, immediately after the exercise
of the
Top-Up
Option and the issuance of Shares pursuant thereto, Parent and
Purchaser will collectively hold at least 90% of the Shares then
outstanding (assuming the issuance of Shares pursuant to the
Top-Up
Option). The obligation of Barrier to issue Shares in connection
with the exercise of the
Top-Up
Option is subject to the conditions that (a) no provision
of any applicable law and no judgment, injunction, order or
decree shall prohibit the exercise of the
Top-Up
Option or the delivery of the Shares in respect of such
exercise; (b) the issuance of Shares pursuant to the
Top-Up
Option would not require approval of Barrier’s stockholders
under applicable law or regulation (including, without
limitation, the NASDAQ Stock Market, LLC
(“NASDAQ”) rules and regulations, including
Rule 4350); and (c) Parent or Purchaser has accepted
for payment and paid for all Shares validly tendered and not
withdrawn in the Offer. The
Top-Up
Option is intended to expedite the timing of the completion of
the Merger by permitting us to effect a “short-form”
merger pursuant to applicable Delaware law at a time when the
approval of the Merger at a meeting of Xxxxxxx’s
stockholders would be assured because our ownership would
represent at least a majority of the voting power of all Shares
entitled to vote at such a meeting and required to consummate
the Merger. See “The Offer — Section 11.
Purpose of the Offer and Plans for Barrier; Merger Agreement and
Other Matters.”
Will the
Offer be followed by a merger if all of the Shares are not
tendered in the Offer?
Yes. If we accept for payment and pay for at least a majority of
the total number of all outstanding securities entitled
generally to vote in the election of directors of Barrier on a
fully diluted basis, after giving effect to the exercise or
conversion of all vested options, rights and securities
exercisable or convertible into such voting securities, we
expect to effect the Merger. If that Merger takes place, all
remaining stockholders of Barrier (other than Parent, Purchaser,
Barrier with respect to Excluded Shares and stockholders
properly exercising their appraisal rights) will receive $4.15
per Share net in cash without interest thereon, less
(i) any dividends or other distributions
vi
declared thereon between June 23, 2008 and the Acceptance
Time and (ii) any applicable federal
back-up
withholding or other taxes payable by such holder, if any, and
Barrier will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent. See
“The Offer — Section 7. Possible Effects
of the Offer on the Market for the Shares; NASDAQ Listing;
Securities Exchange Act Registration and Margin
Regulations.”
If I do
not tender but the Offer is successful, what will happen to my
Shares?
If the Offer is successful, we will own a majority of the voting
power of all Shares entitled to vote at a meeting of
Xxxxxxx’s stockholders and we will be able to acquire the
remainder of the Shares in the Merger, subject to the terms and
conditions of the Merger Agreement. If the Merger described
above takes place, stockholders not tendering in the Offer who
do not properly exercise appraisal rights will receive the same
amount of cash per Share that they would have received had they
tendered their Shares in the Offer. Therefore, if the Merger
takes place, the only differences to you between tendering and
not tendering your Shares in the Offer are that if you tender
your Shares (i) you will be paid earlier and (ii) you
will not be able to exercise appraisal rights with respect to
your Shares. If, after the purchase of Shares pursuant to the
Offer, any subsequent offering period and any exercise of the
Top-Up
Option, we own at least 90% of the outstanding Shares on a fully
diluted basis, then, once the other conditions to completion of
the Merger are satisfied or waived, we may then merge into
Barrier in a “short-form” merger pursuant to
applicable Delaware law, which will not require a vote of
Xxxxxxx’s stockholders. If we do not acquire a sufficient
number of Shares to allow for a “short-form” merger,
Barrier will call a special meeting of stockholders to consider
the adoption of the Merger Agreement and Purchaser and Parent
will vote all Shares acquired in the Offer (or otherwise
beneficially owned by them or any of their respective
subsidiaries as of the applicable record date which will
constitute at least a majority of the voting power of all Shares
entitled to vote at such a meeting and required to consummate
the Merger) in favor of the adoption of the Merger Agreement.
See “The Offer — Section 7. Possible
Effects of the Offer on the Market for the Shares; NASDAQ
Listing; Securities Exchange Act Registration and Margin
Regulations” and “The Offer —
Section 12. Source and Amount of Funds.”
If a
majority of Shares are tendered, will Barrier continue as a
public company?
Upon consummation of the Merger, Barrier will no longer be
publicly owned. In addition, prior to the consummation of the
Merger, if we purchase Shares in the Offer, there may be so few
remaining stockholders and publicly held Shares that the Shares
may no longer be eligible to be traded through the NASDAQ Global
Market or any other securities market. If that occurs, there may
not be an active or liquid public trading market (or, possibly,
any public trading market) for the Shares held by the
non-tendering stockholders and Barrier may no longer be required
to make filings with the SEC or otherwise comply with the SEC
rules and NASDAQ rules relating to publicly held companies. In
addition, it is possible that, following the Offer, the Shares
might no longer constitute “margin securities” for
purposes of the margin regulations of the Federal Reserve Board,
in which case your Shares may no longer be used as collateral
for loans made by brokers. See “The Offer —
Section 7. Possible Effects of the Offer on the Market for
the Shares; NASDAQ Listing; Securities Exchange Act Registration
and Margin Regulations.”
Will
there be a change in the board of directors of Barrier following
the Offer?
Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, upon the Acceptance
Time, Parent will be entitled to designate for appointment to
the board of directors of Barrier a pro rata number of directors
based upon the percentage that the Shares owned by Parent and
its affiliates bears to the total number of Shares
then-outstanding (including Shares accepted for payment in the
Offer) subject to the requirement that a minimum of two
“independent” members of the current board of
directors of Barrier remain in office until the consummation of
the Merger. Xxxxxxx has informed Xxxxxxxxx and Parent that the
board of directors of Barrier has designated Xxxxx Xxxxxxx and
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxx to serve as Independent Directors.
Are
appraisal rights available in connection with the
Offer?
No. Appraisal rights are not available in connection with the
Offer. However, after the Offer, if the Merger takes place,
under Delaware law, Barrier stockholders who (i) have not
voted in favor of the adoption of the Merger Agreement or the
Merger or otherwise consented in writing thereto; (ii) have
submitted a timely demand for
vii
appraisal; (iii) continue to hold their Shares through the
Effective Time; (iv) otherwise comply with the applicable
statutory procedures to be entitled to demand appraisal rights
under Delaware law; and (v) have properly demanded
appraisal rights with respect to the Merger and have not
otherwise withdrawn or lost their rights to demand appraisal
rights under Section 262 of the Delaware General
Corporation Law, may have the fair value of their Shares
determined by a Delaware court (exclusive of any element of
value arising from the accomplishment or expectation of the
Merger). To exercise appraisal rights, you, as a Barrier
stockholder, must strictly comply with all of the applicable
requirements of Delaware law.
There are several potential risks with seeking appraisal rights.
First, in order to seek appraisal rights, you must hold Shares
as of the Merger and not have previously tendered those Shares
in the Offer or voted in favor of the Merger or otherwise
consented to the Merger in writing. If an insufficient number of
Shares are tendered in the Offer after a certain number of
extensions of the Offer period, then Purchaser will have the
right to terminate the Merger Agreement and the transactions
contemplated thereby, in which case holders of Shares will not
receive appraisal rights.
Second, the fair value of the Shares determined in the appraisal
process could be more or less than the price per Share to be
paid in the Offer and the Merger. Any judicial determination of
the fair value of Shares could be based upon factors other than,
or in addition to, the price per Share to be paid in the Offer
and the Merger or the market value of the Shares. There is a
risk, therefore, that a holder of Shares seeking appraisal
rights will receive less than the consideration received by the
holders of Shares tendering in the Offer.
Finally, stockholders exercising their appraisal rights will
receive the fair value of their Shares later than they would
receive the Offer consideration if they had tendered such shares
in the Offer. Purchaser will pay for all Shares validly tendered
and not properly withdrawn prior to the expiration of the Offer
promptly after completion of the Offer. Stockholders exercising
appraisal rights will not receive the fair value of their Shares
until after the completion of the Merger and after a judicial
hearing to determine the fair value of the Shares, which could
occur significantly after the completion of the Offer.
For more information, see “The Offer —
Section 15. Certain Regulatory and Legal Matters.”
What are
the material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the
Offer?
The receipt of cash by you in exchange for your Shares pursuant
to the Offer or the Merger is a taxable transaction for
U.S. federal income tax purposes and may also be a taxable
transaction under applicable state, local or foreign tax laws.
In general, you will recognize, for U.S. federal income tax
purposes, gain or loss equal to the difference between your
adjusted tax basis in the Shares surrendered and the amount of
cash you receive for those Shares. You are strongly urged to
consult your tax advisor on the tax implications of tendering
your Shares in the Offer or receiving cash in exchange for your
Shares in the Merger. See “The Offer —
Section 5. Certain Material United States Federal Income
Tax Consequences of the Offer and the Merger.”
What is
the market value of my Shares as of a recent date?
On June 20, 2008, the last trading day prior to the public
announcement of the execution of the Merger Agreement, the last
reported sales price of the Shares reported on the NASDAQ Global
Market was $1.76 per Share. On July 7, 2008, the most
recent practicable date prior to the commencement of the Offer,
the closing price of the Shares reported on the NASDAQ Global
Market was $4.11 per Share. You should obtain a recent quotation
for the Shares before deciding whether or not to tender. See
“The Offer — Section 6. Price Range of
Shares; Dividends.”
Whom can
I call with questions about the Offer?
You can call Mellon Investor Services LLC, our information agent
for the Offer, toll-free at
(000) 000-0000,
or collect at
(000) 000-0000.
See the back cover of this Offer to Purchase for additional
information on how to contact our information agent.
viii
To the Holders of Shares of Barrier Therapeutics, Inc.:
INTRODUCTION
We, Bengal Acquisition Inc., a Delaware corporation
(“Purchaser”) and a direct wholly-owned
subsidiary of Xxxxxxx Laboratories, Inc., a Delaware corporation
(“Parent”), are offering to purchase all
outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share
(“Shares”), of Barrier Therapeutics, Inc., a
Delaware corporation (“Barrier”), at a price of
$4.15 per Share, net to the seller in cash (the “Offer
Price”), without interest thereon, less (i) any
dividends or other distributions declared thereon between
June 23, 2008 and such time as the initial acceptance for
payment by Purchaser of any validly tendered and not properly
withdrawn Shares pursuant to the Offer (as defined below) (the
“Acceptance Time”) and (ii) any applicable
federal
back-up
withholding or other taxes payable by such seller, if any, upon
the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Offer
to Purchase and in the related Letter of Transmittal (which,
together with any amendments or supplements thereto,
collectively constitute the “Offer”). We,
Xxxxxx and Xxxxxxx have entered into an Agreement and Plan of
Merger, dated as of June 23, 2008 (the “Merger
Agreement”), pursuant to which, after the completion of
the Offer and the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions,
we will be merged with and into Barrier and Barrier will be the
surviving corporation (the “Merger”).
The Offer is not subject to any financing condition. The
Offer is conditioned upon, among other things, (a) there
being validly tendered and not withdrawn prior to the expiration
of the Offer that number of Shares which represents at least a
majority of the total number of all outstanding securities
entitled generally to vote in the election of directors of
Barrier on a fully diluted basis, after giving effect to the
exercise or conversion of all vested options, rights and
securities exercisable or convertible into such voting
securities (the “Minimum Tender Condition”) and
(b) the waiting period applicable to the consummation of
the Offer under the
Xxxx-Xxxxx-Xxxxxx
Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended (the “HSR
Act”) shall have expired or been terminated. The Offer
is also subject to certain other conditions. See “The
Offer — Section 13. Conditions of the
Offer.”
The Offer will expire at 12:00 midnight, New York City time,
on August 4, 2008, or any later time to which, subject to
the terms of the Merger Agreement, the period of time during
which the Offer is open is extended. The term
“Expiration Date” means 12:00 midnight, New
York City time, on August 4, 2008, or any later time to
which, subject to the terms of the Merger Agreement, the period
of time during which the Offer is open is extended, in which
event the term “Expiration Date” means the
latest time and date at which the Offer, so extended, expires.
The board of directors of Barrier duly (i) determined that
it is in the best interests of Barrier and its stockholders, and
declared it advisable, to enter into the Merger Agreement,
(ii) approved the execution, delivery and performance of
the Merger Agreement, including the Offer, the Merger and the
Top-Up
Option and the issuance of Shares upon the exercise of the
Top-Up
Option and the other transactions contemplated thereby, and
(iii) resolved to recommend that the stockholders of
Barrier accept the Offer, tender their Shares to Purchaser
pursuant to the Offer and, if required by law to consummate the
Merger, vote their Shares in favor of the adoption and approval
of the Merger Agreement. (such clauses, (i), (ii) and
(iii) collectively referred to herein as the
“Company Board Recommendation”) Accordingly,
the board of directors of Barrier recommends that stockholders
accept the Offer and tender their Shares to Purchaser pursuant
to the Offer.
For factors considered by the board of directors of Barrier, see
Xxxxxxx’s Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on
Schedule 14D-9
(the
“Schedule 14D-9”)
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“SEC”) in connection with the Offer, a copy of
which (without certain exhibits) is being furnished to Barrier
stockholders concurrently herewith.
On June 23, 2008, X.X. Xxxxxx Securities Inc.
(“JPMorgan”) rendered its oral opinion,
subsequently confirmed in writing, to the board of directors of
Barrier to the effect that, as of that date, the Offer Price to
be received by the holders of Shares in the Offer and the Merger
was fair, from a financial point of view, to such holders.
The full text of the written opinion of JPMorgan, dated as of
June 23, 2008, which sets forth the assumptions made,
matters considered and limits on the review undertaken by
JPMorgan in rendering its
1
opinion is attached to Xxxxxxx’s
Schedule 14D-9
as Xxxxx XX. We encourage you to read the entire opinion
carefully. JPMorgan’s written opinion was addressed to the
board of directors of Barrier, was directed only to the
fairness, from a financial point of view, of the Offer Price to
be received by holders of Shares in the Offer as of the date of
the opinion, and does not constitute a recommendation to any
Barrier stockholder as to whether to tender or how such
stockholder should vote with respect to the transaction or any
other matter . The issuance of JPMorgan’s opinion has been
approved by a fairness opinion committee of JPMorgan. This
summary of the opinion of JPMorgan set forth in this Offer to
Purchase is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full
text of the opinion.
The Offer is the first step in our plan to acquire all of the
outstanding Shares, as provided in the Merger Agreement. At the
effective time of the Merger (the “Effective
Time”), each Share issued and outstanding immediately
prior to the Effective Time (other than (i) Shares owned by
Parent, Purchaser (including Shares received in the Offer) or
Barrier (as treasury stock or otherwise) or any of their
respective directly or indirectly wholly-owned subsidiaries
(other than Shares held in a fiduciary capacity on behalf of the
third parties) and (ii) each Share outstanding immediately
prior to the Effective Time that is held by a stockholder who
(a) has not voted in favor of the adoption of the Merger
Agreement or the Merger or otherwise consented in writing
thereto; (b) has submitted a timely demand for appraisal;
(c) continues to hold their Shares through the Effective
Time; (d) otherwise complies with the applicable statutory
procedures to be entitled to demand appraisal rights under
Delaware law; and (e) has properly demanded appraisal
rights with respect to the Merger and have not otherwise
withdrawn or lost their rights to demand appraisal rights under
Section 262 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the
“DGCL”) (the “Dissenting
Shares” and, together with the Shares described in
(a) above, the “Excluded Shares”) will, by
virtue of the Merger and without action by the holder thereof,
be canceled and converted into the right to receive an amount in
cash equal to the Offer Price (the “Merger
Consideration”), without interest thereon, subject to
reduction for (x) any dividends or other distributions
declared thereon between June 23, 2008 and the Effective
Time and (y) any applicable federal
back-up
withholding or other taxes payable by such holder, if any, upon
surrender of the certificate formerly representing such Share.
The Merger Agreement is more fully described in “The
Offer — Section 11. Purpose of the Offer
and Plans for Barrier; Merger Agreement and Other
Matters.”
If, following our purchase of Shares pursuant to the Offer,
the Top-Up
Option (as defined below) or otherwise, we and our affiliates
own at least a majority of the outstanding Shares, we will be
able to effect the Merger without the affirmative vote of any
other Barrier stockholder.
If the Merger takes place, all remaining stockholders of Barrier
(other than holders of Excluded Shares) will receive $4.15 per
Share net in cash, without interest thereon, less (i) any
dividends or other distributions declared thereon between
June 23, 2008 and the Effective Time and (ii) any
applicable federal
back-up
withholding or other taxes payable by such holder, if any, and
Barrier will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent.
If, as a result of the Offer or otherwise, we own at least 90%
of the outstanding Shares on a fully diluted basis, under the
DGCL, we will be able to effect the Merger without any action or
vote on the part of the board of directors of Barrier or
stockholders of Barrier (a “short-form
merger”). Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, in the
event that, following completion of the Offer or otherwise, we
own at least 90% of the outstanding Shares on a fully diluted
basis, we will effect a short-form merger of us with and into
Barrier, without any action or vote on the part of the board of
directors of Barrier or stockholders of Barrier, in accordance
with Section 253 of the DGCL, as soon as reasonably
practicable after the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions
set forth in the Merger Agreement, and each then-outstanding
Share (other than Excluded Shares) will automatically be
converted into the right to receive the Merger Consideration,
without interest thereon, subject to reduction for (i) any
dividends or other distributions declared thereon between
June 23, 2008 and the Effective Time and (ii) any
applicable federal
back-up
withholding or other taxes payable by such holder, if any, upon
surrender of the certificate formerly representing such Share.
See “The Offer — Section 15. Certain
Regulatory and Legal Matters.”
Appraisal rights are not available in connection with the Offer.
However, after the Offer, if the Merger takes place, under
Delaware law, Barrier stockholders who (i) have not voted
in favor of the adoption of the Merger Agreement or the Merger
or otherwise consented in writing thereto; (ii) have
submitted a timely demand for appraisal; (iii) continue to
hold their Shares through the Effective Time;
(iv) otherwise comply with the applicable statutory
procedures to be entitled to demand appraisal rights under
Delaware law; and (v) have properly demanded
2
appraisal rights with respect to the Merger and have not
otherwise withdrawn or lost their rights to demand appraisal
rights under Section 262 of the DGCL may have the fair
value of their Shares determined by a Delaware court (exclusive
of any element of value arising from the accomplishment or
expectation of the Merger). To exercise appraisal rights, you,
as a Barrier stockholder, must strictly comply with all of the
applicable requirements of Delaware law. See “The
Offer — Section 15. Certain Regulatory and Legal
Matters.”
If your Shares are registered in your name and you tender
directly to the Depositary (as defined below), you will not be
obligated to pay brokerage fees or commissions or, subject to
Instruction 6 of the Letter of Transmittal, transfer taxes
on the purchase of Shares by us pursuant to the Offer. If you
hold your Shares through a broker, dealer, bank, trust company
or other nominee, you should check with your broker, dealer,
bank, trust company or other nominee as to whether it charges
any service fees. However, if you do not complete and sign the
Substitute Form W–9 that is included in the Letter of
Transmittal, or a
Form W-8BEN
or other Form W–8, as applicable, you may be subject
to a required backup federal income tax withholding of 28% of
the gross proceeds payable to you. Backup withholding is not an
additional tax and any amounts withheld under the backup
withholding rules may be refunded or credited against your
U.S. federal income tax liability. See “The
Offer — Section 5. Certain Material United States
Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Offer and the
Merger” for more information regarding the material tax
consequences of the Offer and the Merger to holders of Shares.
If you own any Shares through Barrier’s 401(k) Savings Plan
(“401(k) Plan”) and you wish to tender such Shares,
you must complete a Trustee Direction Form and deliver such form
to the trustee of the 401(k) Plan or otherwise submit your
directions to the trustee in accordance with the Trustee
Direction Form. The trustee of the 401(k) Plan will then tender
Shares, as directed, directly to the Depositary.
Purchaser will pay all fees and expenses of American Stock
Transfer & Trust Company, as depositary (the
“Depositary”), and Mellon Investor Services
LLC, as information agent (“Information
Agent”), incurred in connection with the Offer. See
“The Offer — Section 3. Procedures for
Tendering Shares.”
This Offer to Purchase and the related Letter of Transmittal
and the documents referenced herein or therein contain important
information and you should read them carefully and in their
entirety before any decision is made with respect to the
Offer.
3
THE
OFFER
Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Offer
(including, if the Offer is extended or amended, the terms and
conditions of any such extension or amendment), we will accept
for payment and pay for all Shares validly tendered and not
withdrawn on or prior to the Expiration Date in accordance with
the procedures set forth in “— Section 4.
Withdrawal Rights.”
The Offer is conditioned upon the satisfaction of the Minimum
Tender Condition and the other conditions described in
“— Section 13. Conditions of the
Offer” (collectively, the “Tender Offer
Conditions”). We may terminate the Offer without
purchasing any Shares if certain events described in
Section 13 occur.
We reserve the right, from time to time, and subject to certain
conditions, to waive any of the conditions to the Offer,
increase the Offer Price or modify the terms of the Offer.
Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, without the prior written
consent of Barrier, neither Purchaser nor Parent will
(i) decrease the Offer Price or change the form of
consideration payable in the Offer; (ii) decrease the
number of Shares sought to be purchased in the Offer;
(iii) amend or waive satisfaction of the Minimum Tender
Condition; (iv) impose conditions to the Offer in addition
to the conditions to the Offer set forth in the Merger
Agreement; (v) add to, amend or modify the conditions to
the Offer set forth in the Merger Agreement in any manner that
is adverse to the holders of the Shares; or (vi) undertake
any extension of the Offer not specifically provided for or
contemplated in the Merger Agreement.
The Offer must remain open until twenty (20) business days
following (and including the day of) the commencement of the
Offer. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, we will not terminate
or withdraw the Offer or extend the Expiration Date of the Offer
unless at the Expiration Date the Tender Offer Conditions, as
described below in “— Section 13.
Conditions of the Offer”, shall not have been satisfied
or earlier waived or, in the case of termination, such
termination is in connection with the termination of the Merger
Agreement in accordance with its terms. In addition, pursuant to
the Merger Agreement and subject to the rights of Purchaser to
terminate the Merger Agreement and the Offer, if at the
Expiration Date the conditions to the Offer are not satisfied or
waived, either Barrier or Parent may cause us to, for one
(1) or more consecutive increments of not more than five
(5) business days, extend the Expiration Date until the
date such conditions are satisfied or waived and we become
obligated to accept for payment and pay for Shares validly
tendered pursuant to the Offer. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
Parent may cause us, without the consent of Barrier, to extend
the Expiration Date (i) for any period required by
applicable rules, interpretations and regulations of the SEC in
connection with the Offer and (ii) for up to two
(2) periods, each period for up to five (5) business
days, if upon the Expiration Date the Tender Offer Conditions
have been satisfied but the number of Shares tendered and not
withdrawn, when added to the Shares, if any, beneficially owned
by Parent (including shares subject to Stockholder Support
Agreements), represents less than 90% of the then issued and
outstanding Shares, on a fully diluted basis. Further, we may,
in our sole discretion, elect to provide a subsequent offering
period for the Offer in accordance with
Rule 14d-11
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange
Act”) and, in addition, if requested by Barrier, we
shall make available a subsequent offering period for the Offer
of not less than ten (10) business days. We will accept for
payment and pay for all Shares validly tendered and not
withdrawn pursuant to the Offer as promptly as practicable after
the applicable Expiration Date of the Offer (as it may be
extended) and in any event in compliance with
Rule 14e-1(c)
under the Exchange Act. If we elect to include a subsequent
offering period, we will notify stockholders of Barrier
consistent with the requirements of the SEC, unless the Offer
has been terminated in accordance with its terms. During any
extension of the initial offering period, all Shares previously
tendered and not withdrawn will remain subject to the Offer and
subject to withdrawal rights. See
“— Section 4. Withdrawal
Rights.” You have the right to, and can, withdraw
Shares that you previously tendered at any time until the Offer
has expired and, if we have not by September 8, 2008 agreed
to accept your Shares for payment, you can withdraw them at any
time after such time until we accept your Shares for payment.
You may not, however, withdraw Shares tendered in this Offer
during any subsequent offering period
We do not currently intend to provide a subsequent offering
period in the Offer, although we reserve the right to do so. If
we elect to include or extend any subsequent offering period, we
will make a public announcement of such inclusion or extension
no later than 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on the next
business day following the Expiration Date or date of
termination of any prior subsequent offering period.
4
If we extend the Offer or are delayed in our acceptance for
payment of or payment (whether before or after our acceptance
for payment of Shares) for Shares, or are unable to pay for
Shares pursuant to the Offer for any reason, then, without
prejudice to our rights under the Offer, the Depositary may
retain tendered Shares on our behalf, and such Shares may not be
withdrawn except to the extent tendering stockholders are
entitled to withdrawal rights as described in
“— Section 4. Withdrawal
Rights.” However, our ability to delay payment for
Shares that we have accepted for payment is limited by
Rule 14e-1(c)
under the Exchange Act, which requires us to pay the
consideration offered or return the securities deposited by or
on behalf of stockholders promptly after the termination or
withdrawal of our Offer.
Any extension, delay, termination, waiver or amendment of the
Offer will be followed as promptly as practicable by public
announcement thereof, and such announcement in the case of an
extension will be made no later than 9:00 a.m., New York
City time, on the next business day after the previously
scheduled Expiration Date. Without limiting the manner in which
we may choose to make any public announcement, subject to
applicable law (including
Rules 14d-4(d)
and 14e-1(d)
under the Exchange Act, which require that material changes be
promptly disseminated to holders of Shares in a manner
reasonably designed to inform such holders of such change), we
currently intend to make announcements regarding the Offer by
issuing a press release.
If we make a material change in the terms of the Offer, or waive
a material condition to the Offer, we will extend the Offer and
disseminate additional tender offer materials to the extent
required by
Rules 14d-4(d)(1),
14d-6(c) and
14e-1 under
the Exchange Act. The minimum period during which an Offer must
remain open following material changes in the terms of the
Offer, other than a change in price or a change in the
percentage of securities sought or a change in any dealer’s
soliciting fee, will depend upon the facts and circumstances,
including the materiality of the changes. In contrast, a minimum
ten (10) business day period from the date of such change
is generally required to allow for adequate dissemination of new
information to stockholders in connection with a change in price
or, subject to certain limitations, a change in the percentage
of securities sought or a change in any dealer’s soliciting
fee. For purposes of the Offer, a “business
day” means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or a
day on which banking institutions in the City of New York are
authorized or permitted to be closed.
If we decide, in our sole discretion, to increase the
consideration offered in the Offer to holders of Shares and if,
at the time that notice of the increase is first published, sent
or given to holders of Shares, the Offer is scheduled to expire
at any time earlier than the expiration of a period ending on
the tenth business day from, and including, the date that such
notice is first so published, sent or given, then we will extend
the Offer until at least the expiration of ten
(10) business days from the date the notice of the increase
is first published, sent or given to holders of Shares.
If, on or before the Expiration Date, we increase the
consideration being paid for Shares accepted for payment in the
Offer, such increased consideration will be paid to all
stockholders whose Shares are purchased in the Offer, whether or
not such Shares were tendered before the announcement of the
increase in consideration.
We expressly reserve the right, in our sole discretion, subject
to the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement and the
applicable rules and regulations of the SEC, not to accept for
payment any Shares if, at the expiration of the Offer, any of
the Tender Offer Conditions have not been satisfied. Under
certain circumstances, we, Parent or Barrier may terminate the
Merger Agreement and the Offer.
Xxxxxxx has agreed to provide us with mailing labels containing
the names and addresses of all record holders of the Shares, any
available computer files containing the names and addresses of
all record and beneficial holders of the Shares and security
position listings of the Shares held in stock depositories for
the purpose of disseminating the Offer to the holders of Shares.
We will mail this Offer to Purchase and the related Letter of
Transmittal to record holders of Shares and to brokers, dealers,
commercial banks, trust companies and similar persons whose
names, or the names of whose nominees, appear on the stockholder
list or, if applicable, who are listed as participants in a
clearing agency’s security position listing, for subsequent
transmittal to beneficial owners of Shares.
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2.
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Acceptance
for Payment and Payment for Shares
|
Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Offer
(including, if the Offer is extended or amended, the terms and
conditions of any such extension or amendment) and provided the
Offer has not been terminated as described in
“— Section 1 . Terms of the
Offer,” we will accept for payment, and will pay for,
all Shares validly
5
tendered and not properly withdrawn at the Expiration Date as
promptly as practicable after the Expiration Date and in any
event in compliance with
Rule 14e-1(c)
promulgated under the Exchange Act. In addition, subject to the
terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement and the applicable
rules of the SEC, we reserve the right to delay acceptance for
payment of, or payment for, Shares, in order to comply in whole
or in part with any other applicable law. If we propose to delay
payment for Shares accepted pursuant to the Offer, and such
delay would otherwise be in contravention of
Rule 14e-1
under the Exchange Act, we expect to extend the Offer.
In all cases, we will pay for Shares tendered and accepted for
payment pursuant to the Offer only after timely receipt by the
Depositary of (i) certificates representing such Shares or
confirmation of the book-entry transfer of such Shares into the
Depositary’s account at The Depository Trust Company
(“DTC”) pursuant to the procedures set forth in
“— Section 3. Procedures for Tendering
Shares,” (ii) a Letter of Transmittal (or a
manually executed facsimile thereof), properly completed and
duly executed, with any required signature guarantees or, in the
case of a book-entry transfer, an Agent’s Message (as
defined in “— Section 3. Procedures for
Tendering Shares” below) in lieu of the Letter of
Transmittal and (iii) any other documents required by the
Letter of Transmittal. See “— Section 3.
Procedures for Tendering Shares.” Accordingly,
tendering stockholders may be paid at different times depending
upon when share certificates are actually received by the
Depositary or book-entry confirmations with respect to Shares
are actually received by DTC and when the Letter of Transmittal
and other required materials, properly executed and completed,
as applicable, are received by the Depositary.
For purposes of the Offer, we will be deemed to have accepted
for payment and thereby purchased Shares validly tendered and
not properly withdrawn if and when we give written notice to the
Depositary of our acceptance for payment of such Shares pursuant
to the Offer. We will pay for Shares accepted for payment
pursuant to the Offer by depositing the purchase price thereof
with the Depositary, which will act as your agent for purposes
of receiving payments from us and transmitting such payments to
you. Under no circumstances will we pay interest on the
consideration paid for Shares pursuant to the Offer, regardless
of any extension of the Offer or any delay in payment for
Shares.
If any tendered Shares are not accepted for payment pursuant to
the Offer for any reason, or if certificates are submitted for
more Shares than are tendered, certificates for such unpurchased
or not tendered Shares will be returned (or, in the case of
Shares tendered by book-entry transfer, such Shares will be
credited to an account maintained with DTC), without expense to
you, promptly following expiration or termination of the Offer.
If, prior to the Expiration Date, Purchaser increases the
consideration offered to holders of Shares pursuant to the
Offer, such increased consideration will be paid to holders of
all Shares that are purchased pursuant to the Offer, whether or
not such Shares were tendered prior to such increase in
consideration.
We reserve the right, subject to the provisions of the Merger
Agreement, to designate, by written notice to Barrier, another
wholly-owned direct or indirect subsidiary of Parent to be a
constituent entity in lieu of Purchaser, provided that any such
designation shall not impede or delay the consummation of the
transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement or otherwise
materially impede the rights of the Barrier stockholders under
the Merger Agreement.
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3.
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Procedures
for Tendering Shares
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Valid Tender of Shares. Except as set forth
below, to validly tender Shares pursuant to the Offer, either
(i) the Depositary must receive at one of its addresses set
forth on the back cover of this Offer to Purchase a properly
completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal (or a manually
executed facsimile thereof), with any required signature
guarantees, or an Agent’s Message (as defined below) in
connection with a book-entry delivery of Shares, and any other
documents required by the Letter of Transmittal, and either
(x) certificates representing Shares tendered must be
delivered to the Depositary or (y) such Shares must be
properly delivered pursuant to the procedures for book-entry
transfer described below and a confirmation of such delivery
received by the Depositary (which confirmation must include an
Agent’s Message if the tendering stockholder has not
delivered a Letter of Transmittal), in each case, prior to the
Expiration Date, or (ii) the tendering stockholder must
comply with the guaranteed delivery procedures set forth below.
The term “Agent’s Message” means a
message, transmitted by DTC to, and received by, the Depositary
and forming a part of a Book-Entry Confirmation (as defined
below), which states that DTC has received an express
acknowledgment from the participant in DTC tendering the Shares
which
6
are the subject of such Book-Entry Confirmation that such
participant has received and agrees to be bound by the terms of
the Letter of Transmittal and that we may enforce such agreement
against the participant.
Book-Entry Transfer. The Depositary will
establish an account with respect to the Shares at DTC for
purposes of the Offer within two business days after the date of
this Offer to Purchase. Any financial institution that is a
participant in DTC’s systems may make a book-entry transfer
of Shares by causing DTC to transfer such Shares into the
Depositary’s account in accordance with DTC’s
procedures for such transfer. However, although delivery of
Shares may be effected through book-entry transfer, either the
Letter of Transmittal (or a manually executed facsimile
thereof), properly completed and duly executed, together with
any required signature guarantees, or an Agent’s Message in
lieu of the Letter of Transmittal, and any other required
documents, must, in any case, be transmitted to and received by
the Depositary at one of its addresses set forth on the back
cover of this Offer to Purchase by the Expiration Date, or the
tendering stockholder must comply with the guaranteed delivery
procedures described below. The confirmation of a book-entry
transfer of Shares into the Depositary’s account at DTC as
described above is referred to herein as a “Book-Entry
Confirmation.”
Delivery of documents to DTC in accordance with DTC’s
procedures does not constitute delivery to the Depositary.
For Shares to be validly tendered during a subsequent offering
period, the tendering Barrier stockholder must comply with the
foregoing procedures, except that required documents and Share
certificates must be received during the subsequent offering
period.
Signature Guarantees and Stock Powers. No
signature guarantee is required on a Letter of Transmittal
(i) if the Letter of Transmittal is signed by the
registered owner(s) (which term, for purposes of this section,
includes any participant in any of DTC’s systems whose name
appears on a security position listing as the owner of the
Shares) of Shares tendered therewith and such registered owner
has not completed the box entitled “Special Payment
Instructions” or the box entitled “Special
Delivery Instructions” on the Letter of Transmittal or
(ii) if such Shares are tendered for the account of an
Eligible Institution. See Instructions 1 and 7 of the
Letter of Transmittal. In all other cases, all signatures on a
Letter of Transmittal must be guaranteed by a financial
institution (including most commercial banks, savings and loan
associations and brokerage houses) that is a member in good
standing of a recognized Medallion Program approved by the
Securities Transfer Association, Inc., including the Security
Transfer Agents Medallion Program, the New York Stock Exchange
Medallion Signature Program and the Stock Exchanges Medallion
Program (each, an “Eligible Institution”).
If the certificates for Shares are registered in the name of a
person other than the signer of the Letter of Transmittal, or if
payment is to be made or certificates for Shares not tendered or
not accepted for payment are to be returned to a person other
than the registered owner of the certificates surrendered, then
the tendered certificates must be endorsed or accompanied by
appropriate stock powers, in either case, signed exactly as the
name or names of the registered owner(s) or holder(s) appear on
the certificates, with the signatures on the certificates or
stock powers guaranteed as described above. See
Instructions 4, 5 and 6 of the Letter of Transmittal.
If certificates representing Shares are forwarded separately to
the Depositary, a properly completed and duly executed Letter of
Transmittal (or a manually executed facsimile thereof) must
accompany each delivery of certificates.
Guaranteed Delivery. If you wish to tender
your Shares pursuant to the Offer and your certificates for
Shares are not immediately available, or you cannot comply with
the procedure for book-entry transfer on a timely basis, or
cannot deliver all required documents to the Depositary prior to
the Expiration Date, you may tender such Shares by satisfying
all of the requirements set forth below:
(i) such tender is made by or through an Eligible
Institution;
(ii) a properly completed and duly executed Notice of
Guaranteed Delivery, substantially in the form provided by
Purchaser, is received by the Depositary (as provided below)
prior to the Expiration Date; and
(iii) the certificates for all tendered Shares, in proper
form for transfer (or a Book-Entry Confirmation with respect to
all such Shares), together with a properly completed and duly
executed Letter of Transmittal (or a manually executed facsimile
thereof), with any required signature guarantees (or, in the
case of a book-entry
7
transfer, an Agent’s Message in lieu of the Letter of
Transmittal), and any other required documents, are received by
the Depositary within three trading days after the date of
execution of such Notice of Guaranteed Delivery. A
“trading day” is any day on which the NASDAQ
Global Market is open for business.
The Notice of Guaranteed Delivery may be delivered by hand or
transmitted by facsimile or mail to the Depositary and must
include a guarantee by an Eligible Institution in the form set
forth in such Notice of Guaranteed Delivery.
The method of delivery of Shares, the Letter of Transmittal
and all other required documents, including delivery through
DTC, is at your election and risk. Delivery of all such
documents will be deemed made only when actually received by the
Depositary (including, in the case of a book–entry
transfer, by Book–Entry Confirmation). If such delivery is
by mail, we recommend that all such documents be sent by
properly insured registered mail with return receipt requested.
In all cases, you should allow sufficient time to ensure timely
delivery.
The tender of Shares pursuant to any one of the procedures
described above will constitute the tendering Barrier
stockholder’s acceptance of the Offer, as well as the
tendering Barrier stockholder’s representation and warranty
that the Barrier stockholder has the full power and authority to
tender and assign the Shares tendered free and clear of any
liens, as specified in the Letter of Transmittal.
Purchaser’s acceptance for payment of Shares tendered
pursuant to the Offer will constitute a binding agreement
between Purchaser and you upon the terms and subject to the
conditions of the Offer.
Backup U.S. Federal Income Tax
Withholding. See the discussion under the heading
“Backup Withholding Tax and Information
Reporting” in “— Section 5.
Certain Material United States Federal Income Tax Consequences
of the Offer and the Merger.”
Appointment as Proxy. By executing and
delivering a Letter of Transmittal as set forth above (or, in
the case of a book-entry transfer, by delivery of an
Agent’s Message in lieu of a Letter of Transmittal), unless
your Shares are properly withdrawn, you irrevocably appoint our
designees as your proxies in the manner set forth in the Letter
of Transmittal, each with full power of substitution, to the
full extent of your rights with respect to the Shares tendered
by you and accepted for payment by us and with respect to any
and all other Shares or other securities issued or issuable in
respect of such Shares. All such proxies and powers of attorney
will be considered coupled with an interest in the tendered
Shares. This appointment is effective when, and only to the
extent that, we accept for payment Shares tendered by you as
provided herein. Upon the effectiveness of such appointment, all
prior powers of attorney, proxies and consents given by you will
be revoked, and no subsequent powers of attorney, proxies and
consents may be given (and, if given or executed, will be deemed
not effective). Our designees will, with respect to the Shares
or other securities and rights for which the appointment is
effective, be empowered to exercise all of your voting and other
rights as they, in their sole discretion, may deem proper at any
annual, special, adjourned or postponed meeting of the
stockholders of Barrier, by written consent in lieu of any such
meeting or otherwise. We reserve the right to require that, in
order for Shares to be deemed validly tendered, immediately upon
our payment for such Shares we must be able to exercise full
voting, consent and other rights to the extent permitted under
applicable law with respect to such Shares and other securities,
including voting at any meeting of stockholders or executing a
written consent concerning any matter.
Determination of Validity. All questions as to
the validity, form, eligibility (including time of receipt) and
acceptance of any tender of Shares will be determined by us in
our sole and absolute discretion, which determination will be
final and binding on all parties. We reserve the absolute right
to reject any and all tenders determined by us not to be in
proper form or the acceptance for payment of or payment for
which may, in our opinion, be unlawful. We also reserve the
absolute right to waive any defect or irregularity in the tender
of any Shares of any particular stockholder whether or not
similar defects or irregularities are waived in the case of any
other stockholder. No tender of Shares will be deemed to have
been validly made until all defects and irregularities relating
thereto have been cured or waived. None of Parent, Purchaser or
any of their respective affiliates or assigns, the Depositary,
the Information Agent or any other person will be under any duty
to give notification of any defects or irregularities in tenders
or incur any liability for failure to give any such
notification. Our interpretation of the terms and conditions of
the Offer (including the Letter of Transmittal and the
Instructions thereto and any other documents related to the
Offer) will be final and binding on all parties.
8
Except as otherwise provided in this Section 4, the tender
of Shares pursuant to the Offer is irrevocable.
You have the right to, and can, withdraw Shares that you
previously tendered at any time until the Offer has expired and,
if we have not by September 8, 2008 agreed to accept your
Shares for payment, you can withdraw them at any time after such
time until we accept your Shares for payment. You may not,
however, withdraw Shares tendered in this Offer during any
subsequent offering period. If we extend the Offer, or we are
delayed in our acceptance for payment of Shares or we are unable
to purchase Shares validly tendered under the Offer for any
reason, then, without prejudice to our rights under the Offer,
the Depositary may nevertheless, on our behalf, retain tendered
Shares, and such Shares may not be withdrawn except to the
extent that you are entitled to withdrawal rights described in
this Section 4. Any such delay will be accompanied by an
extension of the Offer to the extent required by law.
For your withdrawal of Shares to be effective, the Depositary
must timely receive, at one of its addresses set forth on the
back cover of this Offer to Purchase, a written or facsimile
transmission notice of withdrawal. Any notice of withdrawal must
specify the name of the person having tendered the Shares to be
withdrawn, the number of Shares to be withdrawn and the name of
the record holder of the Shares to be withdrawn, if different
from that of the person who tendered such Shares. The
signature(s) on the notice of withdrawal must be guaranteed by
an Eligible Institution, unless such Shares have been tendered
for the account of any Eligible Institution. If Shares have been
tendered pursuant to the procedures for book-entry transfer as
set forth in “— Section 3. Procedures for
Tendering Shares,” any notice of withdrawal must
specify the name and number of the account at DTC to be credited
with the withdrawn Shares. If certificates representing the
Shares have been delivered or otherwise identified to the
Depositary, the name of the registered owner and the serial
numbers shown on such certificates must also be furnished to the
Depositary prior to the physical release of such certificates.
We will determine, in our sole discretion, all questions as to
the form and validity (including time of receipt) of any notice
of withdrawal, and our determination will be final and binding
on all parties. No withdrawal of Shares will be deemed to have
been properly made until all defects and irregularities have
been cured or waived. None of Parent, Purchaser or any of their
respective affiliates or assigns, the Depositary, the
Information Agent, or any other person will be under any duty to
give notification of any defects or irregularities in any notice
of withdrawal or incur any liability for failure to give such
notification.
Withdrawals of tenders of Shares may not be rescinded, and any
Shares properly withdrawn will be deemed not to have been
validly tendered for purposes of the Offer. However, you may
re-tender withdrawn Shares by following one of the procedures
for tendering shares described in
“— Section 3. Procedures for Tendering
Shares” at any time prior to the Expiration Date.
We do not currently intend to provide a subsequent offering
period following the Offer, although we reserve the right to do
so. In the event that we subsequently elect to provide a
subsequent offering period, no withdrawal rights will apply to
Shares tendered in the Offer during such subsequent offering
period or to Shares tendered in the Offer and accepted for
payment.
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5.
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Certain
Material United States Federal Income Tax Consequences of the
Offer and the Merger
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The following is a general discussion of certain material
U.S. federal income tax consequences to holders of Shares
upon the tender of Shares for cash pursuant to the Offer and the
exchange of Shares for cash pursuant to the Merger. This summary
is for general information only and is not tax advice. This
summary does not purport to be a comprehensive description of
all of the tax consequences that may be relevant to a decision
to dispose of Shares in the Offer or the Merger. This summary is
based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the
“Code”), Treasury regulations, administrative
rulings and court decisions, all as in effect as of the date
hereof and all of which are subject to differing interpretations
and/or
change at any time (possibly with retroactive effect). Any such
change could alter the tax consequences described herein.
This summary assumes that a holder holds Shares as capital
assets within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code
(generally, property held for investment). This discussion does
not address all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation
that may be relevant to a holder in light of its particular
circumstances, and does not address X.X. xxxxxxx
0
income tax considerations to holders of Shares subject to
special treatment under U.S. federal income tax law
(including, for example, financial institutions, dealers in
securities or currencies, traders that mark to market,
partnerships, holders liable for alternative minimum tax,
holders who hold their Shares as part of a hedge, straddle or
conversion transaction, insurance companies, tax-exempt entities
and holders who obtained their Shares by exercising options or
warrants). In addition, this summary does not discuss any
consequences to holders of options or warrants to purchase
Shares or any aspect of state, local or foreign tax law that may
be applicable to any holder of Shares, or any U.S. federal
tax considerations other than U.S. federal income tax
considerations.
If a partnership (including any entity or arrangement treated as
a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds
Shares, the tax treatment of a holder that is a partner in the
partnership generally will depend upon the status of the partner
and the activities of the partnership. Such holders should
consult their own tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of
exchanging the Shares pursuant to the Offer or pursuant to the
Merger.
The U.S. federal income tax consequences set forth below
are not intended to constitute a complete description of all tax
consequences relating to the Offer and the Merger. We urge you
to consult your own tax advisors with respect to the specific
tax consequences to you in connection with the Offer and the
Merger in light of your own particular circumstances, including
the tax consequences under state, local, foreign and other tax
laws.
U.S.
Holders
Except as otherwise set forth below, the following discussion is
limited to the U.S. federal income tax consequences
relevant to a beneficial owner of Shares that is a citizen or
resident of the United States, a domestic corporation (or any
other entity or arrangement treated as a corporation for
U.S. federal income tax purposes), and any estate or trust
whose income is subject to U.S. federal income tax,
regardless of its source (a “U.S. Holder”).
Payments
with Respect to Shares
The exchange of Shares for cash pursuant to the Offer or
pursuant to the Merger will be a taxable transaction for
U.S. federal income tax purposes, and a U.S. Holder
who receives cash for Shares pursuant to the Offer or pursuant
to the Merger will recognize gain or loss, if any, equal to the
difference between the amount of cash received (including any
cash withheld for tax purposes) and the holder’s adjusted
tax basis in the Shares. Such gain or loss will be capital gain
or loss, and will be long-term capital gain or loss if such
U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Shares is more
than one year at the time of the exchange of such holder’s
Shares for cash. Long-term capital gains recognized by an
individual holder generally are subject to tax at a lower rate
than short-term capital gains or ordinary income. There are
limitations on the deductibility of capital losses. If the
U.S. holder acquired different blocks of Shares at
different times and different prices, such holder must determine
its adjusted tax basis and holding period separately with
respect to each block of Shares.
Backup
Withholding Tax and Information Reporting
Payments made with respect to Shares exchanged for cash in the
Offer or the Merger will be subject to information reporting and
will be subject to U.S. federal backup withholding tax (at
a rate of 28%) unless the U.S. Holder (i) in the case
of backup withholding, furnishes an accurate tax identification
number or otherwise complies with applicable
U.S. information reporting or certification requirements
(typically, by completing and signing a substitute
Form W-9,
which will be included with the Letter of Transmittal to be
returned to the Depositary) or (ii) is a corporation or
other exempt recipient and, when required, demonstrates such
fact. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any
amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be
refunded or credited against a U.S. Holder’s United
States federal income tax liability, if any, provided that you
furnish the required information to the Internal Revenue Service
in a timely manner.
Non-U.S.
Holders
The following is a summary of certain U.S. federal income
tax consequences that will apply to you if you are a
Non-U.S. Holder of Shares. The term
“Non-U.S. Holder”
means a beneficial owner that is, for U.S. federal income
10
purposes, a nonresident alien individual (other than certain
former citizens or residents subject to tax as expatriates), a
foreign corporation or a foreign estate or trust.
Non-U.S. Holders should consult their own tax advisors
to determine the specific U.S. federal, state, local and
foreign tax consequences that may be relevant to them.
Payments
with respect to Shares
In general, any gain realized by a
Non-U.S. Holder
on the receipt of cash in exchange for Shares in the Offer or
pursuant to the Merger generally will be exempt from
U.S. federal income tax, unless:
(a) the gain on Shares, if any, is effectively connected
with the conduct by the Non-U.S. Holder of a trade or
business in the United States (and, if certain income tax
treaties apply, is attributable to the
Non-U.S. Holder’s
permanent establishment in the United States) (in which event
(i) the
Non-U.S. Holder
will be subject to U.S. federal income tax as described
under “U.S. Holders,” but such
Non-U.S. Holder
should provide a
Form W-8ECI
instead of a
Form W-9,
and (ii) if the
Non-U.S. Holder
is a corporation, it may be subject to branch profits tax on
such gain at a 30% rate (or such lower rate as may be specified
under an applicable income tax treaty));
(b) the
Non-U.S. Holder
is an individual who was present in the United States for
183 days or more in the taxable year and certain other
conditions are met (in which event the Non-U.S. Holder will
be subject to tax at a flat rate of 30% (or such lower rate as
may be specified under an applicable income tax treaty) on the
gain from the exchange of the Shares, which gain may be offset
by U.S. source capital losses); or
(c) Barrier is or has been a U.S. real property
holding corporation at any time within the five-year period
preceding the disposition or the
non-U.S. holder’s
holding period, whichever period is shorter, and Barrier’s
common stock has ceased to be traded on an established
securities market prior to the beginning of the calendar year in
which the sale or disposition occurs. Xxxxxxx believes that it
is not, and for the past five years has not been, a
U.S. real property holding corporation.
Backup
Withholding Tax and Information Reporting
In general, if you are a
Non-U.S. Holder
you will not be subject to backup withholding and information
reporting with respect to a payment made with respect to Shares
exchanged for cash in the Offer or the Merger if you have
provided the Depositary with an IRS
Form W-8BEN
(or a
Form W-8ECI
if your gain is effectively connected with the conduct of a
U.S. trade or business). If Shares are held through a
foreign partnership or other flow-through entity, certain
documentation requirements also apply to the partnership or
other flow-through entity. Backup withholding is not an
additional tax and any amounts withheld under the backup
withholding rules may be refunded or credited against a
Non-U.S. Holder’s
United States federal income tax liability, if any, provided
that you furnish the required information to the Internal
Revenue Service in a timely manner.
THE FOREGOING DISCUSSION DOES NOT PURPORT TO BE A COMPLETE
SUMMARY OF THE POTENTIAL TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE OFFER AND THE
MERGER. HOLDERS OF SHARES ARE STRONGLY URGED TO CONSULT
THEIR TAX ADVISORS AS TO THE SPECIFIC TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM
OF THE OFFER AND THE MERGER, INCLUDING THE APPLICABILITY AND
EFFECT OF U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, FOREIGN AND OTHER TAX
LAWS IN THEIR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES. NOTHING IN THIS
DISCUSSION IS INTENDED TO BE, OR SHOULD BE CONSTRUED AS, TAX
ADVICE.
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6.
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Price
Range of Shares; Dividends
|
As represented by Barrier in the Merger Agreement, as of
June 16, 2008, there were 35,163,367 Shares issued and
outstanding, of which 356,175 were restricted Shares, and there
were available for grant pursuant to Barrier’s equity
incentive stock plans, options to purchase
1,013,617 Shares. The Shares are currently traded on the
NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “BTRX”. The
following table shows the quarterly range of high and low sales
prices for Shares as reported on the NASDAQ Global Market as
reported in Barrier’s Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for its fiscal year ended December 31, 2007 filed with the
SEC on March 12, 2008 (the “Barrier
10-K”)
with respect
11
to periods occurring in fiscal 2006 and 2007 and as reported by
published financial sources with respect to periods occurring in
fiscal 2008:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
High
|
|
|
Low
|
|
|
Fiscal Year 2008
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Third Quarter through July 7, 2008
|
|
$
|
4.11
|
|
|
$
|
4.02
|
|
Second Quarter
|
|
|
4.05
|
|
|
|
1.63
|
|
First Quarter
|
|
|
4.13
|
|
|
|
2.44
|
|
Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fourth Quarter
|
|
$
|
6.06
|
|
|
$
|
3.32
|
|
Third Quarter
|
|
|
7.60
|
|
|
|
5.93
|
|
Second Quarter
|
|
|
7.50
|
|
|
|
5.62
|
|
First Quarter
|
|
|
8.69
|
|
|
|
5.70
|
|
Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2006
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fourth Quarter
|
|
$
|
7.85
|
|
|
$
|
5.98
|
|
Third Quarter
|
|
|
7.30
|
|
|
|
5.01
|
|
Second Quarter
|
|
|
9.93
|
|
|
|
5.25
|
|
First Quarter
|
|
|
11.34
|
|
|
|
7.40
|
|
On June 20, 2008, the last trading day prior to the date of
the public announcement of the execution of the Merger
Agreement, the last reported sale price per Share was $1.76. On
July 7 , 2008, the most recent practicable date prior to the
commencement of the Offer, the closing price of the Shares
reported on the NASDAQ Global Market was $4.11 per Share. As a
result, Barrier stockholders are urged to obtain current market
quotations.
According to the Barrier
10-K,
Baxxxxx xas never paid any cash dividends on the Shares. Under
the terms of the Merger Agreement, Barrier is not permitted to
declare or pay dividends with respect to the Shares without the
prior written consent of Purchaser. Accordingly, unless the
Merger Agreement is terminated, it is expected that Barrier will
not declare or pay any dividends. See “ —
Section 14. Dividends and Distributions.”
|
|
7.
|
Possible
Effects of the Offer on the Market for the Shares; NASDAQ
Listing; Exchange Act Registration and Margin
Regulations
|
NASDAQ Listing. Depending upon the number of
Shares purchased in the Offer, the Shares may no longer meet the
requirements for continued listing on the NASDAQ Global Market.
According to the published guidelines of the NASDAQ Stock
Market, LLC (“NASDAQ”), NASDAQ would consider
disqualifying the Shares for listing on the NASDAQ Global Market
(though not necessarily for listing on the NASDAQ Capital
Market) if, among other possible grounds, the number of publicly
held Shares falls below 750,000, the total number of beneficial
holders of round lots of Shares falls below 400, the market
value of publicly held Shares over a thirty
(30) consecutive business day period is less than
$5 million, there are fewer than two active and registered
market makers in the Shares over a ten (10) consecutive
business day period, Barrier has stockholders’ equity of
less than $10 million, or the bid price for the Shares over
a 30 consecutive business day period is less than $1.00.
Furthermore, NASDAQ would consider delisting the Shares from
NASDAQ altogether if, among other possible grounds, (a) the
number of publicly held Shares falls below 500,000, (b) the
total number of beneficial holders of round lots of Shares falls
below 300, (c) the market value of publicly held Shares
over a thirty (30) consecutive business day period is less
than $1 million, (d) there are fewer than two active
and registered market makers in the Shares over a ten
(10) consecutive business day period, (e) the bid
price for the Shares over a thirty (30) consecutive
business day period is less than $1.00, or (f) (i) Barrier
has stockholders’ equity of less than $2.5 million;
(ii) the market value of Barrier’s listed securities
is less than $35 million over a ten (10) consecutive
business day period; and (iii) Barrier’s net income
from continuing operations is less than $500,000 for the then
most recently completed fiscal year and two of the last three
then most recently completed fiscal years. Shares held by
officers or directors of Barrier, or by any beneficial owner of
more than 10% of the Shares, will not be considered as being
publicly held for this purpose. If, as a result of the purchase
of Shares pursuant to the Offer or otherwise, the Shares are
either no longer eligible for the NASDAQ Global Market or are
delisted from NASDAQ altogether, the market for Shares will be
adversely affected.
12
If NASDAQ were to delist the Shares, the market for the Shares
could be adversely affected. It is possible that the Shares
would continue to trade on another securities exchange or in the
over-the-counter
market and that price or other quotations would be reported by
that market or other sources. The extent of the public market
and the availability of quotations would depend, however, upon
factors such as the number of stockholders
and/or the
aggregate market value of the Shares remaining at such time, the
interest in maintaining a market in the Shares on the part of
securities firms, the possible termination of registration under
the Exchange Act as described below and other factors. Trading
in the Shares will cease upon consummation of the Merger if
trading has not ceased earlier as already discussed.
After completion of the Offer, Barrier will be eligible to elect
“controlled company” status pursuant to Rule 4350
of NASDAQ, which means that Barrier would be exempt from the
requirement that the board of directors of Barrier be comprised
of a majority of “independent directors” and the
related rules covering the independence of directors serving on
the Compensation Committee of the board of directors of Barrier.
The controlled company exemption does not modify the
independence requirements for Barrier’s Audit Committee. We
expect Barrier to elect “controlled company” status
following completion of the Offer. Following the purchase of the
Shares in the Offer and the satisfaction of certain conditions,
Purchaser expects to complete the Merger, following which all of
the Shares will be owned by Purchaser.
Exchange Act Registration. The Shares are
currently registered under the Exchange Act. The purchase of the
Shares pursuant to the Offer may result in the Shares becoming
eligible for deregistration under the Exchange Act. Registration
of the Shares may be terminated by Barrier upon application to
the SEC if the outstanding Shares are not listed on a national
securities exchange and if there are fewer than 300 holders of
record of Shares.
Termination of registration of the Shares under the Exchange Act
would reduce the information required to be furnished by Barrier
to its stockholders and to the SEC and would make certain
provisions of the Exchange Act (such as the short-swing profit
recovery provisions of Section 16(b), the requirement of
furnishing a proxy statement or information statement in
connection with stockholders’ meetings or actions in lieu
of a stockholders’ meeting pursuant to Section 14(a)
and 14(c) of the Exchange Act and the related requirement of
furnishing an annual report to stockholders) no longer
applicable with respect to the Shares. In addition, the ability
of “affiliates” of Barrier and persons holding
“restricted securities” of Barrier to dispose of such
securities pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act of
1933, as amended, may be impaired. If registration of the Shares
under the Exchange Act were terminated, the Shares would no
longer be eligible for continued inclusion on the Federal
Reserve Board’s list of “margin securities” or
eligible for stock exchange listing or reporting on NASDAQ. If
registration of the Shares is not terminated prior to the
Merger, then the registration of the Shares under the Exchange
Act will be terminated following completion of the Merger.
Margin Regulations. The Shares are currently
“margin securities” under the regulations of the Board
of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal
Reserve Board”), which has the effect, among other
things, of allowing brokers to extend credit using such Shares
as collateral. Depending upon factors similar to those described
above regarding listing and market quotations, following the
Offer, the Shares may no longer constitute “margin
securities” for the purposes of the margin regulations of
the Federal Reserve Board, in which event the Shares would be
ineligible as collateral for margin loans made by brokers.
|
|
8.
|
Certain
Information Concerning Barrier
|
General. According to the Barrier
10-K,
Barrier, a Delaware corporation, was incorporated in 2001 and
commenced active operations in May 2002. According to the
Barrier
10-K,
Baxxxxx’s principal executive offices are located at 000
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxx, Xxxxx 0000, Xxxxxxxxx, Xxx Xxxxxx 00000
and its telephone number is
(000) 000-0000.
According to the Barrier
10-K,
Barrier is a pharmaceutical company focused on the development
and commercialization of pharmaceutical products in the field of
dermatology. According to the Barrier
10-K,
Barrier currently markets three prescription pharmaceutical
products,
Vusion®
Ointment,
Xolegel®
2% Gel and
Solage®
Topical Solution, primarily through its specialty sales force
consisting of approximately sixty (60) sales
representatives. In addition, according to the Barrier
10-K,
Barrier has an extensive product pipeline that includes product
candidates in Phase 2 and 3 of clinical development.
13
Available Information. Barrier is subject to
the information and reporting requirements of the Exchange Act
and in accordance therewith is obligated to file periodic
reports and other information with the SEC relating to its
business, financial condition and other matters. Certain
information, as of particular dates, concerning Baxxxxx’s
business, principal physical properties, capital structure,
material pending litigation, operating results, financial
condition, directors and officers (including their remuneration
and stock options granted to them), the principal holders of
Baxxxxx’s securities, any material interests of such
persons in transactions with Baxxxxx, and other matters is
required to be disclosed in proxy statements and periodic
reports distributed to Barrier stockholders and filed with the
SEC. This Offer to Purchase “incorporates by
reference” certain information contained in such proxy
statements and periodic reports filed with the SEC. The
information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of
this Offer to Purchase, except for any information superseded by
information in this Offer to Purchase. Such reports, proxy
statements and other information should be available for
inspection at the public reference room at the SEC’s office
at 000 X Xxxxxx, XX, Xxxxxxxxxx, XX 00000. You may
also obtain copies of this information by mail from the Public
Reference Section of the SEC, 000 X Xxxxxx, X.X.,
Xxxx 0000, Xxxxxxxxxx, X.X. 00000, at prescribed
rates, or from commercial document retrieval services. Further
information on the operation of the SEC’s public reference
room in Washington, DC can be obtained by calling the SEC at
0-000-XXX-0000.
The SEC also maintains a website that contains reports, proxy
statements and other information, including those filed by
Baxxxxx, Parent and Purchaser, at
xxxx://xxx.xxx.xxx.
Sources of Information. Except as otherwise
set forth herein, the information concerning Barrier contained
in this Offer to Purchase has been based upon publicly available
documents and records on file with the SEC and other public
sources. Although we have no knowledge that any such information
contains any misstatements or omissions, none of Parent,
Purchaser or any of their respective affiliates or assigns, the
Information Agent or the Depositary assumes responsibility for
the accuracy or completeness of the information concerning
Barrier contained in such documents and records or for any
failure by Barrier to disclose events which may have occurred or
may affect the significance or accuracy of any such information
but which are unknown to Parent, Purchaser, or any of their
respective affiliates or assigns, the Information Agent or the
Depositary.
Barrier Financial Projections. During the
course of the discussions and information exchange between
Parent, Purchaser and Baxxxxx xhat led to the execution of the
Merger Agreement, Baxxxxx xrovided us with its internally
prepared financial projections for the fiscal years ending
December 31, 2008 and 2009 (collectively, the
“Barrier Financial Projections”) which is not
publicly available.
Baxxxxx xas advised us that the Barrier Financial Projections
were prepared by Barrier management as internal financial
projections which reflect projected information, a summary of
which is set forth below. The inclusion of this information
should not be regarded as an indication that we or any other
recipient of this information considered, or now considers, it
to be a reliable prediction of future results.
Baxxxxx xas advised us that the Barrier Financial Projections
were not prepared with a view toward public disclosure, and
stockholders should not unduly rely on the financial
projections. The summary of these projections is not being
included in this Offer to Purchase to influence your decision
whether to tender your shares in the Offer, but solely because
these projections were made available by Barrier to Parent and
Purchaser. Baxxxxx xas advised us that these projections were
based on numerous variables and assumptions that are inherently
uncertain and may be beyond the control of Baxxxxx’s
management. Baxxxxx xas advised us that important factors that
may affect actual results and result in the projections not
being achieved include, but are not limited to: fluctuations in
demand for the Barrier’s products; change in customer
budgets; failure of Barrier to retain, recruit and hire key
management, sales and technical personnel; inability to achieve
cost saving initiatives; the failure to adequately enable the
sales force to achieve certain sales performance objectives; and
other risks described in the Barrier’s Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for its fiscal year ended December 31, 2007 filed with the
SEC on March 12, 2008.
In addition, the projections may be affected by Baxxxxx’s
ability to achieve strategic goals, objectives and targets over
the applicable period. Baxxxxx xas advised us that these
projections are based upon assumptions that necessarily involve
judgments with respect to, among other things, future economic,
competitive and regulatory conditions and financial market
conditions, all of which are difficult or impossible to predict
accurately and many of which are beyond Baxxxxx’s control.
Baxxxxx xas advised us that the projections also reflect
assumptions as to certain business decisions that are subject to
change. Accordingly, actual results are likely to vary
significantly from those
14
set forth in these projections. In addition, Baxxxxx xas advised
us that these projections were not prepared with a view toward
compliance with published guidelines of the SEC, the guidelines
established by the American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants for preparation and presentation of financial
forecasts or generally accepted accounting principles. None of
Barrier, Parent nor Purchaser intends to make publicly available
any update or other revisions to any of the projections to
reflect circumstances existing after the date of preparation of
the projections or the occurrence of unanticipated events, even
if the projections are inaccurate. The inclusion of the summary
of these projections in this Offer to Purchase should not be
regarded as a representation by Baxxxxx, Parent, Purchaser or
any other person that projected results will be achieved.
The projected financial information does not take into account
any circumstances or events occurring after the date they were
prepared, including the announcement of the Offer and the
Merger. Further, the financial projections do not take into
account the effect of any failure to occur of the Offer or the
Merger and should not be viewed as accurate or continuing in
that context.
Baxxxxx xas advised us that the projected financial information
included in this Offer to Purchase was prepared by
Baxxxxx’s management and its independent accountants have
neither examined nor compiled the accompanying prospective
financial information and, accordingly, Baxxxxx’s
independent accountants have not expressed an opinion or any
other form of assurance with respect thereto.
For the foregoing reasons, as well as the bases and
assumptions on which the financial projections were compiled,
the inclusion of specific portions of the financial projections
in this Offer to Purchase should not be regarded as an
indication that such projections will be an accurate prediction
of future events, and they should not be relied on as such.
BARRIER
FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fiscal year ending December 31,
|
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
|
($ in millions, except per Share data)
|
|
|
Total Revenue
|
|
$
|
39.7
|
|
|
$
|
59.9
|
|
EBITDA(1)
|
|
$
|
(38.2
|
)
|
|
$
|
(19.5
|
)
|
EBIT(1)
|
|
$
|
(39.2
|
)
|
|
$
|
(20.7
|
)
|
Earnings per Share(2)
|
|
$
|
(1.06
|
)
|
|
$
|
(0.50
|
)
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
EBIT and EBITDA as provided are non-GAAP financial measures. For
these purposes EBIT means earnings before interest and taxes.
EBITDA means earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and
amortization. |
|
(2) |
|
Earnings per Share amounts were calculated assuming a weighted
average Shares outstanding of 36.262 million Shares for
2008 and 40.227 million Shares for 2009. |
Barrier’s stockholders are cautioned not to place undue
reliance on the above financial projections. These summary
internal financial projections should be read together with the
historical financial statements of Baxxxxx, which may be
obtained in the manner described above in Section 8 under
“— Available Information.”
|
|
9.
|
Certain
Information Concerning Purchaser and Parent
|
Purchaser. Our name is Bengal Acquisition Inc.
We are a Delaware corporation incorporated on June 18, 2008
and a wholly-owned direct subsidiary of Parent. We were formed
solely for the purpose of facilitating Parent’s acquisition
of Barrier. To date, we have not carried on any activities other
than those incidental to our formation and as otherwise
contemplated by the Merger Agreement. Upon consummation of the
proposed Merger, we will merge with and into Barrier and will
cease to exist, with Baxxxxx xontinuing as the surviving
corporation. Our principal executive offices are located at
c/x Xxxxxxx
Laboratories, Inc., 000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxx
00000.
Parent. Xxxxxxx Laboratories, Inc., which we
refer to as Parent, is a privately held Delaware corporation,
which was originally incorporated in New York in 1944. Parent is
the world’s largest independent pharmaceutical
15
company specializing in dermatology. Parent develops,
manufactures and markets a variety of prescription and
non-prescription dermatological products. Parent’s
principal executive offices are located at 000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx,
Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxx 00000.
Additional Information. The name, business
address, citizenship, present principal occupation and
employment history for the past five (5) years of each of
the members of the board of directors, the executive officers
and control persons of Purchaser and Parent are set forth in
Annex A. None of Purchaser, Parent or any of the persons
listed in Annex A hereto has, during the past five years,
been convicted in a criminal proceeding (excluding traffic
violations or similar misdemeanors). None of Purchaser, Parent
or any of the persons listed in Annex A hereto has, during
the past five years, been a party to any judicial or
administrative proceeding (except for matters that were
dismissed without sanction or settlement) that resulted in a
judgment, decree or final order enjoining the person from future
violations of, or prohibiting activities subject to, federal or
state securities laws, or a finding of any violation of federal
or state securities laws.
Except as set forth elsewhere in this Offer to Purchase
(including Annex A hereto), (i) none of Purchaser or,
to the knowledge of Purchaser, any of the persons or entities
listed in Annex A hereto, beneficially owns or has a right
to acquire any Shares or any other equity securities of Barrier,
and (ii) none of Purchaser or, to the knowledge of
Purchaser, any of the persons or entities referred to in
clause (i) above or any of their executive officers,
directors or subsidiaries, has effected any transaction in the
Shares or any other equity securities of Barrier during the past
sixty (60) days.
Except as set forth elsewhere in this Offer to Purchase
(including Annex A hereto), (i) neither Purchaser nor,
to the knowledge of Purchaser, any of the persons listed on
Annex A hereto, has any contract, arrangement,
understanding or relationship with any other person, including
any of Barrier’s current or former stockholders, with
respect to any securities of Barrier or with respect to the
Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby
(including the Offer and the Merger), and (ii) during the
two years prior to the date of this Offer to Purchase, there
have been no transactions that would require reporting under the
rules and regulations of the SEC between Purchaser or, to the
knowledge of Purchaser, any of the persons listed in
Annex A hereto, on the one hand, and Barrier or any of its
executive officers, directors
and/or
affiliates, on the other hand.
Except as set forth elsewhere in this Offer to Purchase, during
the two years prior to the date of this Offer to Purchase, there
have been no contracts, negotiations or transactions between
Purchaser or, to the knowledge of Purchaser, any of the persons
or entities listed in Annex A hereto, on the one hand, and
Barrier or its affiliates, on the other hand, concerning a
merger, consolidation or acquisition, a tender offer or other
acquisition of securities, an election of directors or a sale or
other transfer of a material amount of assets.
Except as set forth elsewhere in this Offer to Purchase
(including Annex A hereto) neither Purchaser nor, to the
knowledge of Purchaser, any of the persons listed on
Annex A hereto or their respective affiliates beneficially
owns any Shares.
We do not think our financial condition is relevant to
stockholders’ decision whether to tender Shares and accept
the Offer because: (i) the Offer is being made for all
outstanding Shares solely for cash; (ii) the Offer is not
subject to any financing condition; (iii) if we consummate
the Offer, we expect to acquire any Shares not tendered in the
Offer for the same cash price in the Merger, which also will not
be subject to any financing condition; and (iv) we, through
Parent, will have sufficient funds available to purchase all
Shares validly tendered and not properly withdrawn in the Offer
and to acquire the remaining outstanding Shares in the Merger.
|
|
10.
|
Background
of the Offer; Contacts with Baxxxxx
|
On April 11, 2008, Parent sent Barrier an unsolicited
letter of interest (the “Indication of
Interest”) confirming Parent’s interest in
acquiring all of the outstanding equity of Barrier and outlining
Parent’s preliminary non-binding proposal to acquire all of
the Shares at a price of $5.00 per Share, representing a premium
of 52% over $3.30, the last reported sale price of Barrier
common stock on April 10, 2008 and a premium of 52% over
the average last reported sales price of Barrier common stock
over the ninety (90) day period ended on April 10,
2008. Parent’s offer was based upon publicly available
information and was subject to the completion of customary due
diligence review by Parent of the business, financial conditions
and operations of Barrier.
16
On April 21, 2008, representatives of Baxxxxx’s
financial advisor, JPMorgan, indicated to Parent that the board
of directors of Baxxxxx xas not prepared to accept Parent’s
offer provided in the Indication of Interest, however
Parent’s offer was sufficiently attractive to allow Parent
to conduct due diligence and to warrant a meeting between the
management teams of Parent and Barrier.
On April 24, 2008, Paxxxx xnd Baxxxxx xntered into a
confidentiality and standstill agreement to facilitate the
sharing of information regarding a potential transaction, and
Baxxxxx xegan sharing confidential information with Parent as
part of Parent’s due diligence review of the business,
financial conditions and operations of Barrier.
On April 28, 2008, Paxxxx xetained Xxxxxxx Xxxx xnd
Xxxxxxxxx XLP (“Xxxxxxx Xxxx”) as its legal
counsel in connection with the proposed acquisition of Barrier.
On April 29, 2008, Baxxxxx xeleased its financial results
for the first quarter of 2008, ended March 31, 2008 (the
“2008 First Quarter Earnings”). Pursuant to the
2008 First Quarter Earnings, Baxxxxx xeported a net loss for the
first quarter of 2008 of $14 million. The last reported
sale price of Barrier common stock on April 29, 2008 was
$1.93 per Share, representing a 4% decline from the last
reported sale price on the day before the earnings announcement.
On April 30, 2008, the senior management of Parent, along
with representatives of Xxxxxxx Xxxx xnd representatives of
Parent’s financial advisor, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
(“Deutsche Bank”), met with the senior
management of Barrier and representatives of Xxxxxx,
Xxxxx & Xxxxxxx XLP (“Xxxxxx Xxxxx”),
Baxxxxx’s legal advisors, and JPMorgan at the offices of
Xxxxxx Xxxxx xn Princeton, New Jersey. At that meeting, each of
Baxxxxx’s and Paxxxx’s management teams made
presentations regarding their respective businesses and
strategies. In particular, Barrier management discussed its
strategic direction and provided an overview of the regulatory
status and plans for Barrier’s product candidates.
On May 1, 2008, Parent and Deutsche Bank executed an
engagement agreement in connection with a potential transaction
involving Baxxxxx.
Between May 2, 2008 and the execution of the Merger
Agreement, Parent and its representatives, including Xxxxxxx
Xxxx xnd Deutsche Bank, continued to conduct due diligence on
the business, financial condition and operations of Barrier. In
addition, throughout this period representatives of Parent,
including its legal counsel and financial advisors, periodically
contacted Baxxxxx xnd its representatives regarding due
diligence matters.
On May 23, 2008, the respective managements of Parent and
Baxxxxx xet via video conference to discuss Baxxxxx’s
clinical and product development programs and capabilities.
On May 29, 2008, Paxxxx xelivered to Barrier, a revised
non-binding written proposal (the “May 29
Proposal”) to acquire all of the outstanding equity of
Barrier at a price of $4.00 per Share, representing a premium of
59% over the last reported sale price of Barrier common stock on
May 28, 2008. The May 29 Proposal indicated, among other
things, that the acquisition would not be subject to financing,
that Parent had lowered its per Share offer price due to
information contained in the 2008 First Quarter Earnings release
and other information obtained by Parent during the due
diligence process. In addition, on May 29, 2008, Paxxxx
xelivered a preliminary draft of the Merger Agreement to Baxxxxx
xnd noted that Parent was prepared to negotiate the remaining
terms of the draft of the Merger Agreement on an expedited basis
and that Parent would be in a position to execute a definitive
merger agreement by June 6, 2008.
On June 4, 2008, representatives of JPMorgan contacted
representatives of Deutsche Bank and indicated that Baxxxxx xas
not prepared to move forward with discussions concerning a
possible transaction at an offer price of $4.00 per Share and
suggested that perhaps alternate deal structures should be
explored to try and bridge the gap between the parties with
respect to the valuation of the Shares.
On June 9, 2008, representatives of JPMorgan and Deutsche
Bank held a teleconference during which Deutsche Bank indicated
that Parent would consider raising its offer price to acquire
all of the equity of Barrier to $4.10 per Share.
On June 12, 2008, Paxxxx xeceived a letter from Barrier in
which Baxxxxx xndicated its disappointment in the offer price of
$4.10 per Share proposed by Parent on June 9, 2008. Baxxxxx
xtated that it believed Baxxxxx xad significantly higher
inherent value. Baxxxxx xndicated to Parent that, in the event
that Paxxxx xnd Baxxxxx xere unable
17
to quickly reach an agreement, Baxxxxx xntended to enter into an
alternative strategic transaction designed to maximize
stockholder value. Baxxxxx xtated that the offer price of $4.10
per Share offered by Paxxxx xas insufficient. In addition,
Baxxxxx xnformed Paxxxx xhat Baxxxxx xemained willing to
consider an offer by Parent of at least $4.50 per Share. Baxxxxx
xequested that Parent provide its best and final offer by
June 16, 2008.
On June 16, 2008, Paxxxx xubmitted a revised non-binding
written proposal to Barrier (the “June 16
Proposal”) providing that, subject to the satisfaction
of certain conditions specified therein, including the
completion of due diligence to Parent’s satisfaction, and
the execution of appropriate definitive documents, Parent would
be willing to pay $4.20 per Share in cash, representing a 100%
premium over $2.10, the last reported sale price of Barrier
common stock on June 13, 2008, and a premium of 74% over
the average last reported sales price of Barrier common stock
over the sixty (60) day period ended June 13, 2008. In
the June 16 Proposal, Parent outlined the key terms of its
proposal. In addition, in the June 16 Proposal, Parent set forth
its reasons for reducing its initial offer price of $5.00 per
Share, as set forth in the Indication of Interest. Among such
reasons were: (i) the fact that sales of Barrier’s
marketed products were lower than expected for the first quarter
of 2008, which impacted Parent’s long-term view of the
sales potential and value for those products; (ii) the
extreme unlikelihood that Barrier’s Rambazole product would
receive approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration;
(iii) the fact that the launch of Barrier’s
Pramiconazole product had been delayed as Barrier’s
internal development program was on hold; (iv) the fact
that Baxxxxx’s projected additional research and
development (“R&D”) expenses for Pramiconazole
were higher than expected by Parent; (v) the fact that
progress toward a solid oral dosage form of Pramiconazole was
not as far along as Parent anticipated; (vi) the fact that
the launch of Barrier’s Hivenyl product had been
significantly delayed; (vii) the fact that the R&D
expenses for Baxxxxx’s Hivenyl product were higher than
Parent expected; and (viii) the fact that, in light of
Baxxxxx’s cash position at the end of the first quarter of
2008 and Baxxxxx’s ongoing cash burn rate, Baxxxxx’s
expected cash position at the close of the proposed transaction
would be significantly lower than Parent initially expected.
Parent expressed its continued interest in consummating a
transaction with Baxxxxx xnd expressed its belief that it should
be able to complete its due diligence and be in a position to
execute a definitive merger agreement by June 20, 2008.
Parent requested that Barrier indicate an interest in moving
forward based on the terms outlined in the June 16 Proposal no
later than midnight on June 17, 2008, at which time, Parent
would extend its proposal to midnight on June 20, 2008 to
allow Parent, Purchaser and Barrier to finalize the terms of a
definitive merger agreement.
On June 18, 2008, Xxxxxxx Xxxx xeceived the initial
comments of Xxxxxx Xxxxx xo the draft Merger Agreement. In
addition, Xxxxxxx Xxxx xeceived from Xxxxxx Xxxxx x draft of
Baxxxxx’s disclosure letter to the Merger Agreement. In
addition, Parent’s representatives received
(i) additional due diligence materials, including a
preliminary estimate of $750,000 of costs relating to
Baxxxxx’s pursuit of an alternate strategic transaction,
(ii) the terms of a severance policy for employees of
Barrier that had been approved in May, 2008 by the compensation
committee of the board of directors of Barrier, but not yet
submitted to the board of directors of Barrier, and (iii) a
revised cash burn rate for Barrier over the near term.
On June 18, 2008, Purchaser was incorporated in Delaware.
On the morning of June 20, 2008, representatives of
Deutsche Bank indicated to representatives of JPMorgan that
Parent desired to include Barrier employees in its own severance
plans after the completion of the Merger and that Parent would
reduce its proposed offer price by an amount equal to any
incremental severance costs contained in Baxxxxx’s proposed
plan as well as the amount of any transaction costs in
connection with Baxxxxx’s pursuit of an alternative
strategic transaction.
On the morning of June 20, 2008, Xxxxxxx Xxxx contacted
Xxxxxx Xxxxx to discuss certain terms of the draft Merger
Agreement, including the comments provided by Xxxxxx Xxxxx on
June 18, 2008. Xxxxxxx Xxxx and Xxxxxx Xxxxx negotiated the
material terms of the Merger Agreement and the remaining open
issues, including: (i) the size of the proposed
break-up fee
and conditions for the termination of the Merger Agreement and
payment of the termination fees in connection thereto,
(ii) the severance arrangements applicable to Barrier
employees after the consummation of Merger, (iii) the
allocation of responsibility for the expenses related to
Xxxxxxx’s failed pursuit of an alternative strategic
transaction, (iv) the definition of Company Material
Adverse Effect (as defined below), (v) the “no
shop” provision, and (vi) the conditions to the Offer.
18
On June 20, 2008, Deutsche Bank received a request from
JPMorgan to provide a draft of the Merger Agreement,
substantially in final form, for consideration and approval by
the board of directors of Barrier at a meeting of the board of
directors of Barrier scheduled for 10:00 p.m. on
June 22, 2008. In addition, JPMorgan communicated to
Deutsche Bank Barrier’s interest to move forward in the
proposed transaction with Parent but with a desire that Parent
(i) increase its offer price to $4.20 per Share without
deduction for any incremental severance expenses and expenses
incurred by Barrier in connection with its pursuit of an
alternative strategic transaction, (ii) put in place a
reasonable employee retention plan so the value of
Barrier’s business would not deteriorate prior to the
consummation of the proposed transaction and (iii) reduce
the break-up
fee to 3% of the aggregate value of the Merger, including
expenses.
On the evening of June 20, 2008, Xxxxxx and Xxxxxxx entered
into an exclusivity agreement pursuant to which Xxxxxxx agreed
that until June 27, 2008 it would not, directly or
indirectly, initiate, solicit or knowingly encourage or
facilitate another proposal; participate or engage in any
discussions or negotiations with, or furnish or disclose any
non-public information relating to Barrier or any of its
subsidiaries, or otherwise cooperate with, facilitate or assist
any person in connection with another proposal; approve, endorse
or recommend another proposal, enter into any letter of intent,
agreement in principle, merger agreement, acquisition agreement,
option agreement or other similar agreement relating to another;
or resolve, propose or agree to do any of the foregoing actions.
On June 21, 2008, Xxxxxxx Xxxx sent Xxxxxx Xxxxx a revised
draft of the Merger Agreement, comments to Xxxxxxx’s
disclosure letter relating thereto and a draft of the form of
the Stockholder Support Agreement.
For the period between June 21, 2008 through June 22,
2008, the managements of Barrier and Xxxxxx and representatives
of their respective legal and financial advisors, held several
conference calls to discuss and negotiate certain human resource
matters, including retention mechanisms and severance packages
for certain Barrier employees.
From the period between June 21, 2008 and the execution of
the Merger Agreement, Xxxxxxx Xxxx and Xxxxxx Xxxxx negotiated
and finalized the terms of the Merger Agreement, and Parent and
its representatives received a revised draft of Xxxxxxx’s
disclosure letter to the Merger Agreement. In addition, during
such period, members of Parent’s and Xxxxxxx’s senior
management negotiated the substantive terms of a stay bonus
and/or
retention plan that would be implemented by Parent to retain
Barrier employees during the pendancy of the Merger.
On June 22, 2008, representatives of Deutsche Bank,
conveyed to representatives of XX Xxxxxx that Xxxxxx was
prepared to make a final purchase price offer of $4.15 per
Share. Deutsche Bank received a request from JPMorgan that
Parent increase its purchase price offer to $4.20 per Share.
Parent indicated that it was not willing to increase it’s
the offer price.
On June 22, 2008, Xxxxxx agreed to implement a retention
plan, the significant terms of which were then agreed to, funded
with an aggregate of $1,000,000 on terms to be agreed upon by
the parties within seven days after the execution of the Merger
Agreement.
On June 22, 2008, Xxxxxxx Xxxx sent Xxxxxx Xxxxx a
substantially final version of the Merger Agreement, which
included a proposed offer price of $4.15 per Share, net to the
seller in cash, without interest thereon, and the other terms
described above.
On June 23, 2008, JPMorgan communicated to Deutsche Bank
that the board of directors of Barrier at a meeting beginning on
June 22, 2008 and ending on June 23, 2008
(i) determined that the Merger Agreement and the
transactions contemplated thereby, including the Offer and the
Merger, are advisable and fair to and in the best interests of
Barrier and the stockholders of Barrier; (ii) approved and
adopted the Merger Agreement, including the Offer, the Merger,
the Top-Up
Option (as defined below) and the issuance of Shares upon
exercise thereof and the other transactions contemplated
thereby; and (iii) resolved to recommend that the
stockholders of Barrier accept the Offer, tender their Shares to
Purchaser pursuant to the Offer and, if required by law to
consummate the Merger, vote their Shares in favor of the
adoption and approval of the Merger Agreement.
On June 22, 2008, the boards of directors of Parent and
Xxxxxxxxx executed unanimous written consents approving the
Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby.
On June 23, 2008, Parent, Purchaser and Xxxxxxx executed
the Merger Agreement.
19
On June 23, 2008, each of Parent and Xxxxxxx issued a press
release announcing the execution of the Merger Agreement.
The foregoing only describes negotiations, transactions and
material contacts between Barrier, on one hand, and Parent,
Purchaser and their respective representatives on the other. For
additional information relating to Barrier, stockholders should
read Item 3 and Item 4 of the
Schedule 14D-9,
a copy of which is being furnished to stockholders with this
Offer to Purchase.
|
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11.
|
Purpose
of the Offer and Plans for Barrier; Merger Agreement and Other
Matters
|
The purpose of the Offer and the Merger is for Parent, through
Purchaser, to acquire control of, and the entire equity interest
in, Barrier. Pursuant to the Merger, Parent will acquire all of
the capital stock of Barrier not purchased pursuant to the Offer
or otherwise. If you sell your Shares in the Offer, you will
cease to have any equity interest in Barrier or any right to
participate in its earnings and future growth. If the Merger is
consummated, non-tendering stockholders also will no longer have
an equity interest in Barrier. On the other hand, after selling
your Shares in the Offer or the subsequent Merger, you will not
bear the risk of any decrease in the value of Barrier. Assuming
we purchase a number of Shares pursuant to the Offer sufficient
to satisfy the Minimum Tender Condition, Parent is entitled to
exercise its rights under the Merger Agreement to obtain pro
rata representation on, and control of, the board of directors
of Barrier, as discussed under the heading
“Directors” below.
Following the Acceptance Time, subject to the terms and
conditions of the Merger Agreement, Parent will acquire the
remaining Shares pursuant to the Merger. Additionally, Xxxxxxx
has granted us the
Top-Up
Option to purchase from Barrier, at a price per share equal to
the Offer Price the
Top-Up
Option Shares. The
Top-Up
Option is exercisable only once, at such time as we own at least
80% of the Shares then outstanding, provided, however that the
Top-Up
Option is not exercisable unless, immediately after the exercise
of the
Top-Up
Option, Parent and Purchaser will collectively hold at least
90 percent (90%) of the Shares then outstanding (assuming
the issuance of Shares pursuant to the
Top-Up
Option) and are thereby able to consummate a short-form merger
pursuant to Section 253 of the DGCL.
The Merger will terminate all existing equity interests in
Barrier, and Parent will become the sole owner of Barrier and
its business, the sole recipient of the benefits of future
growth and the sole bearer of the risks of Barrier’s
operations.
Parent is conducting a detailed review of Barrier and its
business, corporate structure, capitalization, assets, policies,
management and personnel. Parent will continue to evaluate
Barrier and its business, corporate structure, capitalization,
assets, policies, management and personnel while the Offer is
pending. In addition, Parent is evaluating various strategic
alternatives for Barrier and its operations. After the
consummation of the Offer and the Merger, Parent and Purchaser
will take such actions as they deem appropriate in light of the
circumstances which then exist. Possible changes include changes
in Barrier’s business, capitalization, corporate structure,
articles of incorporation, by-laws, dividend policy or changes
in the composition of its management, personnel or board or
directors. Neither Purchaser nor Parent has entered into any
definitive arrangements or agreements that would result in an
extraordinary corporate transaction involving Barrier or any of
its subsidiaries, such as a merger, reorganization, liquidation,
relocation of or changes to operations, or sale or transfer of a
material amount of assets, or any material changes in
Purchaser’s capitalization, corporate structure, business
or composition of its management, personnel or board of
directors. Except as disclosed in this Offer to Purchase,
neither Purchaser nor Parent has any plans or proposals that
would result in an extraordinary corporate transaction involving
Barrier or any of its subsidiaries, such as a merger,
reorganization, liquidation, relocation of operations, or sale
or transfer of a material amount of assets, any material changes
in Barrier’s capitalization or dividend policy, corporate
structure, business or composition of its management, personnel
or board of directors, any material changes in Barrier’s
present charitable or community contributions or related
policies, programs, or practices, or any material changes in
Barrier’s present relationship with its suppliers,
customers, or the communities in which it operates.
To the knowledge of Purchaser, as of the date of this Offer to
Purchase, no members of Xxxxxxx’s current management have
entered into any amendment or modification to an existing
employment agreement with Barrier or its subsidiaries in
connection with the Offer or the Merger. In addition, to the
knowledge of Purchaser, as of the date of this Offer to
Purchase, no members of Barrier’s current management have
entered into any agreement,
20
arrangement or understanding with Parent, Purchaser or their
affiliates regarding employment with, or the right to reinvest,
convert or participate in the equity of, the surviving
corporation. We currently intend to retain members of
Xxxxxxx’s management team following the completion of the
Merger. We may offer current and former members of management
the opportunity to participate in equity compensation plans. The
size of such equity-based compensation plans has not yet been
determined and no awards have yet been made or promised to
Xxxxxxx’s current executive officers. It is anticipated
that equity awards granted under these incentive compensation
plans would generally vest over a number of years of continued
employment.
Although it is likely that certain members of Xxxxxxx’s
current management team will enter into new arrangements with
Parent or its affiliates regarding employment (and severance
arrangements) and the right to participate in equity
compensation plans, there can be no assurance that any parties
will reach an agreement. These matters are subject to
negotiation and discussion and no terms or conditions have been
finalized. Any new arrangements are currently expected to be
entered into after the completion of the Offer and will not
become effective until the time the Merger is completed.
Retention
Bonus Plan
Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, Purchaser will fund $1,000,000
to a retention bonus pool which will be used to pay retention
bonuses that may be granted to Barrier employees pursuant to the
Bengal Acquisition Inc. Retention Bonus Plan (the
“Retention Plan”). All Barrier employees (other
than executive officers and field employees (including regional
sales managers)) are eligible to receive retention bonuses
pursuant to the Retention Plan, subject to their continued
employment with Barrier through the earlier to occur of
(i) the Effective Time and (ii) the date his or her
employment is terminated by Barrier without cause. The amount of
the retention bonus payable to each eligible Barrier employee
will be determined by mutual agreement between Barrier and
Parent and will be paid within 21 days following the
Effective Time. The payment of any retention bonus pursuant to
the Retention Plan will be contingent upon the closing of the
Merger.
The
Merger Agreement
This Section of the Offer to Purchase describes the material
provisions of the Merger Agreement but does not purport to
describe all of the terms of the Merger Agreement. The following
summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the
complete text of the Merger Agreement, which is incorporated
herein by reference and in the Tender Offer Statement on
Schedule TO that Purchaser and Parent have filed with the
SEC (the “Schedule TO”). We urge you to
read the full text of the Merger Agreement because it is the
legal document that governs the Offer and the Merger. It is not
intended to provide you with any other factual information about
us. Such information can be found elsewhere in this Offer to
Purchase. See “— Section 8. Certain
Information Concerning Barrier” under
“Available Information” for instructions on how
to obtain a copy of the Merger Agreement.
The
Offer
The Merger Agreement provides that, unless the Merger Agreement
has been terminated in accordance with its terms, Purchaser
will, and Parent will cause Purchaser to, commence the Offer as
promptly as reasonably practicable, but not later ten
(10) business days following the execution of the Merger
Agreement, provided, however, that such ten (10) business
day period shall be extended to such date as Barrier is ready to
file the
Schedule 14D-9
on the same date as the commencement of the Offer. Subject to
the terms and conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement and
the Offer (including the Tender Offer Conditions as described
below in “— Section 13. Conditions of the
Offer”), Purchaser will accept for payment and pay for
all Shares validly tendered and not withdrawn pursuant to the
Offer as promptly as practicable after the applicable Expiration
Date (as it may be extended), and in any event in compliance
with
Rule 14e-1(c)
under the Exchange Act. Parent will provide, or cause to be
provided to Purchaser on a timely basis, the funds necessary to
purchase any Shares that Purchaser becomes obligated to accept
for payment pursuant to the Offer.
21
Parent and Purchaser expressly reserve the right from time to
time, subject to certain conditions, to waive any of the
conditions to the Offer or increase the Offer Price, or to make
any other changes in the terms and conditions of the Offer.
Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, without the prior written
consent of Barrier, neither Purchaser nor Parent will
(i) decrease the Offer Price or change the form of
consideration payable in the Offer; (ii) decrease the
number of Shares sought to be purchased in the Offer;
(iii) amend or waive satisfaction of the Minimum Tender
Condition; (iv) impose conditions to the Offer in addition
to the conditions to the Offer set forth in the Merger
Agreement; (v) add to, amend or modify the conditions to
the Offer set forth in the Merger Agreement in any manner that
is adverse to the holders of the Shares; or (vi) undertake
any extension of the Offer not specifically provided for or
contemplated in the Merger Agreement.
The Offer must remain open for twenty (20) business days
following (inclusive of the day of) the commencement of the
Offer. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, Purchaser will not
terminate or withdraw the Offer or extend the Expiration Date of
the Offer unless at the Expiration Date the Tender Offer
Conditions, as described below in
“— Section 13. Conditions of the
Offer”, shall not have been satisfied or earlier waived
or, in the case of termination, such termination is in
connection with the termination of the Merger Agreement in
accordance with its terms. In addition, pursuant to the Merger
Agreement and subject to the rights of Purchaser to terminate
the Merger Agreement and the Offer, if at the Expiration Date
the conditions to the Offer are not satisfied or waived, either
Barrier or Parent may cause Purchaser to, for one (1) or
more consecutive increments of not more than five
(5) business days, extend the Expiration Date until the
date such conditions are satisfied or waived and Purchaser
becomes obligated to accept for payment and pay for Shares
validly tendered pursuant to the Offer. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, either Parent or Barrier may terminate the Merger
Agreement at any time after September 21, 2008 (or, under
certain circumstances, December 20, 2008); provided that a
party who is the principal cause of the conditions of the Offer
not being satisfied or the Shares not having been accepted for
payment will not be able to exercise this termination right.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, Parent may cause Purchaser,
without the consent of Barrier, to extend the Expiration Date
(i) for any period required by applicable rules,
interpretations and regulations of the SEC in connection with
the Offer and (ii) for up to two (2) periods, each for
up to five (5) business days, if upon the Expiration Date
the Tender Offer Conditions have been satisfied but the number
of Shares tendered and not withdrawn, when added to the Shares,
if any, beneficially owned by Parent, represents less than 90%
of the then issued and outstanding Shares, on a fully diluted
basis. Further, Purchaser (or Parent on its behalf) may, in its
sole discretion, elect to provide a subsequent offering period
for the Offer in accordance with
Rule 14d-11
under the Exchange Act and, in addition, if requested by
Barrier, Purchaser shall make available a subsequent offering
period for the Offer in accordance with
Rule 14d-11
under the Exchange Act of not less than ten (10) business
days. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the
Merger Agreement and the Offer, Purchaser will accept for
payment and pay for all Shares validly tendered and not
withdrawn pursuant to the Offer as promptly as practicable after
the applicable Expiration Date of the Offer (as it may be
extended) and in any event in compliance with
Rule 14e-1(c)
under the Exchange Act. If Purchaser elects to make available a
subsequent offering period, it will notify the stockholders of
Barrier in a manner consistent with the requirements of the SEC.
Recommendation. The board of directors of
Barrier duly (i) determined that it is in the best
interests of Barrier and its stockholders, and declared it
advisable, to enter into the Merger Agreement,
(ii) approved the execution, delivery and performance of
the Merger Agreement, including the Offer, the Merger and the
Top-Up
Option and the issuance of Shares upon the exercise of the
Top-Up
Option and the other transactions contemplated thereby, and
(iii) resolved to recommend that the stockholders of
Barrier accept the Offer, tender their Shares to Purchaser
pursuant to the Offer and, if required by law to consummate the
Merger, vote their Shares in favor of the adoption and approval
of the Merger Agreement. Accordingly, the board of directors
of Xxxxxxx recommends that stockholders accept the Offer and
tender their Shares to Purchaser pursuant to the Offer. The
execution, delivery and performance of the Merger Agreement by
Xxxxxxx and the consummation by Xxxxxxx of the transactions
contemplated by the Merger Agreement have been duly and validly
authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of
Barrier (except in the case of the Merger, which may be subject
to the approval of Xxxxxxx’s stockholders pursuant to the
terms of the DGCL).
Directors. The Merger Agreement provides that,
subject to the requirements of Section 14(f) of the
Exchange Act and
Rule 14f-1
promulgated thereunder, at the Acceptance Time, Parent is
entitled to elect or designate directors to serve on the board
of directors of Barrier up to such number of directors equal to
the product
22
(rounded up to the next whole number) obtained by multiplying
(x) the total number of directors on the board of directors
of Barrier (giving effect to any increase in the number of
directors pursuant to the Merger Agreement) by (y) a
fraction, the numerator of which is the number of Shares held by
Parent and Purchaser (giving effect to the Shares purchased
pursuant to the Offer), and the denominator of which is the
total number of then-outstanding Shares. Promptly following a
request by Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxx agreed to use its best efforts
(including by amending the bylaws of Barrier, if necessary) to
cause the individuals so designated by Parent to be elected or
appointed to the board of directors of Barrier, including (at
the election of Barrier) by increasing the size of the board of
directors of Barrier
and/or by
seeking and accepting the resignations of such number of then
incumbent directors as is necessary to enable the individuals so
designated by Parent to be elected or appointed to the board of
directors of Barrier. At such time, Xxxxxxx will also cause, if
requested by Parent, the board of directors (or similar
governing body) of each of Barrier’s subsidiaries to
include persons designated by Parent constituting the same
percentage of each such board as Parent’s designees
constitute on the board of directors of Barrier. From time to
time after the Acceptance Time, Xxxxxxx agreed to take all
actions necessary to cause the individuals so designated by
Parent to constitute substantially the same percentage (rounding
up where appropriate) as is on the board of directors of Barrier
on each committee of the board of directors of Barrier and each
committee of Barrier’s subsidiaries, in each case, to the
fullest extent permitted by all applicable law and the rules of
the NASDAQ, provided, however each committee will be comprised
of at lease one (1) Independent Director (as defined
below). If requested by Parent and permitted by the NASDAQ,
promptly after the Acceptance Time, Barrier has agreed to take
all action necessary to elect to be treated as a
“controlled company” as defined by the NASDAQ and to
make all necessary filings and disclosures associated with such
status.
Until the Effective Time, the board of directors of Barrier will
have at least two (2) directors who were directors of
Barrier on June 23, 2008, the date of the Merger Agreement,
and who were not officers of Barrier or any of its subsidiaries
(each, an “Independent Director”) provided,
however, that if the number of Independent Directors is reduced
below two (2) for any reason whatsoever (or if immediately
following consummation of the Offer there are not at least two
(2) then-existing directors of Barrier who are
(a) Qualified Persons (as defined below) and
(b) willing to serve as Independent Directors), then the
number of Independent Directors required pursuant to the Merger
Agreement will be one (1), unless the remaining Independent
Director is able to identify a Qualified Person willing to serve
as an Independent Director, in which case such remaining
Independent Director will be entitled to designate any such
Qualified Person to fill such vacancy, and such designated
Qualified Person will be deemed to be an Independent Director
for purposes of the Merger Agreement, or if no Independent
Directors then remain, the other directors shall be required to
designate two (2) Qualified Persons to fill such vacancies,
and such persons shall be deemed to be Independent Directors for
purposes of the Merger Agreement. The Merger Agreement provides
certain actions of Barrier may only be authorized by a majority
of such Independent Directors (and will not require any
additional approval by the board of directors of Barrier).
For purposes of the Merger Agreement, the term
“Qualified Person” means a person who is not
then an officer or affiliate of Barrier, Parent or any of their
respective subsidiaries; it being understood that, for purposes
of this definition, a person that would otherwise be considered
an affiliate of Barrier shall not be deemed an affiliate of
Barrier solely because he or she is a director of Barrier.
Top-Up
Option. Upon the recommendation of the board of
directors of Barrier, Xxxxxxx has granted us an assignable and
irrevocable option (the
“Top-Up
Option”) to purchase from Barrier, at a price per share
equal to the Offer Price, the number of newly-issued Shares (the
“Top-Up
Option Shares”) equal to the lesser of (i) the
number of Shares that, when added to the number of Shares owned
by Parent or Purchaser at the time of exercise of the
Top-Up
Option, constitutes one (1) Share more than 90% of the
Shares then-outstanding on a fully diluted basis (after giving
effect to the issuance of the
Top-Up
Option Shares) or (ii) the aggregate number of Shares that
Barrier is authorized to issue under its restated certificate of
incorporation, but that are not issued and outstanding (and are
not subscribed for or otherwise committed to be issued) at the
time of exercise of the
Top-Up
Option. The
Top-Up
Option is exercisable only once, at such time as the Purchaser
owns at least 80% of the Shares then outstanding. To exercise
the Top-Up
Option, Purchaser or Parent must give notice of their election
to exercise the
Top-Up
Option prior to the tenth (10) business day after the later
of the Expiration Date or the expiration date of any subsequent
offering. The purchase price may be paid by Parent or Purchaser,
at its election, either entirely in cash or by executing and
delivering to Barrier a promissory note having a principal
amount equal to the purchase price. Any such promissory
23
note will bear interest at the rate of 3% per annum, and will
mature not later than the fifth anniversary of the date of
execution and delivery of such promissory note and may be
prepaid without premium or penalty. Parent or Purchaser may
exercise the
Top-Up
Option, in whole or in part, at any time at or after the
Acceptance Time and prior to the earlier of (x) the
Effective Time and (y) the termination of the Merger
Agreement, provided, however, that the
Top-Up
Option is not exercisable unless, immediately after the exercise
of the
Top-Up
Option and the issuance of Shares pursuant thereto, Parent and
Purchaser will collectively hold at least 90 percent (90%)
of the Shares then outstanding (assuming the issuance of Shares
pursuant to the
Top-Up
Option). The obligation of Barrier to issue Shares in connection
with the exercise of the
Top-Up
Option is subject to the conditions that (a) no provision
of any applicable law and no judgment, injunction, order or
decree shall prohibit the exercise of the
Top-Up
Option or the delivery of the Shares in respect of such
exercise; (b) the issuance of Shares pursuant to the
Top-Up
Option would not require approval of Barrier’s stockholders
under applicable law or regulation (including, without
limitation, the NASDAQ rules and regulations, including
Rule 4350); and (c) Parent or Purchaser has accepted
for payment and paid for all Shares validly tendered and not
withdrawn in the Offer. The
Top-Up
Option is intended to expedite the timing of the completion of
the Merger by permitting us to effect a “short-form”
merger pursuant to applicable Delaware law at a time when the
approval of the Merger at a meeting of Xxxxxxx’s
stockholders would be assured because our ownership would
represent at least a majority of the voting power of all Shares
entitled to vote at such a meeting and required to consummate
the Merger.
The
Merger
The Merger; Closing; Effective Time. The
Merger Agreement provides that, following the consummation of
the Offer and on the terms and subject to the conditions set
forth in the Merger Agreement, at the Effective Time, the
Purchaser will be merged with and into Barrier and Barrier will
be the surviving corporation. The closing date of the Merger
will occur no later than the fifth business day after
satisfaction or waiver of all of the conditions to the Merger
(other than those conditions that by their nature are to be
satisfied at the closing) set forth in the Merger Agreement (or
such other date as Purchaser and Barrier may agree in writing),
which conditions are described below in “Conditions to
the Merger.” The Effective Time will occur upon filing
of the articles of merger with the Secretary of State of the
State of Delaware or at such later time specified in the
articles of merger in accordance with the DGCL.
Short-Form Merger. The Merger Agreement
further provides that, notwithstanding the foregoing, if
following the consummation of the Offer, any subsequent offering
period or the exercise of the
Top-Up
Option, if applicable, or otherwise. Parent or Purchaser holds
at least 90% of the outstanding Shares on a fully diluted basis
pursuant to the Offer, any subsequent offer, the
Top-Up
Option, or otherwise and provided that all conditions set forth
in the Merger Agreement as described below in
“— Conditions to the Merger” are
satisfied or waived, Barrier will, at the request of Parent,
take all necessary and appropriate action to cause the Merger to
become effective as soon as practicable after such acquisition,
without the approval of the stockholders of Barrier, in
accordance with Section 253 of the DGCL.
Articles, Bylaws, Directors, and Officers. The
Merger Agreement provides that, at the Effective Time, the
restated certificate of incorporation of Barrier will be amended
and restated as of the Effective Time to contain the provisions,
and only the provisions, contained immediately prior to the
Effective Time in the certificate of incorporation of Purchaser,
except for Article I thereof, which will read: “The
name of the corporation is Barrier Therapeutics, Inc.” Also
at the Effective Time, the bylaws of Purchaser in effect
immediately prior to the Effective Time will be the bylaws of
the surviving corporation, and references to Purchaser’s
name will be replaced with references to the surviving
corporation. The directors of Purchaser immediately prior to the
Effective Time will be the initial directors of the surviving
corporation, and the officers of Xxxxxxx immediately prior to
the Effective Time will be the initial officers of the surviving
corporation.
Conversion of Shares. The Merger Agreement
provides that each Share issued and outstanding immediately
prior to the Effective Time (other than the Excluded Shares)
will, as a result of the Merger and without any action on the
part of Parent, Purchaser, Barrier or the holder, automatically
be converted at the Effective Time into the right to receive the
Offer Price (the “Merger Consideration”),
without interest thereon, subject to reduction for (i) any
dividends or other distributions declared thereon between
June 23, 2008 and the Effective Time and (ii) any
applicable federal
back-up
withholding or other taxes payable by such holder, if any and
such consideration will be
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payable upon the surrender of the certificate representing such
Shares. At the Effective Time, each Share owned by Parent,
Purchaser (including Shares received in the Offer) or Barrier
(as treasury stock or otherwise) or any of their respective
directly or indirectly wholly-owned subsidiaries (other than
Shares held in a fiduciary capacity on behalf of third parties)
shall be automatically cancelled and retired and shall cease to
exist and no consideration shall be delivered in exchange for
such Shares. At the Effective Time, all Shares (other than
Excluded Shares) shall no longer be outstanding and will be
automatically cancelled and retired and will cease to exist and
the holders thereof will cease to have any rights with respect
thereto, except the right to receive the Merger Consideration.
Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, at the Effective
Time, Shares issued and outstanding immediately prior to the
Effective Time will, by virtue of the Merger and without any
action on the part of the holder thereof, be converted into one
share of common stock of the surviving corporation.
Payment for Shares in the Merger. Promptly
after the Effective Time, Parent and Purchaser have agreed to
deposit or cause to be deposited with American Stock
Transfer & Trust Company (or an affiliate
thereof), as paying agent for the Merger, for the benefit of the
holders of Shares, sufficient funds to pay the aggregate Merger
Consideration (the “payment fund”). As promptly
as practicable after the Effective Time, the surviving
corporation will instruct the paying agent to mail, to each
holder of record of Shares (other than a holder of Excluded
Shares) immediately prior to the Effective Time, a form of
Letter of Transmittal and instructions to effect the surrender
of their share certificate(s) in exchange for payment of the
Merger Consideration (after giving effect to any reduction for
(i) any dividends or other distributions declared thereon
between June 23, 2008 and the Effective Time and
(ii) any applicable federal
back-up
withholding or other taxes payable by such holder, if any). You
should not send in your share certificates until you receive the
Letter of Transmittal. The Letter of Transmittal and
instructions will tell you what to do if you have lost a
certificate, or if it has been stolen or destroyed. You will
have to provide an affidavit to that fact and post a surety bond
in a reasonable amount as Parent directs as indemnity against
any claim that may be made against Parent or the surviving
corporation with respect to that certificate.
The paying agent will promptly pay you your Merger Consideration
after you have surrendered your certificates to the paying agent
and provided to the paying agent any other items specified by
the Letter of Transmittal and instructions. The surrendered
certificates will be cancelled upon delivery of the Merger
Consideration. Interest will not be paid or accrued in respect
of cash payments of Merger Consideration. Parent, Purchaser, the
surviving corporation or the paying agent may reduce the amount
of any Merger Consideration paid to you by (1) any
dividends or other distributions declared thereon between
June 23, 2008 and the Effective Time and (ii) any
applicable federal
back-up
withholding or other taxes payable by such holder, if any.
Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, any portion of
the payment fund that remains undistributed to holders of the
certificates for six months after the Effective Time will be
delivered to the surviving corporation. Thereafter, holders of
Shares outstanding before the Effective Time will thereafter be
entitled to look only to the surviving corporation for payment
of any claims for Merger Consideration to which they may be
entitled (subject to reduction for (i) any dividends or
other distributions declared thereon between June 23, 2008
and the Effective Time and (ii) any applicable federal
back-up
withholding or other taxes payable by such holder, if any). None
of the surviving corporation, Parent, the paying agent or any
other person will be liable to any person in respect of any
Merger Consideration delivered to a public official pursuant to
any applicable abandoned property, escheat or similar laws.
Transfer of Shares. The Merger Agreement
provides that, after the Effective Time, there will be no
transfers on Xxxxxxx’s share transfer books of Shares
outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time. If, after
the Effective Time, any certificate for Shares is presented to
the paying agent for transfer, such shares will be cancelled and
exchanged for the per share Merger Consideration (subject to
reduction for (i) any dividends or other distributions
declared thereon between June 23, 2008 and the Effective
Time and (ii) any applicable federal
back-up
withholding or other taxes payable by such holder, if any).
Treatment of Employee Stock Purchase Plan and Equity
Incentive Plans. Pursuant to the terms of the
Merger Agreement, following the earlier to occur of (i) the
end of the current purchase interval under Barrier’s
employee stock purchase plan and (ii) the Acceptance Time,
no additional payroll deductions (or other contributions) shall
be made pursuant to Barrier’s employee stock purchase plan.
Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, as of
June 23, 2008, no participant in Xxxxxxx’s employee
stock purchase plan shall be permitted to increase the rate of
his
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or her payroll deduction under the plan above the rate in effect
as of June 23, 2008 (or such lesser rate as may be reduced
by such participant following June 23, 2008). Pursuant to
the terms of the Merger Agreement, the rights of participants in
Barrier’s employee stock purchase plan will be determined
by treating the earlier of (i) the last business date of
the current purchase interval under Xxxxxxx’s employee
stock purchase plan or (ii) the last business day prior to
the Acceptance Time, as the last date of such offering period,
and by making such other pro-rata adjustments as may be
necessary to reflect the shortened offering period but otherwise
treating such shortened offering period as a fully effective and
completed offering period for all purposes under Xxxxxxx’s
employee stock purchase plan. Additionally, each equity
compensation plan maintained by Xxxxxxx will be terminated as of
the Effective Time and holders of any outstanding equity
incentive awards will have no further rights under such plans,
except as described below.
Treatment of Stock Options. Immediately prior
to the Effective Time, each option to purchase Shares
then-outstanding will become fully exercisable and vested
immediately prior to the Effective Time. At the Effective Time,
each option to purchase Shares will be cancelled and each holder
thereof will, in full satisfaction of such option to purchase
Shares and in exchange for the surrender to Barrier of any
certificate or document evidencing such option to purchase
Shares shall receive, within five (5) business days
following the Effective Time, from Barrier an amount in cash
equal to the product of (x) the excess, if any, of the
Merger Consideration (i.e., $4.15 per Share in cash,
without interest thereon, less (i) any dividends or other
distributions declared thereon between June 23, 2008 and
the Effective Time and (ii) any applicable federal
back-up
withholding or other taxes payable by such holder, if any) over
the exercise price per Share of such option to purchase Shares
multiplied by (y) the number of Shares subject to such
option to purchase Shares (with the aggregate amount of such
payment rounded up to the nearest whole cent), less any
applicable withholding taxes. If the applicable exercise price
of any option to purchase Shares equals or exceeds the Merger
Consideration, such option to purchase Shares will be cancelled
without payment of additional consideration, and all rights with
respect to such option to purchase Shares shall terminate as of
the Effective Time.
Treatment of Restricted Shares. Immediately
prior to the Acceptance Time, any then-outstanding restricted
Shares (the “Restricted Shares”) will become
fully vested and all restrictions thereon shall lapse. For the
avoidance of doubt, holders of Restricted Shares shall be
permitted to tender such Restricted Shares in to the Offer
subject to the conditions and in accordance with the terms of
the Offer.
Appraisal Rights. To the extent available
under the DGCL, any Shares outstanding immediately prior to the
Effective Time that are held by a stockholder who (i) has
not voted in favor of the adoption of the Merger Agreement or
the Merger or otherwise consented in writing thereto;
(ii) has submitted a timely demand for appraisal;
(iii) continues to hold their Shares through the Effective
Time; (iv) otherwise complies with the applicable statutory
procedures to be entitled to demand appraisal rights under
Delaware law; and (v) has properly demanded appraisal
rights with respect to the Merger and has otherwise not lost
their rights to demand appraisal rights under Section 262
of the DGCL (the “Dissenting Shares”), in
accordance with Section 262 of the DGCL, will not be
converted into, or represent the right to receive, the Merger
Consideration unless the holder of such Shares fails to perfect,
withdraws or otherwise loses his or her appraisal rights. All
holders of such Dissenting Shares will be entitled to receive
payment of the appraised value of such holders’ Dissenting
Shares in accordance with Section 262 of the DGCL, except
that all Dissenting Shares held by stockholders who have failed
to perfect or who effectively have withdrawn or otherwise lose
their appraisal rights pursuant to the provisions of the DGCL
will thereupon be deemed to have been converted into, and
represent the right to receive, the Merger Consideration in the
manner described above and will no longer be Excluded Shares. If
the Merger is rescinded or abandoned, then the right of any
stockholder to be paid the fair value of such stockholder’s
Dissenting Shares pursuant to the provisions of the DGCL will
cease. Barrier will give Xxxxxx and Purchaser the opportunity to
participate in and direct all negotiations and proceedings with
respect to assertion of appraisal rights. Barrier will not,
except with the prior written consent of Xxxxxx and Purchaser,
make any payment with respect to any demands for payment of fair
value for Dissenting Shares, offer to settle or settle any such
demands or approve any withdrawal or other treatment of any such
demands.
Representations
and Warranties
The Merger Agreement contains representations and warranties the
parties made to each other. The statements embodied in those
representations and warranties were made for purposes of the
contract between the parties and
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are subject to qualifications and limitations agreed to by the
parties in connection with negotiating the terms of that
contract. Certain representations and warranties were made as of
June 23, 2008 (or such other date specified in the Merger
Agreement), and may be subject to contractual standards of
materiality different from those generally applicable to
stockholders or may have been used for the purpose of allocating
risk between the parties rather than establishing matters of
fact. In addition, the representations and warranties are
qualified by information in a confidential disclosure letter
that the parties have exchanged in connection with signing the
Merger Agreement. The disclosure letter does contain information
that modifies, quantifies and creates exceptions to the
representations and warranties set forth in the Merger Agreement
attached to the Schedule TO. Accordingly, you should not
rely on the representations and warranties as characterizations
of the actual state of facts, since they are modified in
important part by the relevant Section of the disclosure letter.
The disclosure letter contains information that has been
included in Barrier’s prior public disclosures as well as
potential additional non-public information. Moreover,
information concerning the subject matter of the representations
and warranties may have changed since June 23, 2008 and
such changes may or may not be fully reflected in Xxxxxxx’s
public disclosures. At the Effective Time, the representations
and warranties contained in the Merger Agreement are only
required to be true and correct subject to the materiality
standards contained in the Merger Agreement, which may differ
from what may be viewed as material by stockholders. The
representations and warranties will not survive consummation of
the Merger and cannot be the basis for any claim under the
Merger Agreement by any party thereto after consummation of the
Merger. The Merger Agreement should not be read alone, but
should instead be read in conjunction with the other information
regarding Barrier and the Merger that is contained in this Offer
to Purchase as well as in the filings that Barrier makes and has
made with the SEC. The representations and warranties contained
in the Merger Agreement may or may not have been accurate as of
the date they were made and we make no assertion herein that
they are accurate as of the date of this Offer to Purchase.
However, neither Parent nor Purchaser is currently aware of any
specific undisclosed facts that contradict such representations
and warranties of Barrier.
In the Merger Agreement, Barrier, Parent and Purchaser each made
representations and warranties relating to, among other things:
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due organization and good standing;
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corporate power and authority to enter into and perform its
obligations under, and enforceability of, the Merger Agreement;
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required regulatory filings and consents and approvals of
governmental entities;
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the absence of conflicts with or defaults under organizational
documents of Barrier and its subsidiaries, material contracts
and applicable laws; and
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the accuracy of information supplied for inclusion or
incorporation by reference in the Tender Offer Statement on
Schedule TO, including this Offer to Purchase and any other
ancillary documents related to the Offer, the
Schedule 14D-9,
the proxy statement and any other document filed with the
Secretary of State of the State of Delaware.
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Parent and Purchaser also each made representations and
warranties relating to:
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the availability of the funds necessary to perform its
obligations under the Merger Agreement;
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their ownership of Barrier Common Stock; and
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the operations of Purchaser.
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Xxxxxxx also made representations and warranties relating to,
among other things:
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due organization, good standing and qualification of Barrier and
each of its subsidiaries;
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capitalization and outstanding options;
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required stockholder votes and absence of voting agreements;
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financial statements and documents filed with the SEC;
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absence of undisclosed liabilities;
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absence of certain changes or events since December 31,
2007;
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indebtedness;
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litigation;
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material contracts;
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employee benefit plans and compliance with the Employee
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended;
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labor matters;
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taxes;
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environmental liability;
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title to properties;
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permits and compliance with applicable laws;
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intellectual property;
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compliance with Food and Drug Administration and other
applicable rules and regulations;
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indebtedness;
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title to assets;
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insurance;
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relationships with suppliers, distributors and customers;
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relations with governments;
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state takeover statutes;
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interested party transactions;
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the opinion of JPMorgan;
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brokers and finders; and
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Xxxxxxx’s books and records.
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Some of Barrier’s representations and warranties are
qualified by a material adverse effect standard. For purposes of
the Merger Agreement, “Company Material Adverse
Effect” for Barrier is defined to mean any event, state
of facts, circumstance, development, change or effect that,
individually or in the aggregate with all other events, states
of fact, circumstances, developments, changes and effects,
(i) is or is reasonably likely to be materially adverse to
the business, assets, liabilities, properties, condition
(financial or otherwise) or results of operations of Barrier and
its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, other than any event, state
of facts, circumstance, development, change or effect resulting
from: (a) changes in general economic market conditions;
(b) general changes or developments in the industries in
which Barrier and its subsidiaries operate; (c) changes in
the price or trading volume of the Shares on the NASDAQ Global
Market (provided, however, that any underlying
changes, events, occurrences state of facts or developments that
caused or contributed to any such change may otherwise be taken
into consideration in determining whether a Company Material
Adverse Effect has occurred); (d) changes in GAAP;
(e) that can be directly attributed to the announcement of
the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby,
including compliance with the covenants set forth therein and
the identity of Parent as the acquiror of Barrier, or any action
taken or omitted to be taken by Barrier, or any action taken or
omitted to be taken by Barrier to be taken by Barrier at the
written request or with the prior written consent of Parent or
Purchaser; (f) any failure by Barrier to meet revenue or
earnings projections, in and of itself (provided that the
underlying changes, events, occurrences, states of facts or
developments that caused or contributed to such failure to meet
published revenue or earnings projections may otherwise be taken
into consideration in determining whether a Company Material
Adverse Effect has occurred); (g) the reaffirmation by the
Federal Drug Administration of the
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clinical hold on
Rambazoletm;
or (h) acts of war or terrorism or natural disasters;
except, in the case of the foregoing clauses (a), (b),
(d) and (h), to the extent such changes or developments
referred to therein have a disproportionate impact on Barrier
and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, relative to other
industry participants; or (ii) would prevent or materially
impair or materially delay the ability of Barrier to perform its
obligations under the Merger Agreement or to consummate the
transactions contemplated thereby.
Conduct
of Business Pending the Merger
Barrier is subject to restrictions on its conduct and operations
until the earlier of the Effective Time or the termination of
the Merger Agreement pursuant to its terms. Pursuant to the
terms of the Merger Agreement, Xxxxxxx has agreed to, and agreed
to cause each of its subsidiaries to, conduct its operations
only in the ordinary course of business consistent with past
practice and to use all commercially reasonable efforts to
maintain and preserve intact its business organization,
including the services of its key employees and the goodwill of
its customers, lenders, distributors, suppliers, manufacturers,
regulators and other Persons with whom it has business
relationships. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement,
Xxxxxxx has also agreed, subject to certain exceptions, that
until the earlier of the Effective Time or the termination of
the Merger Agreement pursuant to its terms, it and its
subsidiaries will not take certain actions, including, but not
limited to, the following actions, without the prior written
consent of Purchaser:
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making or adopting any changes to its restated certificate of
incorporation or bylaws (or the equivalent organizational
documents);
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making, declaring, setting aside, or paying any dividend or
distribution on any shares of Barrier’s capital stock or
otherwise making any payments to its stockholders in their
capacity as such, other than dividends paid by a wholly-owned
subsidiary to its parent corporation in the ordinary course of
business;
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adjusting, splitting, combining or reclassifying or otherwise
amending the terms of its capital stock;
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repurchasing, redeeming, purchasing, acquiring, encumbering,
pledging, disposing of or otherwise transferring, directly or
indirectly, any shares of its capital stock or any securities or
other rights convertible or exchangeable into or exercisable for
any shares of its capital stock or such securities or other
rights, or offering to do the same;
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authorizing for issuance, issuing, granting, delivering or
selling any shares of its capital stock or any securities or
other rights convertible or exchangeable into or exercisable for
any shares of its capital stock or such securities or rights
(which term, for purposes of the Merger Agreement, shall be
deemed to include “phantom” stock or other commitments
that provide any right to receive value or benefits similar to
such capital stock, securities or other rights) (other than
pursuant to the exercise of the options to purchase Shares
outstanding as of June 23, 2008 in accordance with their
terms);
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entering into any contract, understanding or arrangement with
respect to the sale, voting, pledge, encumbrance, disposition,
acquisition, transfer, registration or repurchase of its capital
stock or such securities or other rights except in each case as
otherwise permitted by the Merger Agreement;
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registering for sale, resale or other transfer any Shares under
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, on behalf of Barrier or
any other person;
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increasing the salary payable or to become payable to, or making
any payment not otherwise due to, any of its past or present
directors, officers, employees, or other service providers,
except (A) as required by applicable law or pursuant to the
terms of any Barrier benefit plan, or (B) for ordinary
increases of no more than 5% of an employee’s annual base
salary (that do not apply to Barrier’s officers, directors
or key employees) in the ordinary course of business and
consistent with Xxxxxxx’s past practices;
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granting any severance or termination pay to any its past or
present directors, officers, employees, or other service
providers, except (A) as required by applicable law or
pursuant to the terms of any Barrier benefit plan, or
(B) for ordinary increases of no more than 5% of an
employee’s annual base salary (that do not apply to
Barrier’s officers, directors or key employees) in the
ordinary course of business and consistent with Xxxxxxx’s
past practices;
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entering into any new employment, consulting or severance
agreement with any of its past or present directors, employees
or hiring any new employees, except (A) as required by
applicable law or pursuant to the terms of any Barrier benefit
plan, or (B) for ordinary increases of no more than 5% of
an employee’s annual base salary (that do not apply to
Barrier’s officers, directors or key employees) in the
ordinary course of business and consistent with Barrier’s
past practices;
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establishing, adopting, entering into, amending or taking any
action to accelerate rights under any of Barrier’s benefit
plans or any plan, agreement, program, policy, trust, fund or
other arrangement that would be considered a Barrier benefit
plan if it were in existence as of the date of the Merger
Agreement, except (A) as required by applicable law or
pursuant to the terms of any Barrier benefit plan, or
(B) for ordinary increases of no more than 5% of an
employee’s annual base salary (that do not apply to
Xxxxxxx’s officers, directors or key employees) in the
ordinary course of business and consistent with Xxxxxxx’s
past practices;
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contributing any funds to a “rabbi trust” or similar
grantor trust, except (A) as required by applicable law or
pursuant to the terms of any Barrier benefit plan, or
(B) for ordinary increases of no more than 5% of an
employee’s annual base salary (that do not apply to
Barrier’s officers, directors or key employees) in the
ordinary course of business and consistent with Xxxxxxx’s
past practices;
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changing any actuarial assumptions currently being utilized with
respect to Xxxxxxx’s benefit plans, except (A) as
required by applicable law or pursuant to the terms of any
Barrier benefit plan, or (B) for ordinary increases of no
more than 5% of an employee’s annual base salary (that do
not apply to Barrier’s officers, directors or key
employees) in the ordinary course of business and consistent
with Xxxxxxx’s past practices;
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granting any equity or equity-based awards to any of its past or
present directors, officers, employees or other service
provides, except (A) as required by applicable law or
pursuant to the terms of any Barrier benefit plan, or
(B) for ordinary increases of no more than 5% of an
employee’s annual base salary (that do not apply to
Barrier’s officers, directors or key employees) in the
ordinary course of business and consistent with Xxxxxxx’s
past practices;
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amending, modifying or repricing any outstanding equity or
equity-based award, except (A) as required by applicable
law or pursuant to the terms of any Barrier benefit plan, or
(B) for ordinary increases of no more than 5% of an
employee’s annual base salary (that do not apply to
Barrier’s officers, directors or key employees) in the
ordinary course of business and consistent with Xxxxxxx’s
past practices;
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announcing, implementing or effecting any material reduction in
labor force, lay-off, early retirement program, severance
program or other program or effort concerning the termination of
employment of employees of Barrier or any of Barrier’s
subsidiaries other than routine employee terminations;
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entering into any agreement or arrangement that limits or
otherwise restricts Barrier, any of Barrier’s subsidiaries,
or upon completion of the Merger and the transactions
contemplated by the Merger Agreement, Parent or its
subsidiaries, or any successor thereto from engaging or
competing in any line of business or in any location;
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taking any action which would restrict or impair the ability of
Parent or Purchaser to vote, or otherwise to exercise the rights
and receive the benefits of a stockholder with respect to,
Shares acquired or controlled or to be acquired or controlled by
Parent or Purchaser;
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merging or consolidating Barrier or any of its subsidiaries with
any person or altering, through merger, liquidation,
reorganization, restructuring or in any other fashion, the
corporate structure or ownership of any subsidiary of Barrier;
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selling, leasing, exclusively licensing or abandoning or
otherwise disposing of an amount of assets (tangible or
intangible) (other than sales of Barrier’s products in the
ordinary course of business) or securities, including by merger,
consolidation, asset sale or other business combination
(including formation of a joint venture);
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mortgaging or pledging any of its assets (tangible or
intangible) or creating, assuming or suffering to exist any new
liens thereupon;
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making any acquisition, by purchase or other acquisition of
stock or other equity interests, or by merger, consolidation or
other business combination (including the formation of a joint
venture), or making any property transfers or purchases of any
property or assets, to or from any person (other than a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Barrier);
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entering into, renewing, extending, amending or terminating any
contract that is or would be material to Barrier and its
subsidiaries, taken as a whole;
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incurring, assuming, guaranteeing or prepaying any indebtedness
for borrowed money (including the issuance of any debt security);
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making any loans, advances or capital contributions to,
acquisitions of or investments in, any other person, other than
loans, advances or capital contributions to or among
wholly-owned subsidiaries of Barrier;
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authorizing or making any capital expenditure, other than
capital expenditures that are not, in the aggregate, in excess
of $100,000;
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failing to use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain
existing insurance policies or comparable replacement policies
to the extent available for a reasonable cost;
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changing its financial accounting policies or procedures in
effect as of December 31, 2007 in any material respect,
other than as required by law or GAAP, or writing up, writing
down or writing off the book value of, or otherwise revaluing,
any assets of Barrier and its subsidiaries, other than in
(i) the ordinary course of business consistent with past
practice or (ii) as may be required by law or GAAP;
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waiving, releasing, assigning, settling or compromising any
legal actions other than waivers, releases, assignments,
settlements or compromises in the ordinary course of business
consistent with past practices that involve only the payment of
monetary damages not in excess of $50,000 individually or
$250,000 in the aggregate, in any case without the imposition of
equitable relief or any restrictions on the business and
operations of, on, or the admission of any wrongdoing by Barrier
or any of its subsidiaries, other than as specified in the
Merger Agreement;
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adopting a plan of complete or partial liquidation or
resolutions providing for a complete or partial liquidation,
dissolution, restructuring, recapitalization or other
reorganization of Barrier or any of its subsidiaries;
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settling or compromising any tax audit, making or changing any
material tax election or filing any material amendment to a tax
return, changing any annual tax accounting period or adopting or
changing any tax accounting method, entering into any material
closing agreement or surrendering any right to claim a refund of
taxes;
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entering into, amending, waiving or terminating (other than
terminations in accordance with their terms) any new contracts
or arrangements under which Barrier has any existing or future
liabilities of the type required to be reported by Barrier
pursuant to Item 404 of
Regulation S-K
promulgated by the SEC;
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disclosing any of its material trade secrets;
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taking any actions that would reasonably be expected to have a
Company Material Adverse Effect; or
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agreeing or committing to take any of the foregoing actions.
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In addition, each of Parent, Purchaser and Barrier has agreed
that it will not, and that it will not permit any of their
respective subsidiaries, to take any action that would
reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate,
result in any Tender Offer Conditions as described in
“ — Section 13. Conditions of the
Offer” or conditions to the Merger, as described
further below under the heading “Conditions to the
Merger”, in each case, not to be satisfied or the
satisfaction of those conditions to be materially delayed,
except, in the case of Barrier, in the event that the board of
directors of Barrier withdraws, modifies or amends its
recommendation of approval of the Merger pursuant to the terms
of the Merger Agreement to the extent permitted by the Merger
Agreement.
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Solicitation
Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, from the date of
the Merger Agreement until the Effective Time, except as
permitted pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, neither
Barrier, its subsidiaries nor their respective officers,
directors or representatives will, directly or indirectly:
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initiate, solicit or knowingly encourage (including by way of
providing information) or knowingly facilitate any inquiries,
proposals or offers with respect to, or the making,
announcement, submission or the completion of, a Takeover
Proposal (as defined below);
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participate or engage in any discussions (other than to request
clarification (and without providing any information regarding
Barrier to any third party) of an unsolicited Takeover Proposal
that did not result from a breach of the Merger Agreement to the
extent that outside counsel advises that such Takeover Proposal
is not sufficiently clear to allow the board of directors of
Barrier to determine whether its fiduciary obligations would
require it to exercise the rights of Barrier under the Merger
Agreement) or negotiations with, or furnish or disclose any
non-public information relating to Barrier or any of its
subsidiaries to, or otherwise cooperate with, facilitate or
assist any person in connection with a Takeover Proposal;
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withdraw, modify or amend the Company Board Recommendation in
any manner adverse to Purchaser;
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approve, endorse or recommend any Takeover Proposal,
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enter into any letter of intent, agreement in principle, merger
agreement, acquisition agreement, option agreement or similar
agreement relating to a Takeover Proposal, except that Barrier
may enter into a confidentiality and standstill agreement that
contains confidentiality and standstill provisions that are no
less favorable to Barrier and no less restrictive than those
contained in the confidentiality agreement entered into with
Parent; or
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resolve, propose or agree to do any of the foregoing.
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Notwithstanding the aforementioned restrictions, at any time
prior to the Acceptance Time, Barrier, provided it has otherwise
complied with the terms of the Merger Agreement, is permitted to
engage in discussions or negotiations with, and furnish or
disclose non-public information relating to Barrier or any of
its subsidiaries to, any third party making a written
unsolicited Takeover Proposal that did not otherwise result from
a breach of the Merger Agreement if, prior to taking such action:
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the board of directors of Barrier determines in good faith,
after receiving the advice of its financial advisors and outside
legal counsel, that the Takeover Proposal constitutes or is
reasonably likely to result in a Superior Proposal (as defined
below);
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Barrier enters into confidentiality and standstill agreement
with such third party that contains confidentiality and
standstill provisions that are no less favorable to Barrier and
no less restrictive to Barrier than those contained in the
confidentiality agreement entered into with Parent;
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the board of directors of Barrier determines in good faith,
after receiving the advice of its outside counsel, that the
failure to take such action would be inconsistent with its
fiduciary obligations to Xxxxxxx’s stockholders under
applicable law; and
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with respect to the provision of non-public information, unless
prohibited by applicable law, Barrier concurrently discloses
such non-public information to Purchaser if such non-public
information has not been previously disclosed to Purchaser.
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Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, Barrier is obligated to notify
Parent promptly (and in any event within forty-eight
(48) hours) upon receipt by Barrier, its subsidiaries or
their respective representatives of: (i) any Takeover
Proposal or indication by any person that it is considering
making a Takeover Proposal; (ii) any request for non-public
information relating to Barrier or any of its subsidiaries other
than requests for information that are in the ordinary course of
business consistent with past practices and unrelated to a
Takeover Proposal; or (iii) any inquiry or request for
discussions or negotiations regarding a Takeover Proposal. In
addition, pursuant to the Merger Agreement, Barrier is required
to promptly (within forty-eight (48) hours) notify
Purchaser of the identity of such
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person making a Takeover Proposal and provide Purchaser with a
copy of such Takeover Proposal, indication, inquiry or request
(or where no such copy is available, a description of such
Takeover Proposal, indication, inquiry or request), including
any modifications thereto. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger
Agreement, Barrier is required to keep Purchaser reasonably
informed on a current basis (within twenty-four (24) hours
of the occurrence of any changes as to material developments,
discussions and negotiations with respect to any of the
foregoing matters, including furnishing copies of any written
proposals and draft documentation and written summaries of any
material oral inquiries or discussions) of the status of any
such Takeover Proposal, indication, inquiry or request
(including the material terms and conditions thereof and of any
modification thereto, and any material developments, discussions
and negotiations, including furnishing copies of any written
inquiries, correspondence and draft documentation, and written
summaries of any material oral inquiries or discussions).
Without limiting the foregoing, Barrier must promptly (within
forty-eight (48) hours) notify Purchaser (orally and in
writing) if it determines to provide information to or engage in
discussions or negotiations concerning a Takeover Proposal with
any third party.
For purposes of the Merger Agreement, the term “Takeover
Proposal” means any inquiry, proposal or offer from any
person or group other than Parent, Purchaser or their affiliates
relating to any direct or indirect acquisition or purchase of a
business or division (or more than one of them) that in the
aggregate constitutes 15% or more of the net revenues, net
income or assets of Barrier and its subsidiaries, taken as a
whole, or 15% or more of the equity interest in Barrier (by vote
or value), any tender offer or exchange offer that if
consummated would result in any person or group beneficially
owning 15% or more of the equity interest (by vote or value) in
Barrier, or any merger, reorganization, consolidation, share
exchange, business combination, recapitalization, liquidation,
dissolution or similar transaction involving Barrier (or any
subsidiary whose business constitutes 15% or more of the net
revenues, net income or assets of Barrier and its subsidiaries,
taken as a whole).
For purposes of the Merger Agreement, the term “Superior
Proposal” means any bona fide written Takeover Proposal
that was unsolicited and did not otherwise result from a breach
of Section 6.4 of the Merger Agreement for which financing,
to the extent required, is then fully committed and that the
board of directors of Barrier determines in good faith (after
consultation with its outside financial advisor) to be more
favorable (taking into account (i) all financial and
strategic considerations, including relevant legal, financial,
regulatory and other aspects of such Takeover Proposal and the
Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger
Agreement deemed relevant by the board of directors of Barrier,
(ii) the identity of the third party making such Takeover
Proposal, (iii) the reasonable likelihood of such proposal
to be consummated on the terms so proposed, taking into account
all relevant financial, regulatory, legal and other aspects of
such proposal, including any conditions, and (iv) the other
terms and conditions of such Takeover Proposal) to Barrier
stockholders than the Offer and the Merger and the other
transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement (taking into
account all of the terms of any proposal by Purchaser to amend
or modify the terms of the Offer and the Merger and the other
transactions contemplated by this Agreement), except that the
reference to “15% or more” in the definition of
“Takeover Proposal” is deemed to be a reference to
“more than 50%.”
Change in
Recommendation; Termination in Connection with a Superior
Proposal
Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, the board of
directors of Barrier cannot (i) withdraw, modify or amend
the Company Board Recommendation in a manner adverse to Parent
or Purchaser or recommend or propose publicly to recommend such
a Superior Proposal (a “Recommendation Change”)
(it being understood and agreed that any change or development
relating to any clinical trial of one or more products or
product candidates of Barrier or its subsidiaries or any
determination by the FDA or any other Governmental Entity (as
defined below) relating thereto shall not be a basis for a
Recommendation Change) or (ii) terminate the Merger
Agreement to enter into, or otherwise authorize the entry into,
any agreement in principle, letter of intent, merger agreement,
acquisition agreement, option agreement or other similar
agreement with respect to a Takeover Proposal (with any such
termination to be effective only if in advance of or
concurrently with such termination Barrier pays to Parent the
termination fee and expense reimbursement to which it is
entitled under the Merger Agreement) unless:
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the board of directors of Xxxxxxx has determined in good faith,
after consultation with outside legal counsel, that the failure
to take such action would be inconsistent with its fiduciary
obligations to the stockholders of Barrier under applicable laws;
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Barrier has given Purchaser prompt written notice advising
Purchaser of (A) the decision of the board of directors of
Barrier to take such action and (B) the material terms and
conditions of any applicable Takeover Proposal, including the
identity of the party making such Takeover Proposal and, if
available, a copy of the relevant proposed transaction
agreements with such party and other material documents,
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Barrier has given Parent three (3) business days (or one
(1) business day in the event of each subsequent material
revision to any applicable Takeover Proposal) after delivery of
such notice to propose revisions to the terms of this Agreement
(or make another proposal) and has negotiated in good faith with
Parent with respect to such proposed revisions or other
proposal, if any, and
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at the end of such period, the board of directors of Barrier
shall have determined in good faith, after considering the
results of such negotiations and giving effect to the proposals
made by Purchaser, if any, after consultation with outside legal
counsel, that (A) in the case of a Recommendation Change,
failure to take such action would be inconsistent with its
fiduciary obligations to the stockholders of Barrier under
applicable laws and (B) in the case of a termination of the
Merger Agreement, that such Takeover Proposal remains a Superior
Proposal relative to the Merger, as supplemented by any
counterproposals made by Purchaser; provided that, in the
event the board of directors of Barrier does not make such a
determination but thereafter determines to effect such a
Recommendation Change or to terminate the Merger Agreement, the
procedures as set forth in this Section “Change in
Recommendation; Termination in Connection with a Superior
Proposal” shall apply anew and shall also apply to any
subsequent withdrawal, amendment or modification.
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Proxy
Statement
If approval of Xxxxxxx’s stockholders is required under law
in order to consummate the Merger (i.e., consummation other than
a short-form merger pursuant to Section 253 of the DGCL),
Barrier will, as promptly as practicable following the later of
the Acceptance Time or the expiration of any subsequent offering
period provided in accordance with
Rule 14d-11
promulgated under the Exchange Act, (i) prepare and file
with the SEC Barrier’s proxy statement relating to the
Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger
Agreement; (ii) respond as promptly as reasonably
practicable to any comments received from the SEC with respect
to such filings and provide copies of such comments to Purchaser
promptly upon receipt; (iii) as promptly as reasonably
practicable, prepare and file (after Purchaser has had a
reasonable opportunity to review and comment on) any amendments
or supplements necessary to be filed in response to any comments
by the SEC or as required by law; (iv) use all reasonable
efforts to have cleared by the SEC, and mail to its stockholders
as promptly as reasonably practicable, Xxxxxxx’s proxy
statement and all other customary proxy or other materials for
meetings such as the stockholders meeting to be held to consider
adoption of the Merger Agreement, (v) to the extent
required by applicable law, as promptly as reasonably
practicable, prepare, file and distribute to Barrier’s
stockholders (in the case of the proxy statement) any supplement
or amendment to the proxy statement if any event occurs which
requires such action at any time prior to the stockholders
meeting to be held to consider adoption of the Merger Agreement;
and (vi) otherwise use all reasonable efforts to comply
with all requirements of law applicable to Barrier’s
stockholders meeting to be held to consider adoption of the
Merger Agreement and the Merger. Parent and Purchaser agreed to
cooperate with Barrier in connection with the preparation and
filing of the proxy statement, including furnishing Barrier,
upon request, with any and all information as may be required to
be set forth in the proxy statement under the Exchange Act, and
Barrier agreed to provide Parent and Purchaser a reasonable
opportunity to review and comment on the proxy statement, or any
amendments or supplements thereto, prior to filing with the SEC.
The proxy statement will include the Company Board
Recommendation unless the board of directors of Barrier has
withdrawn, modified or amended the Company Board Recommendation
to the extent permitted by the Merger Agreement, as set forth in
the Section “Change in Recommendation; Termination in
Connection with a Superior Proposal” above.
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Stockholders
Meeting
If approval of Xxxxxxx’s stockholders is required under law
in order to consummate the Merger (i.e., in the event that we do
not own at least 90% of the outstanding Shares and are thereby
able to consummate a short-form pursuant to Section 253 of
the DGCL), Barrier will, as promptly as practicable following
the later of the Acceptance Time or the expiration of any
subsequent offering period provided in accordance with
Rule 14d-11
promulgated under the Exchange Act, establish a record date for,
call, give notice of, convene and hold a stockholders meeting
for the purpose of obtaining the affirmative vote in favor of
the adoption of the Merger Agreement by the holders of a
majority of the voting power of the outstanding Shares entitled
to vote at such meeting, voting together as a single class (the
“Requisite Company Vote”). The written consent
of Purchaser will be required to adjourn or postpone the
stockholders meeting to be held to consider adoption of the
Merger Agreement.
Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, unless a
Recommendation Change permitted by the Merger Agreement (as set
forth in the Section “Change in Recommendation;
Termination in Connection with a Superior Proposal”
above) has occurred, Barrier will use all reasonable efforts to
solicit or cause to be solicited from its stockholders proxies
in favor of adoption of the Merger Agreement and take all other
reasonable action necessary to secure the Requisite Company
Vote. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, Xxxxxxx
agreed to take such actions regardless of whether the board of
directors of Barrier had approved, endorsed or recommended
another Takeover Proposal or has withdrawn, modified or amended
the Company Board Recommendation and submit the Merger Agreement
for adoption by the stockholders of Barrier at the stockholders
meeting to be held to consider adoption of the Merger Agreement.
The Merger Agreement provides that each of Parent and Purchaser
will vote all Shares acquired in the Offer (or otherwise
beneficially owned by them or any of their respective
subsidiaries as of the applicable record date) in favor of the
adoption of the Merger Agreement at the meeting of stockholders.
Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, Xxxxxx has agreed
to vote all of the Shares of capital stock of Barrier
beneficially owned by it in favor of the adoption of the Merger
Agreement in accordance with applicable law. Pursuant to the
terms of the Merger Agreement, Parent, Purchaser and Barrier
have agreed that, if a short-form merger may be effected in
accordance with the Merger Agreement and applicable law, Parent
will take all necessary and appropriate action to cause the
Merger to become effective as soon as practicable, without a
meeting of Barrier stockholders.
Employee
Benefits
Parent has agreed that, subject to certain limitations, the
employees of Barrier and its subsidiaries who continue
employment with the surviving corporation (the “Company
Employees”) will be eligible to participate in either,
at the sole discretion of Parent, (i) Parent’s
employee benefit plans and programs, including any equity
incentive plan or (ii) such employee benefit plans and
programs of Barrier as are continued by the surviving
corporation or any of its subsidiaries, or are assumed by
Parent, following the Effective Time. In addition, for the
period commencing at the Effective Time and ending at the close
of business on December 31, 2008, each Company Employee
will be entitled to receive, while employed by Parent, Barrier,
or any of Barrier’s subsidiaries, at least the same cash
salary or hourly wage rate, and annual cash bonus opportunity as
were provided to such Company Employee by Barrier or its
subsidiaries (as applicable) prior to the Effective Time.
Parent has agreed to cause any employee benefit plans of the
Parent, the surviving corporation or any of its affiliates which
the Company Employees are entitled to participate in from and
after the Effective Time to take into account for purposes of
determining eligibility, vesting and level of benefits under
such Parent benefit plans, service by the Company Employees with
Barrier or any of its subsidiaries (and any respective
predecessors), except to the extent such service credit would
result in a duplication of benefits.
Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, Purchaser will fund one
million dollars ($1,000,000) to a retention bonus pool which
will be used to pay retention bonuses that may be granted to
Barrier employees pursuant to the Bengal Acquisition Inc.
Retention Bonus Plan (the “Retention Plan”). All
Barrier employees (other than executive officers and field
employees (including Regional Sales Managers)) are eligible to
receive retention bonuses pursuant to the Retention Plan,
subject to their continued employment with Barrier through the
earlier to occur of (i) the Effective Time and
(ii) the date his or her employment is terminated by
Xxxxxxx without cause. The amount of the retention bonus payable
to each eligible Barrier employee will be determined by mutual
agreement between Barrier and
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Parent and will be paid within 21 days following the
Effective Time. The payment of any retention bonus pursuant to
the Retention Plan will be contingent upon the closing of the
Merger.
Indemnification
and Insurance of Xxxxxxx’s Directors and Officers
The Merger Agreement provides that, from and after the Effective
Time, Parent will cause the surviving corporation to indemnify,
defend and hold harmless, as and to the fullest extent permitted
or required by applicable law or the organizational documents of
Barrier or any of its subsidiaries, when applicable, and any
applicable indemnity agreements or contracts in effect on the
date of the Merger Agreement, each of Barrier’s and its
subsidiaries’ present or former directors and officers
against any losses, claims, damages, liabilities, costs, legal
and other expenses (including reimbursement for reasonable legal
and other fees and expenses incurred in advance of the final
disposition of any claim, suit, proceeding or investigation to
each indemnified party), judgments, fines and amounts paid in
settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with
any threatened or actual claim, action, suit, proceeding or
investigation, whether civil, criminal or administrative,
including any such claim, action, suit, proceeding or
investigation, in which any present or former director or
officer of Barrier or any of its subsidiaries is, or is
threatened to be, made a party based in whole or in part on, or
arising in whole or in part out of, or pertaining in whole or in
part to, any action or failure to take action by any of the
current or former directors and officers of Barrier or its
subsidiaries, in their capacity as such, taken prior to the
Effective Time, subject to the surviving corporation’s
receipt of an undertaking by such indemnified party to repay
such legal and other fees and expenses paid in advance if it is
ultimately determined that such indemnified party is not
entitled to be indemnified under applicable law,
provided, however, that the surviving corporation
shall not be liable for any settlement effected without the
surviving corporation’s prior written consent and shall not
be obligated to pay the fees and expenses of more than one
counsel for all indemnified parties in any jurisdiction with
respect to any single such claim, action, suit, proceeding or
investigation.
For the six-year period commencing immediately after the
Effective Time, Barrier may, or surviving corporation will,
obtain prior to the Effective Time “tail” insurance
policies with a claims period of six (6) years from the
Effective Time with at least the same coverage and amounts and
containing terms and conditions that are not less advantageous
in the aggregate to the directors and officers of Barrier, in
each case with respect to claims arising out of or relating to
events which occurred before or at the Effective Time;
provided, however, that in no event will the
surviving corporation be required to expend an annual premium
for such coverage in excess of 250% of the last annual premium
paid by Barrier for such insurance prior to the date of the
Merger Agreement (the “Maximum Premium”). If
such insurance coverage cannot be obtained at all, or can only
be obtained at an annual premium in excess of the Maximum
Premium, the surviving corporation will obtain that amount of
directors’ and officers’ insurance (or
“tail” coverage) obtainable for an annual premium
equal to the Maximum Premium. The surviving corporation and each
of its subsidiaries agreed to include and maintain in effect in
their respective certificates of incorporation or bylaws (or
similar organizational documents), for a period of six
(6) years after the Effective Time, provisions regarding
the elimination of liability of directors (or their equivalent),
indemnification of officers and directors thereof and
advancement of expenses which are, in the aggregate with respect
to each such entity, no less advantageous to the intended
beneficiaries than the corresponding provisions contained in
such organizational documents as of June 23, 2008.
Cooperation
of Barrier, Parent and Purchaser
The Merger Agreement provides that, subject to its terms,
Barrier, Parent and Purchaser will use all commercially
reasonable efforts to take, or cause to be taken, all actions
and to do, or cause to be done, all things necessary, proper or
advisable to ensure that the Tender Offer Conditions and
conditions to the merger (see, respectively,
“— Section 13. Conditions of the
Offer” and “Conditions to the Merger”)
are satisfied and to consummate the transactions contemplated by
the Merger Agreement, as described above, as promptly as
practicable, including:
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obtaining all necessary actions or nonactions, waivers, consents
and approvals from any international, national, federal, state,
provincial or local governmental, regulatory or administrative
authority, agency, commission, board, court, tribunal, arbitral
body, self-regulated entity or similar body, whether domestic or
foreign (each, a “Governmental Entity”) and
making all necessary registrations and filings and taking all
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steps as may be necessary to obtain an approval or waiver from,
or to avoid an action or proceeding by, any Governmental Entity;
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making, by Xxxxxx as soon as practicable and by Barrier within
ten (10) calendar days of the date of receipt of
Parent’s filing by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission
(the “FTC”) and the Antitrust Division of the
U.S. Department of Justice (the “Antitrust
Division”), an appropriate filing of a Notification and
Report Form pursuant to the HSR Act, with respect to the
transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement;
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making, as promptly as practicable, appropriate filings under
the competition, trade regulation or merger control laws of any
applicable jurisdiction as determined by Parent and Barrier;
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obtaining all necessary consents and waivers under any and all
contracts, leases or permits to which Barrier or any of its
subsidiaries is a party in connection with the Merger Agreement
and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the
Merger Agreement (including the Offer and the Merger) so as to
maintain and preserve the benefits under such contracts, leases
or permits following the consummation of the transactions
contemplated thereby (including the Offer and the
Merger); and
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obtaining all consents, approvals or waivers from, or taking
other actions with respect to, third parties necessary or
advisable to be obtained or taken in connection with the
transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement; provided
that, without the prior written consent of Purchaser, Barrier
and its subsidiaries may not pay or commit to pay any amount of
cash or other consideration, or incur or commit to incur any
liability or other obligation, in connection with obtaining such
consent, approval or waiver.
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The Merger Agreement further provides for cooperation and
consultation between Barrier, Parent and Purchaser, subject to
certain exceptions, in connection with the making of all
filings, notifications and other actions described above.
Barrier, Parent and Xxxxxxxxx agreed under the Merger Agreement
to inform each other of material communications from the FTC,
Antitrust Division or other Governmental Entity regarding the
transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement and reached
certain agreements in respect to cooperation in discussions to
resolve any such material communications.
Under the Merger Agreement, neither Parent nor Purchaser is
required to, and Barrier may not, without the prior written
consent of Purchaser, become subject to, consent or agree to, or
otherwise take any action with respect to, any requirement,
condition, understanding, agreement or order (i) to sell,
to hold separate or otherwise dispose of, or to conduct,
restrict, operate, invest or otherwise change, any portion of
the assets or business of Parent, Barrier or any of their
respective affiliates, (ii) that is materially adverse to
Parent, Barrier or any respective affiliate thereof, in each
case taken as a whole, either before or after giving effect to
the Offer and the Merger, (iii) that requires any material
change in the conduct of business of Parent, Barrier or any of
their divisions or subsidiaries as currently conducted relating
to a material portion of the revenues or earnings of Parent,
Barrier and their respective subsidiaries, (iv) that
prohibits or restricts or seeks to prohibit or restrict the
ownership or operation by Parent (or any of its affiliates or
subsidiaries) of any portion of its or Barrier’s business
or assets which is material to the business of all such entities
taken as a whole, (v) that imposes or seeks to impose
material limitations on the ability of Parent effectively to
acquire or to hold or to exercise full rights of ownership of
the Shares on all matters properly presented to Barrier’s
stockholders, (vi) that imposes or seeks to impose any
material limitations on the ability of Parent or any of its
respective affiliates or subsidiaries effectively to control in
any material respect the business and operations of Barrier and
any of its subsidiaries, (vii) that seeks to obtain from
Barrier, Parent or Purchaser material damages as a result of the
Merger Agreement, (viii) that would be reasonably likely to
materially impair the benefits reasonably expected to be derived
by Parent from the transactions contemplated by the Merger
Agreement, (ix) that would, or would reasonably be likely
to, impose any material cost, liability or obligation on
Barrier, Parent, Purchaser or any subsidiaries thereof or
(x) which otherwise is reasonably likely to have a Company
Material Adverse Effect (each of (i) through (x), for
purposes of the Merger Agreement, is referred to as a
“Burdensome Condition”). The Merger Agreement
provides that Barrier will, upon the request of Purchaser,
become subject to, or consent or agree to or otherwise take any
action with respect to, any requirement, condition,
understanding, agreement or order to sell, to hold separate or
otherwise dispose of, or to conduct, restrict, operate, invest
or otherwise change the assets or business of Barrier or any of
its affiliates, so long as such requirement, condition,
understanding, agreement or order is binding on Barrier only in
the event that the consummation of the Merger occurs.
37
Fees and
Expenses
Whether or not the Merger is consummated, all expenses incurred
by or on the behalf of Barrier, Parent or Purchaser in
connection with the Merger, the Offer or the other transactions
described above will be paid by the party incurring those
expenses, except (a) Barrier will pay all of the expenses
incurred in connection with preparing, filing, printing and
mailing the offer documents and the Barrier proxy statement and
(b) as otherwise described in “Termination Fees and
Expenses” below.
Director
Resignations
Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, Xxxxxxx has
agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to cause to be
delivered to Parent, at the closing of the Merger, written
evidence reasonably satisfactory to Parent of the resignation of
all directors of Barrier and each of Xxxxxxx’s
subsidiaries, to be effective at the Effective Time (subject to
the provisions described above under
“Directors”).
Repayment
of Credit Agreement
Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, Xxxxxxx agreed to
cause all amounts outstanding under the credit and security
agreement, dated as of June 29, 2006 (the “Credit
Agreement”), between Barrier and GE Healthcare
Financial Services (f/k/a Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Capital), as lender and
agent, as amended to be repaid in full immediately prior to the
Acceptance Time and to cause any and all liens in respect of the
Credit Agreement to be released prior to the Effective Time.
Conditions
to the Merger
The obligations of the parties to complete the Merger are
subject to the satisfaction at or prior to the Effective Time of
the following mutual conditions:
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if required by law, the Merger Agreement and Xxxxxx must have
been approved by the holders of a majority of the voting power
of the Shares entitled to vote thereon, voting together as a
single class;
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the waiting period applicable to the consummation of the Merger
under the HSR Act (or any extension thereof) will have expired
or been terminated;
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all required approvals or consents required to be obtained from
any Governmental Entity, the failure of which to be obtained,
individually or in the aggregate, would have a Company Material
Adverse Effect, have been obtained;
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no Governmental Entity will have enacted, issued, promulgated,
enforced or entered any laws or orders (whether temporary,
preliminary or permanent) that enjoin or otherwise prohibit
consummation of the Merger or the other transactions
contemplated by the Merger Agreement; and
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Purchaser has accepted for payment and paid for Shares validly
tendered and not withdrawn pursuant to the Offer.
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Conditions
to the Offer
For a description of the conditions to the Offer, see
“ — Section 13. Conditions of the
Offer.”
Termination
of the Merger Agreement
Termination by Mutual Consent. The Merger
Agreement may be terminated and the Offer may be abandoned by
mutual written consent of Purchaser and Barrier at any time
prior to the Acceptance Time.
Termination by Either Purchaser or
Barrier. The Merger Agreement may be terminated
by either Purchaser or Barrier at any time prior to the
Acceptance Time:
(i) if, on or before September 21, 2008, Parent or
Purchaser has not accepted for payment any Shares pursuant to
the Offer; provided, however, that in the event
that (A) the condition that the waiting period applicable
to the
38
consummation of the Offer under the HSR Act (or any extension
thereof) has expired or been terminated and the condition has
not been satisfied or waived prior to such date or (B) the
condition that all other approvals or consents required to be
obtained from any Governmental Entity, the failure of which to
be obtained, individually or in the aggregate, would have a
Company Material Adverse Effect have been obtained, has not been
satisfied or waived prior to such date, and all of the other
conditions to the Offer (see “ —
Section 13. Conditions of the Offer”) have been
satisfied or waived prior to such date, then the parties will
not be able to exercise this termination right until
December 20, 2008; provided, further, that
this right to terminate the Merger Agreement will not be
available to any party whose breach of any covenant or
obligation under the Merger Agreement is the principal cause of,
or results in, (x) the failure of any of the conditions to
the Offer (see “ — Section 13. Conditions
of the Offer”) to be satisfied on or before either
September 21, 2008 or December 20, 2008, as
applicable, or (y) the expiration or termination of the
Offer in accordance with its terms without Purchaser having
accepted for payment any Shares pursuant to the Offer;
(ii) if (A) the Offer expires or is terminated in
accordance with the terms of the Merger Agreement without
Purchaser having accepted for payment any Shares pursuant to the
Offer and (B) Barrier no longer has the right to cause an
extension of the Offer under the terms of the Merger Agreement;
provided, however, that this right to terminate
the Merger Agreement will not be available to any party to the
Merger Agreement whose breach of any covenant or obligation
under the Merger Agreement is a principal cause of, or results
in, (x) the failure of any of the conditions to the Offer
(See “ — Section 13. Conditions of the
Offer”) to be satisfied on or before either
September 21, 2008 or December 20, 2008, as
applicable, or (y) the expiration or termination of the
Offer in accordance with its terms without Purchaser having
accepted for payment any Shares pursuant to the Offer;
(iii) if any law prohibits consummation of the Offer or the
Merger or if any final and nonappealable order, judgment,
injunction, award, decree or writ enjoins or otherwise prohibits
consummation of the Offer or the Merger.
Termination by Purchaser. The Merger Agreement
may be terminated and the Offer may be abandoned by Purchaser at
any time prior to the Acceptance Time:
(i) if (i) the board of directors of Barrier effects a
Recommendation Change (see “Change in Recommendation;
Termination in Connection with a Superior Proposal”);
(ii) the board of directors of Barrier fails to reconfirm
the Company Board Recommendation within ten (10) business
days after a written request by Parent to do so;
(iii) Barrier enters into a definitive agreement with
respect to any Takeover Proposal other than the Offer and the
Merger or (iv) Barrier or Xxxxxxx’s board of directors
resolves or announces its intention to do any of the foregoing;
(ii) if Barrier materially breaches its obligations under
the section of the Merger Agreement described above in the
section “Solicitation,” or the board of
directors of Barrier or any committee thereof resolves to do the
foregoing;
(iii) in the event of a breach on the part of Barrier of
any covenant or agreement in the Merger Agreement (other than
material breaches by Barrier of its obligations under the
section of the Merger Agreement described above in the section
“Solicitation” or a resolution of the board of
directors of Barrier or any committee thereof to do the
foregoing) or if any representation or warranty of Barrier set
forth in the Merger Agreement is inaccurate, either when made or
as of any scheduled expiration date of the Offer (as if made on
such scheduled expiration date), but in either case only to the
extent that such breach or inaccuracy would be reasonably
expected to cause one of the conditions of the Offer set forth
in paragraphs (c) and (d) of “ —
Section 13. Conditions of the Offer” below to not
be satisfied as of the Expiration Date (after giving effect to
any extensions to the Offer exercised in accordance with the
Merger Agreement); provided, however, that for
purposes of determining the accuracy of such representations and
warranties as of the date of the Merger Agreement or as of any
scheduled expiration date of the Offer, all references to
“materiality” or “Company Material Adverse
Effect” or “Knowledge of the Company” contained
in such representations or warranties shall be disregarded;
provided, further, that notwithstanding the foregoing, in
the event that such breach of covenant by Barrier is or such
inaccuracies in the representations and warranties of Barrier
are, curable by Barrier through the exercise of commercially
reasonable efforts, then Parent will not be permitted to
terminate the Merger Agreement pursuant to this right until the
earlier to occur of (1) the expiration of a thirty
(30) day period after delivery of written notice from
Parent to Barrier of such breach or inaccuracy, as applicable,
or (2) the ceasing by Barrier to exercise commercially
reasonable efforts to cure such breach or inaccuracy (it being
39
understood that Parent and Purchaser may not terminate this
Agreement pursuant to this termination right if such breach or
inaccuracy by Barrier is cured within such thirty (30) day
period); or
(iv) if a Company Material Adverse Effect occurs and is
continuing and has not been cured by Barrier within thirty
(30) days after Xxxxxxx’s receipt of written notice of
the occurrence of such event from Parent or Purchaser.
Termination by Xxxxxxx. The Merger Agreement
may be terminated by Barrier at any time prior to the Acceptance
Time:
(i) in the event (A) of a breach of any covenant or
agreement on the part of Parent or Purchaser set forth in the
Merger Agreement or (B) that any of the representations and
warranties of Parent or Purchaser set forth in the Merger
Agreement shall have been inaccurate when made or become
inaccurate as of any scheduled expiration date of the Offer (as
of made on such scheduled expiration date), but in either case
only to the extent that such breach or inaccuracy would
reasonably be expected to prevent or materially impair or
materially delay the ability of Parent and Purchaser to perform
its obligations under the Merger Agreement or to consummate the
transactions contemplated thereby, provided,
however, that, for the purposes of determining the
accuracy of such representations and warranties as of the date
of the Merger Agreement or as of any scheduled expiration date
of the Offer, all references to “materiality” or
“Acquirer Material Adverse Effect” in such
representations or warranties shall be disregarded, provided
further, that notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event
that such breach of covenant by Parent or Purchaser is, or such
inaccuracies in the representations and warranties of Parent or
Purchaser are, curable by Parent or Purchaser through the
exercise of commercially reasonable efforts, then Barrier will
not be permitted to terminate the Merger Agreement pursuant to
this termination right until the earlier to occur of
(1) the expiration of a thirty (30) day period after
delivery of written notice from Barrier to Parent of such breach
or inaccuracy, as applicable, or (2) Parent or Purchaser
ceasing to exercise commercially reasonable efforts to cure such
breach or inaccuracy (it being understood that Barrier may not
terminate the Merger Agreement pursuant to this termination
right if such breach or inaccuracy by Parent or Purchaser is
cured within such thirty (30) day period); or
(ii) after compliance with the requirements of the Merger
Agreement for termination in respect of a Takeover Proposal (as
set forth in “Change in Recommendation; Termination in
Connection with a Superior Proposal” above), provided
that Barrier agreed not to terminate the Merger Agreement
pursuant to such termination right, and any purported
termination pursuant to this termination right will be void and
of no force or effect, unless in advance of or concurrently with
such termination Barrier pays to Parent the applicable
termination fee and expenses of Purchaser pursuant to the terms
of the Merger Agreement.
Termination
Fees and Expenses
Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, Xxxxxxx has
agreed to pay, or cause to be paid, to Purchaser or to accounts
designated by Purchaser in writing by wire transfer of
immediately available funds an amount equal to $4,500,000 (the
“Termination Fee”), plus any of the
Purchaser’s Expenses (as defined below) not previously paid:
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if the Merger Agreement is terminated by Purchaser pursuant to
the reason set forth in paragraph (i) set forth in
“— Termination of the Merger Agreement;
Termination by Purchaser” above, by wire transfer of
same day funds to an account designated by Parent within two
business days after such termination;
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if (a) a Takeover Proposal (or the intention of any person
to make one), whether or not conditional, has been made known to
or proposed to Barrier or otherwise publicly announced or
disclosed, (b) the Merger Agreement is terminated by either
Purchaser or Barrier pursuant to the reason set forth in
paragraph (i) set forth in “— Termination
of the Merger Agreement; Termination by Either Purchaser or
Barrier” above, or by Purchaser pursuant to the reasons
set forth in paragraph (ii) or (iii) set forth in
“— Termination of the Merger Agreement;
Termination by Purchaser” above and (c) within
12 months following the date of such termination, Xxxxxxx
enters into a contract providing for the implementation of any
Takeover Proposal (with, for purposes this clause (c) only,
references in the definition of the term “Takeover
Proposal” to the figure “15%” deemed to be
replaced by the figure “50%”) or consummated any
Takeover Proposal (whether or not such Takeover Proposal was the
same Takeover Proposal referred to in the foregoing clause (a)),
in which event payment will be made on or prior to the date on
which Xxxxxxx enters into such contract or consummates such
Takeover Proposal, as applicable; or
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if the Merger Agreement is terminated by Barrier pursuant to the
reasons set forth in paragraph (ii) set forth in
“— Termination of the Merger Agreement;
Termination by Barrier” above.
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In the event that the Merger Agreement is terminated by
Purchaser pursuant to the reason set forth in paragraph
(i) set forth in “— Termination of the
Merger Agreement; Termination by Either Purchaser or
Barrier” above, or by Purchaser pursuant to the reasons
set forth in paragraph (ii) or (iii) set forth in
“— Termination of the Merger Agreement;
Termination by Purchaser” above and, prior to such
termination of the Merger Agreement, a Takeover Proposal (or the
intention of any person to make one), whether or not
conditional, has been made known to or proposed to Barrier or
otherwise publicly announced or disclosed but the Termination
Fee (or any portion thereof) has not been paid and is not
payable because Barrier has not entered into a contract
providing for the implementation of any Takeover Proposal (with
references in the definition of the term “Takeover
Proposal” to the figure “15%” deemed to be
replaced by the figure “50%”) or consummated any
Takeover Proposal, then Barrier will pay at the direction of
Purchaser as promptly as possible (but in any event within two
business days) following receipt of an invoice therefor all of
Purchaser’s actual and reasonably documented
out-of-pocket
fees and expenses (including legal fees and expenses) actually
incurred by Purchaser and their respective affiliates on or
prior to the termination of the Merger Agreement in connection
with the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement up to
a maximum amount equal to $1,200,000 (the “Purchaser
Expenses”); provided, that the existence of
circumstances which could require the Termination Fee to become
subsequently payable by Barrier will not relieve Barrier of its
obligations to pay the Purchaser Expenses; and provided,
further that the payment by Barrier of Purchaser Expenses
will not relieve Barrier of any subsequent obligation to pay the
Termination Fee.
Amendment
Subject to the provisions of applicable law, the parties may
amend the Merger Agreement at any time prior to the consummation
of the Merger, whether before or after stockholder approval, by
written agreement among each of Parent, Purchaser and Barrier;
provided that no amendment that requires further stockholder
approval under applicable laws after Barrier’s stockholders
have approved the Merger Agreement will be made without such
required further approval. Following the election or appointment
of Parent or Purchaser’s designees as described above in
“— The Offer; Directors”, and prior
to the Effective Time, any amendment or termination of the
Merger Agreement approved by Barrier, extension for the
performance or waiver of the obligations of Parent or Purchaser
or waiver of Barrier’s rights under the Merger Agreement
shall be subject to the approval of Independent Directors
contemplated by, but only to the extent required by, the terms
of the Merger Agreement.
Specific
Performance; Jurisdiction
Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, Parent, Purchaser
and Barrier have agreed that irreparable damage would occur,
damages would be difficult to determine and would be an
insufficient remedy and no other adequate remedy at law or in
equity, in each case in the event that any of the provisions of
the Merger Agreement were not performed in accordance with their
specific terms or were otherwise breached. The Merger Agreement
provides that, prior to the termination of the Merger Agreement
in accordance with its terms, in the event of a breach or
threatened breach of the Merger Agreement, the other parties to
the merger agreement will be entitled to an injunction or
injunctions to prevent breaches of the Merger Agreement and to
enforce specifically the terms and provisions of the Merger
Agreement in the Chancery Court of the State of Delaware, in
addition to any other remedy to which they are entitled at law
or in equity. Each party irrevocably waived any defenses based
on adequacy of any other remedy, whether at law or in equity,
that might be asserted as a bar to the remedy of specific
performance of any of the terms or provisions of the Merger
Agreement or injunctive relief in any action brought therefor by
any other party to the Merger Agreement.
Effects
of Inability to Consummate the Merger
Following the Acceptance Time, Parent, which owns 100% of the
common stock of Purchaser, will indirectly control the number of
Shares acquired by Purchaser pursuant to the Offer, as well as
any other Shares held by Parent subsidiaries. Under the Merger
Agreement, promptly following payment by Purchaser for Shares
purchased pursuant to the Offer, Xxxxxxx has agreed to take all
actions necessary pursuant to Section 14(f) of the Exchange
Act,
Rule 14f-1
promulgated thereunder to cause a pro rata portion (based on the
percentage of outstanding shares
41
acquired by Purchaser) of the directors of Barrier to consist of
persons designated by Parent (see “Directors”).
As a result of its ownership of such Shares and right to
designate nominees for election to the board of directors of
Barrier, Parent indirectly will be able to influence decisions
of the board of directors of Barrier and the decisions of
Purchaser as a stockholder of Barrier. This concentration of
influence in one stockholder may adversely affect the market
value of the Shares. Additionally, if requested by Parent and
permitted by the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules, promptly after the
Acceptance Time, Xxxxxxx agreed to take all action necessary to
elect to be treated as a “controlled company” as
defined by the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules and to make all
necessary filings and disclosures associated with such status.
Following the Acceptance Time and until the Merger is
consummated, stockholders of Barrier, other than those
affiliated with Parent, will lack sufficient voting power to
elect directors or to cause other actions to be taken which
require majority approval.
Stockholder
Support Agreement
In connection with the execution of the Merger Agreement, Parent
entered into tender and support agreements (each a
“Stockholder Support Agreement” and,
collectively, the “Stockholder Support
Agreements”) with Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxx, Ph.D. and
JPMP Capital Corp. and its affiliates, pursuant to which, as of
June 23, 2008, such stockholders have agreed, among other
things, to (a) tender, within ten (10) business days
from the date hereof, all Shares beneficially owned by them
(whether currently held or later acquired) in the Offer and not
to withdraw such Shares unless the Offer is or the Stockholder
Support Agreements are terminated and (b) vote such Shares
(i) in favor of approval of the Merger Agreement and each
of the transactions contemplated thereby, (ii) against any
action or agreement submitted for approval of the stockholders
of Barrier that Parent has notified such stockholders in advance
that such proposed action is or would reasonably be expected to
result in any of the conditions to the obligations of Barrier
under the Merger Agreement or of the stockholders party to the
Stockholder Support Agreements, (iii) against any action,
agreement or transaction submitted for approval to the
stockholders of Barrier that would reasonably be expected to
materially impede, interfere or be inconsistent with, delay,
postpone, discourage or materially and adversely affect the
timely consummation of the Offer or the Merger, and
(iv) against any other action, agreement or transaction
submitted for approval to the stockholders of Barrier that would
constitute a competing Takeover Proposal (as defined below)
unless such Stockholder Support Agreement is otherwise
terminated. Based on information provided by Xxxxxxx in the
Merger Agreement and the stockholders who are a party to the
Stockholder Support Agreements, an aggregate of approximately
9.3% of the outstanding Shares as of June 16, 2008, are
subject to the Stockholder Support Agreements.
The
Confidentiality and Standstill Agreement
In connection with the process leading to the execution of the
Merger Agreement, Xxxxxxx and Parent entered into a
Confidentiality and Standstill Agreement dated as of
April 24, 2008 (the “Confidentiality and Standstill
Agreement”). Pursuant to the Confidentiality and Standstill
Agreement, as a condition to being furnished confidential
information by Xxxxxxx, Parent agreed, among other things, to
use such confidential information solely for the purpose of
evaluating a transaction between Barrier and Parent. In
addition, pursuant to the terms of the Confidentiality and
Standstill Agreement, Parent and Barrier agreed that, except as
otherwise provided in a definitive agreement executed at some
future time between Xxxxxxx and Parent in connection with a
potential transaction, as of the date thereof and for period of
six (6) months from the date on which Barrier and Parent
terminate discussions concerning a potential transaction,
neither Parent nor Barrier would directly or indirectly solicit
(including initiate discussions with) for hire any of the
officers or employees of the other party (other than persons who
are no longer officers or employees of Barrier or Parent, as the
case may be, at the time such discussions are initiated);
provided that, Barrier and Parent would be permitted to solicit,
hire or employ any person (i) who responds to general
solicitation or advertisement that is not directed to employees
of Barrier or Parent (including response to general
advertisements) or (ii) any person who Barrier or Parent
first solicit or enter into discussions with after termination
of their employment with Barrier or Parent, as the case may be.
In addition, pursuant to the terms of the Confidentiality and
Standstill Agreement, Parent agreed that, as of the date thereof
and for a period of six (6) months from the date the
parties terminate discussions concerning a potential
transaction, Parent would not (a) effect or seek, offer or
propose (whether publicly or otherwise) to effect, to cause
42
or participate in or in any way assist any other person to
effect or seek, offer or propose (whether publicly or otherwise)
to effect or participate in, directly or indirectly, (i) to
acquire beneficial ownership (as defined in
Rule 13d-3
under the Exchange Act) of Barrier or assets of Barrier;
(ii) any tender or exchange offer, merger or other business
combination involving Barrier; (iii) any recapitalization,
restructuring, liquidation, dissolution or other extraordinary
transaction with respect to Barrier; or (iv) any
“solicitation” of “proxies” (as such terms
are used in the proxy rules of the SEC) or consents to vote any
voting securities of Barrier; (b) form, join or in any way
participate in a “group” (as defined under the
Exchange Act) or otherwise act, alone or in concert with others,
to seek to control or influence the management, the board of
directors of Barrier or policies of Barrier; (c) take any
action which might force Barrier to make a public announcement
regarding any of the types of matters set forth in
(a) above; or (d) enter into any discussions or
arrangements with any third party with respect to any of the
foregoing. The foregoing summary of the Confidentiality and
Standstill Agreement does not purport to be complete and is
qualified in its entirety by reference to the Confidentiality
and Standstill Agreement which is Exhibit (d)(1)(C) to this
Schedule and is incorporated herein by reference.
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Source
and Amount of Funds
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The Offer is not conditioned upon any financing arrangements.
Parent and Purchaser estimate that approximately $150,000,000 in
the aggregate will be necessary (i) to purchase Shares
tendered pursuant to the Offer, (ii) to purchase Shares
converted in the Merger, (iii) to cash out all options to
purchase Shares cancelled in the Merger and (iv) to pay
certain expenses related to the Offer and the Merger. Purchaser
will obtain sufficient funds to consummate the purchase of
Shares in the Offer and the Merger and other transactions
described above by means of a capital contribution from Parent.
As of the date of this Offer to Purchaser, Parent has sufficient
cash on hand to consummate the transactions described above.
Consummation of the Offer is not subject to any financing
conditions.
Purchaser does not think its financial condition is relevant to
the stockholders’ decision whether to tender Shares and
accept the Offer because:
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the Offer is being made for all outstanding Shares solely for
cash;
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the Offer is not subject to any financing condition;
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if the Offer is consummated, Purchaser expects to acquire any
Shares not tendered in the Offer for the same cash price in the
Merger, which also will not be subject to any financing
condition;
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Purchaser, through contributions from Parent, will have
sufficient funds immediately available to purchase all Shares
validly tendered and not properly withdrawn prior to the
expiration of the Offer, to purchase Shares converted in the
Merger, to cash out all options to purchase Shares cancelled in
the Merger and (pay certain expenses related to the Offer and
the Merger.
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13.
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Conditions
of the Offer
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Neither Parent nor Purchaser will be required to accept for
payment or, subject to any applicable rules and regulations of
the SEC, including
Rule 14e-l(c)
under the Exchange Act (relating to Parent’s or
Purchaser’s obligation to pay for or return tendered Shares
promptly after the termination or withdrawal of the Offer), to
pay for any Shares tendered pursuant to the Offer unless
(A) the Minimum Tender Condition has been satisfied and
(B)(i) the waiting period applicable to the consummation of the
Offer under the HSR Act (or any extension thereof) will have
expired or been terminated; and (ii) all other approvals or
consents required to be obtained from any Governmental Entity
the failure of which to be obtained, individually or in the
aggregate, would have a Company Material Adverse Effect, have
been obtained.
Neither Parent nor Purchaser will be required to commence the
Offer or accept for payment or, subject as aforesaid, to pay
for, and may delay the acceptance for payment of, any Shares
tendered pursuant to the Offer if, at
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any time on or after the date of the Merger Agreement (unless
cured as contemplated by the terms of the Merger Agreement) and
before the expiration or termination of the Offer, any of the
following conditions exists:
(a) there has been an injunction or other order, decree,
judgment or ruling issued by a Governmental Entity of competent
jurisdiction or a statute, rule, regulation, executive order or
other action enacted, promulgated or taken by a Governmental
Entity which:
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restrains or prohibits or seeks to restrain or prohibit the
making or consummation of the Offer or the consummation of the
Merger or the performance of the other transactions contemplated
by the Merger Agreement; or
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imposes a Burdensome Condition; or
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(b) since the date of the Merger Agreement there has
occurred or been discovered any event, change, occurrence or
development that, individually or in the aggregate, has had or
would reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse
Effect; or
(c) (i) the representations and warranties of Barrier
contained in the Merger Agreement are not true and correct at
such time (except to the extent expressly made as of an earlier
date, in which case as of such earlier date), in each case
except where the failure of any such representations and
warranties to be so true and correct (without giving effect to
any limitation on any representation or warranty indicated by
the words “materiality” or “Company Material
Adverse Effect” or “Knowledge of the Company”)
would not, or would not reasonably be expected to, individually
or in the aggregate, have a Company Material Adverse Effect, or
(ii) the representations and warranties of Barrier with respect
to its corporate authority, enforceability of the Merger
Agreement, capitalization, cash on hand, indebtedness and
required votes are not true and correct in all respects at such
time (except, in the case of the representation and warranties
with respect to capitalization, such inaccuracies as are de
minimis in the aggregate); or
(d) Xxxxxxx will have failed to perform in all material
respects all obligations, or failed to comply in all material
respects with the agreements and covenants, required to be
performed by or complied with by it pursuant to the Merger
Agreement; or
(e) the Merger Agreement shall have been terminated in
accordance with its terms; or
(x) Xxxxxxx will have failed to deliver to Parent a
certificate executed on behalf of Xxxxxxx by the chief executive
officer and chief financial officer of Barrier certifying that
certain of the events described in sections (b), (c), and
(d) above have not occurred.
The above conditions are in addition to, and not a limitation
of, the rights of Parent and Purchaser to extend, terminate
and/or
modify the Offer pursuant to the terms and conditions of the
Merger Agreement as discussed above. The above conditions are
for the sole benefit of Parent and Purchaser and, subject to the
terms and conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, may be
waived by Parent or Purchaser, in whole or in part, at any time
and from time to time, in the sole discretion of Parent or
Purchaser. The failure by Parent or Purchaser at any time to
exercise any of the foregoing rights will not be deemed a waiver
of any such right and each such right may be deemed an ongoing
right that may be asserted by Parent or Purchaser at any time
and from time to time.
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|
14.
|
Dividends
and Distributions
|
As discussed in “— Section 11.
Purpose of the Offer and Plans for Barrier; Merger Agreement
and Other Matters” above, the Merger Agreement provides
that, from the date of the Merger Agreement to the Effective
Time, Barrier will not, and will not permit any of its
subsidiaries to, without the prior approval of Parent,
(i) make, declare, set aside, or pay any dividend or
distribution on any shares of its capital stock or otherwise
make any payments to its stockholders in their capacity as such
(except for dividends paid by a wholly-owned subsidiary to
Barrier in the ordinary course of business); (ii) adjust,
split, combine or reclassify or otherwise amend the terms of its
capital stock; (iii) repurchase, redeem, purchase, acquire,
encumber, pledge, dispose of or otherwise transfer, directly or
indirectly, any shares of its capital stock or any securities or
other rights convertible or exchangeable into or exercisable for
any shares of its capital stock or such securities or other
rights, or offer to do the same (other than the acquisition of
any of Barrier’s common shares tendered by current or
former employees or directors in connection
44
with the exercise of options to purchase Shares);
(iv) authorize for issuance, issue, grant, deliver or sell
any shares of its capital stock or any securities or other
rights convertible or exchangeable into or exercisable for any
shares of its capital stock or such securities or rights (which
term, for purposes of the Merger Agreement, shall be deemed to
include “phantom” stock or other commitments that
provide any right to receive value or benefits similar to such
capital stock, securities or other rights) (other than pursuant
to the exercise of options to purchase shares of Barrier common
stock outstanding as of the date of the Merger Agreement in
accordance with their terms as of the date of the Merger
Agreement); (v) enter into any contract, understanding or
arrangement with respect to the sale, voting, pledge,
encumbrance, disposition, acquisition, transfer, registration or
repurchase of its capital stock or such securities or other
rights, except in each case as permitted under the terms of the
Merger Agreement, or (vi) register for sale, resale or
other transfer any shares of Barrier common stock under the
Securities Act on behalf of Barrier or any other person.
If, during the period from June 23, 2008 to the Acceptance
Time, Barrier should declare or pay any dividend or other
distributions to the stockholders of Barrier that is paid,
payable or distributable to the stockholders of record during
such period, and on a date prior to the transfer to the name of
the Purchaser or its nominee or transferee on Xxxxxxx’s
stock transfer records of the Shares purchased pursuant to the
Offer, then, without prejudices to the rights of Parent and
Purchaser under the Offer, (i) the Offer Price payable by
the Purchaser pursuant to the Offer will be reduced to the
extent of any such cash dividend or distribution and
(ii) the whole of any such non-cash dividend or
distribution to be received by the tendering stockholders will
(a) be received and held by the tendering stockholders for
the account of Purchaser and will be required to be promptly
remitted and transferred by each tendering stockholder to the
Depositary for our account, accompanied by appropriate
documentation of transfer or (b) be exercised for benefit
of Purchaser at Purchaser’s direction, in which case the
proceeds of such exercise will promptly be remitted to
Purchaser. Pending such remittance and subject to applicable
law, we will be entitled to all rights and privileges as owner
of any such non-cash dividend or distribution or proceeds
thereof and may withhold the entire purchase price or deduct
from the purchase price the amount or value thereof, as Parent
and Purchaser determine in their sole discretion.
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15.
|
Certain
Regulatory and Legal Matters
|
General. Except as otherwise set forth in this
Offer to Purchase, we are not aware of any approval or other
action by any governmental or administrative agency which would
be required for the acquisition or ownership of Shares by
Purchaser or Parent pursuant to the Offer. Should any such
approval or other action be required, Parent and Purchaser
currently expect that such approval or action would be sought or
taken. There can be no assurance that any such approval or other
action, if needed, would be obtained or would be obtained
without substantial conditions, or that adverse consequences
might not result to Xxxxxxx’s business or that certain
parts of Barrier’s business might not have to be disposed
of if any such approvals were not obtained or other action
taken. Any approvals or other actions are subject to the terms
and conditions of the Merger Agreement, as discussed above in
“Section 11. Purpose of the Offer and Plans for
Barrier; Merger Agreement and Other Matters -Cooperation of
Barrier, Parent and Purchaser.”
Antitrust Compliance. Under the HSR Act, and
the related rules and regulations that have been issued by the
FTC, certain transactions having a value above specified
thresholds may not be consummated until specified information
and documentary material (“Premerger Notification and
Report Forms”) have been furnished to the FTC and the
Antitrust Division and certain waiting period requirements have
been satisfied.
It is a condition to Purchaser’s obligation to accept for
payment and pay for the Shares tendered pursuant to the Offer
that the waiting period (and any extension thereof) applicable
to the purchase of Shares pursuant to the Offer under the HSR
Act has expired or been terminated. Under the HSR Act, the
purchase of Shares in the Offer may not be completed until the
expiration of a 15 calendar day waiting period following the
filing by Parent of a Premerger Notification and Report Form
concerning the Offer with the FTC and the Antitrust Division,
unless the waiting period is earlier terminated by the FTC and
the Antitrust Division. If within the 15 calendar day waiting
period either the FTC or the Antitrust Division were to issue a
request for additional documentary material or information (a
“Second Request”), the waiting period with
respect to the Offer would be extended until ten calendar days
following the date of substantial compliance by Parent with that
request, unless the FTC or the Antitrust Division terminated the
additional waiting period before its expiration. After the
expiration of the ten calendar day waiting
45
period, the Acceptance Time could be extended by court order or
with the consent of the parties. In practice, complying with a
Second Request can take a significant period of time. If the HSR
Act waiting period expired or was terminated, completion of the
Merger would not require an additional filing under the HSR Act
so long as Purchaser acquires more that 50 percent of the
outstanding Shares within one year after the HSR Act waiting
period applicable to the Offer expires or terminates.
The FTC and the Antitrust Division frequently scrutinize the
legality under the antitrust laws of transactions such as
Purchaser’s proposed acquisition of Barrier. At any time
before or after the purchase of Shares by Purchaser, the FTC or
the Antitrust Division could take any action under the antitrust
laws that it either considers necessary or desirable in the
public interest, including seeking to enjoin the purchase of
Shares in the Offer and the Merger, the divestiture of Shares
purchased in the Offer or the divestiture of substantial assets
of Barrier or any of their respective subsidiaries or
affiliates. Private parties as well as state attorneys general
also may bring legal actions under the antitrust laws under
certain circumstances.
Other Foreign Laws. We do not believe that any
foreign regulatory approvals are required or desired in
connection with the consummation of the Offer or the Merger.
Stockholder Approval. Xxxxxxx has represented
in the Merger Agreement that the execution, delivery and
performance of the Merger Agreement by Xxxxxxx and the
consummation by Barrier of the Merger and the other transactions
contemplated by the Merger Agreement have been duly and validly
authorized by all necessary corporate action, and no other
corporate proceedings on the part of Barrier are necessary to
authorize the Merger Agreement or to consummate the transactions
contemplated therein, other than, to the extent required, the
adoption of the Merger Agreement by the affirmative vote of the
holders of a majority of the outstanding Shares entitled to vote
in accordance with the DGCL (the “Requisite Stockholder
Vote”). At a meeting duly called and held, the board of
directors of Barrier approved the matters contemplated by the
Merger Agreement, including the Offer and the Merger. As
described below, if, as a result of the Offer or otherwise,
Purchaser owns 90% or more of the outstanding Shares on a fully
diluted basis, the Requisite Stockholder Vote will not be
required pursuant to Section 253 of the DGCL and Parent and
Purchaser will be able to effect the Merger without the
affirmative vote of the stockholders of Barrier.
Short-Form Merger. Section 253 of
the DGCL provides that, if a parent corporation owns at least
90% of each class of stock of a subsidiary, the parent
corporation can effect a short-form merger with that subsidiary
without the action of the other stockholders of either entity.
Accordingly, if as a result of the Offer, the
Top-Up
Option or otherwise, we directly or indirectly own at least 90%
of the Shares, we could, and (subject to the satisfaction or
waiver of the conditions to its obligations to effect the Merger
contained in the Merger Agreement) are obligated under the
Merger Agreement to effect the Merger without prior notice to,
or any action by, any other stockholder of Barrier under the
DGCL. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, in the event that,
following completion of the Offer, we own at least 90% of the
outstanding Shares on a fully diluted basis, including Shares
acquired in any subsequent offering period, through the exercise
of the
Top-Up
Option or otherwise, Barrier will, at the request of Parent,
take all necessary and appropriate action to cause the Merger to
become effective as soon as practicable after such acquisition,
without the approval of Barrier’s stockholders, in
accordance with Section 253 of the DGCL.
State Takeover Laws. Barrier is incorporated
under the laws of the State of Delaware. In general,
Section 203 of the DGCL prevents an “interested
stockholder” (generally a person who owns or has the right
to acquire 15% or more of a corporation’s outstanding
voting stock, or an affiliate or associate thereof) from
engaging in a “business combination” (defined to
include mergers and certain other transactions) with a Delaware
corporation for a period of three years following the date such
person became an interested stockholder unless, among other
things, prior to such date the board of directors of the
corporation approved either the business combination or the
transaction in which the interested stockholder became an
interested stockholder. Assuming the that (i) neither
Parent nor Purchaser owns (directly or indirectly, beneficially
or of record) any Shares or holds any rights to acquire any
Shares except as provided in the Merger Agreement, and
(ii) Parent and its affiliates do not, collectively, own
(directly or indirectly, beneficially or of record) more than
14.9% of the outstanding Shares and do not, collectively, hold
any rights to acquire in the aggregate more than 14.9% of the
outstanding Shares except pursuant to the Merger Agreement, the
board of directors of Barrier has taken all necessary action
such that the restrictions on business combinations contained in
Section 203 of the DGCL do not apply to the Merger
Agreement, the Stockholder
46
Support Agreements, the Merger and the other transactions
contemplated by the Merger Agreement. On June 22, 2008,
prior to the execution of the Merger Agreement, the board of
directors of Barrier duly (i) determined that it is in the
best interests of the Barrier and its stockholders, and declared
it advisable, to enter into the Merger Agreement with Parent and
Purchaser, (ii) approved the execution, delivery and
performance of the Merger Agreement, including the Offer, the
Merger and the
Top-Up
Option and the issuance of Common Stock upon the exercise of the
Top-Up
Option and the other transactions contemplated thereby, and
(iii) resolved to recommend that the stockholders of
Barrier accept the Offer, tender their Shares to Purchaser
pursuant to the Offer and, if required by law to consummate the
Merger, vote their Shares in favor of the adoption and approval
of the Merger Agreement. Accordingly, Section 203 is
inapplicable to the Offer and the Merger.
A number of other states have adopted laws and regulations
applicable to attempts to acquire securities of corporations
which are incorporated, or have substantial assets,
stockholders, principal executive offices or principal places of
business, or whose business operations otherwise have
substantial economic effects, in such states. In 1982, in
Xxxxx x. MITE Corp., the Supreme Court of the United
States invalidated on constitutional grounds the Illinois
Business Takeover Statute which, as a matter of state securities
law, made takeovers of corporations meeting certain requirements
more difficult. However, in 1987, in CTS Corp. v.
Dynamics Corp. of America, the Supreme Court held that the
State of Indiana could, as a matter of corporate law,
constitutionally disqualify a potential acquiror from voting
shares of a target corporation without the prior approval of the
remaining stockholders where, among other things, the
corporation is incorporated, and has a substantial number of
stockholders, in the state. Subsequently, in TLX Acquisition
Corp. v. Telex Corp., a U.S. federal district
court in Oklahoma ruled that the Oklahoma statutes were
unconstitutional as applied to corporations incorporated outside
Oklahoma in that they would subject such corporations to
inconsistent regulations. Similarly, in Tyson Foods,
Inc. x. XxXxxxxxxx, a U.S. federal district court
in Tennessee ruled that four Tennessee takeover statutes were
unconstitutional as applied to corporations incorporated outside
Tennessee. This decision was affirmed by the United States Court
of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. In December 1988, in Grand
Metropolitan PLC x. Xxxxxxxxxxx, a U.S. federal
district court in Florida held that the provisions of the
Florida Affiliated Transactions Act and the Florida Control
Share Acquisition Act were unconstitutional as applied to
corporations incorporated outside of Florida.
Barrier, directly or through subsidiaries, conducts business in
a number of states throughout the United States, some of which
have enacted takeover laws. Purchaser does not know whether any
of these laws will, by their terms, apply to the Offer or the
Merger and has not complied with any such laws. Should any
person seek to apply any state takeover law, Purchaser will take
such action as then appears desirable, which may include
challenging the validity or applicability of any such statute in
appropriate court proceedings. In the event it is asserted that
the takeover laws of any state are applicable to the Offer or
the Merger, and an appropriate court does not determine that it
is inapplicable or invalid as applied to the Offer, Purchaser
might be required to file certain information with, or receive
approvals from, the relevant state authorities. In addition, if
enjoined, Purchaser might be unable to accept for payment any
Shares tendered pursuant to the Offer, or be delayed in
continuing or consummating the Offer and the Merger. In such
case, Purchaser may not be obligated to accept for payment any
Shares tendered. See “— Section 13.
Conditions of the Offer.”
Appraisal Rights. No appraisal rights are
available in connection with the Offer. However, if the Merger
is consummated, each stockholder of Shares who (i) has not
voted in favor of the adoption of the Merger Agreement or the
Merger or otherwise consented in writing thereto; (ii) has
submitted a timely demand for appraisal; (iii) continues to
hold their Shares through the Effective Time;
(iv) otherwise complies with the applicable statutory
procedures to be entitled to demand appraisal rights under
Section 262 of Delaware law; and (v) has properly
demanded appraisal rights with respect to the Merger and has not
otherwise withdrawn or lost their rights to demand appraisal
rights under Section 262 of the DGCL, will be entitled to
receive a judicial determination of the fair value of the
stockholder’s Shares (exclusive of any element of value
arising from the accomplishment or expectation of the Merger)
and to receive payment of such judicially determined amount in
cash, together with such rate of interest, if any, as the
Delaware court may determine for Shares held by such
stockholder. Unless the Delaware court in its discretion
determines otherwise for good cause shown, this rate of interest
will be five percent over the Federal Reserve discount rate
(including any surcharge) as established from time to time
between the consummation of the Merger and the date of payment
and will be compounded quarterly.
47
In determining the fair value of the Shares, the court is
required to take into account all relevant factors. Accordingly,
such determination could be based upon considerations other
than, or in addition to, the market value of the Shares,
including, among other things, asset values and earning
capacity. In Xxxxxxxxxx v. UOP, Inc., the Delaware
Supreme Court stated, among other things, that “proof of
value by any techniques or methods which are generally
considered acceptable in the financial community and otherwise
admissible in court” should be considered in an appraisal
proceeding. Therefore, the value so determined in any appraisal
proceeding could be the same as, or more or less than, the
purchase price per Share in the Offer or the Merger
Consideration.
In addition, several decisions by Delaware courts have held
that, in certain circumstances, a controlling stockholder of a
company involved in a merger has a fiduciary duty to other
stockholders which requires that the merger be fair to such
other stockholders. In determining whether a merger is fair to
minority stockholders, Delaware courts have considered, among
other things, the type and amount of consideration to be
received by the stockholders and whether there was fair dealing
among the parties. The Delaware Supreme Court stated in
Xxxxxxxxxx and Xxxxxx v. Xxxxxx X. Xxxx Chemical
Corp. that the remedy ordinarily available to minority
stockholders in a cash-out merger is the right to appraisal
described above. However, a damages remedy or injunctive relief
may be available if a merger is found to be the product of
procedural unfairness, including fraud, misrepresentation or
other misconduct.
The foregoing summary of the appraisal rights under the DGCL
does not purport to be a complete statement of the procedures to
be followed by stockholders desiring to exercise any appraisal
rights available under the DGCL and is qualified in its entirety
by reference to the DGCL. The preservation and exercise of
appraisal rights require strict adherence to the applicable
provisions of the DGCL. If a stockholder who asserts appraisal
rights with respect to its Shares under the DGCL effectively
withdraws or otherwise loses for any reason (including failure
to perfect) his or her appraisal rights, then as of the
Effective Time of the Merger or the occurrence of such event,
whichever later occurs, such holder’s Shares will be
automatically cancelled and converted into, and represent only
the right to receive, the Merger Consideration, without
interest, less any required withholding taxes, if any. A
stockholder may withdraw a demand for appraisal by delivering to
Barrier a written withdrawal of the demand for appraisal and
acceptance of the Merger.
APPRAISAL RIGHTS CANNOT BE EXERCISED AT THIS
TIME. THE INFORMATION SET FORTH ABOVE IS FOR
INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY WITH RESPECT TO ALTERNATIVES
AVAILABLE TO STOCKHOLDERS IF THE MERGER IS CONSUMMATED.
STOCKHOLDERS WHO WILL BE ENTITLED TO APPRAISAL RIGHTS IN
CONNECTION WITH THE MERGER WILL RECEIVE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
CONCERNING APPRAISAL RIGHTS AND THE PROCEDURES TO BE FOLLOWED IN
CONNECTION THEREWITH BEFORE SUCH STOCKHOLDERS HAVE TO TAKE ANY
ACTION RELATING THERETO.
Litigation. Purchaser is not aware of any
pending legal proceeding relating to the Offer.
We have retained the Depositary and the Information Agent in
connection with the Offer. Each of the Depositary and the
Information Agent will receive customary compensation,
reimbursement for reasonable
out-of-pocket
expenses, and indemnification against certain liabilities in
connection with the Offer, including liabilities under the
federal securities laws.
As part of the services included in such retention, the
Information Agent may contact holders of Shares by personal
interview, mail, electronic mail, telephone, telex, telegraph
and other methods of electronic communication and may request
brokers, dealers, commercial banks, trust companies and other
nominees to forward the Offer materials to beneficial holders of
Shares.
Except as set forth above, we will not pay any fees or
commissions to any broker or dealer or other person for
soliciting tenders of Shares pursuant to the Offer. We will
reimburse brokers, dealers, commercial banks and trust companies
upon request for customary mailing and handling expenses
incurred by them in forwarding the offering material to their
customers.
48
We are not aware of any jurisdiction where the making of the
Offer is prohibited by any administrative or judicial action
pursuant to any valid state statute. If we become aware of any
valid state statute prohibiting the making of the Offer or the
acceptance of the Shares, we will make a good faith effort to
comply with that state statute or seek to have such statute
declared inapplicable to the Offer. If, after a good faith
effort, we cannot comply with the state statute, we will not
make the Offer to, nor will we accept tenders from or on behalf
of, the holders of Shares in that state. In any jurisdiction
where the securities, “blue sky” or other Laws require
the Offer to be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the Offer
will be deemed to be made on behalf of Purchaser by one or more
registered brokers or dealers that are licensed under the laws
of such jurisdiction.
Purchaser and Parent have filed with the SEC the
Schedule TO (including exhibits) in accordance with the
Exchange Act, furnishing certain additional information with
respect to the Offer, and may file amendments thereto. The
Schedule TO and any amendments thereto, including exhibits,
may be examined and copies may be obtained from the SEC in the
manner set forth in “— Section 8. Certain
Information Concerning Barrier” under
“Available Information.”
No person has been authorized to give any information or make
any representation on behalf of Parent or Purchaser not
contained in this Offer to Purchase or in the Letter of
Transmittal and, if given or made, such information or
representation must not be relied upon as having been
authorized. Neither delivery of this Offer to Purchase nor any
purchase pursuant to the Offer will, under any circumstances,
create any implication that there has been no change in the
affairs of Parent, Purchaser, Barrier or any of their respective
subsidiaries since the date as of which information is furnished
or the date of this Offer to Purchase.
SOLICITATION
OF PROXIES
THE OFFER DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION OF PROXIES FOR ANY
MEETING OF BARRIER’S STOCKHOLDERS. ANY SOLICITATION WHICH
THE PURCHASER OR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES MIGHT SEEK WOULD BE MADE
ONLY PURSUANT TO SEPARATE PROXY MATERIALS COMPLYING WITH THE
REQUIREMENTS OF SECTION 14(A) OF THE EXCHANGE ACT.
Bengal Acquisition Inc.
July 8, 2008
49
ANNEX A
Information
Relating to Purchaser, Parent and Certain Related
Persons
Directors,
Executive Officers and Control Persons
The name, present principal occupation or employment and
employment history for the past five years of each director,
executive officer and control person of Purchaser and Parent are
set forth below.
Unless otherwise indicated, each of the following persons
(i) was not convicted in a criminal proceeding during the
past five years (excluding traffic violations or similar
misdemeanors); (ii) was not a party to any judicial or
administrative proceeding during the past five years (except for
matters that were dismissed without sanction or settlement) that
resulted in a judgment, decree or final order enjoining the
person from future violations of, or prohibiting activities
subject to, federal or state securities laws, or a finding of
any violation of federal or state securities laws and
(iii) is a citizen of the United States.
Purchaser
Bengal Acquisition Inc. is a Delaware corporation and a
wholly-owned direct subsidiary of Parent. The current business
address of Purchaser and each person listed below is Bengal
Acquisition Inc.,
c/x Xxxxxxx
Laboratories, Inc., 000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxx
00000 and telephone number
(000) 000-0000.
Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx — Director and
President. Xx. Xxxxxxx has served as a
director of Purchaser since June 18, 2008 and president of
Purchaser since June 19, 2008. Xx. Xxxxxxx has served
as a director of Parent since August 26, 1975. Since
March 1, 2008, Xx. Xxxxxxx has been the Chief
Executive Officer of Parent. Prior to March 1, 2008,
Xx. Xxxxxxx was President and Chief Executive Officer of
Parent. Xx. Xxxxxxx was first employed by Parent in 1982.
Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxx — Director and
Treasurer. Xx. Xxxxxxxxx has served as a
director of Purchaser since June 18, 2008 and treasurer of
Purchaser since June 19, 2008. Xx. Xxxxxxxxx has been
the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Parent
since April 2005. From April 2003 to April 2005,
Xx. Xxxxxxxxx was the Chief Financial Officer of the
International Division of Parent. Xx. Xxxxxxxxx joined
Parent in 1999.
Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxx —
Director. Xx. Xxxxxxx has served as a
director of the Purchaser since June 18, 2008.
Xx. Xxxxxxx has served as a director of Parent since
August 30, 2002. Xx. Xxxxxxx has been the Chief of
Pharmaceutical Operations of Parent since July 2008. From April
2008 to June 2008, Xx. Xxxxxxx was the Executive Vice
President, Products and Development of Parent. From April 2007
to April 2008, Xx. Xxxxxxx was the Executive Vice
President, Global Corporate Development and Product Portfolio of
Parent. From July 2005 to April 2007, Xx. Xxxxxxx was Vice
President, Global Corporate Development of Parent. From July
2003 to July 2005, Xx. Xxxxxxx was the Executive Director,
Global Development of Parent. Xx. Xxxxxxx joined Parent in
2000.
Xxxx X. Xxxxxxx — Vice
President. Xx. Xxxxxxx has served as a vice
president of the Purchaser since June 19, 2008.
Xx. Xxxxxxx has served as a director of Parent since
August 30, 2002. Xx. Xxxxxxx has been the Chief
Strategy Officer of Parent since July 2008. From April 2007 to
June 2008, Xx. Xxxxxxx was the Executive Vice President,
Global Strategy of Parent. From July 2005 to March 2007,
Xx. Xxxxxxx was the Vice President, Global Strategy of
Parent. From June 1, 2002 to July 15, 2005,
Xx. Xxxxxxx was Director, Strategic Planning of Parent.
Xx. Xxxxxxx joined Parent in 1995.
Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxx —
Secretary. Xx. Xxxxxxx has served as
secretary of the Purchaser since June 19, 2008.
Xx. Xxxxxxx has been the Senior Vice President and General
Counsel of Parent since April 2008. From 2001 to March 2008,
Xx. Xxxxxxx was Vice President and General Counsel of
Parent. Xx. Xxxxxxx joined Parent in 1997.
Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxxxx — Assistant
Treasurer. Xx. Xxxxxxxxxxx has served as
assistant treasurer of the Purchaser since June 19, 2008.
Xx. Xxxxxxxxxxx has been the Vice President, Global Treasury and
Financial Planning of Parent since December 2006. From January
2001 to December 2006, Xx. Xxxxxxxxxxx was Director of Finance -
Latin America for Xxxxxxx & Xxxxxxx in Miami, Florida.
A-1
Parent
Xxxxxxx Laboratories, Inc. is a Delaware corporation. The
current business address of Parent and each person listed below
is Xxxxxxx Laboratories, Inc., 000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx
Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxx 00000 and telephone number
(000) 000-0000.
Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx — Chairman of the Board and
Chief Executive Officer. Xx. Xxxxxxx has
served as a director of Parent since August 26, 1975 and is
the Chairman of the board of directors of Parent.
Xx. Xxxxxxx has been the Chief Executive Officer of Parent
since March 1, 2008 and was the President and Chief
Executive Officer of Parent in each of the preceding five years.
Xx. Xxxxxxx was first employed by Parent in 1982.
Xxxxxxx X. XxxXxx — Vice Chairman of the
Board. Xx. XxxXxx has served as a director
of Parent since August 20, 2003 and as vice chairman of the
board of directors since 2007. Xx. XxxXxx has been the
President of Xxxxxxx Canada Inc. since 1976. Xx. XxxXxx is
a citizen of Canada.
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx — Director and
President. Xx. Xxxxxxxxx has served as a
director of Parent since August 22, 2006.
Xx. Xxxxxxxxx has been the President of Parent since
March 1, 2008. From December 2006 to February 2008,
Xx. Xxxxxxxxx was the Chief Commercial Officer of Parent.
From May 2004 to November 2006, Xx. Xxxxxxxxx was Vice
President, Commercial Operations of Parent. Prior to joining
Parent in May 2004, Xx. Xxxxxxxxx was Vice President of
Sales and Marketing at Allergan Pharmaceuticals.
Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxx — Director and Chief of
Pharmaceutical Operations. Xx. Xxxxxxx has
served as a director of Parent since August 30, 2002.
Xx. Xxxxxxx has been the Chief of Pharmaceutical Operations
of Parent since July 2008. From April 2008 to June 2008,
Xx. Xxxxxxx was the Executive Vice President, Products and
Development of Parent. From April 2007 to April 2008,
Xx. Xxxxxxx was the Executive Vice President, Global
Corporate Development and Product Portfolio of Parent. From July
2005 to April 2007, Xx. Xxxxxxx was Vice President, Global
Corporate Development of Parent. From July 2003 to July 2005,
Xx. Xxxxxxx was the Executive Director, Global Development
of Parent. Xx. Xxxxxxx joined Parent in 2000.
Xxxx X. Xxxxxxx — Director and Chief Strategy
Officer. Xx. Xxxxxxx has served as a
director of Parent since August 30, 2002. Xx. Xxxxxxx
has been the Chief Strategy Officer of Parent since July 2008.
From April 2007 to June 2008, Xx. Xxxxxxx was the Executive
Vice President, Global Strategy of Parent. From July 2005 to
March 2007, Xx. Xxxxxxx was the Vice President, Global
Strategy of Parent. From June 1, 2002 to July 15,
2005, Xx. Xxxxxxx was Director, Strategic Planning of
Parent. Xx. Xxxxxxx joined Parent in 1995.
Xxxxxxx XxXxxxx —
Director. Xx. XxXxxxx has served a director
of Parent since August 20, 2003. Xx. XxXxxxx has been
the Senior Vice President, Eurasia of Xxxxxxx Laboratories (UK)
Limited since December 2006. From 1993 to December 2006,
Xx. XxXxxxx was the Vice President, EMEA of Xxxxxxx
Laboratories (UK) Limited. Xx. XxXxxxx joined Parent in
1976. Xx. XxXxxxx is a citizen of Ireland.
Xxxx Xxxxxxxx —
Director. Xx. Xxxxxxxx has served as
director of Parent since August 6, 2007. Xx. Xxxxxxxx
has been Operating Partner of the Healthcare Products Group of
HealthEdge Investment Partners, LLC and Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of Advanced Bio-Technologies, Inc. since May
2008. From May 2006 to May 2008, Xx. Xxxxxxxx was Chief
Operating Officer of Parent. From May 2003 to April 2006,
Xx. Xxxxxxxx was President of Glades Pharmaceuticals, LLC.
Xxxxxxxxx X.
Xxxxxxx— Director. Xx. Xxxxxxx has
served as a director of Parent since December 13, 2006.
Xx. Xxxxxxx is a certified public accountant (retired).
Xx. Xxxxxxx was the Assistant Controller of Petco Animal
Supplies, Inc., located in San Diego, California, from July
2006 to January 2007. From June 2001 to May 2006,
Xx. Xxxxxxx was Vice President and Director of Acquisition
Accounting at Science Applications International Corporation,
located in San Diego, California.
Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
— Director. Xx. Xxxxxxxxx has
served as a director of Parent since July 1, 2008.
Xx. Xxxxxxxxx has been a Managing Director of The
Blackstone Group in each of the preceding five years.
Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxx — Senior Vice President and
General Counsel. Xx. Xxxxxxx has been the
Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Parent since April
2008. From 2001 to March 2008, Xx. Xxxxxxx was Vice
President and General Counsel of Parent. Xx. Xxxxxxx joined
Parent in 1997.
A-2
Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxx — Senior Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer. Xx. Xxxxxxxxx has
been the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of
Parent since April 2005. From April 2003 to April 2005,
Xx. Xxxxxxxxx was the Chief Financial Officer of the
International Division of Parent. Xx. Xxxxxxxxx joined
Parent in 1999.
Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx, M.D. — Chief Scientific
Officer. Xx. Xxxxxxxx has been Chief
Scientific Officer of Parent since June 2005. From July 2004 to
June 2005 Xx. Xxxxxxxx was Director, Global Regulatory
Affairs of Amgen, Inc. From March 2002 to July 2004,
Xx. Xxxxxxxx was Group Director, Anti-infectives Clinical
Research for Schering-Plough Research Institute located in
Kenilworth, New Jersey. Xx. Xxxxxxxx is a citizen of the
United States and South Africa.
Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx — Senior Vice President, People
and Technology. Xx. Xxxxxxxx has been the
Senior Vice President, People and Technology of Parent since
April 2006. From June 2004 to April 2006, Xx. Xxxxxxxx was
an Associate Partner at Clarkston Consulting, located in
Atlanta, Georgia. From November 2001 to April 2004,
Xx. Xxxxxxxx was employed in various roles by Solution 6
Pty Ltd., located in Australia, and its subsidiary, Novient,
Inc., located in Atlanta, Georgia.
Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx — Vice President, Global
Ethics & Compliance
Officer. Xx. Xxxxxxxx has been the Vice
President, Global Ethics & Compliance Officer of
Parent since November 2007. From April 2006 to November 2007
Xx. Xxxxxxxx was Corporate Compliance Officer of Parent.
From May 2004 to April 2006, Xx. Xxxxxxxx was Vice
President, Regulatory Compliance for Compliance Implementation
Services of Parent. Prior to joining Parent in May 2004,
Xx. Xxxxxxxx was a Director, Business Planning &
Operations at Xxxxxxx International, where he had been employed
in various positions since 1998.
A-3
Manually executed facsimile copies of the Letter of Transmittal
will be accepted. The Letter of Transmittal, certificates for
Shares and any other required documents should be sent by each
stockholder of Barrier or such stockholder’s broker,
dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee to the
Depositary as follows:
American
Stock Transfer & Trust Company
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By facsimile transmission:
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If delivering by mail:
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(Guaranteed Delivery Form
ONLY)
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If delivering by hand or
courier:
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American Stock Transfer & Trust Company
Operations Center
Attn: Reorganization Department
P.O. Box 2042
New York, New York 10272
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American Stock Transfer &
Trust Company
Shareowner Services
(000) 000-0000
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American Stock Transfer &
Trust Company
Operations Center
Attn: Reorganization Department
0000
00xx
Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
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Any questions or requests for assistance or additional copies of
the Offer to Purchase and the Letter of Transmittal may be
directed to the Information Agent at its telephone number and
location listed below, and will be furnished promptly at
Purchaser’s expense. You may also contact your broker,
dealer, commercial bank or trust company or other nominee for
assistance concerning the Offer.
The
Information Agent for the Offer is:
Mellon Investor Services
LLC
000 Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
Jersey City, NJ 07310
For Information Call: 000-000-0000
Banks and Brokers Call: 000-000-0000