As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 29, 2024
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware | 82-3607803 | ||||
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) | ||||
1359 Broadway, Suite 801
New York, New York 10018
(212) 433-3791
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Andrea Paul
Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary
Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
1359 Broadway, Suite 801
New York, New York 10018
(212) 433-3791
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
Nathan Ajiashvili
Salvatore Vanchieri
Latham & Watkins LLP
1271 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10020
(212) 906-1200
APPROXIMATE DATE OF COMMENCEMENT OF PROPOSED SALE TO THE PUBLIC: From time to time after the effective date of this registration statement.
If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. ☐
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box. x
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective on filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. x
If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | x | Accelerated filer | o | |||||||||||
| Non-accelerated filer | o | Smaller reporting company | o | |||||||||||
| Emerging growth company | o | |||||||||||||
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for comply with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of Securities Act. o
EXPLANATORY NOTE
This registration statement contains:
•a base prospectus which covers the offering, issuance and sale by us of the securities identified above from time to time in one or more offerings; and
•a sales agreement prospectus covering the offering, issuance and sale by us of up to a maximum aggregate offering price of $200,000,000 of our common stock that may be issued and sold under a sales agreement with Leerink Partners LLC.
The base prospectus immediately follows this explanatory note. The specific terms of any securities to be offered pursuant to the base prospectus other than the shares under the sales agreement will be specified in a prospectus supplement to the base prospectus. The specific terms of the securities to be issued and sold under the sales agreement are specified in the sales agreement prospectus immediately following the base prospectus. The $200,000,000 of common stock that may be offered, issued and sold under the sales agreement prospectus is included in the securities that may be offered, issued and sold by us under the base prospectus.
PROSPECTUS
Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Debt Securities
Warrants
Purchase Contracts
Units
Common Stock
Offered by the Selling Securityholders
We may offer and sell the securities identified above, and the selling securityholders may offer and sell shares of our common stock, in each case, from time to time in one or more offerings. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of our common stock by the selling securityholders.
Each time we or any of the selling securityholders offer and sell securities, we or such selling securityholders will provide a supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the offering and, if applicable, the selling securityholders, as well as the amounts, prices and terms of the securities. The supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus with respect to that offering. You should carefully read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement before you invest in any of our securities.
We may offer and sell the securities described in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement to or through one or more underwriters, dealers and agents, or directly to purchasers, or through a combination of these methods. In addition, the selling securityholders may offer and sell shares of our common stock from time to time, together or separately. If any underwriters, dealers or agents are involved in the sale of any of the securities, their names and any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement between or among them will be set forth, or will be calculable from the information set forth, in the applicable prospectus supplement. See the sections of this prospectus entitled “About this Prospectus” and “Plan of Distribution” for more information. No securities may be sold without delivery of this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of such securities.
Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “ZNTL.” On February 27, 2024, the last reported sale price of our common stock on The Nasdaq Global Market was $14.71 per share.
INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES INVOLVES RISKS. SEE THE “RISK FACTORS” SECTION ON PAGE 5 OF THIS PROSPECTUS AND ANY SIMILAR SECTION CONTAINED IN THE APPLICABLE PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT AND IN THE DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE IN THIS PROSPECTUS CONCERNING FACTORS YOU SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is February 29, 2024.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS
This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, as a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, using a “shelf” registration process. By using a shelf registration statement, we may sell securities from time to time and in one or more offerings and the selling securityholders to be named in a supplement to this prospectus may sell shares of common stock from time to time in one or more offerings, in each case, as described in this prospectus. Each time that we or the selling securityholders offer and sell securities, we or the selling securityholders will provide a prospectus supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the securities being offered and sold and the specific terms of that offering. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you that may contain material information relating to these offerings. The prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus with respect to that offering. If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, you should rely on the prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, as applicable. Before purchasing any securities, you should carefully read both this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement (and any applicable free writing prospectuses), together with the additional information described under the headings “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation by Reference.”
Neither we, nor the selling securityholders, have authorized anyone to provide you with any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectuses prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. We and the selling securityholders take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. We and the selling securityholders will not make an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement to this prospectus is accurate only as of the date on its respective cover, that the information appearing in any applicable free writing prospectus is accurate only as of the date of that free writing prospectus, and that any information incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, unless we indicate otherwise. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates. This prospectus incorporates by reference, and any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus may contain and incorporate by reference, market data and industry statistics and forecasts that are based on independent industry publications and other publicly available information. Although we believe these sources are reliable, we do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this information and we have not independently verified this information. In addition, the market and industry data and forecasts that may be included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any applicable free writing prospectus may involve estimates, assumptions and other risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement and any applicable free writing prospectus, and under similar headings in other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on this information.
When we refer to “Zentalis,” “we,” “our,” “us” and the “Company” in this prospectus, we mean Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless otherwise specified. When we refer to “you,” we mean the potential holders of the applicable series of securities.
TRADEMARKS AND TRADENAMES
Solely for convenience, trademarks, service marks and tradenames referred to in this prospectus may appear without the ®, TM or SM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the right of the applicable licensor to these trademarks, service marks and tradenames. This prospectus may also contain trademarks, service marks, tradenames and copyrights of other companies, which are the property of their respective owners.
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
Available Information
Our Internet address is www.zentalis.com. At our investor relations website, https://ir.zentalis.com/, we make available free of charge a variety of information for investors, including our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements for our annual meetings of stockholders, and any amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file that material with or furnish it to the SEC. The information on our website, however, is not, and should not be deemed to be, a part of this prospectus. The SEC also maintains a website that contains reports, proxy statements and other information about issuers, like us, that file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is https://www.sec.gov.
This prospectus and any prospectus supplement are part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC and do not contain all of the information in the registration statement. The full registration statement may be obtained from the SEC or us, as provided below. Forms of the indenture and other documents establishing the terms of the offered securities are or may be filed as exhibits to the registration statement or documents incorporated by reference in the registration statement. Statements in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement about these documents are summaries and each statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the document to which it refers. You should refer to the actual documents for a more complete description of the relevant matters. You may inspect a copy of the registration statement through the SEC’s website, as provided above.
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INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
The SEC’s rules allow us to “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus, and subsequent information that we file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede that information. Any statement contained in this prospectus or a previously filed document incorporated by reference will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus or a subsequently filed document incorporated by reference modifies or replaces that statement.
This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement incorporate by reference the documents set forth below that have previously been filed with the SEC:
•Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on February 27, 2024.
•The information specifically incorporated by reference into our Annual Report on Form 10-K from our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the SEC on April 28, 2023, as supplemented on May 10, 2023.
•Our Current Reports on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on January 8, 2024 (excluding Item 7.01), January 25, 2024 (excluding Item 7.01) and February 15, 2024.
•The description of our Common Stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A (File No. 001-39263), filed with the SEC on April 2, 2020, as updated by Exhibit 4.3 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, and any amendment or report filed with the SEC for the purpose of updating the description.
All reports and other documents we subsequently file pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which we refer to as the “Exchange Act” in this prospectus, prior to the termination of this offering but excluding any information furnished to, rather than filed with, the SEC, will also be incorporated by reference into this prospectus and deemed to be part of this prospectus from the date of the filing of such reports and documents.
You may request a free copy of any of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus by writing or telephoning us at the following address:
Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
1359 Broadway, Suite 801
New York, New York 10018
(212) 433-3791
Exhibits to the filings will not be sent, however, unless those exhibits have specifically been incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement.
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THE COMPANY
Overview
We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing small molecule therapeutics targeting fundamental biological pathways of cancers. Our lead product candidate, azenosertib (ZN-c3), is a potentially first-in-class and best-in-class WEE1 inhibitor for advanced solid tumors and hematological malignancies. Azenosertib is being evaluated as a monotherapy and in combination across multiple ongoing clinical trials. In clinical trials, azenosertib has been well tolerated and has demonstrated anti-tumor activity as a single agent across multiple tumor types and in combination with several chemotherapy backbones. As part of our azenosertib clinical development program, we are exploring enrichment strategies targeting tumors with high levels of replication stress, such as Cyclin E1 positive tumors, homologous recombination deficient tumors, and tumors with oncogenic driver mutations. We are also developing a BCL-2 inhibitor, ZN-d5, in combination with azenosertib, and we believe we are the only company that has both a WEE1 inhibitor and a BCL-2 inhibitor in clinical development. We currently exclusively in-license or solely own worldwide development and commercialization rights to azenosertib and ZN-d5.
We also continue to use our extensive drug discovery experience and capabilities across cancer biology and medicinal chemistry, which we refer to as our Integrated Discovery Engine, to advance our ongoing research on protein degraders of undisclosed targets. We believe our product candidates are differentiated from current programs targeting similar pathways and, if approved, have the potential to significantly impact clinical outcomes of patients with cancer.
Corporate Information
We were initially formed as Zeno Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation, in December 2014. In conjunction with a corporate restructuring, Zeno Pharma, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, was formed, and in December 2017 acquired Zeno Pharmaceuticals, Inc., pursuant to a merger agreement. As a result of this merger, Zeno Pharmaceuticals, Inc. became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zeno Pharma, LLC. In December 2019, Zeno Pharma, LLC changed its name to Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, LLC. In April 2020, in connection with our IPO, Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, LLC was converted to a Delaware corporation pursuant to a statutory conversion and changed its name to Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Our principal executive office is located at 1359 Broadway, Suite 801, New York, New York 10018. Our telephone number is (212) 433-3791. Our corporate website is www.zentalis.com. The information contained on or that can be accessed through our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and you should not consider information on our website to be part of this prospectus or in deciding to purchase our common stock.
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RISK FACTORS
Investment in any securities offered pursuant to this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement involves risks. You should carefully consider the risk factors incorporated by reference to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K, and all other information contained or incorporated by reference into this prospectus, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act, and the risk factors and other information contained in the applicable prospectus supplement and any applicable free writing prospectus before acquiring any of such securities. The occurrence of any of these risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment in the offered securities.
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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein contain forward-looking statements. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “contemplate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “predict,” “potential,” “design,” “aim,” “support,” “advance,” “on track,” “strive,” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our competitive position, including information relating to our competitors and their products and product candidates and our industry; our expectations, projections and estimates regarding our capital requirements, need for additional capital, financing our future cash needs, costs, expenses, revenues, capital resources, cash flows, financial performance, profitability, tax obligations, liquidity, growth, contractual obligations, the period of time our cash resources will fund our current operating plan, our internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures; the ability of our clinical trials to demonstrate safety and efficacy of our product candidates, and other positive results; the global macroeconomic environment and increased inflation and interest rates; the timing and focus of our ongoing and future preclinical studies and clinical trials, including the reporting of data from those studies and trials and the timing thereof and the timing of initiation of enrollment in our clinical trials; our estimates of the number of patients that we will enroll in our clinical trials; the beneficial characteristics, safety, efficacy and therapeutic effects of our product candidates; the potential for azenosertib to be first-in-class and best-in-class; the potential for ZN-d5 to have best-in-class potency, selectivity and pharmacokinetic properties; our and our collaborators' strategy, plans and expectations with respect to the development, manufacturing, supply, approval and commercialization of our product candidates and the timing thereof; the designs of our studies and the type of information and data expected from our studies and the expected benefits thereof; our ability to obtain and maintain any marketing authorizations and our ability to complete post-marketing requirements with respect thereto; the timing and amounts of payments from or to our collaborators, licensors and licensees, and the anticipated arrangements and benefits under our collaboration and license agreements, including with respect to milestones and royalties; our pipeline, including its potential, and our related research and development activities; our plans relating to our biomarker enrichment strategies targeting tumors of high levels of replication stress, such as Cyclin E1 positive tumors, homologous recombination deficient tumors and tumors with oncogenic driver mutations; our plans relating to the further development of our product candidates, including program timelines, potential paths to registration, and additional indications we may pursue; our ability to negotiate, secure and maintain adequate pricing, coverage and reimbursement terms and processes on a timely basis, or at all, with third-party payors for our product candidates, if approved; our plans, including the costs thereof, of development of any diagnostic tools; our plans to evaluate additional strategic opportunities to maximize the value of our pipeline; our plans to advance our ongoing research on protein degrader programs as well as novel small molecule inhibitors designed to inhibit undisclosed targets; our plans to develop our product candidates in combination with other therapies; our existing collaborations and our ability to obtain, and negotiate favorable terms of, any collaboration, licensing or other arrangements that may be necessary or desirable to develop, manufacture or commercialize our product candidates; timing and likelihood of success of our research, development and commercialization efforts; timing of expected milestones, including timing of our first New Drug Application, or NDA, for azenosertib, and the announcement thereof; the size of the market opportunity for our product candidates; our expectations regarding the approval and use of our product candidates as first, second or subsequent lines of therapy or in combination with other drugs; the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals, including the targeted timing of our first NDA submission for azenosertib; our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of our product candidates; existing regulations and regulatory developments in the United States, the European Union and other jurisdictions; our intellectual property position, including obtaining and maintaining patents, and the timing, outcome and impact of administrative, regulatory, legal and other proceedings relating to our patents and other proprietary and intellectual property rights, and the timing and resolution thereof; our facilities, lease commitments, and future availability of facilities; accounting standards and estimates, their impact, and their expected timing of completion; cybersecurity and information security; expected ongoing reliance on third parties, including with respect to the development, manufacturing, supply and commercialization of our product candidates;
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insurance coverage; estimated periods of performance of key contracts; and the need to hire additional personnel and our ability to attract and retain personnel, and our ability to provide competitive compensation and benefits. These and other forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made and are subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, including the important factors incorporated by reference into this prospectus from our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K we file after the date of this prospectus, and all other information contained or incorporated by reference in to this prospectus, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act and in our other filings with the SEC, that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially and adversely from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.
Because forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified and some of which are beyond our control, they may turn out to be inaccurate and you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The events and circumstances reflected in our forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur and actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Moreover, we operate in an evolving environment. New risk factors and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.
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USE OF PROCEEDS
We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of common stock being offered by any of the selling securityholders.
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DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK
The following description of our capital stock is not complete and may not contain all the information you should consider before investing in our capital stock. This description is summarized from, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, our Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, or our Certificate of Incorporation, our Amended and Restated Bylaws, or our Bylaws, and the other documents referred to below, which have been publicly filed with the SEC, as well as the applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or the DGCL. See “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation by Reference.”
Authorized Capital Stock
Our authorized capital stock consists of 260,000,000 shared, all with a par value of $0.001 per share, of which:
•250,000,000 shares are designated as common stock; and
•10,000,000 shares are designated as preferred stock.
Common Stock
Voting
Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders and do not have cumulative voting rights. An election of directors by our stockholders shall be determined by a plurality of the votes cast by the stockholders entitled to vote on the election. Subject to the supermajority votes for some matters, other matters shall be decided by the affirmative vote of our stockholders having a majority in voting power of the votes cast by the stockholders present or represented and voting on such matter. Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws provide that our directors may be removed only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds in voting power of the outstanding shares of capital stock entitled to vote thereon. In addition, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds in voting power of the outstanding shares of capital stock entitled to vote thereon is required to amend or repeal, or to adopt any provision inconsistent with, several of the provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation. See below under “—Anti-Takeover Provisions—Amendment of Charter Provisions.”
Dividends
Holders of common stock are entitled to receive proportionately any dividends as may be declared by our Board of Directors, or our Board, subject to any preferential dividend rights of any series of preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future.
Liquidation
In the event of our liquidation or dissolution, the holders of our common stock are entitled to receive proportionately our net assets available for distribution to stockholders after the payment of all debts and other liabilities and subject to the prior rights of any outstanding preferred stock. Holders of our common stock have no preemptive, subscription, redemption or conversion rights. The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of common stock are subject to and may be adversely affected by the rights of the holders of shares of any series of preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future.
Rights and Preferences
Holders of our common stock have no preemptive, conversion or subscription rights, and there are no redemption or sinking funds provisions applicable to our common stock. The rights, preferences and privileges of the holders of our common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of share of any series of our preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future.
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Fully Paid and Nonassessable
All of our outstanding shares of common stock are, and the shares offered by us or the selling securityholders pursuant to this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement will be, when issued and paid for, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
Preferred Stock
Under the terms of our Certificate of Incorporation, our Board is authorized to direct us to issue shares of preferred stock in one or more series without stockholder approval. Our Board has the discretion to determine the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions, including voting rights, dividend rights, conversion rights, redemption privileges and liquidation preferences, of each series of preferred stock.
The purpose of authorizing our Board to issue preferred stock and determine its rights and preferences is to eliminate delays associated with a stockholder vote on specific issuances. The issuance of preferred stock, while providing flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions, future financings and other corporate purposes, could have the effect of making it more difficult for a third-party to acquire, or could discourage a third-party from seeking to acquire, a majority of our outstanding voting stock. We have no present plans to issue any shares of preferred stock.
Registration Rights
Under our Investors’ Rights Agreement, certain holders of our common stock are entitled to certain rights with respect to the registration of certain shares held by such holders for public resale under the Securities Act, until the rights otherwise terminate pursuant to the terms of the Investors’ Rights Agreement. The registration of shares of common stock as a result of the following rights being exercised would enable holders to trade these shares without restriction under the Securities Act when the applicable registration statement is declared effective. Under the Investors’ Rights Agreement, we will be required to pay all expenses incurred by us related to any registration effected pursuant to the exercise of these registration rights. These expenses may include all registration and filing fees, printing expenses, fees and disbursements of our counsel, reasonable fees and disbursements of a counsel for the selling securityholders and blue sky fees and expenses. The Investors’ Rights Agreement also includes customary indemnification and procedural terms.
The registration rights terminate upon the earliest of, with respect to a particular holder, (i) April 2, 2025, (ii) such time as that holder and its affiliates may sell all of their shares of common stock pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act or similar exemption during a three-month period without registration, and (iii) the closing of a deemed liquidation event, as defined in the Investors’ Rights Agreement.
Anti-Takeover Provisions
Some provisions of Delaware law and our Certificate of Incorporation and our Bylaws could make the following transactions more difficult: an acquisition of us by means of a tender offer; an acquisition of us by means of a proxy contest or otherwise; or the removal of our incumbent officers and directors. It is possible that these provisions could make it more difficult to accomplish or could deter transactions that stockholders may otherwise consider to be in their best interests or in our best interests, including transactions that provide for payment of a premium over the market price for our shares.
These provisions, summarized below, are intended to discourage coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids. These provisions are also designed to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to first negotiate with our Board. We believe that the benefits of the increased protection of our potential ability to negotiate with the proponent of an unfriendly or unsolicited proposal to acquire or restructure us outweigh the disadvantages of discouraging these proposals because negotiation of these proposals could result in an improvement of their terms.
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Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws
Undesignated Preferred Stock
The ability of our Board, without action by our stockholders, to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock with voting or other rights or preferences as designated by our Board could impede the success of any attempt to effect a change in control of our company. These and other provisions may have the effect of deferring hostile takeovers or delaying changes in control or management of our company.
Stockholder Meetings
Our Bylaws provide that a special meeting of stockholders may be called only by the chairperson of our Board, our chief executive officer or president (in the absence of a chief executive officer), or by a resolution adopted by a majority of our Board.
Requirements for Advance Notification of Stockholder Nominations and Proposals
Our Bylaws contain advance notice procedures with respect to stockholder proposals to be brought before a stockholder meeting and the nomination of candidates for election as directors, other than nominations made by or at the direction of our Board or a committee of our Board.
Elimination of Stockholder Action by Written Consent
Our Certificate of Incorporation eliminates the right of stockholders to act by written consent without a meeting.
Staggered Board
Our Board is divided into three classes. The directors in each class serve a three-year term, with one class being elected each year by our stockholders. This system of electing and removing directors may tend to discourage a third party from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us, because it generally makes it more difficult for stockholders to replace a majority of the directors.
Removal of Directors
Our Certificate of Incorporation provides that no member of our Board may be removed from office by our stockholders except for cause and, in addition to any other vote required by law, upon the approval of the holders of at least two-thirds in voting power of the outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote in the election of directors.
Stockholders Not Entitled to Cumulative Voting
Our Certificate of Incorporation does not permit stockholders to cumulate their votes in the election of directors. Accordingly, the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock entitled to vote in any election of directors will be able to elect all of the directors standing for election, if they choose, other than any directors that holders of our convertible preferred stock may be entitled to elect.
Choice of Forum
Our Certificate of Incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the sole and exclusive forum for (1) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (2) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty or other wrongdoing by any of our directors, officers, employees or agents to us or our stockholders, (3) any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws, or (4) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine. Under our Certificate of Incorporation, this exclusive form provision does not apply to claims which are vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, or for which the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware does not have subject matter jurisdiction. For instance, the provision would not apply to actions arising under federal securities laws, including suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, or the rules and regulations thereunder. This provision does not apply to suits brought to enforce
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a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act. In addition, our Bylaws provide that the federal district courts of the United States are the exclusive forum for any complaint raising a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. Any person or entity holding, purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock will be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to these choice of forum provisions. It is possible that a court of law could find the choice of forum provisions contained in our Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws to be inapplicable or unenforceable if challenged in a proceeding or otherwise.
Amendment of Charter Provisions
The amendment of any of the above provisions, except for the provision making it possible for our Board to issue preferred stock and the provision prohibiting cumulative voting, requires approval by holders of at least two-thirds in voting power of the outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote thereon.
The provisions of Delaware law, and our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws, could have the effect of discouraging others from attempting hostile takeovers and, as a consequence, they may also inhibit temporary fluctuations in the market price of our common stock that often result from actual or rumored hostile takeover attempts. These provisions may also have the effect of preventing changes in the composition of our Board and management. It is possible that these provisions could make it more difficult to accomplish transactions that stockholders may otherwise deem to be in their best interests.
Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law
We are subject to Section 203 of the DGCL, which prohibits persons deemed to be “interested stockholders” from engaging in a “business combination” with a publicly held Delaware corporation for three years following the date these persons become interested stockholders unless the business combination is, or the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder was, approved in a prescribed manner or another prescribed exception applies. Generally, an “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns, or within three years prior to the determination of interested stockholder status did own, 15% or more of a corporation’s voting stock. Generally, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset or stock sale, or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. The existence of this provision may have an anti-takeover effect with respect to transactions not approved in advance by our Board.
Limitations on Liability and Indemnification Matters
Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws limit our directors’ liability to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law, which prohibits our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws from limiting the liability of our directors for the following:
•any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders;
•acts or omissions not in good faith or that involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law;
•unlawful payment of dividends or unlawful stock repurchases or redemptions; or
•any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit.
If Delaware law is amended to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of a director, then the liability of our directors will be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law, as so amended. This limitation of liability does not apply to liabilities arising under the federal securities laws and does not affect the availability of equitable remedies such as injunctive relief or rescission.
Our certificate of corporation and Bylaws provide that we will indemnify our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law and that we shall have the power to indemnify our employees and agents to the fullest extent permitted by law. Our Bylaws also permit us to secure insurance on behalf of any officer, director, employee or other agent for any liability arising out of his or her actions in this capacity, regardless of whether we would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the DGCL.
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We have also entered into separate indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive officers, in addition to indemnification provided for in our Bylaws. These agreements, among other things, provide for indemnification of our directors and executive officers for expenses, judgments, fines and settlement amounts incurred by such persons in any action or proceeding arising out of this person’s services as a director or executive officer or at our request. We believe that these provisions in our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws and indemnification agreements are necessary to attract and retain qualified persons as directors and executive officers.
The limitation of liability and indemnification provisions in our Bylaws may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our directors for breach of their fiduciary duties. They may also reduce the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and officers, even though an action, if successful, might benefit us and our stockholders. A stockholder’s investment may be harmed to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and officers pursuant to these indemnification provisions. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
Listing
Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “ZNTL.”
Transfer Agent
The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Equiniti Trust Company, LLC.
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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES
The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, summarizes certain general terms and provisions of the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus. When we offer to sell a particular series of debt securities, we will describe the specific terms of the series in a supplement to this prospectus. We will also indicate in the supplement to what extent the general terms and provisions described in this prospectus apply to a particular series of debt securities.
We may issue debt securities either separately, or together with, or upon the conversion or exercise of or in exchange for, other securities described in this prospectus. Debt securities may be our senior, senior subordinated or subordinated obligations and, unless otherwise specified in a supplement to this prospectus, the debt securities will be our direct, unsecured obligations and may be issued in one or more series.
The debt securities will be issued under an indenture between us and a trustee to be named in the applicable indenture. We have summarized select portions of the indenture below. The summary is not complete. The form of the indenture has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement and you should read the indenture for provisions that may be important to you. In the summary below, we have included references to the section numbers of the indenture so that you can easily locate these provisions. Capitalized terms used in the summary and not defined herein have the meanings specified in the indenture.
As used in this section only, “Zentalis,” “we,” “our” or “us” refer to Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. excluding any subsidiaries we may have from time to time, unless expressly stated or the context otherwise requires.
General
The terms of each series of debt securities will be established by or pursuant to a resolution of our Board and set forth or determined in the manner provided in a resolution of our Board, in an officer’s certificate or by a supplemental indenture. (Section 2.2) The particular terms of each series of debt securities will be described in a prospectus supplement relating to such series (including any pricing supplement or term sheet).
We can issue an unlimited amount of debt securities under the indenture that may be in one or more series with the same or various maturities, at par, at a premium, or at a discount. (Section 2.1) We will set forth in a prospectus supplement (including any pricing supplement or term sheet) relating to any series of debt securities being offered, the aggregate principal amount and the following terms of the debt securities, if applicable:
•the title and ranking of the debt securities (including the terms of any subordination provisions);
•the price or prices (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount) at which we will sell the debt securities;
•any limit on the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities;
•the date or dates on which the principal of the securities of the series is payable;
•the rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable) per annum or the method used to determine the rate or rates (including any commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index) at which the debt securities will bear interest, the date or dates from which interest will accrue, the date or dates on which interest will commence and be payable and any regular record date for the interest payable on any interest payment date;
•the place or places where principal of, and interest, if any, on the debt securities will be payable (and the method of such payment), where the securities of such series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange, and where notices and demands to us in respect of the debt securities may be delivered;
•the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which we may redeem the debt securities;
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•any obligation we have to redeem or purchase the debt securities pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provisions or at the option of a holder of debt securities and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and in the terms and conditions upon which securities of the series shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;
•the dates on which and the price or prices at which we will repurchase debt securities at the option of the holders of debt securities and other detailed terms and provisions of these repurchase obligations;
•the denominations in which the debt securities will be issued, if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof;
•whether the debt securities will be issued in the form of certificated debt securities or global debt securities;
•the portion of principal amount of the debt securities payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity date, if other than the principal amount;
•the currency of denomination of the debt securities, which may be United States Dollars or any foreign currency, and if such currency of denomination is a composite currency, the agency or organization, if any, responsible for overseeing such composite currency;
•the designation of the currency, currencies or currency units in which payment of principal of, premium and interest on the debt securities will be made;
•if payments of principal of, premium or interest on the debt securities will be made in one or more currencies or currency units other than that or those in which the debt securities are denominated, the manner in which the exchange rate with respect to these payments will be determined;
•the manner in which the amounts of payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the debt securities will be determined, if these amounts may be determined by reference to an index based on a currency or currencies or by reference to a commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index;
•any provisions relating to any security provided for the debt securities;
•any addition to, deletion of or change in the Events of Default described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities and any change in the acceleration provisions described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities;
•any addition to, deletion of or change in the covenants described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities;
•any depositaries, interest rate calculation agents, exchange rate calculation agents or other agents with respect to the debt securities;
•the provisions, if any, relating to conversion or exchange of any debt securities of such series, including if applicable, the conversion or exchange price and period, provisions as to whether conversion or exchange will be mandatory, the events requiring an adjustment of the conversion or exchange price and provisions affecting conversion or exchange;
•any other terms of the debt securities, which may supplement, modify or delete any provision of the indenture as it applies to that series, including any terms that may be required under applicable law or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of the securities; and
•whether any of our direct or indirect subsidiaries will guarantee the debt securities of that series, including the terms of subordination, if any, of such guarantees. (Section 2.2)
We may issue debt securities that provide for an amount less than their stated principal amount to be due and payable upon declaration of acceleration of their maturity pursuant to the terms of the indenture. We will provide
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you with information on the federal income tax considerations and other special considerations applicable to any of these debt securities in the applicable prospectus supplement.
If we denominate the purchase price of any of the debt securities in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, or if the principal of and any premium and interest on any series of debt securities is payable in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, we will provide you with information on the restrictions, elections, general tax considerations, specific terms and other information with respect to that issue of debt securities and such foreign currency or currencies or foreign currency unit or units in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Transfer and Exchange
Each debt security will be represented by either one or more global securities registered in the name of The Depository Trust Company, or the Depositary, or a nominee of the Depositary (we will refer to any debt security represented by a global debt security as a “book-entry debt security”), or a certificate issued in definitive registered form (we will refer to any debt security represented by a certificated security as a “certificated debt security”) as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Except as set forth under the heading “Global Debt Securities and Book-Entry System” below, book-entry debt securities will not be issuable in certificated form.
Certificated Debt Securities. You may transfer or exchange certificated debt securities at any office we maintain for this purpose in accordance with the terms of the indenture. (Section 2.4) No service charge will be made for any transfer or exchange of certificated debt securities, but we may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection with a transfer or exchange. (Section 2.7)
You may effect the transfer of certificated debt securities and the right to receive the principal of, premium and interest on certificated debt securities only by surrendering the certificate representing those certificated debt securities and either reissuance by us or the trustee of the certificate to the new holder or the issuance by us or the trustee of a new certificate to the new holder.
Global Debt Securities and Book-Entry System. Each global debt security representing book-entry debt securities will be deposited with, or on behalf of, the Depositary, and registered in the name of the Depositary or a nominee of the Depositary. Please see “Global Securities.”
Covenants
We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement any restrictive covenants applicable to any issue of debt securities. (Article IV)
No Protection in the Event of a Change of Control
Unless we state otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities will not contain any provisions which may afford holders of the debt securities protection in the event we have a change in control or in the event of a highly leveraged transaction (whether or not such transaction results in a change in control) which could adversely affect holders of debt securities.
Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets
We may not consolidate with or merge with or into, or convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all of our properties and assets to any person (a “successor person”) unless:
•we are the surviving entity or the successor person (if other than Zentalis) is a corporation, partnership, trust or other entity organized and validly existing under the laws of any U.S. domestic jurisdiction and expressly assumes our obligations on the debt securities and under the indenture; and
•immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no Default or Event of Default, shall have occurred and be continuing.
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Notwithstanding the above, any of our subsidiaries may consolidate with, merge into or transfer all or part of its properties to us. (Section 5.1)
Events of Default
“Event of Default” means with respect to any series of debt securities, any of the following:
•default in the payment of any interest upon any debt security of that series when it becomes due and payable, and continuance of such default for a period of 30 days (unless the entire amount of the payment is deposited by us with the trustee or with a paying agent prior to the expiration of the 30-day period);
•default in the payment of principal of any security of that series at its maturity;
•default in the performance or breach of any other covenant or warranty by us in the indenture (other than a covenant or warranty that has been included in the indenture solely for the benefit of a series of debt securities other than that series), which default continues uncured for a period of 60 days after we receive written notice from the trustee or Zentalis and the trustee receive written notice from the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series as provided in the indenture;
•certain voluntary or involuntary events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of Zentalis;
•any other Event of Default provided with respect to debt securities of that series that is described in the applicable prospectus supplement. (Section 6.1)
No Event of Default with respect to a particular series of debt securities (except as to certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization) necessarily constitutes an Event of Default with respect to any other series of debt securities. (Section 6.1) The occurrence of certain Events of Default or an acceleration under the indenture may constitute an event of default under certain indebtedness of ours or our subsidiaries outstanding from time to time.
We will provide the trustee written notice of any Default or Event of Default within 30 days of becoming aware of the occurrence of such Default or Event of Default, which notice will describe in reasonable detail the status of such Default or Event of Default and what action we are taking or propose to take in respect thereof. (Section 6.1)
If an Event of Default with respect to debt securities of any series at the time outstanding occurs and is continuing, then the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may, by a notice in writing to us (and to the trustee if given by the holders), declare to be due and payable immediately the principal of (or, if the debt securities of that series are discount securities, that portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of that series) and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all debt securities of that series. In the case of an Event of Default resulting from certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization, the principal (or such specified amount) of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all outstanding debt securities will become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the trustee or any holder of outstanding debt securities. At any time after a declaration of acceleration with respect to debt securities of any series has been made, but before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the trustee, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may rescind and annul the acceleration if all Events of Default, other than the non-payment of accelerated principal and interest, if any, with respect to debt securities of that series, have been cured or waived as provided in the indenture. (Section 6.2) We refer you to the prospectus supplement relating to any series of debt securities that are discount securities for the particular provisions relating to acceleration of a portion of the principal amount of such discount securities upon the occurrence of an Event of Default.
The indenture provides that the trustee may refuse to perform any duty or exercise any of its rights or powers under the indenture unless the trustee receives indemnity satisfactory to it against any cost, liability or expense which might be incurred by it in performing such duty or exercising such right or power. (Section 7.1(e)) Subject to certain rights of the trustee, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available
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to the trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee with respect to the debt securities of that series. (Section 6.12)
No holder of any debt security of any series will have any right to institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, with respect to the indenture or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee, or for any remedy under the indenture, unless:
•that holder has previously given to the trustee written notice of a continuing Event of Default with respect to debt securities of that series; and
•the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have made written request, and offered indemnity or security satisfactory to the trustee, to the trustee to institute the proceeding as trustee, and the trustee has not received from the holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series a direction inconsistent with that request and has failed to institute the proceeding within 60 days. (Section 6.7)
Notwithstanding any other provision in the indenture, the holder of any debt security will have an absolute and unconditional right to receive payment of the principal of, premium and any interest on that debt security on or after the due dates expressed in that debt security and to institute suit for the enforcement of payment. (Section 6.8)
The indenture requires us, within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year, to furnish to the trustee a statement as to compliance with the indenture. (Section 4.3) If a Default or Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to the securities of any series and if it is known to a responsible officer of the trustee, the trustee shall mail to each securityholder of the securities of that series notice of a Default or Event of Default within 90 days after it occurs or, if later, after a responsible officer of the trustee has knowledge of such Default or Event of Default. The indenture provides that the trustee may withhold notice to the holders of debt securities of any series of any Default or Event of Default (except in payment on any debt securities of that series) with respect to debt securities of that series if the trustee determines in good faith that withholding notice is in the interest of the holders of those debt securities. (Section 7.5)
Modification and Waiver
We and the trustee may modify, amend or supplement the indenture or the debt securities of any series without the consent of any holder of any debt security:
•to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency;
•to comply with covenants in the indenture described above under the heading “Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets”;
•to provide for uncertificated securities in addition to or in place of certificated securities;
•to add guarantees with respect to debt securities of any series or secure debt securities of any series;
•to surrender any of our rights or powers under the indenture;
•to add covenants or events of default for the benefit of the holders of debt securities of any series;
•to comply with the applicable procedures of the applicable depositary;
•to make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any holder of debt securities;
•to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of debt securities of any series as permitted by the indenture;
•to effect the appointment of a successor trustee with respect to the debt securities of any series and to add to or change any of the provisions of the indenture to provide for or facilitate administration by more than one trustee; or
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•to comply with requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act. (Section 9.1)
We may also modify and amend the indenture with the consent of the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series affected by the modifications or amendments. We may not make any modification or amendment without the consent of the holders of each affected debt security then outstanding if that amendment will:
•reduce the amount of debt securities whose holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver;
•reduce the rate of or extend the time for payment of interest (including default interest) on any debt security;
•reduce the principal of or premium on or change the fixed maturity of any debt security or reduce the amount of, or postpone the date fixed for, the payment of any sinking fund or analogous obligation with respect to any series of debt securities;
•reduce the principal amount of discount securities payable upon acceleration of maturity;
•waive a default in the payment of the principal of, premium or interest on any debt security (except a rescission of acceleration of the debt securities of any series by the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding debt securities of that series and a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such acceleration);
•make the principal of or premium or interest on any debt security payable in currency other than that stated in the debt security;
•make any change to certain provisions of the indenture relating to, among other things, the right of holders of debt securities to receive payment of the principal of, premium and interest on those debt securities and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment and to waivers or amendments; or
•waive a redemption payment with respect to any debt security. (Section 9.3)
Except for certain specified provisions, the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may on behalf of the holders of all debt securities of that series waive our compliance with provisions of the indenture. (Section 9.2) The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may on behalf of the holders of all the debt securities of such series waive any past default under the indenture with respect to that series and its consequences, except a default in the payment of the principal of, premium or any interest on any debt security of that series; provided, however, that the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may rescind an acceleration and its consequences, including any related payment default that resulted from the acceleration. (Section 6.13)
Defeasance of Debt Securities and Certain Covenants in Certain Circumstances
Legal Defeasance. The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, we may be discharged from any and all obligations in respect of the debt securities of any series (subject to certain exceptions). We will be so discharged upon the irrevocable deposit with the trustee, in trust, of money and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of debt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. Dollars, government obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money or U.S. government obligations in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay and discharge each installment of principal, premium and interest on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities.
This discharge may occur only if, among other things, we have delivered to the trustee an opinion of counsel stating that we have received from, or there has been published by, the United States Internal Revenue Service a
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ruling or, since the date of execution of the indenture, there has been a change in the applicable United States federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion shall confirm that, the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit, defeasance and discharge and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit, defeasance and discharge had not occurred. (Section 8.3)
Defeasance of Certain Covenants. The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, upon compliance with certain conditions:
•we may omit to comply with the covenant described under the heading “Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets” and certain other covenants set forth in the indenture, as well as any additional covenants which may be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement; and
•any omission to comply with those covenants will not constitute a Default or an Event of Default with respect to the debt securities of that series (“covenant defeasance”).
The conditions include:
•depositing with the trustee money and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of debt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. Dollars, government obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay and discharge each installment of principal of, premium and interest on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities; and
•delivering to the trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit and related covenant defeasance and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit and related covenant defeasance had not occurred. (Section 8.4)
No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees or Securityholders
None of our past, present or future directors, officers, employees or securityholders, as such, will have any liability for any of our obligations under the debt securities or the indenture or for any claim based on, or in respect or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. By accepting a debt security, each holder waives and releases all such liability. This waiver and release is part of the consideration for the issue of the debt securities. However, this waiver and release may not be effective to waive liabilities under U.S. federal securities laws, and it is the view of the SEC that such a waiver is against public policy.
Governing Law
The indenture and the debt securities, including any claim or controversy arising out of or relating to the indenture or the securities, will be governed by the laws of the State of New York.
The indenture will provide that we, the trustee and the holders of the debt securities (by their acceptance of the debt securities) irrevocably waive, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to the indenture, the debt securities or the transactions contemplated thereby.
The indenture will provide that any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon the indenture or the transactions contemplated thereby may be instituted in the federal courts of the United States of America located in the City of New York or the courts of the State of New York in each case located in the City of New York, and we, the trustee and the holder of the debt securities (by their acceptance of the debt securities) irrevocably submit to
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the non-exclusive jurisdiction of such courts in any such suit, action or proceeding. The indenture will further provide that service of any process, summons, notice or document by mail (to the extent allowed under any applicable statute or rule of court) to such party’s address set forth in the indenture will be effective service of process for any suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court. The indenture will further provide that we, the trustee and the holders of the debt securities (by their acceptance of the debt securities) irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or other proceeding in the courts specified above and irrevocably and unconditionally waive and agree not to plead or claim any such suit, action or other proceeding has been brought in an inconvenient forum. (Section 10.10)
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DESCRIPTION OF OTHER SECURITIES
We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement a description of any warrants, purchase contracts or units issued by us that may be offered and sold pursuant to this prospectus.
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GLOBAL SECURITIES
Book-Entry, Delivery and Form
Unless we indicate differently in any applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, the securities initially will be issued in book-entry form and represented by one or more global notes or global securities, or, collectively, global securities. The global securities will be deposited with, or on behalf of, The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York, as depositary, or DTC, and registered in the name of Cede & Co., the nominee of DTC. Unless and until it is exchanged for individual certificates evidencing securities under the limited circumstances described below, a global security may not be transferred except as a whole by the depositary to its nominee or by the nominee to the depositary, or by the depositary or its nominee to a successor depositary or to a nominee of the successor depositary.
DTC has advised us that it is:
•a limited-purpose trust company organized under the New York Banking Law;
•a “banking organization” within the meaning of the New York Banking Law;
•a member of the Federal Reserve System;
•a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code; and
•a “clearing agency” registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Exchange Act.
DTC holds securities that its participants deposit with DTC. DTC also facilitates the settlement among its participants of securities transactions, such as transfers and pledges, in deposited securities through electronic computerized book-entry changes in participants’ accounts, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. “Direct participants” in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, including underwriters, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other organizations. DTC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, or DTCC. DTCC is the holding company for DTC, National Securities Clearing Corporation and Fixed Income Clearing Corporation, all of which are registered clearing agencies. DTCC is owned by the users of its regulated subsidiaries. Access to the DTC system is also available to others, which we sometimes refer to as indirect participants, that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a direct participant, either directly or indirectly. The rules applicable to DTC and its participants are on file with the SEC.
Purchases of securities under the DTC system must be made by or through direct participants, which will receive a credit for the securities on DTC’s records. The ownership interest of the actual purchaser of a security, which we sometimes refer to as a beneficial owner, is in turn recorded on the direct and indirect participants’ records. Beneficial owners of securities will not receive written confirmation from DTC of their purchases. However, beneficial owners are expected to receive written confirmations providing details of their transactions, as well as periodic statements of their holdings, from the direct or indirect participants through which they purchased securities. Transfers of ownership interests in global securities are to be accomplished by entries made on the books of participants acting on behalf of beneficial owners. Beneficial owners will not receive certificates representing their ownership interests in the global securities, except under the limited circumstances described below.
To facilitate subsequent transfers, all global securities deposited by direct participants with DTC will be registered in the name of DTC’s partnership nominee, Cede & Co., or such other name as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. The deposit of securities with DTC and their registration in the name of Cede & Co. or such other nominee will not change the beneficial ownership of the securities. DTC has no knowledge of the actual beneficial owners of the securities. DTC’s records reflect only the identity of the direct participants to whose accounts the securities are credited, which may or may not be the beneficial owners. The participants are responsible for keeping account of their holdings on behalf of their customers.
So long as the securities are in book-entry form, you will receive payments and may transfer securities only through the facilities of the depositary and its direct and indirect participants. We will maintain an office or agency in the location specified in the prospectus supplement for the applicable securities, where notices and demands in
23
respect of the securities and the indenture may be delivered to us and where certificated securities may be surrendered for payment, registration of transfer or exchange.
Conveyance of notices and other communications by DTC to direct participants, by direct participants to indirect participants and by direct participants and indirect participants to beneficial owners will be governed by arrangements among them, subject to any legal requirements in effect from time to time.
Redemption notices will be sent to DTC. If less than all of the securities of a particular series are being redeemed, DTC’s practice is to determine by lot the amount of the interest of each direct participant in the securities of such series to be redeemed.
Neither DTC nor Cede & Co. (or such other DTC nominee) will consent or vote with respect to the securities. Under its usual procedures, DTC will mail an omnibus proxy to us as soon as possible after the record date. The omnibus proxy assigns the consenting or voting rights of Cede & Co. to those direct participants to whose accounts the securities of such series are credited on the record date, identified in a listing attached to the omnibus proxy.
So long as securities are in book-entry form, we will make payments on those securities to the depositary or its nominee, as the registered owner of such securities, by wire transfer of immediately available funds. If securities are issued in definitive certificated form under the limited circumstances described below and unless if otherwise provided in the description of the applicable securities herein or in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will have the option of making payments by check mailed to the addresses of the persons entitled to payment or by wire transfer to bank accounts in the United States designated in writing to the applicable trustee or other designated party at least 15 days before the applicable payment date by the persons entitled to payment, unless a shorter period is satisfactory to the applicable trustee or other designated party.
Redemption proceeds, distributions and dividend payments on the securities will be made to Cede & Co., or such other nominee as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. DTC’s practice is to credit direct participants’ accounts upon DTC’s receipt of funds and corresponding detail information from us on the payment date in accordance with their respective holdings shown on DTC records. Payments by participants to beneficial owners will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is the case with securities held for the account of customers in bearer form or registered in “street name.” Those payments will be the responsibility of participants and not of DTC or us, subject to any statutory or regulatory requirements in effect from time to time. Payment of redemption proceeds, distributions and dividend payments to Cede & Co., or such other nominee as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC, is our responsibility, disbursement of payments to direct participants is the responsibility of DTC, and disbursement of payments to the beneficial owners is the responsibility of direct and indirect participants.
Except under the limited circumstances described below, purchasers of securities will not be entitled to have securities registered in their names and will not receive physical delivery of securities. Accordingly, each beneficial owner must rely on the procedures of DTC and its participants to exercise any rights under the securities and the indenture.
The laws of some jurisdictions may require that some purchasers of securities take physical delivery of securities in definitive form. Those laws may impair the ability to transfer or pledge beneficial interests in securities.
DTC may discontinue providing its services as securities depositary with respect to the securities at any time by giving reasonable notice to us. Under such circumstances, in the event that a successor depositary is not obtained, securities certificates are required to be printed and delivered.
As noted above, beneficial owners of a particular series of securities generally will not receive certificates representing their ownership interests in those securities. However, if:
•DTC notifies us that it is unwilling or unable to continue as a depositary for the global security or securities representing such series of securities or if DTC ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act at a time when it is required to be registered and a successor depositary is not appointed
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within 90 days of the notification to us or of our becoming aware of DTC’s ceasing to be so registered, as the case may be;
•we determine, in our sole discretion, not to have such securities represented by one or more global securities; or
•an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing with respect to such series of securities,
we will prepare and deliver certificates for such securities in exchange for beneficial interests in the global securities. Any beneficial interest in a global security that is exchangeable under the circumstances described in the preceding sentence will be exchangeable for securities in definitive certificated form registered in the names that the depositary directs. It is expected that these directions will be based upon directions received by the depositary from its participants with respect to ownership of beneficial interests in the global securities.
Euroclear and Clearstream
If so provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, you may hold interests in a global security through Clearstream Banking S.A., which we refer to as “Clearstream,” or Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V., as operator of the Euroclear System, which we refer to as “Euroclear,” either directly if you are a participant in Clearstream or Euroclear or indirectly through organizations which are participants in Clearstream or Euroclear. Clearstream and Euroclear will hold interests on behalf of their respective participants through customers’ securities accounts in the names of Clearstream and Euroclear, respectively, on the books of their respective U.S. depositaries, which in turn will hold such interests in customers’ securities accounts in such depositaries’ names on DTC’s books.
Clearstream and Euroclear are securities clearance systems in Europe. Clearstream and Euroclear hold securities for their respective participating organizations and facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions between those participants through electronic book-entry changes in their accounts, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of certificates.
Payments, deliveries, transfers, exchanges, notices and other matters relating to beneficial interests in global securities owned through Euroclear or Clearstream must comply with the rules and procedures of those systems. Transactions between participants in Euroclear or Clearstream, on one hand, and other participants in DTC, on the other hand, are also subject to DTC’s rules and procedures.
Investors will be able to make and receive through Euroclear and Clearstream payments, deliveries, transfers and other transactions involving any beneficial interests in global securities held through those systems only on days when those systems are open for business. Those systems may not be open for business on days when banks, brokers and other institutions are open for business in the United States.
Cross-market transfers between participants in DTC, on the one hand, and participants in Euroclear or Clearstream, on the other hand, will be effected through DTC in accordance with the DTC’s rules on behalf of Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, by their respective U.S. depositaries; however, such cross-market transactions will require delivery of instructions to Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, by the counterparty in such system in accordance with the rules and procedures and within the established deadlines (European time) of such system. Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, will, if the transaction meets its settlement requirements, deliver instructions to its U.S. depositary to take action to effect final settlement on its behalf by delivering or receiving interests in the global securities through DTC, and making or receiving payment in accordance with normal procedures for same-day fund settlement. Participants in Euroclear or Clearstream may not deliver instructions directly to their respective U.S. depositaries.
Due to time zone differences, the securities accounts of a participant in Euroclear or Clearstream purchasing an interest in a global security from a direct participant in DTC will be credited, and any such crediting will be reported to the relevant participant in Euroclear or Clearstream, during the securities settlement processing day (which must be a business day for Euroclear or Clearstream) immediately following the settlement date of DTC. Cash received in Euroclear or Clearstream as a result of sales of interests in a global security by or through a participant in Euroclear or Clearstream to a direct participant in DTC will be received with value on the settlement date of DTC but will be
25
available in the relevant Euroclear or Clearstream cash account only as of the business day for Euroclear or Clearstream following DTC’s settlement date.
Other
The information in this section of this prospectus concerning DTC, Clearstream, Euroclear and their respective book-entry systems has been obtained from sources that we believe to be reliable, but we do not take responsibility for this information. This information has been provided solely as a matter of convenience. The rules and procedures of DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear are solely within the control of those organizations and could change at any time. Neither we nor the trustee nor any agent of ours or of the trustee has any control over those entities and none of us takes any responsibility for their activities. You are urged to contact DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear or their respective participants directly to discuss those matters. In addition, although we expect that DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear will perform the foregoing procedures, none of them is under any obligation to perform or continue to perform such procedures and such procedures may be discontinued at any time. Neither we nor any agent of ours will have any responsibility for the performance or nonperformance by DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear or their respective participants of these or any other rules or procedures governing their respective operations.
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SELLING SECURITYHOLDERS
Information about selling securityholders, where applicable, will be set forth in a prospectus supplement, in a post-effective amendment or in filings we make with the SEC under the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference.
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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
We or any of the selling securityholders may sell the offered securities from time to time:
•through underwriters or dealers;
•through agents;
•directly to one or more purchasers; or
•through a combination of any of these methods of sale.
We will identify the specific plan of distribution, including any underwriters, dealers, agents or direct purchasers and their compensation in the applicable prospectus supplement.
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LEGAL MATTERS
Latham & Watkins LLP will pass upon certain legal matters relating to the issuance and sale of the securities offered hereby on behalf of Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Additional legal matters may be passed upon for us, the selling securityholders or any underwriters, dealers or agents, by counsel that we will name in the applicable prospectus supplement.
EXPERTS
Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, has audited our consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, and the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, as set forth in their reports, which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement. Our financial statements are incorporated by reference in reliance on Ernst & Young LLP's report, given on their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
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PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
Up to $200,000,000
Common Stock
We previously entered into a sales agreement, or the sales agreement, with Leerink Partners LLC, or Leerink Partners, dated May 3, 2021, relating to the sale of shares of our common stock, $0.001 par value per share. In accordance with the terms of the sales agreement, under this prospectus supplement we may offer and sell shares of our common stock, having an aggregate offering price of up to $200,000,000 from time to time through Leerink Partners, acting as our agent.
Prior to the date of this prospectus supplement, sales of our common stock pursuant to the sales agreement were made pursuant to an effective shelf registration on Form S-3 (File No. 333-255769) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 4, 2021, and a sales agreement prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus, or the prior sales agreement prospectus supplement, dated May 4, 2021, which forms a part of such registration statement. As of the date of this prospectus supplement, we will not make any further offers or sales of our common stock pursuant to the prior sales agreement prospectus supplement.
Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “ZNTL.” On February 27, 2024, the last reported sale price of our common stock on The Nasdaq Global Market was $14.71 per share.
Sales of our common stock, if any, under this prospectus supplement will be made by any method permitted that is deemed an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act. Leerink Partners is not required to sell any specific amount, but will act as our sales agent using commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices on mutually agreed terms between the sales agent and us. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in any escrow, trust or similar arrangement.
Leerink Partners will be entitled to compensation at a commission rate of up to 3.0% of the gross sales price of the shares of our common stock sold through it pursuant to the sales agreement. In connection with the sale of the common stock on our behalf, Leerink Partners will be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act and the compensation of Leerink Partners will be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have also agreed to provide indemnification and contribution to Leerink Partners with respect to certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. See “Plan of Distribution” beginning on page S-12 for additional information regarding the compensation to be paid to Leerink Partners.
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should review carefully the risks and uncertainties described under the header “Risk Factors” contained in this prospectus supplement beginning on page S-4 and under similar headings in the other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus supplement. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
| Leerink Partners | ||||||||
The date of this prospectus supplement is February 29, 2024.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
This prospectus supplement is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we have filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, utilizing a “shelf” registration process. By using a shelf registration statement, we may offer shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $200,000,000 from time to time under this prospectus supplement at prices and on terms to be determined by market conditions at the time of offering.
We provide information to you about this offering of our common stock in two separate documents that are bound together: (1) this prospectus supplement, which describes the specific details regarding this offering; and (2) the accompanying base prospectus, which provides general information, some of which may not apply to this offering. Generally, when we refer to this “prospectus supplement,” we are referring to both documents combined. If information in this prospectus supplement is inconsistent with the accompanying base prospectus, you should rely on this prospectus supplement. To the extent there is a conflict between the information contained in this prospectus supplement, on the one hand, and the information contained in any document incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, on the other hand, you should rely on the information in this prospectus supplement. If any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in another document having a later date—for example, a document incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement—the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement.
We have not, and Leerink Partners has not, authorized anyone to provide you with information other than that contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying base prospectus and any free writing prospectus. We are not, and Leerink Partners is not, making an offer to sell or soliciting any offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted or in which the person making that offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so or to anyone to whom it is unlawful to make an offer or solicitation. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying base prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering is accurate only as of the date of those respective documents. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates. You should read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying base prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering in their entirety before making an investment decision.
Before buying any of the common stock that we are offering, we urge you to carefully read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying base prospectus and all of the information incorporated by reference herein and therein, as well as the additional information described under the headings “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation by Reference.” These documents contain important information that you should consider when making your investment decision.
We are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, shares of common stock only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The distribution of this prospectus supplement and the offering of the common stock in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus supplement must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the common stock and the distribution of this prospectus supplement outside the United States. This prospectus supplement does not constitute, and may not be used in connection with, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities offered by this prospectus supplement by any person in any jurisdiction in which it is unlawful for such person to make such an offer or solicitation.
When we refer to “Zentalis,” “we,” “our” and “us” in this prospectus supplement, we mean Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. or its consolidated subsidiaries, unless otherwise specified. When we refer to “you,” we mean the holders of the applicable series of securities.
We have proprietary rights to trademarks, trade names and service marks appearing in this prospectus supplement that are important to our business. This prospectus supplement also includes trademarks, tradenames and service marks that are the property of other organizations. Solely for convenience, trademarks and tradenames
S-i
referred to in this prospectus supplement appear without the ® and TM symbols, but those references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or that the applicable owner will not assert its rights, to these trademarks and tradenames.
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
Our Internet address is www.zentalis.com. At our investor relations website, https://ir.zentalis.com/, we make available free of charge a variety of information for investors, including our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements for our annual meetings of stockholders, and any amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file that material with or furnish it to the SEC. The information on our website, however, is not, and should not be deemed to be, a part of this prospectus supplement. The SEC also maintains a website that contains reports, proxy statements and other information about issuers, like us, that file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is https://www.sec.gov.
This prospectus supplement and the accompanying base prospectus are part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC and do not contain all of the information in the registration statement. The full registration statement may be obtained from the SEC or us, as provided below. Documents establishing the terms of the offered securities are or may be filed as exhibits to the registration statement. Statements in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying base prospectus about these documents are summaries, and each statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the document to which it refers. You should refer to the actual documents for a more complete description of the relevant matters. You may inspect a copy of the registration statement through the SEC’s website, as provided above.
S-iii
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
The SEC’s rules allow us to “incorporate by reference” information in this prospectus supplement, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus supplement, and subsequent information that we file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede that information. Any statement contained in a previously filed document incorporated by reference will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus supplement to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus supplement or a subsequently filed document incorporated by reference modifies or replaces that statement.
This prospectus supplement incorporates by reference the documents set forth below that have previously been filed with the SEC (other than those documents or the portions of those documents not deemed to be filed):
•Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on February 27, 2024.
•The information specifically incorporated by reference into our Annual Report on Form 10-K from our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the SEC on April 28, 2023, as supplemented on May 10, 2023.
•Our Current Reports on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on January 8, 2024 (excluding Item 7.01), January 25, 2024 (excluding Item 7.01) and February 15, 2024.
•The description of our Common Stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A (File No. 001-39263), filed with the SEC on April 2, 2020, as updated by Exhibit 4.3 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, and any amendment or report filed with the SEC for the purpose of updating the description.
All reports and other documents we subsequently file pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which we refer to as the “Exchange Act” in this prospectus supplement, prior to the termination of this offering but excluding any information furnished to, rather than filed with, the SEC, will also be incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and deemed to be part of this prospectus supplement from the date of the filing of such reports and documents.
You may request a free copy of any of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement by writing or telephoning us at the following address:
Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
1359 Broadway, Suite 801
New York, New York 10018
(212) 433-3791
Exhibits to the filings will not be sent, however, unless those exhibits have specifically been incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement.
S-iv
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY
This summary provides a general overview of selected information and does not contain all of the information you should consider before buying our common stock. Therefore, you should read this entire prospectus supplement, the accompanying base prospectus and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering carefully, including the information incorporated by reference, before deciding to invest in our common stock. Investors should carefully consider the information set forth under “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-4 of this prospectus supplement and incorporated by reference to our Annual Report on Form 10-K .
Overview
We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing small molecule therapeutics targeting fundamental biological pathways of cancers. Our lead product candidate, azenosertib (ZN-c3), is a potentially first-in-class and best-in-class WEE1 inhibitor for advanced solid tumors and hematological malignancies. Azenosertib is being evaluated as a monotherapy and in combination across multiple ongoing clinical trials. In clinical trials, azenosertib has been well tolerated and has demonstrated anti-tumor activity as a single agent across multiple tumor types and in combination with several chemotherapy backbones. As part of our azenosertib clinical development program, we are exploring enrichment strategies targeting tumors with high levels of replication stress, such as Cyclin E1 positive tumors, homologous recombination deficient tumors, and tumors with oncogenic driver mutations. We are also developing a BCL-2 inhibitor, ZN-d5, in combination with azenosertib, and we believe we are the only company that has both a WEE1 inhibitor and a BCL-2 inhibitor in clinical development. We currently exclusively in-license or solely own worldwide development and commercialization rights to azenosertib and ZN-d5.
We also continue to use our extensive drug discovery experience and capabilities across cancer biology and medicinal chemistry, which we refer to as our Integrated Discovery Engine, to advance our ongoing research on protein degraders of undisclosed targets. We believe our product candidates are differentiated from current programs targeting similar pathways and, if approved, have the potential to significantly impact clinical outcomes of patients with cancer.
Corporate Information
We were initially formed as Zeno Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation, in December 2014. In conjunction with a corporate restructuring, Zeno Pharma, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, was formed, and in December 2017 acquired Zeno Pharmaceuticals, Inc., pursuant to a merger agreement. As a result of this merger, Zeno Pharmaceuticals, Inc. became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zeno Pharma, LLC. In December 2019, Zeno Pharma, LLC changed its name to Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, LLC. In April 2020, in connection with our IPO, Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, LLC was converted to a Delaware corporation pursuant to a statutory conversion and changed its name to Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Our principal executive office is located at 1359 Broadway, Suite 801, New York, New York 10018. Our telephone number is (212) 433-3791. Our corporate website is www.zentalis.com. The information contained on or that can be accessed through our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement, and you should not consider information on our website to be part of this prospectus supplement or in deciding to purchase our common stock.
S-1
THE OFFERING
Common stock offered by us | Shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $200,000,000. | |||||||
Common stock to be outstanding after this offering | Up to 84,361,747 shares (as more fully described in the notes following this table), assuming sales of 13,596,193 shares of our common stock in this offering at an assumed offering price of $14.71 per share, which was the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market on February 27, 2024. The actual number of shares issued will vary depending on how many shares of our common stock we choose to sell and at the prices at which such sales occur. | |||||||
Plan of Distribution | “At the market offering” that may be made from time to time through our sales agent, Leerink Partners LLC, or Leerink Partners. See “Plan of Distribution” on page S-12 of this prospectus supplement. | |||||||
Use of Proceeds | We intend to use the net proceeds of this offering to advance the clinical development of azenosertib, ZN-d5 and any other product candidates, fund new and ongoing research and development activities, and for working capital and other general corporate purposes. See the section entitled “Use of Proceeds” on page S-8 of this prospectus supplement. | |||||||
Risk Factors | See "Risk Factors" beginning on page S-4 of this prospectus supplement and the other information included in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus for a discussion of certain factors you should carefully consider before deciding to invest in shares of our common stock. | |||||||
Nasdaq Global Market symbol | "ZNTL" | |||||||
The number of our shares of our common stock to be outstanding after this offering is based on 70,765,554 shares of our common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2023, and excludes:
•8,124,579 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstanding as of December 31, 2023 under our 2020 Incentive Award Plan, or the 2020 Plan, at a weighted-average exercise price of $27.38 per share;
•1,115,815 shares of our common stock issuable upon the settlement of restricted stock units outstanding as of December 31, 2023 under the 2020 Plan;
•1,836,357 remaining shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2020 Plan as of December 31, 2023, as well as any shares of our common stock that become available pursuant to provisions in the 2020 Plan that automatically increase the share reserve under our 2020 Plan or the other provisions of the 2020 Plan pursuant to which additional shares may become available for issuance under the 2020 Plan;
•1,913,160 shares of our common stock available for future issuance under our 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan as of December 31, 2023;
•1,892,856 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstanding as of December 31, 2023 under our 2022 Employment Inducement Incentive Award Plan, or the 2022 Plan, at a weighted-average exercise price of $23.23 per share;
•103,000 shares of our common stock issuable upon the settlement of restricted stock units outstanding as of December 31, 2023 under the 2022 Plan; and
S-2
•254,144 shares of our common stock available for future issuance under our 2022 Plan as of December 31, 2023, as well as any shares of our common stock that may become available for issuance pursuant to provisions of the 2022 Plan.
Unless otherwise stated, all information contained in this prospectus supplement reflects and assumes no exercise of the outstanding options or settlement of the outstanding restricted stock units referred to above after December 31, 2023.
S-3
RISK FACTORS
Investment in any securities offered pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying base prospectus involves risks. You should carefully consider the risk factors described below and in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, any amendment or update thereto reflected in subsequent filings with the SEC, including in our Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and all other information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act. The risks and uncertainties we have described are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our operations. The occurrence of any of these risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment in the offered securities.
Risks Relating to this Offering
If you purchase shares of our common stock sold in this offering, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution in the net tangible book value of your shares. In addition, we may issue additional equity or convertible debt securities in the future, which may result in additional dilution to you.
The price per share of our common stock may be higher than the net tangible book value per share of our outstanding common stock prior to this offering, and if so, you will suffer immediate and potentially substantial dilution in the net tangible book value of the common stock you purchase in this offering. For a more detailed discussion of the foregoing, see the section entitled “Dilution” below. To the extent outstanding stock options are exercised, there will be further dilution to new investors. In addition, to the extent we need to raise additional capital in the future and we issue additional shares of common stock or securities convertible or exchangeable for our common stock, our then existing stockholders may experience dilution and the new securities may have rights senior to those of our common stock offered in this offering.
We have broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds from this offering and may not use them effectively.
Our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from this offering, including for any of the purposes described in the section entitled “Use of Proceeds,” and you will not have the opportunity as part of your investment decision to assess whether the net proceeds are being used appropriately. Because of the number and variability of factors that will determine our use of the net proceeds from this offering, their ultimate use may vary substantially from their currently intended use. Our management might not apply our net proceeds in ways to advance the clinical development of azenosertib, ZN-d5 and any other product candidates, fund new and ongoing research and development activities, and for working capital and other general corporate purposes. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could harm our business. Pending their use, we plan to invest the net proceeds from this offering in short- and intermediate-term, interest-bearing obligations, investment-grade instruments, certificates of deposit or direct or guaranteed obligations of the U.S. government. These investments may not yield a favorable return to our stockholders. If we do not invest or apply the net proceeds from this offering in ways that enhance stockholder value, we may fail to achieve expected financial results, which could cause our stock price to decline.
Future sales or issuances of our common stock in the public markets, or the perception of such sales, could depress the trading price of our common stock.
The sale of a substantial number of shares of our common stock or other equity-related securities in the public markets, or the perception that such sales could occur, could depress the market price of our common stock and impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. We may sell large quantities of our common stock at any time pursuant to this prospectus supplement or in one or more separate offerings. We cannot predict the effect that future sales of common stock or other equity-related securities would have on the market price of our common stock.
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The actual number of shares we will issue under the sales agreement, at any one time or in total, is uncertain.
Subject to certain limitations in the sales agreement and compliance with applicable law, we have the discretion to deliver a placement notice to Leerink Partners at any time throughout the term of the sales agreement. The number of shares that are sold by Leerink Partners after delivering a placement notice will fluctuate based on the market price of our common stock during the sales period and limits we set with Leerink Partners. Because the price per share of each share sold will fluctuate based on the market price of our common stock during the sales period, it is not possible at this stage to predict the number of shares that will be ultimately issued.
The common stock offered hereby will be sold in “at the market offerings,” and investors who buy shares at different times will likely pay different prices.
Investors who purchase shares in this offering at different times will likely pay different prices, and so may experience different outcomes in their investment results. We will have discretion, subject to market demand, to vary the timing, prices, and numbers of shares sold, and there is no minimum or maximum sales price. Investors may experience a decline in the value of their shares as a result of share sales made at prices lower than the prices they paid.
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus supplement, the accompanying base prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering may contain forward-looking statements. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying base prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “contemplate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “predict,” “potential,” “design,” “aim,” “support,” “advance,” “on track,” “strive,” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our competitive position, including information relating to our competitors and their products and product candidates and our industry; our expectations, projections and estimates regarding our capital requirements, need for additional capital, financing our future cash needs, costs, expenses, revenues, capital resources, cash flows, financial performance, profitability, tax obligations, liquidity, growth, contractual obligations, the period of time our cash resources will fund our current operating plan, our internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures; the ability of our clinical trials to demonstrate safety and efficacy of our product candidates, and other positive results; the global macroeconomic environment and increased inflation and interest rates; the timing and focus of our ongoing and future preclinical studies and clinical trials, including the reporting of data from those studies and trials and the timing thereof and the timing of initiation of enrollment in our clinical trials; our estimates of the number of patients that we will enroll in our clinical trials; the beneficial characteristics, safety, efficacy and therapeutic effects of our product candidates; the potential for azenosertib to be first-in-class and best-in-class; the potential for ZN-d5 to have best-in-class potency, selectivity and pharmacokinetic properties; our and our collaborators' strategy, plans and expectations with respect to the development, manufacturing, supply, approval and commercialization of our product candidates and the timing thereof; the designs of our studies and the type of information and data expected from our studies and the expected benefits thereof; our ability to obtain and maintain any marketing authorizations and our ability to complete post-marketing requirements with respect thereto; the timing and amounts of payments from or to our collaborators, licensors and licensees, and the anticipated arrangements and benefits under our collaboration and license agreements, including with respect to milestones and royalties; our pipeline, including its potential, and our related research and development activities; our plans relating to our biomarker enrichment strategies targeting tumors of high levels of replication stress, such as Cyclin E1 positive tumors, homologous recombination deficient tumors and tumors with oncogenic driver mutations; our plans relating to the further development of our product candidates, including program timelines, potential paths to registration, and additional indications we may pursue; our ability to negotiate, secure and maintain adequate pricing, coverage and reimbursement terms and processes on a timely basis, or at all, with third-party payors for our product candidates, if approved; our plans, including the costs thereof, of development of any diagnostic tools; our plans to evaluate additional strategic opportunities to maximize the value of our pipeline; our plans to advance our ongoing research on protein degrader programs as well as novel small molecule inhibitors designed to inhibit undisclosed targets; our plans to develop our product candidates in combination with other therapies; our existing collaborations and our ability to obtain, and negotiate favorable terms of, any collaboration, licensing or other arrangements that may be necessary or desirable to develop, manufacture or commercialize our product candidates; our plans relating to commercializing our product candidates, if approved, including the geographic areas of focus and sales strategy; timing and likelihood of success of our research, development and commercialization efforts; timing of expected milestones, including timing of our first New Drug Application, or NDA, for azenosertib, and the announcement thereof; the size of the market opportunity for our product candidates; our expectations regarding the approval and use of our product candidates as first, second or subsequent lines of therapy or in combination with other drugs; the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals, including the targeted timing of our first NDA submission for azenosertib; our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of our product candidates; existing regulations and regulatory developments in the United States, the European Union and other jurisdictions; our intellectual property position, including obtaining and maintaining patents, and the timing, outcome and impact of
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administrative, regulatory, legal and other proceedings relating to our patents and other proprietary and intellectual property rights, and the timing and resolution thereof; our facilities, lease commitments, and future availability of facilities; accounting standards and estimates, their impact, and their expected timing of completion; cybersecurity and information security; expected ongoing reliance on third parties, including with respect to the development, manufacturing, supply and commercialization of our product candidates; insurance coverage; estimated periods of performance of key contracts; and the need to hire additional personnel and our ability to attract and retain personnel, and our ability to provide competitive compensation and benefits. These and other forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made and are subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, including the important factors incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement from our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K we file after the date of this prospectus supplement, and all other information contained or incorporated by reference in to this prospectus supplement, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act and in our other filings with the SEC, that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially and adversely from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.
Because forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified and some of which are beyond our control, they may turn out to be inaccurate and you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The events and circumstances reflected in our forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur and actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Moreover, we operate in an evolving environment. New risk factors and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.
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USE OF PROCEEDS
We may issue and sell shares of our common stock having aggregate sales proceeds of up to $200,000,000 from time to time. Because there is no minimum offering amount required as a condition to close this offering, the actual total public offering amount, commissions and proceeds to us, if any, are not determinable at this time.
We intend to use the net proceeds of this offering to advance the clinical development of azenosertib, ZN-d5 and any other product candidates, fund new and ongoing research and development activities, and for working capital and other general corporate purposes.
The amounts and timing of our actual expenditures will depend on numerous factors, including the progress of our clinical trials and other development efforts and other factors described under “Risk Factors” in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying base prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein, as well as the amount of cash used in our operations. We may find it necessary or advisable to use the net proceeds for other purposes, and we will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds. Pending the use of the net proceeds described above, we plan to invest the net proceeds from this offering in a variety of capital preservation investments, including short- and intermediate-term, interest-bearing obligations, investment-grade instruments, certificates of deposit or direct or guaranteed obligations of the U.S. government.
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DIVIDEND POLICY
We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock. We intend to retain future earnings, if any, to finance the operation and expansion of our business and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination related to our dividend policy will be made at the discretion of our Board after considering our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, business prospects and other factors the Board deems relevant, and subject to the restrictions contained in any future financing instruments.
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DILUTION
If you invest in our common stock in this offering, your ownership interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the price per share you pay in this offering and the net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after this offering. Our net tangible book value of our common stock as of December 31, 2023 was approximately $433.7 million, or approximately $6.13 per share of common stock based upon 70,765,554 shares outstanding. Net tangible book value per share is equal to our total tangible assets, less our total liabilities, divided by the total number of shares outstanding as of December 31, 2023.
After giving effect to the sale of our common stock in the aggregate amount of $200 million at an assumed offering price of $14.71 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on The Nasdaq Global Market on February 27, 2024, and after deducting commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our as adjusted net tangible book value as of December 31, 2023 would have been $629.6 million, or $7.46 per share of common stock. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $1.33 per share to our existing stockholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of $7.25 per share to new investors in this offering.
The following table illustrates this calculation on a per share basis. The as adjusted information is illustrative only and will adjust based on the actual price to the public, the actual number of shares sold and other terms of the offering determined at the time shares of our common stock are sold pursuant to this prospectus supplement. The as adjusted information assumes that all of our common stock in the aggregate amount of $200 million is sold at the assumed offering price of $14.71 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on The Nasdaq Global Market on February 27, 2024. The shares sold in this offering, if any, will be sold from time to time at various prices.
Assumed public offering price per share | $ | 14.71 | |||||||||
Net tangible book value per share as of December 31, 2023 | $ | 6.13 | |||||||||
Increase in net tangible book value per share attributable to the offering | $ | 1.33 | |||||||||
As adjusted net tangible book value per share after giving effect to the offering | $ | 7.46 | |||||||||
Dilution per share to new investors participating in the offering | $ | 7.25 | |||||||||
The above discussion and table are based on 70,765,554 shares of our common stock legally outstanding as of December 31, 2023, and excludes:
•8,124,579 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstanding as of December 31, 2023 under our 2020 Plan at a weighted-average exercise price of $27.38 per share;
•1,115,815 shares of our common stock issuable upon the settlement of restricted stock units outstanding as of December 31, 2023 under the 2020 Plan;
•1,836,357 remaining shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2020 Plan as of December 31, 2023, as well as any shares of our common stock that become available pursuant to provisions in the 2020 Plan that automatically increase the share reserve under our 2020 Plan or the other provisions of the 2020 Plan pursuant to which additional shares may become available for issuance under the 2020 Plan;
•1,913,160 shares of our common stock available for future issuance under our 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan as of December 31, 2023;
•1,892,856 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstanding as of December 31, 2023 under our 2022 Plan at a weighted-average exercise price of $23.23 per share;
•103,000 shares of our common stock issuable upon the settlement of restricted stock units outstanding as of December 31, 2023 under the 2022 Plan; and
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•254,144 shares of our common stock available for future issuance under our 2022 Plan as of December 31, 2023, as well as any shares of our common stock that may become available for issuance pursuant to provisions of the 2022 Plan.
The information discussed above is illustrative only and the shares subject to our sales agreement are being sold from time to time at various prices. To the extent that outstanding stock options are exercised, new stock options are issued or we issue additional shares of common stock in the future, there will be further dilution to new investors. In addition, we may choose to raise additional capital because of market conditions or strategic considerations, even if we believe that we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans. If we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the issuance of these securities could result in further dilution to our stockholders.
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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
We previously entered into a sales agreement, or the sales agreement, with Leerink Partners LLC, or Leerink Partners, dated May 3, 2021, relating to the offer and sale of shares of our common stock, $0.001 par value per share. In accordance with the terms of the sales agreement, under this prospectus supplement we may offer and sell shares of our common stock, having an aggregate offering price of up to $200,000,000 from time to time through Leerink Partners, acting as our agent. As of the date of this prospectus supplement, we will not make any further offers or sales of our common stock pursuant to the prior sales agreement prospectus supplement. Sales of our common stock, if any, will be made at market prices by any method that is deemed to be an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act, including sales made directly on The Nasdaq Global Market or any other trading market for our common stock. The sales agreement has been filed as an exhibit to our Registration Statement on Form S-3 of which this prospectus supplement forms a part.
The below description of the material provisions of the sales agreement does not purport to be a complete statement of its terms and conditions.
Leerink Partners will offer our common stock subject to the terms and conditions of the sales agreement on a daily basis or as otherwise agreed upon by us and Leerink Partners. We will designate the maximum amount of common stock to be sold through Leerink Partners on a daily basis or otherwise determine such maximum amount together with Leerink Partners. Subject to the terms and conditions of the sales agreement, Leerink Partners will use its commercially reasonable efforts to sell on our behalf all of the shares of common stock requested to be sold by us. We may instruct Leerink Partners not to sell common stock if the sales cannot be effected at or above the price designated by us in any such instruction. Leerink Partners or we may suspend the offering of our common stock being made through Leerink Partners under the sales agreement upon proper notice to the other party. Leerink Partners and we each have the right, by giving written notice as specified in the sales agreement, to terminate the sales agreement in each party’s sole discretion at any time.
The aggregate compensation payable to Leerink Partners is up to 3.0% of the aggregate gross sales price of the shares sold through it pursuant to the sales agreement. We agreed to reimburse Leerink Partners up to an aggregate of $65,000 of Leerink Partners’ actual outside legal expenses incurred by Leerink Partners in connection with this offering and certain ongoing expenses. We estimate that the total expenses of the offering payable by us, excluding commissions payable to Leerink Partners under the sales agreement, will be approximately $100,000.
The remaining sales proceeds, after deducting any expenses payable by us and any transaction fees imposed by any governmental, regulatory, or self-regulatory organization in connection with the sales, will equal our net proceeds for the sale of such common stock.
Leerink Partners will provide written confirmation to us following the close of trading on The Nasdaq Global Market on each day in which common stock is sold through it as sales agent under the sales agreement. Each confirmation will include the number of shares of common stock sold through it as sales agent on that day, the volume weighted average price of the shares sold, the percentage of the daily trading volume and the net proceeds to us.
We will report at least quarterly the number of shares of common stock sold through Leerink Partners under the sales agreement, the net proceeds to us and the compensation paid by us to Leerink Partners in connection with the sales of common stock.
Settlement for sales of common stock will occur on the second business day that is also a trading day following the date on which any sales were made in return for payment of the net proceeds to us. Pursuant to a recent amendment to Rule 15c6-1 of the Exchange Act, settlement for any securities offered under this prospectus supplement on or after May 28, 2024 may occur on the first business day that is also a trading day following the date on which any sales were made in return for payment of the net proceeds to us. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in an escrow, trust or similar arrangement.
In connection with the sales of our common stock on our behalf, Leerink Partners will be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act and the compensation paid to Leerink Partners will be
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deemed to be an underwriting commission or discount. We have agreed in the sales agreement to provide indemnification and contribution to Leerink Partners against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. As Sales Agent, Leerink Partners will not engage in any transactions that stabilize our common stock.
Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Market and trades under the symbol “ZNTL.” The transfer agent of our common stock is currently Equiniti Trust Company, LLC.
Leerink Partners and/or its affiliates have provided, and may in the future provide, various investment banking and other financial services for us for which services they have received and, may in the future receive, customary fees.
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LEGAL MATTERS
Latham & Watkins LLP will pass upon certain legal matters relating to the issuance and sale of the securities offered hereby on behalf of Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Leerink Partners LLC is being represented in connection with this offering by Cooley LLP, New York, New York.
EXPERTS
Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, has audited our consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, and the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, as set forth in their reports, which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and elsewhere in the registration statement. Our financial statements are incorporated by reference in reliance on Ernst & Young LLP's report, given on their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
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Up to $200,000,000
Common Stock
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
| Leerink Partners | ||
February 29, 2024
PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 14. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution
The following is an estimate of the expenses (all of which are to be paid by the registrant) that we may incur in connection with the securities being registered hereby. All the amounts shown are estimates, except for the SEC registration fee.
| SEC registration fee | $ (1)* | ||||
| Printing expenses | $ (1)(2) | ||||
| Legal fees and expenses | $ (1)(2) | ||||
| Accounting fees and expenses | $ (1)(2) | ||||
| Transfer agent fees and expenses | $ (1)(2) | ||||
| Trustee fees and expenses | $ (1)(2) | ||||
| Warrant agent fees and expenses | $ (1)(2) | ||||
| Miscellaneous | $ (1)(2) | ||||
| Total | $ (1)(2) | ||||
__________________
*Excludes offset of registration fees previously paid with respect to a prior registration statement pursuant to Rule 457(p) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (see Exhibit 107 to this registration statement).
(1)Pursuant to Rules 456(b) and 457(r) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, we are deferring payment of all applicable registration fees other than the $14,452 of fees due in connection with the $200,000,000 of our common stock that may be issued and sold from time to time under a sales agreement with Leerink Partners LLC.
(2)These fees are calculated based on the securities offered and the number of issuances and accordingly cannot be estimated at this time.
Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers
Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL provides that a corporation’s certificate of incorporation may contain a provision eliminating or limiting the personal liability of a director to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for a breach of fiduciary duty as a director, provided that such provision shall not eliminate or limit the liability of a director (i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowingly violated a law, (iii) under Section 174 of the DGCL, or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. Our certificate of incorporation provides that no director of the Registrant shall be personally liable to it or its stockholders for monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duty as a director, notwithstanding any provision of law imposing such liability, except to the extent that the DGCL prohibits the elimination or limitation of liability of directors for breaches of fiduciary duty.
Section 145 of the DGCL provides that a corporation has the power to indemnify a director, officer, employee, or agent of the corporation, or a person serving at the request of the corporation for another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise in related capacities against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with an action, suit or proceeding to which he was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, ending or completed action, suit or proceeding by reason of such position, if such person acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, in any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful, except that, in the case of actions brought by or in the right of the corporation, no indemnification shall be made with respect to any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or other adjudicating court determines that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all of the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.
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Our certificate of incorporation, and subsection (a) of Section 145 of the DGCL, provides that we will indemnify each person who was or is a party or who is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of us) by reason of the fact that he or she is or was, or has agreed to become, a director, officer, or employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving, or has agreed to serve, at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, partner, employee, agent or trustee of, or in a similar capacity with, another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise (all such persons being referred to as an “Indemnitee”), or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him or her in connection with such action, suit or proceeding and any appeal therefrom, if such Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, our best interests, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, he or she had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful.
Our certificate of incorporation, and subsection (b) of Section 145, provides that we will indemnify any Indemnitee who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or competed action or suit by or in the right of us to procure a judgment in our favor by reason of the fact that the Indemnitee is or was, or has agreed to become, a director or officer, or is or was serving, or has agreed to serve, at our request as a director, officer, partner, employee or trustee of, or in a similar capacity with, another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) and, to the extent permitted by law, amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him or her in connection with the defense or settlement of such action, suit or proceeding, and any appeal therefrom, if the Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, our best interests, except that no indemnification shall be made with respect to any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to us, unless a court determines that, despite such adjudication but in view of all of the circumstances, he or she is entitled to indemnification of such expenses. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent that any Indemnitee has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, he or she will be indemnified by us against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred in connection therewith. Expenses must be advanced to an Indemnitee under certain circumstances.
We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and officers. These indemnification agreements may require us, among other things, to indemnify our directors and officers for some expenses, including attorneys' fees, judgments, fines and settlement amounts incurred by a director or officer in any action or proceeding arising out of his or her service as one of our directors or officers, or any of our subsidiaries or any other company or enterprise to which the person provides services at our request.
We maintain a general liability insurance policy that covers certain liabilities of directors and officers of our corporation arising out of claims based on acts or omissions in their capacities as directors or officers.
Any underwriting agreement or distribution agreement that we enter into with any underwriters or agents involved in the offering or sale of any securities registered hereby may require, such underwriters or dealers to indemnify the registrant, some or all of its directors and officers and its controlling persons, if any, for specified liabilities, which may include liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
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Item 16. Exhibits
Exhibit Number | Description | |||||||
| 1.1* | Form of Underwriting Agreement. | |||||||
| 1.2 | ||||||||
| 3.1 | ||||||||
| 3.2 | ||||||||
| 3.3 | ||||||||
| 4.1 | ||||||||
| 4.2* | Form of Specimen Certificate Representing Preferred Stock. | |||||||
| 4.3 | ||||||||
| 4.4* | Form of Note. | |||||||
| 4.5* | Form of Warrant. | |||||||
| 4.6* | Form of Warrant Agreement. | |||||||
| 4.7* | Form of Purchase Contract Agreement. | |||||||
| 4.8* | Form of Unit Agreement. | |||||||
| 5.1 | ||||||||
| 23.1 | ||||||||
| 23.2 | ||||||||
| 24.1 | ||||||||
| 25.1** | Statement of Eligibility on Form T-1 under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, of the trustee (to be filed prior to any issuance of Debt Securities). | |||||||
| 107 | ||||||||
__________________
* To be filed by amendment or incorporated by reference in connection with the offering of the securities.
** To be filed in accordance with the requirements of Section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939
Item 17. Undertakings
(a)The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:
(1)To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:
(i)To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;
(ii)To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement.; and
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(iii)To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;
provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii), and (a)(1)(iii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is a part of the registration statement.
(1)That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(2)To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
(5)That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:
(A)Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and
(B)Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.
(6)That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities:
The undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:
(i)Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;
(ii)Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;
(iii)The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and
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(iv)Any other communications that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.
(b)The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(h)Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
(j)The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of Section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act (the “Act”) in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the SEC under section 305(b)(2) of the Act.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of New York, New York, on February 29, 2024.
| Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | ||||||||
| By: | /s/ Kimberly Blackwell, M.D. | |||||||
| Kimberly Blackwell, M.D. | ||||||||
| Chief Executive Officer | ||||||||
POWER OF ATTORNEY
Each of the undersigned officers and directors of the registrant hereby severally constitutes and appoints Kimberly Blackwell, M.D. and Melissa Epperly, and each of them, either of whom may act without joinder of the other, the individual’s true and lawful attorneys in fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to file and sign any and all amendments, including post-effective amendments, to this registration statement and any other registration statement for the same offering that is to be effective under Rule 462(b) of the Securities Act of 1933, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith and about the premises as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or their substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof. This power of attorney shall be governed by and construed with the laws of the State of Delaware and applicable federal securities laws.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| SIGNATURE | TITLE | DATE | ||||||||||||
| /s/ Kimberly Blackwell, M.D. | Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) | |||||||||||||
Kimberly Blackwell, M.D. | February 29, 2024 | |||||||||||||
/s/ Melissa Epperly | Chief Financial Officer (principal financial and accounting officer) | |||||||||||||
Melissa Epperly | February 29, 2024 | |||||||||||||
/s/ David Johnson | ||||||||||||||
David Johnson | Chairperson | February 29, 2024 | ||||||||||||
/s/ Cam Gallagher | ||||||||||||||
Cam Gallagher | President and Director | February 29, 2024 | ||||||||||||
| /s/ Enoch Kariuki | ||||||||||||||
Enoch Kariuki | Director | February 29, 2024 | ||||||||||||
| /s/ Jan Skvarka | ||||||||||||||
Jan Skvarka | Director | February 29, 2024 | ||||||||||||
/s/ Karan Takhar | ||||||||||||||
Karan Takhar | Director | February 29, 2024 | ||||||||||||
Exhibit 107
Calculation of Filing Fee Tables
Form S-3
(Form Type)
Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
Table 1: Newly Registered and Carry Forward Securities
Security Type | Security Class Title | Fee Calculation or Carry Forward Rule | Amount Registered | Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Unit | Maximum Aggregate Offering Price | Fee Rate | Amount of Registration Fee | Carry Forward Form Type | Carry Forward File Number | Carry Forward Initial effective date | Filing Fee Previously Paid In Connection with Unsold Securities to be Carried Forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Newly Registered Securities | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fees to Be Paid | Equity | Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share | Rules 456(b) and 457(r) | (1) (2) | (1) | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Equity | Preferred Stock, $0.001 par value per share | Rules 456(b) and 457(r) | (1) (2) | (1) | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Debt | Debt Securities | Rules 456(b) and 457(r) | (1) | (1) | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other | Warrants | Rules 456(b) and 457(r) | (1) | (1) | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other | Purchase Contracts | Rules 456(b) and 457(r) | (1) | (1) | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other | Units | Rules 456(b) and 457(r) | (1) | (1) | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fees to Be Paid | Equity | Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share | Rule 457(o) | $200,000,000 | — | $200,000,000 | $0.00014760 | $29,520 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fees Previously Paid | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Carry Forward Securities | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Carry Forward Securities | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total Offering Amounts | $200,000,000 | $29,520 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total Fees Previously Paid | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total Fee Offsets | $15,068 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net Fee Due | $14,452 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(1)An unspecified number of securities of each identified class is being registered as may from time to time be issued at unspecified prices, including securities that may be issued upon exercise, conversion or exchange. Separate consideration may or may not be received for securities that are issuable on exercise, conversion or exchange of other securities. Pursuant to Rules 456(b) and 457(r) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant is deferring payment of the entire registration fee relating to the registration of securities hereby other than the registration fee due in connection with $200,000,000 of shares of common stock that may be issued and sole from time to time under the sales agreement prospectus included herein. Any registration fees will be paid subsequently on a pay-as-you-go basis in accordance with Rule 457(r).
(2)Includes right to acquire common stock or preferred stock of the registrant under any shareholder rights plan then in effect, if applicable under the terms of any such plan.
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Table 2: Fee Offset Claims and Sources
Registrant Filer Name | Form or Filing Type | File Number | Initial Filing Date | Filing Date | Fee Offset Claimed | Security Type Associated with Fee Offset Claimed | Security Title Associated with Fee Offset Claimed | Unsold Securities Associated with Fee Offset Claimed | Unsold Aggregate Offering Amount Associated with Fee Offset Claimed | Fee Paid with Fee Offset Source | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fee Offset Claims | Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | S-3ASR | 333-255769 | May 4, 2021 | $15,068 (3) | Unallocated (Universal) Shelf | (3) | (3) | $140,300,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fee-Offset Sources | Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | S-3ASR | 333-255769 | May 4, 2021 | $21,480 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(3)Attributable to US$140,300,000 of unsold securities that were previously registered under the Registration Statement on Form S-3 (333-255769) on May 4, 2021 (the “Prior Registration Statement”), that have not yet been issued and sold. Pursuant to Rule 457(p) under the Securities Act, such unutilized filing fees may be applied to the filing fees payable pursuant to this Registration Statement. Pursuant to Rule 415(a)(6) under the Securities Act, the offering of such unsold securities under the Prior Registration Statement will be deemed terminated as of the date of effectiveness of this Registration Statement.
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Exhibit 1.2
Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Shares of Common Stock
($0.001 par value per share)
SALES AGREEMENT
May 3, 2021
SVB LEERINK LLC
1301 Avenue of the Americas, 12th Floor
New York, New York 10019
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), confirms its agreement (this “Agreement”) with SVB Leerink LLC (the “Agent”), as follows:
1. Issuance and Sale of Shares. The Company agrees that, from time to time during the term of this Agreement, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein, it may issue and sell through the Agent of shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share, of the Company (the “Common Stock”), subject to the limitations set forth in Section 5(c) (the “Placement Shares”). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the parties hereto agree that compliance with the limitation set forth in this Section 1 on the aggregate gross sales price of Placement Shares that may be issued and sold under this Agreement from time to time shall be the sole responsibility of the Company, and that the Agent shall have no obligation in connection with such compliance. The offer and sale of Placement Shares through the Agent will be effected pursuant to the Registration Statement (as defined below) to be filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) on May 3, 2021 and to become effective upon filing with the Commission, although nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as requiring the Company to issue any Placement Shares.
The Company has filed or will file, in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “Securities Act”), with the Commission an “automatic shelf registration statement” as defined under Rule 405 of the Securities Act on Form S-3, including (a) a base prospectus, relating to certain securities, including the Common Stock, to be issued from time to time by the Company, and which incorporates by reference documents that the Company has filed or will file in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “Exchange Act”), and (b) a prospectus supplement specifically relating to the Placement Shares to be issued from time to time pursuant to this Agreement (the “Prospectus Supplement”) to the base prospectus included as part of such registration statement. If requested by the Agent, the Company will furnish to the Agent, for use by the Agent, copies of the base prospectus included as part of such registration statement at the time it becomes effective, as supplemented by the Prospectus Supplement. Except where the context otherwise requires, such registration statement, including all documents filed as part thereof or incorporated by reference therein, and including any information contained in a Prospectus (as defined below) subsequently filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act or deemed to be a part of such registration statement pursuant to Rule 430B or Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, is
herein called the “Registration Statement.” The base prospectus, including all documents incorporated therein by reference, included in the Registration Statement, as it may be supplemented by the Prospectus Supplement, in the form in which such prospectus and/or Prospectus Supplement have most recently been filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, together with any “issuer free writing prospectus” (as used herein, as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act (“Rule 433”)), relating to the Placement Shares that (i) is required to be filed with the Commission by the Company or (ii) is exempt from filing pursuant to Rule 433(d)(5)(i), in each case, in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g), is herein called the “Prospectus.”
Any reference herein to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus Supplement, the Prospectus or any issuer free writing prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents, if any, that are or are deemed to be incorporated by reference therein (the “Incorporated Documents”), including, unless the context otherwise requires, the documents, if any, filed as exhibits to such Incorporated Documents. Any reference herein to the terms “amend,” “amendment” or “supplement” with respect to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus Supplement, the Prospectus or any issuer free writing prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the filing of any document under the Exchange Act on or after the most-recent effective date of the Registration Statement, or the respective dates of the Prospectus Supplement, Prospectus or such issuer free writing prospectus, as the case may be, and incorporated therein by reference. For purposes of this Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto shall be deemed to include the most recent copy filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval System or, if applicable, the Interactive Data Electronic Application system when used by the Commission (collectively, “EDGAR”).
2. Placements. Each time that the Company wishes to issue and sell any Placement Shares through the Agent hereunder (each, a “Placement”), it will notify the Agent by email notice (or other method mutually agreed to in writing by the parties) (each such notice, a “Placement Notice”) containing the parameters in accordance with which it desires such Placement Shares to be sold, which at a minimum shall include the maximum number or amount of Placement Shares to be sold, the time period during which sales are requested to be made, any limitation on the number or amount of Placement Shares that may be sold in any one Trading Day (as defined in Section 3) and any minimum price below which sales may not be made, a form of which containing such minimum sales parameters is attached hereto as Schedule 1. The Placement Notice must originate from one of the individuals authorized to act on behalf of the Company and set forth on Schedule 2 (with a copy to each of the other individuals from the Company listed on such Schedule 2), and shall be addressed to each of the recipients from the Agent set forth on Schedule 2, as such Schedule 2 may be updated by either party from time to time by sending a written notice containing a revised Schedule 2 to the other party in the manner provided in Section 12 (including by email correspondence to each of the individuals of the Company set forth on Schedule 2, if receipt of such correspondence is actually acknowledged by any of the individuals to whom the notice is sent, other than via auto-reply). The Placement Notice shall be effective upon receipt by the Agent unless and until (i) in accordance with the notice requirements set forth in Section 4, the Agent declines to accept the terms contained therein for any reason, in its sole discretion, within two Trading Days of the date the Agent receives the Placement Notice, (ii) in accordance with the notice requirements set forth in Section 4, the Agent suspends sales under the Placement Notice for any reason in its sole discretion, (iii) the entire amount of the Placement Shares has been sold pursuant to this Agreement, (iv) in accordance with the notice requirements set forth in Section 4, the Company suspends sales under or terminates the Placement
Notice for any reason in its sole discretion, (v) the Company issues a subsequent Placement Notice and explicitly indicates that its parameters supersede those contained in the earlier dated Placement Notice or (vi) this Agreement has been terminated pursuant to the provisions of Section 11. The amount of any
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discount, commission or other compensation to be paid by the Company to the Agent in connection with the sale of the Placement Shares effected through the Agent shall be calculated in accordance with the terms set forth in Schedule 3. It is expressly acknowledged and agreed that neither the Company nor the Agent will have any obligation whatsoever with respect to a Placement or any Placement Shares unless and until the Company delivers a Placement Notice to the Agent and the Agent does not decline such Placement Notice pursuant to the terms set forth above, and then only upon the terms specified therein and herein. In the event of a conflict between the terms of this Agreement and the terms of a Placement Notice, the terms of the Placement Notice will control with respect to the matters covered thereby.
3. Sale of Placement Shares by the Agent. On the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, including Section 5(c), upon the Agent’s acceptance of the terms of a Placement Notice as provided in Section 2, and unless the sale of the Placement Shares described therein has been declined, suspended or otherwise terminated in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the Agent, for the period specified in the Placement Notice, will use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices and applicable state and federal laws, rules and regulations and the rules of the Nasdaq Global Market (“Nasdaq”) to sell such Placement Shares up to the number or amount specified in, and otherwise in accordance with the terms of, such Placement Notice. The Agent will provide written confirmation to the Company (including by email correspondence to each of the individuals of the Company set forth on Schedule 2, if receipt of such correspondence is actually acknowledged by any of the individuals to whom the notice is sent, other than via auto-reply) no later than the opening of the Trading Day (as defined below) immediately following the Trading Day on which it has made sales of Placement Shares hereunder setting forth the number or amount of Placement Shares sold on such Trading Day, the volume-weighted average price of the Placement Shares sold and the Net Proceeds (as defined below) payable to the Company. Unless otherwise specified by the Company in a Placement Notice, the Agent may sell Placement Shares by any method permitted by law deemed to be an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) of the Securities Act, including sales made directly on or through Nasdaq, on or through any other existing trading market for the Common Stock or to or through a market maker. If expressly authorized by the Company (including in a Placement Notice), the Agent may also sell Placement Shares in negotiated transactions. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 6(tt), except as may be otherwise agreed by the Company and the Agent, the Agent shall not purchase Placement Shares on a principal basis pursuant to this Agreement unless the Company and the Agent enter into a separate written agreement setting forth the terms of such sale. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) there can be no assurance that the Agent will be successful in selling Placement Shares, (ii) the Agent will incur no liability or obligation to the Company or any other person or entity if it does not sell Placement Shares for any reason other than a failure by the Agent to use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices and applicable state and federal laws, rules and regulations and the rules of Nasdaq to sell such Placement Shares as required under this Agreement and (iii) the Agent shall be under no obligation to purchase Placement Shares on a principal basis pursuant to this Agreement unless the Company and the Agent enter into a separate written agreement setting forth the terms of such sale. For the purposes hereof, “Trading Day” means any day on which the Common Stock is purchased and sold on Nasdaq.
4. Suspension of Sales.
(a) The Company or the Agent may, upon notice to the other party in writing (including by email correspondence to each of the individuals of the other party set forth on Schedule 2, if receipt of such correspondence is actually acknowledged by any of the individuals to whom the notice is sent, other than via auto-reply) or by telephone (confirmed immediately by email correspondence to each of the individuals of the other party set forth on Schedule 2), suspend any sale of Placement Shares; provided, however, that such suspension shall not affect or impair either party’s obligations with respect to any
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Placement Shares sold hereunder prior to the receipt of such notice. Each of the parties agrees that no such notice under this Section 4 shall be effective against the other party unless notice is sent by one of the individuals named on Schedule 2 hereto to the other party in writing (including by email correspondence to each of the individuals of the other party set forth on Schedule 2, if receipt of such correspondence is actually acknowledged by any of the individuals to whom the notice is sent, other than via auto-reply).
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, during any period in which the Company is, or could be deemed to be, in possession of material non-public information, the Company and the Agent agree that (i) no sale of Placement Shares will take place, (ii) the Company shall not request the sale of any Placement Shares and shall suspend or cancel any effective Placement Notices instructing the Agent to make any sales and (iii) the Agent shall not be obligated to sell or offer to sell any Placement Shares.
5. Settlement and Delivery of the Placement Shares.
(a) Settlement of Placement Shares. Unless otherwise specified in the applicable Placement Notice, settlement for sales of Placement Shares will occur on the second Trading Day (or such earlier day as is industry practice or as is required for regular-way trading) following the date on which such sales are made (each, a “Settlement Date”). The amount of proceeds to be delivered to the Company on a Settlement Date against receipt of the Placement Shares sold (the “Net Proceeds”) will be equal to the aggregate gross sales price received by the Agent at which such Placement Shares were sold, after deduction of (i) the Agent’s commission, discount or other compensation for such sales payable by the Company pursuant to Section 2 hereof, (ii) any other amounts due and payable by the Company to the Agent hereunder pursuant to Section 7(g) hereof and (iii) any transaction fees imposed by any governmental or self-regulatory organization in respect of such sales.
(b) Delivery of Placement Shares. On or before each Settlement Date, the Company will issue the Placement Shares being sold on such date and will, or will cause its transfer agent to, electronically transfer such Placement Shares by crediting the Agent’s or its designee’s account (provided the Agent shall have given the Company written notice of such designee prior to the Settlement Date) at The Depository Trust Company through its Deposit and Withdrawal at Custodian System (“DWAC”) or by such other means of delivery as may be mutually agreed upon by the parties hereto, which in all cases shall be duly authorized, freely tradeable, transferable, registered shares of Common Stock in good deliverable form. On each Settlement Date, the Agent will deliver the related Net Proceeds in same day funds to an account designated by the Company on or prior to the Settlement Date. The Agent shall be responsible for providing DWAC instructions or other instructions for delivery by other means with regard to the transfer of the Placement Shares being sold. In addition to and in no way limiting the rights and obligations set forth in Section 9(a) hereto, the Company agrees that if the Company , defaults in its obligation to deliver duly authorized, freely tradeable, transferable, registered Placement Shares in good deliverable form by 2:30 P.M., New York City time, on a Settlement Date (other than as a result of a failure by the Agent to provide instructions for delivery), the Company will (i) take all necessary action to cause the full amount of any Net Proceeds that were delivered to the Company’s account with respect to such settlement, together with any costs incurred by the Agent and/or its clearing firm in connection with recovering such Net Proceeds, to be immediately returned to the Agent or its clearing firm no later than 5:00 P.M., New York City time, on such Settlement Date, by wire transfer of immediately available funds to an account designated by the Agent or its clearing firm, (ii) indemnify and hold the Agent and its clearing firm harmless against any loss, claim, damage, or expense (including reasonable legal fees and expenses), as incurred, arising out of or in connection with such default by the Company or its transfer agent (if applicable) and (iii) pay to the Agent (without duplication) any commission, discount or other compensation to which it would otherwise have been entitled absent such default.
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(c) Limitations on Offering Size. Under no circumstances shall the Company cause or request the offer or sale of any Placement Shares if, after giving effect to the sale of such Placement Shares, the aggregate number or gross sales proceeds of Placement Shares sold pursuant to this Agreement would exceed the lesser of: (i) the number or dollar amount of shares of Common Stock registered pursuant to, and available for offer and sale under, the Registration Statement pursuant to which the offering of Placement Shares is being made, (ii) the number of authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock of the Company (less shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise, conversion or exchange of any outstanding securities of the Company or otherwise reserved from the Company’s authorized capital stock), (iii) the number or dollar amount of shares of Common Stock permitted to be offered and sold by the Company under Form S-3 (including General Instruction I.B.6. thereof, if such instruction is applicable), (iv) the number or dollar amount of shares of Common Stock that the Company’s board of directors or a duly authorized committee thereof is authorized to issue and sell from time to time, and notified to the Agent in writing, or (v) the number or dollar amount of shares of Common Stock for which the Company has filed the Prospectus Supplement. Under no circumstances shall the Company cause or request the offer or sale of any Placement Shares pursuant to this Agreement at a price lower than the minimum price authorized from time to time by the Company’s board of directors or a duly authorized committee thereof, and notified to the Agent in writing. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the parties hereto acknowledge and agree that compliance with the limitations set forth in this Section 5(c) on the number or dollar amount of Placement Shares that may be issued and sold under this Agreement from time to time shall be the sole responsibility of the Company, and that the Agent shall have no obligation in connection with such compliance.
6. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, the Agent that as of the date of this Agreement, and as of (i) each Representation Date (as defined in Section 7(m)), (ii) each date on which a Placement Notice is given, (iii) the date and time of each sale of any Placement Shares pursuant to this Agreement and (iv) each Settlement Date (each such time or date referred to in clauses (i) through (iv), an “Applicable Time”), except as may be disclosed in the Prospectus (including any documents incorporated by reference therein and any supplements thereto before an Applicable Time:
(a) The Company and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement meet the requirements for and comply with the conditions for the use of Form S-3 (including General Instructions I.A and I.B.1.) under the Securities Act. The Registration Statement will be filed with the Commission and will become effective upon filing with the Commission under the Securities Act prior to the issuance of any Placement Notices by the Company. At the time the Registration Statement originally became effective and at the time the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, was filed with the Commission, the Company met the then-applicable requirements for use of Form S-3 (including General Instructions I.A and I.B.1.) under the Securities Act. The Registration Statement meets, and the offering and sale of Placement Shares as contemplated hereby comply with, the requirements of Rule 415(a)(1)(x) under the Securities Act. The Agent is named as the agent engaged by the Company in the section entitled “Plan of Distribution” in the Prospectus Supplement. The Company has not received, and has no notice from the Commission of, any notice pursuant to Rule 401(g)(1) under the Securities Act objecting to the use of the shelf registration statement form. No stop order of the Commission preventing or suspending the use of the base prospectus, the Prospectus Supplement or the Prospectus, or the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, has been issued, and no proceedings for such purpose are pending before or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened by the Commission. At the time of the initial filing of the Registration Statement, the Company paid or will pay the required Commission filing fees relating to the securities covered by the Registration Statement, including the Shares that may be sold pursuant to this Agreement, in accordance with Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act. Copies of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, any such amendments or supplements to any of the foregoing and all Incorporated
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Documents that were filed with the Commission on or prior to the date of this Agreement have been delivered, or are available through EDGAR, to the Agent and its counsel.
(b) Each of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the time it became or becomes effective, at each deemed effective date with respect to the Agent pursuant to Rule 430B(f)(2) under the Securities Act and as of each Applicable Time, complied, complies and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act applicable thereto and did not, does not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, except that the representations and warranties set forth in this sentence do not apply to Agent’s Information (as defined below). The Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, when so filed with the Commission under Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, complied, complies and as of each Applicable Time will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act applicable thereto, and each Prospectus Supplement, Prospectus or issuer free writing prospectus (or any amendments or supplements to any of the foregoing) furnished to the Agent for use in connection with the offering of the Placement Shares was identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T. Neither the Prospectus nor any amendment or supplement thereto, as of its date and as of each Applicable Time, included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except that the representations and warranties set forth in this sentence do not apply to Agent’s Information. Each Incorporated Document heretofore filed, when it was filed (or, if any amendment with respect to any such document was filed, when such amendment was filed), conformed in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act and were filed on a timely basis with the Commission, and any further Incorporated Documents so filed and incorporated after the date of this Agreement will be filed on a timely basis and, when so filed, will conform in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act; no such Incorporated Document when it was filed (or, if an amendment with respect to any such document was filed, when such amendment was filed), contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and no such Incorporated Document, when it is filed, will contain an untrue statement of a material fact or will omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(c) (i) At the time of filing the Registration Statement and (ii) at the time of the execution of this Agreement (with such date being used as the determination date for purposes of this clause (ii)), the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer” (as defined in Rule 405), without taking account of any determination by the Commission pursuant to Rule 405 that it is not necessary that the Company be considered an ineligible issuer.
(d) The Company is, and since April 3, 2020, has been, an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act (an “Emerging Growth Company”).
(e) Each issuer free writing prospectus, as of its issue date and as of each Applicable Time, did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, including any Incorporated Document deemed to be a part thereof that has not been superseded or modified. The foregoing sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from any issuer free writing prospectus based upon and in conformity with any Agent’s information. Each issuer free writing prospectus that the Company has filed,
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or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433 or that was prepared by or on behalf of or used by the Company complies or will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act.
(f) The Company has not distributed and, prior to the later to occur of each Settlement Date and completion of the Agent’s distribution of the Placement Shares under this Agreement, will not distribute any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Placement Shares other than the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus (as defined below).
(g) The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and has been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto.
(h) The Company is subject to and in compliance in all material respects with the reporting requirements of Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. The Common Stock is registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act and is listed on Nasdaq, and the Company has taken no action designed to, or reasonably likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the Common Stock under the Exchange Act or delisting the Common Stock from Nasdaq, nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission or Nasdaq is contemplating terminating such registration or listing. The Company is in compliance with the current listing standards of Nasdaq. The Company has filed a Notification of Listing of Additional Shares with Nasdaq with respect to the Placement Shares.
(i) No person (as such term is defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X promulgated under the Securities Act) has the right to act as an underwriter or as a financial advisor to the Company in connection with the offer and sale of the Placement Shares hereunder, whether as a result of the filing or effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the sale of the Placement Shares as contemplated hereby or otherwise. Except for the Agent, there is no broker, finder or other party that is entitled to receive from the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (as defined below) any brokerage or finder’s fee or other fee or commission as a result of any transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(j) The Company has been duly incorporated, is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, has the corporate power and authority to own or lease its property and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing of property requires such qualification, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), earnings, results of operations, business, properties, operations, or prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole (a “Material Adverse Effect”).
(k) Each subsidiary of the Company has been duly incorporated, is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation (to the extent the concept of good standing is applicable in such jurisdiction), has the corporate power and authority to own or lease its property and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction (to the extent the concept of good standing is applicable in such jurisdiction) in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing of property requires such qualification, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; all of the issued shares of capital stock of each subsidiary of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable (to the extent that such concepts are
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applicable in such jurisdiction) and are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims. The Company does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or other entity, other than the subsidiaries listed on Exhibit 21.1 to the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission.
(l) This Agreement has been duly and validly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as enforceability, including rights of indemnification, may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally and by general principles of equity. This Agreement conforms in all material respects to the descriptions thereof in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
(m) The authorized capital stock of the Company conforms as to legal matters, in all material respects, to the description thereof contained in each of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
(n) The shares of Common Stock outstanding prior to the issuance of the Placement Shares have been duly authorized and are validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
(o) The Placement Shares have been duly authorized and, when issued, delivered and paid for in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, and the issuance of the Placement Shares will not be subject to any preemptive or similar rights that have not been validly waived.
(p) The execution and delivery by the Company of, and the performance by the Company of its obligations under, this Agreement will not contravene (i) any provision of applicable law, (ii) the certificate of incorporation or by-laws of the Company, (iii) any agreement or other instrument binding upon the Company or any of its subsidiaries that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or (iv) any judgment, order or decree of any governmental body, agency or court having jurisdiction over the Company or any subsidiary, except in the case of clauses (i), (iii) and (iv), where such contravention would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, and no consent, approval, authorization or order of, or qualification with, any governmental body or agency is required for the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement, except such as have been obtained or waived or as may be required by the securities or Blue Sky laws of the various states or foreign jurisdictions or the rules and regulations of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) in connection with the offer and sale of the Placement Shares.
(q) There has not occurred any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, from that set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
(r) There are no legal or governmental proceedings pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or to which any of the properties of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject (i) other than proceedings accurately described in all material respects in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and proceedings that would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, or on the power or ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement or to consummate the transactions contemplated by the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or (ii) that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus and are not so described in all material respects; and there are no statutes, regulations, contracts or other documents to which the Company is subject or by which the Company is bound that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or
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to be filed or incorporated by reference as exhibits to the Registration Statement that are not described in all material respects or filed or incorporated by reference as required.
(s) The Company is not, and after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Placement Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Prospectus will not be, required to register as an “investment company” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(t) The Company and each of its subsidiaries (i) are in compliance with any and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (“Environmental Laws”), (ii) have received all permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses and (iii) are in compliance with all terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval, except where such noncompliance with Environmental Laws, failure to receive required permits, licenses or other approvals or failure to comply with the terms and conditions of such permits, licenses or approvals would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(u) There are no costs or liabilities associated with Environmental Laws (including, without limitation, any capital or operating expenditures required for clean-up, closure of properties or compliance with Environmental Laws or any permit, license or approval, any related constraints on operating activities and any potential liabilities to third parties) which would, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(v) There are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person granting such person the right to require the Company to file a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to any securities of the Company or to require the Company to include such securities with the Placement Shares registered pursuant to the Registration Statement, except as otherwise have been validly waived in connection with the issuance and sale of the Placement Shares contemplated hereby and as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
(w) None of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or controlled affiliates, or any director or officer thereof, nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any employee, agent or representative of the Company or of any of its subsidiaries or controlled affiliates, has taken or will take any action in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization or approval of the payment, giving or receipt of money, property, gifts or anything else of value, directly or indirectly, to any government official (including any officer or employee of a government or government-owned or controlled entity or of a public international organization, or any person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any of the foregoing, or any political party or party official or candidate for political office) (“Government Official”) in order to influence official action, or to any person in violation of any applicable anti-corruption laws; (ii) the Company and each of its subsidiaries and controlled affiliates have conducted their businesses in compliance with applicable anti-corruption laws and have instituted and maintained and will continue to maintain policies and procedures reasonably designed to promote and achieve compliance with such laws and with the representations and warranties contained herein; and (iii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries will knowingly use, directly or indirectly, the proceeds of the offering in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization of the payment or giving of money, or anything else of value, to any person in violation of any applicable anti-corruption laws.
(x) The operations of the Company and each of its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in material compliance with all applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements,
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including those of the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), and the applicable anti-money laundering statutes of jurisdictions where the Company and each of its subsidiaries conduct business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(y) (i) None of the Company, any of its subsidiaries, or any director or officer of the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any employee, agent, controlled affiliate or representative of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, is an individual or entity (“Person”) that is, or is owned or controlled by one or more Persons that are:
(A) the subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, Her Majesty’s Treasury or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), or
(B) located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions (including, without limitation, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria).
(ii) The Company will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other Person:
(A) to fund or facilitate any activities or business of or with any Person or in any country or territory that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject of Sanctions; or
(B) in any other manner that will result in a violation of Sanctions by any Person (including any Person participating in the offering, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise).
(iii) The Company and its subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in, are not now knowingly engaged in, and will not engage in, any dealings or transactions with any Person, or in any country or territory, that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject of Sanctions.
(z) Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in each of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (i) the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, have not incurred any material liability or obligation, direct or contingent, nor entered into any material transaction; (ii) the Company has not purchased any of its outstanding capital stock (other than from its employees or other service providers in connection with the termination of their service pursuant to the terms of the equity compensation plans or agreements described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus), nor declared, paid or otherwise made any dividend or distribution of any kind on its capital stock other than ordinary and customary dividends; and (iii) there has not been any material change in the capital stock, short-term debt or long-term debt of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, except in each case as described in each of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, respectively.
(aa) The Company and its subsidiaries do not own any real property. The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all personal property (other than intellectual property which
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is addressed exclusively in Section 1(w) below) owned by them which is material to the business of the Company and its subsidiaries, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects except such as are described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or such as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its subsidiaries; and any real property and buildings held under lease by the Company and its subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and would not reasonably be expected to materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company and its subsidiaries, in each case except as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
(bb) Except as described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, (i) the Company and its subsidiaries own or have a valid license to or can acquire on reasonable terms all patents, inventions, copyrights, know how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks and trade names (collectively, “Intellectual Property Rights”) used in or reasonably necessary to the conduct of their businesses as currently operated, except where the failure to own, possess, license, have the right to use or the ability to acquire any of the foregoing would not reasonably be expected to result, singly or in the aggregate, in a Material Adverse Effect; (ii) the Intellectual Property Rights owned by the Company and its subsidiaries and, to the Company’s knowledge, the Intellectual Property Rights exclusively licensed to the Company and its subsidiaries, in each case, which are material to the conduct of the business of the Company and its subsidiaries as currently conducted, are valid, subsisting and enforceable, and there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the validity, scope or enforceability of any such Intellectual Property Rights; (iii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any written notice alleging any infringement, misappropriation or other violation of Intellectual Property Rights which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would have a Material Adverse Effect; (iv) except as would not reasonably be expected, singly or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect, to the Company’s knowledge, no third party is infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating, or has infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated, any Intellectual Property Rights owned by the Company; (v) to the Company’s knowledge, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries infringes, misappropriates or otherwise violates, or has infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated any Intellectual Property Rights of a third party; (vi) all employees or contractors engaged on behalf of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company in the development of Intellectual Property Rights which are material to the business of the Company or any subsidiary have executed an invention assignment agreement whereby such employees or contractors presently assign all of their right, title and interest in and to such Intellectual Property Rights to the Company or the applicable subsidiary, and to the Company’s knowledge no such agreement has been breached or violated; and (vii) the Company and its subsidiaries use, and have used, commercially reasonable efforts to appropriately maintain all information intended to be maintained as a trade secret.
(cc) (i) The Company and each of its subsidiaries have complied in all material respects and are presently in compliance in all material respects with all internal policies, contractual obligations, applicable laws or statutes, and judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or other governmental or regulatory authority, in each case, relating to the collection, use, transfer, import, export, storage, protection, disposal and disclosure by the Company or any of its subsidiaries of personally identifiable or other regulated data (“Data Security Obligations”, and such data, “Data”); (ii) the Company has not received any written notification of or complaint regarding material non-compliance with any Data Security Obligation; and (iii) there is no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened alleging non-compliance with any Data Security Obligation.
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(dd) The Company and each of its subsidiaries have implemented appropriate controls, policies, procedures and technological safeguards to maintain and protect the information technology systems and Data used in connection with the operation of the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ businesses. Without limiting the foregoing, the Company and its subsidiaries have used reasonable efforts to implement appropriate controls, policies, procedures, and technological safe guards to establish and maintain reasonable data protection controls, policies and procedures that are designed to protect against and prevent breach, destruction, loss, unauthorized distribution, use, access, disablement, misappropriation or modification, or other compromise or misuse of any Data used in connection with the operation of the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ businesses (“Breach”). To the Company’s knowledge, there has been no material Breach, and the Company and its subsidiaries have not been notified of and have no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in, any such material Breach.
(ee) No material labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists, except as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent; and the Company is not aware of any existing, threatened or imminent labor disturbance by the employees of any of its principal suppliers, manufacturers or contractors that would have a Material Adverse Effect.
(ff) The Company and each of its subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as in the Company’s reasonable judgment are prudent and customary in the businesses in which they are engaged; neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, except as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
(gg) Nothing has come to the attention of the Company that has caused the Company to believe that the statistical and market-related data included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus is not derived from sources that are reliable and accurate in all material respects.
(hh) Except as would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, the Company has operated at all times since January 1, 2017 and is currently in compliance with all applicable statutes, rules and regulations of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) and comparable regulatory authorities, as applicable (collectively, the “Regulatory Authorities”), including, as applicable:
(i) the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder;
(ii) all applicable federal, state, local and foreign health care laws, including, without limitation, the U.S. Anti-Kickback Statute (42 U.S.C. Section 1320a-7b(b)), the Civil Monetary Penalties Law (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7a), the U.S. Civil False Claims Act (31 U.S.C. Section 3729 et seq.), all applicable federal, state, local and all foreign criminal laws relating to health care fraud and abuse, including but not limited to the U.S. False Statements Law (42 U.S.C. Section 1320a-7b(a)), 18 U.S.C. Sections 286 and 287, and the health care fraud criminal provisions under the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) (42 U.S.C. Section 1320d et seq.), the U.S. Physician Payments Sunshine Act (42 U.S.C. Section 1320a-7h), the exclusion law (42 U.S.C. Section 1320a-7), the
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statutes, regulations and directives of applicable government funded or sponsored healthcare programs, and the regulations promulgated pursuant to such statutes;
(iii) HIPAA, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (42 U.S.C. Section 17921 et seq.), and the regulations promulgated thereunder and any state or non-U.S. counterpart thereof or any other law or regulation the purpose of which is to protect the privacy of individuals or prescribers;
(iv) licensure, quality, safety and accreditation requirements under applicable federal, state, local or foreign laws or regulatory bodies; and
(v) all other local, state, federal, national, supranational and foreign laws, relating to the regulation of the Company and the ownership, testing, development, manufacture, packaging, processing, use, distribution, marketing, labeling, promotion, sale, offer for sale, storage, import, export or disposal of any product under development, manufactured or distributed by the Company; (clauses (i) through (viii), collectively, “Health Care Laws”).
(ii) (i) The studies, tests and preclinical and clinical trials conducted by the Company that are described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus were, and if still pending are, being conducted in all material respects in accordance with applicable Health Care Laws; (ii) the Company has no knowledge of any other studies or trials not described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the results of which are materially inconsistent with the results described or referred to in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus when viewed in the context in which such results are described and the clinical state of development; (iii) except as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the Company has not received any written notices, correspondence or other communications from any Regulatory Authority or any other governmental entity requiring or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatening the termination or suspension of any studies or trials that are described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or the results of which are referred to in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
(jj) (i) Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, (i) the Company has filed, obtained, maintained or submitted all material reports, documents, forms, notices, applications, records, claims, submissions and supplements or amendments as required by any Health Care Laws, and, all such reports, documents, forms, notices, applications, records, claims, submissions and supplements or amendments were materially complete and accurate on the date filed (or were corrected or supplemented by a subsequent submission); (ii) the Company has not received written notice of any claim, action, suit, proceeding, hearing, enforcement, investigation, arbitration or other action from any court or arbitrator or Regulatory Authority, other governmental entity or third party alleging that any Company or product operation or activity is in material violation of any Health Care Laws, including, without limitation, any FDA Form 483, notice of adverse finding, warning letter, untitled letter or other correspondence or notice from the FDA or any other Regulatory Authority or governmental entity, nor, to the Company’s knowledge, is any such claim, action, suit, proceeding, hearing, enforcement, investigation, arbitration or other action threatened; (iii) the Company is not a party to any corporate integrity agreements, monitoring agreements, consent decrees, settlement orders, or similar agreements with or imposed by any Regulatory Authority or other governmental entity; and (iv) neither the Company nor any of its employees, officers or directors has been excluded, suspended or debarred from participation in any U.S. federal health care program or human clinical research or, to the knowledge of the Company, is subject to a governmental inquiry, investigation, proceeding or other similar action by a Regulatory Authority or other governmental entity that could reasonably be expected to result in debarment, suspension, or exclusion.
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(kk) Except as would not reasonably be expected to have Material Adverse Effect, the Company and each of its subsidiaries possess all certificates, authorizations and permits issued by the appropriate federal, state or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses as currently conducted, and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such certificate, authorization or permit which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would reasonably be expected to Material Adverse Effect, except as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
(ll) Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, (i) each employee benefit plan, within the meaning of Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), that is sponsored, maintained, administered or contributed to by the Company has been maintained in compliance with its terms and the requirements of any applicable statutes, orders, rules and regulations, including but not limited to ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and (ii) neither the Company nor any member of its “Controlled Group” (defined as any trade or business, whether or not incorporated, that would be regarded as a single employer with the Company under Section 414 of the Code) (x) has ever sponsored, maintained, contributed to or has had any obligation to contribute to, any employee benefit plan that is subject to Title IV of ERISA or any “multiemployer plan” as defined in Section 3(37) of ERISA or (y) has incurred, or reasonably expects to incur, any liability under Title IV of ERISA.
(mm) The financial statements of the Company (or any predecessor entity thereof) included in each of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, together with the related schedules and notes thereto, comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Securities Act and present fairly in all material respects the consolidated financial position of the Company (or any predecessor entity thereof) and its subsidiaries as of the dates shown and its results of operations and cash flows for the periods shown, and such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods covered thereby. The other financial information included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus has been derived from the accounting or other records of the Company (or any predecessor entity thereof) and its consolidated subsidiaries and presents fairly in all material respects the information shown thereby.
(nn) Ernst & Young LLP, who have certified certain financial statements of the Company (or any predecessor entity thereof) and its subsidiaries and delivered its report with respect to the audited consolidated financial statements and schedules, filed with the Commission as part of the Registration Statement and included in each of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company within the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission and as required by the Securities Act.
(oo) The Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences and (v) the interactive data in the eXtensible Business Reporting Language included in the Registration Statement fairly presents the information called for in all respects and has
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been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto. Since the end of each of the Company’s (or any predecessor entity thereof) most recent audited fiscal year, there has been (i) no material weakness in the Company’s (or any predecessor entity thereof) internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and (ii) no change in the Company’s (or any predecessor entity thereof) internal control over financial reporting that has materially and adversely affected, or is reasonably likely to materially and adversely affect, the Company’s (or any predecessor entity thereof) internal control over financial reporting.
(pp) The Company and each of its subsidiaries have filed all federal, state, local and foreign tax returns required to be filed or have requested extensions thereof and have paid all taxes required to be paid by them (except for cases in which the failure to file or pay would not have a Material Adverse Effect, or except as currently being contested in good faith and for which reserves required by U.S. GAAP have been created in the financial statements of the Company (or any predecessor entity thereof)), and no tax deficiency has been determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries which has had (nor does the Company have any notice or knowledge of any tax deficiency which could reasonably be expected to be determined adversely to the Company or its subsidiaries and which could reasonably be expected to have) a Material Adverse Effect.
(qq) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has any securities rated by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization,” as such term is defined in Section 3(a)(62) of the Exchange Act.
(rr) The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act; such disclosure controls and procedures have been designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer by others within the Company; such disclosure controls and procedures are effective at the reasonable assurance level; and the Company has carried out evaluations of the effectiveness of its disclosure controls and procedures as required by Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act through its most recently completed fiscal year.
(ss) The Company is in compliance, to the extent required, with all provisions of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, and all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder applicable to the Company as of the date hereof.
(tt) There are no transfer taxes or other similar fees or charges under federal law, the laws of any state, any foreign law, or any political subdivision thereof, required to be paid in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the issuance by the Company or sale by the Company of the Placement Shares.
(uu) Neither the Company, nor any of its subsidiaries, nor to the knowledge of the Company, any of its or their respective directors, officers or controlling persons has taken, directly or indirectly, without giving effect to any actions taken by the Agent, (i) any action designed to or that might constitute or reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Placement Shares or (ii) any action designed to or that might constitute or reasonably be expected to cause or result in a violation of Regulation M under the Exchange Act.
(vv) The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Agent has informed the Company that the Agent may, to the extent permitted under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, purchase and sell
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shares of Common Stock for its own account while this Agreement is in effect; provided, that (i) no such purchase or sales shall take place while a Placement Notice is in effect (except to the extent the Agent may engage in sales of Placement Shares purchased or deemed purchased from the Company as a “riskless principal” or in a similar capacity) and (ii) the Company shall not be deemed to have authorized or consented to any such purchases or sales by the Agent, except as may be otherwise agreed by the Company and the Agent.
(ww) The Company is not a party to any agreement with an agent or underwriter for any other “at the market” or continuous equity transaction.
(xx) The Company is not required to register as a “broker” or “dealer” in accordance with the provisions of the Exchange Act and does not, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, control or have any other association with (within the meaning of Article I of the By-laws of FINRA) any member firm of FINRA. No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company, on the one hand, and the directors, officers or shareholders of the Company, on the other hand, which is required by the rules of FINRA to be described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, which is not so described. All of the information (including, but not limited to, information regarding affiliations, security ownership and trading activity) provided to the Agent or its counsel by the Company, its officers and directors and the holders of any securities (debt or equity) or warrants, options or rights to acquire any securities of the Company in connection with the filing to be made and other supplemental information to be provided to FINRA pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110 in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement is true, complete and correct.
(yy) Neither the issuance, sale and delivery of the Placement Shares nor the application of the proceeds thereof by the Company as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus will violate Regulation T, U or X of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or any other regulation of such Board of Governors.
(zz) Each of the independent directors (or independent director nominees, once appointed, if applicable) named in the Registration Statement and Prospectus satisfies the independence standards established by Nasdaq and, with respect to members of the Company’s audit committee, the enhanced independence standards contained in Rule 10A-3(b)(1) promulgated by the Commission under the Exchange Act.
(aaa) Neither the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any of its affiliates (within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act) has, prior to the date hereof, made any offer or sale of any securities which could be “integrated” (within the meaning of the Securities Act) with the offer and sale of the Placement Shares hereunder.
(bbb) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has (i) failed to pay any dividend or sinking fund installment on preferred stock or (ii) defaulted on any installment or payment due on indebtedness for borrowed money or on any rental on one or more long-term leases, which defaults, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(ccc) Each financial or operational projection or other “forward-looking statement” (as defined by Section 27A of the Securities Act or Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (i) was so included by the Company in good faith and with reasonable basis after due consideration by the Company of the underlying assumptions, estimates and other applicable facts and circumstances and (ii) as required, is accompanied by meaningful cautionary statements identifying those factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-
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looking statement. No such statement was made with the knowledge of a director or senior manager of the Company that was false or misleading.
(ddd) There are no relationships, direct or indirect, or related party transactions involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any other person (including any director, officer, stockholder, customer or supplier of the Company or any of its subsidiaries) required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus that have not been described as required. There are no material outstanding loans, advances (except normal advances for business expenses in the ordinary course of business) or guarantees of indebtedness by the Company or any of its subsidiaries to or for the benefit of any of the officers or directors of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or any of the family members of any of such persons.
(eee) (A) At the original effectiveness of the Registration Statement, (B) at the time of the most recent amendment thereto for the purposes of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act (whether such amendment was by post-effective amendment or incorporated report filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or in the form of a prospectus), and (C) at the time the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this clause only, of Rule 163(c) under the Securities Act) made any offer relating to the Shares in reliance on the exemption of Rule 163 under the Securities Act, the Company was and is a “well-known seasoned issuer” (as defined in Rule 405).
Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company and delivered to the Agent or its counsel in connection with the offering of the Placement Shares shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company, as to matters covered thereby, to the Agent.
7. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants and agrees with the Agent that:
(a) Registration Statement Amendments. After the date of this Agreement and during any period in which the Prospectus relating to any Placement Shares is required to be delivered by the Agent under the Securities Act (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 under the Securities Act or a similar rule); (i) the Company will notify the Agent promptly of the time when any subsequent amendment to the Registration Statement, other than Incorporated Documents, has been filed with the Commission and/or has become effective or any subsequent supplement to the Prospectus, other than Incorporated Documents, has been filed and of any request by the Commission for any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus or for additional information; (ii) the Company will prepare and file with the Commission, promptly upon the Agent’s request, any amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or Prospectus that, in the Agent’s reasonable opinion, is necessary in order to comply with applicable law, including the Securities Act (provided, however, that the failure of the Agent to make such request shall not relieve the Company of any obligation or liability hereunder, or affect the Agent’s right to rely on the representations and warranties made by the Company in this Agreement and provided, further, that the only remedy the Agent shall have with respect to the failure by the Company to make such filing (but without limiting the Agent’s rights under Section 9 hereof) will be to cease making sales under this Agreement until such amendment or supplement is filed) (notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not be required to file any such amendment or supplement if there is no pending Placement Notice and the Company believes it is in its best interest not to file such amendment or supplement); and (iii) the Company will cause each amendment or supplement to the Prospectus, other than Incorporated Documents, to be filed with the Commission as required pursuant to the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act and, in the case of any Incorporated Document, to be filed with the Commission as required pursuant to the Exchange Act, within the time period prescribed.
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(b) Notice of Commission Stop Orders. The Company will advise the Agent, promptly after it receives notice or obtains knowledge thereof, of the issuance or threatened issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, of the suspension of the qualification of the Placement Shares for offering or sale in any jurisdiction or of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose; and it will promptly use its commercially reasonable efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order or to obtain its withdrawal if such a stop order should be issued. The Company will advise the Agent promptly after it receives any request by the Commission for any amendments to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplements to the Prospectus or for additional information related to the offering of the Placement Shares or for additional information related to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus.
(c) Delivery of Prospectus; Subsequent Changes. During any period in which the Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares is required to be delivered by the Agent under the Securities Act with respect to the offer and sale of the Placement Shares (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 under the Securities Act or a similar rule), the Company will comply with all requirements imposed upon it by the Securities Act, as from time to time in force, and will file on or before their respective due dates (taking into account any extensions and exceptions available under the Exchange Act or the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act) all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, 15(d) or any other provision of or under the Exchange Act. If during such period any event occurs as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances then existing, not misleading, or if during such period it is necessary to amend or supplement the Registration Statement or Prospectus to comply with the Securities Act, the Company will promptly notify the Agent to suspend the offering of Placement Shares during such period and the Company will promptly amend or supplement the Registration Statement or Prospectus (at the expense of the Company) so as to correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance. If the Company has omitted any information from the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430B under the Securities Act, it will use its reasonable best efforts to comply with the provisions thereof and make all requisite filings with the Commission pursuant to said Rule 430B and to notify the Agent promptly of all such filings if not available on EDGAR.
(d) Listing of Placement Shares. During any period in which the Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares is required to be delivered by the Agent under the Securities Act with respect to the offer and sale of the Placement Shares (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 under the Securities Act or a similar rule), the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Placement Shares to be listed on Nasdaq. The Company will timely file with Nasdaq all material documents and notices required by Nasdaq of companies that have or will issue securities that are traded on Nasdaq.
(e) Delivery of Registration Statement and Prospectus. The Company will furnish to the Agent and its counsel (at the expense of the Company) copies of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus (including all Incorporated Documents) and all amendments and supplements to the Registration Statement or Prospectus that are filed with the Commission during any period in which the Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares is required to be delivered under the Securities Act (including all Incorporated Documents filed with the Commission during such period), in each case as soon as reasonably practicable and in such quantities as the Agent may from time to time reasonably request and, at the Agent’s request, will also furnish copies of the Prospectus to each exchange or market on which sales of the Placement Shares may be made; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to furnish any document (other than the Prospectus) to the Agent to the extent such document is available on EDGAR.
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(f) Earnings Statement. The Company will make generally available to its security holders and to the Agent as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than 15 months after the end of the Company’s current fiscal quarter, an earnings statement covering a 12-month period that satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) of and Rule 158 under the Securities Act; provided that the Company will be deemed to have furnished such statement to its security holders and the Agent to the extent such statement has been filed on EDGAR or any successor system.
(g) Expenses. The Company, whether or not the transactions contemplated hereunder are consummated or this Agreement is terminated in accordance with the provisions of Section 11 hereunder, will pay all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder, including expenses relating to (i) the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement and each amendment and supplement thereto, of the Prospectus and of each amendment and supplement thereto and of this Agreement and such other documents as may be required in connection with the offering, purchase, sale, issuance or delivery of the Placement Shares, (ii) the preparation, issuance, sale and delivery of the Placement Shares and any taxes due or payable in connection therewith, (iii) the qualification of the Placement Shares under securities laws in accordance with the provisions of Section 7(w) of this Agreement, including filing fees (provided, however, that any fees or disbursements of counsel for the Agent in connection therewith shall be paid by the Agent except as set forth in clauses (vii) and (viii) below), (iv) the printing and delivery to the Agent and its counsel of copies of the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto, and of this Agreement, (v) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the listing or qualification of the Placement Shares for trading on Nasdaq, (vi) the filing fees and expenses, if any, owed to the Commission or FINRA and the fees and expenses of any transfer agent or registrar for the Shares, (vii) the reasonable and documented fees and associated expenses of the Agent’s outside legal counsel for filings with the FINRA Corporate Financing Department in an amount not to exceed $15,000 (excluding FINRA filing fees referred to in clause (vi) above and in addition to the fees and disbursements referred to in clause (viii) below), and (viii) the reasonable fees and disbursements of the Agent’s outside legal counsel (A) in an amount not to exceed $65,000 arising out of executing this Agreement and the Company’s delivery of the initial certificate pursuant to Section 7(m) and (B) in an amount not to exceed $15,000 in connection with each Representation Date (as defined below) on which the Company is required to provide a certificate pursuant to Section 7(m) (in addition to the fees and associated expenses referred to in clause (vii) above).
(h) Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the Net Proceeds as described in the Prospectus in the section entitled “Use of Proceeds.”
(i) Notice of Other Sales. Without the prior written consent of the Agent, during the pendency of any Placement Notice given hereunder, and for two (2) Trading Days following the termination or suspension of any Placement Notice given hereunder, the Company will not, directly or indirectly, offer to sell, sell, contract to sell, grant any option to sell or otherwise dispose of any shares of Common Stock (other than the Placement Shares offered pursuant to this Agreement) or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for shares of Common Stock, warrants or any rights to purchase or acquire shares of Common Stock during the period beginning on the fifth Trading Day immediately prior to the date on which any Placement Notice is delivered to Agent hereunder and ending on the second Trading Day immediately following the final Settlement Date with respect to Placement Shares sold pursuant to such Placement Notice (or, if the Placement Notice has been terminated or suspended prior to the sale of all Placement Shares covered by a Placement Notice, the date of such suspension or termination); and will not directly or indirectly in any other “at the market offering” or continuous equity transaction offer to sell, sell, contract to sell, grant any option to sell or otherwise dispose of any shares of Common Stock (other than the Placement Shares offered pursuant to this Agreement) or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for shares of Common Stock,
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warrants or any rights to purchase or acquire, shares of Common Stock prior to the later of the termination of this Agreement and the sixtieth day immediately following the final Settlement Date with respect to Placement Shares sold pursuant to such Placement Notice; provided, however, that such restrictions will not be required in connection with the Company’s issuance or sale of (i) shares of Common Stock, options to purchase shares of Common Stock, other securities under the Company’s existing equity incentive plans, or shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of options or vesting of other securities, pursuant to any employee or director stock option or benefits plan, stock ownership plan or dividend reinvestment plan (but not shares of Common Stock subject to a waiver to exceed plan limits in its dividend reinvestment plan) of the Company whether now in effect or hereafter implemented, (ii) shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of securities or the exercise of warrants, options or other rights in effect or outstanding, and disclosed in filings by the Company available on EDGAR or otherwise in writing to the Agent and (iii) shares of Common Stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of Common Stock as consideration for mergers, acquisitions, other business combinations or strategic alliances occurring after the date of this Agreement which are not issued for capital raising purposes.
(j) Change of Circumstances. The Company will, at any time during a fiscal quarter in which the Company intends to tender a Placement Notice or sell Placement Shares, advise the Agent promptly after it shall have received notice or obtained knowledge of any information or fact that would alter or affect in any material respect any opinion, certificate, letter or other document provided or required to be provided to the Agent pursuant to this Agreement.
(k) Due Diligence Cooperation. During the term of this Agreement, the Company will reasonably cooperate with any reasonable due diligence review conducted by the Agent, its affiliates agents and counsel from time to time in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, including providing information and making available documents and senior corporate officers, during regular business hours and at the Company’s principal offices, as the Agent may reasonably request.
(l) Required Filings Relating to Placement of Placement Shares. The Company agrees that on or prior to such dates as the Securities Act shall require, the Company will (i) file a prospectus supplement with the Commission under the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, which prospectus supplement will set forth, within the relevant period, the number or amount of Placement Shares sold through the Agent, the Net Proceeds to the Company and the compensation payable by the Company to the Agent with respect to such Placement Shares, and (ii) deliver such number of copies of each such prospectus supplement to each exchange or market on which such sales were effected as may be required by the rules or regulations of such exchange or market; provided, that, unless a prospectus supplement containing such information is required to be filed under the Securities Act, the requirement of this Section 7(l) may be satisfied by Company’s inclusion in the Company’s next filed report on Form 10-K or Form 10-Q, as applicable, of the number or amount of Placement Shares sold through the Agent, the Net Proceeds to the Company and the compensation payable by the Company to the Agent with respect to such Placement Shares during the relevant period.
(m) Representation Dates; Certificate. On or prior to the date on which the Company first delivers a Placement Notice pursuant to this agreement (the “First Placement Notice Date”) and each time the Company:
(i) amends or supplements the Registration Statement or the Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares (other than a prospectus supplement filed in accordance with Section 7(l) of this Agreement) by means of a post-effective amendment, sticker or supplement but not by means of incorporation of document(s) by reference into the Registration Statement or the Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares;
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(ii) files an annual report on Form 10-K under the Exchange Act (including any Form 10-K/A containing amended financial information or a material amendment to the previously filed Form 10-K);
(iii) files a quarterly report on Form 10-Q under the Exchange Act; or
(iv) files a current report on Form 8-K containing amended financial information (other than an earnings release that is “furnished” pursuant to Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K) under the Exchange Act (each date of filing of one or more of the documents referred to in clauses (i) through (iv) shall be a “Representation Date”),
the Company shall furnish the Agent (but in the case of clause (iv) above only if (1) a Placement Notice is pending or in effect and (2) the Agent requests such certificate within three Business Days after the filing of such Form 8-K with the Commission) with a certificate, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 7(m) (modified, as necessary, to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented), within two Trading Days of any Representation Date. The requirement to provide a certificate under this Section 7(m) shall be waived for any Representation Date occurring at a time at which no Placement Notice is pending or in effect, which waiver shall continue until the earlier to occur of (1) the date the Company delivers a Placement Notice hereunder (which for such calendar quarter shall be considered a Representation Date) and (2) the next occurring Representation Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company subsequently decides to sell Placement Shares following a Representation Date on which the Company relied on the waiver referred to in the previous sentence and did not provide the Agent with a certificate under this Section 7(m), then before the Company delivers a Placement Notice or the Agent sells any Placement Shares pursuant thereto, the Company shall provide the Agent with a certificate, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 7(m), dated the date of such Placement Notice. Within two Trading Days of each Representation Date, the Company shall have furnished to the Agent such further information, certificates and documents as the Agent may reasonably request.
(n) Legal Opinions. On or prior to the First Placement Notice Date and on any date which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate pursuant to Section 7(m) for which no waiver is applicable, the Company shall cause to be furnished to the Agent the written opinion and negative assurance letter of Latham & Watkins LLP, counsel to the Company, or such other counsel satisfactory to the Agent (“Company Counsel”), in form and substance satisfactory to the Agent and its counsel, dated the date that the opinion and negative assurance letter are required to be delivered, modified, as necessary, to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented; provided, however, that in lieu of such opinion and negative assurance letter for subsequent Representation Dates, Company Counsel may furnish the Agent with a letter to the effect that the Agent may rely on a prior opinion or negative assurance letter delivered by such counsel under this Section 7(n) to the same extent as if it were dated the date of such letter (except that statements in such prior opinion or negative assurance letter shall be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended or supplemented at such Representation Date).
(o) Intellectual Property Opinion. On or prior to the First Placement Notice Date and on any date which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate pursuant to Section 7(m) for which no waiver is applicable, the Company shall cause to be furnished to the Agent the written opinion of Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear LLP, counsel for the Company with respect to intellectual property matters, or such other intellectual property counsel satisfactory to the Agent (“Intellectual Property Counsel”), in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Agent and its counsel, dated the date that the opinion letter is required to be delivered, modified, as necessary, to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented; provided, however, that in lieu of such written opinion for
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subsequent Representation Dates, Intellectual Property Counsel may furnish the Agent with a letter to the effect that the Agent may rely on a prior opinion letter delivered by such counsel under this Section 7(o) to the same extent as if it were dated the date of such opinion letter (except that statements in such prior opinion letter shall be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended or supplemented at such Representation Date).
(p) Comfort Letter. On or prior to the First Placement Notice Date and on any date which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate pursuant to Section 7(m) for which no waiver is applicable, the Company shall cause its independent registered public accounting firm (and any other independent accountants whose report is included in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus) to furnish the Agent letters (the “Comfort Letters”), dated the date the Comfort Letter is delivered, which shall meet the requirements set forth in this Section 7(p); provided, that if requested by the Agent, the Company shall cause a Comfort Letter to be furnished to the Agent within 10 Trading Days of the occurrence of any material transaction or event that necessitates the filing of additional, pro forma, amended or revised financial statements (including any restatement of previously issued financial statements). Each Comfort Letter shall be in form and substance satisfactory to the Agent and each Comfort Letter from the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm shall (i) confirm that they are an independent registered public accounting firm within the meaning of the Securities Act and the PCAOB, (ii) state, as of such date, the conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to the financial information and other matters ordinarily covered by accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters in connection with registered public offerings (the first such letter, the “Initial Comfort Letter”) and (iii) update the Initial Comfort Letter with any information that would have been included in the Initial Comfort Letter had it been given on such date and modified as necessary to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as amended and supplemented to the date of such letter.
(q) Market Activities. The Company will not, directly or indirectly, and will cause its officers, directors and Subsidiaries not to (i) take any action designed to cause or result in, or that constitutes or might reasonably be expected to constitute, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of shares of Common Stock or (ii) sell, bid for, or purchase shares of Common Stock in violation of Regulation M, or pay anyone any compensation for soliciting purchases of the Placement Shares other than the Agent; provided, however, that the Company may bid for and purchase shares of Common Stock in accordance with Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act.
(r) Insurance. The Company and its Subsidiaries shall maintain, or cause to be maintained, insurance in such amounts and covering such risks as is reasonable and customary for the business for which it is engaged.
(s) Compliance with Laws. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries shall maintain, or cause to be maintained, all material environmental certificates, authorizations or permits required by federal, state and local law in order to conduct their businesses as described in the Prospectus (collectively, “Permits”), and the Company and each of its Subsidiaries shall conduct their businesses, or cause their businesses to be conducted, in substantial compliance with such Permits and with applicable Environmental Laws, except where the failure to maintain or be in compliance with such Permits could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(t) Investment Company Act. The Company will conduct its affairs in such a manner so as to reasonably ensure that neither it nor any of its Subsidiaries will be or become, at any time prior to the termination of this Agreement, an “investment company,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act.
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(u) Securities Act and Exchange Act. The Company will use its best efforts to comply with all requirements imposed upon it by the Securities Act and the Exchange Act as from time to time in force, so far as necessary to permit the sales of, or dealings in, the Placement Shares as contemplated by the provisions hereof and the Prospectus.
(v) No Offer to Sell. Other than a free writing prospectus (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) approved in advance by the Company and the Agent, neither the Agent nor the Company (including its agents and representatives, other than the Agent in its capacity as agent) will make, use, prepare, authorize, approve or refer to any written communication (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act), required to be filed with the Commission, that constitutes an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy Placement Shares hereunder.
(w) Blue Sky and Other Qualifications. The Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts, in cooperation with the Agent, to qualify the Placement Shares for offering and sale, or to obtain an exemption for the Placement Shares to be offered and sold, under the applicable securities laws of such states and other jurisdictions (domestic or foreign) as the Agent may designate and to maintain such qualifications and exemptions in effect for so long as required for the distribution of the Placement Shares (but in no event for less than one year from the date of this Agreement); provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject. In each jurisdiction in which the Placement Shares have been so qualified or exempt, the Company will file such statements and reports as may be required by the laws of such jurisdiction to continue such qualification or exemption, as the case may be, in effect for so long as required for the distribution of the Placement Shares (but in no event for less than one year from the date of this Agreement).
(x) Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Company will maintain and keep accurate books and records reflecting its assets and maintain internal accounting controls in a manner designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP and including those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the Company, (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit the preparation of the Company’s financial statements in accordance with GAAP, (iii) that receipts and expenditures of the Company are being made only in accordance with management’s and the Company’s directors’ authorization, and (iv) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the Company’s assets that could have a material effect on its financial statements. The Company will maintain such controls and other procedures, including, without limitation, those required by Sections 302 and 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the applicable regulations thereunder that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, including, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including its principal executive officer and principal financial officer, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure and to ensure that material information relating to the Company is made known to it by others within the Company, particularly during the period in which such periodic reports are being prepared..
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(y) Emerging Growth Company. The Company will promptly notify the Agent if the company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the completion of the Agent’s distribution of the Placement Shares pursuant to this Agreement.
(z) Renewal of Registration Statement. If, immediately prior to the third anniversary of the initial effective date of the Registration Statement (the “Renewal Date”), any of the Placement Shares remain unsold and this Agreement has not been terminated, the Company will, prior to the Renewal Date, file a new shelf registration statement or, if applicable, an automatic shelf registration statement relating to the Common Stock that may be offered and sold pursuant to this Agreement (which shall include a prospectus reflecting the number or amount of Placement Shares that may be offered and sold pursuant to this Agreement), in a form satisfactory to the Agent and its counsel, and, if such registration statement is not an automatic shelf registration statement, will use its best efforts to cause such registration statement to be declared or become effective within 180 days after the Renewal Date. The Company will take all other reasonable actions necessary or appropriate to permit the public offer and sale of the Placement Shares to continue as contemplated in the expired registration statement and this Agreement. From and after the effective date thereof, references herein to the “Registration Statement” shall include such new shelf registration statement or such new automatic shelf registration statement, as the case may be.
(aa) General Instruction I.B.6. of Form S-3. If, from and after the date of this Agreement, the Company is no longer eligible to use Form S-3 (including pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6.) at the time it files with the Commission an annual report on Form 10-K or any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, then it shall promptly notify the Agent and, within two Business Days after the date of filing of such annual report on Form 10-K or amendment to the Registration Statement, the Company shall file a new prospectus supplement with the Commission reflecting the number of shares of Common Stock available to be offered and sold by the Company under this Agreement pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6. of Form S-3; provided, however, that the Company may delay the filing of any such prospectus supplement for up to 30 days if, in the reasonable judgment of the Company, it is in the best interest of the Company to do so, provided that no Placement Notice is in effect or pending during such time. Until such time as the Company shall have corrected such misstatement or omission or effected such compliance, the Company shall not notify the Agent to resume the offering of Placement Shares.
(bb) Transfer Agent. The Company has engaged and will maintain, at its sole expense, a transfer agent and registrar for the Common Stock.
(cc) Filing Fees. The Company will pay the required Commission filing fees relating to the Shares within the time required by Rule 456(b)(1) under the Securities Act without regard to the proviso therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) under the Securities Act.
8. Conditions to the Agent’s Obligations. The obligations of the Agent hereunder with respect to a Placement will be subject to the continuing accuracy and completeness of the representations and warranties made by the Company herein, to the due performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder, to the completion by the Agent of a due diligence review satisfactory to the Agent in its reasonable judgment, and to the continuing satisfaction (or waiver by the Agent in its sole discretion) of the following additional conditions:
(a) Registration Statement Effective. The Registration Statement shall be effective and shall be available for all offers and sales of Placement Shares (i) that have been issued pursuant to all prior Placement Notices and (ii) that will be issued pursuant to any Placement Notice.
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(b) Prospectus Supplement. The Company shall have filed with the Commission the Prospectus Supplement pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act not later than the Commission’s close of business on the second Business Day following the date of this Agreement.
(c) No Material Notices. None of the following events shall have occurred and be continuing: (i) receipt by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of any request for additional information from the Commission or any other federal or state governmental authority during the period of effectiveness of the Registration Statement, the response to which would require any post-effective amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus; (ii) the issuance by the Commission or any other federal or state governmental authority of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the initiation of any proceedings for that purpose; (iii) receipt by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification or exemption from qualification of any of the Placement Shares for sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose; or (iv) the occurrence of any event that makes any material statement made in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or any material Incorporated Document untrue in any material respect or that requires the making of any changes in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or Incorporated Documents so that, in the case of the Registration Statement, it will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading and, in the case of the Prospectus, so that it will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(d) No Misstatement or Material Omission. The Agent shall not have advised the Company that the Registration Statement or Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, contains an untrue statement of fact that in the Agent’s opinion is material, or omits to state a fact that in the Agent’s opinion is material and is required to be stated therein or is necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.
(e) Material Changes. Except as contemplated in the Prospectus, or disclosed in the Company’s reports filed with the Commission, there shall not have been any material adverse change, on a consolidated basis, in the authorized capital stock of the Company or any Material Adverse Effect or any development that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, or any downgrading in or withdrawal of the rating assigned to any of the Company’s securities (other than asset backed securities), if any, by any rating organization or a public announcement by any rating organization that it has under surveillance or review its rating of any of the Company’s securities (other than asset backed securities), if any, the effect of which, in the judgment of the Agent (without relieving the Company of any obligation or liability it may otherwise have), is so material as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering of the Placement Shares on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus.
(f) Company Counsel Legal Opinions. The Agent shall have received the opinions and negative assurance letters, as applicable, of Company Counsel and Intellectual Property Counsel required to be delivered pursuant to Section 7(n) and Section 7(o), as applicable, on or before the date on which such delivery of such opinions and negative assurance letters are required pursuant to Section 7(n) and Section 7(o), as applicable.
(g) Agent’s Counsel Legal Opinion. The Agent shall have received from Cooley LLP, counsel for the Agent, such opinion or opinions, on or before the date on which the delivery of the Company Counsel legal opinion is required pursuant to Section 7(n), with respect to such matters as the
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Agent may reasonably require, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they may request to enable them to pass upon such matters.
(h) Comfort Letter. The Agent shall have received the Comfort Letter required to be delivered pursuant to Section 7(p) on or before the date on which such delivery of such Comfort Letter is required pursuant to Section 7(p).
(i) Representation Certificate. The Agent shall have received the certificate required to be delivered pursuant to Section 7(m) on or before the date on which delivery of such certificate is required pursuant to Section 7(m).
(j) Secretary’s Certificate. On or prior to the First Placement Notice Date, the Agent shall have received a certificate, signed on behalf of the Company by the Secretary of the Company and attested to by an executive officer of the Company, dated as of such date and in form and substance satisfactory to the Agent and its counsel, certifying as to (i) the amended and restated certificate of incorporation of the Company, (ii) the bylaws of the Company, (iii) the resolutions of the board of directors of the Company or duly authorized committee thereof authorizing the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the issuance and sale of the Placement Shares and (iv) the incumbency of the officers of the Company duly authorized to execute this Agreement and the other documents contemplated by this Agreement (including each of the officers set forth on Schedule 2).
(k) No Suspension. The Common Stock shall be duly listed, and admitted and authorized for trading, subject to official notice of issuance, on Nasdaq. Trading in the Common Stock shall not have been suspended on, and the Common Stock shall not have been delisted from, Nasdaq.
(l) Other Materials. On each date on which the Company is required to deliver a certificate pursuant to Section 7(m), the Company shall have furnished to the Agent such appropriate further information, opinions, certificates, letters and other documents as the Agent may have reasonably requested. All such information, opinions, certificates, letters and other documents shall have been in compliance with the provisions hereof. The Company shall have furnished the Agent with conformed copies of such opinions, certificates, letters and other documents as the Agent may have reasonably requested.
(m) Securities Act Filings Made. All filings with the Commission required by Rule 424(b) or Rule 433 under the Securities Act to have been filed prior to the issuance of any Placement Notice hereunder shall have been made within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by Rule 424(b) (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8) of the Securities Act) or Rule 433, as applicable.
(n) Approval for Listing. Either (i) the Placement Shares shall have been approved for listing on Nasdaq, subject only to notice of issuance, or (ii) the Company shall have filed an application for listing of the Placement Shares on Nasdaq at, or prior to, the First Placement Notice Date and Nasdaq shall have reviewed such application and not provided any objections thereto.
(o) FINRA. FINRA shall have raised no objection to the terms of the offering contemplated hereby and the amount of compensation allowable or payable to the Agent as described in the Prospectus.
(p) No Termination Event. There shall not have occurred any event that would permit the Agent to terminate this Agreement pursuant to Section 11(a).
9. Indemnification and Contribution.
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(a) Company Indemnification. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Agent, its affiliates and their respective partners, members, directors, officers, employees and agents, and each person, if any, who (i) controls the Agent within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act or (ii) is controlled by or is under common control with the Agent, in each case from and against any and all losses, claims, liabilities, expenses and damages (including any and all investigative, legal and other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with, and any and all amounts paid in settlement (in accordance with this Section 9), any action, suit, investigation or proceeding between any of the indemnified parties and any indemnifying parties or between any indemnified party and any third party (including any governmental or self-regulatory authority, or otherwise, or any claim asserted or threatened), as and when incurred, to which the Agent, or any such other person may become subject under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or other federal or state statutory law or regulation, at common law or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, liabilities, expenses or damages arise out of or are based, directly or indirectly, on (x) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus) or in any free writing prospectus or in any application or other document executed by or on behalf of the Company or based on written information furnished by or on behalf of the Company filed in any jurisdiction in order to qualify the Common Stock under the securities laws thereof or filed with the Commission, (y) the omission or alleged omission to state in any such document a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein (solely with respect to the Prospectus, in light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading or (z) any breach by any of the indemnifying parties of any of their respective representations, warranties or agreements contained in this Agreement; provided, however, that this indemnity agreement shall not apply to the extent that such loss, claim, liability, expense or damage arises from the sale of the Placement Shares pursuant to this Agreement and is caused, directly or indirectly, by an untrue statement or omission, or alleged untrue statement or omission, made in reliance upon and in conformity with the Agent’s Information. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability that the Company might otherwise have.
(b) Agent Indemnification. The Agent agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company and its directors and each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who (i) controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act or (ii) is controlled by or is under common control with the Company against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the indemnity contained in Section 9(a), as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the Registration Statement (or any amendments thereto) or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with the Agent’s Information.
(c) Procedure. Any party that proposes to assert the right to be indemnified under this Section 9 will, promptly after receipt of notice of commencement of any action against such party in respect of which a claim is to be made against an indemnifying party or parties under this Section 9, notify each such indemnifying party of the commencement of such action, enclosing a copy of all papers served, but the omission so to notify such indemnifying party will not relieve the indemnifying party from (i) any liability that it might have to any indemnified party otherwise than under this Section 9 and (ii) any liability that it may have to any indemnified party under the foregoing provision of this Section 9 unless, and only to the extent that, such omission results in the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses by the indemnifying party. If any such action is brought against any indemnified party and it notifies the indemnifying party of its commencement, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate in and, to the extent that it elects by delivering written notice to the indemnified party promptly after receiving notice of the commencement of the action from the indemnified party, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense of the action, with counsel reasonably
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satisfactory to the indemnified party, and after notice from the indemnifying party to the indemnified party of its election to assume the defense, the indemnifying party will not be liable to the indemnified party for any other legal expenses except as provided below and except for the reasonable costs of investigation subsequently incurred by the indemnified party in connection with the defense. The indemnified party will have the right to employ its own counsel in any such action, but the fees, expenses and other charges of such counsel will be at the expense of such indemnified party unless (1) the employment of counsel by the indemnified party has been authorized in writing by the indemnifying party, (2) the indemnified party has reasonably concluded (based on advice of counsel) that there may be legal defenses available to it or other indemnified parties that are different from or in addition to those available to the indemnifying party, (3) a conflict or potential conflict exists (based on advice of counsel to the indemnified party) between the indemnified party and the indemnifying party (in which case the indemnifying party will not have the right to direct the defense of such action on behalf of the indemnified party) or (4) the indemnifying party has not in fact employed counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party to assume the defense of such action within a reasonable time after receiving notice of the commencement of the action, in each of which cases the reasonable fees, disbursements and other charges of counsel will be at the expense of the indemnifying party or parties. It is understood that the indemnifying party or parties shall not, in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the reasonable fees, disbursements and other charges of more than one separate firm (plus local counsel) admitted to practice in such jurisdiction at any one time for all such indemnified party or parties. All such fees, disbursements and other charges will be reimbursed by the indemnifying party promptly after the indemnifying party receives a written invoice relating to such fees, disbursements and other charges in reasonable detail. An indemnifying party will not, in any event, be liable for any settlement of any action or claim effected without its written consent. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of each indemnified party, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment in any pending or threatened claim, action or proceeding relating to the matters contemplated by this Section 9 (whether or not any indemnified party is a party thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or consent (1) includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party, from all liability arising out of such claim, action or proceeding and (2) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified party.
(d) Settlement Without Consent if Failure to Reimburse. If an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for reasonable fees and expenses of counsel for which it is entitled to be reimbursed under this Section 9, such indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of the nature contemplated by Section 9(a) effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 45 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least 30 days prior to such settlement being entered into and (iii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed such indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement.
(e) Contribution. In order to provide for just and equitable contribution in circumstances in which the indemnification provided for in the foregoing paragraphs of this Section 9 is applicable in accordance with its terms but for any reason is held to be unavailable or insufficient from the Company or the Agent, the Company and the Agent will contribute to the total losses, claims, liabilities, expenses and damages (including any investigative, legal and other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with, and any amount paid in settlement of, any action, suit, investigation or proceeding or any claim asserted, but after deducting any contribution received by the Company from persons other than the Agent, such as persons who control the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act, officers of the Company who signed the Registration Statement and directors of the Company, who also may be liable for contribution) to which the Company and the Agent may be subject in such proportion as shall be appropriate to reflect
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the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Agent on the other hand. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Agent on the other hand shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total Net Proceeds from the sale of the Placement Shares (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total compensation received by the Agent from the sale of Placement Shares on behalf of the Company. If, but only if, the allocation provided by the foregoing sentence is not permitted by applicable law, the allocation of contribution shall be made in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in the foregoing sentence but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Agent, on the other hand, with respect to the statements or omission that resulted in such loss, claim, liability, expense or damage, or action, suit, investigation or proceeding in respect thereof, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations with respect to such offering. Such relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or the Agent, the intent of the parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Company and the Agent agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this Section 9(e) were to be determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation that does not take into account the equitable considerations referred to herein. The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the loss, claim, liability, expense or damage, or action, suit, investigation or proceeding in respect thereof, referred to above in this Section 9(e) shall be deemed to include, for the purpose of this Section 9(e), any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action, suit, investigation, proceeding or claim to the extent consistent with this Section 9. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 9(e), the Agent shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the commissions received by it under this Agreement and no person found guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) will be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 9(e), any person who controls a party to this Agreement within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, any affiliates of the Agent, any partners, members, directors, officers, employees and agents of the Agent and each person that is controlled by or under common control with the Agent will have the same rights to contribution as that party, and each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement will have the same rights to contribution as the Company, subject in each case to the provisions hereof. Any party entitled to contribution, promptly after receipt of notice of commencement of any action against such party in respect of which a claim for contribution may be made under this Section 9(e), will notify any such party or parties from whom contribution may be sought, but the omission to so notify will not relieve that party or parties from whom contribution may be sought from any other obligation it or they may have under this Section 9(e) except to the extent that the failure to so notify such other party materially prejudiced the substantive rights or defenses of the party from whom contribution is sought. Except for a settlement entered into pursuant to the last sentence of Section 9(c) hereof or pursuant to Section 9(d) hereof, no party will be liable for contribution with respect to any action or claim settled without its written consent if such consent is required pursuant to Section 9(c) hereof.
10. Representations and Agreements to Survive Delivery. The indemnity and contribution agreements contained in Section 9 of this Agreement and all representations and warranties of the Company herein or in certificates delivered pursuant hereto shall survive, as of their respective dates, regardless of (i) any investigation made by or on behalf of the Agent, any controlling persons, or the Company (or any of their respective officers, directors, employees or controlling persons), (ii) delivery and acceptance of the Placement Shares and payment therefor or (iii) any termination of this Agreement.
11. Termination.
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(a) The Agent shall have the right, by giving notice as hereinafter specified, at any time to terminate this Agreement if (i) any Material Adverse Effect, or any development that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, has occurred that, in the judgment of the Agent, may materially impair the ability of the Agent to sell the Placement Shares hereunder, (ii) the Company shall have failed, refused or been unable to perform any agreement on its part to be performed hereunder; provided, however, in the case of any failure of the Company to deliver (or cause another person to deliver) any certification, opinion or letter required under Section 7(m), Section 7(n), Section 7(o) or Section 7(p), the Agent’s right to terminate shall not arise unless such failure to deliver (or cause to be delivered) continues for more than 15 calendar days from the date such delivery was required, (iii) any other condition of the Agent’s obligations hereunder is not fulfilled, (iv) any suspension or limitation of trading in the Placement Shares or in securities generally on Nasdaq shall have occurred, (v) a general banking moratorium shall have been declared by any of United States federal or New York authorities, or (vi) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of national or international hostilities or any crisis or calamity, or any change in the United States or international financial markets, or any substantial change or development involving a prospective substantial change in United States or international political, financial or economic conditions that, in the judgment of the Agent, may materially impair the ability of the Agent to sell the Placement Shares hereunder or to enforce contracts for the sale of securities. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Section 7(g), Section 9, Section 10, Section 11(f), Section 16 and Section 17 hereof shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination. If the Agent elects to terminate this Agreement as provided in this Section 11(a), the Agent shall provide the required notice as specified in Section 12.
(b) The Company shall have the right, by giving 10 days’ prior notice as hereinafter specified, to terminate this Agreement in its sole discretion at any time after the date of this Agreement. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Section 7(g), Section 9, Section 10, Section 11(f), Section 16 and Section 17 hereof shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.
(c) The Agent shall have the right, by giving 10 days’ prior notice as hereinafter specified, to terminate this Agreement in its sole discretion at any time after the date of this Agreement. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Section 7(g), Section 9, Section 10, Section 11(f), Section 16 and Section 17 hereof shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.
(d) Unless earlier terminated pursuant to this Section 11, this Agreement shall automatically terminate upon the issuance and sale of all of the Placement Shares through the Agent on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein; provided that the provisions of Section 7(g), Section 9, Section 10, Section 11(f), Section 16 and Section 17 hereof shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.
(e) This Agreement shall remain in full force and effect unless terminated pursuant to Sections 11(a), (b), (c), or (d) above or otherwise by mutual agreement of the parties; provided, however, that any such termination by mutual agreement shall in all cases be deemed to provide that Section 7(g), Section 9, Section 10, Section 11(f), Section 16 and Section 17 shall remain in full force and effect.
(f) Any termination of this Agreement shall be effective on the date specified in such notice of termination; provided, however, that such termination shall not be effective until the close of business on the date of receipt of such notice by the Agent or the Company, as the case may be. If such termination shall occur prior to the Settlement Date for any sale of Placement Shares, such Placement Shares shall settle in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. Upon termination of this Agreement, the
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Company shall not be required to pay to the Agent any discount or commission with respect to any Placement Shares not otherwise sold by the Agent under this Agreement; provided, however, that the Company shall remain obligated to reimburse the Agent’s expenses pursuant to Section 7(g).
12. Notices. All notices or other communications required or permitted to be given by any party to any other party pursuant to the terms of this Agreement shall be in writing, unless otherwise specified in this Agreement, and if sent to the Agent, shall be delivered to:
SVB Leerink LLC
1301 Avenue of the Americas, 12th Floor
New York, New York 10019
Attention: Peter M. Fry
E-mail: peter.fry@svbleerink.com
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
SVB Leerink LLC
1301 Avenue of the Americas, 12th Floor
New York, New York 10019
Attention: Stuart R. Nayman, Esq.
E-mail: stuart.nayman@svbleerink.com
and:
Cooley LLP
55 Hudson Yards
New York, New York 10001-2157
Attention: Daniel I. Goldberg, Esq.
E-mail: dgoldberg@cooley.com
and if to the Company, shall be delivered to:
Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
530 Seventh Avenue, Suite 2201
New York, New York 10018
Attention: Anthony Y. Sun, M.D.
E-mail: asun@zentalis.com
with copies (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Latham & Watkins, LLP
1271 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10020
Attention: Nathian Ajiashvili
E-mail: Nathan.Ajiashvili@lw.com
Each party to this Agreement may change such address for notices by sending to the parties to this Agreement written notice of a new address for such purpose. Each such notice or other communication shall be deemed given (i) when delivered personally on or before 4:30 P.M., New York City time, on a Business Day, or, if such day is not a Business Day, on the next succeeding Business Day, (ii) by
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Electronic Notice as set forth in the next paragraph, (iii) on the next Business Day after timely delivery to a nationally-recognized overnight courier or (iv) on the Business Day actually received if deposited in the U.S. mail (certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid). For purposes of this Agreement, “Business Day” shall mean any day on which the Nasdaq and commercial banks in the City of New York are open for business.
An electronic communication (“Electronic Notice”) shall be deemed written notice for purposes of this Section 12 if sent to the electronic mail address specified by the receiving party in Section 12. Electronic Notice shall be deemed received at the time the party sending Electronic Notice receives actual acknowledgment of receipt from the person whom the notice is sent, other than via auto-reply. Any party receiving Electronic Notice may request and shall be entitled to receive the notice on paper, in a nonelectronic form (“Nonelectronic Notice”), which shall be sent to the requesting party within 10 days of receipt of the written request for Nonelectronic Notice.
13. Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Company and the Agent and their respective successors and the affiliates, controlling persons, officers, directors and other persons referred to in Section 9 hereof. References to any of the parties contained in this Agreement shall be deemed to include the successors and permitted assigns of each such party. Nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is intended to confer upon any party other than the parties hereto, the persons referred to in the preceding sentence and their respective successors and permitted assigns any rights, remedies, obligations or liabilities under or by reason of this Agreement, except as expressly provided in this Agreement. Neither party may assign its rights or obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party; provided, however, that the Agent may assign its rights and obligations hereunder to an affiliate of the Agent without obtaining the Company’s consent, so long as such affiliate is a registered broker-dealer.
14. Adjustments for Share Splits. The parties acknowledge and agree that all share-related numbers contained in this Agreement shall be adjusted to take into account any share split, share dividend or similar event effected with respect to the Common Stock.
15. Entire Agreement; Amendment; Severability; Waiver. This Agreement (including all schedules (as amended pursuant to this Agreement) and exhibits attached hereto and Placement Notices issued pursuant hereto) constitutes the entire agreement and supersedes all other prior and contemporaneous agreements and undertakings, both written and oral, among the parties hereto with regard to the subject matter hereof. Neither this Agreement nor any term hereof may be amended except pursuant to a written instrument executed by the Company and the Agent; provided, however, that Schedule 2 of this Agreement may be amended by either party from time to time by sending a notice containing a revised Schedule 2 to the other party in the manner provided in Section 12 and, upon such amendment, all references herein to Schedule 2 shall automatically be deemed to refer to such amended Schedule 2. In the event that any one or more of the provisions contained herein, or the application thereof in any circumstance, is held invalid, illegal or unenforceable as written by a court of competent jurisdiction, then such provision shall be given full force and effect to the fullest possible extent that it is valid, legal and enforceable, and the remainder of the terms and provisions herein shall be construed as if such invalid, illegal or unenforceable term or provision was not contained herein, but only to the extent that giving effect to such provision and the remainder of the terms and provisions hereof shall be in accordance with the intent of the parties as reflected in this Agreement. No implied waiver by a party shall arise in the absence of a waiver in writing signed by such party. No failure or delay in exercising any right, power, or privilege hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise thereof preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any right, power, or privilege hereunder.
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16. GOVERNING LAW AND TIME; WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. THIS AGREEMENT AND ANY DISPUTE ARISING THEREFROM SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT REGARD TO THE PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAWS. SPECIFIED TIMES OF DAY REFER TO NEW YORK CITY TIME. EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.
17. Consent to Jurisdiction. Each party hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts sitting in the City of New York, Borough of Manhattan, for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection with any of the transactions contemplated hereby, and hereby irrevocably waives, and agrees not to assert in any suit, action or proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, that such suit, action or proceeding is brought in an inconvenient forum, or that the venue of such suit, action or proceeding is improper. Each party hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by mailing a copy (certified or registered mail, return receipt requested) to such party at the address in effect for notices under Section 12 of this Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient notice of process and notice thereof. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any manner permitted by law.
18. Construction.
(a) The section and exhibit headings herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.
(b) Words defined in the singular shall have a comparable meaning when used in the plural, and vice versa.
(c) The words “hereof,” “hereto,” “herein” and “hereunder” and words of similar import, when used in this Agreement, shall refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular provision of this Agreement.
(d) Wherever the word “include,” “includes” or “including” is used in this Agreement, it shall be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation.”
(e) References herein to any gender shall include each other gender.
(f) References herein to any law, statute, ordinance, code, regulation, rule or other requirement of any governmental authority shall be deemed to refer to such law, statute, ordinance, code, regulation, rule or other requirement of any governmental authority as amended, reenacted, supplemented or superseded in whole or in part and in effect from time to time and also to all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
19. Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses. Each of the Company and the Agent represents, warrants and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior written consent of the other party, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Placement Shares that would constitute an issuer free writing prospectus, or that would otherwise constitute a free writing prospectus (as defined in Rule 405), required to be filed with the Commission. Any such free writing prospectus consented to by the Agent or by the Company, as the case may be, is hereinafter referred to as a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.” The Company represents
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and warrants that it has treated and agrees that it will treat each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an issuer free writing prospectus, and that it has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission where required, legending and record keeping.
20. Absence of Fiduciary Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees that:
(a) the Agent has been retained to act as sales agent in connection with the sale of the Placement Shares, the Agent has acted at arms’ length and no fiduciary or advisory relationship between the Company or any of its respective affiliates, stockholders (or other equity holders), creditors or employees or any other party, on the one hand, and the Agent, on the other hand, has been or will be created in respect of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, irrespective of whether the Agent has advised or is advising the Company on other matters and the Agent has no duties or obligations to the Company with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement except the obligations expressly set forth herein;
(b) the Company is capable of evaluating, and understanding and understands and accepts, the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;
(c) neither the Agent nor its affiliates have provided any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and it has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it has deemed appropriate;
(d) the Company has been advised and is aware that the Agent and its affiliates are engaged in a broad range of transactions which may involve interests that differ from those of the Company and that the Agent and its affiliates have no obligation to disclose such interests and transactions to the Company by virtue of any fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship or otherwise; and
(e) the Company waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims it may have against the Agent or its affiliates for breach of fiduciary duty or alleged breach of fiduciary duty in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and agrees that the Agent and its affiliates shall have no liability (whether direct or indirect) to the Company in respect of such a fiduciary claim or to any person asserting a fiduciary duty claim on behalf of or in right of the Company, including stockholders (or other equity holders), creditors or employees of the Company.
21. Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes. In the event that the Agent is a Covered Entity and becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from the Agent of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
In the event that the Agent is a Covered Entity and the Agent or a BHC Act Affiliate of the Agent becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against the Agent are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
For purposes of this Agreement, (A) “BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k); (B) “Covered Entity” means any of the following: (i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance
34
with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b); (ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or (iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b); (C) “Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable; and (D) “U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
22. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of an executed Agreement by one party to the other may be made by facsimile or electronic transmission. Counterparts may be delivered via facsimile, electronic mail (including any electronic signature covered by the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, the Electronic Signatures and Records Act or other applicable law, e.g., www.docusign.com) or other transmission method and any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes.
23. Use of Information. The Agent may not provide any information gained in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including due diligence, to any third party other than its legal counsel advising it on this Agreement and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement unless expressly approved by the Company in writing.
24. Agent’s Information. As used in this Agreement, “Agent’s Information” means solely the following information in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus: the eleventh paragraph under the heading “Plan of Distribution” in the Prospectus Supplement.
All references in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing shall be deemed to include the copy filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR. All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information that is “contained,” “included” or “stated” in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (and all other references of like import) shall be deemed to mean and include all such financial statements and schedules and other information that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, as the case may be.
All references in this Agreement to “supplements” to the Prospectus shall include any supplements, “wrappers” or similar materials prepared in connection with any offering, sale or private placement of any Placement Shares by the Agent outside of the United States.
[Remainder of Page Intentionally Blank]
35
If the foregoing correctly sets forth the understanding between the Company and the Agent, please so indicate in the space provided below for that purpose, whereupon this letter shall constitute a binding agreement between the Company and the Agent.
Very truly yours,
ZENTALIS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
By: /s/ Melissa B. Epperly
Name: Melissa B. Epperly
Title: Chief Financial Officer
ACCEPTED as of the date
first-above written:
SVB LEERINK LLC
By: /s/ Peter M. Fry
Name: Peter M. Fry
Title: Head of Alternative Equities
SCHEDULE 1
FORM OF PLACEMENT NOTICE
From: [ ]
[TITLE]
Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Cc: [ ]
To: SVB Leerink LLC
Subject: SVB Leerink—At the Market Offering—Placement Notice
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions contained in the Sales Agreement, dated May 3, 2021 (the “Agreement”), by and between Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and SVB Leerink LLC (“SVB Leerink”), I hereby request on behalf of the Company that SVB Leerink sell up to [ ] shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share, of the Company (the “Shares”), at a minimum market price of $ per share[; provided that no more than [ ] Shares shall be sold in any one Trading Day (as such term is defined in Section 3 of the Agreement)]. Sales should begin [on the date of this Placement Notice] and end on [DATE] [until all Shares that are the subject of this Placement Notice are sold].
SCHEDULE 2
The Company
Anthony Y. Sun, M.D.
Melissa B. Epperly
SVB Leerink
Gabriel.cavazos@leerink.com; Dan.dubin@leerink.com
atm@leerink.com
SCHEDULE 3
Compensation
The Company shall pay SVB Leerink compensation in cash up to 3.0% of the gross proceeds from the sales of Placement Shares pursuant to the terms of the Sales Agreement of which this Schedule 3 forms a part.
Exhibit 4.3
ZENTALIS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
_____________________________
INDENTURE
Dated as of, 20
_____________________________
[____]
Trustee
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Page | ||||||||||||||
| ARTICLE I. DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Section 1.1. | Definitions. | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Section 1.2. | Other Definitions. | 4 | ||||||||||||
| Section 1.3. | Incorporation by Reference of Trust Indenture Act. | 5 | ||||||||||||
| Section 1.4. | Rules of Construction. | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ARTICLE II. THE SECURITIES | 6 | |||||||||||||
| Section 2.1. | Issuable in Series. | 6 | ||||||||||||
| Section 2.2. | Establishment of Terms of Series of Securities. | 6 | ||||||||||||
| Section 2.3. | Execution and Authentication. | 8 | ||||||||||||
| Section 2.4. | Registrar, Paying Agent and Notice Agent. | 9 | ||||||||||||
| Section 2.5. | Paying Agent to Hold Money in Trust. | 10 | ||||||||||||
| Section 2.6. | Holder Lists. | 11 | ||||||||||||
| Section 2.7. | Transfer and Exchange. | 11 | ||||||||||||
| Section 2.8. | Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities. | 11 | ||||||||||||
| Section 2.9. | Outstanding Securities. | 12 | ||||||||||||
| Section 2.10. | Treasury Securities. | 13 | ||||||||||||
| Section 2.11. | Temporary Securities. | 13 | ||||||||||||
| Section 2.12. | Cancellation. | 13 | ||||||||||||
| Section 2.13. | Defaulted Interest. | 13 | ||||||||||||
| Section 2.14. | Global Securities. | 14 | ||||||||||||
| Section 2.15. | CUSIP Numbers. | 16 | ||||||||||||
| ARTICLE III. REDEMPTION | 16 | |||||||||||||
| Section 3.1. | Notice to Trustee. | 16 | ||||||||||||
| Section 3.2. | Selection of Securities to be Redeemed. | 16 | ||||||||||||
| Section 3.3. | Notice of Redemption. | 17 | ||||||||||||
| Section 3.4. | Effect of Notice of Redemption. | 18 | ||||||||||||
| Section 3.5. | Deposit of Redemption Price. | 18 | ||||||||||||
| Section 3.6. | Securities Redeemed in Part. | 18 | ||||||||||||
| ARTICLE IV. COVENANTS | 18 | |||||||||||||
| Section 4.1. | Payment of Principal and Interest. | 18 | ||||||||||||
| Section 4.2. | SEC Reports. | 18 | ||||||||||||
| Section 4.3. | Compliance Certificate. | 19 | ||||||||||||
| Section 4.4. | Stay, Extension and Usury Laws. | 19 | ||||||||||||
i
| ARTICLE V. SUCCESSORS | 20 | |||||||||||||
| Section 5.1. | When Company May Merge, Etc. | 20 | ||||||||||||
| Section 5.2. | Successor Corporation Substituted. | 20 | ||||||||||||
| ARTICLE VI. DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES | 20 | |||||||||||||
| Section 6.1. | Events of Default. | 20 | ||||||||||||
| Section 6.2. | Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment. | 22 | ||||||||||||
| Section 6.3. | Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee. | 23 | ||||||||||||
| Section 6.4. | Trustee May File Proofs of Claim. | 23 | ||||||||||||
| Section 6.5. | Trustee May Enforce Claims Without Possession of Securities. | 24 | ||||||||||||
| Section 6.6. | Application of Money Collected. | 24 | ||||||||||||
| Section 6.7. | Limitation on Suits. | 25 | ||||||||||||
| Section 6.8. | Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal and Interest. | 25 | ||||||||||||
| Section 6.9. | Restoration of Rights and Remedies. | 26 | ||||||||||||
| Section 6.10. | Rights and Remedies Cumulative. | 26 | ||||||||||||
| Section 6.11. | Delay or Omission Not Waiver. | 26 | ||||||||||||
| Section 6.12. | Control by Holders. | 26 | ||||||||||||
| Section 6.13. | Waiver of Past Defaults. | 27 | ||||||||||||
| Section 6.14. | Undertaking for Costs. | 27 | ||||||||||||
| ARTICLE VII. TRUSTEE | 27 | |||||||||||||
| Section 7.1. | Duties of Trustee. | 27 | ||||||||||||
| Section 7.2. | Rights of Trustee. | 29 | ||||||||||||
| Section 7.3. | Individual Rights of Trustee. | 30 | ||||||||||||
| Section 7.4. | Trustee’s Disclaimer. | 30 | ||||||||||||
| Section 7.5. | Notice of Defaults. | 30 | ||||||||||||
| Section 7.6. | Reports by Trustee to Holders. | 31 | ||||||||||||
| Section 7.7. | Compensation and Indemnity. | 31 | ||||||||||||
| Section 7.8. | Replacement of Trustee. | 32 | ||||||||||||
| Section 7.9. | Successor Trustee by Merger, Etc. | 33 | ||||||||||||
| Section 7.10. | Eligibility; Disqualification. | 33 | ||||||||||||
| Section 7.11. | Preferential Collection of Claims Against Company. | 33 | ||||||||||||
| ARTICLE VIII. SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE; DEFEASANCE | 33 | |||||||||||||
| Section 8.1. | Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture. | 33 | ||||||||||||
| Section 8.2. | Application of Trust Funds; Indemnification. | 35 | ||||||||||||
| Section 8.3. | Legal Defeasance of Securities of any Series. | 35 | ||||||||||||
| Section 8.4. | Covenant Defeasance. | 37 | ||||||||||||
| Section 8.5. | Repayment to Company. | 38 | ||||||||||||
| Section 8.6. | Reinstatement. | 38 | ||||||||||||
ii
| ARTICLE IX. AMENDMENTS AND WAIVERS | 39 | |||||||||||||
| Section 9.1. | Without Consent of Holders. | 39 | ||||||||||||
| Section 9.2. | With Consent of Holders. | 39 | ||||||||||||
| Section 9.3. | Limitations. | 40 | ||||||||||||
| Section 9.4. | Compliance with Trust Indenture Act. | 41 | ||||||||||||
| Section 9.5. | Revocation and Effect of Consents. | 41 | ||||||||||||
| Section 9.6. | Notation on or Exchange of Securities. | 41 | ||||||||||||
| Section 9.7. | Trustee Protected. | 41 | ||||||||||||
| ARTICLE X. MISCELLANEOUS | 42 | |||||||||||||
| Section 10.1. | Trust Indenture Act Controls. | 42 | ||||||||||||
| Section 10.2. | Notices. | 42 | ||||||||||||
| Section 10.3. | Communication by Holders with Other Holders. | 43 | ||||||||||||
| Section 10.4. | Certificate and Opinion as to Conditions Precedent. | 44 | ||||||||||||
| Section 10.5. | Statements Required in Certificate or Opinion. | 44 | ||||||||||||
| Section 10.6. | Rules by Trustee and Agents. | 44 | ||||||||||||
| Section 10.7. | Legal Holidays. | 44 | ||||||||||||
| Section 10.8. | No Recourse Against Others. | 45 | ||||||||||||
| Section 10.9. | Counterparts. | 45 | ||||||||||||
| Section 10.10. | Governing Law; Waiver of Jury Trial; Consent to Jurisdiction. | 45 | ||||||||||||
| Section 10.11. | No Adverse Interpretation of Other Agreements. | 46 | ||||||||||||
| Section 10.12. | Successors. | 46 | ||||||||||||
| Section 10.13. | Severability. | 46 | ||||||||||||
| Section 10.14. | Table of Contents, Headings, Etc. | 46 | ||||||||||||
| Section 10.15. | Securities in a Foreign Currency. | 46 | ||||||||||||
| Section 10.16. | Judgment Currency. | 47 | ||||||||||||
| Section 10.17. | Force Majeure. | 47 | ||||||||||||
| Section 10.18. | U.S.A. Patriot Act. | 48 | ||||||||||||
| ARTICLE XI. SINKING FUNDS | 48 | |||||||||||||
| Section 11.1. | Applicability of Article. | 48 | ||||||||||||
| Section 11.2. | Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities. | 48 | ||||||||||||
| Section 11.3. | Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund. | 49 | ||||||||||||
iii
ZENTALIS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Reconciliation and tie between Trust Indenture Act of 1939 and
Indenture, dated as of , 20
| § 310(a)(1) | 7.10 | ||||||||||||||||
| (a)(2) | 7.10 | ||||||||||||||||
| (a)(3) | Not Applicable | ||||||||||||||||
| (a)(4) | Not Applicable | ||||||||||||||||
| (a)(5) | 7.10 | ||||||||||||||||
| (b) | 7.10 | ||||||||||||||||
| § 311(a) | 7.11 | ||||||||||||||||
| (b) | 7.11 | ||||||||||||||||
| (c) | Not Applicable | ||||||||||||||||
| § 312(a) | 2.6 | ||||||||||||||||
| (b) | 10.3 | ||||||||||||||||
| (c) | 10.3 | ||||||||||||||||
| § 313(a) | 7.6 | ||||||||||||||||
| (b)(1) | 7.6 | ||||||||||||||||
| (b)(2) | 7.6 | ||||||||||||||||
| (c)(1) | 7.6 | ||||||||||||||||
| (d) | 7.6 | ||||||||||||||||
| § 314(a) | 4.2, 10.5 | ||||||||||||||||
| (b) | Not Applicable | ||||||||||||||||
| (c)(1) | 10.4 | ||||||||||||||||
| (c)(2) | 10.4 | ||||||||||||||||
| (c)(3) | Not Applicable | ||||||||||||||||
| (d) | Not Applicable | ||||||||||||||||
| (e) | 10.5 | ||||||||||||||||
| (f) | Not Applicable | ||||||||||||||||
| § 315(a) | 7.1 | ||||||||||||||||
| (b) | 7.5 | ||||||||||||||||
| (c) | 7.1 | ||||||||||||||||
| (d) | 7.1 | ||||||||||||||||
| (e) | 6.14 | ||||||||||||||||
| § 316(a) | 2.10 | ||||||||||||||||
| (a)(1)(A) | 6.12 | ||||||||||||||||
| (a)(1)(B) | 6.13 | ||||||||||||||||
| (b) | 6.8 | ||||||||||||||||
| § 317(a)(1) | 6.3 | ||||||||||||||||
| (a)(2) | 6.4 | ||||||||||||||||
| (b) | 2.5 | ||||||||||||||||
| § 318(a) | 10.1 | ||||||||||||||||
____________________
Note: This reconciliation and tie shall not, for any purpose, be deemed to be part of the Indenture.
iv
Indenture dated as of , 20 between Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a company incorporated under the laws of the state of Delaware (“Company”), and [] (“Trustee”).
Each party agrees as follows for the benefit of the other party and for the equal and ratable benefit of the Holders of the Securities issued under this Indenture.
ARTICLE I.
DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
Section 1.1. Definitions.
“Affiliate” of any specified person means any other person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under common control with such specified person. For the purposes of this definition, “control” (including, with correlative meanings, the terms “controlled by” and “under common control with”), as used with respect to any person, shall mean the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of such person, whether through the ownership of voting securities or by agreement or otherwise.
“Agent” means any Registrar, Paying Agent or Notice Agent.
“Board of Directors” means the board of directors of the Company or any duly authorized committee thereof.
“Board Resolution” means a copy of a resolution certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company to have been adopted by the Board of Directors or pursuant to authorization by the Board of Directors and to be in full force and effect on the date of the certificate and delivered to the Trustee.
“Business Day” means any day except a Saturday, Sunday or a legal holiday in the City of New York, New York (or in connection with any payment, the place of payment) on which banking institutions are authorized or required by law, regulation or executive order to close.
“Capital Stock” means any and all shares, interests, participations, rights or other equivalents (however designated) of corporate stock.
“Company” means the party named as such above until a successor replaces it and thereafter means the successor.
“Company Order” means a written order signed in the name of the Company by an Officer and delivered to the Trustee.
“Corporate Trust Office” means the office of the Trustee at which at any particular time its corporate trust business related to this Indenture shall be principally administered.
“Default” means any event which is, or after notice, passage of time or both would be, an Event of Default.
“Depositary” means, with respect to the Securities of any Series issuable or issued in whole or in part in the form of one or more Global Securities, the person designated as Depositary for such Series by the Company, which Depositary shall be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act; and if at any time there is more than one such person, “Depositary” as used with respect to the Securities of any Series shall mean the Depositary with respect to the Securities of such Series.
“Discount Security” means any Security that provides for an amount less than the stated principal amount thereof to be due and payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof pursuant to Section 6.2.
“Dollars” and “$” means the currency of the United States of America.
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
“Foreign Currency” means any currency or currency unit issued by a government other than the government of the United States of America.
“Foreign Government Obligations” means, with respect to Securities of any Series that are denominated in a Foreign Currency, direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed by, the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency for the payment of which obligations its full faith and credit is pledged and which are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof.
“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America set forth in the opinions and pronouncements of the Accounting Principles Board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and statements and pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or in such other statements by such other entity as have been approved by a significant segment of the accounting profession, which are in effect as of the date of determination.
“Global Security” or “Global Securities” means a Security or Securities, as the case may be, in the form established pursuant to Section 2.2 evidencing all or part of a Series of Securities, issued to the Depositary for such Series or its nominee, and registered in the name of such Depositary or nominee.
“Holder” means a person in whose name a Security is registered on the Registrar’s books.
“Indenture” means this Indenture as amended or supplemented from time to time and shall include the form and terms of particular Series of Securities established as contemplated hereunder.
2
“interest” with respect to any Discount Security which by its terms bears interest only after Maturity, means interest payable after Maturity.
“Maturity” when used with respect to any Security, means the date on which the principal of such Security becomes due and payable as therein or herein provided, whether at the Stated Maturity or by declaration of acceleration, call for redemption or otherwise.
“Officer” means the Chief Executive Officer, President, the Chief Financial Officer, the Treasurer or any Assistant Treasurer, the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary, and any Vice President of the Company.
“Officer’s Certificate” means a certificate signed by any Officer that meets the requirements of this Indenture.
“Opinion of Counsel” means a written opinion of legal counsel who is acceptable to the Trustee. The counsel may be an employee of or counsel to the Company. The opinion may contain customary limitations, conditions and exceptions.
“person” means any individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, association, limited liability company, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated organization or government or any agency or political subdivision thereof.
“principal” of a Security means the principal of the Security plus, when appropriate, the premium, if any, on the Security.
“Responsible Officer” means any officer of the Trustee in its Corporate Trust Office having responsibility for administration of this Indenture and also means, with respect to a particular corporate trust matter, any other officer to whom any corporate trust matter is referred because of his or her knowledge of and familiarity with a particular subject.
“SEC” means the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Security” or “Securities” means the debentures, notes or other debt instruments of the Company of any Series authenticated and delivered under this Indenture.
“Series” or “Series of Securities” means each series of debentures, notes or other debt instruments of the Company created pursuant to Sections 2.1 and 2.2 hereof.
“Stated Maturity” when used with respect to any Security, means the date specified in such Security as the fixed date on which the principal of such Security or interest is due and payable.
“Subsidiary” of any specified person means any corporation, association or other business entity of which more than 50% of the total voting power of shares of Capital Stock entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors, managers or trustees thereof is at the time owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by such person or one or more of the other Subsidiaries of that person or a combination thereof.
3
“TIA” means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (15 U.S. Code §§ 77aaa-77bbbb) as in effect on the date of this Indenture; provided, however, that in the event the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 is amended after such date, “TIA” means, to the extent required by any such amendment, the Trust Indenture Act as so amended.
“Trustee” means the person named as the “Trustee” in the first paragraph of this instrument until a successor Trustee shall have become such pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter “Trustee” shall mean or include each person who is then a Trustee hereunder, and if at any time there is more than one such person, “Trustee” as used with respect to the Securities of any Series shall mean the Trustee with respect to Securities of that Series.
“U.S. Government Obligations” means securities which are direct obligations of, or guaranteed by, the United States of America for the payment of which its full faith and credit is pledged and which are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof, and shall also include a depositary receipt issued by a bank or trust company as custodian with respect to any such U.S. Government Obligation or a specific payment of interest on or principal of any such U.S. Government Obligation held by such custodian for the account of the holder of a depositary receipt, provided that (except as required by law) such custodian is not authorized to make any deduction from the amount payable to the holder of such depositary receipt from any amount received by the custodian in respect of the U.S. Government Obligation evidenced by such depositary receipt.
Section 1.2. Other Definitions.
TERM DEFINED IN
SECTION
“Agent Member” 2.14.6
“Bankruptcy Law” 6.1
“Custodian” 6.1
“Event of Default” 6.1
“Judgment Currency” 10.16
“Legal Holiday” 10.7
“mandatory sinking fund payment” 11.1
“New York Banking Day” 10.16
“Notice Agent” 2.4
“optional sinking fund payment” 11.1
“Paying Agent” 2.4
“Registrar” 2.4
“Required Currency” 10.16
“Specified Courts” 10.10
“successor person” 5.1
4
Section 1.3. Incorporation by Reference of Trust Indenture Act.
Whenever this Indenture refers to a provision of the TIA, the provision is incorporated by reference in and made a part of this Indenture. The following TIA terms used in this Indenture have the following meanings:
“Commission” means the SEC.
“indenture securities” means the Securities.
“indenture security holder” means a Holder.
“indenture to be qualified” means this Indenture.
“indenture trustee” or “institutional trustee” means the Trustee.
“obligor” on the indenture securities means the Company and any successor obligor upon the Securities.
All other terms used in this Indenture that are defined by the TIA, defined by TIA reference to another statute or defined by SEC rule under the TIA and not otherwise defined herein are used herein as so defined.
Section 1.4. Rules of Construction.
Unless the context otherwise requires:
(a) a term has the meaning assigned to it;
(b) an accounting term not otherwise defined has the meaning assigned to it in accordance with GAAP;
(c) “or” is not exclusive;
(d) words in the singular include the plural, and in the plural include the singular;
(e) provisions apply to successive events and transactions;
(f) in the computation of periods of time from a specified date to a later specified date, the word “from” means “from and including,” and the words “to” and “until” each mean “to but excluding”; and
(g) the phrase “in writing” as used herein shall be deemed to include PDFs, e-mails and other electronic means of transmission, unless otherwise indicated.
5
ARTICLE II.
THE SECURITIES
Section 2.1. Issuable in Series.
The aggregate principal amount of Securities that may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture is unlimited. The Securities may be issued in one or more Series. All Securities of a Series shall be identical except as may be set forth or determined in the manner provided in a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture or an Officer’s Certificate detailing the adoption of the terms thereof pursuant to authority granted under a Board Resolution. In the case of Securities of a Series to be issued from time to time, the Board Resolution, Officer’s Certificate or supplemental indenture detailing the adoption of the terms thereof pursuant to authority granted under a Board Resolution may provide for the method by which specified terms (such as interest rate, maturity date, record date or date from which interest shall accrue) are to be determined. Securities may differ between Series in respect of any matters, provided that all Series of Securities shall be equally and ratably entitled to the benefits of the Indenture.
Section 2.2. Establishment of Terms of Series of Securities.
At or prior to the issuance of any Securities within a Series, the following shall be established (as to the Series generally, in the case of Subsection 2.2.1 and either as to such Securities within the Series or as to the Series generally in the case of Subsections 2.2.2 through 2.2.23) by or pursuant to a Board Resolution, and set forth or determined in the manner provided in a Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate:
2.2.1. the title (which shall distinguish the Securities of that particular Series from the Securities of any other Series) and ranking (including the terms of any subordination provisions) of the Series;
2.2.2. the price or prices (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount thereof) at which the Securities of the Series will be issued;
2.2.3. any limit upon the aggregate principal amount of the Securities of the Series which may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture (except for Securities authenticated and delivered upon registration of transfer of, or in exchange for, or in lieu of, other Securities of the Series pursuant to Section 2.7, 2.8, 2.11, 3.6 or 9.6);
2.2.4. the date or dates on which the principal of the Securities of the Series is payable;
2.2.5. the rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable) per annum or, if applicable, the method used to determine such rate or rates (including, but not limited to, any commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index) at which the Securities of the Series shall bear interest, if any, the date or dates from which such interest, if any, shall
6
accrue, the date or dates on which such interest, if any, shall commence and be payable and any regular record date for the interest payable on any interest payment date;
2.2.6. the place or places where the principal of and interest, if any, on the Securities of the Series shall be payable, where the Securities of such Series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange and where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Securities of such Series and this Indenture may be delivered, and the method of such payment, if by wire transfer, mail or other means;
2.2.7. if applicable, the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which the Securities of the Series may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at the option of the Company;
2.2.8. the obligation, if any, of the Company to redeem or purchase the Securities of the Series pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provisions or at the option of a Holder thereof and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which Securities of the Series shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;
2.2.9. the dates, if any, on which and the price or prices at which the Securities of the Series will be repurchased by the Company at the option of the Holders thereof and other detailed terms and provisions of such repurchase obligations;
2.2.10. if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof, the denominations in which the Securities of the Series shall be issuable;
2.2.11. the forms of the Securities of the Series and whether the Securities will be issuable as Global Securities;
2.2.12. if other than the principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount of the Securities of the Series that shall be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof pursuant to Section 6.2;
2.2.13. the currency of denomination of the Securities of the Series, which may be Dollars or any Foreign Currency, and if such currency of denomination is a composite currency, the agency or organization, if any, responsible for overseeing such composite currency;
2.2.14. the designation of the currency, currencies or currency units in which payment of the principal of and interest, if any, on the Securities of the Series will be made;
2.2.15. if payments of principal of or interest, if any, on the Securities of the Series are to be made in one or more currencies or currency units other than that or those in which such Securities are denominated, the manner in which the exchange rate with respect to such payments will be determined;
2.2.16. the manner in which the amounts of payment of principal of or interest, if any, on the Securities of the Series will be determined, if such amounts may be
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determined by reference to an index based on a currency or currencies or by reference to a commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index;
2.2.17. the provisions, if any, relating to any security provided for the Securities of the Series;
2.2.18. any addition to, deletion of or change in the Events of Default which applies to any Securities of the Series and any change in the right of the Trustee or the requisite Holders of such Securities to declare the principal amount thereof due and payable pursuant to Section 6.2;
2.2.19. any addition to, deletion of or change in the covenants applicable to Securities of the Series;
2.2.20. any Depositaries, interest rate calculation agents, exchange rate calculation agents or other agents with respect to Securities of such Series if other than those appointed herein;
2.2.21. the provisions, if any, relating to conversion or exchange of any Securities of such Series, including if applicable, the conversion or exchange price, the conversion or exchange period, provisions as to whether conversion or exchange will be mandatory, at the option of the Holders thereof or at the option of the Company, the events requiring an adjustment of the conversion price or exchange price and provisions affecting conversion or exchange if such Series of Securities are redeemed;
2.2.22. any other terms of the Series (which may supplement, modify or delete any provision of this Indenture insofar as it applies to such Series), including any terms that may be required under applicable law or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of Securities of that Series; and
2.2.23. whether any of the Company’s direct or indirect Subsidiaries will guarantee the Securities of that Series, including the terms of subordination, if any, of such guarantees.
All Securities of any one Series need not be issued at the same time and may be issued from time to time, consistent with the terms of this Indenture, if so provided by or pursuant to the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate referred to above.
Section 2.3. Execution and Authentication.
An Officer shall sign the Securities for the Company by manual, facsimile or electronic signature.
If an Officer whose signature is on a Security no longer holds that office at the time the Security is authenticated, the Security shall nevertheless be valid.
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A Security shall not be valid until authenticated by the manual signature of the Trustee or an authenticating agent. The signature shall be conclusive evidence that the Security has been authenticated under this Indenture.
The Trustee shall at any time, and from time to time, authenticate Securities for original issue in the principal amount provided in the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate, upon receipt by the Trustee of a Company Order. Each Security shall be dated the date of its authentication.
The aggregate principal amount of Securities of any Series outstanding at any time may not exceed any limit upon the maximum principal amount for such Series set forth in the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2, except as provided in Section 2.8.
Prior to the issuance of Securities of any Series, the Trustee shall have received and (subject to Section 7.2) shall be fully protected in relying on: (a) the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate establishing the form of the Securities of that Series or of Securities within that Series and the terms of the Securities of that Series or of Securities within that Series, (b) an Officer’s Certificate complying with Sections 10.4 and 10.5, and (c) an Opinion of Counsel complying with Sections 10.4 and 10.5.
The Trustee shall have the right to decline to authenticate and deliver any Securities of such Series: (a) if the Trustee, being advised by counsel, determines that such action may not be taken lawfully; or (b) if the Trustee in good faith determines that such action may expose the Trustee to personal liability.
The Trustee may appoint an authenticating agent acceptable to the Company to authenticate Securities. An authenticating agent may authenticate Securities whenever the Trustee may do so. Each reference in this Indenture to authentication by the Trustee includes authentication by such agent. An authenticating agent has the same rights as an Agent to deal with the Company or an Affiliate of the Company.
Section 2.4. Registrar, Paying Agent and Notice Agent.
The Company shall maintain, with respect to each Series of Securities, at the place or places specified with respect to such Series pursuant to Section 2.2, an office or agency where Securities of such Series may be presented or surrendered for payment (“Paying Agent”), where Securities of such Series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange (“Registrar”) and where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Securities of such Series and this Indenture may be delivered (“Notice Agent”). The Registrar shall keep a register with respect to each Series of Securities and to their transfer and exchange. The Company will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of the name and address, and any change in the name or address, of each Registrar, Paying Agent or Notice Agent. If at any time the Company shall fail to maintain any such required Registrar, Paying Agent or Notice Agent or shall fail to furnish the Trustee with the name and address thereof, such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands may be made or served at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, and the
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Company hereby appoints the Trustee as its agent to receive all such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands; provided, however, that any appointment of the Trustee as the Notice Agent shall exclude the appointment of the Trustee or any office of the Trustee as an agent to receive the service of legal process on the Company.
The Company may also from time to time designate one or more co-registrars, additional paying agents or additional notice agents and may from time to time rescind such designations; provided, however, that no such designation or rescission shall in any manner relieve the Company of its obligations to maintain a Registrar, Paying Agent and Notice Agent in each place so specified pursuant to Section 2.2 for Securities of any Series for such purposes. The Company will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of any such designation or rescission and of any change in the name or address of any such co-registrar, additional paying agent or additional notice agent. The term “Registrar” includes any co-registrar; the term “Paying Agent” includes any additional paying agent; and the term “Notice Agent” includes any additional notice agent. The Company or any of its Affiliates may serve as Registrar or Paying Agent.
The Company hereby appoints the Trustee the initial Registrar, Paying Agent and Notice Agent for each Series unless another Registrar, Paying Agent or Notice Agent, as the case may be, is appointed prior to the time Securities of that Series are first issued. The rights, powers, duties, obligations and actions of each Agent under this Indenture are several and not joint or joint and several, and the Agents shall only be obliged to perform those duties expressly set out in this Indenture and shall have no implied duties.
Section 2.5. Paying Agent to Hold Money in Trust.
The Company shall require each Paying Agent other than the Trustee to agree in writing that the Paying Agent will hold in trust, for the benefit of Holders of any Series of Securities or the Trustee, all money held by the Paying Agent for the payment of principal of or interest on the Series of Securities and will notify the Trustee in writing of any default by the Company in making any such payment. While any such default continues, the Trustee may require a Paying Agent to pay all money held by it to the Trustee. The Company at any time may require a Paying Agent to pay all money held by it to the Trustee. Upon payment over to the Trustee, the Paying Agent (if other than the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company) shall have no further liability for the money. If the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company acts as Paying Agent, it shall segregate and hold in a separate trust fund for the benefit of Holders of any Series of Securities all money held by it as Paying Agent. Upon any bankruptcy, reorganization or similar proceeding with respect to the Company, the Trustee shall serve as Paying Agent for the Securities. For the avoidance of doubt, a Paying Agent and the Trustee shall be held harmless and have no liability with respect to payments or disbursements (including to the Holders) until they have confirmed receipt of funds sufficient to make the relevant payment. No money held by an Agent needs to be segregated except as is required by law.
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Section 2.6. Holder Lists.
If it is serving as Registrar, the Trustee shall preserve in as current a form as is reasonably practicable the most recent list available to it of the names and addresses of Holders of each Series of Securities and shall otherwise comply with TIA § 312(a). If the Trustee is not the Registrar, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee at least ten days before each interest payment date and at such other times as the Trustee may request in writing a list, in such form and as of such date as the Trustee may reasonably require, of the names and addresses of Holders of each Series of Securities.
Every Holder, by receiving and holding Securities, agrees with the Company and the Trustee that neither the Company nor the Trustee or any agent of either of them shall be held accountable by reason of the disclosure of any such information as to the names and addresses of the Holders in accordance with TIA § 312, regardless of the source from which such information was derived, and that the Trustee shall not be held accountable by reason of mailing any material pursuant to a request made under TIA § 312(b).
Section 2.7. Transfer and Exchange.
Where Securities of a Series are presented to the Registrar or a co-registrar with a request to register a transfer or to exchange them for an equal principal amount of Securities of the same Series, the Registrar shall register the transfer or make the exchange if its requirements for such transactions are met. To permit registrations of transfers and exchanges, the Trustee shall authenticate Securities at the Registrar’s request. No service charge shall be made for any registration of transfer or exchange (except as otherwise expressly permitted herein), but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any transfer tax or similar governmental charge payable in connection therewith (other than any such transfer tax or similar governmental charge payable upon exchanges pursuant to Sections 2.11, 3.6 or 9.6).
Neither the Company nor the Registrar shall be required (a) to issue, register the transfer of or exchange Securities of any Series for the period beginning at the opening of business 15 days immediately preceding the sending of a notice of redemption of Securities of that Series selected for redemption and ending at the close of business on the day such notice is sent, (b) to register the transfer of or exchange Securities of any Series selected, called or being called for redemption as a whole or the portion being redeemed of any such Securities selected, called or being called for redemption in part or (c) to register the transfer of or exchange Securities of any Series between a record date and payment date for such Series of Securities.
Section 2.8. Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities.
If any mutilated Security is surrendered to the Trustee, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver in exchange therefor a new Security of the same Series and of like tenor and principal amount and bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding.
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If there shall be delivered to the Company and the Trustee (i) evidence to their satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of any Security and (ii) such security or indemnity bond as may be required by each of them to hold itself and any of its agents harmless, then, in the absence of notice to the Company or the Trustee that such Security has been acquired by a bona fide purchaser, the Company shall execute and upon receipt of a Company Order the Trustee shall authenticate and make available for delivery, in lieu of any such destroyed, lost or stolen Security, a new Security of the same Series and of like tenor and principal amount and bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding.
In case any such mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security has become or is about to become due and payable, the Company in its discretion may, instead of issuing a new Security, pay such Security.
Upon the issuance of any new Security under this Section, the Company may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation thereto and any other expenses (including the fees and expenses of the Trustee) connected therewith.
Every new Security of any Series issued pursuant to this Section in lieu of any destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall constitute an original additional contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall be at any time enforceable by anyone, and shall be entitled to all the benefits of this Indenture equally and proportionately with any and all other Securities of that Series duly issued hereunder.
The provisions of this Section are exclusive and shall preclude (to the extent lawful) all other rights and remedies with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities.
Section 2.9. Outstanding Securities.
The Securities outstanding at any time are all the Securities authenticated by the Trustee except for those canceled by it, those delivered to it for cancellation, those reductions in the interest on a Global Security effected by the Trustee in accordance with the provisions hereof and those described in this Section as not outstanding.
If a Security is replaced pursuant to Section 2.8, it ceases to be outstanding until the Trustee receives proof satisfactory to it that the replaced Security is held by a bona fide purchaser.
If the Paying Agent (other than the Company, a Subsidiary of the Company or an Affiliate of the Company) holds on the Maturity of Securities of a Series money sufficient to pay such Securities payable on that date, then on and after that date such Securities of the Series cease to be outstanding and interest on them ceases to accrue.
The Company may purchase or otherwise acquire the Securities, whether by open market purchases, negotiated transactions or otherwise. A Security does not cease to be
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outstanding because the Company or an Affiliate of the Company holds the Security (but see Section 2.10 below).
In determining whether the Holders of the requisite principal amount of outstanding Securities have given any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver hereunder, the principal amount of a Discount Security that shall be deemed to be outstanding for such purposes shall be the amount of the principal thereof that would be due and payable as of the date of such determination upon a declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof pursuant to Section 6.2.
Section 2.10. Treasury Securities.
In determining whether the Holders of the required principal amount of Securities of a Series have concurred in any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver, Securities of a Series owned by the Company or any Affiliate of the Company shall be disregarded, except that for the purposes of determining whether the Trustee shall be protected in relying on any such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver only Securities of a Series that a Responsible Officer of the Trustee knows are so owned shall be so disregarded.
Section 2.11. Temporary Securities.
Until definitive Securities are ready for delivery, the Company may prepare and the Trustee shall authenticate temporary Securities upon a Company Order. Temporary Securities shall be substantially in the form of definitive Securities but may have variations that the Company considers appropriate for temporary Securities. Without unreasonable delay, the Company shall prepare and the Trustee upon receipt of a Company Order shall authenticate definitive Securities of the same Series and date of maturity in exchange for temporary Securities. Until so exchanged, temporary securities shall have the same rights under this Indenture as the definitive Securities.
Section 2.12. Cancellation.
The Company at any time may deliver Securities to the Trustee for cancellation. The Registrar and the Paying Agent shall forward to the Trustee any Securities surrendered to them for registration of transfer, exchange or payment. The Trustee shall cancel all Securities surrendered for transfer, exchange, payment, replacement or cancellation and shall destroy such canceled Securities (subject to the record retention requirements of the Exchange Act and the Trustee) and deliver a certificate of such cancellation to the Company upon written request of the Company. The Company may not issue new Securities to replace Securities that it has paid or delivered to the Trustee for cancellation.
Section 2.13. Defaulted Interest.
If the Company defaults in a payment of interest on a Series of Securities, it shall pay the defaulted interest, plus, to the extent permitted by law, any interest payable on the
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defaulted interest, to the persons who are Holders of the Series on a subsequent special record date. The Company shall fix the record date and payment date. At least ten days before the special record date, the Company shall send to the Trustee and to each Holder of the Series a notice that states the special record date, the payment date and the amount of interest to be paid. The Company may pay defaulted interest in any other lawful manner.
Section 2.14. Global Securities.
2.14.1. Terms of Securities. A Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate shall establish whether the Securities of a Series shall be issued in whole or in part in the form of one or more Global Securities and the Depositary for such Global Security or Securities.
2.14.2. Transfer and Exchange. Notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary contained in Section 2.7 of the Indenture and in addition thereto, any Global Security shall be exchangeable pursuant to Section 2.7 of the Indenture for Securities registered in the names of Holders other than the Depositary for such Security or its nominee only if (i) such Depositary notifies the Company that it is unwilling or unable to continue as Depositary for such Global Security or if at any time such Depositary ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act, and, in either case, the Company fails to appoint a successor Depositary registered as a clearing agency under the Exchange Act within 90 days of such event or (ii) the Company executes and delivers to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate to the effect that such Global Security shall be so exchangeable. Any Global Security that is exchangeable pursuant to the preceding sentence shall be exchangeable for Securities registered in such names as the Depositary shall direct in writing in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of the Global Security with like tenor and terms.
Except as provided in this Section 2.14.2, a Global Security may not be transferred except as a whole by the Depositary with respect to such Global Security to a nominee of such Depositary, by a nominee of such Depositary to such Depositary or another nominee of such Depositary or by the Depositary or any such nominee to a successor Depositary or a nominee of such a successor Depositary.
None of the Trustee or any Agent shall have any obligation or duty to monitor, determine or inquire as to compliance with any restrictions on transfer imposed under this Indenture or under applicable law with respect to any transfer of any interest in any Security (including any transfers between or among Depositary participants, members or beneficial owners in any Global Security) other than to require delivery of such certificates and other documentation or evidence as are expressly required by, and to do so if and when expressly required by the terms of, this Indenture, and to examine the same to determine substantial compliance as to form with the express requirements hereof.
None of the Trustee or any Agent shall have any responsibility or obligation to any beneficial owner of a Global Security, a member of, or a participant in the Depositary or other Person with respect to the accuracy of the records of the Depositary or its nominee or of any participant or member thereof, with respect to any ownership interest in any Security or with
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respect to the delivery to any participant, member, beneficial owner or other Person (other than the Depositary) of any notice (including any notice of optional redemption) or the payment of any amount, under or with respect to such Security.
2.14.3. Legends. Any Global Security issued hereunder shall bear a legend in substantially the following form:
“THIS SECURITY IS A GLOBAL SECURITY WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE INDENTURE HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AND IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF THE DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY. THIS SECURITY IS EXCHANGEABLE FOR SECURITIES REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF A PERSON OTHER THAN THE DEPOSITARY OR ITS NOMINEE ONLY IN THE LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES DESCRIBED IN THE INDENTURE, AND MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT AS A WHOLE BY THE DEPOSITARY TO A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, BY A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY TO THE DEPOSITARY OR ANOTHER NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR BY THE DEPOSITARY OR ANY SUCH NOMINEE TO A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF SUCH A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY.”
In addition, so long as the Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) is the Depositary, each Global Security registered in the name of DTC or its nominee shall bear a legend in substantially the following form:
“UNLESS THIS GLOBAL SECURITY IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY, A NEW YORK CORPORATION (“DTC”), TO THE COMPANY OR ITS AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER, EXCHANGE OR PAYMENT, AND ANY GLOBAL SECURITY ISSUED IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF CEDE & CO. OR IN SUCH OTHER NAME AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC (AND ANY PAYMENT IS MADE TO CEDE & CO. OR TO SUCH OTHER ENTITY AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL INASMUCH AS THE REGISTERED OWNER HEREOF, CEDE & CO., HAS AN INTEREST HEREIN.”
2.14.4. Acts of Holders. The Depositary, as a Holder, may appoint agents and otherwise authorize participants to give or take any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action which a Holder is entitled to give or take under the Indenture.
2.14.5. Payments. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Indenture, unless otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 2.2, payment of the principal of and interest, if any, on any Global Security shall be made to the Holder thereof.
2.14.6. Agent Members. The registered Holder of a Security will be treated as the owner of such Security for all purposes and only registered Holders shall have rights under
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this Indenture and the Securities. Members of, or participants in, the Depositary (“Agent Members”) and persons who hold beneficial interests in a Global Security through an Agent Member shall have no rights under this Indenture with respect to any Global Security held on their behalf by the Depositary. The Depositary may be treated by the Company, the Trustee, the Paying Agent, the Registrar and any agent of the foregoing as the absolute owner of the Global Securities for all purposes whatsoever. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing herein shall prevent the Company, the Trustee, the Paying Agent, the Registrar or any agent of the foregoing from giving effect to any written certification, proxy or other authorization furnished by the Depositary or impair, as between the Depositary and its Agent Members, the operation of customary practices of such Depositary governing the exercise of the rights of a Holder of a beneficial interest in any Global Security.
Section 2.15. CUSIP Numbers.
The Company in issuing the Securities may use “CUSIP” numbers (if then generally in use), and, if so, the Trustee shall use “CUSIP” numbers in notices of redemption as a convenience to Holders; provided that any such notice may state that no representation is made as to the correctness of such numbers either as printed on the Securities or as contained in any notice of a redemption and that reliance may be placed only on the other elements of identification printed on the Securities, and any such redemption shall not be affected by any defect in or omission of such numbers.
ARTICLE III.
REDEMPTION
Section 3.1. Notice to Trustee.
The Company may, with respect to any Series of Securities, reserve the right to redeem and pay the Series of Securities or may covenant to redeem and pay the Series of Securities or any part thereof prior to the Stated Maturity thereof at such time and on such terms as provided for in such Securities. If a Series of Securities is redeemable and the Company wants or is obligated to redeem prior to the Stated Maturity thereof all or part of the Series of Securities pursuant to the terms of such Securities, it shall notify the Trustee in writing of the redemption date and the principal amount of the Series of Securities to be redeemed. The Company shall give the notice at least 15 days before the redemption date (or such shorter period as may be acceptable to the Trustee).
Section 3.2. Selection of Securities to be Redeemed.
Unless otherwise indicated for a particular Series by a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate, if less than all the Securities of a Series are to be redeemed, the Securities of the Series to be redeemed will be selected as follows: (a) if the Securities are in the form of Global Securities, in accordance with the procedures of the Depositary, (b) if the Securities are listed on any national securities exchange, in compliance with the requirements of the principal national securities exchange, if any, on which the Securities are listed or (c) if not otherwise provided for under clause (a) or (b) in the manner that
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the Trustee deems fair and appropriate, including by lot or other method, unless otherwise required by law or applicable stock exchange requirements, subject, in the case of Global Securities, to the applicable rules and procedures of the Depositary. The Securities to be redeemed shall be selected from Securities of the Series outstanding not previously called for redemption. Portions of the principal of Securities of the Series that have denominations larger than $1,000 may be selected for redemption. Securities of the Series and portions of them it selected for redemption shall be in amounts of $1,000 or whole multiples of $1,000 or, with respect to Securities of any Series issuable in other denominations pursuant to Section 2.2.10, the minimum principal denomination for each Series and the authorized integral multiples thereof. Provisions of this Indenture that apply to Securities of a Series called for redemption also apply to portions of Securities of that Series called for redemption. Neither the Trustee nor the Paying Agent shall be liable for any selection made by it in accordance with this paragraph (including the procedures of the Depositary).
Section 3.3. Notice of Redemption.
Unless otherwise indicated for a particular Series by Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate, at least 15 days but not more than 60 days before a redemption date, the Company shall send or cause to be sent by first-class mail or electronically, in accordance with the procedures of the Depositary, a notice of redemption to each Holder whose Securities are to be redeemed.
The notice shall identify the Securities of the Series to be redeemed and shall state:
(a) the redemption date;
(b) the redemption price;
(c) the name and address of the Paying Agent;
(d) if any Securities are being redeemed in part, the portion of the principal amount of such Securities to be redeemed and that, after the redemption date and upon surrender of such Security, a new Security or Securities in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion of the original Security shall be issued in the name of the Holder thereof upon cancellation of the original Security;
(e) that Securities of the Series called for redemption must be surrendered to the Paying Agent to collect the redemption price;
(f) that interest on Securities of the Series called for redemption ceases to accrue on and after the redemption date unless the Company defaults in the deposit of the redemption price;
(g) the “CUSIP” number, if any; and
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(h) any other information as may be required by the terms of the particular Series or the Securities of a Series being redeemed.
At the Company’s request, the Trustee shall give the notice of redemption in the Company’s name and at its expense, provided, however, that the Company has delivered to the Trustee, at least 10 days (unless a shorter time shall be acceptable to the Trustee) prior to the notice date, an Officer’s Certificate requesting that the Trustee give such notice and setting forth the information to be stated in such notice and the form of such notice.
Section 3.4. Effect of Notice of Redemption.
Once notice of redemption is sent as provided in Section 3.3, Securities of a Series called for redemption become due and payable on the redemption date and at the redemption price. Except as otherwise provided in the supplemental indenture, Board Resolution or Officer’s Certificate for a Series, a notice of redemption may not be conditional. Upon surrender to the Paying Agent, such Securities shall be paid at the redemption price plus accrued interest to the redemption date.
Section 3.5. Deposit of Redemption Price.
On or before 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on the redemption date, the Company shall deposit with the Paying Agent money sufficient to pay the redemption price of and accrued interest, if any, on all Securities to be redeemed on that date.
Section 3.6. Securities Redeemed in Part.
Upon surrender of a Security that is redeemed in part, the Trustee shall authenticate for the Holder a new Security of the same Series and the same maturity equal in principal amount to the unredeemed portion of the Security surrendered.
ARTICLE IV.
COVENANTS
Section 4.1. Payment of Principal and Interest.
The Company covenants and agrees for the benefit of the Holders of each Series of Securities that it will duly and punctually pay the principal of and interest, if any, on the Securities of that Series in accordance with the terms of such Securities and this Indenture. On or before 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on the applicable payment date, the Company shall deposit with the Paying Agent money sufficient to pay the principal of and interest, if any, on the Securities of each Series in accordance with the terms of such Securities and this Indenture.
Section 4.2. SEC Reports.
To the extent any Securities of a Series are outstanding, the Company shall deliver to the Trustee within 15 days after it files them with the SEC copies of the annual reports and of the information, documents and other reports (or copies of such portions of any of the
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foregoing as the SEC may by rules and regulations prescribe) which the Company is required to file with the SEC pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. The Company also shall comply with the other provisions of TIA § 314(a). Reports, information and documents filed with the SEC via the EDGAR system will be deemed to be delivered to the Trustee as of the time of such filing via EDGAR for purposes of this Section 4.2.
Delivery of reports, information and documents to the Trustee under this Section 4.2 is for informational purposes only and the Trustee’s receipt of the foregoing shall not constitute constructive or actual notice of any information contained therein or determinable from information contained therein, including the Company’s compliance with any of the covenants hereunder (as to which the Trustee is entitled to rely exclusively on Officer’s Certificates). All such reports, information or documents referred to in this Section 4.2 that the Company files with the SEC via the SEC’s EDGAR system shall be deemed to be filed with the Trustee and transmitted to Holders at the time such reports, information or documents are filed via the EDGAR system (or any successor system).
Section 4.3. Compliance Certificate.
To the extent any Securities of a Series are outstanding, the Company shall deliver to the Trustee, within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year of the Company, an Officer’s Certificate stating that a review of the activities of the Company and its Subsidiaries during the preceding fiscal year has been made under the supervision of the signing Officer with a view to determining whether the Company has kept, observed, performed and fulfilled its obligations under this Indenture, and further stating, as to such Officer signing such certificate, that to the best of his/her knowledge the Company has kept, observed, performed and fulfilled each and every covenant contained in this Indenture and is not in default in the performance or observance of any of the terms, provisions and conditions hereof (or, if a Default or Event of Default shall have occurred, describing all such Defaults or Events of Default of which the Officer may have knowledge).
Section 4.4. Stay, Extension and Usury Laws.
The Company covenants (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) that it will not at any time insist upon, plead or in any manner whatsoever claim or take the benefit or advantage of, any stay, extension or usury law wherever enacted, now or at any time hereafter in force, which may affect the covenants or the performance of this Indenture or the Securities; and the Company (to the extent it may lawfully do so) hereby expressly waives all benefit or advantage of any such law and covenants that it will not, by resort to any such law, hinder, delay or impede the execution of any power herein granted to the Trustee, but will suffer and permit the execution of every such power as though no such law has been enacted.
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ARTICLE V.
SUCCESSORS
Section 5.1. When Company May Merge, Etc.
The Company shall not consolidate with or merge with or into, or convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all of its properties and assets to, any person (a “successor person”) unless:
(a) the Company is the surviving entity or the successor person (if other than the Company) is a corporation, partnership, trust or other entity organized and validly existing under the laws of any U.S. domestic jurisdiction and expressly assumes by supplemental indenture the Company’s obligations on the Securities and under this Indenture; and
(b) immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no Default or Event of Default, shall have occurred and be continuing.
The Company shall deliver to the Trustee prior to the consummation of the proposed transaction an Officer’s Certificate to the foregoing effect and an Opinion of Counsel stating that the proposed transaction and any supplemental indenture comply with this Indenture.
Notwithstanding the above, any Subsidiary of the Company may consolidate with, merge into or transfer all or part of its properties to the Company. Neither an Officer’s Certificate nor an Opinion of Counsel shall be required to be delivered in connection therewith.
Section 5.2. Successor Corporation Substituted.
Upon any consolidation or merger, or any sale, lease, conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company in accordance with Section 5.1, the successor corporation formed by such consolidation or into or with which the Company is merged or to which such sale, lease, conveyance or other disposition is made shall succeed to, and be substituted for, and may exercise every right and power of, the Company under this Indenture with the same effect as if such successor person has been named as the Company herein; provided, however, that the predecessor Company in the case of a sale, conveyance or other disposition (other than a lease) shall be released from all obligations and covenants under this Indenture and the Securities.
ARTICLE VI.
DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES
Section 6.1. Events of Default.
“Event of Default,” wherever used herein with respect to Securities of any Series, means any one of the following events, unless in the establishing Board Resolution,
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supplemental indenture or Officer’s Certificate it is provided that such Series shall not have the benefit of said Event of Default:
(a) default in the payment of any interest on any Security of that Series when it becomes due and payable, and continuance of such default for a period of 30 days (unless the entire amount of such payment is deposited by the Company with the Trustee or with a Paying Agent prior to 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on the 30th day of such period);
(b) default in the payment of principal of any Security of that Series at its Maturity;
(c) default in the performance or breach of any covenant or warranty of the Company in this Indenture (other than defaults pursuant to paragraph (a) or (b) above or pursuant to a covenant or warranty that has been included in this Indenture solely for the benefit of a Series of Securities other than that Series), which default continues uncured for a period of 60 days after there has been given, by registered or certified mail, to the Company by the Trustee or to the Company and the Trustee by the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of that Series a written notice specifying such default or breach and requiring it to be remedied and stating that such notice is a “Notice of Default” hereunder;
(d) the Company pursuant to or within the meaning of any Bankruptcy Law:
(i) commences a voluntary case,
(ii) consents to the entry of an order for relief against it in an involuntary case,
(iii) consents to the appointment of a Custodian of it or for all or substantially all of its property,
(iv) makes a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors, or
(v) generally is unable to pay its debts as the same become due;
(e) a court of competent jurisdiction enters an order or decree under any Bankruptcy Law that:
(i) is for relief against the Company in an involuntary case,
(ii) appoints a Custodian of the Company or for all or substantially all of its property, or
(iii) orders the liquidation of the Company,
and the order or decree remains unstayed and in effect for 60 days; or
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(f) any other Event of Default provided with respect to Securities of that Series, which is specified in a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate, in accordance with Section 2.2.18.
The term “Bankruptcy Law” means title 11, U.S. Code or any similar Federal or State law for the relief of debtors. The term “Custodian” means any receiver, trustee, assignee, liquidator or similar official under any Bankruptcy Law.
The Company will provide the Trustee written notice of any Default or Event of Default within 30 days of becoming aware of the occurrence of such Default or Event of Default, which notice will describe in reasonable detail the status of such Default or Event of Default and what action the Company is taking or proposes to take in respect thereof.
Section 6.2. Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment.
If an Event of Default with respect to Securities of any Series at the time outstanding occurs and is continuing (other than an Event of Default referred to in Section 6.1(d) or (e)) then in every such case the Trustee or the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of that Series may declare the principal amount (or, if any Securities of that Series are Discount Securities, such portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of such Securities) of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all of the Securities of that Series to be due and payable immediately, by a notice in writing to the Company (and to the Trustee if given by Holders), and upon any such declaration such principal amount (or specified amount) and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, shall become immediately due and payable. If an Event of Default specified in Section 6.1(d) or (e) shall occur, the principal amount (or specified amount) of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all outstanding Securities shall ipso facto become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the Trustee or any Holder.
At any time after such a declaration of acceleration with respect to any Series has been made and before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the Trustee as hereinafter in this Article provided, the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of that Series, by written notice to the Company and the Trustee, may rescind and annul such declaration and its consequences if all Events of Default with respect to Securities of that Series, other than the non-payment of the principal and interest, if any, of Securities of that Series which have become due solely by such declaration of acceleration, have been cured or waived as provided in Section 6.13.
No such rescission shall affect any subsequent Default or impair any right consequent thereon.
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Section 6.3. Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee.
The Company covenants that if:
(a) default is made in the payment of any interest on any Security when such interest becomes due and payable and such default continues for a period of 30 days,
(b) default is made in the payment of principal of any Security at the Maturity thereof, or
(c) default is made in the deposit of any sinking fund payment, if any, when and as due by the terms of a Security,
then, the Company will, upon demand of the Trustee, pay to it, for the benefit of the Holders of such Securities, the whole amount then due and payable on such Securities for principal and interest and, to the extent that payment of such interest shall be legally enforceable, interest on any overdue principal and any overdue interest at the rate or rates prescribed therefor in such Securities, and, in addition thereto, such further amount as shall be sufficient to cover the costs and expenses of collection, including the compensation, reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel.
If the Company fails to pay such amounts forthwith upon such demand, the Trustee, in its own name and as trustee of an express trust, may institute a judicial proceeding for the collection of the sums so due and unpaid, may prosecute such proceeding to judgment or final decree and may enforce the same against the Company or any other obligor upon such Securities and collect the moneys adjudged or deemed to be payable in the manner provided by law out of the property of the Company or any other obligor upon such Securities, wherever situated.
If an Event of Default with respect to any Securities of any Series occurs and is continuing, the Trustee, subject to Article VII hereof, may in its discretion proceed to protect and enforce its rights and the rights of the Holders of Securities of such Series by such appropriate judicial proceedings as the Trustee shall deem most effectual to protect and enforce any such rights, whether for the specific enforcement of any covenant or agreement in this Indenture or in aid of the exercise of any power granted herein, or to enforce any other proper remedy.
Section 6.4. Trustee May File Proofs of Claim.
In case of the pendency of any receivership, insolvency, liquidation, bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement, adjustment, composition or other judicial proceeding relative to the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities or the property of the Company or of such other obligor or their creditors, the Trustee (irrespective of whether the principal of the Securities shall then be due and payable as therein expressed or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Trustee shall have made any demand on the Company for the payment of overdue principal or interest) shall be entitled and empowered, by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise,
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(a) to file and prove a claim for the whole amount of principal and interest owing and unpaid in respect of the Securities and to file such other papers or documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Trustee (including any claim for the compensation, reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel) and of the Holders allowed in such judicial proceeding, and
(b) to collect and receive any moneys or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and to distribute the same,
and any custodian, receiver, assignee, trustee, liquidator, sequestrator or other similar official in any such judicial proceeding is hereby authorized by each Holder to make such payments to the Trustee and, in the event that the Trustee shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Holders, to pay to the Trustee any amount due it for the compensation, reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel, and any other amounts due the Trustee under Section 7.7.
Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize the Trustee to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Holder any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Securities or the rights of any Holder thereof or to authorize the Trustee to vote in respect of the claim of any Holder in any such proceeding.
Section 6.5. Trustee May Enforce Claims Without Possession of Securities.
All rights of action and claims under this Indenture or the Securities may be prosecuted and enforced by the Trustee without the possession of any of the Securities or the production thereof in any proceeding relating thereto, and any such proceeding instituted by the Trustee shall be brought in its own name as trustee of an express trust, and any recovery of judgment shall, after provision for the payment of the compensation, reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel, be for the ratable benefit of the Holders of the Securities in respect of which such judgment has been recovered.
Section 6.6. Application of Money Collected.
Any money or property collected by the Trustee pursuant to this Article shall be applied in the following order, at the date or dates fixed by the Trustee and, in case of the distribution of such money or property on account of principal or interest, upon presentation of the Securities and the notation thereon of the payment if only partially paid and upon surrender thereof if fully paid:
First: To the payment of all amounts due the Trustee under Section 7.7; and
Second: To the payment of the amounts then due and unpaid for principal of and interest on the Securities in respect of which or for the benefit of which such money has
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been collected, ratably, without preference or priority of any kind, according to the amounts due and payable on such Securities for principal and interest, respectively; and
Third: To the Company.
Section 6.7. Limitation on Suits.
No Holder of any Security of any Series shall have any right to institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, with respect to this Indenture, or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee, or for any other remedy hereunder, unless
(a) such Holder has previously given written notice to the Trustee of a continuing Event of Default with respect to the Securities of that Series;
(b) the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of that Series shall have made written request to the Trustee to institute proceedings in respect of such Event of Default in its own name as Trustee hereunder;
(c) such Holder or Holders have offered to the Trustee indemnity or security satisfactory to the Trustee against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by the Trustee in compliance with such request;
(d) the Trustee for 60 days after its receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity has failed to institute any such proceeding; and
(e) no direction inconsistent with such written request has been given to the Trustee during such 60-day period by the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of that Series;
it being understood, intended and expressly covenanted by the Holder of every Security with every other Holder and the Trustee that no one or more of such Holders shall have any right in any manner whatever by virtue of, or by availing of, any provision of this Indenture to affect, disturb or prejudice the rights of any other of such Holders, or to obtain or to seek to obtain priority or preference over any other of such Holders or to enforce any right under this Indenture, except in the manner herein provided and for the equal and ratable benefit of all such Holders of the applicable Series.
Section 6.8. Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal and Interest.
Notwithstanding any other provision in this Indenture, the Holder of any Security shall have the right, which is absolute and unconditional, to receive payment of the principal of and interest, if any, on such Security on the Maturity of such Security, including the Stated Maturity expressed in such Security (or, in the case of redemption, on the redemption date) and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment, and such rights shall not be impaired without the consent of such Holder.
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Section 6.9. Restoration of Rights and Remedies.
If the Trustee or any Holder has instituted any proceeding to enforce any right or remedy under this Indenture and such proceeding has been discontinued or abandoned for any reason or has been determined adversely to the Trustee or to such Holder, then and in every such case, subject to any determination in such proceeding, the Company, the Trustee and the Holders shall be restored severally and respectively to their former positions hereunder and thereafter all rights and remedies of the Trustee and the Holders shall continue as though no such proceeding had been instituted.
Section 6.10. Rights and Remedies Cumulative.
Except as otherwise provided with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities in Section 2.8, no right or remedy herein conferred upon or reserved to the Trustee or to the Holders is intended to be exclusive of any other right or remedy, and every right and remedy shall, to the extent permitted by law, be cumulative and in addition to every other right and remedy given hereunder or now or hereafter existing at law or in equity or otherwise. The assertion or employment of any right or remedy hereunder, or otherwise, shall not, to the extent permitted by law, prevent the concurrent assertion or employment of any other appropriate right or remedy.
Section 6.11. Delay or Omission Not Waiver.
No delay or omission of the Trustee or of any Holder of any Securities to exercise any right or remedy accruing upon any Event of Default shall impair any such right or remedy or constitute a waiver of any such Event of Default or an acquiescence therein. Every right and remedy given by this Article or by law to the Trustee or to the Holders may be exercised from time to time, and as often as may be deemed expedient, by the Trustee or by the Holders, as the case may be.
Section 6.12. Control by Holders.
The Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series shall have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee, with respect to the Securities of such Series, provided that
(a) such direction shall not be in conflict with any rule of law or with this Indenture,
(b) the Trustee may take any other action deemed proper by the Trustee which is not inconsistent with such direction,
(c) subject to the provisions of Section 7.1, the Trustee shall have the right to decline to follow any such direction if the Trustee in good faith shall, by a Responsible
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Officer of the Trustee, determine that the proceeding so directed would involve the Trustee in personal liability, and
(d) prior to taking any action as directed under this Section 6.12, the Trustee shall be entitled to indemnity satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction.
Section 6.13. Waiver of Past Defaults.
The Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series may on behalf of the Holders of all the Securities of such Series, by written notice to the Trustee and the Company, waive any past Default hereunder with respect to such Series and its consequences, except a Default in the payment of the principal of or interest on any Security of such Series (provided, however, that the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series may rescind an acceleration and its consequences, including any related payment default that resulted from such acceleration). Upon any such waiver, such Default shall cease to exist, and any Event of Default arising therefrom shall be deemed to have been cured, for every purpose of this Indenture; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other Default or impair any right consequent thereon.
Section 6.14. Undertaking for Costs.
All parties to this Indenture agree, and each Holder of any Security by his acceptance thereof shall be deemed to have agreed, that any court may in its discretion require, in any suit for the enforcement of any right or remedy under this Indenture, or in any suit against the Trustee for any action taken, suffered or omitted by it as Trustee, the filing by any party litigant in such suit of an undertaking to pay the costs of such suit, and that such court may in its discretion assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, against any party litigant in such suit, having due regard to the merits and good faith of the claims or defenses made by such party litigant; but the provisions of this Section shall not apply to any suit instituted by the Company, to any suit instituted by the Trustee, to any suit instituted by any Holder or group of Holders, holding in the aggregate more than 10% in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series, or to any suit instituted by any Holder for the enforcement of the payment of the principal of or interest on any Security on or after the Maturity of such Security, including the Stated Maturity expressed in such Security (or, in the case of redemption, on the redemption date).
ARTICLE VII.
TRUSTEE
Section 7.1. Duties of Trustee.
(a) If an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Trustee shall exercise the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of such person’s own affairs.
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(b) Except during the continuance of an Event of Default:
(i) The Trustee need perform only those duties that are specifically set forth in this Indenture and no others, and no implied covenants or obligations will be read into this Indenture against the Trustee.
(ii) In the absence of bad faith on its part, the Trustee may conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon Officer’s Certificates or Opinions of Counsel furnished to the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture; however, in the case of any such Officer’s Certificates or Opinions of Counsel which by any provisions hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Trustee, the Trustee shall examine such Officer’s Certificates and Opinions of Counsel to determine whether or not they conform to the form requirements of this Indenture.
(c) The Trustee may not be relieved from liability for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act or its own willful misconduct, except that:
(i) This paragraph does not limit the effect of paragraph (b) of this Section.
(ii) The Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer, unless it is proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts.
(iii) The Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by it with respect to Securities of any Series in good faith in accordance with the direction of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of such Series relating to the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Trustee, under this Indenture with respect to the Securities of such Series in accordance with Section 6.12.
(d) Every provision of this Indenture that in any way relates to the Trustee is subject to paragraph (a), (b) and (c) of this Section.
(e) The Trustee may refuse to perform any duty or exercise any right or power unless it receives indemnity satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in performing such duty or exercising such right or power.
(f) The Trustee shall not be liable for interest on any money received by it except as the Trustee may agree in writing with the Company. Money held in trust by the Trustee need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law.
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(g) No provision of this Indenture shall require the Trustee to risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of its duties or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers, if adequate indemnity against such risk is not assured to the Trustee in its satisfaction.
(h) The Paying Agent, the Notice Agent, the Registrar, any authenticating agent and the Trustee when acting in any other capacity hereunder shall be entitled to the protections and immunities as are set forth in this Article VII.
(i) The rights, privileges, protections, immunities and benefits given to the Trustee, including its right to be indemnified, are extended to, and will be enforceable by, the Trustee in each of its capacities under this Indenture.
Section 7.2. Rights of Trustee.
(a) The Trustee may rely on and shall be protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any document (whether in its original or facsimile form) believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper person. The Trustee need not investigate any fact or matter stated in the document.
(b) Before the Trustee acts or refrains from acting, it may require an Officer’s Certificate or an Opinion of Counsel or both. The Trustee shall not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith in reliance on such Officer’s Certificate or Opinion of Counsel.
(c) The Trustee may act through agents and shall not be responsible for the misconduct or negligence of any agent appointed with due care. No Depositary shall be deemed an agent of the Trustee, and the Trustee shall not be responsible for any act or omission by any Depositary.
(d) The Trustee shall not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith which it believes to be authorized or within its rights or powers.
(e) The Trustee may consult with counsel and the advice of such counsel or any Opinion of Counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in reliance thereon.
(f) The Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Indenture at the request or direction of any of the Holders of Securities unless such Holders shall have offered to the Trustee security or indemnity satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction.
(g) The Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice,
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request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, note, other evidence of indebtedness or other paper or document, but the Trustee, in its discretion, may make such further inquiry or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit.
(h) The Trustee shall not be deemed to have notice of any Default or Event of Default unless a Responsible Officer of the Trustee has actual knowledge thereof or unless written notice of any event which is in fact such a default is received by a Responsible Officer at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, and such notice references the Securities generally or the Securities of a particular Series and this Indenture.
(i) In no event shall the Trustee be liable to any person for special, punitive, indirect, consequential or incidental loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including but not limited to lost profits), even if the Trustee has been advised of the likelihood of such loss or damage.
(j) The permissive right of the Trustee to take the actions permitted by this Indenture shall not be construed as an obligation or duty to do so.
(k) The Trustee will not be required to give any bond or surety in respect of the execution of this Indenture or otherwise.
Section 7.3. Individual Rights of Trustee.
The Trustee in its individual or any other capacity may become the owner or pledgee of Securities and may otherwise deal with the Company or an Affiliate of the Company with the same rights it would have if it were not Trustee. Any Agent may do the same with like rights. The Trustee is also subject to Sections 7.10 and 7.11.
Section 7.4. Trustee’s Disclaimer.
The Trustee makes no representation as to the validity or adequacy of this Indenture or the Securities. The Trustee shall not be accountable for the Company’s use of the proceeds from the Securities and shall not be responsible for any statement in the Securities other than its certificate of authentication.
Section 7.5. Notice of Defaults.
If a Default or Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to the Securities of any Series and if it is known to a Responsible Officer of the Trustee, the Trustee shall send to each Holder of the Securities of that Series notice of a Default or Event of Default within 90 days after it occurs or, if later, after a Responsible Officer of the Trustee has knowledge of such Default or Event of Default. Except in the case of a Default or Event of Default in payment of principal of or interest on any Security of any Series, the Trustee may withhold the notice if and so long as its corporate trust committee or a committee of its Responsible Officers in good faith determines that withholding the notice is in the interests of
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Holders of that Series. The Trustee will not be deemed to have notice or be charged with knowledge of any Default or Event of Default unless written notice thereof has been received by a Responsible Officer, and such notice references the applicable Series of Securities and this Indenture and states on its face that a Default or Event of Default has occurred.
Section 7.6. Reports by Trustee to Holders.
Within 60 days after each anniversary of the date of this Indenture the Trustee shall transmit by mail to all Holders, as their names and addresses appear on the register kept by the Registrar, a brief report dated as of such anniversary date, in accordance with, and to the extent required under, TIA § 313.
A copy of each report at the time of its mailing to Holders of any Series shall be filed with the SEC and each national securities exchange on which the Securities of that Series are listed. The Company shall promptly notify the Trustee in writing when Securities of any Series are listed on any national securities exchange.
Section 7.7. Compensation and Indemnity.
The Company shall pay to the Trustee from time to time compensation for its services as the Company and the Trustee shall from time to time agree upon in writing. The Trustee’s compensation shall not be limited by any law on compensation of a trustee of an express trust. The Company shall reimburse the Trustee upon request for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by it. Such expenses shall include the reasonable compensation and expenses of the Trustee’s agents and counsel.
The Company shall indemnify each of the Trustee and any predecessor Trustee (including for the cost of defending itself) against any cost, expense or liability, including taxes (other than taxes based upon, measured by or determined by the income of the Trustee) incurred by it except as set forth in the next paragraph in the performance of its duties under this Indenture as Trustee or Agent. The Trustee shall notify the Company promptly of any claim for which it may seek indemnity. Failure by the Trustee to so notify the Company shall not relieve the Company of its obligations hereunder, unless and to the extent that the Company is materially prejudiced thereby. The Company shall defend the claim and the Trustee shall cooperate in the defense. The Trustee may have separate counsel, and the Company shall pay the reasonable fees and expenses of such counsel. The Company need not pay for any settlement made without its consent, which consent will not be unreasonably withheld. This indemnification shall apply to officers, directors, employees, shareholders and agents of the Trustee.
The Company need not reimburse any expense or indemnify against any loss or liability incurred by the Trustee or by any officer, director, employee, shareholder or agent of the Trustee through willful misconduct or negligence, as determined by a final decision of a court of competent jurisdiction.
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To secure the Company’s payment obligations in this Section, the Trustee shall have a lien prior to the Securities of any Series on all money or property held or collected by the Trustee, except that held in trust to pay principal of and interest on particular Securities of that Series.
When the Trustee incurs expenses or renders services after an Event of Default specified in Section 6.1(d) or (e) occurs, the expenses and the compensation for the services are intended to constitute expenses of administration under any Bankruptcy Law.
The provisions of this Section shall survive the termination of this Indenture and the resignation or removal of the Trustee.
Section 7.8. Replacement of Trustee.
A resignation or removal of the Trustee and appointment of a successor Trustee shall become effective only upon the successor Trustee’s acceptance of appointment as provided in this Section.
The Trustee may resign with respect to the Securities of one or more Series by so notifying the Company at least 30 days prior to the date of the proposed resignation. The Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Securities of any Series may remove the Trustee with respect to that Series by so notifying the Trustee and the Company. The Company may remove the Trustee with respect to Securities of one or more Series if:
(a) the Trustee fails to comply with Section 7.10;
(b) the Trustee is adjudged a bankrupt or an insolvent or an order for relief is entered with respect to the Trustee under any Bankruptcy Law;
(c) a Custodian or public officer takes charge of the Trustee or its property; or
(d) the Trustee becomes incapable of acting.
If the Trustee resigns or is removed or if a vacancy exists in the office of Trustee for any reason, the Company shall promptly appoint a successor Trustee. Within one year after the successor Trustee takes office, the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding Securities may appoint a successor Trustee to replace the successor Trustee appointed by the Company.
If a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of any one or more Series does not take office within 60 days after the retiring Trustee resigns or is removed, the retiring Trustee, the Company or the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the Securities of the applicable Series may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee.
A successor Trustee shall deliver a written acceptance of its appointment to the retiring Trustee and to the Company. Immediately after that, the retiring Trustee shall transfer all
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property held by it as Trustee to the successor Trustee subject to the lien provided for in Section 7.7, the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective, and the successor Trustee shall have all the rights, powers and duties of the Trustee with respect to each Series of Securities for which it is acting as Trustee under this Indenture. A successor Trustee shall send a notice of its succession to each Holder of each such Series. Notwithstanding replacement of the Trustee pursuant to this Section 7.8, the Company’s obligations under Section 7.7 hereof shall continue for the benefit of the retiring Trustee with respect to expenses and liabilities incurred by it for actions taken or omitted to be taken in accordance with its rights, powers and duties under this Indenture prior to such replacement.
Section 7.9. Successor Trustee by Merger, Etc.
Any organization or entity into which the Trustee may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any organization or entity resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which the Trustee shall be a party, or any organization or entity succeeding to all or substantially all of the corporate trust business of the Trustee, shall be the successor of the Trustee hereunder, provided such organization or entity shall be otherwise qualified and eligible under Section 7.10, without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of any of the parties hereto.
Section 7.10. Eligibility; Disqualification.
This Indenture shall always have a Trustee who satisfies the requirements of TIA § 310(a)(1), (2) and (5). The Trustee shall always have a combined capital and surplus of at least $25,000,000 as set forth in its most recent published annual report of condition. The Trustee shall comply with TIA § 310(b).
Section 7.11. Preferential Collection of Claims Against Company.
The Trustee is subject to TIA § 311(a), excluding any creditor relationship listed in TIA § 311(b). A Trustee who has resigned or been removed shall be subject to TIA § 311(a) to the extent indicated.
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ARTICLE VIII.
SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE; DEFEASANCE
Section 8.1. Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture.
This Indenture shall upon Company Order be discharged with respect to the Securities of any Series and cease to be of further effect as to all Securities of such Series (except as hereinafter provided in this Section 8.1), and the Trustee, at the expense of the Company, shall execute instruments acknowledging satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture, when
(a) either
(i) all Securities of such Series theretofore authenticated and delivered (other than Securities that have been destroyed, lost or stolen and that have been replaced or paid) have been delivered to the Trustee for cancellation; or
(ii) all such Securities of such Series not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation:
(1) have become due and payable by reason of sending a notice of redemption or otherwise,
(2) will become due and payable at their Stated Maturity within one year,
(3) have been called for redemption or are to be called for redemption within one year under arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for the giving of notice of redemption by the Trustee in the name, and at the expense, of the Company, or
(4) are deemed paid and discharged pursuant to Section 8.3, as applicable;
and the Company, in the case of (1), (2) or (3) above, has irrevocably deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee as trust funds in trust an amount of money or U.S. Government Obligations, which amount shall be sufficient for the purpose of paying and discharging each installment of principal (including mandatory sinking fund payments or analogous payments) of and interest on all the Securities of such Series on the dates such installments of principal or interest are due;
(b) the Company has paid or caused to be paid all other sums payable hereunder by the Company; and
(c) the Company has delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent provided for relating to the satisfaction and discharge contemplated by this Section have been complied with.
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Notwithstanding the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture, (x) the obligations of the Company to the Trustee under Section 7.7, (y) if money shall have been deposited with the Trustee pursuant to clause (a) of this Section, the provisions of Sections 2.4, 2.7, 2.8, 8.2 and 8.5, and (z) the rights, powers, trusts and immunities of the Trustee hereunder and the Company’s obligations in connection therewith shall survive.
Section 8.2. Application of Trust Funds; Indemnification.
(a) Subject to the provisions of Section 8.5, all money and U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Section 8.1, 8.3 or 8.4 and all money received by the Trustee in respect of U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Section 8.1, 8.3 or 8.4, shall be held in trust and applied by it, in accordance with the provisions of the Securities and this Indenture, to the payment, either directly or through any Paying Agent (including the Company acting as its own Paying Agent) as the Trustee may determine, to the persons entitled thereto, of the principal and interest for whose payment such money has been deposited with or received by the Trustee or to make mandatory sinking fund payments or analogous payments as contemplated by Sections 8.1, 8.3 or 8.4.
(b) The Company shall pay and shall indemnify the Trustee (which indemnity shall survive termination of this Indenture) against any tax, fee or other charge imposed on or assessed against U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations deposited pursuant to Sections 8.1, 8.3 or 8.4 or the interest and principal received in respect of such obligations other than any payable by or on behalf of Holders.
(c) The Trustee shall deliver or pay to the Company from time to time upon Company Order any U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations or money held by it as provided in Sections 8.3 or 8.4 which, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent certified public accountants or investment bank expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, are then in excess of the amount thereof which then would have been required to be deposited for the purpose for which such U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations or money were deposited or received. This provision shall not authorize the sale by the Trustee of any U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations held under this Indenture.
Section 8.3. Legal Defeasance of Securities of any Series.
Unless this Section 8.3 is otherwise specified, pursuant to Section 2.2, to be inapplicable to Securities of any Series, the Company shall be deemed to have paid and discharged the entire indebtedness on all the outstanding Securities of any Series on the 91st day after the date of the deposit referred to in subparagraph (d) hereof, and the provisions of this Indenture, as it relates to such outstanding Securities of such Series, shall no longer be in effect
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(and the Trustee, at the expense of the Company, shall, upon receipt of a Company Order, execute instruments acknowledging the same), except as to:
(a) the rights of Holders of Securities of such Series to receive, from the trust funds described in subparagraph (d) hereof, (i) payment of the principal of and each installment of principal of and interest on the outstanding Securities of such Series on the Maturity of such principal or installment of principal or interest and (ii) the benefit of any mandatory sinking fund payments applicable to the Securities of such Series on the day on which such payments are due and payable in accordance with the terms of this Indenture and the Securities of such Series;
(b) the provisions of Sections 2.4, 2.5, 2.7, 2.8, 7.7, 8.2, 8.3, 8.5 and 8.6; and
(c) the rights, powers, trusts and immunities of the Trustee hereunder and the Company’s obligations in connection therewith;
provided that, the following conditions shall have been satisfied:
(d) the Company shall have irrevocably deposited or caused to be deposited (except as provided in Section 8.2(c)) with the Trustee as trust funds specifically pledged as security for and dedicated solely to the benefit of the Holders of such Securities (i) in the case of Securities of such Series denominated in Dollars, cash in Dollars and/or U.S. Government Obligations or (ii) in the case of Securities of such Series denominated in a Foreign Currency (other than a composite currency), money and/or Foreign Government Obligations, which through the payment of interest and principal in respect thereof in accordance with their terms, will provide (and without reinvestment and assuming no tax liability will be imposed on such Trustee), not later than one day before the due date of any payment of money, an amount in cash, sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, to pay and discharge each installment of principal of and interest, on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of all the Securities of such Series on the dates such installments of principal or interest and such sinking fund payments are due;
(e) such deposit will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, this Indenture or any other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound;
(f) no Default or Event of Default with respect to the Securities of such Series shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of such deposit or during the period ending on the 91st day after such date;
(g) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that (i) the Company has received from, or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service a ruling or (ii) since the date of execution of this Indenture, there has been a change in the applicable Federal income tax
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law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such Opinion of Counsel shall confirm that, the Holders of the Securities of such Series will not recognize income, gain or loss for Federal income tax purposes as a result of such deposit, defeasance and discharge and will be subject to Federal income tax on the same amount and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such deposit, defeasance and discharge had not occurred;
(h) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate stating that the deposit was not made by the Company with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding any other creditors of the Company; and
(i) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent provided for relating to the defeasance contemplated by this Section have been complied with.
Section 8.4. Covenant Defeasance.
Unless this Section 8.4 is otherwise specified pursuant to Section 2.2 to be inapplicable to Securities of any Series, the Company may omit to comply with respect to the Securities of any Series with any term, provision or condition set forth under Sections 4.2, 4.3, 4.4 and 5.1 and, unless otherwise specified therein, any additional covenants specified in a supplemental indenture for such Series of Securities or a Board Resolution or an Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2 (and the failure to comply with any such covenants shall not constitute a Default or Event of Default with respect to such Series under Section 6.1) and the occurrence of any event specified in a supplemental indenture for such Series of Securities or a Board Resolution or an Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2 and designated as an Event of Default shall not constitute a Default or Event of Default hereunder, with respect to the Securities of such Series, but, except as specified above, the remainder of this Indenture and such Securities will be unaffected thereby; provided that the following conditions shall have been satisfied:
(a) with reference to this Section 8.4, the Company has irrevocably deposited or caused to be irrevocably deposited (except as provided in Section 8.2(c)) with the Trustee as trust funds in trust for the purpose of making the following payments specifically pledged as security for, and dedicated solely to, the benefit of the Holders of such Securities (i) in the case of Securities of such Series denominated in Dollars, cash in Dollars and/or U.S. Government Obligations or (ii) in the case of Securities of such Series denominated in a Foreign Currency (other than a composite currency), money and/or Foreign Government Obligations, which through the payment of interest and principal in respect thereof in accordance with their terms, will provide (and without reinvestment and assuming no tax liability will be imposed on such Trustee), not later than one day before the due date of any payment of money, an amount in cash, sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent certified public accountants or investment bank expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, to pay and discharge each installment of principal (including mandatory sinking fund
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payments or analogous payments) of and interest on all the Securities of such Series on the dates such installments of principal or interest are due;
(b) such deposit will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, this Indenture or any other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound;
(c) no Default or Event of Default with respect to the Securities of such Series shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of such deposit;
(d) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that the Holders of the Securities of such Series will not recognize income, gain or loss for Federal income tax purposes as a result of such deposit and covenant defeasance and will be subject to Federal income tax on the same amount and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such deposit and covenant defeasance had not occurred;
(e) The Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate stating the deposit was not made by the Company with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding any other creditors of the Company; and
(f) The Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent herein provided for relating to the covenant defeasance contemplated by this Section have been complied with.
Section 8.5. Repayment to Company.
Subject to applicable abandoned property law, the Trustee and the Paying Agent shall pay to the Company upon request any money held by them for the payment of principal and interest that remains unclaimed for two years. After that, Holders entitled to the money must look to the Company for payment as general creditors unless an applicable abandoned property law designates another person.
Section 8.6. Reinstatement.
If the Trustee or the Paying Agent is unable to apply any money deposited with respect to Securities of any Series in accordance with Section 8.1 by reason of any legal proceeding or by reason of any order or judgment of any court or governmental authority enjoining, restraining or otherwise prohibiting such application, the obligations of the Company under this Indenture with respect to the Securities of such Series and under the Securities of such Series shall be revived and reinstated as though no deposit had occurred pursuant to Section 8.1 until such time as the Trustee or the Paying Agent is permitted to apply all such money in accordance with Section 8.1; provided, however, that if the Company has made any payment of principal of or interest on any Securities because of the reinstatement of its obligations, the Company shall be subrogated to the rights of the Holders of such Securities to receive such
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payment from the money or U.S. Government Obligations held by the Trustee or Paying Agent after payment in full to the Holders.
ARTICLE IX.
AMENDMENTS AND WAIVERS
Section 9.1. Without Consent of Holders.
The Company and the Trustee may amend or supplement this Indenture or the Securities of one or more Series without the consent of any Holder:
(a) to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency;
(b) to comply with Article V;
(c) to provide for uncertificated Securities in addition to or in place of certificated Securities;
(d) to add guarantees with respect to Securities of any Series or secure Securities of any Series;
(e) to surrender any of the Company’s rights or powers under this Indenture;
(f) to add covenants or events of default for the benefit of the holders of Securities of any Series;
(g) to comply with the applicable procedures of the applicable depositary;
(h) to make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any Holder;
(i) to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of Securities of any Series as permitted by this Indenture;
(j) to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment hereunder by a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more Series and to add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts hereunder by more than one Trustee; or
(k) to comply with requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of this Indenture under the TIA.
Section 9.2. With Consent of Holders.
Subject to Section 9.3, the Company and the Trustee may enter into a supplemental indenture with the written consent of the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of each Series affected by such supplemental indenture (including consents obtained in connection with a tender offer or exchange offer for the
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Securities of such Series), for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any of the provisions of this Indenture or of any supplemental indenture or of modifying in any manner the rights of the Holders of each such Series. Except as provided in Section 6.13, and subject to Section 9.3, the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series by notice to the Trustee (including consents obtained in connection with a tender offer or exchange offer for the Securities of such Series) may waive compliance by the Company with any provision of this Indenture or the Securities with respect to such Series.
It shall not be necessary for the consent of the Holders of Securities under this Section 9.2 to approve the particular form of any proposed supplemental indenture or waiver, but it shall be sufficient if such consent approves the substance thereof. After a supplemental indenture or waiver under this section becomes effective, the Company shall send to the Holders of Securities affected thereby, a notice briefly describing the supplemental indenture or waiver. Any failure by the Company to send such notice, or any defect therein, shall not, however, in any way impair or affect the validity of any such supplemental indenture or waiver.
Section 9.3. Limitations.
Without the consent of each Holder affected, an amendment or waiver may not:
(a) reduce the principal amount of Securities whose Holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver;
(b) reduce the rate of or extend the time for payment of interest (including default interest) on any Security;
(c) reduce the principal or change the Stated Maturity of any Security or reduce the amount of, or postpone the date fixed for, the payment of any sinking fund or analogous obligation;
(d) reduce the principal amount of Discount Securities payable upon acceleration of the maturity thereof;
(e) waive a Default or Event of Default in the payment of the principal of or interest, if any, on any Security (except a rescission of acceleration of the Securities of any Series by the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of such Series and a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such acceleration);
(f) make the principal of or interest, if any, on any Security payable in any currency other than that stated in the Security;
(g) make any change in Sections 6.8, 6.13 or 9.3 (this sentence); or
(h) waive a redemption payment with respect to any Security, provided that such redemption is made at the Company’s option.
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Section 9.4. Compliance with Trust Indenture Act.
Every amendment to this Indenture or the Securities of one or more Series shall be set forth in a supplemental indenture hereto that complies with the TIA as then in effect.
Section 9.5. Revocation and Effect of Consents.
Until an amendment is set forth in a supplemental indenture or a waiver becomes effective, a consent to it by a Holder of a Security is a continuing consent by the Holder and every subsequent Holder of a Security or portion of a Security that evidences the same debt as the consenting Holder’s Security, even if notation of the consent is not made on any Security. However, any such Holder or subsequent Holder may revoke the consent as to his Security or portion of a Security if the Trustee receives the notice of revocation before the date of the supplemental indenture or the date the waiver becomes effective.
Any amendment or waiver once effective shall bind every Holder of each Series affected by such amendment or waiver unless it is of the type described in any of clauses (a) through (h) of Section 9.3. In that case, the amendment or waiver shall bind each Holder of a Security who has consented to it and every subsequent Holder of a Security or portion of a Security that evidences the same debt as the consenting Holder’s Security.
The Company may, but shall not be obligated to, fix a record date for the purpose of determining the Holders entitled to give their consent or take any other action described above or required or permitted to be taken pursuant to this Indenture. If a record date is fixed, then notwithstanding the second immediately preceding paragraph, those Persons who were Holders at such record date (or their duly designated proxies), and only those Persons, shall be entitled to give such consent or to revoke any consent previously given or take any such action, whether or not such Persons continue to be Holders after such record date. No such consent shall be valid or effective for more than 120 days after such record date.
Section 9.6. Notation on or Exchange of Securities.
The Company or the Trustee may, but shall not be obligated to, place an appropriate notation about an amendment or waiver on any Security of any Series thereafter authenticated. The Company in exchange for Securities of that Series may issue and the Trustee shall authenticate upon receipt of a Company Order in accordance with Section 2.3 new Securities of that Series that reflect the amendment or waiver.
Section 9.7. Trustee Protected.
In executing, or accepting the additional trusts created by, any supplemental indenture permitted by this Article or the modifications thereby of the trusts created by this Indenture, the Trustee shall be entitled to receive, upon request, an Officer’s Certificate and/or an Opinion of Counsel complying with Sections 10.4 and 10.5 and (subject to Section 7.1) shall be fully protected in relying upon such Officer’s Certificate and/or Opinion of Counsel. The Trustee shall sign all supplemental indentures upon delivery of such an Officer’s Certificate or
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Opinion of Counsel or both, except that the Trustee need not sign any supplemental indenture that adversely affects its rights, duties, liabilities or immunities under this Indenture.
ARTICLE X.
MISCELLANEOUS
Section 10.1. Trust Indenture Act Controls.
If any provision of this Indenture limits, qualifies or conflicts with another provision which is required or deemed to be included in this Indenture by the TIA, such required or deemed provision shall control.
Section 10.2. Notices.
Any notice or communication by the Company or the Trustee to the other, or by a Holder to the Company or the Trustee, is duly given if in writing and delivered in person or mailed by first-class mail (registered or certified, return receipt requested), facsimile transmission, email or overnight air courier guaranteeing next day delivery, to the others’ address:
if to the Company:
Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
1359 Broadway, Suite 801
New York, New York 10018
Attention: Chief Financial Officer
Telephone: (212) 263-4333
with a copy to:
Latham & Watkins LLP
1271 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
Attention: Nathan Ajiashvili and Salvatore Vanchieri
Telephone: (212) 906-1200
if to the Trustee:
[]
Attention: []
Telephone: []
with a copy to:
[]
Attention: []
Telephone: []
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The Company or the Trustee by notice to the other may designate additional or different addresses for subsequent notices or communications.
Any notice or communication to a Holder shall be sent electronically or by first-class mail or overnight air courier to his, her or its address shown on the register kept by the Registrar, in accordance with the procedures of the Depositary. Failure to send a notice or communication to a Holder of any Series or any defect in it shall not affect its sufficiency with respect to other Holders of that or any other Series.
If a notice or communication is sent or published in the manner provided above, within the time prescribed, it is duly given, whether or not the Holder receives it.
If the Company sends a notice or communication to Holders, it shall send a copy to the Trustee and each Agent at the same time.
The Trustee shall not have any duty to confirm that the person sending any notice, instruction or other communication by electronic transmission (including by e-mail, facsimile transmission, web portal or other electronic methods) is, in fact, a person authorized to do so. Electronic signatures believed by the Trustee to comply with the ESIGN Act of 2000 or other applicable law (including electronic images of handwritten signatures and digital signatures provided by DocuSign, Orbit, Adobe Sign or any other digital signature provider acceptable to the Trustee) shall be deemed original signatures for all purposes. The Company assumes all risks arising out of the use of electronic signatures and electronic methods to send communications to the Trustee, including without limitation the risk of the Trustee acting on an unauthorized communication, and the risk of interception or misuse by third parties.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture or any Security, where this Indenture or any Security provides for notice of any event (including any notice of redemption) to a Holder of a Global Security (whether by mail or otherwise), such notice shall be sufficiently given to the Depositary for such Security (or its designee) pursuant to the customary procedures of such Depositary.
Section 10.3. Communication by Holders with Other Holders.
Holders of any Series may communicate pursuant to TIA § 312(b) with other Holders of that Series or any other Series with respect to their rights under this Indenture or the Securities of that Series or all Series. The Company, the Trustee, the Registrar and anyone else shall have the protection of TIA § 312(c).
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Section 10.4. Certificate and Opinion as to Conditions Precedent.
Upon any request or application by the Company to the Trustee to take any action under this Indenture, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee:
(a) an Officer’s Certificate stating that, in the opinion of the signers, all conditions precedent, if any, provided for in this Indenture relating to the proposed action have been complied with; and
(b) an Opinion of Counsel stating that, in the opinion of such counsel, all such conditions precedent have been complied with.
Section 10.5. Statements Required in Certificate or Opinion.
Each certificate or opinion with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Indenture (other than a certificate provided pursuant to TIA § 314(a)(4)) shall comply with the provisions of TIA § 314(e) and shall include:
(a) a statement that the person making such certificate or opinion has read such covenant or condition;
(b) a brief statement as to the nature and scope of the examination or investigation upon which the statements or opinions contained in such certificate or opinion are based;
(c) a statement that, in the opinion of such person, such person has made such examination or investigation as is necessary to enable such person to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such covenant or condition has been complied with; and
(d) a statement as to whether or not, in the opinion of such person, such condition or covenant has been complied with.
Section 10.6. Rules by Trustee and Agents.
The Trustee may make reasonable rules for action by or a meeting of Holders of one or more Series. Any Agent may make reasonable rules and set reasonable requirements for its functions.
Section 10.7. Legal Holidays.
If a payment date for any payment made under this Indenture is not a Business Day, payment may be made on the next succeeding Business Day, and no interest shall accrue for the intervening period.
A “Legal Holiday” is any day that is not a Business Day. If a payment date is a Legal Holiday at a place of payment, payment may be made at that place on the next succeeding day that is not a Legal Holiday, and no interest shall accrue for the intervening period.
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Section 10.8. No Recourse Against Others.
A director, officer, employee or stockholder (past or present), as such, of the Company shall not have any liability for any obligations of the Company under the Securities or the Indenture or for any claim based on, in respect of or by reason of such obligations or their creation. Each Holder by accepting a Security waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for the issue of the Securities.
Section 10.9. Counterparts.
This Indenture may be executed in any number of counterparts and by the parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be deemed to be an original and all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement. The exchange of copies of this Indenture and of signature pages by facsimile or electronic format (e.g., “.pdf” or “.tif”) transmission shall constitute effective execution and delivery of this Indenture as to the parties hereto and may be used in lieu of the original Indenture for all purposes. Signatures of the parties hereto transmitted by facsimile or electronic format (e.g., “.pdf” or “.tif”) shall be deemed to be their original signatures for all purposes.
Unless otherwise provided herein or in any other Securities, the words “execute”, “execution”, “signed” and “signature” and words of similar import used in or related to any document to be signed in connection with this Indenture, any Securities or any of the transactions contemplated hereby (including amendments, waivers, consents and other modifications) shall be deemed to include electronic signatures and the keeping of records in electronic form, each of which shall be of the same legal effect, validity or enforceability as a manually executed signature in ink or the use of a paper-based recordkeeping system, as applicable, to the fullest extent and as provided for in any applicable law, including the Federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, the New York State Electronic Signatures and Records Act and any other similar state laws based on the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act.
Section 10.10. Governing Law; Waiver of Jury Trial; Consent to Jurisdiction.
THIS INDENTURE AND THE SECURITIES, INCLUDING ANY CLAIM OR CONTROVERSY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE INDENTURE OR THE SECURITIES, SHALL BE GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
THE COMPANY, THE TRUSTEE AND THE HOLDERS (BY THEIR ACCEPTANCE OF THE SECURITIES) EACH HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVE, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS INDENTURE, THE SECURITIES OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY.
Any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon this Indenture or the transactions contemplated hereby may be instituted in the federal courts of the United States
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of America located in the City of New York or the courts of the State of New York in each case located in the City of New York (collectively, the “Specified Courts”), and each party irrevocably submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of such courts in any such suit, action or proceeding. Service of any process, summons, notice or document by mail (to the extent allowed under any applicable statute or rule of court) to such party’s address set forth above shall be effective service of process for any suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court. The Company, the Trustee and the Holders (by their acceptance of the Securities) each hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or other proceeding in the Specified Courts and irrevocably and unconditionally waive and agree not to plead or claim any such suit, action or other proceeding has been brought in an inconvenient forum.
Section 10.11. No Adverse Interpretation of Other Agreements.
This Indenture may not be used to interpret another indenture, loan or debt agreement of the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company. Any such indenture, loan or debt agreement may not be used to interpret this Indenture.
Section 10.12. Successors.
All agreements of the Company in this Indenture and the Securities shall bind its successor. All agreements of the Trustee in this Indenture shall bind its successor.
Section 10.13. Severability.
In case any provision in this Indenture or in the Securities shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.
Section 10.14. Table of Contents, Headings, Etc.
The Table of Contents, Cross Reference Table, headings of the Articles and Sections of this Indenture have been inserted for convenience of reference only, are not to be considered a part hereof and shall in no way modify or restrict any of the terms or provisions hereof.
Section 10.15. Securities in a Foreign Currency.
Unless otherwise specified in a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2 of this Indenture with respect to a particular Series of Securities, whenever for purposes of this Indenture any action may be taken by the Holders of a specified percentage in aggregate principal amount of Securities of all Series or all Series affected by a particular action at the time outstanding and, at such time, there are outstanding Securities of any Series which are denominated in more than one currency, then the principal amount of Securities of such Series which shall be deemed to be outstanding for the purpose of taking such action shall be determined by converting any such other currency into a
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currency that is designated upon issuance of any particular Series of Securities. Unless otherwise specified in a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2 of this Indenture with respect to a particular Series of Securities, such conversion shall be at the spot rate for the purchase of the designated currency as published in The Financial Times in the “Currency Rates” section (or, if The Financial Times is no longer published, or if such information is no longer available in The Financial Times, such source as may be selected in good faith by the Company) on any date of determination. The provisions of this paragraph shall apply in determining the equivalent principal amount in respect of Securities of a Series denominated in currency other than Dollars in connection with any action taken by Holders of Securities pursuant to the terms of this Indenture.
All decisions and determinations provided for in the preceding paragraph shall, in the absence of manifest error, to the extent permitted by law, be conclusive for all purposes and irrevocably binding upon the Trustee and all Holders.
Section 10.16. Judgment Currency.
The Company agrees, to the fullest extent that it may effectively do so under applicable law, that (a) if for the purpose of obtaining judgment in any court it is necessary to convert the sum due in respect of the principal of or interest or other amount on the Securities of any Series (the “Required Currency”) into a currency in which a judgment will be rendered (the “Judgment Currency”), the rate of exchange used shall be the rate at which in accordance with normal banking procedures the Trustee could purchase in the City of New York the Required Currency with the Judgment Currency on the day on which final unappealable judgment is entered, unless such day is not a New York Banking Day, then the rate of exchange used shall be the rate at which in accordance with normal banking procedures the Trustee could purchase in the City of New York the Required Currency with the Judgment Currency on the New York Banking Day preceding the day on which final unappealable judgment is entered and (b) its obligations under this Indenture to make payments in the Required Currency (i) shall not be discharged or satisfied by any tender, any recovery pursuant to any judgment (whether or not entered in accordance with subsection (a)), in any currency other than the Required Currency, except to the extent that such tender or recovery shall result in the actual receipt, by the payee, of the full amount of the Required Currency expressed to be payable in respect of such payments, (ii) shall be enforceable as an alternative or additional cause of action for the purpose of recovering in the Required Currency the amount, if any, by which such actual receipt shall fall short of the full amount of the Required Currency so expressed to be payable, and (iii) shall not be affected by judgment being obtained for any other sum due under this Indenture. For purposes of the foregoing, “New York Banking Day” means any day except a Saturday, Sunday or a legal holiday in the City of New York on which banking institutions are authorized or required by law, regulation or executive order to close.
Section 10.17. Force Majeure.
In no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations hereunder arising out of or caused by, directly or indirectly, forces beyond its control, including, without limitation, strikes, work stoppages, accidents, acts of war
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or terrorism, civil or military disturbances, nuclear or natural catastrophes, pandemics, epidemics or other public health emergencies, or acts of God, and interruptions, loss or malfunctions of utilities, communications or computer (software and hardware) services, it being understood that the Trustee shall use reasonable best efforts which are consistent with accepted practices in the banking industry to resume performance as soon as practicable under the circumstances.
Section 10.18. U.S.A. Patriot Act.
The parties hereto acknowledge that in accordance with Section 326 of the U.S.A. Patriot Act, the Trustee is required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person or legal entity that establishes a relationship or opens an account with the Trustee. The parties to this Indenture agree that they will provide the Trustee with such information as it may request in order for the Trustee to satisfy the requirements of the U.S.A. Patriot Act.
ARTICLE XI.
SINKING FUNDS
Section 11.1. Applicability of Article.
The provisions of this Article shall be applicable to any sinking fund for the retirement of the Securities of a Series if so provided by the terms of such Securities pursuant to Section 2.2, except as otherwise permitted or required by any form of Security of such Series issued pursuant to this Indenture.
The minimum amount of any sinking fund payment provided for by the terms of the Securities of any Series is herein referred to as a “mandatory sinking fund payment” and any other amount provided for by the terms of Securities of such Series is herein referred to as an “optional sinking fund payment.” If provided for by the terms of Securities of any Series, the cash amount of any sinking fund payment may be subject to reduction as provided in Section 11.2. Each sinking fund payment shall be applied to the redemption of Securities of any Series as provided for by the terms of the Securities of such Series.
Section 11.2. Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities.
The Company may, in satisfaction of all or any part of any sinking fund payment with respect to the Securities of any Series to be made pursuant to the terms of such Securities (1) deliver outstanding Securities of such Series to which such sinking fund payment is applicable (other than any of such Securities previously called for mandatory sinking fund redemption) and (2) apply as credit Securities of such Series to which such sinking fund payment is applicable and which have been repurchased by the Company or redeemed either at the election of the Company pursuant to the terms of such Series of Securities (except pursuant to any mandatory sinking fund) or through the application of permitted optional sinking fund payments or other optional redemptions pursuant to the terms of such Securities, provided that such Securities have not been previously so credited. Such Securities shall be received by the Trustee, together with an Officer’s Certificate with respect thereto, not later than 15 days prior to the date on which the Trustee begins the process of selecting Securities for redemption and shall
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be credited for such purpose by the Trustee at the price specified in such Securities for redemption through operation of the sinking fund and the amount of such sinking fund payment shall be reduced accordingly. If as a result of the delivery or credit of Securities in lieu of cash payments pursuant to this Section 11.2, the principal amount of Securities of such Series to be redeemed in order to exhaust the aforesaid cash payment shall be less than $100,000, the Trustee need not call Securities of such Series for redemption, except upon receipt of a Company Order that such action be taken, and such cash payment shall be held by the Trustee or a Paying Agent and applied to the next succeeding sinking fund payment, provided, however, that the Trustee or such Paying Agent shall from time to time upon receipt of a Company Order pay over and deliver to the Company any cash payment so being held by the Trustee or such Paying Agent upon delivery by the Company to the Trustee of Securities of that Series purchased by the Company having an unpaid principal amount equal to the cash payment required to be released to the Company.
Section 11.3. Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund.
Not less than 45 days (unless otherwise indicated in the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate in respect of a particular Series of Securities) prior to each sinking fund payment date for any Series of Securities, the Company will deliver to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate specifying the amount of the next ensuing mandatory sinking fund payment for that Series pursuant to the terms of that Series, the portion thereof, if any, which is to be satisfied by payment of cash and the portion thereof, if any, which is to be satisfied by delivering and crediting of Securities of that Series pursuant to Section 11.2, and the optional amount, if any, to be added in cash to the next ensuing mandatory sinking fund payment, and the Company shall thereupon be obligated to pay the amount therein specified. Not less than 30 days (unless otherwise indicated in the Board Resolution, Officer’s Certificate or supplemental indenture in respect of a particular Series of Securities) before each such sinking fund payment date the Securities to be redeemed upon such sinking fund payment date will be selected in the manner specified in Section 3.2, and the Company shall send or cause to be sent a notice of the redemption thereof to be given in the name of and at the expense of the Company in the manner provided in and in accordance with Section 3.3. Such notice having been duly given, the redemption of such Securities shall be made upon the terms and in the manner stated in Sections 3.4, 3.5 and 3.6.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Indenture to be duly executed as of the day and year first above written.
| Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | ||||||||
| By: | ||||||||
| Name: | ||||||||
| Its: | ||||||||
| [], as Trustee | ||||||||
| By: | ||||||||
| Name: | ||||||||
| Its: | ||||||||
Exhibit 5.1
| 1271 Avenue of the Americas | ||||||||
| New York, New York 10020-1401 | ||||||||
| Tel: +1.212.906.1200 Fax: +1.212.751.4864 | ||||||||
| www.lw.com | ||||||||
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| FIRM / AFFILIATE OFFICES | ||||||||
| Austin | Milan | |||||||
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February 29, 2024 | Century City | Paris | ||||||
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Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
1359 Broadway, Suite 801
New York, New York 10018
Re: Registration Statement on Form S-3
To the addressee set forth above:
We have acted as special counsel to Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with its filing on the date hereof with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) of a registration statement on Form S-3 (as amended, the “Registration Statement”), including a base prospectus (the “Base Prospectus”), which provides that it will be supplemented by one or more prospectus supplements (each such prospectus supplement, together with the Base Prospectus, a “Prospectus”), under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), relating to the registration (a) for issue and sale by the Company of (i) shares of the Company’s common stock, $0.001 par value per share (“Common Stock”), (ii) shares of one or more series of the Company’s preferred stock, $0.001 par value per share (“Preferred Stock”), (iii) one or more series of the Company’s debt securities (collectively, “Debt Securities”) to be issued under an indenture to be entered into between the Company, as issuer, and a trustee (a form of which is included as Exhibit 4.3 to the Registration Statement) and one or more board resolutions, supplements thereto or officer’s certificates thereunder (such indenture, together with the applicable board resolution, supplement or officer’s certificate pertaining to the applicable series of Debt Securities, the “Applicable Indenture”), (iv) warrants (“Warrants”), (v) purchase contracts (“Purchase Contracts”) and (vi) units (“Units”) and (b) shares of Common Stock to be resold from time to time by certain securityholders of the Company (the “Selling Securityholder Shares”). The Common Stock, Preferred Stock, Debt Securities, Warrants, Purchase Contracts, Units and Selling Securityholder Shares are referred to herein collectively as the “Securities.”
We also have acted as special counsel to the Company in connection with the sale through Leerink Partners LLC as the sales agent (the “Sales Agent”) from time to time by the
February 29, 2024 Page 2 | ||
Company of shares of Common Stock (the “Sales Agreement Shares”) having an aggregate offering price of up to $200,000,000 pursuant to the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus and the related prospectus supplement for the sale of the Sales Agreement Shares included in the Registration Statement (the Base Prospectus and such prospectus supplement, collectively, the “Sales Agreement Prospectus”), and that certain Sales Agreement dated as of May 3, 2021 between the Sales Agent and the Company, as amended (the “Sales Agreement”).
This opinion is being furnished in connection with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Act, and no opinion is expressed herein as to any matter pertaining to the contents of the Registration Statement or related applicable Prospectus or the Sales Agreement Prospectus, other than as expressly stated herein with respect to the issuance of the Securities, including the issuance of the Sales Agreement Shares.
As such counsel, we have examined such matters of fact and questions of law as we have considered appropriate for purposes of this letter. With your consent, we have relied upon certificates and other assurances of officers of the Company and others as to factual matters without having independently verified such factual matters. We are opining herein as to the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”), and with respect to the opinions set forth in paragraphs 3 through 7 below, the internal laws of the State of New York, and we express no opinion with respect to the applicability thereto, or the effect thereon, of the laws of any other jurisdiction or, in the case of Delaware, any other laws, or as to any matters of municipal law or the laws of any local agencies within any state.
Subject to the foregoing and the other matters set forth herein, it is our opinion that, as of the date hereof:
1.When an issuance of Common Stock (other than the Sales Agreement Shares) has been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company, upon issuance, delivery and payment therefor in an amount not less than the par value thereof in the manner contemplated by the applicable Prospectus and by such corporate action, and in total amounts and numbers of shares that do not exceed the respective total amounts and numbers of shares (a) available under the Company’s certificate of incorporation, and (b) authorized by the board of directors in connection with the offering contemplated by the applicable Prospectus, such shares of Common Stock will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. In rendering the foregoing opinion, we have assumed that the Company will comply with all applicable notice requirements regarding uncertificated shares provided in the DGCL.
2.When a series of Preferred Stock has been duly established in accordance with the terms of the Company’s certificate of incorporation and authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company, upon issuance, delivery and payment therefor in an amount not less than the par value thereof in the manner contemplated by the applicable Prospectus and by such corporate action, and in total amounts and numbers of shares that do not exceed the respective total amounts and numbers of shares (a) available under the certificate of incorporation, and (b) authorized by the board of directors in connection with the offering contemplated by the applicable Prospectus, such shares of such series of Preferred Stock will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. In rendering the foregoing opinion, we have assumed that the Company
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will comply with all applicable notice requirements regarding uncertificated shares provided in the DGCL.
3.When the Applicable Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and when the specific terms of a particular series of Debt Securities have been duly established in accordance with the terms of the Applicable Indenture and authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and such Debt Securities have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered against payment therefor in accordance with the terms of the Applicable Indenture and in the manner contemplated by the applicable Prospectus and by such corporate action, such Debt Securities will be the legally valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms.
4. When the applicable warrant agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and when the specific terms of a particular issuance of Warrants have been duly established in accordance with the terms of the applicable warrant agreement and authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and such Warrants have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered against payment therefor in accordance with the terms of the applicable warrant agreement and in the manner contemplated by the applicable Prospectus and by such corporate action (assuming the securities issuable upon exercise of such Warrants have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance by all necessary corporate action), such Warrants will be the legally valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms.
5.When the applicable purchase contract agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by all necessary corporate action of the Company and duly executed and delivered by the Company, and when the specific terms of a particular issue of Purchase Contracts have been duly authorized in accordance with the terms of the applicable purchase contract agreement and authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and such Purchase Contracts have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered against payment therefor in accordance with the terms of the applicable purchase contract agreement and in the manner contemplated by the applicable Prospectus and by such corporate action (assuming the securities issuable under such Purchase Contracts have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance by all necessary corporate action), such Purchase Contracts will be the legally valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms.
6.When the applicable unit agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and when the specific terms of a particular issuance of Units have been duly authorized in accordance with the terms of the applicable unit agreement and authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and such Units have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered against payment therefor in accordance with the terms of the applicable unit agreement and in the manner contemplated by the applicable Prospectus and by such corporate action (assuming the securities issuable upon exercise of such Units have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance by all
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necessary corporate action), such Units will be the legally valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms. The Selling Securityholder Shares have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company and are validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
7.Upon the completion of all Corporate Proceedings (as defined below) relating to the Sales Agreement Shares, when the Sales Agreement Shares shall have been duly registered on the books of the transfer agent and registrar therefor in the name or on behalf of the purchasers, and have been issued by the Company against payment therefor (not less than par value) in accordance with the Corporate Proceedings and the terms of the Sales Agreement, the issuance and sale of the Sales Agreement Shares will have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and the Sales Agreement Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. In rendering the foregoing opinion, we have assumed that (i) the Company will comply with all applicable notice requirements regarding uncertificated shares provided in the DGCL, (ii) upon the issuance of any of the Sales Agreement Shares, the total number of shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding will not exceed the total number of shares of Common Stock that the Company is then authorized to issue under the Company’s certificate of incorporation and (iii) the issuance and sale of the Sales Agreement Shares to be issued by the Company from time to time will be authorized and approved by the board of directors of the Company or one or more committees thereof established by the board of directors of the Company with the authority to issue and sell Sales Agreement Shares pursuant to the Sales Agreement in accordance with the DGCL, the Company’s certificate of incorporation, the bylaws of the Company and certain resolutions of the board of directors of the Company and one or more committees thereof (with such approvals referred to herein as the “Corporate Proceedings”) prior to issuance thereof.
Our opinions are subject to: (i) the effect of bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, preference, fraudulent transfer, moratorium or other similar laws relating to or affecting the rights and remedies of creditors; (ii) (a) the effect of general principles of equity, whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law (including the possible unavailability of specific performance or injunctive relief), (b) concepts of materiality, reasonableness, good faith and fair dealing, and (c) the discretion of the court before which a proceeding is brought; and (iii) the invalidity under certain circumstances under law or court decisions of provisions providing for the indemnification of or contribution to a party with respect to a liability where such indemnification or contribution is contrary to public policy. We express no opinion as to (a) any provision for liquidated damages, default interest, late charges, monetary penalties, make-whole premiums or other economic remedies to the extent such provisions are deemed to constitute a penalty, (b) consents to, or restrictions upon, governing law, jurisdiction, venue, arbitration, remedies, or judicial relief, (c) waivers of rights or defenses, (d) any provision requiring the payment of attorneys’ fees, where such payment is contrary to law or public policy, (e) any provision permitting, upon acceleration of any Debt Securities, collection of that portion of the stated principal amount thereof which might be determined to constitute unearned interest thereon, (f) the creation, validity, attachment, perfection, or priority of any lien or security interest, (g) advance waivers of claims, defenses, rights granted by law, or notice, opportunity for hearing, evidentiary requirements, statutes of limitation, trial by jury or at law, or other
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procedural rights, (h) waivers of broadly or vaguely stated rights, (i) provisions for exclusivity, election or cumulation of rights or remedies, (j) provisions authorizing or validating conclusive or discretionary determinations, (k) grants of setoff rights, (l) proxies, powers and trusts, (m) provisions prohibiting, restricting, or requiring consent to assignment or transfer of any right or property, (n) any provision to the extent it requires that a claim with respect to a security denominated in other than U.S. dollars (or a judgment in respect of such a claim) be converted into U.S. dollars at a rate of exchange at a particular date, to the extent applicable law otherwise provides, and (o) the severability, if invalid, of provisions to the foregoing effect.
With your consent, we have assumed (a) that each of the Debt Securities, Warrants, Purchase Contracts, Units and the Applicable Indenture, warrant agreements, purchase contract agreements and unit agreements governing such Securities (collectively, the “Documents”) will be governed by the internal laws of the State of New York, (b) that each of the Documents has been or will be duly authorized, executed and delivered by the parties thereto, (c) that each of the Documents constitutes or will constitute legally valid and binding obligations of the parties thereto other than the Company, enforceable against each of them in accordance with their respective terms, and (d) that the status of each of the Documents as legally valid and binding obligations of the parties will not be affected by any (i) breaches of, or defaults under, agreements or instruments, (ii) violations of statutes, rules, regulations or court or governmental orders, or (iii) failures to obtain required consents, approvals or authorizations from, or to make required registrations, declarations or filings with, governmental authorities.
This opinion is for your benefit in connection with the Registration Statement and may be relied upon by you and by persons entitled to rely upon it pursuant to the applicable provisions of the Act. We consent to your filing this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the reference to our firm contained in each of the Prospectus and the Sales Agreement Prospectus under the heading “Legal Matters.” In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
| Sincerely, | |||||
| /s/ Latham & Watkins LLP | |||||
Exhibit 23.2
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
We consent to the reference to our firm under the caption "Experts" in the Registration Statement (Form S-3) and related Prospectus of Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for the registration of common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants, purchase contracts and units and to the incorporation by reference therein of our reports dated February 27, 2024, with respect to the consolidated financial statements of Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting of Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. included in its Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
| /s/ Ernst & Young LLP | ||
| San Diego, California | ||
| February 29, 2024 | ||