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EX-32.1 - EX-32.1 - MEI Pharma, Inc.d606453dex321.htm

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM 10-K/A

(Amendment No. 1)

 

[X] ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013

OR

 

[   ] TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                      to                     .

Commission File Number: 000-50484

 

 

MEI Pharma, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

DELAWARE   51-0407811

(State or other jurisdiction of

Incorporation or organization)

  (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

11975 El Camino Real, Suite 101, San Diego, CA 92130

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

(858) 792-6300

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of Each Class

 

Name of Each Exchange on which
Registered

Common Stock, $0.00000002 par value   The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

(Title of Class)

 

 

Indicate by a check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.     Yes  ¨    No  x

Indicate by a check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.     Yes  ¨    No  x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.     Yes   x    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).     Yes  x    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (Section 229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See definition of “large accelerated filer, “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

Large accelerated filer   ¨    Accelerated filer   ¨
Non-accelerated filer   ¨  (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)    Smaller reporting company   x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).     Yes  ¨    No  x

The aggregate market value of the voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $52.7 million as of December 31, 2012, based on the closing price of the registrant’s Common Stock as reported on the NASDAQ Capital Market on such date.

As of September 13, 2013, there were 17,116,662 shares of the registrant’s common stock, par value $0.00000002 per share, outstanding.

 

 

 


Explanatory Note

This Amendment No. 1 on Form 10-K/A (this “Amendment”) amends our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013, that was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on September 18, 2013 (the “Original Filing”). We are filing this Amendment solely to correct certain biographical information under Part III., Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.

Except as set forth in Part III below, no other changes are made to the Original Filing. Unless expressly stated, this Amendment does not reflect events occurring after the filing of the Original Filing, nor does it modify or update in any way the disclosures contained in the Original Filing. Throughout this report, references to the “Company”, “we”, “our”, or “us” refer to MEI Pharma, Inc. and our former wholly owned subsidiary Marshall Edwards Pty Ltd. (“MEPL”), which was dissolved in April 2012.

 

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PART III

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

Directors

Members Whose Terms Expire at the Company’s Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Shareholder Meeting

William D. Rueckert, age 60, Director

Mr. Rueckert has been a director of MEI Pharma since April 2011. Mr. Rueckert was previously a director of MEI Pharma between March 2007 and March 2009. Mr. Rueckert was a director of Novogen between March 2009 and December 2012, serving as its non-executive chairman beginning in October 2010. Mr. Rueckert is also currently a director of Chelsea Therapeutics, Inc., a Nasdaq-listed drug development company. Mr. Rueckert is the Managing Member of Oyster Management Group LLC, an investment fund specializing in community banks. Since July, 2011, Mr. Rueckert has been a director of Fairfield County Bank, a community bank based in Ridgefield, CT. From 1991 to 2006 he was President and Director of Rosow & Company, a private investment firm based in Connecticut. Mr. Rueckert has been treasurer of Moore & Munger, Inc., a company with interests in the petroleum and resort development industries, from 1988 until 1990, and was President of United States Oil Company, a publicly traded oil exploration business, from 1981 to 1988. Among his many civic associations, Mr. Rueckert is Director and President of the Cleveland H. Dodge Foundation, a private philanthropic organization in New York City, and Chairman of the Board of the Trustees of Teachers College, Columbia University.

Christine A. White M.D., age 61, Director

Dr. White has been a director of MEI Pharma since August 2010 and Lead Director since March 2013. She was at Biogen Idec from 1996 to 2005, most recently as Senior Vice President, Global Medical Affairs, where she played an integral role in the development, and commercialization of Rituxan® and Zevalin®. Previously, she served as Director of Clinical Oncology Research at Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, and in the Department of Medicine at Scripps Memorial Hospitals in La Jolla and Encinitas, California, most recently as Chairman. Dr. White currently serves as a member and lead independent director of the board of directors of Arena Pharmaceuticals. She previously served as a member of the board of directors at Genoptix Medical Laboratory until its acquisition by Novartis in March 2011, at Monogram Biosciences, until its acquisition by LabCorp in August 2009 and at Pharmacyclics. Dr. White earned her B.A. in Biology and M.D. from the University of Chicago and is Board certified in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology.

Thomas C. Reynolds, M.D., Ph.D., age 54, Director

Dr. Reynolds has been a director of MEI Pharma since February 2013. He served as Chief Medical Officer of Seattle Genetics from March 2007 until his retirement in February 2013. While at Seattle Genetics, he was responsible for building and leading an integrated clinical development, regulatory and medical affairs organization, highlighted by the development and approval of ADCETRIS®. From 2002 to 2007, Dr. Reynolds served at ZymoGenetics (acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb in 2010), most recently as Vice President, Medical Affairs, where he oversaw the clinical development and regulatory filing of RECOTHROM®. Previously, he was Vice President, Clinical Affairs at Targeted Genetics, and before that was at Somatix Therapy (acquired by Cell Genesys in 1997). Dr. Reynolds received his M.D. and Ph.D. in Biophysics from Stanford University and a B.A. in Chemistry from Dartmouth College.

 

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Members Whose Terms Expire at the Company’s Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Shareholder Meeting

Ms. Leah Rush Cann, age 53, Director

Ms. Cann has been a director of MEI Pharma since March 2009. Ms. Cann is the President of Leah Rush Cann Research and Consulting, LLC, a cancer – consulting organization which she founded in 2003. She was a research scientist with Memtec Corporation from 1984 to 1986. Ms. Cann was a research analyst with CIBC Oppenheimer from 1992 to 1999. From 1999 to 2000, she was a health care analyst with Cadence Capital, an asset manager based in Boston, Massachusetts. Ms. Cann was a senior biotechnology analyst with Wachovia Securities from 2000 to 2003. In both 1995 and 1996, The Wall Street Journal recognized Ms. Cann as an All-Star analyst. Ms. Cann received a B.A. in art history and chemistry and an M.B.A from Stetson University. She was a post-baccalaureate at the College of William and Mary and a post-graduate at Columbia University. Ms. Cann has been a Trustee and member of several committees of International House in New York City for more than 10 years. She is a Trustee and chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Hope Funds for Cancer Research, which she helped found in 2006.

Daniel P. Gold, Ph.D., age 59, President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

Dr. Gold has been President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of MEI Pharma since April 2010. From October 2009 to April 2010, Dr. Gold was Managing Partner of Theragence, Inc., a service provider that focuses on optimizing biopharmaceutical product development, which he co-founded. From July 2008 to May 2009, Dr. Gold was President and Chief Executive Officer of Prospect Therapeutics, a clinical stage, oncology focused biotechnology company. From January 2000 to May 2009, Dr. Gold was Chief Scientific Officer of Favrille, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that focused on the development and commercialization of immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer and other diseases of the immune system, which he founded. Dr. Gold currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Hope Funds for Cancer Research. Dr. Gold was a member of the Executive Council of the Sabin Cancer Vaccine Consortium from 2004 to 2006 and a member of the board of directors of the San Diego chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society from 1998 to 2003. Dr. Gold received a Bachelor’s degree in biology from University of California Los Angeles and received a Doctorate degree from Tufts University in Pathology/Immunology.

Members Whose Terms Expire at the Company’s Fiscal Year 2016 Annual Shareholder Meeting

Charles V. Baltic III, age 52, Director

Mr. Baltic has been a director of MEI Pharma since October 2011. Mr. Baltic has been a Managing Director and Co-Head of Healthcare at Needham & Company LLC since 2009. Prior to joining Needham, Mr. Baltic was a Managing Director and head of the biotechnology practice at CRT Capital Group from 2006 to 2008. From 2001 to 2006, he served as a Managing Director in Healthcare Investment Banking at Wachovia Securities. Prior to Wachovia, he was with Healthcare Investment Banking at Cowen and Company for six years, ultimately serving as a Director in life sciences. Prior to beginning his investment banking career in 1996, Mr. Baltic practiced corporate and securities law with Dewey Ballantine, representing numerous healthcare and securities clients. Mr. Baltic earned his B.A and J.D. degrees from Georgetown University and an M.B.A. degree in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Baltic is a founding Trustee of the non-profit Hope Funds for Cancer Research as well as a Trustee of the non-profit Washington Biotechnology and Biomedical Association since January 2013. Mr. Baltic is a former Director of MedVantage Inc., a controlling interest of which was acquired by Blues Plans Inc., a consortium of the Blues Plans of Massachusetts, North Carolina, Florida, Arkansas and Illinois.

Nicholas R. Glover, Ph.D., age 44, Director

Dr. Glover has been a director of MEI Pharma since June 2013. He served as President and Chief Executive Officer of YM BioSciences, an oncology drug development company, from November 2010 until its acquisition

 

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by Gilead Sciences for $510 million in February 2013. YM’s lead drug candidate, CYT387, was an orally administered JAK inhibitor being developed for the treatment of myelofibrosis. Previously, Dr. Glover was President and Chief Executive Officer of Viventia Biotech, a biopharmaceutical company involved in the discovery and development of monoclonal antibody-based technologies for the treatment of cancer, from 2004 to 2008. Prior to joining Viventia in 2000, he was an investment manager at MDS Capital, a life sciences venture capital firm from 1998 to 2000. Dr. Glover holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Chemistry from the University of East Anglia, U.K., a M.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of British Columbia, Canada, and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Simon Fraser University, Canada.

Information about the Board of Directors and its Committees

The Board of Directors has responsibility for the overall corporate governance of MEI Pharma. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013, a majority of the members of the Board of Directors were, and as of the date of this report, a majority of the members of the Board of Directors are, independent within the meaning of the Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) rules. In previous years, the Company was a “controlled company” within the meaning given to that term by Nasdaq as described further under “Item 13. – Certain Relationships and Related Transactions”. During December 2012, Novogen completed the distribution of substantially all of its MEI Pharma common stock to its shareholders, and the Company ceased to be a controlled company.

The Board has established an Audit Committee to oversee our financial matters, a Compensation Committee to oversee the Company’s compensation policies, plans and programs and a Nominating and Governance Committee to assist the Board of Directors in nominating board members to be elected by the stockholders at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to fill vacancies and newly created directorships, and to evaluate and monitor all matters with respect to governance of the Company and oversee compliance by the Company with its legal and regulatory obligations.

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors has been established in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). The Audit Committee is responsible for overseeing financial and accounting activities. The Audit Committee’s responsibilities include the annual appointment of independent auditors and the review of the scope of audit and non-audit assignments and related fees, the accounting principles used in financial reporting, internal auditing and internal control procedures. The members of the Audit Committee are Ms. Cann (chairperson), Dr. White and Mr. Baltic. Mr. Baltic joined the Committee in March 2013 upon the retirement of Professor Bryan Williams. The Board of Directors has determined that each of the Audit Committee members is independent, as defined by applicable Nasdaq and SEC rules. The Board of Directors has also determined that Ms. Cann is an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by SEC rules. The Company has adopted an Audit Committee Charter, which is posted on its website at www.meipharma.com. The Audit Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013.

Compensation Committee

The Compensation Committee acts on behalf of the Board to fulfill the Board’s responsibilities to:

 

   

oversee, review, modify and approve our compensation strategy and policies;

 

   

assess the independence of compensation consultants and legal advisors prior to engagement;

 

   

exercise sole power to retain compensation consultants and advisors and to determine the scope of the associated engagements;

 

   

review and approve annual corporate performance goals;

 

   

evaluate the chief executive officer’s and executive officers’ performance;

 

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review and determine the compensation to be paid to our executive officers, including the allocation of stock options;

 

   

recommend the compensation and terms of appointment of non-executive directors to the Board of Directors for review and approval;

 

   

ensure the Company meets the reporting requirements promulgated by the SEC regarding compensation and disclosure of compensation and compensation related practices;

 

   

assess potential compensation related risks; and

 

   

evaluate and ensure compliance with “Say-on-Pay” requirements.

The Compensation Committee also consults with and considers the recommendations of the chief executive officer with respect to the appropriate level and mix of the various compensation components, focused primarily on the particular goals of applicable executives and employees in a particular year. The Board of Directors has adopted a written charter for the Compensation Committee, which is available on our website at www.meipharma.com. Dr. White has served as the Chair of the Compensation Committee since July 2011. The other members of the Compensation Committee are Mr. Rueckert, Dr. Reynolds and Dr. Glover. Professor Bryan Williams served on the Compensation Committee prior to his retirement from the Board in March 2013, at which time Dr. Reynolds was appointed to the Compensation Committee. Dr. Glover joined the Compensation Committee in June 2013. The Board of Directors has determined that each member of the Compensation Committee is independent as defined by applicable Nasdaq rules. The Compensation Committee met seven times during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013.

During fiscal year 2013, the Compensation Committee engaged Barney & Barney LLC (“B&B”) as independent compensation consultants. During its engagements, the Compensation Committee directed B&B to provide the Compensation Committee with an analysis of the Company’s existing compensation programs for both board compensation and executive compensation. B&B’s analysis included comparisons against a peer group comprised of companies similar to MEI Pharma. The analysis and recommendations provided by the consultants included the following areas: (i) cash compensation; (ii) equity compensation; (iii) annual and long-term incentive programs; and (iv) additional compensation for the Chairman of the Board, Lead Director, Committee Chairpersons and Committee Members. Recommendations were provided to ensure our compensation programs are competitive in our industry and are consistent with our compensation philosophy (see “Executive Compensation”).

Nominating and Governance Committee

During September 2012, the Nominating Committee, which then consisted of the five non-executive members of the Board, elected Mr. Baltic as Chairman of the Nominating Committee. The Committee then elected to reduce its membership from five to three independent Board members. As a result, Professor Bryan Williams and Dr. White discontinued their service on the Nominating Committee, and Mr. Baltic, Ms. Cann and Mr. Rueckert continued as members of the Committee.

During March 2013, the Committee revised its charter to include responsibility for corporate governance matters, and renamed the Committee to reflect the additional responsibilities. MEI Pharma’s Nominating and Governance Committee Charter is posted on its website at www.meipharma.com. The Nominating and Governance Committee met five times during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013.

The Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for assisting the Board of Directors in identifying qualified individuals who possess the desired experience and skills to serve on the Board. The Nominating and Governance Committee is also responsible for proposing chairpersons and members on committees to the Board. If any member of the Board of Directors does not wish to continue in service or if the Board of Directors decides not to re-nominate a member for re-election, the Board will consider all qualified

 

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director candidates identified by the Nominating and Governance Committee, or by stockholders. Stockholders who would like to propose an independent director candidate for consideration for nomination by the Board of Directors at next year’s annual meeting of stockholders may do so by submitting the candidate’s name, resume and biographical information to the attention of Thomas M. Zech, Secretary, MEI Pharma, Inc., 11975 El Camino Real, Suite 101, San Diego, California 92130. All shareholder nominations received by the Secretary will be presented to the Nominating and Governance Committee for the same consideration as individuals identified by the Nominating and Governance Committee through other means.

The Nominating and Governance Committee reviews the prospective candidate’s biographical information and assesses each candidate’s independence, diversity, skills and expertise based on a variety of factors, including the following criteria:

 

   

Whether the candidate has exhibited behavior that indicates he or she is committed to the highest ethical standards.

 

   

Whether the candidate has had broad business, governmental, non-profit or professional experience that indicates that the candidate will be able to make a significant and immediate contribution to the Board of Directors’ discussion and decision-making.

 

   

Whether the candidate will be able to devote sufficient time and energy to the performance of his or her duties as a director.

Application of these factors requires the exercise of judgment by members of the Nominating and Governance Committee when it makes recommendations to the Board of Directors and cannot be measured in a quantitative way. In addition, the Nominating and Governance Committee considers, as one factor among many, the diversity of Board candidates, which may include diversity of skills and experience as well as geographic, gender, age, and ethnic diversity. The Nominating and Governance Committee does not, however, have a formal policy with regard to the consideration of diversity in identifying Board candidates. The Nominating and Governance Committee and the Board of Directors generally value the broad business experience and independent business judgment in the health care, life sciences and other fields of each member. Specifically, with respect to Ms. Cann, she is qualified for the Board based on her business experience in the health care field and her status as an “audit committee expert.” Dr. White is qualified for the Board based on her business and medical experience in the health care field, including oncology research. Mr. Rueckert is qualified for the Board based on his business experience in the investment industry. Mr. Baltic is qualified for the Board as a result of his business experience in the health care investment banking industry. Dr. Reynolds is qualified for the Board based on his medical experience and experience in clinical development and regulatory and medical affairs. Dr. Glover is qualified for the Board based on his business experience and his drug development experience in the oncology field.

In addition, the Nominating and Governance Committee oversees compliance by the Company with its legal and regulatory obligations and periodically reviews: (a) the Company’s Code of Conduct and Ethics; (b) the Company’s Insider Trading Policy; (c) the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation; (d) the Company’s Bylaws; and (e) any shareholder proposal and whether to recommend to the Board of Directors whether the Company shall support or oppose the proposal.

Governance Agreements

We have entered into separate governance agreements with two of the investors in our December 2012 private placement financing, Vivo Ventures Fund VII, L.P. (“Vivo”) and New Leaf Ventures II, L.P. (“New Leaf”), pursuant to which each of them is entitled to propose a candidate for election to our Board for consideration by the Nominating Committee, at such times as such investor may propose. We also agreed to use our best efforts to cause the Board to elect one of the candidates proposed by Vivo or New Leaf to serve as Chairman of the Board and to cause the Board to appoint at least one of any such candidates serving on the Board

 

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to serve on each standing and special committee of the Board. All candidates proposed by Vivo and New Leaf will be presented to the Nominating and Governance Committee for the same consideration as individuals identified by the Nominating and Governance Committee through other means. Each governance agreement will terminate with respect to the applicable investor at the earliest of (i) such time as such investor and its affiliates beneficially owns all of the shares of common stock then outstanding, (ii) such time as such investor and its affiliates beneficially own less than 10% of the shares of common stock then outstanding, or (iii) the effectiveness of certain change of control transactions resulting in continuing stockholders of the Company holding less than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the Company, its successor entity or a parent or subsidiary of its successor entity. On February 7, 2013, the Board appointed Dr. Reynolds to fill the vacancy created by Professor Bryan Williams’s retirement from the Board of Directors in March 2013. On June 7, 2013, the Board appointed Dr. Glover to serve on the Board of Directors. Each of Dr. Reynolds and Dr. Glover was proposed to the Nominating and Governance Committee pursuant to the terms of the governance agreements.

Director Independence

Our Board of Directors has determined the independence of each director in accordance with the elements of independence set forth in the Nasdaq listing standards. Based upon information solicited from each director, our Board of Directors has determined that each of Mr. Rueckert, Dr. White, Dr. Reynolds, Ms. Cann, Mr. Baltic and Dr. Glover have no material relationship with MEI Pharma and are “independent” within the meaning of Nasdaq’s director independence standards as currently in effect. In addition, the Board had determined that Professor Bryan Williams was independent under such standards during his service on the Board. In making the foregoing determinations, the Board of Directors has considered both the objective tests set forth in the Nasdaq independence standards and subjective measures with respect to each director necessary to determine that no relationships exist that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment by each such director in carrying out responsibilities of a director. In the case of Mr. Rueckert, the Board’s subjective determination included consideration of his role as non-executive chairman of the board of directors of Novogen from which he resigned in December 2012. Dr. Gold, as President and Chief Executive Officer, is not considered independent in accordance with Nasdaq’s requirements.

Board Leadership Structure

In January 2013, Professor Bryan Williams informed the Board that he would not stand for re-election at the Company’s fiscal 2013 annual meeting of stockholders. The Board of Directors created the position of Lead Director to carry out the duties of the Chairman during the period following the annual meeting and until the Nominating and Governance Committee identifies and the Board appoints a director to the Chairman position. Upon the Nomination and Governance Committee’s recommendation, the Board of Directors appointed Dr. White to serve as Lead Director, effective on the date of the Company’s fiscal 2013 annual meeting of stockholders, March 26, 2013.

The Board of Directors does not have a policy addressing whether the same person should serve as both the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board or if the roles should be separate. Our Board believes that it should have the flexibility to make its determination based upon what it considers to be the appropriate leadership structure for the Company at the time. The Board believes that its current leadership structure, with Dr. Gold serving as President and Chief Executive Officer and Dr. White serving as Lead Director until a Chairman is appointed, is appropriate for the Company at this time.

Board Role in Risk Oversight

Risk is an integral part of the Board and Committee deliberations throughout the year. While the Board has the ultimate oversight responsibility for the risk management process, various committees of the Board also have responsibility for risk management. In particular, the Audit Committee focuses on financial risk, including internal controls, and receives financial risk assessment reports from management. Risks related to the

 

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compensation programs are reviewed by the Compensation Committee. The Board is advised by these committees of significant risks and management’s response through periodic updates.

Stockholder Communications with the Board of Directors

Our stockholders may communicate with the Board of Directors, including non-executive directors or officers, by sending written communications addressed to such person or persons in care of MEI Pharma, Inc., Attention: Secretary, 11975 El Camino Real, Suite 101, San Diego, California, 92130. All communications will be compiled by the Secretary and submitted to the addressee. If the Board of Directors modifies this process, the revised process will be posted on our website.

Appointment of Directors

Our certificate of incorporation and by-laws provide that the number of directors will be set by resolution of the board, but shall be between two and nine. We currently have seven directors.

Under our certificate of incorporation and by-laws, directors are to be elected at the annual general meeting for a term of three years unless the director is removed, retires or the office is vacated earlier. The board is divided into three classes with respect to the term of office, with the terms of office of one class expiring each successive year. This classified board provision could discourage a third party from making a tender offer for our shares or attempting to obtain control of MEI Pharma. It could also delay stockholders who do not agree with the policies of the Board of Directors from removing a majority of the Board of Directors for two years.

A director may resign at any time. The resignation is effective upon receipt of notice. Any or all directors may be removed with or without cause by a resolution of stockholders entitled to vote to elect directors. Vacancies from resignation or removal or expansion of the size of the board may be filled by resolution of a majority of directors then in office or by a sole remaining director, and any director so appointed shall serve for the remainder of the full term of the class of directors in which the vacancy occurred.

Attendance of Directors at Board Meetings and Shareholder Meetings

During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013, the Board of Directors held a total of eight meetings, and each director attended at least 75% of the total number of meetings of the Board of Directors and of the meetings of each committee of the Board of Directors on which such director served. The Board of Directors also acted from time to time by unanimous written consent.

All directors are expected to attend our annual meetings of stockholders. All directors then in office attended the annual meeting of stockholders held in March 2013.

Code of Ethics

We have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to our directors and employees (including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer and chief medical officer), and we have posted the text of the policy on our website at www.meipharma.com.

Executive Officers

The Company’s executive officers are appointed by the Board of Directors and serve at the discretion of the Board of Directors. Set forth below are the names and certain biographical information regarding MEI Pharma’s executive officers as of June 30, 2013.

 

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Daniel P. Gold, age 59, President and Chief Executive Officer

See “Directors” above for biographical information regarding Dr. Gold.

Thomas M. Zech, age 62, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary

Mr. Zech has been Chief Financial Officer since June 2010. From May 2009 to June 2010, Mr. Zech was a consultant, providing finance and accounting advisory services to life science and technology companies. Until November 2008, Mr. Zech served as Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer at Pacira Pharmaceuticals Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, which was the successor company to SkyePharma Inc. acquired in March 2007, from SkyePharma PLC. He transitioned to Pacira Pharmaceuticals from SkyePharma Inc., where he joined in 1999 as Controller and Corporate Secretary. Previously he held senior finance positions at Stratagene, Advanced Tissue Sciences, Allied Holdings and Psicor. Mr. Zech earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Lawrence Technological University and his MBA with a concentration in finance from the University of Detroit.

Robert D. Mass, M.D., age 59, Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Mass has been Chief Medical Officer since June 2011. Dr. Mass has more than 20 years of experience as a medical oncologist in both clinical practice and clinical drug development. He held a number of leadership positions at Genentech from 1998 to 2009, most recently as Head of Medical Affairs, BioOncology, a position created to strategically integrate and optimize all of the non-sponsored clinical programs within the company’s oncology portfolio. He also served on the Executive Development Review Committee at Genentech, which was responsible for the review and approval of all sponsored clinical programs across the company’s therapeutic portfolio. Previously he served as clinical science leader for Herceptin from 1999 to 2002, Tarceva from 2002 to 2003, and Avastin, currently the leading oncology therapeutic worldwide, from 2003 to 2007. Prior to joining Genentech, he practiced Hematology and Medical Oncology from 1988 to 1998. After leaving Genentech, Dr. Mass served as a consultant for several oncology companies, including, MEI Pharma from October 2010 until his appointment as Chief Medical Officer in June 2011. Dr. Mass also currently consults for Stem CentRx, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company, on a part-time basis, as its acting Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Mass earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Tufts University and his medical degree from Oregon Health & Science University. He completed his residency training in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Hematology and Medical Oncology at the University of California-San Francisco and is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in both Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology.

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires MEI Pharma’s officers and directors and persons who beneficially own more than 10% of the Common Stock of MEI Pharma to file initial reports of ownership of such securities and reports of changes in ownership of such securities with the SEC. Such officers, directors and 10% stockholders of MEI Pharma are also required by SEC regulations to furnish MEI Pharma with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file.

Based solely on MEI Pharma’s review of the copies of such forms received by it with respect to the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013, all reports were filed on a timely basis, with the exception of a Form 4 filed by Josiah T. Austin on December 11, 2012 with respect to the acquisition of warrants for the purchase of 41,667 shares of common stock.

 

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PART IV

Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

 

(a) 1. Financial Statements

Reference is made to the Financial Statements under Item 8 in Part II hereof.

 

     2. Financial Statement Schedules

The Financial Statement Schedules have been omitted either because they are not required or because the information has been included in the financial statements or the notes thereto included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

     3. Exhibits

Exhibit Index

 

  3.1    Restated Certificate of Incorporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on September 25, 2003 (Reg. No. 333-109129)).
  3.2    Certificate of Amendment to the Restated Certificate of Incorporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 31, 2010 (File No. 000-50484)).
  3.3    Certificate of Amendment to the Restated Certificate of Incorporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 19, 2012
(File No. 000-50484)).
  3.4    Certificate of Ownership and Merger (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 2, 2012 (File No. 000-50484)).
  3.5    Certificate of Designation of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock of Marshall Edwards, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 11, 2011 (File No. 000-50484))
  3.6    Certificate of Designation of Series B Preferred Stock of Marshall Edwards, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 18, 2011 (File No. 000-50484))
  3.8    Amended and Restated Bylaws (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 19, 2012 (File No. 000-50484)).
  4.1    Specimen Stock Certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on October 31, 2003 (Reg. No. 333-109129)).
  4.2    Specimen Warrant Certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 filed on August 9, 2006 (Reg. No. 333-136440).
  4.3    Specimen Warrant Certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.4 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on September 27, 2007 (File No. 000-50484)).
  4.4    Form of Warrant Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 12, 2006 (File No. 000-50484)).
  4.5    Warrant Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 6, 2007 (File No. 000-50484)).

 

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  4.6    Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed on September 27, 2007 (File No. 000-50484)).
  4.7    Form of Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 12, 2006 (File No. 000-50484)).
  4.8    Form of Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 6, 2007 (File No. 000-50484)).
  4.9    Form of Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed on September 27, 2007 (File No. 000-50484)).
  4.10    Warrant dated July 30, 2008 issued to Mr John O’Connor (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 30, 2008 (File No. 000-50484)).
  4.11    Form of Amended and Restated Series A and Series B Warrants (incorporated by reference to Exhibits 4.1 and 4.2 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 29, 2011
(File No. 000-50484)).
  4.12    Form of Subscription Agent Agreement between Marshall Edwards, Inc. and Computershare, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.12 to Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on March 20, 2012 (File No. 333-179590)).
  4.13    Form of Information Agent Agreement between the Company and Georgeson, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.13 to Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on March 20, 2012 (File No. 333-179590)).
  4.14    Form of Subscription Rights Certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.14 to Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on March 20, 2012
(File No. 333-179590)).
  4.15    Form of Warrant Agreement between the Company and Computershare, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.15 to Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on March 20, 2012 (File No. 333-179590)).
  4.16    Form of Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.16 to Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on March 20, 2012 (File No. 333-179590)).
  4.17    Form of Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on November 5, 2012 (File No. 000-50484)).
10.1    Employment letter dated April 23, 2010, between Marshall Edwards, Inc. and Daniel Gold (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 26, 2010 (File No. 000-50484)).
10.2    Employment letter dated June 18, 2010, between Marshall Edwards, Inc. and Thomas Zech (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 23, 2010 (File No. 000-50484)).
10.3    Employment letter dated June 1, 2011, between Marshall Edwards, Inc. and Robert D. Mass (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 2, 2011 (File No. 000-50484)).
10.4    Registration Rights Agreement, dated July 11, 2006 by and among Marshall Edwards, Inc. and the investors signatory thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 12, 2006 (File No. 000-50484)).

 

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10.5    Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of August 6, 2007 by and among Marshall Edwards, Inc. and the purchasers signatory thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 6, 2007 (File No. 000-50484)).
10.6    Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of September 26, 2007 by and among Marshall Edwards, Inc. and Blue Trading, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed on September 27, 2007 (File No. 000-50484)).
10.7    Amended & Restated Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of May 16, 2011, between Marshall Edwards, Inc. and certain investors signatory thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 16, 2011 (File No. 000-50484).
10.8    MEI Pharma, Inc. Amended and Restated 2008 Stock Omnibus Equity Compensation Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 29, 2013 (File No. 000-50484)).
10.9    Asset Purchase Agreement, dated as of December 21, 2010, between Marshall Edwards, Inc. and Novogen Limited and Novogen Pty Limited (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 22, 2010 (File No. 000-50484)).
10.10    At Market Issuance Sales Agreement, dated February 7, 2011, between Marshall Edwards, Inc. and McNicoll, Lewis & Vlak LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 7, 2011 (File No. 000-50484)).
10.11    Stock Purchase Agreement, dated March 17, 2011, between Marshall Edwards, Inc. and Ironridge Global IV, Ltd., including the form of Certificate of Designations of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series B Preferred Stock attached as Exhibit 4 thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 18, 2011
(File No. 000-50484)).
10.12    Amended and Restated Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of May 16, 2011, between Marshall Edwards, Inc. and the investors signatory thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 16, 2011 (File No. 000-50484)).
10.13    Form of Indemnification Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 29, 2011 (File No. 000-50484)).
10.14    Securities Subscription Agreement, dated as of September 27, 2011, between Marshall Edwards, Inc. and Novogen Limited (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 29, 2011 (File No. 000-50484)).
10.15    Securities Subscription Agreement, dated as of December 28, 2011, between Marshall Edwards, Inc. and Novogen Limited (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 29, 2011 (File No. 000-50484)).
10.16    Letter, dated September 28, 2011, from Novogen Limited to Marshall Edwards, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 29, 2011 (File No. 000-50484)).
10.17    Form of Supplemental Agreement between Marshall Edwards, Inc. and each of the investors party to that certain Amended and Restated Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of May 16, 2011, by and among Marshall Edwards, Inc. and such investors (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 29, 2011 (File No. 000-50484)).
10.18    Asset Purchase Agreement, dated as of August 7, 2012, between MEI Pharma, Inc. and S*Bio Pte Ltd. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 8, 2012 (File No. 000-50484)).

 

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10.19    Form of Registration Rights Agreement between the Company and S*Bio Pte Ltd. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 8, 2012 (File No. 000-50484)).
10.20**    License Agreement, dated September 28, 2012, between Cydex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and the Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 13, 2012 (File No. 000-50484)).
10.21**    Supply Agreement, dated September 28, 2012, between Cydex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and the Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 13, 2012 (File No. 000-50484)).
10.22    Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of November 4, 2012, by and among the Company, Vivo Ventures Fund VII, L.P., Vivo Ventures VII Affiliates Fund, L.P., and New Leaf Ventures II, L.P., and certain other accredited investors identified in Exhibit A thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on November 5, 2012
(File No. 000-50484)).
10.23    Form of Governance Agreement between the Company and Vivo Ventures Fund VII, L.P., Vivo Ventures VII Affiliates Fund, L.P., and New Leaf Ventures II, L.P. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on November 5, 2012
(File No. 000-50484)).
10.24    Form of Registration Rights Agreement between the Company and Vivo Ventures Fund VII, L.P., Vivo Ventures VII Affiliates Fund, L.P., and New Leaf Ventures II, L.P. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on November 5, 2012 (File No. 000-50484)).
10.25    Agreement, dated December 5, 2012, between MEI Pharma, Inc., Novogen Limited, Novogen Research Pty Ltd., Graham Kelly and Andrew Heaton (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 7, 2012 (File No. 000-50484)).
23.1    Consent of BDO USA LLP†
31.1    Certification required by Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a)*
31.2    Certification required by Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a)*
32.1    Certification required by Rule 13a-14(b) or Rule 15d-14(b) and section 1350 of Chapter 63 of Title 18 of the U.S. Code (18 U.S.C. 1350)*
101.INS    XBRL Instance Document†
101.SCH    XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document†
101.CAL    XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document†
101.DEF    XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document†
101.LAB    XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document†
101.PRE    XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document†

 

(†) Previously filed.

 

(*) Filed herewith.

 

(**) Portions of this exhibit have been redacted pursuant to a confidential treatment request filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, the registrant has duly caused this Annual Report on Form 10-K to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, on September 27, 2013.

 

MEI PHARMA, INC.

A Delaware Corporation

By:   /s/    Daniel P. Gold        
 

Daniel P. Gold

Chief Executive Offer

 

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