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EX-23.1 - CONSENT OF EKS&H LLLP, INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM - AYTU BIOPHARMA, INCfs12018ex23-1_aytubioscience.htm

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 7, 2018

Registration No. 333-        

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

 

FORM S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

 

AYTU BIOSCIENCE, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   2834   47-0883144

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(Primary Standard Industrial

Classification Code Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

 

373 Inverness Parkway

Suite 206

Englewood, Colorado 80112

(720) 437-6580

(Address, including zip code and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)  

 

 

 

Joshua R. Disbrow

Chief Executive Officer

373 Inverness Parkway, Suite 206

Englewood, Colorado 80112

Telephone: (720) 437-6580

(Name, address, including zip code and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

 

Copies to:

Nolan S. Taylor

Anthony Epps

Michael R. Newton

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

111 South Main St., Suite 2100

Salt Lake City, Utah 84111

(801) 933-7360

Michael Nertney

Charlies Phillips

Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP

1345 Avenue of the Americas, 11th Floor

New York, NY 10105

(212) 370-1300

 

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of the registration statement. 

 

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, as amended (the “Securities Act”), check the following box.

 

If this form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, 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 post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) 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.  

 

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

 

  Large accelerated filer  ☐ Accelerated filer  ☐
 

Non-accelerated filer  ☐

Smaller reporting company  ☒
  (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) Emerging growth company  ☐

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.

 

 

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered 

Proposed
Maximum
Aggregate
Offering

Price(1)

   Amount of
Registration Fee(2)
 
Class A Units consisting of:                             
(i) Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share(2)          
(ii) Warrants to purchase Common Stock(3)          
Class B Units consisting of          
(i) Series C Preferred Stock, par value $0.0001 per share          
(ii) Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Series C Preferred Stock(2)          
(iii) Warrants to purchase Common Stock(3)          
Common Stock issuable upon exercise of warrants(2)          
Representative’s warrant to purchase shares of Common Stock(3)          
Common Stock issuable upon exercise of representative’s warrant to purchase common stock(4)          
Total  $8,000,000   $996.00 

 

 

(1) Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the amount of the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(o) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Includes the price of additional shares of common stock and/or warrants to purchase shares of common stock that the underwriters have the option to purchase to cover over-allotments, if any. See “Underwriting.”
   
(2) Pursuant to Rule 416, the securities being registered hereunder include such indeterminate number of additional securities as may be issued after the date hereof as a result of stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.
   
(3)

No fee pursuant to Rule 457(i) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

(4) Represents warrants to purchase a number of shares of common stock equal to 3% of the number of shares of Common Stock (including the shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Series C Preferred Stock) being offered at an exercise price equal to 125% of the public offering price per Class A Unit.

 

The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement relating to these securities filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS SUBJECT TO COMPLETION DATED                , 2018

 

 

Aytu BioScience, Inc.

 

Class A Units consisting of common stock and warrants and

Class B Units consisting of shares of Series C Preferred Stock and warrants

(and   shares of common stock underlying shares of Series C Preferred Stock and warrants)

 

We are offering Class A Units, with each Class A Unit consisting of one share of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “common stock”) and a warrant to purchase one half of one share of our common stock (together with the shares of common stock underlying such warrants, the “Class A Units”) at an assumed public offering price of $                     per Class A Unit. Each warrant included in the Class A Units entitles its holder to purchase one half of one share of common stock at an exercise price per share of $                    .

 

We are also offering to those purchasers whose purchase of Class A Units in this offering would result in the purchaser, together with its affiliates and certain related parties, beneficially owning more than 4.99% (or, at the election of the purchaser, 9.99%) of our outstanding common stock following the consummation of this offering, the opportunity to purchase, if they so choose, in lieu of the number of Class A Units that would result in ownership in excess of 4.99% (or, at the election of the purchaser, 9.99%), Class B Units. Each Class B Unit consists of one share of Series C Preferred Stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Series C Preferred Stock”), convertible into one share of common stock and a warrant to purchase one half of one share of common stock (together with the shares of common stock underlying such shares of Series C Preferred Stock and such warrants, the “Class B Units” and, together with the Class A Units, the “units”) at an assumed public offering price of $                     per Class B Unit. Each warrant included in the Class B Units entitles its holder to purchase one half of one share of common stock at an exercise price per share of $                    .

 

The Class A Units and Class B Units have no stand-alone rights and will not be certificated or issued as stand-alone securities. The shares of common stock, Series C Preferred Stock and warrants comprising such units are immediately separable and will be issued separately in this offering. The underwriters have the option to purchase additional shares of common stock and/or warrants to purchase shares of common stock solely to cover over-allotments, if any, at the price to the public less the underwriting discounts and commissions. The over-allotment option may be used to purchase shares of common stock, or warrants, or any combination thereof, as determined by the underwriters, but such purchases cannot exceed an aggregate of 15% of the number of shares of common stock (including the number of shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of shares of Series C Preferred Stock) and warrants sold in the primary offering. The over-allotment option is exercisable for 45 days from the date of this prospectus.

 

Our common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “AYTU.” On September 6, 2018, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the NASDAQ Capital Market was $3.99.

 

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should review carefully the risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” beginning on page 8 of this prospectus, and under similar headings in any amendments or supplements to this prospectus.

 

   Per Class A
Unit
   Per Class B
Unit
   Total 
Public offering price(1)  $               $               $             
Underwriting discount(2)(3)  $   $   $ 
Proceeds, before expenses, to AYTU Bioscience, Inc.  $   $   $ 

 

(1) The public offering price and underwriting discount corresponds to (x) in respect of the Class A Units (i) a public offering price per share of common stock of $                     and (ii) a public offering price per warrant of $                     and (y) in respect of the Class B Units (i) a public offering price per share of Series C Preferred Stock of $                     and (ii) a public offering price per warrant of $                    .

 

(2) We have also agreed to reimburse Ladenburg Thalmann for certain expenses. See “Underwriting” for additional information.

 

(3) We have granted a 45-day day option to the underwriters to purchase additional shares of common stock and/or warrants to purchase shares of common stock (up to 15% of the number of shares of common stock (including the number of shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of shares of Series C Preferred Stock) and warrants sold in the primary offering) solely to cover over-allotments, if any.

 

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 underwriters expect to deliver the securities to purchasers in the offering on or about           , 2018.

 

Ladenburg Thalmann

The date of this prospectus is                     , 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

    Page
Prospectus Summary   1
The Offering   6
Risk Factors   8
Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements   39
Use of Proceeds   40
Market for Common Stock   40
Dividend Policy   41
Dilution   42
Capitalization   43
Description of Securities   44
Underwriting   50
Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference   54
Where You Can Find More Information   55
Legal Matters   55
Experts   55

 

You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus or in any related free writing prospectus filed by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. We have not, and the underwriters and their affiliates have not, authorized anyone to provide you with any information or to make any representation not contained in this prospectus. We do not, and the underwriters and their affiliates do not, take any responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any information that others may provide to you. This prospectus is not an offer to sell or an offer to buy units in any jurisdiction where offers and sales are not permitted. The information in this prospectus is accurate only as of its date, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of units. You should also read and consider the information in the documents to which we have referred you under the caption “Where You Can Find More Information” in the prospectus. 

 

Neither we nor the underwriters have done anything that would permit a public offering of the units or possession or distribution of this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the units and the distribution of this prospectus outside of the United States.

 

We urge you to read carefully this prospectus, as supplemented and amended, before deciding whether to invest in any of the common stock being offered.

 

Unless the context indicates otherwise, as used in this prospectus, the terms “Aytu,” “we,” “us,” “our,” “our company” and “our business” refer to Aytu BioScience, Inc. and its subsidiary.

 

We own or have rights to various U.S. federal trademark registrations and applications, and unregistered trademarks and service marks, including Fiera, Natesto, ZolpiMist, ProstaScint, MiOXSYS, RedoxSYS, Luoxis, Vyrix and Nuelle. All other trade names, trademarks and service marks appearing in this prospectus are the property of their respective owners. We have assumed that the reader understands that all such terms are source-indicating. Accordingly, such terms, when first mentioned in this prospectus, appear with the trade name, trademark or service mark notice and then throughout the remainder of this prospectus without trade name, trademark or service mark notices for convenience only and should not be construed as being used in a descriptive or generic sense.

 

i

 

 

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

 

This summary highlights certain information about us and this offering contained elsewhere in this prospectus. Because it is only a summary, it does not contain all of the information that you should consider before investing in shares of our securities and it is qualified in its entirety by, and should be read in conjunction with, the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference including the information referred to under the heading “Risk Factors” and the financial statements and related notes in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein.

 

Overview

 

We are a commercial-stage specialty pharmaceutical company focused on global commercialization of novel products addressing significant medical needs. We have multiple approved products on the market, and we seek to build a portfolio of novel therapeutics that serve large medical needs, across a range of conditions, through our in-house commercial team. Our commercial infrastructure consists of a U.S.-based specialty sales force and an international distribution network with sales in 29 countries. We are currently concentrating on hypogonadism, male infertility and, recently, insomnia and plan to expand into other indications for which we believe there are significant medical needs.

 

We acquired exclusive U.S. rights to Natesto® (testosterone) nasal gel, a novel formulation of testosterone delivered via a discreet, easy-to-use nasal gel, and we launched Natesto in the U.S. with our direct sales force in late summer 2016. Natesto is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, for the treatment of hypogonadism (low testosterone) in men and is the only testosterone replacement therapy, or TRT, delivered via a nasal gel. Natesto offers multiple advantages over currently available TRTs and competes in a $1.8 billion market accounting for over 6.8 million prescriptions annually. Importantly, as Natesto is delivered via the nasal mucosa and not the skin, there is no risk of testosterone transference to others, a known potential side effect and black box warning associated with all other topically applied TRTs, including the market leader AndroGel®.

 

Outside the U.S. we market MiOXSYS®, a novel in vitro diagnostic system that is currently CE marked (which generally enables it to be sold within the European Economic Area), Health Canada cleared, and Australian TGA and Mexican COFEPRAS-approved, and for which we intend to initiate a clinical study to enable FDA clearance in the U.S.  Our MiOXSYS system is a novel, point-of-care semen analysis system with the potential to become a standard of care in the diagnosis and management of male infertility. Male infertility is a prevalent and underserved condition and oxidative stress (the core biological component measured by the MiOXSYS system) is widely implicated in its pathophysiology. MiOXSYS was developed from our previously developed oxidation-reduction potential research platform known as RedoxSYS®. We are advancing MiOXSYS toward FDA clearance as an aid in the assessment of male infertility.

 

In June 2018 we acquired an exclusive U.S. license to ZolpiMist™. ZolpiMist is an FDA-approved prescription product that is indicated for the short-term treatment of insomnia, and is the only oral spray formulation of zolpidem tartrate - the most widely prescribed prescription sleep aid in the U.S. ZolpiMist is commercially available and competes in the non-benzodiazepine prescription sleep aid category, a $1.8 billion prescription drug category with over 43 million prescriptions written annually. Thirty million prescriptions of zolpidem tartrate (Ambien®, Ambien® CR, Intermezzo®, Edluar®, ZolpiMist™, and generic forms of immediate-release, controlled release, and orally dissolving tablet formulations) are written each year in the U.S., representing almost 70% of the non-benzodiazepine sleep aid category. Approximately 2.5 million prescriptions are written for novel formulations of zolpidem tartrate products (controlled release and sublingual tablets). We intend to integrate ZolpiMist into our sales force’s promotional efforts as an adjunct product to Natesto as there is substantial overlap of physician prescribers of both testosterone and prescription sleep aids.

 

In the future we will look to acquire additional commercial-stage or near-market products, including existing products we believe can offer distinct commercial advantages. Our management team’s prior experience has involved identifying both clinical-stage and commercial-stage assets that can be launched or re-launched to increase value, with a focused commercial infrastructure specializing in novel, niche products.

 

Our management team has extensive experience across a wide range of business development activities and have in-licensed or acquired products from large, mid-sized, and small enterprises in the United States and abroad. Through an assertive product and business development approach, we expect that we will build a substantial portfolio of complementary urology products.

 

 

 1 

 

 

Natesto® (testosterone) nasal gel

 

Natesto is a patented, FDA-approved testosterone replacement therapy, or TRT, and is the only nasally-administered formulation of testosterone available in the U.S. Natesto is a discreet, easy-to-administer nasal gel that may be appropriate for men with active lifestyles as Natesto is small, portable, Transportation Security Administration, or TSA-compliant, and easy to use. Importantly, Natesto is not applied directly to the patient’s skin as other topically applied TRTs. Rather, Natesto is delivered directly into the nasal mucosa via a proprietary nasal applicator. Thus, Natesto does not carry a black box warning related to testosterone transference to a man’s female partner or children — as other topically (primarily gels and solutions) administered TRTs do by virtue of their delivery directly onto the skin.

 

We launched Natesto in the U.S. in late summer 2016 with our direct sales force, and we are positioning Natesto as the ideal treatment solution for men with active, busy lifestyles who suffer from hypogonadism. Natesto is also positioned for men who have previously been prescribed a TRT, including Androgel, and want a product with a different clinical profile available in a convenient, easy-to-use, effective therapeutic option.

 

Image of Natesto (testosterone) nasal gel 

 

 

The unique delivery of Natesto also enables simple, discreet use by a single application into each nostril three times daily and may improve compliance over topical forms that are applied to large sections of the arms, shoulders, and other large areas of the man’s upper torso. It also offers a more discreet method of TRT administration compared to films and patches (such as Androderm®) and doesn’t involve the pain, potential for site injection infections, and the administration inconvenience of the implantable and/or injectable TRTs such as Testopel® (pellets), Aveed® (injectable testosterone undecanoate) or testosterone cypionate injections.

 

A concern associated with the use of the currently marketed testosterone gels is the unintentional transfer of testosterone to women (or children) by skin contact with the man’s application site. In the event of a female partner receiving inadvertent testosterone exposure due to intimate contact with her male partner, she may develop hyperandrogenism, a condition characterized by excess levels of androgens. This condition may result in women developing acne, scalp hair loss, excessive facial or body hair, breast atrophy, and other symptoms. Natesto, as it is nasally administered, does not present this potential complication of ‘transference’ and thus does not have a black box warning as is associated with the topically applied testosterone supplements.

 

Natesto is a nasally-administered androgen indicated for replacement therapy in adult males for conditions associated with a deficiency or absence of endogenous testosterone including:

 

Primary hypogonadism (congenital or acquired): testicular failure due to conditions such as cryptorchidism, bilateral torsion, orchitis, vanishing testis syndrome, orchiectomy, Klinefelter’s syndrome, chemotherapy, or toxic damage from alcohol or heavy metals. These men usually have low serum testosterone concentrations and gonadotropins (follicle-stimulating hormone [FSH] and luteinizing hormone [LH]) above the normal range.

 

Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (congenital or acquired): gonadotropin or luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) deficiency or pituitary-hypothalamic injury from tumors, trauma, or radiation. These men have low serum testosterone concentrations but have gonadotropins in the normal or low range.

 

 

 2 

 

 

ZolpiMist™ (zolpidem tartrate oral spray)

 

ZolpiMist is an FDA-approved prescription product that is indicated for the short-term treatment of insomnia, and is the only oral spray formulation of zolpidem tartrate - the most widely prescribed prescription sleep aid in the U.S. ZolpiMist is commercially available and competes in the non-benzodiazepine prescription sleep aid category, a $1.8 billion prescription drug category with over 43 million prescriptions written annually. Thirty million prescriptions of zolpidem tartrate (Ambien®, Ambien® CR, Intermezzo®, Edluar®, ZolpiMist™, and generic forms of immediate-release, controlled release, and orally dissolving tablet formulations) are written each year in the U.S., representing almost 70% of the non-benzodiazepine sleep aid category. Approximately 2.5 million prescriptions are written for novel formulations of zolpidem tartrate products (controlled release and sublingual tablets).

 

ZolpiMist (5 mg per dose and available in both a 30-dose and 60-dose canister) was approved for marketing by the FDA in December of 2008 and was shown to be bioequivalent to Ambien® 5 mg and 10 mg tablets. ZolpiMist is indicated for the short-term treatment of insomnia characterized by difficulties with sleep initiation and is contraindicated in patients with a known hypersensitivity to zolpidem tartrate.

 

Image of ZolpiMist in its Child-Resistant Container

 

 

Due to ZolpiMist’s unique oral spray delivery and the resulting rapid absorption through the oral mucosa, ZolpiMist has several clinical advantages over oral tablet formulations, most notably a rapid onset of action that quickly induces sleep. Additionally, and also due to the product’s oral spray formulation, ZolpiMist does not require swallowing and may therefore be easier and more convenient to take than tablets for patients who have difficulty swallowing or have an aversion to taking tablets.

 

MiOXSYS®

 

MiOXSYS is a rapid in vitro diagnostic system that performs a semen analysis test used to measure static oxidation-reduction potential, or sORP, in human semen. MiOXSYS is a CE marked system (that is also Health Canada, Australian TGA and Mexican COFEPRAS approved) and is an accurate, easy to use, and fast infertility assessment tool that directly measures oxidative stress in semen though the direct measurement of oxidation-reduction potential. It is estimated that 72.4 million couples worldwide experience infertility problems. In the U.S., approximately 10% of couples are defined as infertile. Male infertility is responsible for between 40 – 50% of all infertility cases and affects approximately 7% of all men. Male infertility is often unexplained (idiopathic), and this idiopathic infertility is frequently associated with increased levels of oxidative stress in the semen. As such, having a rapid, easy-to-use diagnostic platform to measure oxidative stress may provide a practical way for male infertility specialists to improve semen analysis and infertility assessments without having to refer patients to outside clinical laboratories.

 

 

 3 

 

 

Male infertility is prevalent and underserved, and oxidative stress is widely implicated in its pathophysiology. The global male infertility market is expected to grow to over $300 million by 2020 with a compound annual growth rate, or CAGR, of nearly 5% from 2014 to 2020. Oxidative stress is broadly implicated in the pathophysiology of idiopathic male infertility, yet very few diagnostic tools exist to effectively measure oxidative stress levels in men. However, antioxidants are widely available and recommended to infertile men without easy, accurate assessment methods available for initial evaluation and subsequent response to antioxidant intervention. With the introduction of the MiOXSYS System, we believe for the first time there will be an easy and effective diagnostic tool to assess the degree of oxidative stress and potentially enable the monitoring of patients’ responses to antioxidant therapy as a treatment regimen for infertility. The MiOXSYS System received CE marking in Europe in January 2016 and obtained Health Canada Class II Medical Device approval in March 2016. The product subsequently received Australian TGA approval in November of 2017 and clearance in Mexico in March of 2018. We expect to advance MiOXSYS into clinical trials in the U.S. in order to enable 510k de novo clearance.

 

Image of the MiOXSYS Analyzer 

 

 

The MiOXSYS Disposable Sensors

 

The MiOXSYS disposable sensors, via standard biological specimen collection techniques, receive 20 – 40 microliters of a specimen from which the ORP clinical analysis is performed. The ORP sensor strips are small, disposable, and biocompatible and consist of a ceramic substrate and a five-lead configuration. Significant intellectual property surrounds the design, construct, and electrochemical algorithms associated with the sensors.

 

Image of the MiOXSYS Disposable Sensors 

 

 

 

 4 

 

 

Our Strategy 

 

In the near-term, we expect to create value for shareholders by implementing a focused, four-pronged strategy. Our primary focus is on growing sales of Natesto in the U.S. and relaunching ZolpiMist through our sales force, expanding the MiOXSYS business both inside and outside the U.S., advancing MiOXSYS toward FDA clearance, and continuing to build a product pipeline through efficient business development. Upon achieving growth of our current, revenue-generating products, we intend to build a complementary portfolio of aligned assets that can be efficiently commercialized through our specialty sales force and, when appropriate, aligned distribution partners outside the U.S. In just over three years since our formation through the merger, we have acquired or in-licensed four FDA-approved, marketed assets (and have since divested one asset – Primsol® Solution and have discontinued another, ProstaScint®), launched a U.S.-based specialty sales force, advanced our lead diagnostic asset MiOXSYS to CE marking, Health Canada clearance, Australian TGA approval, and Mexican COFEPRAS clearance, engaged in asset purchase and licensing discussions for products aligned to our strategy, launched Natesto in the U.S. through our own sales force, licensed ZolpiMist in the U.S. and Canada, and are now preparing for ZolpiMist’s re-launch through our sales force.

 

Corporate Information

 

We were incorporated as Rosewind Corporation on August 9, 2002 in the State of Colorado.

 

Vyrix Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or Vyrix, was incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware on November 18, 2013 and was wholly owned by Ampio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE American: AMPE), or Ampio, immediately prior to the completion of the Merger (defined below). Vyrix was previously a carve-out of the sexual dysfunction therapeutics business, including the late-stage men’s health product candidates, Zertane and Zertane-ED, from Ampio, that carve-out was announced in December 2013. Luoxis Diagnostics, Inc., or Luoxis, was incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware on January 24, 2013 and was majority owned by Ampio immediately prior to the completion of the Merger. Luoxis was initially focused on developing and advancing the RedoxSYS System. The MiOXSYS System was developed following the completed development of the RedoxSYS System.

 

On March 20, 2015, Rosewind formed Rosewind Merger Sub V, Inc. and Rosewind Merger Sub L, Inc., each a wholly-owned subsidiary formed for the purpose of the Merger, and on April 16, 2015, Rosewind Merger Sub V, Inc. merged with and into Vyrix and Rosewind Merger Sub L, Inc. merged with and into Luoxis, and Vyrix and Luoxis became subsidiaries of Rosewind. Immediately thereafter, Vyrix and Luoxis merged with and into Rosewind with Rosewind as the surviving corporation (herein referred to as the Merger). Concurrent with the closing of the Merger, Rosewind abandoned its pre-merger business plans, and we now solely pursue the specialty healthcare market, focusing on urological related conditions, including the business of Vyrix and Luoxis. When we discuss our business in this prospectus, we include the pre-Merger business of Luoxis and Vyrix.

 

On June 8, 2015, we (i) reincorporated as a domestic Delaware corporation under Delaware General Corporate Law and changed our name from Rosewind Corporation to Aytu BioScience, Inc., and (ii) effected a reverse stock split in which each common stock holder received one share of common stock for each 12.174 shares outstanding. At our annual meeting of stockholders held on May 24, 2016, our stockholders approved (1) an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation to reduce the number of authorized shares of common stock from 300.0 million to 100.0 million, which amendment was effective on June 1, 2016, and (2) an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation to affect a reverse stock split at a ratio of 1-for-12 which became effective on June 30, 2016. At our special meeting of stockholders held on July 26, 2017, our stockholders approved an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation to affect a reverse stock split at a ratio of 1-for-20 which became effective on August 25, 2017. In addition, at our annual meeting of stockholders held on June 27, 2018, our stockholders approved an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation to affect a reverse stock split at a ratio of up to 1-for-20, which reverse stock split became effective at a ratio of 1-for-20 on August 10, 2018. All share and per share amounts in this prospectus have been adjusted to reflect the effect of these four reverse stock splits (hereafter referred to collectively as the “Reverse Stock Splits”).

 

Our principal executive offices are located at 373 Inverness Parkway, Suite 206, Englewood, Colorado 80112, and our phone number is (720) 437-6580. Our corporate website address is http://www.aytubio.com. The information contained on, connected to or that can be accessed via our website is not part of this prospectus. We have included our website address in this prospectus as an inactive textual reference only and not as an active hyperlink.   

 

 

 5 

 

THE OFFERING

 

Issuer    Aytu BioScience, Inc.
     
Class A Units offered   We are offering         Class A Units. Each Class A Unit consists of one share of common stock and a warrant to purchase one half of one share of our common stock (together with the shares of common stock underlying such warrants).
     
Public offering price per Class A Unit   $           per Class A Unit.
     
Class B Units offered   We are also offering to those purchasers whose purchase of Class A Units in this offering would result in the purchaser, together with its affiliates and certain related parties, beneficially owning more than 4.99% (or, at the election of the purchaser, 9.99%) of our outstanding common stock following the consummation of this offering, the opportunity to purchase, in lieu of the number of Class A Units that would result in ownership in excess of 4.99% (or, at the election of the purchaser, 9.99%) of our outstanding common stock,            Class B Units. Each Class B Unit consists of one share of Series C Preferred Stock, par value $0.0001 per share, convertible into one share of common stock and a warrant to purchase one half of one share of our common stock (together with the shares of our common stock underlying such shares of Series C Preferred Stock and warrants).
     

Public offering price per Class B Unit

 

$            per Class B Unit.

     
Over-allotment option   The underwriters have the option to purchase up to        additional shares of common stock, and/or warrants to purchase shares of common stock solely to cover over-allotments, if any, at the price to the public less the underwriting discounts and commissions. The over-allotment option may be used to purchase shares of common stock, or warrants, or any combination thereof, as determined by the underwriters, but such purchases cannot exceed an aggregate of 15% of the number of shares of common stock (including the number of shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of shares of Series C Preferred Stock) and warrants sold in the primary offering. The over-allotment option is exercisable for 45 days from the date of this prospectus.
     

Warrants

 

  The warrants will be exercisable beginning on the date of issuance and expire on the five (5) year anniversary of the date of issuance at an initial exercise price per share equal to          , subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of recapitalization events, stock dividends, stock splits, stock combinations, reclassifications, reorganizations or similar events affecting our common stock.
     
Series C Preferred Stock  

Each share of Series C Preferred Stock is convertible at any time at the holder’s option into one share of common stock.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, we shall not effect any conversion of Series C Preferred Stock, with certain exceptions, to the extent that, after giving effect to an attempted conversion, the holder of shares of Series C Preferred Stock (together with such holder’s affiliates, and any persons acting as a group together with such holder or any of such holder’s affiliates) would beneficially own a number of shares of our common stock in excess of 4.99% (or, at the election of the purchaser prior to the date of issuance, 9.99%) of the shares of our common stock then outstanding after giving effect to such conversion. For additional information, see “Description of Capital Stock — Series C Preferred Stock” for a discussion of the terms of the Series C Preferred.

 

 6 

 

Common stock outstanding before this offering   1,801,411 shares
     
Common stock to be outstanding immediately after this offering            shares, or           shares if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of common stock (on an as-converted to common stock basis with respect to any shares of Series C Preferred Stock sold).
     
Use of proceeds   We estimate that the net proceeds to us from this offering will be approximately $          million, based on an assumed offering price of $        per Class A Unit and $           per Class B Unit, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes, including working capital. See “Use of Proceeds” for additional information.
     
Risk factors   This investment involves a high degree of risk. You should read the description of risks set forth under “Risk Factors” beginning on page 8 of this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein for a discussion of factors to consider before deciding to purchase our securities.
     
NASDAQ Capital Market trading symbol of common stock  

“AYTU”

     
No listing of Series C Preferred Stock or warrants   There is no established public trading market for the warrants or Series C Preferred Stock, and we do not expect an active trading market to develop. We do not intend to list the warrants or the Series C Preferred Stock on any securities exchange or other trading market. Without an active trading market, the liquidity of the warrants and the Series C Preferred Stock will be limited.
     
Registered Securities   This prospectus also relates to the offering of the shares issuable upon conversion of the Series C Preferred Stock and upon exercise of the warrants included in the Units.

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all information in this prospectus assumes no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional shares of common stock and/or warrants to cover over-allotments, if any, and excludes as of August 31, 2018:

 

1,798 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding stock options under our 2015 Stock Option and Incentive Plan at a weighted average exercise price of $325.97 per share;

 

1,882,661 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants with a weighted average exercise price of $25.94 per share; and

 

shares of common stock underlying the warrants and Series C Preferred Stock included in the Units.

 

 7 

 

RISK FACTORS

 

Investing in our securities includes a high degree of risk. Prior to making a decision about investing in our securities, you should consider carefully the specific factors discussed below, together with all of the other information contained in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference, including the risks identified under “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected by these risks.

 

Risks Related to Our Financial Condition and Capital Requirements

  

We have a limited operating history, have incurred losses, and can give no assurance of profitability.

 

We are a commercial-stage healthcare company with a limited operating history. Prior to implementing our commercial strategy in the fourth calendar quarter of 2015, we did not have a focus on profitability. As a result, we have not generated substantial revenue to date and are not profitable and have incurred losses in each year since our inception. Our net loss for the years ended June 30, 2018 and 2017 was $10.2 million and $22.5million, respectively. We have not demonstrated the ability to be a profit-generating enterprise to date. Even though we expect to have revenue growth in the next several fiscal years, it is uncertain that the revenue growth will be significant enough to offset our expenses and generate a profit in the future. Our ability to generate significant revenue is uncertain, and we may never achieve profitability. We have a very limited operating history on which investors can evaluate our potential for future success. Potential investors should evaluate us in light of the expenses, delays, uncertainties, and complications typically encountered by early-stage healthcare businesses, many of which will be beyond our control. These risks include the following:

 

uncertain market acceptance of our products and product candidates;

 

lack of sufficient capital;

 

U.S. regulatory approval of our products and product candidates;

 

foreign regulatory approval of our products and product candidates;

 

unanticipated problems, delays, and expense relating to product development and implementation;

 

lack of sufficient intellectual property;

 

the ability to attract and retain qualified employees;

 

competition; and

 

technological changes.

 

As a result of our limited operating history, and the increasingly competitive nature of the markets in which we compete, our historical financial data, is of limited value in anticipating future operating expenses. Our planned expense levels will be based in part on our expectations concerning future operations, which is difficult to forecast accurately based on our limited operating history and the recentness of the acquisition of our products Natesto, ZolpiMist, and MiOXSYS. We may be unable to adjust spending in a timely manner to compensate for any unexpected budgetary shortfall.

  

We have not received any substantial revenues from the commercialization of our current products to date and might not receive significant revenues from the commercialization of our current products or our product candidates in the near term. Even though Natesto and ZolpiMist are each an approved drug that we are marketing, we only acquired Natesto in April 2016 and ZolpiMist in June 2018. In addition, we only launched our MiOXSYS device in early fiscal 2017. As a result, we have limited experience on which to base the revenue we could expect to receive from sales of these products. To obtain revenues from our products and product candidates, we must succeed, either alone or with others, in a range of challenging activities, including expanding markets for our existing products and completing clinical trials of our product candidates, obtaining positive results from those clinical trials, achieving marketing approval for those product candidates, manufacturing, marketing and selling our existing products and those products for which we, or our collaborators, may obtain marketing approval, satisfying any post-marketing requirements and obtaining reimbursement for our products from private insurance or government payors. We, and our collaborators, if any, may never succeed in these activities and, even if we do, or one of our collaborators does, we may never generate revenues that are sufficient enough for us to achieve profitability.

 

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We may need to raise additional funding, which may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. Failure to obtain necessary capital when needed may force us to delay, limit or terminate our product expansion and development efforts or other operations.

 

We are expending resources to expand the market for Natesto, ZolpiMist, and MiOXSYS, none of which might be as successful as we anticipate or at all and all of which might take longer and be more expensive to market than we anticipate. We also are currently advancing our MiOXSYS device through clinical development. Developing product candidates is expensive, lengthy and risky, and we expect to incur research and development expenses in connection with our ongoing clinical development activities with the MiOXSYS System. As of June 30, 2018, our cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash totaling $7.1 million, available to fund our operations offset by an aggregate $2.3 million in accounts payable and other and accrued liabilities. In November 2016, we conducted a public offering of our common stock and warrants from which we received gross proceeds of approximately $8.6 million. We closed on a private placement of common stock, Series A preferred stock and warrants in August 2017 from which we received gross proceeds of approximately $11.8 million. We also closed on an underwritten public offering of our common stock, warrants, and Series B preferred stock in March 2018 from which we received gross proceeds of approximately $12.9 million. Our operating plan may change as a result of many factors currently unknown to us, and we may need to seek additional funds sooner than planned, through public or private equity or debt financings, government or other third-party funding, marketing and distribution arrangements and other collaborations, strategic alliances and licensing arrangements or a combination of these approaches. In any event, we will require additional capital to continue the expansion of marketing efforts for Natesto and ZolpiMist and to obtain regulatory approval for, and to commercialize, our current product candidate, the MiOXSYS System. Raising funds in the current economic environment, as well our lack of operating history, may present additional challenges. Even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans, we may seek additional capital if market conditions are favorable or if we have specific strategic considerations.

 

Any additional fundraising efforts may divert our management from their day-to-day activities, which may adversely affect our ability to expand any existing product or develop and commercialize our product candidates. In addition, we cannot guarantee that future financing will be available in sufficient amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all. Moreover, the terms of any financing may adversely affect the holdings or the rights of our stockholders and the issuance of additional securities, whether equity or debt, by us, or the possibility of such issuance, may cause the market price of our shares to decline. The sale of additional equity or convertible securities would dilute all of our stockholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased fixed payment obligations and we may be required to agree to certain restrictive covenants, such as limitations on our ability to incur additional debt, limitations on our ability to acquire, sell or license intellectual property rights and other operating restrictions that could adversely impact our ability to conduct our business. We could also be required to seek funds through arrangements with collaborative partners or otherwise at an earlier stage than otherwise would be desirable and we may be required to relinquish rights to some of our technologies or product candidates or otherwise agree to terms unfavorable to us, any of which may have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and prospects.

  

If we are unable to obtain funding on a timely basis, we may be unable to expand the market for Natesto, ZolpiMist, or MiOXSYS and/or be required to significantly curtail, delay or discontinue one or more of our research or development programs for the MiOXSYS system, or any future product candidate or expand our operations generally or otherwise capitalize on our business opportunities, as desired, which could materially affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

If we do not obtain the capital necessary to fund our operations, we will be unable to successfully expand the commercialization of Natesto and ZolpiMist and to develop, obtain regulatory approval of, and commercialize, our current product candidate, the MiOXSYS System.

 

The expansion of marketing and commercialization activities for our existing products and the development of pharmaceutical products, medical diagnostics and medical devices is capital-intensive. We anticipate we may require additional financing to continue to fund our operations. Our future capital requirements will depend on, and could increase significantly as a result of, many factors including:

 

the costs, progress and timing of our efforts to expand the marketing of Natesto and ZolpiMist;

 

progress in, and the costs of, our pre-clinical studies and clinical trials and other research and development programs;

 

the costs of securing manufacturing arrangements for commercial production;

  

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the scope, prioritization and number of our research and development programs;

 

the achievement of milestones or occurrence of other developments that trigger payments under any collaboration agreements we obtain;

 

the costs of establishing, expanding or contracting for sales and marketing capabilities for any existing products and if we obtain regulatory clearances to market our current product candidate, the MiOXSYS system;

 

the extent to which we are obligated to reimburse, or entitled to reimbursement of, clinical trial costs under future collaboration agreements, if any; and

 

the costs involved in filing, prosecuting, enforcing and defending patent claims and other intellectual property rights.

 

If funds are not available, we may be required to delay, reduce the scope of, or eliminate one or more of our commercialization efforts or our technologies, research or development programs.

 

We will incur increased costs associated with, and our management will need to devote substantial time and effort to, compliance with public company reporting and other requirements.

 

As a public company, we incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses. In addition, the rules and regulations of the SEC and any national securities exchange to which we may be subject in the future impose numerous requirements on public companies, including requirements relating to our corporate governance practices, with which we will need to comply. Further, we will continue to be required to, among other things, file annual, quarterly and current reports with respect to our business and operating results. Based on currently available information and assumptions, we estimate that we will incur up to approximately $500,000 in expenses on an annual basis as a direct result of the requirements of being a publicly traded company. Our management and other personnel will need to devote substantial time to gaining expertise regarding operations as a public company and compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and our efforts and initiatives to comply with those requirements could be expensive.

 

If we fail to establish and maintain proper internal controls, our ability to produce accurate financial statements or comply with applicable regulations could be impaired.

 

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, our management conducted an assessment of the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting for the year ended June 30, 2018 and concluded that such control was effective.

  

However, if in the future we were to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting were not effective, we cannot be certain as to the timing of completion of our evaluation, testing and remediation actions or their effect on our operations because there is presently no precedent available by which to measure compliance adequacy. As a consequence, we may not be able to complete any necessary remediation process in time to meet our deadline for compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Also, there can be no assurance that we will not identify one or more material weaknesses in our internal controls in connection with evaluating our compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The presence of material weaknesses could result in financial statement errors which, in turn, could require us to restate our operating results.

 

If we are unable to conclude that we have effective internal control over financial reporting or if our independent auditors are unwilling or unable to provide us, when required, with an attestation report on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, investors may lose confidence in our operating results, our stock price could decline and we may be subject to litigation or regulatory enforcement actions. In addition, if we are unable to meet the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, we may not be able to maintain listing on the NASDAQ Capital Market.

 

Risks Related to Product Development, Regulatory Approval and Commercialization

 

 10 

 

Natesto, ZolpiMist, and MiOXSYS may prove to be difficult to effectively commercialize as planned.

 

Various commercial, regulatory, and manufacturing factors may impact our ability to maintain or grow revenues from sales of Natesto, MiOXSYS, ProstaScint and Fiera. Specifically, we may encounter difficulty by virtue of:

 

our inability to adequately market and increase sales of any of these products;

 

our inability to secure continuing prescribing of any of these products by current or previous users of the product;

 

our inability to effectively transfer and scale manufacturing as needed to maintain an adequate commercial supply of these products;

 

reimbursement and medical policy changes that may adversely affect the pricing, profitability or commercial appeal of Natesto, ZolpiMist, or MiOXSYS; and

 

our inability to effectively identify and align with commercial partners outside the U.S., or the inability of those selected partners to gain the required regulatory, reimbursement, and other approvals needed to enable commercial success of MiOXSYS.

 

We have limited experience selling our current products as they were acquired from other companies or were recently approved for sale. As a result, we may be unable to successfully commercialize our products and product candidates.

 

Despite our management’s extensive experience in launching and managing commercial-stage healthcare companies, we have limited marketing, sales and distribution experience with our current products. Our ability to achieve profitability depends on attracting and retaining customers for our current products, and building brand loyalty for Natesto, ZolpiMist, and MiOXSYS. To successfully perform sales, marketing, distribution and customer support functions, we will face a number of risks, including:

 

our ability to attract and retain skilled support team, marketing staff and sales force necessary to increase the market for our approved products and to maintain market acceptance for our product candidates;

 

the ability of our sales and marketing team to identify and penetrate the potential customer base; and

 

the difficulty of establishing brand recognition and loyalty for our products.

 

In addition, we may seek to enlist one or more third parties to assist with sales, distribution and customer support globally or in certain regions of the world. If we do seek to enter into these arrangements, we may not be successful in attracting desirable sales and distribution partners, or we may not be able to enter into these arrangements on favorable terms, or at all. If our sales and marketing efforts, or those of any third-party sales and distribution partners, are not successful, our currently approved products may not achieve increased market acceptance and our product candidates may not gain market acceptance, which would materially impact our business and operations.

  

We cannot be certain that we will be able to obtain regulatory approval for, or successfully commercialize, any of our current or future product candidates.

 

We may not be able to develop our current or any future product candidates. Our product candidates will require substantial additional clinical development, testing, and regulatory approval before we are permitted to commence commercialization. The clinical trials of our product candidates are, and the manufacturing and marketing of our product candidates will be, subject to extensive and rigorous review and regulation by numerous government authorities in the U.S. and in other countries where we intend to test and, if approved, market any product candidate. Before obtaining regulatory approvals for the commercial sale of any product candidate, we must demonstrate through pre-clinical testing and clinical trials that the product candidate is safe and effective for use in each target indication. This process can take many years and may include post-marketing studies and surveillance, which will require the expenditure of substantial resources. Of the large number of drugs in development in the U.S., only a small percentage successfully completes the FDA regulatory approval process and is commercialized. Accordingly, even if we are able to obtain the requisite financing to continue to fund our development and clinical programs, we cannot assure you that any of our product candidates will be successfully developed or commercialized.

 

 11 

 

We are not permitted to market a product in the U.S. until we receive approval of a New Drug Application, or an NDA, for that product from the FDA, or in any foreign countries until we receive the requisite approval from such countries. Obtaining approval of an NDA is a complex, lengthy, expensive and uncertain process, and the FDA may delay, limit or deny approval of any product candidate for many reasons, including, among others:

 

we may not be able to demonstrate that a product candidate is safe and effective to the satisfaction of the FDA;

 

the results of our clinical trials may not meet the level of statistical or clinical significance required by the FDA for marketing approval;

 

the FDA may disagree with the number, design, size, conduct or implementation of our clinical trials;

 

the FDA may require that we conduct additional clinical trials;

 

the FDA may not approve the formulation, labeling or specifications of any product candidate;

 

the clinical research organizations, or CROs, that we retain to conduct our clinical trials may take actions outside of our control that materially adversely impact our clinical trials;

 

the FDA may find the data from pre-clinical studies and clinical trials insufficient to demonstrate that a product candidate’s clinical and other benefits outweigh its safety risks, such as the risk of drug abuse by patients or the public in general;

 

the FDA may disagree with our interpretation of data from our pre-clinical studies and clinical trials;

 

the FDA may not accept data generated at our clinical trial sites;

 

if an NDA, if and when submitted, is reviewed by an advisory committee, the FDA may have difficulties scheduling an advisory committee meeting in a timely manner or the advisory committee may recommend against approval of our application or may recommend that the FDA require, as a condition of approval, additional pre-clinical studies or clinical trials, limitations on approved labeling or distribution and use restrictions;

 

the FDA may require development of a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy, or REMS, as a condition of approval or post-approval;

 

the FDA may not approve the manufacturing processes or facilities of third-party manufacturers with which we contract; or

 

the FDA may change its approval policies or adopt new regulations.

  

These same risks apply to applicable foreign regulatory agencies from which we may seek approval for any of our product candidates.

 

Any of these factors, many of which are beyond our control, could jeopardize our ability to obtain regulatory approval for and successfully market any product candidate. Moreover, because a substantial portion of our business is or may be dependent upon our product candidates, any such setback in our pursuit of initial or additional regulatory approval would have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects.

 

If we fail to successfully acquire new products, we may lose market position.

 

Acquiring new products is an important factor in our planned sales growth, including products that already have been developed and found market acceptance. If we fail to identify existing or emerging consumer markets and trends and to acquire new products, we will not develop a strong revenue source to help pay for our development activities as well as possible acquisitions. This failure would delay implementation of our business plan, which could have a negative adverse effect on our business and prospects.

 

If we do not secure collaborations with strategic partners to test, commercialize and manufacture product candidates, we may not be able to successfully develop products and generate meaningful revenues.

 

We may enter into collaborations with third parties to conduct clinical testing, as well as to commercialize and manufacture our products and product candidates. If we are able to identify and reach an agreement with one or more collaborators, our ability to generate revenues from these arrangements will depend on our collaborators’ abilities to successfully perform the functions assigned to them in these arrangements. Collaboration agreements typically call for milestone payments that depend on successful demonstration of efficacy and safety, obtaining regulatory approvals, and clinical trial results. Collaboration revenues are not guaranteed, even when efficacy and safety are demonstrated. Further, the economic environment at any given time may result in potential collaborators electing to reduce their external spending, which may prevent us from developing our product candidates.

 

 12 

 

Even if we succeed in securing collaborators, the collaborators may fail to develop or effectively commercialize our products or product candidates. Collaborations involving our product candidates pose a number of risks, including the following:

 

collaborators may not have sufficient resources or may decide not to devote the necessary resources due to internal constraints such as budget limitations, lack of human resources, or a change in strategic focus;

 

collaborators may believe our intellectual property is not valid or is unenforceable or the product candidate infringes on the intellectual property rights of others;

 

collaborators may dispute their responsibility to conduct development and commercialization activities pursuant to the applicable collaboration, including the payment of related costs or the division of any revenues;

 

collaborators may decide to pursue a competitive product developed outside of the collaboration arrangement;

 

collaborators may not be able to obtain, or believe they cannot obtain, the necessary regulatory approvals;

 

collaborators may delay the development or commercialization of our product candidates in favor of developing or commercializing their own or another party’s product candidate; or

 

collaborators may decide to terminate or not to renew the collaboration for these or other reasons.

 

As a result, collaboration agreements may not lead to development or commercialization of our product candidates in the most efficient manner or at all. For example, our former collaborator that licensed our former product candidate, Zertane conducted clinical trials which we believe demonstrated efficacy in treating PE, but the collaborator undertook a merger that we believe altered its strategic focus and thereafter terminated the collaboration agreement. The Merger also created a potential conflict with a principal customer of the acquired company, which sells a product to treat premature ejaculation in certain European markets.

  

Collaboration agreements are generally terminable without cause on short notice. Once a collaboration agreement is signed, it may not lead to commercialization of a product candidate. We also face competition in seeking out collaborators. If we are unable to secure collaborations that achieve the collaborator’s objectives and meet our expectations, we may be unable to advance our products or product candidates and may not generate meaningful revenues.

 

We or our strategic partners may choose not to continue an existing product or choose not to develop a product candidate at any time during development, which would reduce or eliminate our potential return on investment for that product.

 

At any time and for any reason, we or our strategic partners may decide to discontinue the development or commercialization of a product or product candidate. If we terminate a program in which we have invested significant resources, we will reduce the return, or not receive any return, on our investment and we will have missed the opportunity to have allocated those resources to potentially more productive uses. If one of our strategic partners terminates a program, we will not receive any future milestone payments or royalties relating to that program under our agreement with that party. As an example, we discontinued the development of Zertane in June 2016, sold Primsol in March 2017, and abandoned Fiera and ProstaScint in June 2018.

 

Our pre-commercial product candidates are expected to undergo clinical trials that are time-consuming and expensive, the outcomes of which are unpredictable, and for which there is a high risk of failure. If clinical trials of our product candidates fail to satisfactorily demonstrate safety and efficacy to the FDA and other regulators, we or our collaborators may incur additional costs or experience delays in completing, or ultimately be unable to complete, the development and commercialization of these product candidates.

 

 13 

 

Pre-clinical testing and clinical trials are long, expensive and unpredictable processes that can be subject to extensive delays. We cannot guarantee that any clinical studies will be conducted as planned or completed on schedule, if at all. It may take several years to complete the pre-clinical testing and clinical development necessary to commercialize a drug, and delays or failure can occur at any stage. Interim results of clinical trials do not necessarily predict final results, and success in pre-clinical testing and early clinical trials does not ensure that later clinical trials will be successful. A number of companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries have suffered significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials even after promising results in earlier trials and we cannot be certain that we will not face similar setbacks. The design of a clinical trial can determine whether its results will support approval of a product and flaws in the design of a clinical trial may not become apparent until the clinical trial is well advanced. An unfavorable outcome in one or more trials would be a major set-back for that product candidate and for us. Due to our limited financial resources, an unfavorable outcome in one or more trials may require us to delay, reduce the scope of, or eliminate one or more product development programs, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects and financial condition and on the value of our common stock.

 

In connection with clinical testing and trials, we face a number of risks, including:

 

a product candidate is ineffective, inferior to existing approved medicines, unacceptably toxic, or has unacceptable side effects;

 

patients may die or suffer other adverse effects for reasons that may or may not be related to the product candidate being tested;

 

the results may not confirm the positive results of earlier testing or trials; and

 

the results may not meet the level of statistical significance required by the FDA or other regulatory agencies to establish the safety and efficacy of the product candidate.

 

If we do not successfully complete pre-clinical and clinical development, we will be unable to market and sell products derived from our product candidates and generate revenues. Even if we do successfully complete clinical trials, those results are not necessarily predictive of results of additional trials that may be needed before an NDA may be submitted to the FDA. Although there are a large number of drugs in development in the U.S. and other countries, only a small percentage result in the submission of an NDA to the FDA, even fewer are approved for commercialization, and only a small number achieve widespread physician and consumer acceptance following regulatory approval. If our clinical trials are substantially delayed or fail to prove the safety and effectiveness of our product candidates in development, we may not receive regulatory approval of any of these product candidates and our business, prospects and financial condition will be materially harmed.

 

Delays, suspensions and terminations in any clinical trial we undertake could result in increased costs to us and delay or prevent our ability to generate revenues.

 

Human clinical trials are very expensive, time-consuming, and difficult to design, implement and complete. Should we undertake the development of a pharmaceutical product candidate, we would expect the necessary clinical trials to take up to 24 months to complete, but the completion of trials for any product candidates may be delayed for a variety of reasons, including delays in:

 

demonstrating sufficient safety and efficacy to obtain regulatory approval to commence a clinical trial;

 

reaching agreement on acceptable terms with prospective CROs and clinical trial sites;

 

validating test methods to support quality testing of the drug substance and drug product;

 

obtaining sufficient quantities of the drug substance or device parts;

 

manufacturing sufficient quantities of a product candidate;

 

obtaining approval of an IND from the FDA;

 

obtaining institutional review board approval to conduct a clinical trial at a prospective clinical trial site;

 

determining dosing and clinical design and making related adjustments; and

 

patient enrollment, which is a function of many factors, including the size of the patient population, the nature of the protocol, the proximity of patients to clinical trial sites, the availability of effective treatments for the relevant disease and the eligibility criteria for the clinical trial.

 

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The commencement and completion of clinical trials for our product candidates may be delayed, suspended or terminated due to a number of factors, including:

 

lack of effectiveness of product candidates during clinical trials;

 

adverse events, safety issues or side effects relating to the product candidates or their formulation or design;

 

inability to raise additional capital in sufficient amounts to continue clinical trials or development programs, which are very expensive;

 

the need to sequence clinical trials as opposed to conducting them concomitantly in order to conserve resources;

 

our inability to enter into collaborations relating to the development and commercialization of our product candidates;

 

failure by us or our collaborators to conduct clinical trials in accordance with regulatory requirements;

 

our inability or the inability of our collaborators to manufacture or obtain from third parties materials sufficient for use in pre-clinical studies and clinical trials;

 

governmental or regulatory delays and changes in regulatory requirements, policy and guidelines, including mandated changes in the scope or design of clinical trials or requests for supplemental information with respect to clinical trial results;

 

failure of our collaborators to advance our product candidates through clinical development;

 

delays in patient enrollment, variability in the number and types of patients available for clinical trials, and lower-than anticipated retention rates for patients in clinical trials;

 

difficulty in patient monitoring and data collection due to failure of patients to maintain contact after treatment;

 

a regional disturbance where we or our collaborative partners are enrolling patients in our clinical trials, such as a pandemic, terrorist activities or war, or a natural disaster; and

 

varying interpretations of our data, and regulatory commitments and requirements by the FDA and similar foreign regulatory agencies.

 

Many of these factors may also ultimately lead to denial of an NDA for a product candidate. If we experience delay, suspensions or terminations in a clinical trial, the commercial prospects for the related product candidate will be harmed, and our ability to generate product revenues will be delayed.

 

In addition, we may encounter delays or product candidate rejections based on new governmental regulations, future legislative or administrative actions, or changes in FDA policy or interpretation during the period of product development. If we obtain required regulatory approvals, such approvals may later be withdrawn. Delays or failures in obtaining regulatory approvals may result in:

 

varying interpretations of data and commitments by the FDA and similar foreign regulatory agencies; and

 

diminishment of any competitive advantages that such product candidates may have or attain.

 

Furthermore, if we fail to comply with applicable FDA and other regulatory requirements at any stage during this regulatory process, we may encounter or be subject to:

 

diminishment of any competitive advantages that such product candidates may have or attain;

 

delays or termination in clinical trials or commercialization;

 

refusal by the FDA or similar foreign regulatory agencies to review pending applications or supplements to approved applications;

 

product recalls or seizures;

 

suspension of manufacturing;

 

withdrawals of previously approved marketing applications; and

 

fines, civil penalties, and criminal prosecutions.

 

 15 

 

The medical device regulatory clearance or approval process is expensive, time consuming and uncertain, and the failure to obtain and maintain required clearances or approvals could prevent us from broadly commercializing the MiOXSYS System for clinical use.

 

The MiOXSYS System is subject to 510k de novo clearance by the FDA prior to its marketing for commercial use in the U.S., and to regulatory approvals beyond CE marking required by certain foreign governmental entities prior to its marketing outside the U.S. In addition, any changes or modifications to a device that has received regulatory clearance or approval that could significantly affect its safety or effectiveness, or would constitute a major change in its intended use, may require the submission of a new application for 510k de novo clearance, pre-market approval, or foreign regulatory approvals. The 510k de novo clearance and pre-market approval processes, as well as the process of obtaining foreign approvals, can be expensive, time consuming and uncertain. It generally takes from four to twelve months from submission to obtain 510k de novo clearance, and from one to three years from submission to obtain pre-market approval; however, it may take longer, and 510k de novo clearance or pre-market approval may never be obtained. We have limited experience in filing FDA applications for 510k de novo clearance and pre-market approval. In addition, we are required to continue to comply with applicable FDA and other regulatory requirements even after obtaining clearance or approval. There can be no assurance that we will obtain or maintain any required clearance or approval on a timely basis, or at all. Any failure to obtain or any material delay in obtaining FDA clearance or any failure to maintain compliance with FDA regulatory requirements could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

  

The approval process for pharmaceutical and medical device products outside the U.S. varies among countries and may limit our ability to develop, manufacture and sell our products internationally. Failure to obtain marketing approval in international jurisdictions would prevent our product candidates from being marketed abroad.

 

In order to market and sell our products in the European Union and many other jurisdictions, we, and our collaborators, must obtain separate marketing approvals and comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements. The approval procedure varies among countries and may involve additional testing. We may conduct clinical trials for, and seek regulatory approval to market, our product candidates in countries other than the U.S. Depending on the results of clinical trials and the process for obtaining regulatory approvals in other countries, we may decide to first seek regulatory approvals of a product candidate in countries other than the U.S., or we may simultaneously seek regulatory approvals in the U.S. and other countries. If we or our collaborators seek marketing approval for a product candidate outside the U.S., we will be subject to the regulatory requirements of health authorities in each country in which we seek approval. With respect to marketing authorizations in Europe, we will be required to submit a European Marketing Authorisation Application, or MAA, to the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, which conducts a validation and scientific approval process in evaluating a product for safety and efficacy. The approval procedure varies among regions and countries and may involve additional testing, and the time required to obtain approval may differ from that required to obtain FDA approval.

 

Obtaining regulatory approvals from health authorities in countries outside the U.S. is likely to subject us to all of the risks associated with obtaining FDA approval described above. In addition, marketing approval by the FDA does not ensure approval by the health authorities of any other country, and approval by foreign health authorities does not ensure marketing approval by the FDA.

 

Even if we, or our collaborators, obtain marketing approvals for our product candidates, the terms of approvals and ongoing regulation of our products may limit how we or they market our products, which could materially impair our ability to generate revenue.

 

Even if we receive regulatory approval for a product candidate, this approval may carry conditions that limit the market for the product or put the product at a competitive disadvantage relative to alternative therapies. For instance, a regulatory approval may limit the indicated uses for which we can market a product or the patient population that may utilize the product, or may be required to carry a warning in its labeling and on its packaging. Products with black box warnings are subject to more restrictive advertising regulations than products without such warnings. These restrictions could make it more difficult to market any product candidate effectively. Accordingly, assuming we, or our collaborators, receive marketing approval for one or more of our product candidates, we, and our collaborators expect to continue to expend time, money and effort in all areas of regulatory compliance.

 

Any of our products and product candidates for which we, or our collaborators, obtain marketing approval in the future could be subject to post-marketing restrictions or withdrawal from the market and we, and our collaborators, may be subject to substantial penalties if we, or they, fail to comply with regulatory requirements or if we, or they, experience unanticipated problems with our products following approval.

 

Any of our approved products and product candidates for which we, or our collaborators, obtain marketing approval, as well as the manufacturing processes, post approval studies and measures, labeling, advertising and promotional activities for such products, among other things, are or will be subject to continual requirements of and review by the FDA and other regulatory authorities. These requirements include submissions of safety and other post-marketing information and reports, registration and listing requirements, requirements relating to manufacturing, quality control, quality assurance and corresponding maintenance of records and documents, requirements regarding the distribution of samples to physicians and recordkeeping. Even if marketing approval of a product candidate is granted, the approval may be subject to limitations on the indicated uses for which the product may be marketed or to the conditions of approval, including the FDA requirement to implement a REMS to ensure that the benefits of a drug outweigh its risks.

 

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The FDA may also impose requirements for costly post-marketing studies or clinical trials and surveillance to monitor the safety or efficacy of a product. The FDA and other agencies, including the Department of Justice, closely regulate and monitor the post-approval marketing and promotion of products to ensure that they are manufactured, marketed and distributed only for the approved indications and in accordance with the provisions of the approved labeling. The FDA imposes stringent restrictions on manufacturers’ communications regarding off-label use and if we, or our collaborators, do not market any of our product candidates for which we, or they, receive marketing approval for only their approved indications, we, or they, may be subject to warnings or enforcement action for off-label marketing. Violation of the FDCA and other statutes, including the False Claims Act, relating to the promotion and advertising of prescription drugs may lead to investigations or allegations of violations of federal and state health care fraud and abuse laws and state consumer protection laws.

 

If we do not achieve our projected development and commercialization goals in the timeframes we announce and expect, the commercialization of our product candidates may be delayed, and our business will be harmed.

 

We sometimes estimate for planning purposes the timing of the accomplishment of various scientific, clinical, regulatory and other product development objectives. These milestones may include our expectations regarding the commencement or completion of scientific studies and clinical trials, the submission of regulatory filings, or commercialization objectives. From time to time, we may publicly announce the expected timing of some of these milestones, such as the initiation or completion of an ongoing clinical trial, the initiation of other clinical programs, receipt of marketing approval, or a commercial launch of a product. The achievement of many of these milestones may be outside of our control. All of such milestones are based on a variety of assumptions which may cause the timing of achievement of the milestones to vary considerably from our estimates, including:

 

our available capital resources or capital constraints we experience;

 

the rate of progress, costs and results of our clinical trials and research and development activities, including the extent of scheduling conflicts with participating clinicians and collaborators, and our ability to identify and enroll patients who meet clinical trial eligibility criteria;

 

our receipt of approvals from the FDA and other regulatory agencies and the timing thereof;

 

other actions, decisions or rules issued by regulators;

 

our ability to access sufficient, reliable and affordable supplies of compounds used in the manufacture of our product candidates;

 

the efforts of our collaborators with respect to the commercialization of our products; and

 

the securing of, costs related to, and timing issues associated with, product manufacturing as well as sales and marketing activities.

 

If we fail to achieve announced milestones in the timeframes we announce and expect, the commercialization of our product candidates may be delayed and our business, prospects and results of operations may be harmed.

 

We rely on third parties to conduct our clinical trials and perform data collection and analysis, which may result in costs and delays that prevent us from successfully commercializing product candidates.

 

We rely, and will rely in the future, on medical institutions, clinical investigators, contract research organizations, contract laboratories, and collaborators to perform data collection and analysis and others to carry out our clinical trials. Our development activities or clinical trials conducted in reliance on third parties may be delayed, suspended, or terminated if:

 

the third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or fail to meet regulatory obligations or expected deadlines;

 

we replace a third party; or

 

the quality or accuracy of the data obtained by third parties is compromised due to their failure to adhere to clinical protocols, regulatory requirements, or for other reasons.

 

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Third party performance failures may increase our development costs, delay our ability to obtain regulatory approval, and delay or prevent the commercialization of our product candidates. While we believe that there are numerous alternative sources to provide these services, in the event that we seek such alternative sources, we may not be able to enter into replacement arrangements without incurring delays or additional costs.

 

Even if collaborators with which we contract in the future successfully complete clinical trials of our product candidates, those product candidates may not be commercialized successfully for other reasons.

 

Even if we contract with collaborators that successfully complete clinical trials for one or more of our product candidates, those candidates may not be commercialized for other reasons, including:

 

failure to receive regulatory clearances required to market them as drugs;

 

being subject to proprietary rights held by others;

 

being difficult or expensive to manufacture on a commercial scale;

 

having adverse side effects that make their use less desirable; or

 

failing to compete effectively with products or treatments commercialized by competitors.

 

Any third-party manufacturers we engage are subject to various governmental regulations, and we may incur significant expenses to comply with, and experience delays in, our product commercialization as a result of these regulations.

 

The manufacturing processes and facilities of third-party manufacturers we have engaged for our current approved products are, and any future third-party manufacturer will be, required to comply with the federal Quality System Regulation, or QSR, which covers procedures and documentation of the design, testing, production, control, quality assurance, labeling, packaging, sterilization, storage and shipping of devices. The FDA enforces the QSR through periodic unannounced inspections of manufacturing facilities. Any inspection by the FDA could lead to additional compliance requests that could cause delays in our product commercialization. Failure to comply with applicable FDA requirements, or later discovery of previously unknown problems with the manufacturing processes and facilities of third-party manufacturers we engage, including the failure to take satisfactory corrective actions in response to an adverse QSR inspection, can result in, among other things:

 

administrative or judicially imposed sanctions;

 

injunctions or the imposition of civil penalties;

 

recall or seizure of the product in question;

 

total or partial suspension of production or distribution;

 

the FDA’s refusal to grant pending future clearance or pre-market approval;

 

withdrawal or suspension of marketing clearances or approvals;

 

clinical holds;

 

warning letters;

 

refusal to permit the export of the product in question; and

 

criminal prosecution.

 

Any of these actions, in combination or alone, could prevent us from marketing, distributing or selling our products, and would likely harm our business.

 

In addition, a product defect or regulatory violation could lead to a government-mandated or voluntary recall by us. We believe the FDA would request that we initiate a voluntary recall if a product was defective or presented a risk of injury or gross deception. Regulatory agencies in other countries have similar authority to recall drugs or devices because of material deficiencies or defects in design or manufacture that could endanger health. Any recall would divert our management attention and financial resources, expose us to product liability or other claims, and harm our reputation with customers.

  

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We face substantial competition from companies with considerably more resources and experience than we have, which may result in others discovering, developing, receiving approval for, or commercializing products before or more successfully than us.

 

We compete with companies that design, manufacture and market already-existing and new urology and sexual wellbeing products. We anticipate that we will face increased competition in the future as new companies enter the market with new technologies and/or our competitors improve their current products. One or more of our competitors may offer technology superior to ours and render our technology obsolete or uneconomical. Most of our current competitors, as well as many of our potential competitors, have greater name recognition, more substantial intellectual property portfolios, longer operating histories, significantly greater resources to invest in new technologies, more substantial experience in product marketing and new product development, greater regulatory expertise, more extensive manufacturing capabilities and the distribution channels to deliver products to customers. If we are not able to compete successfully, we may not generate sufficient revenue to become profitable. Our ability to compete successfully will depend largely on our ability to:

 

expand the market for our approved products, especially Natesto, MiOXSYS and Fiera;

 

successfully commercialize our product candidates alone or with commercial partners;

 

discover and develop product candidates that are superior to other products in the market;

 

obtain required regulatory approvals;

 

attract and retain qualified personnel; and

 

obtain patent and/or other proprietary protection for our product candidates.

 

Established pharmaceutical companies devote significant financial resources to discovering, developing or licensing novel compounds that could make our products and product candidates obsolete. Our competitors may obtain patent protection, receive FDA approval, and commercialize medicines before us. Other companies are or may become engaged in the discovery of compounds that may compete with the product candidates we are developing.

 

Natesto competes in a large, growing market. The U.S. prescription testosterone market is comprised primarily of topically applied treatments in the form of gels, solutions, and patches. Testopel® and Aveed®, injectable products typically implanted directly under the skin by a physician, are also FDA-approved. AndroGel is the market-leading TRT and is marketed by AbbVie.

 

For ZolpiMist, we compete with companies that design, manufacture and market treatments for insomnia, some of which have a large market share. 

 

For the MiOXSYS System, we compete with companies that design, manufacture and market already existing and new in-vitro diagnostics and diagnostic imaging systems and radio-imaging agents for cancer detection.

 

We anticipate that we will face increased competition in the future as new companies enter the market with new technologies and our competitors improve their current products. One or more of our competitors may offer technology superior to ours and render our technology obsolete or uneconomical. Most of our current competitors, as well as many of our potential competitors, have greater name recognition, more substantial intellectual property portfolios, longer operating histories, significantly greater resources to invest in new technologies, more substantial experience in new product development, greater regulatory expertise, more extensive manufacturing capabilities and the distribution channels to deliver products to customers. If we are not able to compete successfully, we may not generate sufficient revenue to become profitable.

 

Any new product we develop or commercialize that competes with a currently-approved product must demonstrate compelling advantages in efficacy, convenience, tolerability and/or safety in order to address price competition and be commercially successful. If we are not able to compete effectively against our current and future competitors, our business will not grow and our financial condition and operations will suffer.

 

 19 

 

Government restrictions on pricing and reimbursement, as well as other healthcare payor cost-containment initiatives, may negatively impact our ability to generate revenues.

 

The continuing efforts of the government, insurance companies, managed care organizations and other payors of health care costs to contain or reduce costs of health care may adversely affect one or more of the following:

 

our or our collaborators’ ability to set a price we believe is fair for our approved products;

 

our ability to generate revenue from our approved products and achieve profitability; and

 

the availability of capital.

 

The 2010 enactments of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or PPACA, and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, or the Health Care Reconciliation Act, significantly impacted the provision of, and payment for, health care in the U.S. Various provisions of these laws are designed to expand Medicaid eligibility, subsidize insurance premiums, provide incentives for businesses to provide health care benefits, prohibit denials of coverage due to pre-existing conditions, establish health insurance exchanges, and provide additional support for medical research. Amendments to the PPACA and/or the Health Care Reconciliation Act, as well as new legislative proposals to reform healthcare and government insurance programs, along with the trend toward managed healthcare in the U.S., could influence the purchase of medicines and medical devices and reduce demand and prices for our products and product candidates, if approved. This could harm our or our collaborators’ ability to market any approved products and generate revenues. As we expect to receive significant revenues from reimbursement of our Natesto and ProstaScint products by commercial third-party payors and government payors, cost containment measures that health care payors and providers are instituting and the effect of further health care reform could significantly reduce potential revenues from the sale of any of our products and product candidates approved in the future, and could cause an increase in our compliance, manufacturing, or other operating expenses. In addition, in certain foreign markets, the pricing of prescription drugs and devices is subject to government control and reimbursement may in some cases be unavailable. We believe that pricing pressures at the federal and state level, as well as internationally, will continue and may increase, which may make it difficult for us to sell any approved product at a price acceptable to us or any of our future collaborators.

 

In addition, in some foreign countries, the proposed pricing for a drug or medical device must be approved before it may be lawfully marketed. The requirements governing pricing vary widely from country to country. For example, the European Union provides options for its member states to restrict the range of medicinal products for which their national health insurance systems provide reimbursement and to control the prices of medicinal products for human use. A member state may approve a specific price for the medicinal product or it may instead adopt a system of direct or indirect controls on the profitability of the company placing the medicinal product on the market. A member state may require that physicians prescribe the generic version of a drug instead of our approved branded product. There can be no assurance that any country that has price controls or reimbursement limitations for pharmaceutical products will allow favorable reimbursement and pricing arrangements for any of our products or product candidates. Historically, pharmaceutical products launched in the European Union do not follow price structures of the U.S. and generally tend to have significantly lower prices.

  

Our financial results will depend on the acceptance among hospitals, third-party payors and the medical community of our products and product candidates.

 

Our future success depends on the acceptance by our target customers, third-party payors and the medical community that our products and product candidates are reliable, safe and cost-effective. Many factors may affect the market acceptance and commercial success of our products and product candidates, including:

 

our ability to convince our potential customers of the advantages and economic value our products and product candidates over existing technologies and products;
   
the relative convenience and ease of our products and product candidates over existing technologies and products;
   
the introduction of new technologies and competing products that may make our products and product candidates less attractive for our target customers;
   
our success in training medical personnel on the proper use of our products and product candidates;

 

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the willingness of third-party payors to reimburse our target customers that adopt our products and product candidates;
   
the acceptance in the medical community of our products and product candidates;
   
the extent and success of our marketing and sales efforts; and
   
general economic conditions.

 

If third-party payors do not reimburse our customers for the products we sell or if reimbursement levels are set too low for us to sell one or more of our products at a profit, our ability to sell those products and our results of operations will be harmed.

 

While Natesto and ZolpiMist are already FDA-approved and generating revenues in the U.S., they may not receive, or continue to receive, physician or hospital acceptance, or they may not maintain adequate reimbursement from third party payors. Additionally, even if one of our product candidates is approved and reaches the market, the product may not achieve physician or hospital acceptance, or it may not obtain adequate reimbursement from third party payors. In the future, we might possibly sell other product candidates to target customers substantially all of whom receive reimbursement for the health care services they provide to their patients from third-party payors, such as Medicare, Medicaid, other domestic and foreign government programs, private insurance plans and managed care programs. Reimbursement decisions by particular third-party payors depend upon a number of factors, including each third-party payor’s determination that use of a product is:

 

a covered benefit under its health plan;
   
appropriate and medically necessary for the specific indication;
   
cost effective; and
   
neither experimental nor investigational.

 

Third-party payors may deny reimbursement for covered products if they determine that a medical product was not used in accordance with cost-effective diagnosis methods, as determined by the third-party payor, or was used for an unapproved indication. Third-party payors also may refuse to reimburse for procedures and devices deemed to be experimental.

 

Obtaining coverage and reimbursement approval for a product from each government or third-party payor is a time consuming and costly process that could require us to provide supporting scientific, clinical and cost-effectiveness data for the use of our potential product to each government or third-party payor. We may not be able to provide data sufficient to gain acceptance with respect to coverage and reimbursement. In addition, eligibility for coverage does not imply that any product will be covered and reimbursed in all cases or reimbursed at a rate that allows our potential customers to make a profit or even cover their costs.

  

Third-party payors are increasingly attempting to contain health care costs by limiting both coverage and the level of reimbursement for medical products and services. Levels of reimbursement may decrease in the future, and future legislation, regulation or reimbursement policies of third-party payors may adversely affect the demand for and reimbursement available for any product or product candidate, which in turn, could negatively impact pricing. If our customers are not adequately reimbursed for our products, they may reduce or discontinue purchases of our products, which would result in a significant shortfall in achieving revenue expectations and negatively impact our business, prospects and financial condition.

 

Manufacturing risks and inefficiencies may adversely affect our ability to produce our products.

 

We expect to engage third parties to manufacture components of the MiOXSYS and RedoxSYS systems. We have an agreement for supplies of Natesto with Acerus, from whom we license Natesto. We have an agreement with a third-party manufacturer for our ZolpiMist product as well. For any future product, we expect to use third-party manufacturers because we do not have our own manufacturing capabilities. In determining the required quantities of any product and the manufacturing schedule, we must make significant judgments and estimates based on inventory levels, current market trends and other related factors. Because of the inherent nature of estimates and our limited experience in marketing our current products, there could be significant differences between our estimates and the actual amounts of product we require. If we do not effectively maintain our supply agreements for Natesto and Fiera, we will face difficulty finding replacement suppliers, which could harm sales of those products. If we do not secure collaborations with manufacturing and development partners to enable production to scale of the MiOXSYS System, we may not be successful in selling or in commercializing the MiOXSYS System in the event we receive regulatory approval of the MiOXSYS System. If we fail in similar endeavors for future products, we may not be successful in establishing or continuing the commercialization of our products and product candidates.

 

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Reliance on third-party manufacturers entails risks to which we would not be subject if we manufactured these components ourselves, including:

 

reliance on third parties for regulatory compliance and quality assurance;
   
possible breaches of manufacturing agreements by the third parties because of factors beyond our control;
   
possible regulatory violations or manufacturing problems experienced by our suppliers; and
   
possible termination or non-renewal of agreements by third parties, based on their own business priorities, at times that are costly or inconvenient for us.

 

Further, if we are unable to secure the needed financing to fund our internal operations, we may not have adequate resources required to effectively and rapidly transition our third party manufacturing. We may not be able to meet the demand for our products if one or more of any third-party manufacturers is unable to supply us with the necessary components that meet our specifications. It may be difficult to find alternate suppliers for any of our products or product candidates in a timely manner and on terms acceptable to us.

 

Any third-party manufacturers we engage are subject to various governmental regulations, and we may incur significant expenses to comply with, and experience delays in, our product commercialization as a result of these regulations.

 

The manufacturing processes and facilities of third-party manufacturers we engage for our current and any future FDA-approved products are required to comply with the federal Quality System Regulation, or QSR, which covers procedures and documentation of the design, testing, production, control, quality assurance, labeling, packaging, sterilization, storage and shipping of devices. The FDA enforces the QSR through periodic unannounced inspections of manufacturing facilities. Any inspection by the FDA could lead to additional compliance requests that could cause delays in our product commercialization. Failure to comply with applicable FDA requirements, or later discovery of previously unknown problems with the manufacturing processes and facilities of third-party manufacturers we engage, including the failure to take satisfactory corrective actions in response to an adverse QSR inspection, can result in, among other things:

  

administrative or judicially imposed sanctions;
   
injunctions or the imposition of civil penalties;
   
recall or seizure of the product in question;
   
total or partial suspension of production or distribution;
   
the FDA’s refusal to grant pending future clearance or pre-market approval;
   
withdrawal or suspension of marketing clearances or approvals;
   
clinical holds;
   
warning letters;
   
refusal to permit the export of the product in question; and
   
criminal prosecution.

 

Any of these actions, in combination or alone, could prevent us from marketing, distributing or selling our products, and would likely harm our business.

 

In addition, a product defect or regulatory violation could lead to a government-mandated or voluntary recall by us. We believe the FDA would request that we initiate a voluntary recall if a product was defective or presented a risk of injury or gross deception. Regulatory agencies in other countries have similar authority to recall drugs or devices because of material deficiencies or defects in design or manufacture that could endanger health. Any recall would divert our management attention and financial resources, expose us to product liability or other claims, and harm our reputation with customers.

 

 22 

 

Our future growth depends, in part, on our ability to penetrate foreign markets, where we would be subject to additional regulatory burdens and other risks and uncertainties.

 

Our future profitability will depend, in part, on our ability to commercialize our products and product candidates in foreign markets for which we intend to primarily rely on collaboration with third parties. If we commercialize our products or product candidates in foreign markets, we would be subject to additional risks and uncertainties, including:

 

our inability to directly control commercial activities because we are relying on third parties;
   
the burden of complying with complex and changing foreign regulatory, tax, accounting and legal requirements;
   
different medical practices and customs in foreign countries affecting acceptance in the marketplace;
   
import or export licensing requirements;
   
longer accounts receivable collection times;
   
longer lead times for shipping;
   
language barriers for technical training;
   
reduced protection of intellectual property rights in some foreign countries, and related prevalence of generic alternatives to our products;
   
foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations;
   
our customers’ ability to obtain reimbursement for our products in foreign markets; and
   
the interpretation of contractual provisions governed by foreign laws in the event of a contract dispute.

 

Foreign sales of our products or product candidates could also be adversely affected by the imposition of governmental controls, political and economic instability, trade restrictions and changes in tariffs.

 

We are subject to various regulations pertaining to the marketing of our approved products.

 

We are subject to various federal and state laws pertaining to healthcare fraud and abuse, including prohibitions on the offer of payment or acceptance of kickbacks or other remuneration for the purchase of our products, including inducements to potential patients to request our products and services. Additionally, any product promotion educational activities, support of continuing medical education programs, and other interactions with health-care professionals must be conducted in a manner consistent with the FDA regulations and the Anti-Kickback Statute. The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits persons or entities from knowingly and willfully soliciting, receiving, offering or providing remuneration, directly or indirectly, to induce either the referral of an individual, or the furnishing, recommending, or arranging for a good or service, for which payment may be made under a federal healthcare program such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute can also carry potential federal False Claims Act liability. Additionally, many states have adopted laws similar to the Anti-Kickback Statute. Some of these state prohibitions apply to referral of patients for healthcare items or services reimbursed by any third party payer, not only the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and do not contain identical safe harbors. These and any new regulations or requirements may be difficult and expensive for us to comply with, may adversely impact the marketing of our existing products or delay introduction of our product candidates, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

Our products and product candidates may cause undesirable side effects that could delay or prevent their regulatory approval, limit the commercial profile of an approved label, or result in significant negative consequences following marketing approval, if any.

 

Undesirable side effects caused by our product candidates could cause us or regulatory authorities to interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials and could result in a more restrictive label or the delay or denial of regulatory approval by the FDA or other regulatory authorities.

 

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Further, if a product candidate receives marketing approval and we or others identify undesirable side effects caused by the product after the approval, or if drug abuse is determined to be a significant problem with an approved product, a number of potentially significant negative consequences could result, including:

 

regulatory authorities may withdraw or limit their approval of the product;
   
regulatory authorities may require the addition of labeling statements, such as a “Black Box warning” or a contraindication;
   
we may be required to change the way the product is distributed or administered, conduct additional clinical trials or change the labeling of the product;
   
we may decide to remove the product from the marketplace;
   
we could be sued and held liable for injury caused to individuals exposed to or taking the product; and
   
our reputation may suffer.

 

Any of these events could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of the affected product candidate and could substantially increase the costs of commercializing an affected product or product candidates and significantly impact our ability to successfully commercialize or maintain sales of our product or product candidates and generate revenues.

 

Natesto and ZolpiMist contain, and future other product candidates may contain, controlled substances, the manufacture, use, sale, importation, exportation, prescribing and distribution of which are subject to regulation by the DEA.

 

Natesto and ZolpiMist, which are both approved by the FDA, are regulated by the DEA as Schedule III controlled substances. Before any commercialization of any product candidate that contains a controlled substance, the DEA will need to determine the controlled substance schedule, taking into account the recommendation of the FDA. This may be a lengthy process that could delay our marketing of a product candidate and could potentially diminish any regulatory exclusivity periods for which we may be eligible. Natesto and ZolpiMist are, and our other product candidates may, if approved, be regulated as “controlled substances” as defined in the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, or CSA, and the implementing regulations of the DEA, which establish registration, security, recordkeeping, reporting, storage, distribution, importation, exportation, inventory, quota and other requirements administered by the DEA. These requirements are applicable to us, to our third-party manufacturers and to distributors, prescribers and dispensers of our product candidates. The DEA regulates the handling of controlled substances through a closed chain of distribution. This control extends to the equipment and raw materials used in their manufacture and packaging, in order to prevent loss and diversion into illicit channels of commerce. A number of states and foreign countries also independently regulate these drugs as controlled substances.

 

The DEA regulates controlled substances as Schedule I, II, III, IV or V substances. Schedule I substances by definition have no established medicinal use, and may not be marketed or sold in the U.S. A pharmaceutical product may be listed as Schedule II, III, IV or V, with Schedule II substances considered to present the highest risk of abuse and Schedule V substances the lowest relative risk of abuse among such substances.

 

Natesto is regulated by the DEA as a Schedule III controlled substance, and ZolpiMist as a Schedule IV controlled substance. Consequently, the manufacturing, shipping, storing, selling and using of the products are subject to a high degree of regulation. Also, distribution, prescribing and dispensing of these drugs are highly regulated.

 

Annual registration is required for any facility that manufactures, distributes, dispenses, imports or exports any controlled substance. The registration is specific to the particular location, activity and controlled substance schedule.

 

Because of their restrictive nature, these laws and regulations could limit commercialization of our product candidates containing controlled substances. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations could also result in withdrawal of our DEA registrations, disruption in manufacturing and distribution activities, consent decrees, criminal and civil penalties and state actions, among other consequences.

 

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If testosterone replacement therapies are found, or are perceived, to create health risks, our ability to sell Natesto could be materially adversely affected and our business could be harmed.

 

Recent publications have suggested potential health risks associated with testosterone replacement therapy, such as increased cardiovascular disease risk, including increased risk of heart attack or stroke, fluid retention, sleep apnea, breast tenderness or enlargement, increased red blood cells, development of clinical prostate disease, including prostate cancer, and the suppression of sperm production. Prompted by these events, the FDA held a T-class Advisory Committee meeting on September 17, 2014 to discuss this topic further. The FDA has also asked health care professionals and patients to report side effects involving prescription testosterone products to the agency.

 

At the T-class Advisory Committee meeting held on September 17, 2014, the Advisory Committee discussed (i) the identification of the appropriate patient population for whom testosterone replacement therapy should be indicated and (ii) the potential risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, defined as non-fatal stroke, non-fatal myocardial infarction and cardiovascular death associated with testosterone replacement therapy.

 

At the meeting, the Advisory Committee voted that the FDA should require sponsors of testosterone products to conduct a post marketing study (e.g. observational study or controlled clinical trial) to further assess the potential cardiovascular risk.

 

It is possible that the FDA’s evaluation of this topic and further studies on the effects of testosterone replacement therapies could demonstrate the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events or other health risks or could impose requirements that impact the marketing and sale of Natesto, including:

 

mandate that certain warnings or precautions be included in our product labeling;
   
require that our product carry a “black box warning”; and
   
limit use of Natesto to certain populations, such as men without specified conditions.

 

Demonstrated testosterone replacement therapy safety risks, as well as negative publicity about the risks of hormone replacement therapy, including testosterone replacement, could hurt sales of and impair our ability to successfully relaunch Natesto, which could have a materially adverse impact on our business.

 

FDA action regarding testosterone replacement therapies could add to the cost of producing and marketing Natesto.

 

The FDA is requiring post-marketing safety studies for all testosterone replacement therapies approved in the U.S. to assess long-term cardiovascular events related to testosterone use. Depending on the total cost and structure of the FDA’s proposed safety studies there may be a substantial cost associated with conducting these studies. Pursuant to our license agreement with Acerus Pharmaceuticals, Acerus is obligated to reimburse us for the entire cost of any studies required for Natesto by the FDA. However, in the event that Acerus is not able to reimburse us for the cost of any required safety studies, we may be forced to incur this cost, which could have a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

 

Our approved products may not be accepted by physicians, patients, or the medical community in general.

 

Even if the medical community accepts a product as safe and efficacious for its indicated use, physicians may choose to restrict the use of the product if we or any collaborator is unable to demonstrate that, based on experience, clinical data, side-effect profiles and other factors, our product is preferable to any existing medicines or treatments. We cannot predict the degree of market acceptance of any of our approved products, which will depend on a number of factors, including, but not limited to:

 

the efficacy and safety of the product;
   
the approved labeling for the product and any required warnings;
   
the advantages and disadvantages of the product compared to alternative treatments;
   
our and any collaborator’s ability to educate the medical community about the safety and effectiveness of the product;
   
the reimbursement policies of government and third-party payors pertaining to the product; and
   
the market price of our product relative to competing treatments.

 

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We may use hazardous chemicals and biological materials in our business. Any claims relating to improper handling, storage or disposal of these materials could be time consuming and costly.

 

Our research and development processes may involve the controlled use of hazardous materials, including chemicals and biological materials. We cannot eliminate the risk of accidental contamination or discharge and any resultant injury from these materials. We may be sued for any injury or contamination that results from our use or the use by third parties of these materials, and our liability may exceed any insurance coverage and our total assets. Federal, state and local laws and regulations govern the use, manufacture, storage, handling and disposal of these hazardous materials and specified waste products, as well as the discharge of pollutants into the environment and human health and safety matters. Compliance with environmental laws and regulations may be expensive and may impair our research and development efforts. If we fail to comply with these requirements, we could incur substantial costs, including civil or criminal fines and penalties, clean-up costs or capital expenditures for control equipment or operational changes necessary to achieve and maintain compliance. In addition, we cannot predict the impact on our business of new or amended environmental laws or regulations or any changes in the way existing and future laws and regulations are interpreted and enforced.

  

Intellectual Property Risks Related to Our Business

 

We are dependent on our relationships and license agreements, and we rely on the patent rights granted to us pursuant to the license agreements.

 

A number of our patent rights for are derived from our license agreements with third parties. Pursuant to these license agreements, we have licensed rights to various patents and patent applications within and outside of the United States. We may lose our rights to these patents and patent applications if we breach our obligations under such license agreements, including, without limitation, our financial obligations to the licensors. If we violate or fail to perform any term or covenant of the license agreements, the licensors may terminate the license agreements upon satisfaction of applicable notice requirements and expiration of any applicable cure periods. Additionally, any termination of license agreements, whether by us or the licensors will not relieve us of our obligation to pay any license fees owing at the time of such termination. If we fail to retain our rights under these license agreements, we will not be able to commercialize certain products subject to patent or patent application, and our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects would be materially adversely affected.

 

The commercial success of our products depends, in large part, on our ability to use patents licensed to us by third parties in order to exclude others from competing with our products. The patent position of emerging pharmaceutical companies like us can be highly uncertain and involve complex legal and technical issues. Until our licensed patents are interpreted by a court, either because we have sought to enforce them against a competitor or because a competitor has preemptively challenged them, we will not know the breadth of protection that they will afford us. Our patents may not contain claims sufficiently broad to prevent others from practicing our technologies or marketing competing products. Third parties may intentionally attempt to design around our patents or design around our patents so as to compete with us without infringing our patents. Moreover, the issuance of a patent is not conclusive as to its validity or enforceability, and so our patents may be invalidated or rendered unenforceable if challenged by others.

 

Our ability to compete may decline if we do not adequately protect our proprietary rights or if we are barred by the patent rights of others.

 

Our commercial success depends on obtaining and maintaining proprietary rights to our products and product candidates as well as successfully defending these rights against third-party challenges. We will only be able to protect our products and product candidates from unauthorized use by third parties to the extent that valid and enforceable patents, or effectively protected trade secrets, cover them. Our ability to obtain patent protection for our products and product candidates is uncertain due to a number of factors, including that:

 

we may not have been the first to make the inventions covered by pending patent applications or issued patents;
   
we may not have been the first to file patent applications for our products and product candidates;
   
others may independently develop identical, similar or alternative products, compositions or devices and uses thereof;
   
our disclosures in patent applications may not be sufficient to meet the statutory requirements for patentability;
   
any or all of our pending patent applications may not result in issued patents;

 

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we may not seek or obtain patent protection in countries that may eventually provide us a significant business opportunity;
   
any patents issued to us may not provide a basis for commercially viable products, may not provide any competitive advantages, or may be successfully challenged by third parties;
   
our compositions, devices and methods may not be patentable;
   
others may design around our patent claims to produce competitive products which fall outside of the scope of our patents; or
   
others may identify prior art or other bases which could invalidate our patents.

 

Even if we have or obtain patents covering our products and product candidates, we may still be barred from making, using and selling them because of the patent rights of others. Others may have filed, and in the future may file, patent applications covering products that are similar or identical to ours. There are many issued U.S. and foreign patents relating to chemical compounds, therapeutic products, diagnostic devices, personal care products and devices and some of these relate to our products and product candidates. These could materially affect our ability to sell our products and develop our product candidates. Because patent applications can take many years to issue, there may be currently pending applications unknown to us that may later result in issued patents that our products and product candidates may infringe. These patent applications may have priority over patent applications filed by us.

 

Obtaining and maintaining a patent portfolio entails significant expense and resources. Part of the expense includes periodic maintenance fees, renewal fees, annuity fees, various other governmental fees on patents and/or applications due in several stages over the lifetime of patents and/or applications, as well as the cost associated with complying with numerous procedural provisions during the patent application process. We may or may not choose to pursue or maintain protection for particular inventions. In addition, there are situations in which failure to make certain payments or noncompliance with certain requirements in the patent process can result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. If we choose to forgo patent protection or allow a patent application or patent to lapse purposefully or inadvertently, our competitive position could suffer.

 

Legal actions to enforce our patent rights can be expensive and may involve the diversion of significant management time. In addition, these legal actions could be unsuccessful and could also result in the invalidation of our patents or a finding that they are unenforceable. We may or may not choose to pursue litigation or other actions against those that have infringed on our patents, or used them without authorization, due to the associated expense and time commitment of monitoring these activities. If we fail to protect or to enforce our intellectual property rights successfully, our competitive position could suffer, which could harm our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

  

Pharmaceutical and medical device patents and patent applications involve highly complex legal and factual questions, which, if determined adversely to us, could negatively impact our patent position.

 

The patent positions of pharmaceutical and medical device companies can be highly uncertain and involve complex legal and factual questions. The interpretation and breadth of claims allowed in some patents covering pharmaceutical compositions may be uncertain and difficult to determine and are often affected materially by the facts and circumstances that pertain to the patented compositions and the related patent claims. The standards of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, are sometimes uncertain and could change in the future. Consequently, the issuance and scope of patents cannot be predicted with certainty. Patents, if issued, may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented. U.S. patents and patent applications may also be subject to interference proceedings, and U.S. patents may be subject to re-examination proceedings, post-grant review and/or inter partes review in the USPTO. Foreign patents may be subject to opposition or comparable proceedings in the corresponding foreign patent office, which could result in either loss of the patent or denial of the patent application or loss or reduction in the scope of one or more of the claims of the patent or patent application. In addition, such interference, re-examination, post-grant review, inter partes review and opposition proceedings may be costly. Accordingly, rights under any issued patents may not provide us with sufficient protection against competitive products or processes.

 

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In addition, changes in or different interpretations of patent laws in the U.S. and foreign countries may permit others to use our discoveries or to develop and commercialize our technology and products and product candidates without providing any compensation to us or may limit the number of patents or claims we can obtain. The laws of some countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as U.S. laws and those countries may lack adequate rules and procedures for defending our intellectual property rights.

 

If we fail to obtain and maintain patent protection and trade secret protection of our products and product candidates, we could lose our competitive advantage and competition we face would increase, reducing any potential revenues and adversely affecting our ability to attain or maintain profitability.

 

Developments in patent law could have a negative impact on our business.

 

From time to time, the U.S. Supreme Court, other federal courts, the U.S. Congress or the USPTO may change the standards of patentability and any such changes could have a negative impact on our business.

 

In addition, the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, or the America Invents Act, which was signed into law in 2011, includes a number of significant changes to U.S. patent law. These changes include a transition from a “first-to-invent” system to a “first-to-file” system, changes the way issued patents are challenged, and changes the way patent applications are disputed during the examination process. These changes may favor larger and more established companies that have greater resources to devote to patent application filing and prosecution. The USPTO has developed regulations and procedures to govern the full implementation of the America Invents Act, and many of the substantive changes to patent law associated with the America Invents Act, and, in particular, the first-to-file provisions, became effective on March 16, 2013. Substantive changes to patent law associated with the America Invents Act may affect our ability to obtain patents, and if obtained, to enforce or defend them. Accordingly, it is not clear what, if any, impact the America Invents Act will ultimately have on the cost of prosecuting our patent applications, our ability to obtain patents based on our discoveries and our ability to enforce or defend any patents that may issue from our patent applications, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets, our business and competitive position would be harmed.

 

In addition to patent protection, because we operate in the highly technical field of discovery and development of therapies and medical devices, we rely in part on trade secret protection in order to protect our proprietary technology and processes. However, trade secrets are difficult to protect. We expect to enter into confidentiality and intellectual property assignment agreements with our employees, consultants, outside scientific and commercial collaborators, sponsored researchers, and other advisors. These agreements generally require that the other party keep confidential and not disclose to third parties all confidential information developed by the party or made known to the party by us during the course of the party’s relationship with us. These agreements also generally provide that inventions conceived by the party in the course of rendering services to us will be our exclusive property. However, these agreements may not be honored and may not effectively assign intellectual property rights to us.

  

In addition to contractual measures, we try to protect the confidential nature of our proprietary information using physical and technological security measures. Such measures may not, for example, in the case of misappropriation of a trade secret by an employee or third party with authorized access, provide adequate protection for our proprietary information. Our security measures may not prevent an employee or consultant from misappropriating our trade secrets and providing them to a competitor, and recourse we take against such misconduct may not provide an adequate remedy to protect our interests fully. Enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated a trade secret can be difficult, expensive, and time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, courts outside the U.S. may be less willing to protect trade secrets. Trade secrets may be independently developed by others in a manner that could prevent legal recourse by us. If any of our confidential or proprietary information, such as our trade secrets, were to be disclosed or misappropriated, or if any such information was independently developed by a competitor, our competitive position could be harmed.

 

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We may not be able to enforce our intellectual property rights throughout the world.

 

The laws of some foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the U.S. Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in certain foreign jurisdictions. The legal systems of some countries, particularly developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents and other intellectual property protection, especially those relating to pharmaceuticals and medical devices. This could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of some of our patents, if obtained, or the misappropriation of our other intellectual property rights. For example, many foreign countries have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner must grant licenses to third parties. In addition, many countries limit the enforceability of patents against third parties, including government agencies or government contractors. In these countries, patents may provide limited or no benefit. Patent protection must ultimately be sought on a country-by-country basis, which is an expensive and time-consuming process with uncertain outcomes. Accordingly, we may choose not to seek patent protection in certain countries, and we will not have the benefit of patent protection in such countries.

 

Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business. Accordingly, our efforts to protect our intellectual property rights in such countries may be inadequate. In addition, changes in the law and legal decisions by courts in the U.S. and foreign countries may affect our ability to obtain adequate protection for our technology and the enforcement of intellectual property.

 

Third parties may assert ownership or commercial rights to inventions we develop.

 

Third parties may in the future make claims challenging the inventorship or ownership of our intellectual property. We have or expect to have written agreements with collaborators that provide for the ownership of intellectual property arising from our collaborations. These agreements provide that we must negotiate certain commercial rights with collaborators with respect to joint inventions or inventions made by our collaborators that arise from the results of the collaboration. In some instances, there may not be adequate written provisions to address clearly the resolution of intellectual property rights that may arise from a collaboration. If we cannot successfully negotiate sufficient ownership and commercial rights to the inventions that result from our use of a third-party collaborator’s materials where required, or if disputes otherwise arise with respect to the intellectual property developed with the use of a collaborator’s samples, we may be limited in our ability to capitalize on the market potential of these inventions. In addition, we may face claims by third parties that our agreements with employees, contractors, or consultants obligating them to assign intellectual property to us are ineffective, or in conflict with prior or competing contractual obligations of assignment, which could result in ownership disputes regarding intellectual property we have developed or will develop and interfere with our ability to capture the commercial value of such inventions. Litigation may be necessary to resolve an ownership dispute, and if we are not successful, we may be precluded from using certain intellectual property, or may lose our exclusive rights in that intellectual property. Either outcome could have an adverse impact on our business.

 

Third parties may assert that our employees or consultants have wrongfully used or disclosed confidential information or misappropriated trade secrets.

 

We might employ individuals who were previously employed at universities or other biopharmaceutical or medical device companies, including our competitors or potential competitors. Although we try to ensure that our employees and consultants do not use the proprietary information or know-how of others in their work for us, we may be subject to claims that we or our employees, consultants or independent contractors have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed intellectual property, including trade secrets or other proprietary information, of a former employer or other third parties. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. If we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management and other employees.

 

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A dispute concerning the infringement or misappropriation of our proprietary rights or the proprietary rights of others could be time consuming and costly, and an unfavorable outcome could harm our business.

 

There is significant litigation in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries regarding patent and other intellectual property rights. While we are not currently subject to any pending intellectual property litigation, and are not aware of any such threatened litigation, we may be exposed to future litigation by third parties based on claims that our products or product candidates infringe the intellectual property rights of others. If our development and commercialization activities are found to infringe any such patents, we may have to pay significant damages or seek licenses to such patents. A patentee could prevent us from using the patented drugs, compositions or devices. We may need to resort to litigation to enforce a patent issued to us, to protect our trade secrets, or to determine the scope and validity of third-party proprietary rights. From time to time, we may hire scientific personnel or consultants formerly employed by other companies involved in one or more areas similar to the activities conducted by us. Either we or these individuals may be subject to allegations of trade secret misappropriation or other similar claims as a result of prior affiliations. If we become involved in litigation, it could consume a substantial portion of our managerial and financial resources, regardless of whether we win or lose. We may not be able to afford the costs of litigation. Any adverse ruling or perception of an adverse ruling in defending ourselves against these claims could have a material adverse impact on our cash position and stock price. Any legal action against us or our collaborators could lead to:

 

payment of damages, potentially treble damages, if we are found to have willfully infringed a party’s patent rights;
   
injunctive or other equitable relief that may effectively block our ability to further develop, commercialize, and sell products; or
   
we or our collaborators having to enter into license arrangements that may not be available on commercially acceptable terms, if at all, all of which could have a material adverse impact on our cash position and business, prospects and financial condition. As a result, we could be prevented from commercializing our products and product candidates.

 

Risks Related to Our Organization, Structure and Operation

 

We intend to acquire, through asset purchases or in-licensing, businesses or products, or form strategic alliances, in the future, and we may not realize the intended benefits of such acquisitions or alliances.

 

We intend to acquire, through asset purchases or in-licensing, additional businesses or products, form strategic alliances and/or create joint ventures with third parties that we believe will complement or augment our existing business. If we acquire businesses or assets with promising markets or technologies, we may not be able to realize the benefit of acquiring such businesses or assets if we are unable to successfully integrate them with our existing operations and company culture. We may encounter numerous difficulties in developing, manufacturing and marketing any new products resulting from a strategic alliance or acquisition that delay or prevent us from realizing their expected benefits or enhancing our business. We cannot assure you that, following any such acquisition or alliance, we will achieve the expected synergies to justify the transaction. These risks apply to our acquisition of Natesto in April 2016 and ZolpiMist in June 2018. As an example, we acquired Primsol in October 2015, but sold it in March 2017. Depending on the success or lack thereof of any of our existing or future acquired products and product candidates, we might seek to out-license, sell or otherwise dispose of any of those products or product candidates, which could adversely impact our operations if the dispositions triggers a loss, accounting charge or other negative impact.

   

In fiscal 2018, the great majority of our gross revenue and gross accounts receivable were due to three significant customers, the loss of which could materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

 

The following customers contributed greater than 10% of the Company's gross revenue during the year ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively. As of June 30, 2018, three customers accounted for 86% of gross revenue. The revenue from these customers as a percentage of gross revenue was as follows:

 

   Year Ended June 30, 
   2018   2017 
Customer A   32%   34%
Customer C   30%   18%
Customer B   24%   22%

 

The loss of one or more of the Company's significant partners or collaborators could have a material adverse effect on its business, operating results or financial condition.

 

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We are also subject to credit risk from our accounts receivable related to our product sales. As of June 30, 2018, three customers accounted for 81% of gross accounts receivable. As of June 30, 2017, three customers accounted for 60% of gross accounts receivable.

 

   Year Ended June 30, 
   2018   2017 
Customer C   35%   18%
Customer A   27%   25%
Customer B   19%   17%
Other   12%   0%

 

We will need to develop and expand our company, and we may encounter difficulties in managing this development and expansion, which could disrupt our operations.

 

As of June 30, 2018, we had 52 full-time employees, and in connection with being a public company, we expect to continue to increase our number of employees and the scope of our operations. To manage our anticipated development and expansion, we must continue to implement and improve our managerial, operational and financial systems, expand our facilities and continue to recruit and train additional qualified personnel. Also, our management may need to divert a disproportionate amount of its attention away from its day-to-day activities and devote a substantial amount of time to managing these development activities. Due to our limited resources, we may not be able to effectively manage the expansion of our operations or recruit and train additional qualified personnel. This may result in weaknesses in our infrastructure, give rise to operational mistakes, loss of business opportunities, loss of employees and reduced productivity among remaining employees. The physical expansion of our operations may lead to significant costs and may divert financial resources from other projects, such as the planned expanded commercialization of our approved products and the development of our product candidates. If our management is unable to effectively manage our expected development and expansion, our expenses may increase more than expected, our ability to generate or increase our revenue could be reduced and we may not be able to implement our business strategy. Our future financial performance and our ability to expand the market for our approved products and develop our product candidates, if approved, and compete effectively will depend, in part, on our ability to effectively manage the future development and expansion of our company.

   

We depend on key personnel and attracting qualified management personnel and our business could be harmed if we lose personnel and cannot attract new personnel.

 

Our success depends to a significant degree upon the technical and management skills of our directors, officers and key personnel. Any of our directors could resign from our board at any time and for any reason. Although our executive officers Joshua Disbrow, Jarrett Disbrow and David Green have employment agreements, the existence of an employment agreement does not guarantee the retention of the executive officer for any period of time, and each agreement obligates us to pay the officer lump sum severance of two years of salary if we terminate him without cause, as defined in the agreement, which could hurt our liquidity. The loss of the services of any of these individuals would likely have a material adverse effect on us. Our success also will depend upon our ability to attract and retain additional qualified management, marketing, technical, and sales executives and personnel. We do not maintain key person life insurance for any of our officers or key personnel. The loss of any of our directors or key executives, or the failure to attract, integrate, motivate, and retain additional key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

We compete for such personnel, including directors, against numerous companies, including larger, more established companies with significantly greater financial resources than we possess. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in attracting or retaining such personnel, and the failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.

 

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Product liability and other lawsuits could divert our resources, result in substantial liabilities and reduce the commercial potential of our product candidates.

 

The risk that we may be sued on product liability claims is inherent in the development and commercialization of pharmaceutical, medical device and personal care products and devices. Side effects of, or manufacturing defects in, products that we develop and commercialized could result in the deterioration of a patient’s condition, injury or even death. Once a product is approved for sale and commercialized, the likelihood of product liability lawsuits increases. Claims may be brought by individuals seeking relief for themselves or by individuals or groups seeking to represent a class. These lawsuits may divert our management from pursuing our business strategy and may be costly to defend. In addition, if we are held liable in any of these lawsuits, we may incur substantial liabilities and may be forced to limit or forgo further commercialization of the affected products.

 

We may be subject to legal or administrative proceedings and litigation other than product liability lawsuits which may be costly to defend and could materially harm our business, financial condition and operations.

 

Although we maintain general liability, clinical trial liability and product liability insurance, this insurance may not fully cover potential liabilities. In addition, inability to obtain or maintain sufficient insurance coverage at an acceptable cost or to otherwise protect against potential product or other legal or administrative liability claims could prevent or inhibit the commercial production and sale of any of our products and product candidates that receive regulatory approval, which could adversely affect our business. Product liability claims could also harm our reputation, which may adversely affect our collaborators’ ability to commercialize our products successfully.

 

Our internal computer systems, or those of our third-party contractors or consultants, may fail or suffer security breaches, which could result in a material disruption of our product development programs.

 

Despite the implementation of security measures, our internal computer systems and those of our third-party contractors and consultants are vulnerable to damage from computer viruses, unauthorized access, natural disasters, terrorism, war and telecommunication and electrical failures. While we do not believe that we have experienced any such system failure, accident, or security breach to date, if such an event were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations, it could result in a loss of clinical trial data for our product candidates which could result in delays in our regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data. To the extent that any disruption or security breach results in a loss of or damage to our data or applications or other data or applications relating to our technology or product candidates, or inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, we could incur liabilities and the further development of our product candidates could be delayed.

 

Our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited.

 

As of June 30, 2018, we had federal net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $59.3 million. The available net operating losses, if not utilized to offset taxable income in future periods, will begin to expire in 2031 and will completely expire in 2037. Under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) and the regulations promulgated thereunder, including, without limitation, the consolidated income tax return regulations, various corporate changes could limit our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards and other tax attributes (such as research tax credits) to offset our income. Because Ampio’s equity ownership interest in our company fell to below 80% in January 2016, we were deconsolidated from Ampio’s consolidated federal income tax group. As a result, certain of our net operating loss carryforwards may not be available to us and we may not be able to use them to offset our U.S. federal taxable income. As a consequence of the deconsolidation, it is possible that certain other tax attributes and benefits resulting from U.S. federal income tax consolidation may no longer be available to us. Our company and Ampio do not have a tax sharing agreement that could mitigate the loss of net operating losses and other tax attributes resulting from the deconsolidation or our incurrence of liability for the taxes of other members of the consolidated group by reason of the joint and several liability of group members. In addition to the deconsolidation risk, an “ownership change” (generally a 50% change (by value) in equity ownership over a three-year period) under Section 382 of the Code could limit our ability to offset, post-change, our U.S. federal taxable income. Section 382 of the Code imposes an annual limitation on the amount of post-ownership change taxable income a corporation may offset with pre-ownership change net operating loss carryforwards and certain recognized built-in losses. We believe that the August 2017 financing created over a 50% change in our equity ownership so our current tax loss carryforward will be limited in the future. Either the deconsolidation or the ownership change scenario could result in increased future tax liability to us.

 

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Several stockholders potentially own a significant percentage of our stock and could be able to exert significant control over matters subject to stockholder approval.

 

In our August 2017 and March 2018 offerings, some entities who invested in our common and preferred stock and warrant financing owned common and/or preferred stock and warrants that potentially would enable them to beneficially own in excess of 4.99% or 9.99% of our common stock. The preferred stock and warrants held by these investors contain a provision that prohibits the conversion or exercise of the preferred stock or warrants should the holder beneficially own in excess of 4.99% or 9.99%, as elected by the investor, after giving effect to such conversion or exercise. However, the significant ownership potential of these investors, and the significant investment that they have made in our company, could give these stockholders the ability to influence us through their ownership positions, even if they are prohibited from converting or exercising their preferred stock or warrants to acquire more than 4.99% or 9.99% of our common stock at any time. Further, this significant ownership potential may prevent or discourage unsolicited acquisition proposals or offers for our common stock that you may feel are in your best interest as one of our stockholders.

 

Restrictions under our August 2017 Securities Purchase Agreement may limit our ability to raise funds and operate our business.

 

The August 2017 Securities Purchase Agreement contains the covenant described below that may restrict our ability to finance future operations or capital needs or to engage in other business activities.

 

Until such time as no investor in the August 2017 offering holds any of the warrants, we are prohibited from effecting or entering into an agreement to affect any issuance by us of our common stock or common stock equivalents involving a Variable Rate Transaction, as defined in the Securities Purchase Agreement. “Variable Rate Transaction” means a transaction in which we (i) issue any debt or equity securities that are convertible into common stock either (A) at a conversion price, exercise price or exchange rate or other price that is based upon, and/or varies with, the trading prices of or quotations for the shares of our common stock at any time after the initial issuance of such debt or equity securities or (B) with a conversion, exercise or exchange price that is subject to being reset at some future date after the initial issuance of such debt or equity security or upon the occurrence of specified or contingent events directly or indirectly related to our business or the market for our common stock or (ii) enter into any transaction under, any agreement, including, but not limited to, an equity line of credit, an “at-the-market” offering or similar agreement, whereby we may issue securities at a future determined price.

 

The restrictions and covenants in the August 2017 Securities Purchase Agreement, as well as any future financing agreements that we may enter into, may restrict our ability to finance our operations, engage in business activities or expand or fully pursue our business strategies. Our ability to comply with these covenants may be affected by events beyond our control and we may not be able to meet those covenants.

 

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Risks Related to Securities Markets and Investment in our Securities

 

Our failure to meet the continued listing requirements of the NASDAQ Capital Market could result in a delisting of our common stock.

 

If we fail to satisfy the continued listing requirements of the NASDAQ Capital Market, such as the corporate governance requirements or the minimum closing bid price requirement, the exchange may take steps to delist our common stock. Such a delisting would likely have a negative effect on the price of our common stock and would impair your ability to sell or purchase our common stock when you wish to do so. In the event of a delisting, we anticipate that we would take actions to restore our compliance with applicable exchange requirements, such as stabilize our market price, improve the liquidity of our common stock, prevent our common stock from dropping below such exchange’s minimum bid price requirement, or prevent future non-compliance with such exchange’s listing requirements.

 

On April 9, 2018, we received a letter from NASDAQ indicating that the Company has failed to comply with the minimum bid price requirement of NASDAQ Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). NASDAQ Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) requires that companies listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market maintain a minimum closing bid price of at least $1.00 per share. However, on August 10, 2018, we effected a 1-for-20 reverse stock split, which has brought us back into compliance with NASDAQ Listing Rule 5550(a)(2).

   

Future sales and issuances of our equity securities or rights to purchase our equity securities, including pursuant to equity incentive plans, would result in additional dilution of the percentage ownership of our stockholders and could cause our stock price to fall.

 

To the extent we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities, our stockholders may experience substantial dilution. We may, as we have in the past, sell common stock, convertible securities or other equity securities in one or more transactions at prices and in a manner we determine from time to time. If we sell common stock, convertible securities or other equity securities in more than one transaction, investors may be further diluted by subsequent sales. Such sales may also result in material dilution to our existing stockholders, and new investors could gain rights superior to existing stockholders.

 

Pursuant to our 2015 Stock Plan, our Board of Directors is currently authorized to award up to a total of 3.0 million shares of common stock or options to purchase shares of common stock to our officers, directors, employees and non-employee consultants. As of June 30, 2018, options to purchase 1,798 shares of common stock issued under our 2015 Stock Plan at a weighted average exercise price of $325.97 per share were outstanding. In addition, at June 30, 2018, there were outstanding warrants to purchase an aggregate of 1,882,661 shares of our common stock at a weighted average exercise price of $25.94. Stockholders will experience dilution in the event that additional shares of common stock are issued under our 2015 Stock Plan, or options issued under our 2015 Stock Plan are exercised, or any warrants are exercised for shares of our common stock.

 

Our share price is volatile and may be influenced by numerous factors, some of which are beyond our control.

 

The trading price of our common stock is likely to be highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. In addition to the factors discussed in this “Risk Factors” section and elsewhere in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein, these factors include:

 

the products or product candidates we acquire for commercialization;
   
the products and product candidates we seek to pursue, and our ability to obtain rights to develop, commercialize and market those product candidates;
   
our decision to initiate a clinical trial, not to initiate a clinical trial or to terminate an existing clinical trial;
   
actual or anticipated adverse results or delays in our clinical trials;
   
our failure to expand the market for our currently approved products or commercialize our product candidates, if approved;
   
unanticipated serious safety concerns related to the use of any of our product candidates;

 

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overall performance of the equity markets and other factors that may be unrelated to our operating performance or the operating performance of our competitors, including changes in market valuations of similar companies;
   
conditions or trends in the healthcare, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries;
   
introduction of new products offered by us or our competitors;
   
announcements of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments by us or our competitors;
   
our ability to maintain an adequate rate of growth and manage such growth;
   
issuances of debt or equity securities;
   
sales of our common stock by us or our stockholders in the future, or the perception that such sales could occur;
   
trading volume of our common stock;
   
ineffectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting or disclosure controls and procedures;
   
general political and economic conditions;
   
effects of natural or man-made catastrophic events;
   
other events or factors, many of which are beyond our control;
   
adverse regulatory decisions;
   
additions or departures of key scientific or management personnel;
   
changes in laws or regulations applicable to our product candidates, including without limitation clinical trial requirements for approvals;
   
disputes or other developments relating to patents and other proprietary rights and our ability to obtain patent protection for our product candidates;
   
our dependence on third parties, including CROs and scientific and medical advisors;
   
failure to meet or exceed any financial guidance or expectations regarding development milestones that we may provide to the public;
   
actual or anticipated variations in quarterly operating results; and
   
failure to meet or exceed the estimates and projections of the investment community.

 

In addition, the stock market in general, and the stocks of small-cap healthcare, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in particular, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of these companies. Broad market and industry factors may negatively affect the market price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance. The realization of any of the above risks or any of a broad range of other risks, including those described in these “Risk Factors,” could have a dramatic and material adverse impact on the market price of our common stock.

  

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price and any trading volume could decline.

 

Any trading market for our common stock that may develop will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. Securities and industry analysts do not currently, and may never, publish research on us or our business. If no securities or industry analysts commence coverage of our company, the trading price for our stock could be negatively affected. If securities or industry analysts initiate coverage, and one or more of those analysts downgrade our stock or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our stock could decrease, which might cause our stock price and any trading volume to decline.

 

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We effected a reverse stock split at a ratio of 1-for-20 on August 10, 2018, which may not achieve one or more of our objectives.

 

We have effected four reverse stock splits since June 8, 2015, each of which has impacted the trading liquidity of the shares of our common stock. There can be no assurance that the market price per share of our common stock after a reverse stock split will remain unchanged or increase in proportion to the reduction in the number of shares of our common stock outstanding before the reverse stock split. The market price of our shares may fluctuate and potentially decline after a reverse stock split. Accordingly, the total market capitalization of our common stock after a reverse stock split may be lower than the total market capitalization before the reverse stock split. Moreover, the market price of our common stock following a reverse stock split may not exceed or remain higher than the market price prior to the reverse stock split.

 

Additionally, there can be no assurance that a reverse stock split will result in a per-share market price that will attract institutional investors or investment funds or that such share price will satisfy investing guidelines of institutional investors or investment funds. As a result, the trading liquidity of our common stock may not necessarily improve. Further, if a reverse stock split is effected and the market price of our common stock declines, the percentage decline may be greater than would occur in the absence of a reverse stock split.

  

Future sales and issuances of our common stock or rights to purchase common stock, including pursuant to our equity incentive plan or otherwise, could result in dilution of the percentage ownership of our stockholders and could cause our stock price to fall.

 

We could need significant additional capital in the future to continue our planned operations. To raise capital, we may sell common stock, convertible securities or other equity securities in one or more transactions at prices and in a manner we determine from time to time. If we sell common stock, convertible securities or other equity securities in more than one transaction, investors in a prior transaction may be materially diluted by subsequent sales. Additionally, any such sales may result in material dilution to our existing stockholders, and new investors could gain rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of holders of our common stock. Further, any future sales of our common stock by us or resales of our common stock by our existing stockholders could cause the market price of our common stock to decline. Any future grants of options, warrants or other securities exercisable or convertible into our common stock, or the exercise or conversion of such shares, and any sales of such shares in the market, could have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

 

Some provisions of our charter documents and applicable Delaware law may discourage an acquisition of us by others, even if the acquisition may be beneficial to some of our stockholders.

 

Provisions in our Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws, as well as certain provisions of Delaware law, could make it more difficult for a third-party to acquire us, even if doing so may benefit some of our stockholders. These provisions include:

 

the authorization of 50.0 million shares of “blank check” preferred stock, the rights, preferences and privileges of which may be established and shares of which may be issued by our Board of Directors at its discretion from time to time and without stockholder approval;
   
limiting the removal of directors by the stockholders;
   
allowing for the creation of a staggered board of directors;
   
eliminating the ability of stockholders to call a special meeting of stockholders; and
   
establishing advance notice requirements for nominations for election to the board of directors or for proposing matters that can be acted upon at stockholder meetings.

 

These provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors, which is responsible for appointing the members of our management. In addition, we are subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which generally prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in any of a broad range of business combinations with an interested stockholder for a period of three years following the date on which the stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless such transactions are approved by the board of directors. This provision could have the effect of discouraging, delaying or preventing someone from acquiring us or merging with us, whether or not it is desired by or beneficial to our stockholders.

 

Any provision of our Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws or of Delaware law that is applicable to us that has the effect of delaying or deterring a change in control could limit the opportunity for our stockholders to receive a premium for their shares of our common stock in the event that a potentially beneficial acquisition is discouraged, and could also affect the price that some investors are willing to pay for our common stock.

 

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The elimination of personal liability against our directors and officers under Delaware law and the existence of indemnification rights held by our directors, officers and employees may result in substantial expenses.

 

Our Certificate of Incorporation and our Bylaws eliminate the personal liability of our directors and officers to us and our stockholders for damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director or officer to the extent permissible under Delaware law. Further, our Certificate of Incorporation and our Bylaws provide that we are obligated to indemnify each of our directors or officers to the fullest extent authorized by the Delaware law and, subject to certain conditions, advance the expenses incurred by any director or officer in defending any action, suit or proceeding prior to its final disposition. Those indemnification obligations could expose us to substantial expenditures to cover the cost of settlement or damage awards against our directors or officers, which we may be unable to afford. Further, those provisions and resulting costs may discourage us or our stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against any of our current or former directors or officers for breaches of their fiduciary duties, even if such actions might otherwise benefit our stockholders.

 

We do not intend to pay cash dividends on our capital stock in the foreseeable future.

 

We have never declared or paid any dividends on our common stock and do not anticipate paying any dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future payment of cash dividends in the future would depend on our financial condition, contractual restrictions, solvency tests imposed by applicable corporate laws, results of operations, anticipated cash requirements and other factors and will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors. Our stockholders should not expect that we will ever pay cash or other dividends on our outstanding capital stock.

 

Risks Related to this Offering

 

There is a limited trading market for our common stock, which could make it difficult to liquidate an investment in our common stock, in a timely manner.

 

Our common stock is currently traded on the NASDAQ Capital Market. Because there is a limited public market for our common stock, investors may not be able to liquidate their investment whenever desired. We cannot assure that there will be an active trading market for our common stock and the lack of an active public trading market could mean that investors may be exposed to increased risk. In addition, if we failed to meet the criteria set forth in SEC regulations, various requirements would be imposed by law on broker-dealers who sell our securities to persons other than established customers and accredited investors. Consequently, such regulations may deter broker-dealers from recommending or selling our common stock, which may further affect its liquidity.

 

The terms of the Series C Preferred Stock and the warrants could impede our ability to enter into certain transactions or obtain additional financing.

 

The terms of the Series C Preferred Stock and the warrants require us, upon the consummation of any “fundamental transaction” (as defined in the securities), to, among other obligations, cause any successor entity resulting from the fundamental transaction to assume all of our obligations under the Series C Preferred Stock and the warrants and the associated transaction documents. In addition, holders of Series C Preferred Stock and warrants are entitled to participate in any fundamental transaction on an as-converted or as-exercised basis, which could result in the holders of our common stock receiving a lesser portion of the consideration from a fundamental transaction. The terms of the Series C Preferred Stock and the warrants could also impede our ability to enter into certain transactions or obtain additional financing in the future.

 

You will experience immediate and substantial dilution as a result of this offering and may experience additional dilution in the future.

 

You will incur immediate and substantial dilution as a result of this offering. After giving effect to the sale by us of shares offered in this offering at an assumed public offering price of $            per share, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, investors in this offering can expect an immediate dilution of approximately $            per share. See “Dilution” below for a more detailed discussion of the dilution you will incur if you purchase our common stock in the offering. In addition, the conversion of shares of Series C Preferred Stock and exercise of the warrants will result in the issuance of additional shares of common stock that will result in significant dilution to holders of our common stock.

 

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Management will have broad discretion as to the use of the proceeds from this offering and may not use the proceeds effectively.

 

Our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from this offering and could spend the proceeds in ways that may not improve our results of operations or enhance the value of our common stock. Our failure to apply these funds effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business and cause the price of our common stock to decline.

 

The Series C Preferred Stock and warrants will not be listed on any securities exchange and as such there will not be a public market for such securities.

 

There is no established public trading market for the Series C Preferred Stock or warrants, and we do not expect a market to develop. In addition, we do not intend to apply for listing of the Series C Preferred Stock or warrants on any securities exchange or trading system. Without an active market, the liquidity of the Series C Preferred Stock and warrants will be limited, and investors may be unable to liquidate their investments in the Series C Preferred Stock and warrants.

 

The offering price will be set by our Board of Directors and does not necessarily indicate the actual or market value of our common stock.

 

Our Board of Directors will approve the offering price and other terms of this offering after considering, among other things: the number of shares authorized in our certificate of incorporation; the current market price of our common stock; trading prices of our common stock over time; the volatility of our common stock; our current financial condition and the prospects for our future cash flows; the availability of and likely cost of capital of other potential sources of capital; and market and economic conditions at the time of the offering. The offering price is not intended to bear any relationship to the book value of our assets or our past operations, cash flows, losses, financial condition, net worth or any other established criteria used to value securities. The offering price may not be indicative of the fair value of the common stock.

 

The warrants may not have any value.

 

The warrants will be exercisable for five years from the closing date at an initial exercise price per share of $                    . In the event that the price of a share of our common stock does not exceed the exercise price of the warrants during the period when the warrants are exercisable, the warrants may not have any value.

 

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The warrants are subject to an issuer call.

 

If, after the closing date, (i) the volume weighted average price for each of 30 consecutive trading days (the “Measurement Period”), which Measurement Period commences on the closing date, exceeds 250% of the exercise price (subject to adjustment for forward and reverse stock splits, recapitalizations, stock dividends and the like after the initial exercise date), (ii) the average daily volume for such Measurement Period exceeds $600,000 per trading day and, (iii) the warrant holder is not in possession of any material non-public information which was provided by the Company, then the Company may, within one trading day of the end of such Measurement Period, call for cancellation of all or any portion of the warrants for which an exercise notice has not yet been delivered for consideration equal to $0.001 per warrant share. The Company’s right to call the warrants shall be exercised ratably among the holders based on the then outstanding warrants. You may be unable to reinvest your proceeds from the call in an investment with a return that is as high as the return on the warrants would have been if they had not been called.

 

A warrant does not entitle the holder to any rights as common stockholders until the holder exercises the warrant for shares of our common stock.

 

Until you acquire shares of our common stock upon exercise of your warrants, the warrants will not provide you any rights as a common stockholder. Upon exercise of your warrants, you will be entitled to exercise the rights of a common stockholder only as to matters for which the record date occurs on or after the exercise date. 

 

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This prospectus includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Exchange Act. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this prospectus, including statements regarding our anticipated future clinical and regulatory events, future financial position, business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements are generally written in the future tense and/or are preceded by words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “forecast,” “could,” “expect,” “suggest,” “believe,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” or similar words, or the negatives of such terms or other variations on such terms or comparable terminology.

 

These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including without limitation the risks described in “Risk Factors” in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein. These risks are not exhaustive. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for our management to predict all risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We cannot assure you that the events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. We assume no obligation to update or supplement forward-looking statements, except as may be required under applicable law.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

 

We estimate that the net proceeds from this offering will be approximately $             million, based on an assumed offering price of $            per Class A Unit and $            per Class B Unit, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. If the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full, we estimate that our net proceeds will be approximately $             million, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. We will not receive any additional proceeds from any future conversions of the Series C Preferred Stock. We will only receive additional proceeds from the exercise of the warrants issuable in connection with this offering if the warrants are exercised and the holders of such warrants pay the exercise price in cash upon such exercise and do not utilize the cashless exercise provision of the warrants.

 

We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes, including working capital to support ongoing and new commercial activities primarily related to Natesto and ZolpiMist and to complete clinical studies around our MiOXSYS System.

 

This expected use of the net proceeds from this offering represents our intentions based upon our current plans and business conditions.

 

MARKET FOR COMMON STOCK

 

Our common stock has been listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “AYTU” since October 20, 2017. Prior to October 20, 2017, our common stock was quoted on the OTCQX and prior to that, on the OTCQB. The following table sets forth the range of high and low bid prices for our common stock on the OTCQX or OTCQB, or high and low sales prices on the NASDAQ Capital Market, as applicable, for the periods shown. The quotations for the OTCQX or OTCQB represent inter-dealer prices without retail markup, markdown or commission, and may not necessarily represent actual transactions. All share prices give effect to our 1-for-20 reverse stock splits completed in each of August 2017 and August 2018.

 

Fiscal Year ended June 30, 2017  High   Low 
First Quarter (ended September 30, 2016)  $2,000.00   $1,204.00 
Second Quarter (ended December 31, 2016)  $1,556.00   $408.00 
Third Quarter (ended March 31, 2017)  $504.00   $296.44 
Fourth Quarter (ended June 30, 2017)  $364.00   $204.00 

 

Fiscal Year ended June 30, 2018  High   Low 
First Quarter (ended September 30, 2017)  $240.00   $66.80 
Second Quarter (ended December 31, 2017)  $136.40   $41.00 
Third Quarter (ended March 31, 2018)  $85.20   $7.60 
Fourth Quarter (ended June 30, 2018)  $12.80   $4.66 

 

Fiscal Year ended June 30, 2019  High   Low 
First Quarter (through September 6, 2018)  $7.80   $3.70 

 

As of August 31, 2018, there were 496 holders of record of our common stock.  

 

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DIVIDEND POLICY

 

We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock and our Board of Directors presently intends to continue a policy of retaining earnings, if any, for use in our operations. The declaration and payment of dividends in the future, of which there can be no assurance, will be determined by the Board of Directors in light of conditions then existing, including earnings, financial condition, capital requirements and other factors. Delaware law prohibits us from declaring dividends where, if after giving effect to the distribution of the dividend:

 

we would not be able to pay our debts as they become due in the usual course of business; or
   
our total assets would be less than the sum of our total liabilities plus the amount that would be needed to satisfy the rights of stockholders who have preferential rights superior to those receiving the distribution.

 

Except as set forth above, there are no restrictions that currently materially limit our ability to pay dividends or which we reasonably believe are likely to limit materially the future payment of dividends on common stock.

 

Our Board of Directors has the right to authorize the issuance of preferred stock, without further stockholder approval, the holders of which may have preferences over the holders of our common stock as to payment of dividends.

 

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DILUTION

 

If you purchase shares in this offering, your interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the public offering price per Class A Unit and the net tangible book value per share of our common stock after this offering. Our net tangible book value as of June 30, 2018 was $2.1 million, or $1.15 per share of common stock (based upon 1,794,762 outstanding shares of common stock). “Net tangible book value” is total assets minus the sum of liabilities and intangible assets. “Net tangible book value per share” is net tangible book value divided by the total number of shares of common stock outstanding.

 

After giving effect to the sale by us in this offering of         Class A Units at an assumed public offering price of $          per Class A Unit (the closing price of our common stock as quoted on the NASDAQ Capital Market on          , 2018) and         Class B Units at an assumed public offering price of $          per Class B Unit, and assuming all shares of Series C Preferred Stock included in the Class B Units were converted to common stock, and after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses that we will pay, our net tangible book value as of June 30, 2018 would have been approximately $          million, or $          per share of common stock. This amount represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $          per share to existing stockholders and an immediate dilution of $            per share to purchasers in this offering.

 

The following table illustrates the dilution:

 

Assumed public offering price per Class A Unit  $ 
Net tangible book value per share as of June 30, 2018  $1.15 
Increase in net tangible book value per share attributable to this offering  $ 
Pro forma net tangible book value per share after this offering  $ 
Dilution per share to new investors  $ 

 

The dilution information set forth in the table above is illustrative only and will be adjusted based on the actual public offering price and other terms of this offering determined at pricing.

 

The above table is based on 1,794,762 shares of common stock outstanding as of June 30, 2018, and:

 

assumes no exercise of options to purchase an aggregate of 1,798 shares of common stock with a weighted average exercise price of $325.97, issued and outstanding under our 2015 Stock Plan and outstanding and exercisable on June 30, 2018;
   
assumes no exercise of warrants to purchase 1,882,661 shares of common stock with a weighted average exercise price of $25.94 per share outstanding on June 30, 2018; and
   
assumes no exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option.

 

If the underwriters exercise in full their over-allotment option, our net tangible book value per share after giving effect to this offering would be approximately $         million, or $         per share, which amount represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $          per share to existing stockholders and a dilution to new investors of $            per share.

 

If we issue any additional shares in connection with outstanding options or warrants, there will be additional dilution.

  

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CAPITALIZATION

 

The following table sets forth our cash and cash equivalents and our capitalization as of June 30, 2018 on:

 

an actual basis; and
   
on a pro forma basis to give effect to the sale by us in this offering of            Class A Units, at the assumed public offering price of $             per Class A Unit and           Class B Units, at the assumed public offering price of $          per Class B Unit, assuming conversion of all shares of Series C Preferred Stock included in the Class B Units, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

 

The pro forma information set forth in the table below is illustrative only and will be adjusted based on the actual public offering price and other terms of this offering determined at pricing.

 

You should read this table in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” our audited financial statements for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, and the related notes thereto, included by reference in this prospectus.

 

   As of June 30, 2018 
   Actual   Pro Forma 
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash  $7,112,527   $       
Long-term contingent consideration   4,146,829      
Stockholders’ equity:          
Preferred Stock, par value $0.0001; 50,000,000 shares authorized; 0 shares of Series A issued and outstanding; 0 shares of Series B issued and outstanding   0      
Common Stock, par value $0.0001; 100,000,000 shares authorized; 1,794,762 shares issued and outstanding, actual;            shares issued and outstanding pro forma   179      
Additional paid-in capital   92,681,918      
Accumulated deficit   (79,257,592)     
Total stockholders’ equity   13,424,505      

 

The number of shares to be outstanding immediately after giving effect to this offering as shown above is based on 1,794,762 shares outstanding as of June 30, 2018 and:

 

assumes no exercise of options to purchase an aggregate of 1,798 shares of common stock with a weighted average exercise price of $325.97, issued under our 2015 Stock Plan and outstanding on June 30, 2018;
   
assumes no exercise of warrants to purchase 1,882,661 shares of common stock with a weighted average exercise price of $25.94 per share outstanding on June 30, 2018; and
   
assumes no exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

 

General

 

We are authorized to issue up to 100,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, and 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.0001 par value per share.

 

As of August 31, 2018, a total of 1,801,411 shares of our common stock were issued and outstanding, no shares of our Series A Preferred Stock were issued and outstanding, and no shares of our Series B Preferred Stock were issued and outstanding.

 

Common Stock

 

The holders of common stock are entitled to one vote per share. Our Certificate of Incorporation does not expressly prohibit cumulative voting. The holders of our common stock are entitled to receive ratably such dividends, if any, as may be declared by the Board of Directors out of legally available funds. Upon liquidation, dissolution or winding-up, the holders of our common stock are entitled to share ratably in all assets that are legally available for distribution. The holders of our common stock have no preemptive, subscription, redemption or conversion rights.

 

The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of our common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of any series of preferred stock, which may be designated solely by action of the Board of Directors and issued in the future.

 

Securities to be Issued in this Offering

 

Units

 

We are offering Class A Units, with each Class A Unit consisting of one share of common stock and a warrant to purchase one half of one share of our common stock at an exercise price per share of $                    , together with the shares of common stock underlying such warrants, at an assumed public offering price of $                     per Class A Unit. The Class A Units will not be certificated and the shares of common stock and warrants part of such units are immediately separable and will be issued separately in this offering.

 

We are also offering to those purchasers whose purchase of Class A Units in this offering would result in the purchaser, together with its affiliates and certain related parties, beneficially owning more than 4.99% (or, at the election of the purchaser, 9.99%) of our outstanding common stock following the consummation of this offering, the opportunity to purchase, in lieu of the number of Class A Units that would result in ownership in excess of 4.99% (or, at the election of the purchaser, 9.99%), Class B Units. Each Class B Unit will consist of one share of Series C Preferred Stock, par value $0.0001 per share, convertible into one share of common stock and a warrant to purchase one half of one share of our common stock at an exercise price per share of $                    , together with the shares of common stock underlying such shares of Series C Preferred Stock and warrants, at an assumed public offering price of $                     per Class B Unit. The Class B Units will not be certificated and the shares of Series C Preferred Stock and the warrants part of such units are immediately separable and will be issued separately in this offering.

 

Series C Preferred Stock

 

General. In connection with this offering, our board of directors will designate shares of our preferred stock as Series C Preferred Stock. The preferences and rights of the Series C Preferred Stock will be as set forth in a Certificate of Designation (the “Series C Certificate of Designation”) filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

 

Conversion. Each share of Series C Preferred Stock will be convertible at any time at the holder’s option into one share of common stock, which conversion ratio will be subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, distributions, subdivisions and combinations. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Series C Certificate of Designation will further provide that we shall not effect any conversion of the Series C Preferred Stock, with certain exceptions, to the extent that, after giving effect to an attempted conversion, the holder of Series C Preferred Stock (together with such holder’s affiliates, and any persons acting as a group together with such holder or any of such holder’s affiliates) would beneficially own a number of shares of Common Stock in excess of 4.99% (or, at the election of the purchaser prior to the date of issuance, 9.99%) of the shares of our common stock then outstanding after giving effect to such exercise (the “Series C Preferred Stock Beneficial Ownership Limitation”).

 

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Liquidation Preference. In the event of a liquidation, the holders of Series C Preferred Stock will be entitled to participate on an as-converted-to-common-stock basis with holders of the common stock in any distribution of assets of the Company to the holders of the common stock.

 

Voting Rights. With certain exceptions, as described in the Series C Certificate of Designation, the Series C Preferred Stock will have no voting rights. However, as long as any shares of Series C Preferred Stock remain outstanding, the Series C Certificate of Designation will provide that we shall not, without the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the then-outstanding shares of Series C Preferred Stock: (i) alter or change adversely the powers, preferences or rights given to the Series C Preferred Stock or alter or amend the Series C Certificate of Designation, (b) increase the number of authorized shares of Series C Preferred Stock or (c) effect a stock split or reverse stock split of the Series C Preferred Stock or any like event.

 

Dividends. The Series C Certificate of Designation will provide, among other things, that we shall not pay any dividends on shares of common stock (other than dividends in the form of common stock) unless and until such time as we pay dividends on each share of Series C Preferred Stock on an as-converted basis. Other than as set forth in the previous sentence, the Series C Certificate of Designation will provide that no other dividends shall be paid on shares of Series C Preferred Stock and that we shall pay no dividends (other than dividends in the form of common stock) on shares of common stock unless we simultaneously comply with the previous sentence.

 

Repurchase Restrictions. The Series C Certificate of Designation will not provide for any restriction on the repurchase of Series C Preferred Stock by us while there is any arrearage in the payment of dividends on the Series C Preferred Stock. There will be no sinking fund provisions applicable to the Series C Preferred Stock.

 

Redemption. We will not be obligated to redeem or repurchase any shares of Series C Preferred Stock. Shares of Series C Preferred Stock will not otherwise be entitled to any redemption rights or mandatory sinking fund or analogous fund provisions.

 

Exchange Listing. We do not intend to apply for listing of the Series C Preferred Stock on any securities exchange or other trading system.

 

Warrants

 

General. The material terms and provisions of the warrants being offered pursuant to this prospectus are summarized below. This summary of some provisions of the warrants is not complete. For the complete terms of the warrants, you should refer to the form of warrant filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Pursuant to a warrant agency agreement between us and VStock Transfer, as warrant agent, the warrants will be issued in book-entry form and shall initially be represented only by one or more global warrants deposited with the warrant agent, as custodian on behalf of The Depository Trust Company, or DTC, and registered in the name of Cede & Co., a nominee of DTC, or as otherwise directed by DTC.

 

Exercise of Warrants. Each Class A Unit and each Class B Unit includes a warrant to purchase one half of one share of our common stock, with an exercise price equal to $                     per share at any time for up to five (5) years after the date of the closing of this offering. . The warrants are exercisable in increments of two warrants for one full share of common stock. The warrants issued in this offering will be governed by the terms of a global warrant held in book-entry form. The holder of a warrant will not be deemed a holder of our underlying common stock until the warrant is exercised.

 

Subject to certain limitations as described below the warrants are immediately exercisable upon issuance on the closing date and expire on the five (5) year anniversary of the closing date. Subject to limited exceptions, a holder of warrants will not have the right to exercise any portion of its warrants if the holder (together with such holder’s affiliates, and any persons acting as a group together with such holder or any of such holder’s affiliates) would beneficially own a number of shares of common stock in excess of 4.99% (or, at the election of the purchaser prior to the date of issuance, 9.99%) of the shares of our common stock then outstanding after giving effect to such exercise.

 

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The exercise price and the number of shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of recapitalization events, stock dividends, stock splits, stock combinations, reclassifications, reorganizations or similar events affecting our common stock. The warrant holders must pay the exercise price in cash upon exercise of the warrants, unless such warrant holders are utilizing the cashless exercise provision of the warrants.

 

Upon the holder’s exercise of a warrant, we will issue the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrant within two trading days following our receipt of a notice of exercise, provided that payment of the exercise price has been made (unless exercised to the extent permitted via the “cashless” exercise provision). Prior to the exercise of any warrants to purchase common stock, holders of the warrants will not have any of the rights of holders of the common stock purchasable upon exercise, including the right to vote, except as set forth therein.

 

Warrant holders may exercise warrants only if the issuance of the shares of common stock upon exercise of the warrants is covered by an effective registration statement, or an exemption from registration is available under the Securities Act and the securities laws of the state in which the holder resides. We intend to use commercially reasonable efforts to have the registration statement, of which this prospectus forms a part, effective when the warrants are exercised. The warrant holders must pay the exercise price in cash upon exercise of the warrants unless there is not an effective registration statement or, if required, there is not an effective state law registration or exemption covering the issuance of the shares underlying the warrants (in which case, the warrants may only be exercised via a “cashless” exercise provision).

 

Fundamental Transaction. In the event we consummate a merger or consolidation with or into another person or other reorganization event in which our common stock are converted or exchanged for securities, cash or other property, or we sell, lease, license, assign, transfer, convey or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets or we or another person acquire 50% or more of our outstanding shares of common stock, then following such event, the holders of the warrants will be entitled to receive upon exercise of such warrants the same kind and amount of securities, cash or property which the holders would have received had they exercised their warrants immediately prior to such fundamental transaction. Any successor to us or surviving entity shall assume the obligations under the warrants.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event of a change of control as described above, the holder may, subject to certain conditions, require the Company or a successor entity to purchase the warrant from the holder by paying to the holder an amount in cash equal to the Black-Scholes value of the remaining unexercised portion of the warrant on the effective date of such change of control; provided, however, that, if the change of control is not within the Company's control, including not approved by the Company's board of directors, the holder will only be entitled to receive from the Company or any successor entity, as of the date of consummation of such change of control, the same type or form of consideration (and in the same proportion), at the Black-Scholes value of the unexercised portion of the warrant, that is being offered and paid to the holders of our common stock in connection with the change of control, whether that consideration is in the form of cash, stock or any combination thereof, or whether the holders of common stock are given the choice to receive from among alternative forms of consideration in connection with the change of control.

 

Call Feature. The warrants are callable by us in certain circumstances. Subject to certain exceptions, in the event that the warrants are outstanding, if, after the closing date, (i) the volume weighted average price of our common stock for 30 consecutive trading days (the “Measurement Period”), which Measurement Period commences on the closing date, exceeds 250% of the exercise price (subject to adjustment for forward and reverse stock splits, recapitalizations, stock dividends and similar transactions after the initial exercise date), (ii) the average daily trading volume for such Measurement Period exceeds $600,000 per trading day and (iii) the warrant holder is not in possession of any information that constitutes or might constitute, material non-public information which was provided by the Company, and subject to the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, then we may, within one trading day of the end of such Measurement Period, upon notice (a “Call Notice”), call for cancellation of all or any portion of the warrants for which a notice of exercise has not yet been delivered (a “Call”) for consideration equal to $0.001 per warrant share. Any portion of a warrant subject to such Call Notice for which a notice of exercise shall not have been received by the Call Date (as hereinafter defined) will be canceled at 6:30 p.m. (New York City time) on the tenth trading day after the date the Call Notice is sent by the Company (such date and time, the “Call Date”). Our right to call the warrants shall be exercised ratably among the holders based on the then outstanding warrants

 

Exchange Listing. We do not intend to apply for listing of the warrants on any securities exchange or other trading system.

 

Representative Warrants

 

Upon completion of this offering, will issue Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc. (the “Representative”) a warrant to purchase a number of shares of common stock equal to 3% of the number of shares of common stock and preferred stock sold in this offering. The terms of the Representative’s warrant are identical to the terms of the warrants in this offering, except that the exercise price will be 125% of the public offering price of the Class A Units and the Representative’s warrant and any shares issued upon exercise of the Representative’s warrant shall not be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged, or hypothecated, or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of the securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the effectiveness date of this prospectus.

 

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Outstanding Preferred Stock

 

Our Certificate of Incorporation provides our Board of Directors with the authority to divide the preferred stock into series and to fix and determine the rights and preferences of the shares of any series of preferred stock established to the full extent permitted by the laws of the State of Delaware and the Certificate of Incorporation. We previously designated 10,000 shares as Series A Preferred Stock. No shares of Series A Preferred Stock are outstanding as of August 31, 2018. We also previously designated 3,216 shares as Series B Preferred Stock. No shares of Series B Preferred Stock are outstanding as of August 31, 2018.

 

Outstanding Warrants

 

As of August 31, 2018, we had outstanding warrants to purchase an aggregate of 1,882,661 shares of our common stock, consisting of:

 

Warrants to purchase 35 shares of our common stock that were issued in February 2016 to the placement agents in our private placement of convertible notes that we conducted in July and August 2015. These placement agents’ warrants have a term of five years from the date of issuance of the related notes in July and August 2015, have an exercise price of $3,120.00, and provide for cashless exercise;
   
Warrants to purchase 22 shares of our common stock that were issued in February 2016 to the placement agents in our private placement of convertible notes that we conducted in July and August 2015. These placement agents’ warrants have a term of five years from the date of issuance of the related notes in July and August 2015, have an exercise price of $300.00, and provide for cashless exercise;
   
Warrants to purchase 58 shares of our common stock that were issued in May 2016 to the placement agents in our private placement of convertible notes that we conducted in July and August 2015. These placement agents’ warrants have a term of five years from the date of issuance of the related notes in July and August 2015, have an exercise price of $1,920.00, and provide for cashless exercise;
   
Warrants to purchase 1,361 shares of our common stock that were issued in the public offering of common stock and warrants we completed on May 6, 2016. These warrants are exercisable for five years from issuance and have an exercise price equal to $2,400.00;
   
Warrants to purchase 767 shares of our common stock that were issued upon the closing of our public offering on May 5, 2016. These warrants are exercisable for five years from issuance and have an exercise price equal to $2,400.00;
   
Warrants to 279 shares of common stock issued to the underwriters of our public offering. These warrants are exercisable beginning May 2, 2017 until May 2, 2021 and have an exercise price equal to $300.00;
   
Warrants with a release to purchase 221 shares of common stock issued to the Luoxis stockholders. These warrants expire on July 7, 2021 and have an exercise price equal to $1,600.00;
   
Warrants to purchase 10,548 shares of our common stock that were issued upon the closing of our public offering on November 2, 2016. These warrants are exercisable for five years from issuance and have an exercise price equal to $744.00;
   
Warrants to purchase 1,009 shares of common stock issued to the underwriters of our November public offering. These warrants are exercisable beginning October 27, 2016 until October 27, 2021 and have an exercise price equal to $300.00;
   
Warrants to purchase 221,006 shares of our common stock that were issued in the public offering of common stock, preferred stock and warrants we completed on August 15, 2017. These warrants are exercisable for five years from issuance and have an exercise price equal to $72.00;
   
Warrants to purchase 19,749 shares of our common stock that were issued in August 2017 to the placement agents in our public offering of common stock, preferred stock and warrants we completed on August 15, 2017. These placement agents’ warrants have a term of five years from August 25, 2017, and have an exercise price of $72.00, and provide for cashless exercise;
   
Warrants to purchase 1,527,606 shares of our common stock that were issued in the public offering of common stock, preferred stock and warrants we completed on March 6, 2018. These warrants are exercisable for five years from issuance and have an exercise price equal to $10.80; and
   
Warrants to purchase 100,000 shares of our common stock were issued in on March 23, 2018. These warrants are exercisable for five years from issuance and have an exercise price equal to $10.80.

 

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Outstanding Options

 

On June 1, 2015, our stockholders approved the 2015 Stock Option and Incentive Plan, which provides for the award of stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock and other equity awards for up to an aggregate of 3.0 million shares of common stock. The shares of common stock underlying any awards that are forfeited, canceled, reacquired by us prior to vesting, satisfied without any issuance of stock, expire or are otherwise terminated (other than by exercise) under the 2015 Plan will be added back to the shares of common stock available for issuance under the 2015 Plan.

 

As of August 31, 2018, we had outstanding options to purchase an aggregate of 1,798 shares of our common stock at a weighted average exercise price of $325.97 per share. Of these, an aggregate of 1,527 are exercisable.

 

The 271 options that are unvested, will vest per the following schedule: 100 options on November 11, 2018, 18 options on November 11, 2019, an aggregate of three options on August 7, 2019, 150 options on July 7, 2019.

 

The 2015 Plan is administered by our Board or a committee designated by the Board (as applicable, the Administrator). The Administrator has full power to select, from among the individuals eligible for awards, the individuals to whom awards will be granted, to make any combination of awards to participants, and to determine the specific terms and conditions of each award, subject to the provisions of the 2015 Plan. The Administrator may delegate to our Chief Executive Officer the authority to grant stock options and other awards to employees who are not subject to the reporting and other provisions of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and not subject to Section 162(m) of the Code, subject to certain limitations and guidelines.

 

Persons eligible to participate in the 2015 Plan are full or part-time officers, employees, non-employee directors, directors and other key persons (including consultants and prospective officers) of our company and its subsidiaries as selected from time to time by the Administrator in its discretion. Approximately 35 individuals are currently eligible to participate in the 2015 Plan, which includes officers, employees who are not officers, non-employee director, former employees and other individuals who are primarily consultants.

 

The 2015 Plan provides that upon the effectiveness of a “sale event” as defined in the 2015 Plan, except as otherwise provided by the Administrator in the award agreement, all stock options, stock appreciation rights and other awards will be assumed or continued by the successor entity and adjusted accordingly to take into account the impact of the transaction. To the extent, however, that the parties to such sale event do not agree that all stock options, stock appreciation rights or any other awards shall be assumed or continued, then such stock options and stock appreciation rights shall become fully exercisable and the restrictions and conditions on all such other awards with time-based conditions will automatically be deemed waived. Awards with conditions and restrictions relating to the attainment of performance goals may become vested and non-forfeitable in connection with a sale event in the Administrator’s discretion. In addition, in the case of a sale event in which our stockholders will receive cash consideration, we may make or provide for a cash payment to participants holding options and stock appreciation rights equal to the difference between the per share cash consideration and the exercise price of the options or stock appreciation rights in exchange for the cancellation thereto.

 

Quotation on the NASDAQ Capital Market

 

Our common stock is quoted on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “AYTU”. We have two series of warrants quoted on the OTCQB under the symbols “AYTUW” and “AYTUZ”.

 

Transfer Agent

 

The transfer agent of our common stock is VStock Transfer. Their address is 18 Lafayette Place, Woodmere, NY 11598.

 

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Delaware Anti-Takeover Law and Provisions of Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws

 

Delaware Anti-Takeover Law. We are subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. Section 203 generally prohibits a public Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless:

 

prior to the date of the transaction, the board of directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;
   
upon consummation of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding specified shares; or
   
at or subsequent to the date of the transaction, the business combination is approved by the board of directors and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder.

 

Section 203 defines a “business combination” to include:

 

any merger or consolidation involving the corporation and the interested stockholder;
   
any sale, lease, exchange, mortgage, pledge, transfer or other disposition of 10% or more of the assets of the corporation to or with the interested stockholder;
   
subject to exceptions, any transaction that results in the issuance or transfer by the corporation of any stock of the corporation to the interested stockholder;
   
subject to exceptions, any transaction involving the corporation that has the effect of increasing the proportionate share of the stock of any class or series of the corporation beneficially owned by the interested stockholder; or
   
the receipt by the interested stockholder of the benefit of any loans, advances, guarantees, pledges or other financial benefits provided by or through the corporation.

 

In general, Section 203 defines an “interested stockholder” as any person that is:

 

the owner of 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation;
   
an affiliate or associate of the corporation who was the owner of 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation at any time within three years immediately prior to the relevant date; or
   
the affiliates and associates of the above.

 

Under specific circumstances, Section 203 makes it more difficult for an “interested stockholder” to effect various business combinations with a corporation for a three-year period, although the stockholders may, by adopting an amendment to the corporation’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws, elect not to be governed by this section, effective 12 months after adoption.

 

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws do not exclude us from the restrictions of Section 203. We anticipate that the provisions of Section 203 might encourage companies interested in acquiring us to negotiate in advance with our board of directors since the stockholder approval requirement would be avoided if a majority of the directors then in office approve either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder.

 

Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaw. Provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may delay or discourage transactions involving an actual or potential change of control or change in our management, including transactions in which stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares, or transactions that our stockholders might otherwise deem to be in their best interests. Therefore, these provisions could adversely affect the price of our common stock. Among other things, these provisions include:

 

the authorization of 50,000,000 shares of “blank check” preferred stock, the rights, preferences and privileges of which may be established and shares of which may be issued by our Board of Directors at its discretion from time to time and without stockholder approval;
   
limiting the removal of directors by the stockholders;
   
allowing for the creation of a staggered board of directors;
   
eliminating the ability of stockholders to call a special meeting of stockholders; and
   
establishing advance notice requirements for nominations for election to the board of directors or for proposing matters that can be acted upon at stockholder meetings.

 

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UNDERWRITING

 

We have entered into an underwriting agreement dated       , 2018 with Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc., as the representative of the underwriters (the “representative”) named below and the sole book-running manager of this offering. Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement, the underwriters have agreed to purchase the number of our securities set forth opposite its name below.

 

Underwriters 

Class A

Units

  

Class B

Units

 
Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc.                     
Total          
           

 

A copy of the underwriting agreement will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

 

We have been advised by the underwriters that they propose to offer the units directly to the public at the public offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus. The underwriters may sell Class A Units or Class B Units separately to purchasers or may sell a combination of Class A Units and Class B Units to purchasers in any proportion. Any securities sold by the underwriters to securities dealers will be sold at the public offering price less a selling concession not in excess of $        per share and $            per warrant.

 

The underwriting agreement provides that subject to the satisfaction or waiver by the representative of the conditions contained in the underwriting agreement, the underwriters are obligated to purchase and pay for all of the units offered by this prospectus.

 

No action has been taken by us or the underwriters that would permit a public offering of the units, or the shares of common stock, shares of Series C Preferred Stock, shares of common stock underlying the Series C Preferred Stock and warrants to purchase common stock included in the units, in any jurisdiction outside the United States where action for that purpose is required. None of our securities included in this offering may be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, nor may this prospectus or any other offering material or advertisements in connection with the offer and sales of any of the securities offered hereby be distributed or published in any jurisdiction except under circumstances that will result in compliance with the applicable rules and regulations of that jurisdiction. Persons who receive this prospectus are advised to inform themselves about and to observe any restrictions relating to this offering of securities and the distribution of this prospectus. This prospectus is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of any offer to buy the securities in any jurisdiction where that would not be permitted or legal.

 

The underwriters have advised us that they do not intend to confirm sales to any account over which they exercise discretionary authority.

 

Underwriting Discount and Expenses

 

The following table summarizes the underwriting discount and commission to be paid to the underwriter assuming the no exercise of the over-allotment option and the full exercise of the over-allotment option.

 

  

Per Class 

A Unit(1)

  

Per Class 

B Unit(1)

   Total With No Exercise of the Over-Allotment Option   Total With Full Exercise of the Over-Allotment Option 
Public offering price                                     
Underwriting discount to be paid to the underwriters by us(2)                    
Proceeds to us (before expenses)                    

 

(1) The public offering price and underwriting discount corresponds to (x) in respect of the Class A Units (i) a public offering price per share of common stock of $        and (ii) a public offering price per warrant of $        and (y) in respect of the Class B Units (i) a public offering price per share of Series C Preferred Stock of $        and (ii) a public offering price per warrant of $        .
   
(2) We have granted a 45-day option to the underwriter to purchase additional shares of common stock and/or warrants to purchase shares of common stock (up to 15% of the number of shares of common stock (including the number of shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of shares of Series C Preferred Stock) and the number of shares of common stock underlying the warrants sold in the primary offering) at the public offering price per share of common stock and the public offering price per warrant set forth above less the underwriting discounts and commissions, solely to cover over-allotments, if any.

 

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We estimate the total expenses payable by us for this offering to be approximately $           , which amount includes (i) the underwriting discount of $            ($ if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) and (ii) reimbursement of the accountable expenses of the representative equal to $85,000 including the legal fees of the representative being paid by us and (iii) other estimated company expenses of approximately $           , which includes legal, accounting, printing costs and various fees associated with the registration and listing of our shares.

 

The securities we are offering are being offered by the underwriters subject to certain conditions specified in the underwriting agreement.

 

Representative Warrants

 

We have agreed to issue to the representative warrants to purchase 3% of the aggregate number of shares of common stock sold in this offering (including the shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of the Series C Preferred Stock). The representative warrants will have a term of five years from the effective date of this prospectus and an exercise price per share equal to 125% of the public offering price for the Class A Units sold in this offering. Pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(g), the representative warrants and any shares issued upon exercise of the representative warrants shall not be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged, or hypothecated, or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of the securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the date of effectiveness or commencement of sales of this offering, except the transfer of any security: (i) by operation of law or by reason of our reorganization; (ii) to any FINRA member firm participating in the offering and the officers or partners thereof, if all securities so transferred remain subject to the lock-up restriction set forth above for the remainder of the time period; (iii) if the aggregate amount of our securities held by the underwriter or related persons do not exceed 1% of the securities being offered; (iv) that is beneficially owned on a pro rata basis by all equity owners of an investment fund, provided that no participating member manages or otherwise directs investments by the fund and the participating members in the aggregate do not own more than 10% of the equity in the fund; or (v) the exercise or conversion of any security, if all securities remain subject to the lock-up restriction set forth above for the remainder of the time period.

 

Over-allotment Option

 

We have granted to the underwriters an option exercisable not later than 45 days after the date of this prospectus to purchase up to a number of additional shares of common stock and/or warrants to purchase shares of common stock not to exceed 15% of the number of shares of common stock sold in the primary offering (including the number of shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of shares of Series C Preferred Stock, but excluding shares of common stock underlying the warrants issued in this offering and any shares of common stock issued upon any exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option) and/or 15% of the warrants sold in the primary offering at the public offering price per share of common stock and the public offering price per warrant set forth on the cover page hereto less the underwriting discounts and commissions. The underwriters may exercise the option solely to cover overallotments, if any, made in connection with this offering. If any additional shares of common stock and/or warrants are purchased pursuant to the over-allotment option, the underwriters will offer these shares of common stock and/or warrants on the same terms as those on which the other securities are being offered.

 

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Determination of Offering Price

 

Our common stock is currently traded on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “AYTU.” On September 6, 2018 the closing price of our common stock was $3.99 per share. We do not intend to apply for listing of the Series C Preferred Stock or the warrants on any securities exchange or other trading system.

 

The public offering price of the securities offered by this prospectus will be determined by negotiation between us and the underwriters. Among the factors that will be considered in determining the public offering price of the shares:

 

our history and our prospects;
   
the industry in which we operate;
   
our past and present operating results;
   
the previous experience of our executive officers; and
   
the general condition of the securities markets at the time of this offering.

 

The offering price stated on the cover page of this prospectus should not be considered an indication of the actual value of the shares of common stock or shares of preferred stock sold in this offering. That price is subject to change as a result of market conditions and other factors and we cannot assure you that the shares of common stock sold in this offering can be resold at or above the public offering price.

 

Lock-up Agreements

 

Our officers and directors have agreed with the representative to be subject to a lock-up period of 90 days following the date of this prospectus. This means that, during the applicable lock-up period, such persons may not offer for sale, contract to sell, sell, distribute, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, pledge, hypothecate or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of our common stock or any securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, shares of our common stock. Certain limited transfers are permitted during the lock-up period if the transferee agrees to these lock-up restrictions. We have also agreed, in the underwriting agreement, to similar lock-up restrictions on the issuance and sale of our securities for 90 days following the effectiveness of the underwriting agreement, although we will be permitted to issue stock options or stock awards to directors, officers and employees under our existing plans. The lock-up period is subject to an additional extension to accommodate for our reports of financial results or material news releases. The representative may, in its sole discretion and without notice, waive the terms of any of these lock-up agreements.

 

Other Relationships

 

Subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, we have granted the representative a right of first refusal to act as lead or sole bookrunner or exclusive placement agent in connection with any subsequent public or private offering of equity securities or other capital markets financing by us. This right of first refusal extends for 12 months from the closing date of this offering. The terms of any such engagement of the representative will be determined by separate agreement.

 

Transfer Agent and Registrar

 

The transfer agent of our common stock is VStock Transfer. Its address is 18 Lafayette Place, Woodmere, New York 11598.

 

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Stabilization, Short Positions and Penalty Bids

 

The underwriters may engage in syndicate covering transactions stabilizing transactions and penalty bids or purchases for the purpose of pegging, fixing or maintaining the price of our common stock:

 

Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of securities in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions. Such a naked short position would be closed out by buying securities in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there could be downward pressure on the price of the securities in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering.

  

Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specific maximum and are engaged in for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the shares of common stock while this offering is in progress.
   
Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when the securities originally sold by the syndicate member are purchased in a stabilizing or syndicate covering transaction to cover syndicate short positions.

 

These syndicate covering transactions, stabilizing transactions, and penalty bids may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market prices of our securities or preventing or retarding a decline in the market prices of our securities. As a result the price of our common stock may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. Neither we nor the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of our common stock. These transactions may be effected on The NASDAQ Capital Market, in the over-the-counter market or on any other trading market and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.

 

In connection with this offering, the underwriters also may engage in passive market making transactions in our common stock in accordance with Regulation M during a period before the commencement of offers or sales of shares of our common stock in this offering and extending through the completion of the distribution. In general, a passive market maker must display its bid at a price not in excess of the highest independent bid for that security. However, if all independent bids are lowered below the passive market maker’s bid that bid must then be lowered when specific purchase limits are exceeded. Passive market making may stabilize the market price of the securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.

 

Neither we, nor the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the prices of our securities. In addition, neither we nor the underwriters make any representation that the underwriters will engage in these transactions or that any transactions, once commenced will not be discontinued without notice.

 

Indemnification

 

We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including certain liabilities arising under the Securities Act or to contribute to payments that the underwriters may be required to make for these liabilities.

 

 

 53 

 

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

 

We have elected to incorporate the following documents into this prospectus, together with all exhibits filed therewith or incorporated therein by reference, to the extent not otherwise amended or superseded by the contents of this prospectus:

 

our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2018, as filed with the SEC on September 6, 2018; and
   
our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on July 2, 2018 and August 10, 2018.

 

In addition, we incorporate by reference in this prospectus any future filings we make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (excluding any information furnished and not filed with the SEC) after the date on which the registration statement that includes this prospectus was initially filed with the SEC (including all such documents we may file with the SEC after the date of the initial registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement) and until all offerings under this prospectus are terminated.

 

Any statement contained in a document incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for all purposes to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus or in any other subsequently filed document which is also incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference, modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus. You may request a copy of these filings (other than an exhibit to a filing unless that exhibit is specifically incorporated by reference into that filing) at no cost by writing, telephoning or e-mailing us at the following address or telephone number:

 

Aytu BioScience, Inc.

373 Inverness Parkway, Suite 206

Englewood, CO 80112

Tel: (720) 437-6580

Attn: Elizabeth Creason

ecreason@aytubio.com

 

Copies of these filings are also available through the “Investors” section of our website at www.aytubio.com. For other ways to obtain a copy of these filings, please refer to “Where You Can Find More Information.”

 

 54 

 

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

 

This prospectus, which constitutes a part of the registration statement on Form S-1 that we have filed with the SEC under the Securities Act, does not contain all of the information in the registration statement and its exhibits. For further information with respect to us and the common stock offered by this prospectus, you should refer to the registration statement and the exhibits filed as part of that document. Statements contained in this prospectus as to the contents of any contract or any other document referred to are not necessarily complete, and in each instance, we refer you to the copy of the contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the registration statement. Each of these statements is qualified in all respects by this reference.

 

We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement, over the Internet at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. We also maintain a website at http://www.aytubio.com, at which you may access these materials free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, our website is not part of this prospectus.

 

You may also read and copy any document we file with the SEC at its public reference facilities at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, DC 20549. You may also obtain copies of these documents at prescribed rates by writing to the Public Reference Section of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the public reference facilities. You may also request a copy of these filings, at no cost, by writing or telephoning us at: 373 Inverness Parkway, Suite 206, Englewood, Colorado 80112, (720) 437-6580.

 

LEGAL MATTERS

 

The validity of the securities being offered by this prospectus will be passed upon for us by Dorsey & Whitney LLP, Salt Lake City, Utah. Certain legal matters in connection with this offering have been passed upon for the underwriters by Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, New York, New York.

 

EXPERTS

 

The consolidated financial statements of Aytu BioScience, Inc. at June 30, 2018 and 2017, and for each of the two years in the period ended June 30, 2018 have been audited by EKS&H LLLP, independent registered public accounting firm. Such financial statements have been incorporated herein by reference in reliance on the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

 55 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A Units consisting of common stock and warrants and

Class B Units consisting of shares of Series C Preferred Stock and warrants

(and        shares of common stock underlying shares of Series C Preferred Stock and warrants)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROSPECTUS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ladenburg Thalmann

 

                 , 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PART II

 

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

 

Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.

 

The following table sets forth all costs and expenses paid or payable by us in connection with the sale of the securities being registered, other than underwriting discounts and commissions. All amounts shown are estimates except for the Securities Exchange Commission, or SEC, registration fee.

 

Expense  Amount Paid or
to be Paid
 
SEC registration fee  $996 .00 
FINRA filing fee   1,700 .00 
Printing expenses   10,000 .00 
Legal fees and expenses   100,000 .00 
Accounting fees and expenses   20,000 .00 
Miscellaneous expenses   7,304 .00 
Expense reimbursement to underwriters   85,000 .00 
Total  $225,000 .00 

 

Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

 

We are incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware. Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law provides that a Delaware corporation may indemnify any persons who are, or are threatened to be made, parties 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 such corporation), by reason of the fact that such person was an officer, director, employee or agent of such corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such person as an officer, director, employee or agent of another corporation or enterprise. The indemnity may include expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, provided that such person acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the corporation’s best interests and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was illegal. A Delaware corporation may indemnify any persons who are, or are threatened to be made, a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation by reason of the fact that such person was a director, officer, employee or agent of such corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or enterprise. The indemnity may include expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit provided such person acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the corporation’s best interests except that no indemnification is permitted without judicial approval if the officer or director is adjudged to be liable to the corporation. Where an officer or director is successful on the merits or otherwise in the defense of any action referred to above, the corporation must indemnify him against the expenses which such officer or director has actually and reasonably incurred. Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide for the indemnification of our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted under the Delaware General Corporation Law.

 

Section 102(b)(7) of the Delaware General Corporation Law permits a corporation to provide in its certificate of incorporation that a director of the corporation shall not be personally liable to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duties as a director, except for liability for any:

 

transaction from which the director derives an improper personal benefit;
   
act or omission not in good faith or that involves intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law;
   
unlawful payment of dividends or redemption of shares; or
   
breach of a director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders.

 

Our certificate of incorporation includes such a provision. Expenses incurred by any officer or director in defending any such action, suit or proceeding in advance of its final disposition shall be paid by us upon delivery to us of an undertaking, by or on behalf of such director or officer, to repay all amounts so advanced if it shall ultimately be determined that such director or officer is not entitled to be indemnified by us.

 

As permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, we have entered into indemnity agreements with each of our directors and executive officers. These agreements, among other things, require us to indemnify each director and officer to the fullest extent permitted by law and advance expenses to each indemnitee in connection with any proceeding in which indemnification is available.

 

We have an insurance policy covering our officers and directors with respect to certain liabilities, including liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, or otherwise.

 

 II-1 

 

Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.

 

The following transactions give effect to the 1-for-12.174 reverse stock split effected on June 8, 2015, the 1-for-12 reverse stock split effected on June 30, 2016, the 1-for-20 reverse stock split effected on August 25, 2017, and the 1-for-20 reverse stock split effected on August 10, 2018.

 

Aytu BioScience, Inc.

 

On February 10, 2016, we completed the conversion of $4,125,000 in convertible notes and $143,000 of accrued interest. The notes were issued in financings that closed in July and August 2015. Upon the conversion, we issued an aggregate of 1,642 shares common stock. After this conversion, an aggregate of $1,050,000 of principal of convertible notes remained outstanding.
   
On May 5, 2016, as an inducement to enter into lock up agreements with the underwriters of our public offering, we issued 767 shares of common stock and warrants to purchase 767 shares of common stock to holders of convertible notes that automatically converted into shares of common stock and warrants to purchase common stock, which conversion was triggered by the closing of our public offering of common stock and warrants on May 6, 2016.
   
On July 27, 2016, we issued 131 shares of common stock to Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC as a commitment fee and sold 335 shares of common stock to Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC, both pursuant to the Purchase Agreement dated July 27, 2016 between us and Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC.  Between September 2016 and June 2017, Lincoln Park purchased an additional 500 shares.
   
On May 3, 2017, we issued 6,250 shares of common stock to the preferred stockholders of Nuelle, Inc. pursuant to the Merger Agreement dated May 3, 2017 between us and Nuelle, Inc.
   
On August 11, 2017, we issued an aggregate of 159,834 shares of common stock, 113 shares of Series A Preferred Stock and warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 315,755 shares of common stock to investors pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement dated August 11, 2017 between us and various investors.
   
On March 23, 2018, the Company entered into a Warrant Exercise Agreement with a holder (“Holder”) of the Company’s outstanding warrants (the “Warrant”). Pursuant to the Exercise Agreement, the Company agreed to reduce the exercise price of the Holder’s Warrant from $72.00 to one cent less than the closing price on the last trading day prior to the exercise date ($8.20 per share) provided that the Holder exercised the Warrant for cash by March 23, 2018 and the Company also agreed to issue the Holder a new Warrant to purchase 100,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $10.80 per share. In accordance with the Exercise Agreement, the Holder exercised the Warrant and the Company received net proceeds of $615,000.

 

The offers, sales and issuances of the securities described in this section were exempt from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act, and where noted above, pursuant to Rule 506 of Regulation D, in that the transactions were between an issuer and sophisticated investors and did not involve any public offering within the meaning of Section 4(a)(2). The sales of these securities were made without any general solicitation or advertising.

 

 II-2 

 

Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.

 

(a)Exhibits.

 

Exhibit No.

 

Description

 

Registrant’s Form

 

Date Filed

 

Exhibit Number

 

Filed Herewith

1.1*   Form of Underwriting Agreement                
3.1   Certificate of Incorporation   8-K   06/09/2015   3.1    
3.2   Certificate of Amendment of Certificate of Incorporation effective June 1, 2016   8-K   06/02/2016   3.1    
3.3   Certificate of Amendment of Certificate of Incorporation, effective June 30, 2016   8-K   07/01/2016   3.1    
3.4   Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, filed on August 11, 2017.   8-K   08/16/2017   3.1    
3.5   Certificate of Amendment of Certificate of Incorporation, effective August 25, 2017   8-K   08/29/2017   3.1    
3.6   Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock filed on March 2, 2018   S-1/A   02/27/2018   3.6    
3.7   Certificate of Amendment of Certificate of Incorporation, effective August 10, 2018   8-K   08/10/2018   3.1    
3.8   Bylaws   8-K   06/09/2015   3.2    
3.9*   Form of Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series C Preferred Stock                
4.1   Form of Placement Agent Warrant issued in 2015 Convertible Note Financing   8-K   07/24/2015   4.2    
4.2   Warrant Agent Agreement, dated May 6, 2016 by and between Aytu BioScience, Inc. and VStock Transfer, LLC.   8-K   05/06/2016   4.1    
4.3   First Amendment to May 6, 2016 Warrant Agent Agreement between Aytu BioScience, Inc. and VStock Transfer LLC.   S-1   09/21/2016   4.5    
4.4   Warrant Agent Agreement, dated November 2, 2016 by and between Aytu BioScience, Inc. and VStock Transfer, LLC.   8-K   11/02/2016   4.1    
4.5   Form of Amended and Restated Underwriters’ Warrant (May 2016 Financing)   8-K   03/01/2017   4.1    
4.6   Form of Amended and Restated Underwriters’ Warrant (October 2016 Financing)   8-K   03/01/2017   4.2    
4.7   Common Stock Purchase Warrant   8-K   08/16/2017   4.1    
4.8   Form of Warrant for March 2018 Offering   S-1   02/27/2018   4.8    
4.9*   Form of Warrant for Offering                
5.1*   Opinion of Dorsey & Whitney LLP                
10.1#   Manufacturing and Supply Agreement between the Registrant (as assigned to it by Ampio/Vyrix) and Ethypharm S.A., dated September 10, 2012   8-K/A   06/08/2015   10.5    
10.2   License, Development and Commercialization Agreement between the Registrant (as assigned to it by Ampio/Vyrix) and Daewoong Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., effective as of August 23, 2011   10-K   09/06/2018   10.4    
10.3#   Distribution Agreement between the Registrant (as assigned to it by Ampio/Vyrix) and FBM Industria Farmaceutica, Ltda., dated as of March 1, 2012   8-K/A   06/08/2015   10.7    
10.4#   Distribution and License Agreement between the Registrant (as assigned to it by Ampio/Vyrix) and Endo Ventures Limited, dated April 9, 2014   8-K/A   06/08/2015   10.8    
10.5#   Sponsored Research Agreement between the Registrant (as assigned to it by Ampio/Luoxis) and Trauma Research LLC, dated September 1, 2009   8-K/A   06/08/2015   10.9    

 

 II-3 

 

10.6#   Addendum No. 4 to Sponsored Research Agreement between the Registrant (as assigned to it by Ampio/Luoxis) and Trauma Research LLC, dated March 17, 2014   8-K/A   06/08/2015   10.10    
10.7   Voting Agreement between the Registrant and Ampio, dated April 21, 2015   10-K   09/06/2018   10.11    
10.8   Master Services Agreement between Biovest International, Inc. and Aytu BioScience, Inc., entered into on October 8, 2015, and effective October 5, 2015   8-K   10/13/2015   10.19    
10.9   Form of Subscription Agreement for January 2016 common stock purchases   8-K   01/20/2016   10.1    
10.10   License and Supply Agreement between the Registrant and Acerus Pharmaceuticals Corporation, dated April 22, 2016   8-K   04/25/2016   10.1    
10.11   Subscription Agreement between the Registrant and Acerus Pharmaceuticals Corporation, dated April 22, 2016   8-K   04/25/2016   10.2    
10.12   First Amendment, dated May 15, 2016, to Employment Agreement dated September 16, 2015 between Aytu BioScience, Inc. and Jonathan McGrael   8-K   05/16/2016   10.1    
10.13   Purchase Agreement, dated July 27, 2016, by and between Aytu BioScience, Inc. and Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC.   8-K   07/28/2016   10.1    
10.14   Registration Rights Agreement dated July 27, 2016, by and between Aytu BioScience, Inc. and Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC.   8-K   07/28/2016   10.2    
10.15†   Employment Agreement, effective as of April 16, 2017, between Aytu BioScience, Inc. and Joshua R. Disbrow.   8-K   04/18/2017   10.1    
10.16†   Employment Agreement, effective as of April 16, 2017, between Aytu BioScience, Inc. and Jarrett T. Disbrow.   8-K   04/18/2017   10.2    
10.17   Asset Purchase Agreement, dated March 31, 2017, between Allegis Holdings, LLC and Aytu BioScience, Inc.   10-Q   05/11/2017   10.1    
10.18†   Merger Agreement, dated May 3, 2017, between Nuelle, Inc. and Aytu BioScience, Inc.   10-K/A   10/19/2017   10.25    
10.19†   Employment Agreement, effective as of June, 2017, between Aytu BioScience, Inc. and Gregory A. Gould.   8-K   06/19/2017   10.1    
10.20†   2015 Stock Option and Incentive Plan, as amended on July 26, 2017.   8-K   07/27/2017   10.1    
10.21   Securities Purchase Agreement, dated August 11, 2017, between Aytu BioScience, Inc. and the investors named therein.   8-K   08/16/2017   10.1    
10.22   Registration Rights Agreement, dated August 11, 2017, between Aytu BioScience, Inc. and the investors named therein.   8-K   08/16/2017   10.2    
10.23   Employment Agreement, dated December 18, 2017 between Aytu BioScience, Inc. and David A. Green   8-K   12/19/2017   10.1    
10.24   Warrant Exercise Agreement dated March 23, 2018   8-K   03/28/2018   10.1    
10.25   Amended and Restated Exclusive License Agreement between Aytu BioScience, Inc. and Magna Pharmaceuticals, Inc.   10-K   09/06/2018   10.31    
21.1   Subsidiaries   S-1   02/12/2018   21.1    
23.1   Consent of EKS&H LLLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.               X
23.2*   Consent of Dorsey & Whitney LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)                
24.1   Power of Attorney (included on signature page)               X
                     
*   To be filed by amendment                
  Indicates is a management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.
#  

The company has received confidential treatment of certain portions of this agreement. These portions have been omitted and filed separately with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to a confidential treatment request.

 

(b) Financial statement schedule.

 

None.

 

 II-4 

 

Item 17. Undertakings.

 

(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

 

(1)To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

 

(i)To include any prospectus required by section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

 

(ii)To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement.

 

(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;

 

(2)That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

(3)To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

 

(4)That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities: The undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

 

(i)Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

 

(ii)Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

 

(iii)The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

 

(iv)Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

 

(b)The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

(c)Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

(d)The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:

 

(1)For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.

 

(2)For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

 II-5 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Englewood, State of Colorado, on September 7, 2018.

 

  AYTU BIOSCIENCE, INC.
     
  By: /s/ Joshua R. Disbrow
    Joshua R. Disbrow
    Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

 

KNOW ALL BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Joshua R. Disbrow and David A. Green as his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, each with the full power of substitution, for him and in his name, place or stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this registration statement (including post-effective amendments), and to file the same, with exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the SEC, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or their or his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Signature   Title   Date
         
/s/ Joshua R. Disbrow   Chairman and Chief Executive Officer   September 7, 2018
Joshua R. Disbrow   (Principal Executive Officer)    
         
/s/ David A. Green   Chief Financial Officer   September 7, 2018
David A. Green   (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)    
         
/s/ Gary Cantrell   Director   September 7, 2018
Gary V. Cantrell        
         
/s/ Carl C. Dockery   Director   September 7, 2018
Carl C. Dockery        
         
/s/ John Donofrio, Jr.   Director   September 7, 2018
John A. Donofrio, Jr.        
         
/s/ Michael Macaluso   Director   September 7, 2018
Michael Macaluso        
         

 

II-6