Item 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
Registered Offering
On January 27, 2023, Avenue Therapeutics, Inc. (the "Company") entered into a
Securities Purchase Agreement (the "Registered Purchase Agreement") with a
single institutional accredited investor, pursuant to which the Company agreed
to issue and sell (i) 448,000 shares (the "Shares") of common stock of the
Company, $0.0001 par value per share ("Common Stock"), at a price per Share of
$1.55, and (ii) pre-funded warrants (the "Pre-funded Warrants") to purchase
1,492,299 shares of Common Stock, at a price per Pre-funded Warrant equal to the
price per Share, less $0.001 (the "Registered Offering"). The Pre-funded
Warrants have an exercise price of $0.001 per share, became exercisable upon
issuance and remain exercisable until exercised in full. The Company received
approximately $3.0 million in gross proceeds from the Registered Offering,
before deducting placement agency fees and estimated offering expenses. The
Shares and Pre-funded Warrants were offered and sold pursuant to the Company's
effective registration statement on Form S-3 (Registration No. 333-261520),
which was declared effective by the SEC on December 10, 2021, and the base
prospectus and prospectus supplement included therein.
The Registered Offering closed on January 31, 2023. The Company intends to use
the net proceeds from the Registered Offering for working capital and other
general corporate purposes.
Private Placement
On January 27, 2023, the Company also entered into a Securities Purchase
Agreement (the "PIPE Purchase Agreement") with the same institutional accredited
investor for a private placement offering ("Private Placement") of warrants (the
"PIPE Warrants") to purchase 1,940,299 shares of Common Stock. Pursuant to the
PIPE Purchase Agreement, the Company agreed to issue and sell the PIPE Warrants
at an offering price of $0.125 per PIPE Warrant to purchase one share of Common
Stock. The PIPE Warrants have an exercise price of $1.55 per share (subject to
adjustment as set forth in the PIPE Warrants), are exercisable six months after
issuance and will expire three years from the date on which the PIPE Warrants
become exercisable. The PIPE Warrants contain standard anti-dilution adjustments
to the exercise price including for share splits, share dividend, rights
offerings and pro rata distributions.
The Private Placement closed on January 31, 2023, concurrently with the
Registered Offering. The gross proceeds to the Company from the Private
Placement, before deducting placement agent fees and other estimated offering
expenses payable by the Company, were approximately $0.24 million. The Company
intends to use the net proceeds from the private placement for working capital
and other general corporate purposes.
In connection with the PIPE Purchase Agreement, the Company entered into a
registration rights agreement (the "Registration Rights Agreement") with the
investor. Pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, the Company will be
required to file, on or prior to April 10, 2023 (the "Filing Date"), a resale
registration statement (the "Resale Registration Statement") with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") to register the resale of the
shares issuable upon exercise of the PIPE Warrants. Pursuant to the Registration
Rights Agreement, the Resale Registration Statement must be declared effective
by the SEC within 15 days after the Filing Date or 45 days following the Filing
Date if the Resale Registration Statement is reviewed by the SEC. The Company
will be obligated to pay certain liquidated damages to the investor if the
Company fails to file the resale registration statement when required, if the
Resale Registration Statement is not declared effective by the SEC when required
under the Registration Rights Agreement, or if the Company fails to maintain the
effectiveness of the Resale Registration Statement.
Each of the Company's executive officers, directors and the holders of 10% or
more of the Company's outstanding shares of Common Stock entered into a lock-up
agreement (the "Lock-Up Agreement") pursuant to which they agreed not to sell or
transfer any securities of the Company held by them for a period commencing on
January 27, 2023 and ending ninety (90) days after the Effective Date (as
defined in PIPE Purchase Agreement), subject to limited exceptions.
Aegis Capital Corp. ("Aegis") acted as the exclusive placement agent in
connection with the Registered Offering and the Private Placement under a
Placement Agent Agreement, dated as of January 27, 2023, between the Company and
Aegis (the "Placement Agent Agreement"). Pursuant to the Placement Agent
Agreement, Aegis was paid a commission equal to 8.0% of the gross proceeds
received by the Company in the Registered Offering and the Private Placement.
The Company reimbursed Aegis and the investor $75,000 for certain fees and
expenses incurred by them, including attorney fees. The Company also agreed to
pay a non-accountable expense allowance to Aegis in an amount equal to 1% of the
gross proceeds raised in the Registered Offering and the Private Placement and
to pay Aegis a warrant solicitation fee of 5% of the gross proceeds from any
exercise of the Warrants issued in the Private Placement.
The foregoing descriptions of the Registered Purchase Agreement, the PIPE
Purchase Agreement, the Pre-Funded Warrants, the PIPE Warrants, the Registration
Rights Agreement, the Lock-Up Agreements and the Placement Agent Agreement are
subject to, and qualified in their entirety by, such documents (or forms
thereof), which are attached hereto as Exhibits 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 10.5,
10.6 and 10.7, respectively, and incorporated herein by reference.
Item 3.02 Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities.
The information contained above in Item 1.01 under the title "Private Placement"
is hereby incorporated by reference into this Item 3.02. Based in part upon the
representations of the purchaser in the PIPE Purchase Agreement, the offering
and sale of the PIPE Warrants is exempt from registration under Section 4(a)(2)
of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), Rule 506 of
Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act, and corresponding provisions
of state securities or "blue sky" laws. The sales of the PIPE Warrants by the
Company in the Private Placement has not been registered under the Securities
Act or any state securities laws and the PIPE Warrants may not be offered or
sold in the United States absent registration with the SEC or an applicable
exemption from the registration requirements. The sale of such securities does
not involve a public offering and was made without general solicitation or
general advertising. In the PIPE Purchase Agreement, the purchaser represented
that it is and on each date on which it exercises any PIPE Warrant will be,
either (i) an accredited investor, as such term is defined in Rule 501(a) of
Regulation D under the Securities Act, or (ii) a "qualified institutional buyer"
as defined in Rule 144A(a) under the Securities Act, and it is acquiring the
PIPE Warrants for investment purposes only and not with a view to any resale,
distribution or other disposition of the PIPE Warrants in violation of the
United States federal securities laws.
Item 8.01 Other Events.
The Company has outstanding warrants to purchase Common Stock of the Company,
expiring October 11, 2027. In accordance with certain provisions of those
outstanding warrants, the exercise price of those warrants will be reduced from
$3.30 to $1.55 per share effective as of the close of business on January 27,
2023.
On January 27, 2023, the Company issued a press release announcing the Private
Placement and the Registered Offering. The full text of the press release is
attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated
herein by reference.
On January 31, 2023, the Company issued a press release announcing the closing
of the Private Placement and the Registered Offering. The full text of the press
release is attached as Exhibit 99.2 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and
incorporated herein by reference.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits
The following exhibits are furnished herewith:
Exhibit
Number Description
5.1 Opinion of McGuireWoods LLP
Form of Securities Purchase Agreement (Registered Offering), dated
10.1 January 27, 2023, by and among the Company and the purchaser party
thereto
10.2 Form of Securities Purchase Agreement (PIPE), dated January 27,
2023, by and among the Company and the purchaser party thereto
10.3 Form of Pre-Funded Warrant (Registered Offering)
10.4 Form of PIPE Warrant (PIPE)
10.5 Form of Registration Rights Agreement, dated January 27, 2023, by
and among the Company and the purchaser party thereto
10.6 Form of Lockup Agreement
10.7 Placement Agent Agreement entered into by and between the Company
and Aegis Capital Corp., dated January 27, 2023
23.1 Consent of McGuireWoods LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)
99.1 Press Release, dated January 27, 2023
99.2 Press Release dated January 31, 2023
104 Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within Inline XBRL
document)
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This Current Report on Form 8-K contains predictive or "forward-looking
statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. All statements other than statements of current or historical fact
contained in this press release, including statements that express our
intentions, plans, objectives, beliefs, expectations, strategies, predictions or
any other statements relating to our future activities or other future events or
conditions are forward-looking statements. The words "anticipate," "believe,"
"continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "predict,"
"project," "will," "should," "would" and similar expressions are intended to
identify forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current
expectations, estimates and projections made by management about our business,
our industry and other conditions affecting our financial condition, results of
operations or business prospects. These statements are not guarantees of future
performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult
to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from
what is expressed or forecasted in, or implied by, the forward-looking
statements due to numerous risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause
such outcomes and results to differ include, but are not limited to, risks and
uncertainties arising from: expectations for increases or decreases in expenses;
expectations for the clinical and pre-clinical development, manufacturing,
regulatory approval, and commercialization of our pharmaceutical product
candidate or any other products we may acquire or in-license; our use of
clinical research centers and other contractors; expectations for incurring
capital expenditures to expand our research and development and manufacturing
capabilities; expectations for generating revenue or becoming profitable on a
sustained basis; expectations or ability to enter into marketing and other
partnership agreements; expectations or ability to enter into product
acquisition and in-licensing transactions; expectations or ability to build our
own commercial infrastructure to manufacture, market and sell our product
candidate; acceptance of our products by doctors, patients or payors; our
ability to compete against other companies and research institutions; our
ability to secure adequate protection for our intellectual property; our ability
to attract and retain key personnel; availability of reimbursement for our
products; estimates of the sufficiency of our existing cash and cash equivalents
and investments to finance our operating requirements, including expectations
regarding the value and liquidity of our investments; the volatility of our
stock price; expected losses expectations for future capital requirements;
ability to successfully integrate Baergic Bio, Inc. in the Company's operations;
and those risks discussed in our filings which we make with the SEC. Any
forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and
we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking
statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of
this press release, except as required by applicable law. Investors should
evaluate any statements made by us in light of these important factors.
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