tcon-424b5.htm

We are offering to certain institutional investors 520,291 shares of our common stock at a price of $9.61 per share pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.

Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “TCON.” On December 28, 2020, the last reported sales price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market was $9.61 per share.

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Please read the information contained in and incorporated by reference under the heading “Risk Factors” in this prospectus supplement, and under similar headings in the other documents that are filed after the date hereof and incorporated by reference into this prospectus.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.


ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS	ii
SUMMARY	1
RISK FACTORS	4
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS	4
USE OF PROCEEDS	4
DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK	5
DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS	8
LEGAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES	10
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION	13
LEGAL MATTERS	14
EXPERTS	14
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION	14
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE	15
DISCLOSURE OF COMMISSION POSITION ON INDEMNIFICATION FOR SECURITIES ACT LIABILITY	15

This document is in two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which describes the terms of this offering of common stock and also adds to and updates information contained in the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. The second part, the accompanying prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference therein, provides more general information. Generally, when we refer to this prospectus, we are referring to both parts of this document combined. To the extent there is a conflict between the information contained in this prospectus supplement, on the one hand, and the information contained in the accompanying prospectus or in any document incorporated by reference that was filed with the SEC before the date of this prospectus supplement, on the other hand, you should rely on the information in this prospectus supplement. If any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in another document having a later date—for example, a document incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus—the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement.

We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information different than or inconsistent with the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and in any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. We are not making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and in any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering, is accurate only as of the date of those respective documents, regardless of the time of delivery of those respective documents. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates. You should read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering, in their entirety before making an investment decision. You should also read and consider the information in the documents to which we have referred you in the sections of this prospectus supplement entitled “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference.”

We are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, shares of our common stock only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The distribution of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and the offering of our common stock in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of our common stock and the distribution of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus outside the United States. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus do not constitute, and may not be used in connection with, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities offered by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus by any person in any jurisdiction in which it is unlawful for such person to make such an offer or solicitation.

Unless the context indicates otherwise, as used in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, the terms “TRACON,” “the Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to TRACON Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its wholly-owned subsidiaries on a consolidated basis. This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the information incorporated by reference herein and therein contain references to our trademarks and to trademarks belonging to other entities. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the information incorporated by reference herein and therein, including logos, artwork and other visual displays, may appear without the ^® or ^TM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that their respective owners will not assert, to the fullest extent permitted under applicable law, their rights thereto. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trade names or trademarks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies.

This summary highlights selected information about TRACON Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and this offering of common stock. This summary does not contain all of the information that may be important to you in making an investment decision. For a more complete understanding of TRACON Pharmaceuticals, Inc. you should read carefully this entire prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the “Risk Factors” section and the other documents we refer to and incorporate by reference. Unless otherwise indicated, “common stock” means our common stock, par value $0.001 per share.

We are a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel targeted therapeutics for cancer and utilizing our cost efficient, contract research organization (CRO) independent product development platform to partner with ex-U.S. companies to develop and commercialize innovative products in the United States.

In December 2019, we entered into a collaboration and clinical trial agreement with 3D Medicines Co., Ltd. (3D Medicines) and Jiangsu Alphamab Biopharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. (Alphamab) for the development of envafolimab, also known as KN035, an investigational PD-L1 single-domain antibody administered by rapid subcutaneous injection for the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma in North America. In May 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agreed with the design and primary endpoint of objective response rate (ORR) of the ENVASARC trial during a Type B meeting. In July 2020, we filed the pivotal ENVASARC protocol with the FDA as part of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application, which was cleared by the FDA 30 days later in August 2020. In December 2020 we announced that we had dosed the first patient in the ENVASARC trial. The trial, which will evaluate envafolimab in the sarcoma subtypes of undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) and myxofibrosarcoma (MFS), includes one cohort of approximately 80 patients who will receive single agent treatment with envafolimab and a second cohort of approximately 80 patients who will receive envafolimab in combination with Yervoy (ipilimumab), a checkpoint inhibitor marketed by Bristol-Myers Squibb, with the primary endpoint in each of the cohorts being ORR. Achieving the primary endpoint of ORR could be the basis for accelerated approval of envafolimab by the FDA as a single agent and/or in combination with Yervoy. The trial will provide at least 86% power to demonstrate the primary endpoint of whether ORR is greater than 5% in each cohort, which is greater than the 4% ORR of Votrient (pazopanib) reported in soft tissue sarcoma in its package insert. Votrient is the only approved treatment for refractory soft tissue sarcoma, which includes UPS and MFS. Nine or more objective responses among the 80 patients expected to enroll in cohort A or cohort B would be sufficient to demonstrate envafolimab or envafolimab combined with Yervoy, respectively, have an ORR that is statistically superior to the 4% ORR reported for Votrient in soft tissue sarcoma in its package insert. We estimate disclosing a summary of the independent data monitoring committee decisions following reviews of interim data in 2021, having a final response assessment in 2022, and, assuming positive data, submitting a biologics license application (BLA) for accelerated approval in 2023. Additionally, assuming positive data from the ENVASARC trial, we plan to initiate a trial in multiple soft tissue sarcoma subtypes, which could include biomarker directed enrollment, to expand the target patient population.

Our other clinical stage oncology product candidates include TRC102, which is a small molecule that has been studied in Phase 1 and Phase 2 trials for the treatment of mesothelioma, lung cancer, glioblastoma and solid tumors, TRC253, which is a Phase 3 ready small molecule for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer that we licensed from Janssen Pharmaceutica N.V. (Janssen), and TJ004309, which is a CD73 antibody in Phase 1 clinical development for the treatment of solid tumors, that we licensed from I-Mab Biopharma (I-Mab) in November 2018.

TRC102 is a small molecule in clinical development to reverse resistance to specific chemotherapeutics by inhibiting DNA base excision repair. In initial clinical trials of more than 100 patients, TRC102 has shown good tolerability and promising anti-tumor activity in combination with alkylating and antimetabolite chemotherapy in the treatment of cancer patients. TRC102 has been studied in Phase 1 or Phase 2 trials in mesothelioma in combination with the approved chemotherapeutic Alimta, in glioblastoma, ovarian, lung and colorectal cancer patients in combination with the approved chemotherapeutic Temodar and in lung cancer in combination with the approved chemotherapeutics Alimta and cisplatin as well as external beam radiation (i.e., chemoradiation). All current TRC102 trials are sponsored and funded by the National Cancer Institute. We retain global rights to develop and commercialize TRC102 in all indications. In October 2020, TRC102 received orphan drug designation from the FDA for the treatment of patients with malignant glioma, including glioblastoma.

exclusive option to reacquire the program following a review of the Phase 1/2 data in prostate cancer patients with acquired resistance to Xtandi or Erleada. As a result, we have retained worldwide development and commercialization rights, and are obligated to pay Janssen a total of up to $45.0 million in development and regulatory milestones upon achievement of specified events, in addition to a low single digit royalty. We believe TRC253 may be able to be developed in China, where standard of care therapies such as Xtandi and Erleada are not widely accessible to patients with prostate cancer and have initiated an out-licensing process to identify a corporate partner to develop and potentially commercialize TRC253 in China.

TJ004309, also known as TJD5, is a novel humanized antibody against CD73 expressed on stromal cells and tumors that converts extracellular adenosine monophosphate to the immunosuppressive metabolite adenosine. We are developing TJ004309 in collaboration with I-Mab under a strategic collaboration and clinical trial agreement that we entered into in November 2018. In July 2019, we began enrollment in a Phase 1 clinical trial to assess safety and preliminary efficacy of TJ004309 as a single agent and when combined with the PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor Tecentriq in patients with advanced solid tumors. We also entered into a separate strategic collaboration and clinical trial agreement, which allows for the development of up to five of I-Mab’s proprietary bispecific antibody product candidates to be nominated within a five-year period for development and commercialization in North America, with the option to opt-in and acquire product rights outside of Greater China and Korea prior to completing the first pivotal clinical trial for any bispecific product candidate.

We utilize a CRO-independent product development platform that emphasizes capital efficiency. Our experienced clinical operations, data management, quality assurance, product development and regulatory affairs groups manage significant aspects of our clinical trials with internal resources. We use these internal resources to minimize the costs associated with utilizing CROs to conduct clinical trials. In our experience, this model has resulted in capital efficiencies and improved communication with clinical trial sites, which expedites patient enrollment and improves the quality of patient data as compared to a CRO-managed model. We have leveraged this platform in all of our sponsored clinical trials. We have also leveraged our product development platform to diversify our product pipeline without payment of upfront license fees through license agreements with 3D Medicines and Alphamab, I-Mab, and Janssen. We continue to evaluate ex-U.S. companies who would benefit from a rapid and capital-efficient U.S. drug development solution that includes U.S. and European Union clinical development expertise. We believe we will continue to be recognized as a preferred U.S. clinical development partner through a cost- and risk-sharing partnership structure, which may include U.S. commercialization.

We were incorporated in the state of Delaware in October 2004. Our principal executive offices are located at 4350 La Jolla Village Drive, Suite 800, San Diego, California 92122, and our telephone number is (858) 550‑0780. Our corporate website is www.traconpharma.com. The information on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not part of this prospectus.

Common stock offered by us	520,291 shares.

Offering price	$9.61 per share.

Common stock to be outstanding immediately after this offering	15,295,497 shares.

Use of proceeds	We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for working capital and general corporate purposes, including to fund the ENVASRAC clinical trial, as well as general and administrative expenses and manufacturing expenses. See “Use of Proceeds”.

Nasdaq Capital Market listing	TCON

Risk factors	Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Please read the information contained in and incorporated by reference under the heading “Risk Factors” and under similar headings in the other documents that are filed after the date hereof and incorporated by reference into this prospectus, together with the other information included in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus, before deciding whether to invest in our common stock.

The number of shares of common stock to be outstanding immediately after the offering is based on 14,775,206 shares of common stock outstanding as of September 30, 2020, after giving effect to our sale of 1,092,553 shares of common stock in a prior registered direct offering in December 2020, and excludes as of that date:

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Before deciding whether to invest in our common stock, you should carefully review the risks and uncertainties described below and under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in any free writing prospectus that we may authorize for use in connection with this offering, and under similar headings in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2020, as updated by our subsequent annual, quarterly and other reports and documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus. These risks could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition, as well as adversely affect the value of an investment in our common stock, and the occurrence of any of these risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently believe are immaterial may also significantly impair our business operations.

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

Because we have not designated the amount of net proceeds from this offering to be used for any particular purpose, our management will have broad discretion as to the application of the net proceeds from this offering and could use them for purposes other than those contemplated at the time of the offering. Our management may use the net proceeds for corporate purposes that may not improve our financial condition or market value.

In order to raise additional capital, we may in the future offer additional shares of our common stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock at prices that may not be the same as the price per share in this offering. We may sell shares or other securities in any other offering at a price per share that is less than the price per share paid by investors in this offering, and investors purchasing shares or other securities in the future could have rights superior to existing stockholders. The price per share at which we sell additional shares of our common stock, or securities convertible or exchangeable into common stock, in future transactions may be higher or lower than the price per share paid by investors in this offering.

This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents we have filed with the SEC that are incorporated by reference herein and therein and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. These statements relate to future events or to our future operating or financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about:

In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “projects,” “predicts,” “potential” and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current views with respect to future events, are based on assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. We discuss in greater detail, and incorporate by reference into this prospectus in their entirety, many of these risks under the heading “Risk Factors” of this prospectus. Also, these forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date of the document containing the applicable statement.

You should read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents we have filed with the SEC that are incorporated by reference herein and therein and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify all of the forward-looking statements in the foregoing documents by these cautionary statements.

Unless required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information or future events or developments. Thus, you should not assume that our silence over time means that actual events are bearing out as expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements.

We estimate that we will receive net proceeds of approximately $5.0 million from the sale of the shares our common stock offered by us in this offering, after deducting the estimated offering expenses payable by us.

We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for working capital and general corporate purposes, including to fund the ENVASRAC clinical trial, as well as general and administrative expenses and manufacturing expenses.

The amounts and timing of our use of the net proceeds from this offering will depend on a number of factors, such as the timing and progress of our clinical trials and research and development efforts, activities and actions under our existing collaboration agreements, and whether we enter into additional collaborations or licensing transactions. As of the date of this prospectus, we cannot specify with certainty all of the particular uses for the net proceeds to us from this offering. Accordingly, our management will have broad discretion in the timing and application of these proceeds. Pending application of the net proceeds as described above, we intend to temporarily invest the proceeds in short-term, interest-bearing instruments.

To date, we have paid no cash dividends to our stockholders, and we do not intend to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Additionally, our credit agreement with Silicon Valley Bank contains covenants that restrict our ability to pay dividends.

Investors purchasing shares of our common stock in this offering will experience immediate and substantial dilution in the pro forma net tangible book value of their shares of common stock. Dilution in net tangible book value represents the difference between the public offering price per share and the adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after this offering.

The historical net tangible book value of our common stock as of September 30, 2020 was $15.5 million, or $1.13 per share. Historical net tangible book value per share of our common stock represents our total tangible assets (total assets less intangible assets) less total liabilities, divided by the number of shares of common stock outstanding as of that date.

After giving effect to the issuance of 520,291 shares of common stock at the public offering price of $9.61 per share and after deducting the estimated offering expenses payable by us, our as adjusted net tangible book value as of September 30, 2020 would have been approximately $20.5 million, or $1.44 per share of common stock. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $0.31 per share to existing stockholders and an immediate dilution of $8.17 per share to new investors purchasing our common stock in this offering.

The following table illustrates this dilution on a per share basis to new investors:

Public offering price per share		$9.61
Historical net tangible book value per share as of September 30, 2020	$1.13
Increase in net tangible book value per share attributable to new investors purchasing shares in this offering	0.31
As adjusted net tangible book value per share after giving effect to this offering		1.44
Dilution per share to new investors participating in this offering		$8.17

The above discussion and table are based on 13,682,653 shares of common stock outstanding as of September 30, 2020, and excludes as of that date:

To the extent that existing options or warrants are exercised, restricted stock units are settled, or new shares or equity awards are issued under our equity compensation plans in the future, there will be further dilution to investors participating in this offering. In addition, we may choose to raise additional capital due to market conditions or strategic considerations, even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans. To the extent that we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities or convertible debt, your ownership will be further diluted.

We are selling 520,291 shares of our common stock under this prospectus supplement directly to certain institutional investors at a price of $9.61 per share.

We currently anticipate that the closing of the sale of our common stock under this prospectus supplement will take place on or about December 30, 2020. On the closing date, we will issue the shares of common stock to the institutional investors and we will receive funds in the amount of the aggregate purchase price.

The shares of common stock offered by this prospectus supplement will be sold pursuant to a securities purchase agreement between us and the institutional investors purchasing shares in this offering.

We are not offering shares of our common stock under this prospectus supplement through a placement agent, underwriter or securities broker or dealer.

The transfer agent for our common stock is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC.

Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “TCON”.

Cooley LLP, San Diego, California, will pass upon the validity of the common stock offered by this prospectus.

Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, has audited our consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, as set forth in their report (which contains an explanatory paragraph describing conditions that raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern as described in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements), which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement. Our financial statements are incorporated by reference in reliance on Ernst & Young LLP’s report, given on their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are part of the registration statement on Form S-3 we filed with the SEC under the Securities Act and do not contain all the information set forth in the registration statement. Whenever a reference is made in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the reference may not be complete and you should refer to the exhibits that are a part of the registration statement or the exhibits to the reports or other documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus for a copy of such contract, agreement or other document. Because we are subject to the information and reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, we file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus supplement, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement contain important information that you should read about us.

The following documents are incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement:

We also incorporate by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus all documents (other than current reports furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and exhibits filed on such form that are related to such items) that are filed by us with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this prospectus supplement but prior to the termination of the offering.

We will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a prospectus is delivered, without charge upon written or oral request, a copy of any or all of the documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus but not delivered with the prospectus, including exhibits which are specifically incorporated by reference into such documents. You should direct any requests for documents by writing us at 4350 La Jolla Village Drive, Suite 800, San Diego, California 92122 or telephoning us at (858) 550-0780.

Any statement contained herein or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of the document to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus or any other subsequently filed document that is deemed to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus modifies or supersedes the statement.

From time to time, we may offer up to $100,000,000 of any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings. We may also offer securities as may be issuable upon conversion, redemption, repurchase, exchange or exercise of any securities registered hereunder, including any applicable anti-dilution provisions.

This prospectus provides a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we offer securities, we will provide specific terms of the securities offered in a supplement to this prospectus. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you in connection with these offerings. A prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should carefully read this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, as well as any documents incorporated by reference, before you invest in any of the securities being offered.

This prospectus may not be used to consummate a sale of any securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “TCON.” On August 29, 2019, the last reported sales price of our common stock was $0.57 per share. The applicable prospectus supplement will contain information, where applicable, as to any other listing on the Nasdaq Global Market or any securities market or other exchange of the securities, if any, covered by the prospectus supplement.

As of August 29, 2019, the aggregate market value of our outstanding common stock held by non-affiliates, or public float, was approximately $12.3 million, based on 21,502,906 shares of outstanding common stock held by non-affiliates as of such date, at a price of $0.57 per share, which was the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market on August 29, 2019. Pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of Form S-3, in no event will we sell securities registered on the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part in a public primary offering with a value exceeding more than one-third of our public float in any 12-month period so long as our public float remains below $75.0 million. We have not sold any securities pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of Form S-3 during the 12 calendar months prior to and including the date of this prospectus.

We may sell these securities directly to investors, through agents designated from time to time or to or through underwriters or dealers, on a continuous or delayed basis. For additional information on the methods of sale, you should refer to the section entitled “Plan of Distribution” in this prospectus. If any agents or underwriters are involved in the sale of any securities with respect to which this prospectus is being delivered, the names of such agents or underwriters and any applicable fees, commissions, discounts or options to purchase securities will be set forth in a prospectus supplement. The price to the public of such securities and the net proceeds we expect to receive from such sale will also be set forth in a prospectus supplement.

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should review carefully the risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, and under similar headings in the other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus.

NEITHER THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION NOR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED OF THESE SECURITIES OR DETERMINED IF THIS PROSPECTUS IS TRUTHFUL OR COMPLETE. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.

This prospectus is a part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, utilizing a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings up to a total aggregate offering price of $100,000,000. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer.

Each time we sell securities under this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you that may contain material information relating to these offerings. The prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus or in any documents that we have incorporated by reference into this prospectus. You should read this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, together with the information incorporated herein by reference as described under the heading “Incorporation of Certain Information By Reference,” before investing in any of the securities offered.

THIS PROSPECTUS MAY NOT BE USED TO CONSUMMATE A SALE OF SECURITIES UNLESS IT IS ACCOMPANIED BY A PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT.

Neither we, nor any agent, underwriter or dealer has authorized any person to give any information or to make any representation other than those contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. This prospectus, any applicable supplement to this prospectus or any related free writing prospectus do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the registered securities to which they relate, nor do this prospectus, any applicable supplement to this prospectus or any related free writing prospectus constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction.

You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus is accurate on any date subsequent to the date set forth on the front of the document or that any information we have incorporated by reference is correct on any date subsequent to the date of the document incorporated by reference, even though this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus is delivered, or securities are sold, on a later date.

This prospectus contains summaries of certain provisions contained in some of the documents described herein, but reference is made to the actual documents for complete information. All of the summaries are qualified in their entirety by the actual documents. Copies of some of the documents referred to herein have been filed, will be filed or will be incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and you may obtain copies of those documents as described below under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”

This summary highlights selected information from this prospectus and does not contain all of the information that you need to consider in making your investment decision. You should carefully read the entire prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, including the risks of investing in our securities discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, and under similar headings in the other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus. You should also carefully read the information incorporated by reference into this prospectus, including our financial statements, and the exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

Unless the context indicates otherwise, as used in this prospectus, the terms “TRACON,” “the Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to TRACON Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation. This prospectus contains references to our trademarks and to trademarks and to trademarks belonging to other entities. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus, including logos, artwork and other visual displays, may appear without the ® or TM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that their respective owners will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, their rights thereto. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trade names or trademarks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies.

We are a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel targeted therapeutics for cancer, wet age-related macular degeneration, or wet AMD, through our license to Santen Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (Santen), and utilizing our product development platform to partner with ex-U.S. companies to develop and commercialize innovative products in the United States. In April, we announced the termination of enrollment in trials of TRC105 (carotuximab) in oncology following the Independent Data Monitoring Committee (IDMC) recommendation that the Phase 3 TAPPAS trial be terminated for futility. We continue to terminate activities, including manufacturing, related to TRC105 development in oncology and are working with investigators to appropriately conclude the clinical studies in a manner consistent with the best interest of patients.

Other clinical stage product candidates include TRC102, which is a small molecule that is in Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical development for the treatment of mesothelioma, lung cancer and solid tumors, TRC253, which is a small molecule that is in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, that we licensed from Janssen Pharmaceutica N.V. (Janssen) in September 2016, and TJ004309, which is a CD73 antibody in Phase 1 clinical development for the treatment of solid tumors, that we licensed from I-Mab Biopharma (I-Mab) in November 2018.

TRC102 is a small molecule in clinical development to reverse resistance to specific chemotherapeutics by inhibiting base excision repair, or BER. In initial clinical trials of more than 100 patients, TRC102 has shown good tolerability and promising anti-tumor activity in combination with alkylating and antimetabolite chemotherapy in the treatment of cancer patients. TRC102 began Phase 2 testing in mesothelioma in combination with the approved chemotherapeutic Alimta in 2015. TRC102 is also being studied in three Phase 1 clinical trials: in combination with Alimta and cisplatin in mesothelioma patients, in combination with chemoradiation in lung cancer patients, and in combination with Temodar in ovarian, lung and colorectal cancer patients. All current TRC102 trials are sponsored and funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). We retain global rights to develop and commercialize TRC102 in all indications.

TRC253 is being developed for the treatment of men with prostate cancer and is a novel small molecule high affinity competitive inhibitor of wild type androgen receptor (AR) and multiple AR mutant receptors containing point mutations that cause drug resistance to currently approved treatments. We expect top-line data from the Phase 2 portion of the study by the end of 2020. Until 90 days after we complete the initial Phase 1/2 study, Janssen has an exclusive option to reacquire full rights to TRC253 for an upfront payment of $45.0 million to us, and obligations to make regulatory and commercialization milestone payments totaling up to $137.5 million upon achievement of specified events and a low single-digit royalty. If Janssen does not exercise its exclusive option to reacquire the program, we would then retain worldwide development and commercialization rights, in which case we would be obligated to pay Janssen a total of up to $45.0 million in development and regulatory milestones upon achievement of specified events, in addition to a low single digit royalty.

TJ004309, also known as TJD5, is a novel humanized antibody against CD73 expressed on stromal cells and tumors that converts extracellular adenosine monophosphate (AMP) to highly immunosuppressive adenosine. We are developing TJ004309 in collaboration with I-Mab under a strategic collaboration and clinical trial agreement that we entered into in

November 2018 (the TJ004309 Agreement). In July 2019, we began enrollment in a Phase 1 clinical study to assess safety and preliminary efficacy of TJ004309 as a single agent and when combined with the PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor Tecentriq® (atezolizumab) in patients with advanced solid tumors. We also entered into a separate strategic collaboration and clinical trial agreement (the Bispecific Agreement) which allows for the development of up to five of I-Mab’s proprietary bispecific antibody product candidates to be nominated within a five-year period for development and commercialization in North America, with the option to opt-in and acquire product rights outside of Greater China and Korea prior to completing the first pivotal clinical study for a product candidate.

We utilize a product development platform that emphasizes capital efficiency. Our experienced clinical operations, data management, quality assurance, product development and regulatory affairs groups manage significant aspects of our clinical trials with internal resources. We use these internal resources to minimize the costs associated with utilizing contract research organizations, or CROs. In our experience, this model has resulted in capital efficiencies and improved communication with clinical trial sites, which expedites patient enrollment and improves the quality of patient data as compared to a CRO-managed model. We have leveraged this platform in all of our ongoing clinical trials. We have also leveraged our product development platform to diversify our product pipeline without payment of upfront license fees through license agreements with Janssen and I-Mab. We continue to evaluate ex-U.S. companies who are in need of a rapid and capital-efficient U.S. drug development solution that includes U.S. and European Union (EU) clinical development expertise. We believe we can become a preferred U.S. clinical development partner through a cost- and risk-sharing partnership structure which may include U.S. commercialization.

We were incorporated in the state of Delaware in October 2004 as Lexington Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and we subsequently changed our name to TRACON Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in March 2005, at which time we relocated to San Diego, California. Our principal executive offices are located at 4350 La Jolla Village Drive, Suite 800, San Diego, California 92122, and our telephone number is (858) 550‑0780. Our corporate website is www.traconpharma.com. The information on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not part of this prospectus.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012. We will cease to be an emerging growth company on the date that is the earliest of (i) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenues of $1.07 billion or more; (ii) December 31, 2020; (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the previous three years; or (iv) the last day of the fiscal year in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer under the rules of the SEC.

We may offer shares of our common stock and preferred stock, and warrants to purchase any of such securities, up to a total aggregate offering price of $100,000,000 from time to time in one or more offerings under this prospectus, together with any applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, at prices and on terms to be determined by market conditions at the time of the relevant offering. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we offer a type or series of securities under this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will describe the specific amounts, prices and other important terms of the securities, including, to the extent applicable:

The prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus or in documents we have incorporated by reference. However, no prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus will offer a security that is not registered and described in this prospectus at the time of the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

This prospectus may not be used to consummate a sale of securities unless it is accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

We may sell the securities directly to investors or through underwriters, dealers or agents. We, and our underwriters or agents, reserve the right to accept or reject all or part of any proposed purchase of securities. If we do offer securities through underwriters or agents, we will include in the applicable prospectus supplement:

Common Stock. We may issue shares of our common stock from time to time. The holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders and do not have cumulative voting rights. Subject to preferences that may be applicable to any outstanding shares of preferred stock, the holders of our common stock are entitled to receive ratably such dividends as may be declared by our board of directors out of legally available funds. Upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, holders of our common stock are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining after payment of liabilities and the liquidation preferences of any then outstanding shares of preferred stock. Our common stock does not carry any preemptive rights enabling a holder to subscribe for, or receive shares of, any class of our common stock or any other securities convertible into shares of any class of our common stock, or any redemption rights.

Preferred Stock. We may issue shares of our preferred stock from time to time, in one or more series. Under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our board of directors has the authority, without further action by the stockholders (unless such stockholder action is required by applicable law or the rules of any stock exchange or market on which our securities are then traded), to designate up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to determine the designations, voting powers, preferences and rights of each series of the preferred stock, as well as the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, including dividend rights, conversion rights, preemptive rights, terms of redemption or repurchase, liquidation preferences, sinking fund terms and the number of shares constituting any series or the designation of any series, any or all of which may be greater than the rights of the common stock. Any convertible preferred stock we may issue will be convertible into our common stock or our other securities. Conversion may be mandatory or at the holder’s option and would be at prescribed conversion rates.

If we sell any series of preferred stock under this prospectus, we will fix the designations, voting powers, preferences and rights of such series of preferred stock, as well as the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, in a certificate of designation relating to that series. We will file as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from reports that we file with the SEC, the form of any certificate of designation that describes the terms of the series of preferred stock that we are offering before the issuance of the related series of preferred stock. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplement (and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you) related to the series of preferred stock being offered, as well as the complete certificate of designation that contains the terms of the applicable series of preferred stock.

Warrants. We may issue warrants for the purchase of common stock and/or preferred stock in one or more series. We may issue warrants independently or together with common stock and/or preferred stock and the warrants may be attached to or separate from these securities. In this prospectus, we have summarized certain general features of the warrants. We urge you, however, to read the applicable prospectus supplement (and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you) related to the particular series of warrants being offered, as well as the complete warrant agreements and warrant certificates that contain the terms of the warrants. Forms of the warrant agreements and forms of warrant certificates containing the terms of the warrants being offered have been filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and supplemental warrant agreements and forms of warrant certificates will be filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part or will be incorporated by reference from reports that we file with the SEC.

We will evidence each series of warrants by warrant certificates that we will issue. Warrants may be issued under an applicable warrant agreement that we enter into with a warrant agent. We will indicate the name and address of the warrant agent, if applicable, in the prospectus supplement relating to the particular series of warrants being offered.

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully review the risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, and under similar headings in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, as updated by our subsequent annual, quarterly and other reports and documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus, before deciding whether to purchase any of the securities being registered pursuant to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Each of the risk factors could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition, as well as adversely affect the value of an investment in our securities, and the occurrence of any of these risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently believe are immaterial may also significantly impair our business operations.

This prospectus, each prospectus supplement and the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus and each prospectus supplement contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Although our forward-looking statements reflect the good faith judgment of our management, these statements can only be based on facts and factors currently known by us. Consequently, these forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results and outcomes may differ materially from results and outcomes discussed in the forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “believes,” “expects,” “hopes,” “may,” “will,” “plan,” “intends,” “estimates,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “continue,” “seeks,” “pro forma,” or “anticipates,” or other similar words (including their use in the negative), or by discussions of future matters such as the development of new products, technology enhancements, possible collaborations, possible changes in legislation and other statements that are not historical. These statements include but are not limited to statements under the captions “Business,” “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and in other sections incorporated by reference from our Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as applicable, as well as our other filings with the SEC. You should be aware that the occurrence of any of the events discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in any applicable prospectus supplement and any documents incorporated by reference herein or therein could substantially harm our business, operating results and financial condition and that if any of these events occurs, it could adversely affect the value of an investment in our securities.

The cautionary statements made in this prospectus are intended to be applicable to all related forward-looking statements wherever they may appear in this prospectus or in any prospectus supplement or any documents incorporated by reference herein or therein. We urge you not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update our forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

We will retain broad discretion over the use of the net proceeds from the sale of the securities offered hereby. Unless otherwise indicated in any prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities under this prospectus for general corporate purposes, which may include clinical trial and other research and development expenses, expenses in connection with pre-commercial and commercial activities, capital expenditures, working capital and general and administrative expenses, repayment of outstanding debt, and potential acquisitions of or investments in businesses, products and technologies that complement our business, although we have no present commitments or agreements to make any such acquisitions or investments. We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus our intended use for the net proceeds received from the sale of any securities sold pursuant to the prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus. Pending these uses, we intend to invest the net proceeds in short- and intermediate-term, interest-bearing obligations, investment-grade instruments, certificates of deposit or direct or guaranteed obligations of the U.S. government.

As of the date of this prospectus, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes us to issue 200,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share. As of August 29, 2019, there were 29,937,457 shares of our common stock outstanding and no shares of our preferred stock outstanding.

The following summary description of our capital stock is based on the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as well as our amended and restated bylaws and the applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law. This information is qualified entirely by reference to the applicable provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, amended and restated bylaws and the Delaware General Corporation Law. For information on how to obtain copies of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, which are exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, see “Where You Can Find More Information.”

Each holder of common stock is entitled to one vote for each share of common stock held on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders, including the election of directors. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws do not provide for cumulative voting rights. Other than as described below, holders of our common stock have no preemptive, conversion or subscription rights, and there are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock. The rights, preferences and privileges of the holders of common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of shares of any series of our preferred stock that are outstanding or that we may designate and issue in the future. All of our outstanding shares of common stock are fully paid and nonassessable.

Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation our board of directors has the authority, without further action by the stockholders (unless such stockholder action is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing rules), to designate and issue up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series, to establish from time to time the number of shares to be included in each such series, to fix the designations, powers, preferences, privileges and relative participating, optional or special rights and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, and to increase or decrease the number of shares of any such series, but not below the number of shares of such series then outstanding.

The preferred shares may have voting or conversion rights that could have the effect of restricting dividends on our shares of common stock, diluting the voting power of our shares of common stock, impairing the rights of our shares of common stock in the event of our dissolution, liquidation or winding-up or otherwise adversely affect the rights of holders of our shares of common stock. The issuance of preferred shares, while providing flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could, among other things, have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control and may adversely affect the market price of our shares of common stock and may preclude stockholders from realizing a potential premium over the market value of their shares.

Our board of directors will fix the designations, voting powers, preferences and rights of the each series, as well as the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, of the preferred stock of each series that we offer under this prospectus and applicable prospectus supplements in the certificate of designation relating to that series. We will file as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from reports that we file with the SEC, the form of any certificate of designation that describes the terms of the series of preferred stock we are offering. This description will include:

The General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, the state of our incorporation, provides that the holders of preferred stock will have the right to vote separately as a class (or, in some cases, as a series) on an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation if the amendment would change the par value or, unless the amended and restated certificate of incorporation provided otherwise, the number of authorized shares of the class or change the powers, preferences or special rights of the class or series so as to adversely affect the class or series, as the case may be. This right is in addition to any voting rights that may be provided for in the applicable certificate of designation.

We are subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or Section 203. 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:

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the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding upon consummation of the transaction, excluding for purposes of determining the number of shares outstanding (1) shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers and (2) shares owned by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; or

In general, Section 203 defines an interested stockholder as any entity or person beneficially owning 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation and any entity or person affiliated with or controlling or controlled by the entity or person.

Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws

Provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws may delay or discourage transactions involving an actual or potential change in our 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 securities. Among other things, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws:

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provide that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for (1) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (2) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors or officers to us or our stockholders, (3) any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law or our certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or (4) any action asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine. This choice of forum provision does not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. This choice of forum provision may limit a

stockholder’s ability to bring certain claims in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. If a court were to find this choice of forum provision to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business and financial condition.

The amendment of any of these provisions, with the exception of the ability of our board of directors to issue shares of preferred stock and designate any rights, preferences and privileges thereto, would require the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66²/3% of the voting power of all of our then outstanding common stock.

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC. The transfer agent and registrar’s address is 6201 15th Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11219. The transfer agent for any series of preferred stock that we may offer under this prospectus will be named and described in the prospectus supplement for that series.

Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “TCON.”

The following description, together with the additional information we may include in any applicable prospectus supplements and free writing prospectuses, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the warrants that we may offer under this prospectus, which may consist of warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock and may be issued in one or more series. Warrants may be issued independently or together with common stock or preferred stock offered by any prospectus supplement, and may be attached to or separate from those securities. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any warrants that we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any series of warrants that we may offer in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement and any applicable free writing prospectus. The terms of any warrants offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below. However, no prospectus supplement will fundamentally change the terms that are set forth in this prospectus or offer a security that is not registered and described in this prospectus at the time of its effectiveness.

We have filed forms of the warrant agreements as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. We will file as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from reports that we file with the SEC, the form of warrant agreement, if any, including a form of warrant certificate, that describes the terms of the particular series of warrants we are offering. The following summaries of material provisions of the warrants and the warrant agreements are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the warrant agreement and warrant certificate applicable to the particular series of warrants that we may offer under this prospectus. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplements related to the particular series of warrants that we may offer under this prospectus, as well as any related free writing prospectuses, and the complete warrant agreements and warrant certificates that contain the terms of the warrants.

We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms relating to a series of warrants being offered, including:

Before exercising their warrants, holders of warrants will not have any of the rights of holders of the securities purchasable upon such exercise, including the right to receive dividends, if any, or, payments upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up or to exercise voting rights, if any.

Each warrant will entitle the holder to purchase the securities that we specify in the applicable prospectus supplement at the exercise price that we describe in the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants at any time up to the specified time on the expiration date that we set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. After the close of business on the expiration date, unexercised warrants will become void.

Unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants by delivering the warrant certificate representing the warrants to be exercised together with specified information, and paying the required amount to the warrant agent in immediately available funds, as provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. We will set forth on the reverse side of the warrant certificate and in the applicable prospectus supplement the information that the holder of the warrant will be required to deliver to the warrant agent in connection with the exercise of the warrant.

Upon receipt of the required payment and the warrant certificate properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will issue and deliver the securities purchasable upon such exercise. If fewer than all of the warrants represented by the warrant certificate are exercised, then we will issue a new warrant certificate for the remaining amount of warrants. If we so indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may surrender securities as all or part of the exercise price for warrants.

Unless we provide otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the warrants and warrant agreements, and any claim, controversy or dispute arising under or related to the warrants or warrant agreements, will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

Each warrant agent will act solely as our agent under the applicable warrant agreement and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust with any holder of any warrant. A single bank or trust company may act as warrant agent for more than one issue of warrants. A warrant agent will have no duty or responsibility in case of any default by us under the applicable warrant agreement or warrant, including any duty or responsibility to initiate any proceedings at law or otherwise,

or to make any demand upon us. Any holder of a warrant may, without the consent of the related warrant agent or the holder of any other warrant, enforce by appropriate legal action its right to exercise, and receive the securities purchasable upon exercise of, its warrants.

As of June 30, 2019, there were warrants to purchase 15,619,113 shares of common stock outstanding, which expire between May 2022 and May 2025. Each of these warrants entitles the holder to purchase one share of common stock at prices ranging between $0.01 and $10.86 per share of common stock. Each of these warrants has a net exercise provision under which its holder may, in lieu of payment of the exercise price in cash, surrender the warrant and receive a net amount of shares based on the fair market value of our shares of common stock at the time of exercise of the warrant after deduction of the aggregate exercise price. Each of these warrants also contains provisions for the adjustment of the exercise price and the aggregate number of shares issuable upon the exercise of the warrant in the event of dividends, stock splits, reorganizations and reclassifications and consolidations. Certain of these warrants may be subject to an acceleration of their expiration dates if certain conditions are met.

We can issue securities in registered form or in the form of one or more global securities. We describe global securities in greater detail below. We refer to those persons who have securities registered in their own names on the books that we or any applicable trustee or depositary maintain for this purpose as the “holders” of those securities. These persons are the legal holders of the securities. We refer to those persons who, indirectly through others, own beneficial interests in securities that are not registered in their own names, as “indirect holders” of those securities. As we discuss below, indirect holders are not legal holders, and investors in securities issued in book-entry form or in street name will be indirect holders.

We may issue securities in book-entry form only, as we will specify in the applicable prospectus supplement. This means securities may be represented by one or more global securities registered in the name of a financial institution that holds them as depositary on behalf of other financial institutions that participate in the depositary’s book-entry system. These participating institutions, which are referred to as participants, in turn, hold beneficial interests in the securities on behalf of themselves or their customers.

Only the person in whose name a security is registered is recognized as the holder of that security. Global securities will be registered in the name of the depositary or its participants. Consequently, for global securities, we will recognize only the depositary as the holder of the securities, and we will make all payments on the securities to the depositary. The depositary passes along the payments it receives to its participants, which in turn pass the payments along to their customers who are the beneficial owners. The depositary and its participants do so under agreements they have made with one another or with their customers; they are not obligated to do so under the terms of the securities.

As a result, investors in a global security will not own securities directly. Instead, they will own beneficial interests in a global security, through a bank, broker or other financial institution that participates in the depositary’s book-entry system or holds an interest through a participant. As long as the securities are issued in global form, investors will be indirect holders, and not legal holders, of the securities.

A global security may be terminated in certain situations as described under “—Special Situations When A Global Security Will Be Terminated,” or issue securities that are not issued in global form. In these cases, investors may choose to hold their securities in their own names or in “street name.” Securities held by an investor in street name would be registered in the name of a bank, broker or other financial institution that the investor chooses, and the investor would hold only a beneficial interest in those securities through an account he or she maintains at that institution.

For securities held in street name, we or any applicable trustee or depositary will recognize only the intermediary banks, brokers and other financial institutions in whose names the securities are registered as the holders of those securities, and we or any such trustee or depositary will make all payments on those securities to them. These institutions pass along the payments they receive to their customers who are the beneficial owners, but only because they agree to do so in their customer agreements

or because they are legally required to do so. Investors who hold securities in street name will be indirect holders, not holders, of those securities.

Our obligations, as well as the obligations of any applicable trustee or third party employed by us or a trustee, run only to the legal holders of the securities. We do not have obligations to investors who hold beneficial interests in global securities, in street name or by any other indirect means. This will be the case whether an investor chooses to be an indirect holder of a security or has no choice because we are issuing the securities only in global form.

For example, once we make a payment or give a notice to the legal holder, we have no further responsibility for the payment or notice even if that legal holder is required, under agreements with its participants or customers or by law, to pass it along to the indirect holders but does not do so. Similarly, we may want to obtain the approval of the holders to amend an indenture, to relieve us of the consequences of a default or of our obligation to comply with a particular provision of an indenture, or for other purposes. In such an event, we would seek approval only from the legal holders, and not the indirect holders, of the securities. Whether and how the legal holders contact the indirect holders is up to the legal holders.

If you hold securities through a bank, broker or other financial institution, either in book-entry form because the securities are represented by one or more global securities or in street name, you should check with your own institution to find out:

A global security is a security that represents one or any other number of individual securities held by a depositary. Generally, all securities represented by the same global securities will have the same terms.

Each security issued in book-entry form will be represented by a global security that we issue to, deposit with and register in the name of a financial institution or its nominee that we select. The financial institution that we select for this purpose is called the depositary. Unless we specify otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York, known as DTC, will be the depositary for all securities issued in book-entry form.

A global security may not be transferred to or registered in the name of anyone other than the depositary, its nominee or a successor depositary, unless special termination situations arise. We describe those situations below under “Special Situations When A Global Security Will Be Terminated.” As a result of these arrangements, the depositary, or its nominee, will be the sole registered owner and legal holder of all securities represented by a global security, and investors will be permitted to own only beneficial interests in a global security. Beneficial interests must be held by means of an account with a broker, bank or other financial institution that in turn has an account with the depositary or with another institution that does. Thus, an investor whose security is represented by a global security will not be a legal holder of the security, but only an indirect holder of a beneficial interest in the global security.

If the prospectus supplement for a particular security indicates that the security will be issued as a global security, then the security will be represented by a global security at all times unless and until the global security is terminated. If termination occurs, we may issue the securities through another book-entry clearing system or decide that the securities may no longer be held through any book-entry clearing system.

As an indirect holder, an investor’s rights relating to a global security will be governed by the account rules of the investor’s financial institution and of the depositary, as well as general laws relating to securities transfers. We do not recognize an indirect holder as a holder of securities and instead deal only with the depositary that holds the global security.

If securities are issued only as global securities, an investor should be aware of the following:

There may be more than one financial intermediary in the chain of ownership for an investor. We do not monitor and are not responsible for the actions of any of those intermediaries.

In a few special situations described below, a global security will terminate and interests in it will be exchanged for physical certificates representing those interests. After that exchange, the choice of whether to hold securities directly or in street name will be up to the investor. Investors must consult their own banks or brokers to find out how to have their interests in securities transferred to their own names, so that they will be direct holders. We have described the rights of holders and street name investors above.

The applicable prospectus supplement may also list additional situations for terminating a global security that would apply only to the particular series of securities covered by the prospectus supplement. When a global security terminates, the depositary, and neither we nor any applicable trustee, is responsible for deciding the names of the institutions that will be the initial direct holders.

We may sell the securities from time to time pursuant to underwritten public offerings, negotiated transactions, block trades or a combination of these methods. We may sell the securities to or through underwriters or dealers, through agents, or directly to one or more purchasers. We may distribute securities from time to time in one or more transactions:

We may also sell equity securities covered by this registration statement in an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act. Such offering may be made into an existing trading market for such securities in transactions at other than a fixed price, either:

Such at-the-market offerings, if any, may be conducted by underwriters acting as principal or agent.

A prospectus supplement or supplements (and any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you) will describe the terms of the offering of the securities, including, to the extent applicable:

Only underwriters named in the prospectus supplement are underwriters of the securities offered by the prospectus supplement.

If underwriters are used in the sale, they will acquire the securities for their own account and may resell the securities from time to time in one or more transactions at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale. The obligations of the underwriters to purchase the securities will be subject to the conditions set forth in the applicable underwriting agreement. We may offer the securities to the public through underwriting syndicates represented by managing underwriters or by underwriters without a syndicate. Subject to certain conditions, the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all of the securities offered by the prospectus supplement. Any public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or re-allowed or paid to dealers may change from time to time. We may use underwriters with whom we have a material relationship. We will describe in the prospectus supplement, naming the underwriter, the nature of any such relationship.

We may sell securities directly or through agents we designate from time to time. We will name any agent involved in the offering and sale of securities, and we will describe any commissions we will pay the agent in the prospectus supplement. Unless the prospectus supplement states otherwise, our agent will act on a best-efforts basis for the period of its appointment.

We may authorize agents or underwriters to solicit offers by certain types of institutional investors to purchase securities from us at the public offering price set forth in the prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. We will describe the conditions to these contracts and the commissions we must pay for solicitation of these contracts in the prospectus supplement.

We may provide agents and underwriters with indemnification against civil liabilities related to this offering, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or contribution with respect to payments that the agents or underwriters may make with respect to these liabilities. Agents and underwriters may engage in transactions with, or perform services for, us in the ordinary course of business.

All securities we offer, other than common stock, will be new issues of securities with no established trading market. Any underwriters may make a market in these securities, but will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. We cannot guarantee the liquidity of the trading markets for any securities.

Any underwriter may engage in overallotment, stabilizing transactions, short covering transactions and penalty bids. Overallotment involves sales in excess of the offering size, which create a short position. Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. Short covering transactions involve purchases of the securities in the open market after the distribution is completed to cover short positions. Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a dealer when the securities originally sold by the dealer are purchased in a stabilizing or covering transaction to cover short positions. Those activities may cause the price of the securities to be higher than it would otherwise be. If commenced, the underwriters may discontinue any of the activities at any time. These transactions may be effected on any exchange or over-the-counter market or otherwise.

Any underwriters who are qualified market makers on the Nasdaq Global Market may engage in passive market making transactions in the securities on the Nasdaq Global Market in accordance with Rule 103 of Regulation M, during the business day prior to the pricing of the offering, before the commencement of offers or sales of the securities. Passive market makers must comply with applicable volume and price limitations and must be identified as passive market makers. In general, a passive market maker must display its bid at a price not in excess of the highest independent bid for such security; if all independent bids are lowered below the passive market maker’s bid, however, the passive market maker’s bid must then be lowered when certain 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.

Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, certain legal matters in connection with the offering and the validity of the securities offered by this prospectus, and any supplement thereto, will be passed upon by Cooley LLP, San Diego, California.

Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, has audited our consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, as set forth in their report (which contains an explanatory paragraph describing conditions that raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern as described in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements), which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement. Our financial statements are incorporated by reference in reliance on Ernst & Young LLP’s report, given on their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

This prospectus is part of a registration statement we filed with the SEC. This prospectus does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement and the exhibits to the registration statement. For further information with respect to us and the securities we are offering under this prospectus, we refer you to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed as a part of the registration statement. Neither we nor any agent, underwriter or dealer has authorized any person to provide you with different information. We are not making an offer of these securities in any state where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front page of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of the securities offered by this prospectus.

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC, including TRACON. The address of the SEC website is

We maintain a website at www.traconpharma.com. Information contained in or accessible through our website does not constitute a part of this prospectus.

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus contain important information that you should read about us.

We also incorporate by reference into this prospectus all documents (other than current reports furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and exhibits filed on such form that are related to such items) that are filed by us with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (i) after the date of the initial filing of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and prior to effectiveness of the registration statement, and (ii) after the date of this prospectus but prior to the termination of the offering. These documents include, without limitation, Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, as well as proxy statements.

DISCLOSURE OF COMMISSION POSITION ON INDEMNIFICATION FOR SECURITIES ACT LIABILITY

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, the registrant has been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.


ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT	S-i
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY	S-1
RISK FACTORS	S-4
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS	S-5
USE OF PROCEEDS	S-6
DIVIDEND POLICY	S-6
DILUTION	S-7
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION	S-8
LEGAL MATTERS	S-8
EXPERTS	S-8
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION	S-9
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE	S-9