424B5 1 d404036d424b5.htm 424B5 424B5
Table of Contents

Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)

Registration No. 333-254637

 

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

(To Prospectus dated April 29, 2021)

LOGO

6,620,000 Shares of Common Stock

Pre-funded Warrant to Purchase

2,905,000 Shares of Common Stock

 

 

We are offering 6,620,000 shares of our common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, at a price of $5.25 per share. We are also offering to an investor, in lieu of common stock, a pre-funded warrant to purchase 2,905,000 shares of our common stock at a price of $5.249 per underlying share, which is equal to the price per share of common stock being sold in this offering, minus $0.001, which is the pre-funded warrant’s exercise price per share. The pre-funded warrant will be exercisable at any time after the date of issuance of such pre-funded warrant, subject to an ownership limitation. This prospectus supplement also relates to the offering of the shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of such pre-funded warrant.

Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “SCPH.” On November 21, 2022, the closing price of our common stock, as reported on The Nasdaq Global Select Market, was $6.09 per share. There is no established public trading market for the pre-funded warrant, and we do not expect a market to develop. We do not intend to list the pre-funded warrant on The Nasdaq Global Select Market or any other national securities exchange or nationally recognized trading system.

We are an “emerging growth company” under federal securities laws and are subject to reduced public company disclosure standards. See “Prospectus Supplement Summary—Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company and a Smaller Reporting Company.”

 

 

Investing in our common stock and pre-funded warrant involves a high degree of risk. You should review carefully the risks and uncertainties contained in and incorporated by reference under the heading “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-9 of this prospectus supplement and in the related sections noted in the accompanying prospectus, and in the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed on the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

     Per
Share
     Per share
underlying the
Pre-funded
Warrant
     Total  

Public Offering Price

   $ 5.25      $ 5.249      $ 50,003,345  

Underwriting Discounts and Commissions(1)

   $ 0.315      $ 0.315      $ 3,000,375  

Proceeds to scPharmaceuticals Inc. (before expenses)

   $ 4.935      $ 4.934      $ 47,002,970  

 

(1)

See “Underwriting” for a description of compensation payable to the underwriters.

The underwriters expect to deliver the shares of common stock and the pre-funded warrant against payment on or about November 25, 2022.

 

 

 

SVB Securities   Cowen
H.C. Wainwright & Co.   Maxim Group LLC

The date of this prospectus supplement is November 22, 2022


Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

     S-1  

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY

     S-3  

THE OFFERING

     S-7  

RISK FACTORS

     S-9  

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

     S-13  

USE OF PROCEEDS

     S-15  

DIVIDEND POLICY

     S-16  

DILUTION

     S-17  

DESCRIPTION OF PRE-FUNDED WARRANT

     S-19  

MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES TO NON-U.S. HOLDERS

     S-21  

UNDERWRITING

     S-27  

LEGAL MATTERS

     S-32  

EXPERTS

     S-33  

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

     S-34  

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

     S-35  


Table of Contents

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

This document is in two parts and is part of the registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), using a “shelf” registration process. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which describes the specific terms of this common stock and pre-funded warrant offering and also adds to and updates information contained in the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein. The second part, the accompanying prospectus, 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 and the information contained in the accompanying prospectus or any document incorporated by reference therein filed prior to the date of this prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in this prospectus supplement; provided that 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 the accompanying prospectus—the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement.

We further note that the representations, warranties and covenants made by us in any agreement that is filed as an exhibit to any document that is incorporated by reference herein were made solely for the benefit of the parties to such agreement, including, in some cases, for the purpose of allocating risk among the parties to such agreements, and should not be deemed to be a representation, warranty or covenant to you. Moreover, such representations, warranties or covenants were accurate only as of the date when made. Accordingly, such representations, warranties and covenants should not be relied on as accurately representing the current state of our affairs.

Neither we nor the underwriters have authorized anyone to provide any information other than that contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or in any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. The information contained in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus, or incorporated by reference herein or therein is accurate only as of the respective dates thereof, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus or of any sale of our common stock or pre-funded warrant. It is important for you to read and consider all information contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein, in making your investment decision. You should also read and consider the information in the documents to which we have referred you in the sections entitled “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation by Reference” in this prospectus supplement and in the accompanying prospectus.

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus do not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase, the securities offered by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus in any jurisdiction to or from any person to whom or from whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation of an offer in such jurisdiction. We are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, shares of our common stock and pre-funded warrant 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 and pre-funded warrant 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 pre-funded warrant and the distribution of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus outside the United States.

We use various trademarks and trade names in our business, including without limitation our corporate name and logo. All other trademarks or trade names referred to in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, the trademarks and trade names in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus may be referred to without the ® and symbols, but such references should not be construed as any

 

S-1


Table of Contents

indicator that their respective owners will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, their rights thereto. This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein also contain estimates, projections and other information concerning our industry, our business, and the markets for certain diseases, including data regarding the estimated size of those markets, and the incidence and prevalence of certain medical conditions. Information that is based on estimates, forecasts, projections, market research or similar methodologies is inherently subject to uncertainties and actual events or circumstances may differ materially from events and circumstances reflected in this information. Unless otherwise expressly stated, we obtained this industry, business, market and other data from reports, research surveys, studies and similar data prepared by market research firms and other third parties, industry, medical and general publications, government data and similar sources.

Unless the context suggests otherwise, all references in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and any free writing prospectus to “us,” “our,” “scPharmaceuticals,” “we,” the “Company” and similar designations refer to scPharmaceuticals Inc. and, where appropriate, our subsidiary.

 

S-2


Table of Contents

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY

This summary highlights selected information about us and this offering and does not contain all of the information that you should consider before investing in our common stock. Before investing in our securities, you should carefully read the information contained and incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, including the section titled “Risk Factors” and the financial statements and accompanying notes.

Our Business

We are a pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing products that have the potential to optimize the delivery of infused therapies, advance patient care and reduce healthcare costs. Our strategy is designed to enable the subcutaneous administration of therapies that have previously been limited to intravenous (“IV”) delivery. By moving delivery away from the high-cost healthcare settings typically required for IV administration, we believe our technology has the potential to reduce overall healthcare costs and advances the quality and convenience of care. Our lead product, FUROSCIX® (furosemide injection), consists of our proprietary formulation of furosemide delivered via West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.’s on-body infusor and has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) for the treatment of congestion due to fluid overload in adults with New York Heart Association Class II/III chronic heart failure. FUROSCIX is the first and only FDA-approved subcutaneous loop diuretic that delivers IV equivalent diuresis at home. IV equivalence was established in a clinical study in which FUROSCIX demonstrated 99.6% bioavailability (90% CI for AUC: 94.8% - 104.8%) and 8-hour urine output of 2.7 L, which was similar to subjects receiving intravenous furosemide. We estimate that there is a $6.9 billion total market opportunity for FUROSCIX in the United States. We expect the commercial launch of FUROSCIX in the first quarter of 2023.

Heart failure affects 7.2 million adults in the United States who collectively experience 4 million heart failure events annually. An estimated 59% of hospital admissions for heart failure are directly attributable to volume overload. Approximately 80% of heart failure patients discharged from hospital schedule a follow-up appointment and 25-30% of patients are readmitted to hospital post-discharge within 30 days. Repeat hospitalization for heart failure has been associated with increased mortality, with first-time discharges having a median survival (50% mortality) of 2.4 years, decreasing to 0.6 years following a fourth hospitalization. Our proprietary formulation of furosemide administered subcutaneously via an on-body infusor, which we refer to together as FUROSCIX, is intended to help alleviate the signs and symptoms associated with congestion due to fluid retention in heart failure patients, such as fatigue and shortness of breath. FUROSCIX is designed to offer alternative outpatient intervention for heart failure patients who display reduced responsiveness to oral diuretics in non-emergency situations and do not require hospitalization.

We believe FUROSCIX will allow heart failure patients to receive IV-strength diuresis outside the high-cost hospital setting. At a price of $822 per dose, we estimate the average cost of treatment with FUROSCIX for each heart failure exacerbation (comprising four doses of FUROSCIX) to be approximately $3,300. Prevention of hospital admission and reduced readmission rates would result in reducing the estimated 15 million days patients with heart failure spend in the hospital each year. By decreasing the number of admissions and readmissions to hospitals, we believe we can drive significant cost savings to payers and hospitals.

Recent Developments

FUROSCIX Authorization

On October 10, 2022, we announced that the FDA approved FUROSCIX for the treatment of congestion due to fluid overload in adults with New York Heart Association Class II/III chronic heart failure. FUROSCIX is not indicated for emergency situations or in patients with acute pulmonary edema. The FUROSCIX infusor will deliver only an 80-mg dose. FUROSCIX is the first and only FDA-approved subcutaneous loop diuretic that delivers IV equivalent diuresis at home.

 

S-3


Table of Contents

We are continuing to develop the corporate and commercial infrastructure to support the commercial launch of FUROSCIX in the United States, including implementing additional manufacturing controls as a result of a previously identified and remediated manufacturing issue and reprinting labels for the pre-filled cartridges of FUROSCIX. We expect the commercial launch of FUROSCIX in the first quarter of 2023.

Oaktree Financing

On October 13, 2022, we entered into a Credit Agreement and Guaranty (the “Oaktree Agreement”) with, inter alios, the lenders from time to time party thereto (the “Lenders”) and Oaktree Fund Administration, LLC, in its capacity as administrative agent for the Lenders (in such capacity, the “Agent”). The Oaktree Agreement establishes a $100.0 million term loan facility, consisting of (i) $50.0 million (the “Tranche A Loan”) funded immediately, (ii) $25.0 million (the “Tranche B Loan”) that we may borrow in up to two draws on or prior to September 30, 2024 and (iii) $25.0 million (the “Tranche C Loan” and, together with the Tranche A Loan and the Tranche B Loan, collectively, the “Term Loan”) that we may borrow on or prior to December 31, 2024. The Term Loan has a maturity date of October 13, 2027 (the “Maturity Date”). With the proceeds from the Term Loan, we prepaid all outstanding loans under our existing credit facility with SLR Investment Corp. and Silicon Valley Bank. We intend to use the remaining proceeds of the Term Loan to support our commercialization efforts for FUROSCIX and for other working capital and general corporate purposes, including the payment of fees and expenses associated with the Oaktree Agreement.

Borrowings under the Term Loan will bear interest at a rate per annum equal to three-month term SOFR (subject to a 1.00% floor and a 3.00% cap), plus an applicable margin of 8.75%, payable monthly in arrears. From and after achieving $100.0 million in trailing 12-month net sales of FUROSCIX, the applicable margin shall be reduced from 8.75% to 8.25% through the Maturity Date. For the first two years, we may elect to pay up to 3.00% of interest in-kind. We are also permitted to make quarterly interest-only payments on the Term Loan through December 31, 2025. Beginning on March 31, 2026, we will be required to make quarterly payments of interest, plus repay 5.00% of the outstanding principal of the Term Loan in quarterly installments until maturity (subject to certain exceptions).

The Oaktree Agreement contains customary representations, warranties and affirmative and negative covenants, including financial covenants requiring us to (i) maintain certain levels of cash and cash equivalents in accounts subject to a control agreement in favor of the Agent of at least $15.0 million at all times commencing from 30 days after the Closing Date and increasing to $20.0 million of cash and cash equivalents in such controlled accounts after we borrow the Tranche B Loan and (ii) meet minimum quarterly net sales revenue targets described in the Oaktree Agreement.

In connection with the Oaktree Agreement, we issued the Lenders warrants to purchase an aggregate of 516,345 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $5.40 per share. The warrants are immediately exercisable, and the exercise period will expire 7 years from the date of issuance.

Heart Failure Society of America’s 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting

On September 30, 2022 we announced data from two poster presentations in connection with the Heart Failure Society of America’s 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting. The first poster described the results of the AT HOME-HF study, a Phase 2, multicenter, pilot study where 51 subjects presenting to a heart failure clinic with worsening congestion requiring augmented diuresis were randomized (2:1) to receive FUROSCIX or enhanced oral diuretics. The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate prospective endpoints that could inform the design and sample size of a clinical trial that could be used to seek expansion of the indication for FUROSCIX to include a reduction of hospitalizations for heart failure or inclusion in treatment guidelines. Subjects in the AT

 

S-4


Table of Contents

HOME-HF study who received FUROSCIX demonstrated augmented decongestion compared with patients receiving enhanced oral diuretics as demonstrated by:

 

   

Improved diuresis as measured by a greater reduction in body weight from baseline at study day 3 (2.8 kg vs 0.8 kg, p=0.035);

 

   

Improvement from baseline in mean 5-point dyspnea score at day 3 (-0.5 vs. 0.1, p=0.019);

 

   

Greater number of patients with markedly or moderately better shortness of breath based on 7-point dyspnea at day 3 (44% vs 6%, p=0.006);

 

   

Clinically relevant improvement from baseline in quality of life as measured by Kansas City Cardiomyopathy questionnaire – 12 (KCCQ-12) summary score at study days 7 and 30 of 8.9 points and 9.3 points, respectively; and

 

   

An increase of 55.8 meters in the average six-minute walk distance at day 30 (36.7 vs -19.1 meters, p=.012).

The win-ratio for the hierarchical endpoint of cardiovascular death, heart failure hospitalization, urgent ED/clinic visit for heart failure and the percentage change in NT-proBNP from baseline at day seven was 1.11 (95% Confidence Interval: 0.48-2.50) favoring the FUROSCIX group.

During the 30-day study period, subjects in the FUROSCIX group spent an average of 23.2 days heart failure event free compared to 14.3 in subjects receiving enhanced oral diuretics.

In the FUROSCIX group, 14.7% of subjects had a serum potassium level that was less than 3.5 mEq/L during the 30-day study and was managed effectively with oral potassium supplements.

The results of the AT HOME-HF study showed that subjects receiving subcutaneous FUROSCIX demonstrated augmented decongestion, as evidenced by a greater reduction in body weight, better dyspnea scores, greater exercise capacity and improvement of health-related quality of life compared with patients receiving enhanced oral diuretics, or standard treatment in a phase 2, pilot study. The favorable results in the AT HOME-HF Pilot Study support conducting an adequately powered study.

The second poster presented described a study examining patients with brief hospitalizations related to acute decompensated heart failure (“ADHF”). This study investigated the volume, length of stay (“LOS”) and patient characteristics of patients hospitalized for ADHF in the US using the multicenter National Inpatient Sample (“NIS”) representing approximately 20% of US acute care hospitals. Of the approximately 5 million discharges with any heart failure diagnosis code, 1.2 million patients had heart failure as the principal diagnosis code and approximately 43% of such patients had a LOS of less than three days (“SLOS”) with the average LOS being 2.2 days. Compared to patients with LOS greater than three days, SLOS patients were less likely to require mechanical ventilation (2.8% vs 0.7%), dialysis (2.9% vs 0.4%) and undergo diagnostic procedures (70.4% vs 48.4%). SLOS patients were more likely to have a routine discharge to home (61.8% vs 39.7%). Based on these results, we concluded that an alternative outpatient heart failure management may allow many patients to avoid the need for short hospitalizations with its potential complications and healthcare costs.

Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company and a Smaller Reporting Company

We qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, as amended. As an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of specified reduced disclosure and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. We would 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 $1.235 billion or more; (ii) December 31, 2022; (iii) the date on which we have

 

S-5


Table of Contents

issued more than $1 billion in nonconvertible debt during the previous three years; or (iv) the date on which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer under the rules of the SEC. As such, we will cease to be an “emerging growth company” on December 31, 2022.

We are also a “smaller reporting company” as defined in the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. We may continue to be a smaller reporting company after this offering if either (i) the market value of our shares held by non-affiliates is less than $250 million or (ii) our annual revenue was less than $100 million during the most recently completed fiscal year and the market value of our shares held by non-affiliates is less than $700 million. If we are a smaller reporting company at the time we cease to be an emerging growth company, we may continue to rely on exemptions from certain disclosure requirements that are available to smaller reporting companies.

Corporate Information

We were formed as a limited liability company under the laws of the State of Delaware in February 2013 under the name scPharmaceuticals LLC. We converted to a corporation under the laws of the State of Delaware in March 2014 under the name scPharmaceuticals Inc. Our principal executive offices are located at 2400 District Avenue, Suite 310, Burlington, Massachusetts 01803. Our telephone number is (617) 517-0730, and our website is located at www.scpharmaceuticals.com. The reference to our website is an inactive textual reference only and information contained in, or that can be assessed through, our website is not part of this prospectus supplement. Our common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “SCPH.”

 

S-6


Table of Contents

THE OFFERING

 

Common stock offered by us:

6,620,000 shares.

 

Pre-funded warrant offered by us

We are also offering, in lieu of common stock to an investor, a pre-funded warrant to purchase 2,905,000 shares of our common stock. The purchase price of the pre-funded warrant matches the price per share at which the shares of our common stock are being sold to the public in this offering, minus $0.001, which is the per share exercise price of the pre-funded warrant. Each pre-funded warrant will be exercisable at any time after the date of issuance of such prefunded warrant, subject to an ownership limitation. See “Description of Pre-funded Warrant.” This prospectus supplement also relates to the offering of the shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of the pre-funded warrant.

 

Common stock to be outstanding after this offering:

34,022,121 shares.

 

Use of proceeds:

We estimate that the net proceeds to us from the shares of common stock and the pre-funded warrant sold by us to the underwriters in this offering, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, will be approximately $46.6 million. Our management will retain broad discretion regarding the allocation and use of the net proceeds. We currently intend to use the net proceeds from this offering to support the commercialization efforts for FUROSCIX, development of our pipeline, working capital and general corporate purposes. See “Use of Proceeds.”

 

Risk factors:

Investing in our common stock involves risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-9 of this prospectus supplement and under similar headings in the documents incorporated by reference herein for a discussion of the factors you should carefully consider before deciding to invest in our common stock.

 

Nasdaq Global Select Market symbol for our common stock:

“SCPH.” We do not intend to list the pre-funded warrant on Nasdaq or any other nationally recognized securities exchange or trading system.

All information in this prospectus supplement related to the number of shares of our common stock to be outstanding immediately after this offering is based on 27,402,121 shares of our common stock outstanding as of September 30, 2022. The number of shares outstanding as of September 30, 2022 excludes:

 

   

3,864,895 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstanding as of September 30, 2022 at a weighted average exercise price of $5.74 per share;

 

   

42,250 shares of common stock issuable upon the vesting of restricted stock units outstanding as of September 30, 2022;

 

   

2,798,571 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2017 Stock Option and Incentive Plan as of September 30, 2022;

 

S-7


Table of Contents
   

1,164,971 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2017 Employee Stock Purchase Plan as of September 30, 2022; and

 

   

warrants to purchase 516,345 shares of common stock we granted to the Lenders in connection with the Oaktree Agreement at an exercise price of $5.40 per share.

Unless otherwise stated, all information contained in this prospectus supplement assumes no issuance or exercise of stock options after September 30, 2022, or the exercise of the pre-funded warrant offered hereby.

 

S-8


Table of Contents

RISK FACTORS

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider the risks described below and in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K, as well as any amendments thereto reflected in subsequent filings with the SEC, each of which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, and all of the other information in this prospectus supplement, including our financial statements and related notes incorporated by reference herein. If any of these risks is realized, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you could lose part or all of your investment. Additional risks and uncertainties that are not yet identified or that we currently believe to be immaterial may also materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects and could result in a complete loss of your investment.

Risks Related to This Offering and Other Matters

If you purchase our securities in this offering, you will incur immediate and substantial dilution in the net tangible book value of your shares.

The offering price per share in this offering may exceed the net tangible book value per share of our common stock outstanding prior to this offering. Based on the public offering price of $5.25 per share, investors in our common stock in this offering will experience immediate dilution of $3.15 per share, representing the difference between our as adjusted net tangible book value per share as of September 30, 2022 after giving effect to this offering, based on the sale by us of 6,620,000 shares of common stock at the public offering price of $5.25 per share and a pre-funded warrant to purchase 2,905,000 shares of our common stock for $5.249 per underlying share (which equals the public offering price per share of the common stock less the $0.001 per share exercise price of the pre-funded warrant) (and including shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the pre-funded warrant and resulting proceeds, but excluding any resulting accounting associated with the pre-funded warrant), less the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us in each case.

This dilution is due to the substantially lower price paid by some of our investors who purchased shares prior to this offering as compared to the price offered to the public in this offering and the exercise of stock options granted to our employees, directors and consultants. In addition, we have a significant number of stock options outstanding. The exercise of any of these outstanding options would result in further dilution. As a result of the dilution to investors purchasing shares in this offering, investors may receive significantly less than the purchase price paid in this offering, if anything, in the event of our liquidation. Further, because we expect we will need to raise additional capital to fund our future activities, we may in the future sell substantial amounts of common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for common stock.

Future issuances of common stock or common stock-related securities, together with the exercise of outstanding stock options, if any, may result in further dilution. For a further description of the dilution that you will experience immediately after this offering, see the section titled “Dilution.”

Future sales and issuances of our common stock or rights to purchase common stock, including pursuant to our equity incentive plans, could result in additional dilution of the percentage ownership of our stockholders and could cause our stock price to fall. Additional capital will be needed in the future to continue our planned operations. To the extent we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities, our stockholders may experience substantial dilution. We may sell common stock, convertible securities or other equity securities in one or more transactions at prices and in a manner we determine from time to time. If we sell common stock, convertible securities or other equity securities in more than one transaction, investors may be materially diluted by subsequent sales. These sales may also result in material dilution to our existing stockholders, and new investors could gain rights superior to our existing stockholders.

 

S-9


Table of Contents

In addition, sales of a substantial number of shares of our outstanding common stock in the public market could occur at any time. These sales, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of shares of common stock intend to sell shares, could reduce the market price of our common stock. Persons who were our stockholders prior to our initial public offering continue to hold a substantial number of shares of our common stock that many of them are now able to sell in the public market. Significant portions of these shares are held by a relatively small number of stockholders. Sales by our stockholders of a substantial number of shares, or the expectation that such sales may occur, could significantly reduce the market price of our common stock.

We have broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds from this offering and our existing cash and cash equivalents and may not use them effectively.

Our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from this offering, including for any of the purposes described in the section titled “Use of Proceeds,” as well as our existing cash and cash equivalents, and you will be relying on the judgment of our management regarding such application. You will not have the opportunity, as part of your investment decision, to assess whether the proceeds are being used effectively. Our management might not apply the net proceeds or our existing cash in ways that ultimately increase the value of your investment. If we do not invest or apply the net proceeds from this offering or our existing cash in ways that enhance stockholder value, we may fail to achieve expected results, which could cause our stock price to decline. Pending their use, we may invest the net proceeds from this offering in short-term U.S. Treasury securities with insignificant rates of return. These investments may not yield a favorable return to our stockholders.

The price of our common stock historically has been volatile, which may affect the price at which you could sell any shares of our common stock.

The market price for our common stock historically has been highly volatile and could continue to be subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors. This volatility may affect the price at which you could sell the shares of our common stock, and the sale of substantial amounts of our common stock could adversely affect the price of our common stock. Our stock price is likely to continue to be volatile and subject to significant price and volume fluctuations in response to market and other factors, including:

 

   

the commercial rollout of FUROSCIX following the FDA approval;

 

   

the pricing and reimbursement of FUROSCIX and of other product candidates that may be approved;

 

   

regulatory actions with respect to our competitors’ products and product candidates;

 

   

the success of existing or new competitive products or technologies;

 

   

announcements by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, collaborations or capital commitments;

 

   

the timing and results of clinical trials of our pipeline product candidates;

 

   

commencement or termination of collaborations for our development programs;

 

   

failure or discontinuation of any of our development programs;

 

   

results of clinical trials of product candidates of our competitors;

 

   

regulatory or legal developments in the United States and other countries;

 

   

developments or disputes concerning patent applications, issued patents or other proprietary rights, including proprietary rights that we in-license from third parties;

 

   

the recruitment or departure of key personnel;

 

   

the level of expenses related to any of our product candidates or clinical development programs;

 

   

the results of our efforts to develop additional product candidates or products;

 

S-10


Table of Contents
   

actual or anticipated changes in estimates as to financial results or development timelines;

 

   

announcement or expectation of additional financing efforts;

 

   

sales of our common stock by us, our insiders or other stockholders;

 

   

variations in our financial results or those of companies that are perceived to be similar to us;

 

   

changes in estimates or recommendations by securities analysts, if any, that cover our stock;

 

   

changes in the structure of healthcare payment systems;

 

   

market conditions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors;

 

   

general economic, industry and market conditions; and

 

   

the other factors described in this “Risk Factors” section.

In addition, companies trading in the stock market in general, and biotechnology companies in particular, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of these companies. Broad market and industry factors may negatively affect the market price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market, securities class-action litigation has often been instituted against companies. Such litigation, if instituted against us, could result in substantial costs and diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.

Our principal stockholders and management own a significant percentage of our stock and will be able to exert significant control over matters subject to stockholder approval.

As of September 30, 2022, our executive officers, directors, five percent or greater stockholders and their affiliates beneficially owned approximately 61.0% of our outstanding voting stock. These stockholders have the ability to control us through their ownership positions. These stockholders may be able to determine all matters requiring stockholder approval. For example, these stockholders, acting together, may be able to control elections of directors or approval of mergers, sale of assets, or other major corporate transaction. This may prevent or discourage unsolicited acquisition proposals or offers for our common stock that you may believe are in your best interest as one of our stockholders.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could cause our stock price to fall.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market or the perception that these sales might occur could depress the market price of our common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. We are unable to predict the effect that such sales may have on the prevailing market price of our common stock. In addition, the sale of substantial amounts of our common stock could adversely impact its price. The sale or the availability for sale of a large number of shares of our common stock in the public market could cause the price of our common stock to decline.

We could be subject to securities class action litigation.

In the past, securities class action litigation has often been brought against a company following a decline in the market price of its securities. This risk is especially relevant for us because biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies have experienced significant stock price volatility in recent years. If we face such litigation, it could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could harm our business.

 

S-11


Table of Contents

There is no public market for the pre-funded warrant being offered in this offering.

There is no public trading market for the pre-funded warrant being offered in this offering, and we do not expect a market to develop. In addition, we do not intend to apply to list the pre-funded warrant on any securities exchange or nationally recognized trading system, including Nasdaq. Without an active market, the liquidity of the pre-funded warrant will be limited.

We may not receive any additional funds upon the exercise of the pre-funded warrant.

The pre-funded warrant may be exercised by way of a cashless exercise, meaning that the holder may not pay a cash purchase price upon exercise, but instead would receive upon such exercise the net number of shares of our common stock determined according to the formula set forth in the pre-funded warrant. Accordingly, we may not receive any additional funds upon the exercise of the pre-funded warrant.

A holder of the pre-funded warrant purchased in this offering will have no rights as a holder of our common stock with respect to the shares of common stock underlying such pre-funded warrant until such holder exercises the pre-funded warrant and acquires our common stock.

Until a holder of our pre-funded warrant acquire shares of our common stock upon exercise of the pre-funded warrant, such holder of the pre-funded warrant will have no rights with respect to the shares of our common stock underlying such pre-funded warrant including with respect to dividends and voting rights. Upon exercise of the pre-funded warrant, such holder will be entitled to exercise the rights of a holder of our common stock with respect to the shares of common stock underlying such pre-funded warrant only as to matters for which the record date occurs after the exercise date.

Significant holders or beneficial holders of our common stock may not be permitted to exercise the pre-funded warrant that they hold.

A holder of the pre-funded warrant will not be entitled to exercise any portion of such pre-funded warrant which, upon giving effect to such exercise, would cause (i) the aggregate number of shares of our common stock beneficially owned by the holder (together with its affiliates) to exceed 4.99% of the number of shares of our common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the exercise, or (ii) the combined voting power of our securities beneficially owned by the holder (together with its affiliates) to exceed 4.99% of the combined voting power of all of our securities then outstanding immediately after giving effect to the exercise, as such percentage ownership is determined in accordance with the terms of the pre-funded warrant. Such percentage may be increased by the holder of the pre-funded warrant to any other percentage not in excess of 19.99% upon at least 61 days’ prior notice from the holder to us. As a result, you may not be able to exercise your pre-funded warrant for shares of our common stock at a time when it would be financially beneficial for you to do so. In such circumstance you could seek to sell your pre-funded warrant to realize value, but you may be unable to do so in the absence of an established trading market for the pre-funded warrant.

 

S-12


Table of Contents

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus supplement and the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement include, and any free writing prospectus may contain, “forward looking statements.” All statements other than statements of historical facts contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, business strategy, commercialization, prospective products and product candidates, the treatment potential for our product candidates, market size, diseases or indications that we may target, the expected timeline for achievement of our clinical milestones, the timing of, and potential results from, clinical and other trials, marketing authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) or regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions, coverage and reimbursement for procedures using our product candidates, if approved, research and development costs, timing of regulatory filings and feedback, timing and likelihood of success, and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements.

These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “contemplate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. The forward-looking statements included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement are only predictions. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

These forward looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees of future performance due to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by these forward looking statements, including, without limitation the risk factors and cautionary statements described in other documents that we file from time to time with the SEC, specifically under “Item 1A: Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent SEC filings, as well as:

 

   

the commercialization of FUROSCIX, including launch preparation, ability to interact with physicians, patient access to FUROSCIX, including any delays related to COVID-19 in our future planned Phase 4 studies of FUROSCIX incorporating West’s proprietary on-body infusor to support the pricing and access to our product candidates;

 

   

manufacturing and supply chain matters, including the ability to manage quality control issues related to the production of FUROSCIX and on-body infusors in the volumes that will be required on a timely basis;

 

   

the timing or likelihood of other regulatory filings and approvals;

 

   

the outcome of any bridging studies, clinical trials or human factors studies that may be required by the FDA for approval of any of our product candidates;

 

   

the pricing, reimbursement or pharmacoeconomic benefit of FUROSCIX or any other of our product candidates, if approved;

 

   

the rate and degree of market acceptance and clinical utility of FUROSCIX or any other of our product candidates for which we receive marketing approval;

 

   

the initiation, timing, progress and results of our research and development programs, including future preclinical and clinical studies;

 

   

our ability to advance any other product candidates into, and successfully complete, clinical studies and obtain regulatory approval for them;

 

S-13


Table of Contents
   

our ability to identify additional product candidates;

 

   

the implementation of our strategic plans for our business, product candidates and technology;

 

   

the scope of protection we are able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering FUROSCIX or any other of our product candidates and technology;

 

   

estimates of our expenses, future revenues, capital requirements and our needs for additional financing;

 

   

our ability to manufacture, or the ability of third parties to deliver, sufficient quantities of supplies, components and drug product for commercialization of FUROSCIX or any of our product candidates, including any delays related to COVID-19;

 

   

our ability to maintain and establish collaborations;

 

   

our ability to fund or obtain funding for our continuing operations, including the commercialization of FUROSCIX, and the development of our product candidates;

 

   

our future financial performance; and

 

   

developments relating to our competitors and our industry, including the impact of government regulation.

The forward looking statements in this prospectus supplement, any related free writing prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference represent our views as of their respective dates. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our views to change. However, while we may elect to update these forward looking statements at some point in the future, we assume no obligation to update or revise any forward looking statements except to the extent required by applicable law. You should, therefore, not rely on these forward looking statements as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the dates on which they were made.

This prospectus supplement, any related free writing prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference also contain estimates, projections and other information concerning our industry, our business, and the markets for certain diseases, including data regarding the estimated size of those markets, and the incidence and prevalence of certain medical conditions. Information that is based on estimates, forecasts, projections, market research or similar methodologies is inherently subject to uncertainties and actual events or circumstances may differ materially from events and circumstances reflected in this information. Unless otherwise expressly stated, we obtained this industry, business, market and other data from reports, research surveys, studies and similar data prepared by market research firms and other third parties, industry, medical and general publications, government data and similar sources.

 

S-14


Table of Contents

USE OF PROCEEDS

We estimate that the net proceeds from the sale of 6,620,000 shares of our common stock and a pre-funded warrant to purchase 2,905,000 shares of our common stock in this offering will be approximately $46.6 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. We will receive nominal proceeds, if any, upon exercise of the pre-funded warrant.

We expect to use the net proceeds of this offering, together with our existing cash and cash equivalents, to support the commercialization efforts for FUROSCIX, development of our pipeline, working capital and general corporate purposes.

The amounts and timing of our actual expenditures will depend on numerous factors, including the progress of our clinical trials and other development efforts and other factors described under “Risk Factors” in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying base prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein, as well as the amount of cash used in our operations. We may find it necessary or advisable to use the net proceeds for other purposes, and we will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from this offering.

Pending the uses described above, we plan to invest the net proceeds from this offering in short- and intermediate-term, interest bearing obligations, investment-grade instruments, certificates of deposit or direct or guaranteed obligations of the U.S. government.

 

S-15


Table of Contents

DIVIDEND POLICY

We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our capital stock. We intend to retain all of our future earnings, if any, to finance the growth and development of our business. We do not intend to pay cash dividends to our stockholders in the foreseeable future. Any future determination regarding the declaration and payment of dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on then-existing conditions, including the contractual restrictions in our debt facility.

 

S-16


Table of Contents

DILUTION

If you purchase common stock in this offering, your interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the public offering price per share of our common stock in this offering and the as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after this offering. The net tangible book value of our common stock as of September 30, 2022 was approximately $31.0 million, or approximately $1.13 per share of common stock based upon 27,402,121 shares outstanding. Net tangible book value per share is equal to our total tangible assets, less our total liabilities, divided by the total number of shares of common stock outstanding as of September 30, 2022.

Net tangible book value dilution per share to investors purchasing common stock in this offering represents the difference between the amount per share paid by purchasers of shares of common stock in this offering and the as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock after giving effect to this offering. After giving effect to the sale of 6,620,000 shares of common stock in this offering at a public offering price of $5.25 per share and a pre-funded warrant to purchase 2,905,000 shares of our common stock for $5.249 per underlying share (which equals the public offering price per share of the common stock less the $0.001 per share exercise price of such pre-funded warrant) (and including shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the pre-funded warrant and resulting proceeds, but excluding any resulting accounting associated with the pre-funded warrant), and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our as adjusted net tangible book value as of September 30, 2022 would have been approximately $77.7 million, or approximately $2.10 per share of common stock. This represents an immediate increase in as adjusted net tangible book value of $0.97 per share to our existing stockholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of $3.15 per share to investors participating in this offering.

Dilution per share to new investors is determined by subtracting as adjusted net tangible book value per share after this offering from the public offering price per share paid by new investors. The following table illustrates this per share dilution to new investors:

 

Public offering price per share

      $ 5.25  

Historical net tangible book value per share as of September 30, 2022

   $ 1.13     

Increase in net tangible book value per share attributable to the offering

     0.97     
  

 

 

    

As adjusted net tangible book value per share after giving effect to this offering

        2.10  
     

 

 

 

Dilution in net tangible book value per share to investors purchasing common stock in this offering

      $ 3.15  
     

 

 

 

The table and discussion above are based on 27,402,121 shares of common stock outstanding as of September 30, 2022 and excludes:

 

   

3,864,895 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstanding as of September 30, 2022 at a weighted average exercise price of $5.74 per share;

 

   

42,250 shares of common stock issuable upon the vesting of restricted stock units outstanding as of September 30, 2022;

 

   

2,798,571 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2017 Stock Option and Incentive Plan as of September 30, 2022;

 

   

1,164,971 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2017 Employee Stock Purchase Plan as of September 30, 2022; and

 

   

warrants to purchase 516,345 shares of common stock we granted to the Lenders in connection with the Oaktree Agreement at an exercise price of $5.40 per share.

 

S-17


Table of Contents

To the extent that any options are exercised, new options are issued under our 2017 Stock Option and Incentive Plan and our 2017 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, or we otherwise issue additional shares of common stock in the future (including shares issued in connection with acquisitions), there will be further dilution to new investors.

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 additional capital is raised through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the issuance of these securities could result in further dilution to our stockholders.

 

S-18


Table of Contents

DESCRIPTION OF PRE-FUNDED WARRANT

The following is a brief summary of certain terms and conditions of the pre-funded warrant being offered in this offering. The following description is subject in all respects to the provisions contained in the pre-funded warrant. This prospectus supplement also relates to the offering of the shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of the pre-funded warrant.

Form

The pre-funded warrant will be issued as an individual warrant agreement to the purchaser. The form of pre-funded warrant will be filed as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K that we expect to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Term

The pre-funded warrant will expire on the date the warrant is exercised in full.

Exercisability

The pre-funded warrant is exercisable at any time after its original issuance. The pre-funded warrant will be exercisable, at the option of the holder, in whole or in part by delivering to us a duly executed exercise notice and by payment in full of the exercise price in immediately available funds for the number of shares of common stock purchased upon such exercise. As an alternative to payment in immediately available funds, the holder may, in its sole discretion, elect to exercise the pre-funded warrant through a cashless exercise, in which the holder would receive upon such exercise the net number of shares of our common stock determined according to the formula set forth in the pre-funded warrant. No fractional shares of our common stock will be issued in connection with the exercise of a pre-funded warrant. In lieu of fractional shares, we will pay the holder an amount in cash equal to the fractional amount multiplied by the fair market value of our common stock on the exercise date.

Exercise Limitations

We may not effect the exercise of the pre-funded warrant, and the holder will not be entitled to exercise any portion of the pre-funded warrant that, upon giving effect to such exercise, would cause: (i) the aggregate number of shares of our common stock beneficially owned by such holder (together with its affiliates) to exceed 4.99% of the number of shares of our common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the exercise; or (ii) the combined voting power of our securities beneficially owned by such holder (together with its affiliates) to exceed 4.99% of the combined voting power of all of our securities outstanding immediately after giving effect to the exercise, as such percentage ownership is determined in accordance with the terms of the pre-funded warrant. However, the holder of the pre-funded warrant may increase or decrease such percentage to any other percentage not in excess of 19.99% upon at least 61 days’ prior notice from the holder to us.

Exercise Price

The exercise price of our common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the pre-funded warrant is $0.001 per share. The exercise price of the pre-funded warrant and the number of shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of the pre-funded warrant is subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of certain stock dividends and distributions, stock splits, stock combinations, reclassifications or similar events affecting our common stock.

Transferability

Subject to applicable laws, the pre-funded warrant may be offered for sale, sold, transferred or assigned without our consent.

 

S-19


Table of Contents

Exchange Listing

There is no established trading market for the pre-funded warrant, and we do not expect a market to develop. We do not intend to apply for the listing of the pre-funded warrant on The Nasdaq Global Select Market, any other national securities exchange or any other nationally recognized trading system.

Fundamental Transactions

Upon the consummation of a fundamental transaction (as described in the pre-funded warrant, and generally including any reorganization, recapitalization or reclassification of our common stock, the sale, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of our properties or assets, our consolidation or merger with or into another person, the acquisition of more than 50% of our outstanding common stock, or any person or group becoming the beneficial owner of 50% of the voting power of our outstanding common stock), a holder of the pre-funded warrant will be entitled to receive, upon exercise of the pre-funded warrant, the kind and amount of securities, cash or other property that such holder would have received had they exercised the pre-funded warrant immediately prior to such fundamental transaction, without regard to any limitations on exercise contained in the pre-funded warrant. In the event a holder of a pre-funded warrant does not exercise the pre-funded warrant as contemplated by the fundamental transaction provisions in the pre-funded warrant, the pre-funded warrant will be deemed exercised in full without regard to any limitations on exercise contained herein pursuant to the “cashless exercise” provision in the pre-funded warrant upon the effective date of the consummation of certain types of fundamental transactions.

No Rights as a Stockholder

Except by virtue of such holder’s ownership of shares of our common stock, the holder of the pre-funded warrant does not have the rights or privileges of a holder of our common stock, including any voting rights, until such holder exercises the pre-funded warrant.

 

S-20


Table of Contents

MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES

The following discussion is a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the purchase, ownership, and disposition of the shares of common stock and the pre-funded warrant issued pursuant to this offering, but does not purport to be a complete analysis of all potential tax effects. The effects of other U.S. federal tax laws, such as estate and gift tax laws, and any applicable state, local, or non-U.S. tax laws are not discussed. This discussion is based on the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder, judicial decisions, and published rulings and administrative pronouncements of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”), in each case in effect as of the date hereof. These authorities may change or be subject to differing interpretations. Any such change or differing interpretation may be applied retroactively in a manner that could adversely affect a holder. We have not sought and will not seek any rulings from the IRS regarding the matters discussed below. There can be no assurance the IRS or a court will not take a contrary position to that discussed below regarding the tax consequences of the purchase, ownership, and disposition of our common stock and pre-funded warrant.

This discussion is limited to holders that hold our common stock or the pre-funded warrant as a “capital asset” within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code (generally, property held for investment). This discussion does not address all U.S. federal income tax consequences relevant to a holder’s particular circumstances, including the impact of the Medicare contribution tax on net investment income and the alternative minimum tax. In addition, it does not address consequences relevant to holders subject to special rules, including, without limitation:

 

   

U.S. expatriates and former citizens or long-term residents of the United States;

 

   

persons holding our common stock or the pre-funded warrant as part of a hedge, straddle, or other risk reduction strategy or as part of a conversion transaction or other integrated investment;

 

   

banks, insurance companies, and other financial institutions;

 

   

brokers, dealers, or traders in securities;

 

   

“controlled foreign corporations,” “passive foreign investment companies,” and corporations that accumulate earnings to avoid U.S. federal income tax;

 

   

partnerships or other entities or arrangements treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes (and investors therein);

 

   

tax-exempt organizations or governmental organizations;

 

   

persons deemed to sell our common stock or the pre-funded warrant under the constructive sale provisions of the Code;

 

   

persons who hold or receive our common stock or the pre-funded warrant pursuant to the exercise of any employee stock option or otherwise as compensation;

 

   

tax-qualified retirement plans;

 

   

persons subject to special tax accounting rules as a result of any item of gross income with respect to the stock being taken into account in an “applicable financial statement;” and

 

   

“qualified foreign pension funds” as defined in Section 897(l)(2) of the Code and entities all of the interests of which are held by qualified foreign pension funds.

If an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds our common stock or pre-funded warrant, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will depend on the status of the partner, the activities of the partnership, and certain determinations made at the partner level. Accordingly, partnerships holding our common stock or the pre-funded warrant and the partners in such partnerships should consult their tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences to them.

 

S-21


Table of Contents

THIS DISCUSSION IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TAX ADVICE. INVESTORS SHOULD CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS WITH RESPECT TO THE APPLICATION OF THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX LAWS TO THEIR PARTICULAR SITUATIONS AS WELL AS ANY TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE PURCHASE, OWNERSHIP, AND DISPOSITION OF OUR COMMON STOCK OR THE PRE-FUNDED WARRANT ARISING UNDER THE U.S. FEDERAL ESTATE OR GIFT TAX LAWS OR UNDER THE LAWS OF ANY STATE, LOCAL, OR NON-U.S. TAXING JURISDICTION OR UNDER ANY APPLICABLE INCOME TAX TREATY.

Treatment of Pre-funded Warrant

Although not entirely free from doubt, a pre-funded warrant should be treated as a share of our common stock for U.S. federal income tax purposes and a holder of the pre-funded warrant should generally be taxed in the same manner as a holder of shares of our common stock. Accordingly, no gain or loss should be recognized upon the exercise of the pre-funded warrant (other than cash paid in lieu of a fractional share) and, upon exercise, the holding period of the pre-funded warrant should carry over to the share received. Similarly, the tax basis of the pre-funded warrant should carry over to the share received upon exercise, increased by the exercise price of $0.001 per share.

Our characterization is not binding on the IRS, and the IRS may treat our pre-funded warrant as a warrant to acquire our common stock. In that case, the tax consequences with respect to an investment in the pre-funded warrant could be materially different than the discussion set forth below. Accordingly, holders should consult their own tax advisor regarding the risks associated with the acquisition of the pre-funded warrant pursuant to this offering (including potential alternative characterizations of the pre-funded warrant ). The balance of this discussion generally assumes that the pre-funded warrant is treated as a share of our common stock for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Definition of a U.S. Holder

For purposes of this discussion, a “U.S. Holder” is a beneficial owner of our common stock or the pre-funded warrant that, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is or is treated as any of the following:

 

   

an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States;

 

   

a corporation created or organized under the laws of the United States, any state thereof, or the District of Columbia;

 

   

an estate, the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source; or

 

   

a trust that (1) is subject to the primary supervision of a U.S. court and the control of one or more “United States persons” (within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code), or (2) has a valid election in effect to be treated as a United States person for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Distributions

As described in the section entitled “Dividend Policy,” we do not intend to pay cash dividends to our stockholders in the foreseeable future. However, if we do make distributions on our common stock or the pre-funded warrant, such distributions of cash or property on our common stock or the pre-funded warrant generally will constitute dividends to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Dividends received by a corporate U.S. Holder may be eligible for a dividends received deduction, subject to applicable limitations. Dividends received by certain non-corporate U.S. Holders, including individuals, are generally taxed at the lower applicable capital gains rate provided certain holding period and other requirements are satisfied. Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits will constitute a return of capital and first be applied against and reduce a U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its common stock or the pre-funded warrant, but not below zero. Any excess will be treated as capital gain and will be treated as described below in the section relating to the sale or disposition of our common stock or pre-funded warrant, as applicable.

 

S-22


Table of Contents

Sale or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock or the Pre-funded Warrant

Upon the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of the common stock or the pre-funded warrant, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss equal to the difference between (i) the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received upon the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition and (ii) such U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in the common stock or the pre-funded warrant. Such capital gain or loss will be long term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder’s holding period in such common stock or pre-funded warrant is more than one year at the time of the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition. Long-term capital gains recognized by certain non-corporate U.S. Holders, including individuals, generally will be subject to reduced rates of U.S. federal income tax. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to certain limitations.

Constructive Dividends on the Pre-funded Warrant

A U.S. Holder of a pre-funded warrant may, in some circumstances, be deemed to have received a distribution subject to U.S. federal income tax as a result of an adjustment or the non-occurrence of an adjustment to the exercise price or number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the pre-funded warrant. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the proper treatment of any adjustments to the pre-funded warrant.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

A U.S. Holder may be subject to information reporting and backup withholding when such holder receives payments on the common stock or the pre-funded warrant (including constructive dividends) or receives proceeds from the sale or other taxable disposition of common stock or the pre-funded warrant. Certain U.S. Holders are exempt from backup withholding. A U.S. Holder will be subject to backup withholding if such holder is not otherwise exempt and such holder:

 

   

fails to furnish the holder’s taxpayer identification number, which for an individual is ordinarily his or her social security number;

 

   

furnishes an incorrect taxpayer identification number;

 

   

is notified by the IRS that the holder previously failed to properly report payments of interest or dividends; or fails to certify under penalties of perjury that the holder has furnished a correct taxpayer identification number and that the IRS has not notified the holder that the holder is subject to backup withholding.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be allowed as a refund or a credit against a U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding their qualification for an exemption from backup withholding and the procedures for obtaining such an exemption.

Tax Considerations Applicable to Non-U.S. Holders

Definition of a Non-U.S. Holder

For purposes of this discussion, a “Non-U.S. Holder” is a beneficial owner of our common stock or the pre-funded warrant that is neither a U.S. Holder nor an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Distributions

As described in the section entitled “Dividend Policy,” we do not intend to pay cash dividends to our stockholders in the foreseeable future in the foreseeable future. However, if we do make distributions of cash or property on our common stock or the pre-funded warrant, such distributions will constitute dividends for U.S.

 

S-23


Table of Contents

federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. Amounts not treated as dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes will constitute a return of capital and first be applied against and reduce a Non-U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its common stock or the pre-funded warrant, but not below zero. Any excess will be treated as capital gain and will be treated as described below under “—Sale or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock or Pre-funded Warrant.” Because we may not know the extent to which a distribution is a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes at the time it is made, for purposes of the withholding rules discussed below we or the applicable withholding agent may treat the entire distribution as a dividend.

Subject to the discussion below on effectively connected income, dividends paid to a Non-U.S. Holder will be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax at a rate of 30% of the gross amount of the dividends (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty, provided the Non-U.S. Holder furnishes a valid IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E (or other applicable documentation) certifying qualification for the lower treaty rate). A Non-U.S. Holder that does not timely furnish the required documentation, but that qualifies for a reduced treaty rate, may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld by timely filing an appropriate claim for refund with the IRS. Non-U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding their entitlement to benefits under any applicable income tax treaty.

If dividends paid to a Non-U.S. Holder are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, the Non-U.S. Holder maintains a permanent establishment in the United States to which such dividends are attributable), the Non-U.S. Holder will be exempt from the U.S. federal withholding tax described above. To claim the exemption, the Non-U.S. Holder must furnish to the applicable withholding agent a valid IRS Form W-8ECI, certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States.

Any such effectively connected dividends will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis at the regular rates. A Non-U.S. Holder that is a corporation also may be subject to a branch profits tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty) on such effectively connected dividends, as adjusted for certain items. Non-U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding any applicable tax treaties that may provide for different rules.

Exercise of Pre-funded Warrant

A Non-U.S. Holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the exercise of the pre-funded warrant into shares of common stock. However, if a cashless exercise of the pre-funded warrant results in a taxable exchange, as described above in “Treatment of Pre-funded Warrant ”, the rules described below under “—Sale or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock or Pre-funded Warrant ” would apply.

Sale or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock or Pre-funded Warrant

A Non-U.S. Holder will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on any gain realized upon the sale or other taxable disposition of our common stock or the pre-funded warrant unless:

 

   

the gain is effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, the Non-U.S. Holder maintains a permanent establishment in the United States to which such gain is attributable);

 

   

the Non-U.S. Holder is a nonresident alien individual present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year of the disposition and certain other requirements are met; or

 

   

our common stock or the pre-funded warrant constitutes a U.S. real property interest (“USRPI”) by reason of our status as a U.S. real property holding corporation (“USRPHC”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

S-24


Table of Contents

Gain described in the first bullet point above generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis at the regular rates. A Non-U.S. Holder that is a corporation also may be subject to a branch profits tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty) on such effectively connected gain, as adjusted for certain items.

A Non-U.S. Holder described in the second bullet point above will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty) on gain realized upon the sale or other taxable disposition of our common stock or the pre-funded warrant, which may be offset by U.S. source capital losses of the Non-U.S. Holder (even though the individual is not considered a resident of the United States), provided the Non-U.S. Holder has timely filed U.S. federal income tax returns with respect to such losses.

With respect to the third bullet point above, we believe we currently are not, and do not anticipate becoming, a USRPHC. Because the determination of whether we are a USRPHC depends, however, on the fair market value of our USRPIs relative to the fair market value of our non-U.S. real property interests and our other business assets, there can be no assurance we currently are not a USRPHC or will not become one in the future.

Non-U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding potentially applicable income tax treaties that may provide for different rules.

Constructive Dividends on Pre-funded Warrant

A holder of the pre-funded warrant can be treated as receiving deemed payment of a taxable dividend under certain circumstances. Any resulting withholding tax attributable to deemed dividends may be collected from other amounts payable or distributable to the Non-U.S. Holder. Non-U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the proper treatment of any adjustments to the pre-funded warrant.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

Payments of dividends (including constructive dividends) on our common stock or the pre-funded warrant will not be subject to backup withholding, provided the Non-U.S. Holder either certifies its non-U.S. status, such as by furnishing a valid IRS Form W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E, or W-8ECI, or otherwise establishes an exemption. However, information returns are required to be filed with the IRS in connection with any distributions (including deemed distributions) on our common stock or the pre-funded warrant to the Non-U.S. Holder, regardless of whether such distributions constitute dividends or whether any tax was actually withheld.

In addition, proceeds of the sale or other taxable disposition of our common stock or the pre-funded warrant within the United States or conducted through certain U.S.-related brokers generally will not be subject to backup withholding or information reporting if the applicable withholding agent receives the certification described above or the holder otherwise establishes an exemption. Proceeds of a disposition of our common stock or the pre-funded warrant conducted through a non-U.S. office of a non-U.S. broker generally will not be subject to backup withholding or information reporting.

Copies of information returns that are filed with the IRS may also be made available under the provisions of an applicable treaty or agreement to the tax authorities of the country in which the Non-U.S. Holder resides or is established.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be allowed as a refund or a credit against a Non-U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

Additional Withholding Tax on Payments Made to Foreign Accounts

Withholding taxes may be imposed under Sections 1471 to 1474 of the Code (such Sections commonly referred to as the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or “FATCA”) on certain types of payments made to

 

S-25


Table of Contents

non-U.S. financial institutions and certain other non-U.S. entities. Specifically, a 30% withholding tax may be imposed on dividends (including deemed dividends) on, or (subject to the proposed Treasury Regulations discussed below) gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition of, our common stock or the pre-funded warrant paid to a “foreign financial institution” or a “non-financial foreign entity” (each as defined in the Code), unless (1) the foreign financial institution undertakes certain diligence and reporting obligations, (2) the non-financial foreign entity either certifies it does not have any “substantial United States owners” (as defined in the Code) or furnishes identifying information regarding each substantial United States owner, or (3) the foreign financial institution or non-financial foreign entity otherwise qualifies for an exemption from these rules. If the payee is a foreign financial institution and is subject to the diligence and reporting requirements in (1) above, it must enter into an agreement with the U.S. Department of the Treasury requiring, among other things, that it undertake to identify accounts held by certain “specified United States persons” or “United States owned foreign entities” (each as defined in the Code), annually report certain information about such accounts, and withhold 30% on certain payments to non-compliant foreign financial institutions and certain other account holders. Foreign financial institutions located in jurisdictions that have an intergovernmental agreement with the United States governing FATCA may be subject to different rules.

Under the applicable Treasury Regulations and administrative guidance, withholding under FATCA generally applies to payments of dividends (including deemed dividends). Because we may not know the extent to which a distribution is a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes at the time it is made, for purposes of these withholding rules we or the applicable withholding agent may treat the entire distribution as a dividend. While withholding under FATCA would have applied also to payments of gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition of our common stock or the pre-funded warrant on or after January 1, 2019, proposed Treasury Regulations eliminate FATCA withholding on payments of gross proceeds entirely. Taxpayers generally may rely on these proposed Treasury Regulations until final Treasury Regulations are issued.

Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the potential application of withholding under FATCA to their investment in our common stock or the pre-funded warrant.

 

S-26


Table of Contents

UNDERWRITING

SVB Securities LLC and Cowen and Company, LLC are acting as representatives of each of the underwriters named below and as joint bookrunning managers for this offering. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the underwriting agreement among us and the underwriters, we have agreed to sell to the underwriters, and each of the underwriters has agreed, severally and not jointly, to purchase from us, the number of shares of common stock and its allocation of the pre-funded warrant set forth opposite its name below.

 

Underwriter

   Number of
Shares of
Common Stock
     Allocation of
Pre-funded
Warrant
 

SVB Securities LLC

     2,979,000        1,307,250  

Cowen and Company, LLC

     2,979,000        1,307,250  

H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC

     529,600        232,400  

Maxim Group LLC

     132,400        58,100  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     6,620,000        2,905,000  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the underwriting agreement, the underwriters have agreed, severally and not jointly, to purchase all of the shares and pre-funded warrant sold under the underwriting agreement if any of the shares and the pre-funded warrant are purchased. If an underwriter defaults, the underwriting agreement provides that the purchase commitments of the non-defaulting underwriters may be increased or the underwriting agreement may be terminated.

We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.

The underwriters are offering the shares and pre-funded warrant, subject to prior sale, when, as and if issued to and accepted by them, subject to approval of legal matters by their counsel, including the validity of the shares and pre-funded warrant, and subject to other conditions contained in the underwriting agreement, such as the receipt by the underwriters of officers’ certificates and legal opinions. The underwriters reserve the right to withdraw, cancel or modify offers to the public and to reject orders in whole or in part.

Discounts and Commissions

The representatives have advised us that the underwriters propose initially to offer the shares and pre-funded warrant to the public at the public offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus supplement and to dealers at that price less a concession not in excess of $0.189 per share and pre-funded warrant. After the initial offering of the shares and pre-funded warrant, the public offering price, concession or any other term of this offering may be changed by the representative.

The following table shows the public offering price, underwriting discounts and commissions and proceeds, before expenses, to us.

 

     Per Share      Per
Pre-Funded
Warrant
     Total  

Public offering price

   $ 5.250      $ 5.249      $ 50,003,345  

Underwriting discounts and commissions

   $ 0.315      $ 0.35      $ 3,000,375  

Proceeds, before expenses, to us

   $ 4.935      $ 4.394      $ 47,002,970  

We estimate expenses payable by us in connection with this offering, other than the underwriting discounts and commissions referred to above, will be approximately $0.4 million. We also have agreed to reimburse the underwriters for up to $40,000 for their FINRA counsel fee. In accordance with FINRA Rule 5110, this reimbursed fee is deemed underwriting compensation for this offering.

 

S-27


Table of Contents

No Sales of Similar Securities

We and our executive officers, directors and certain affiliates have agreed not to sell or transfer any common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for common stock, for 90 days after the date of this prospectus supplement without first obtaining the written consent of SVB Securities LLC and Cowen and Company, LLC on behalf of the underwriters. Specifically, we and these other persons have agreed, with certain limited exceptions, not to directly or indirectly:

 

   

offer, pledge, sell or contract to sell any common stock;

 

   

sell any option or contract to purchase any common stock;

 

   

purchase any option or contract to sell any common stock;

 

   

grant any option, right or warrant for the sale of any common stock;

 

   

otherwise dispose of or transfer any common stock;

 

   

request or demand that we file a registration statement related to the common stock; or

 

   

enter into any swap or other agreement or any transaction that transfers, in whole or in part, the economic consequence of ownership of any common stock, whether any such swap, agreement or transaction is to be settled by delivery of shares or other securities, in cash or otherwise.

The lock-up provisions apply to common stock and to securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for common stock. They also apply to common stock owned now or acquired later by the person executing the lock-up agreement or for which the person executing the lock-up agreement later acquires the power of disposition. The lock-up restrictions will not apply to issuance of common stock upon the exercise of the pre-funded warrant during the 90-day period.

Nasdaq Global Market Listing

Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “SCPH.” There is no established public trading market for the pre-funded warrant, and we do not expect a market to develop. We do not intend to list the pre-funded warrant on Nasdaq, any other nationally recognized securities exchange or any other nationally recognized trading system.

Price Stabilization, Short Positions and Penalty Bids

Until the distribution of the securities is completed, SEC rules may limit the underwriters and selling group members from bidding for and purchasing our common stock. However, the representatives may engage in transactions that stabilize the price of the common stock, such as bids or purchases to peg, fix or maintain that price.

In connection with this offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell our common stock in the open market. These transactions may include short sales, purchases on the open market to cover positions created by short sales and stabilizing transactions. Short sales involve the sale by an underwriter of a greater number of shares than it is required to purchase in this offering. Because we have not granted the underwriters an option to purchase additional shares, the underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing shares in the open market. Stabilizing transactions consist of various bids for or purchases of shares of common stock made by an underwriter in the open market prior to the closing of this offering.

The underwriters may also impose a penalty bid. This occurs when a particular underwriter repays to the underwriters a portion of the underwriting discount received by it because the representatives have repurchased shares sold by or for the account of such underwriter in stabilizing or short covering transactions.

Similar to other purchase transactions, the underwriters’ purchases to cover the syndicate short sales may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our common stock or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our common stock. As a result, the price of our common stock may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. The underwriters may conduct these transactions on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise.

 

S-28


Table of Contents

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

The underwriters may also engage in passive market making transactions in our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market in accordance with Rule 103 of Regulation M during a period before the commencement of offers or sales of shares of our common stock in this offering and extending through the completion of distribution. A passive market maker must display its bid at a price not in excess of the highest independent bid of that security. However, if all independent bids are lowered below the passive market maker’s bid, that bid must then be lowered when specified purchase limits are exceeded.

Electronic Distribution

In connection with this offering, the underwriters or certain securities dealers may distribute prospectuses by electronic means, such as e-mail.

Other Relationships

The underwriters and certain of their respective affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities. The underwriters and certain of their respective affiliates may in the future engage in investment banking and other commercial dealings in the ordinary course of business with us and our affiliates, for which they may in the future receive customary fees, commissions and expenses. For example, we entered into an at-the-market offering program sales agreement with Cowen and Company, LLC on March 23, 2021, under which we may offer and sell, from time to time at our discretion, shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $50.0 million through Cowen and Company, LLC, acting as our sales agent, for which Cowen and Company, LLC has received customary fees and expenses. Additionally, Cowen and Company, LLC, acted as our exclusive financial advisor in connection with the Oaktree Agreement, for which it received customary fees.

In addition, in the ordinary course of their business activities, the underwriters and their respective affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers. Such investments and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of ours or our affiliates. The underwriters and their respective affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or financial instruments and may hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.

Selling Restrictions

Notice to Prospective Investors in the European Economic Area

In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area (each, a “Relevant State”), no securities have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offering to the public in that Relevant State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the securities which has been approved by the competent authority in that Relevant State or, where appropriate, approved in another Relevant State and notified to the competent authority in that Relevant State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, except that shares may be offered to the public in that Relevant State at any time:

 

  A.

to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under Article 2 of the Prospectus Regulation;

 

  B.

to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under Article 2 of the Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the representative for any such offer; or

 

  C.

in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation,

 

S-29


Table of Contents

provided that no such offer of securities shall require us or any of the representative to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the Prospectus Regulation.

For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to any security in any Relevant State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any securities and the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129, as amended.

Notice to Prospective Investors in the United Kingdom

No securities have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offering to the public in the United Kingdom prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the securities which has been approved by the Financial Conduct Authority, except that the securities may be offered to the public in the United Kingdom at any time:

 

  A.

to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation;

 

  B.

to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the representative for any such offer; or

 

  C.

in any other circumstances falling within Section 86 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (the “FMSA”),

provided that no such offer of the securities shall require us or any representative to publish a prospectus pursuant to Section 85 of the FSMA or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the UK Prospectus Regulation. For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to the securities in the United Kingdom means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any securities and the expression “UK Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Canada

The securities may be sold only to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations. Any resale of the securities must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable securities laws.

Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if this prospectus supplement (including any amendment thereto) contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.

Pursuant to section 3A.3 of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (NI 33-105), the underwriters are not required to comply with the disclosure requirements of NI 33-105 regarding underwriter conflicts of interest in connection with this offering.

 

S-30


Table of Contents

Notice to Prospective Investors in Israel.

In the State of Israel this prospectus supplement shall not be regarded as an offer to the public to purchase securities under the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 – 1968, which requires a prospectus to be published and authorized by the Israel Securities Authority, if it complies with certain provisions of Section 15 of the Israeli Securities Law, 5728–1968, including, inter alia, if: (i) the offer is made, distributed or directed to not more than 35 investors, subject to certain conditions (the “Addressed Investors”); or (ii) the offer is made, distributed or directed to certain qualified investors defined in the First Addendum of the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 – 1968, subject to certain conditions (the “Qualified Investors”). The Qualified Investors shall not be taken into account in the count of the Addressed Investors and may be offered to purchase securities in addition to the 35 Addressed Investors. The company has not and will not take any action that would require it to publish a prospectus in accordance with and subject to the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 – 1968. We have not and will not distribute this prospectus or make, distribute or direct an offer to subscribe for our securities to any person within the State of Israel, other than to Qualified Investors and up to 35 Addressed Investors.

Qualified Investors may have to submit written evidence that they meet the definitions set out in of the First Addendum to the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 – 1968. In particular, we may request, as a condition to be offered securities that Qualified Investors will each represent, warrant and certify to us and/or to anyone acting on our behalf: (i) that it is an investor falling within one of the categories listed in the First Addendum to the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 – 1968; (ii) which of the categories listed in the First Addendum to the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 –1968 regarding Qualified Investors is applicable to it; (iii) that it will abide by all provisions set forth in the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 – 1968 and the regulations promulgated thereunder in connection with the offer to be issued securities; (iv) that the securities that it will be issued are, subject to exemptions available under the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 – 1968: (a) for its own account; (b) for investment purposes only; and (c) not issued with a view to resale within the State of Israel, other than in accordance with the provisions of the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 – 1968; and (v) that it is willing to provide further evidence of its Qualified Investor status. Addressed Investors may have to submit written evidence in respect of their identity and may have to sign and submit a declaration containing, inter alia, the Addressed Investor’s name, address and passport number or Israeli identification number.

 

S-31


Table of Contents

LEGAL MATTERS

Certain legal matters in connection with this offering and the validity of the securities offered by this prospectus supplement will be passed upon for us by Latham & Watkins LLP. The underwriters are being represented in connection with this offering by Goodwin Procter LLP.

 

S-32


Table of Contents

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of scPharmaceuticals Inc. as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 and for the years then ended incorporated in this Prospectus by reference from the scPharmaceuticals Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 have been audited by RSM US LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report thereon, incorporated herein by reference, and have been incorporated in this Prospectus in reliance upon such report and upon the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

S-33


Table of Contents

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

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 www.sec.gov. Copies of certain information filed by us with the SEC are also available on our website at www.scPharmaceuticals.com. Our website is not a part of this prospectus supplement and is not incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement.

This prospectus supplement is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we have filed with the SEC. This prospectus supplement, filed as part of the registration statement, does not contain all the information set forth in the registration statement and its exhibits and schedules, portions of which have been omitted as permitted by the rules and regulations of the SEC. For further information about us, we refer you to the registration statement and to its exhibits and schedules. Certain information in the registration statement has been omitted from this prospectus supplement in accordance with the rules of the SEC.

 

S-34


Table of Contents

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference the information and reports we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to these documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus supplement, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede the information already incorporated by reference. We are incorporating by reference the documents listed below, which we have already filed with the SEC, and any future filings we make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, except as to any portion of any future report or document that is not deemed filed under such provision, including all filings made between the date of this prospectus supplement and the effectiveness of the registration statement and following the effectiveness of the registration statement until the termination or completion of this offering:

 

   

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, which was filed with the SEC on March 22, 2022, including the information specifically incorporated by reference into the Annual Report on Form 10-K from our definitive proxy statement;

 

   

Our Definitive Proxy Statement filed with the SEC on April 28, 2022, to the extent the information therein is filed and not furnished;

 

   

Our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2022, June 30, 2022 and September 30, 2022, filed with the SEC on May  16, 2020, August  9, 2022 and November 9, 2022, respectively;

 

   

Our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on April 12, 2022, May  16, 2022, June  15, 2022, July  12, 2022 and October 14, 2022; and

 

   

The description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the SEC on November  14, 2017, as updated by “Description of the Registrant’s Securities filed as Exhibit 4.2 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, and any amendment or report filed with the SEC for the purpose of updating such description.

We incorporate by reference any future filings made with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act between the date of this prospectus supplement and the termination of the offering.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, unless specifically stated to the contrary, information that we furnish (and that is not deemed “filed” with the SEC) under Items 2.02 and 7.01 of any Current Report on Form 8-K, including the related exhibits under Item 9.01, is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement or the registration statement of which this prospectus supplement is a part.

Any statement contained in a document that is incorporated by reference will be modified or superseded for all purposes to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus supplement, or in any other document that is subsequently filed with the SEC and incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement, modifies or is contrary to that previous statement. Any statement so modified or superseded will not be deemed a part of this prospectus supplement, except as so modified or superseded. Since information that we later file with the SEC will update and supersede previously incorporated information, you should look at all of the SEC filings that we incorporate by reference to determine if any of the statements in this prospectus supplement or in any documents previously incorporated by reference have been modified or superseded.

Upon request, we will provide, without charge, to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a copy of this prospectus supplement is delivered, a copy of the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement but not delivered therewith. You may request a copy of these filings, and any exhibits we have specifically incorporated by reference as an exhibit in this prospectus supplement, at no cost by writing or telephoning us at the following address: scPharmaceuticals Inc., 2400 District Avenue, Suite 310, Burlington, Massachusetts 01803; telephone: (617) 517-0730.

 

S-35


Table of Contents

You may also access these documents, free of charge on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or on our website at www.scPharmaceuticals.com. The reference to our website is an inactive textual reference only and information contained in, or that can be assessed through, our website is not part of this prospectus supplement.

This prospectus supplement is part of a registration statement we filed with the SEC. We have incorporated exhibits into this registration statement. You should read the exhibits carefully for provisions that may be important to you. You should rely only on the information incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus supplement. We have not authorized anyone 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 supplement or in the documents incorporated by reference is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus supplement or those documents.

 

S-36


Table of Contents

PROSPECTUS

 

LOGO

$150,000,000

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Debt Securities

Warrants

Units

 

 

We may offer and sell from time to time up to $150,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of our common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants and/or units in one or more offerings. This prospectus describes the general terms of these securities and the general manner in which these securities will be offered. We will provide the specific terms of these securities in one or more supplements to this prospectus. The prospectus supplements will also describe the specific manner in which these securities will be offered and may also supplement, update or amend information contained in this document. You should read this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement or amendment carefully before you invest in our securities.

We may offer these securities in amounts, at prices and on terms determined at the time of offering. The securities may be sold directly to you, through agents, or through underwriters and dealers. If agents, underwriters or dealers are used to sell the securities, we will name them and describe their compensation in a prospectus supplement.

Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “SCPH.” On March 22, 2021, the closing price for our common stock, as reported on The Nasdaq Global Select Market was $7.08 per share.

Investing in our securities involves significant risks. See “Risk Factors” included in any accompanying prospectus supplement and in the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus for a discussion of the factors you should carefully consider before deciding to purchase these securities.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is April 29, 2021


Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

     1  

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

     2  

ABOUT THE COMPANY

     4  

RISK FACTORS

     5  

USE OF PROCEEDS

     6  

DILUTION

     7  

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

     8  

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

     12  

DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

     20  

DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

     21  

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

     23  

LEGAL MATTERS

     26  

EXPERTS

     27  

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

     28  

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

     29  

 

i


Table of Contents

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may from time to time sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings for an aggregate of up to $150,000,000.

This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we offer securities under this prospectus, we will provide one or more prospectus supplements that will contain specific information about the terms of the 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. Each prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus or the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus together with the additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference” before you invest in our securities.

You should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement or in any related free writing prospectus filed by us with the SEC. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different or additional information. This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the securities described in any accompanying prospectus supplement or an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy such securities in any circumstances in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement, the documents incorporated by reference and any related free writing prospectus is accurate only as of their respective dates. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed materially since those dates.

Unless the context suggests otherwise, all references in this prospectus to “us,” “our,” “scPharmaceuticals,” “we,” the “Company” and similar designations refer to scPharmaceuticals Inc. and, where appropriate, our subsidiary. We use various trademarks and trade names in our business, including without limitation our corporate name and logo. All other trademarks or trade names referred to in this prospectus are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, the trademarks and trade names in this prospectus may be referred to without the ® and symbols, but such references should not be construed as any indicator that their respective owners will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, their rights thereto.

 

1


Table of Contents

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus and the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus include, and any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus may 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 Exchange Act. Any forward-looking statements presented in this prospectus, or which management may make orally or in writing from time to time, are based on management’s beliefs and assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” or the negative of these words or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding:

 

   

the completion of activities required for the resubmission of the FUROSCIX new drug application, or NDA, with the SmartDose drug delivery system on our current projected timelines and subsequent review and potential approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, including any delays in submission or approval related to COVID-19;

 

   

the likelihood of approval by the FDA of our regulatory filings for FUROSCIX using our next generation delivery device;

 

   

the timing or likelihood of other regulatory filings and approvals;

 

   

the outcome of any bridging studies, clinical trials or human factors studies that may be required by the FDA for approval of any of our product candidates;

 

   

the commercialization of FUROSCIX, if approved, including launch preparation, ability to interact with physicians, patient access to FUROSCIX, manufacturing and supply chain, including any delays related to COVID-19 in our ongoing Health Economics and Outcomes Research study and future planned Phase 4 studies of FUROSCIX incorporating the SmartDose drug delivery system to support the pricing and access to our product candidates;

 

   

the pricing and reimbursement of FUROSCIX or any other of our product candidates, if approved;

 

   

the rate and degree of market acceptance and clinical utility of FUROSCIX or any other of our product candidates for which we receive marketing approval;

 

   

the initiation, timing, progress and results of our research and development programs, including future preclinical and clinical studies;

 

   

our ability to advance any other product candidates into, and successfully complete, clinical studies and obtain regulatory approval for them;

 

   

our ability to identify additional product candidates;

 

   

the implementation of our strategic plans for our business, product candidates and technology;

 

   

the scope of protection we are able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering FUROSCIX or any other of our product candidates and technology;

 

   

estimates of our expenses, future revenues, capital requirements and our needs for additional financing;

 

   

our ability to manufacture, or the ability of third parties to deliver, sufficient quantities of components and drug product for commercialization of FUROSCIX or any other of our product candidates;

 

   

our ability to maintain and establish collaborations;

 

2


Table of Contents
   

our financial performance;

 

   

developments relating to our competitors and our industry, including the impact of government regulation; and

 

   

other risks and uncertainties.

Any forward-looking statements contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus reflect our current views with respect to future events or to our future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. See “Risk Factors” for more information. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures or investments we may make or enter into. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

 

3


Table of Contents

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Our Business

We are a pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing products that have the potential to optimize the delivery of infused therapies, advance patient care and reduce healthcare costs. Our strategy is designed to enable the subcutaneous administration of therapies that have previously been limited to intravenous, or IV, delivery. By moving delivery away from the high-cost healthcare settings typically required for IV administration, we believe our technology has the potential to reduce overall healthcare costs and advance the quality and convenience of care. Our lead product candidate, FUROSCIX, consists of our proprietary buffered formulation of furosemide delivered subcutaneously via an on-body infusor and is under development for treatment of congestion in patients with worsening heart failure who display reduced responsiveness to oral diuretics and do not require hospitalization.

We believe FUROSCIX, if approved by the FDA, would allow heart failure patients to receive IV-strength diuresis outside the high-cost hospital setting. Prevention of hospital admission and reduced readmission rates would result in reducing the estimated 15 million days patients with heart failure spend in the hospital each year. By decreasing the number of admissions and readmissions to hospitals, we believe we can drive significant cost savings to payers and hospitals.

Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company and a Smaller Reporting Company

We qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act. As an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of specified reduced disclosure and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. We would 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, 2022; (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1 billion in nonconvertible debt during the previous three years; or (iv) the date on which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer under the rules of the SEC.

We are also a “smaller reporting company” as defined in the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. We may continue to be a smaller reporting company after this offering if either (i) the market value of our shares held by non-affiliates is less than $250 million or (ii) our annual revenue was less than $100 million during the most recently completed fiscal year and the market value of our shares held by non-affiliates is less than $700 million. If we are a smaller reporting company at the time we cease to be an emerging growth company, we may continue to rely on exemptions from certain disclosure requirements that are available to smaller reporting companies.

Corporate Information

We were formed as a limited liability company under the laws of the State of Delaware in February 2013 under the name scPharmaceuticals LLC. We converted to a corporation under the laws of the State of Delaware in March 2014 under the name scPharmaceuticals Inc. Our principal executive offices are located at 2400 District Avenue, Suite 310, Burlington, Massachusetts 01803. Our telephone number is (617) 517-0730, and our website is located at www.scpharmaceuticals.com. No portion of our website is incorporated by reference into this prospectus and you should not consider any information on, or that can be accessed through, our website as part of this prospectus. Our common stock trades on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “SCPH”.

 

4


Table of Contents

RISK FACTORS

Investing in our securities involves significant risks. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement or in any related free writing prospectus, and the risk factors set forth in our filings with the SEC that are incorporated by reference herein, including the risk factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, and any of our subsequent filings with the SEC, before making an investment decision pursuant to this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement relating to a specific offering.

Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected by any or all of these risks or by additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial that may adversely affect us in the future.

 

5


Table of Contents

USE OF PROCEEDS

We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of any securities offered under this prospectus for general corporate purposes unless the applicable prospectus supplement provides otherwise. General corporate purposes may include research and development costs, sales and marketing costs, clinical studies, manufacturing development, the acquisition or licensing of other businesses or technologies, repayment and refinancing of debt, working capital and capital expenditures. We may temporarily invest the net proceeds in a variety of capital preservation instruments, including short-term, investment grade, interest bearing instruments and U.S. government securities, until they are used for their stated purpose. We have not determined the amount of net proceeds to be used specifically for such purposes. As a result, management will retain broad discretion over the allocation of net proceeds.

 

6


Table of Contents

DILUTION

If there is a material dilution of the purchasers’ equity interest from the sale of common equity securities offered under this prospectus, we will set forth in any prospectus supplement the following information regarding any such material dilution of the equity interests of purchasers purchasing securities in an offering under this prospectus:

 

   

the net tangible book value per share of our equity securities before and after the offering;

 

   

the amount of the increase in such net tangible book value per share attributable to the cash payments made by the purchasers in the offering; and

 

   

the amount of the immediate dilution from the public offering price which will be absorbed by such purchasers.

 

7


Table of Contents

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

The following description of our capital stock is intended as a summary only. This description is based upon, and is qualified by reference to, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, or certificate of incorporation, our amended and restated bylaws, or bylaws, and applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law. This summary is not intended to be a complete description of our capital stock. You should read our certificate of incorporation and bylaws for the provisions that are important to you.

General

Our authorized capital stock consists of 150,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share, all of which shares of preferred stock are undesignated.

As of the date of this prospectus, 27,355,453 shares of our common stock were outstanding and held by 27 stockholders of record.

Common Stock

The holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders. The holders of our common stock do not have any cumulative voting rights. Holders of our common stock are entitled to receive ratably any dividends declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available for that purpose, subject to any preferential dividend rights of any outstanding preferred stock. Our common stock has no preemptive rights, conversion rights or other subscription rights or redemption or sinking fund provisions.

In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, holders of our common stock will be entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining after payment of all debts and other liabilities and any liquidation preference of any outstanding preferred stock. All outstanding shares of common stock are fully paid and nonassessable.

Exchange Listing

Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the trading symbol “SCPH.”

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Computershare Trust Company, N.A. The transfer agent and registrar’s address is 150 Royall Street, Canton, Massachusetts 02021, and its telephone number is (800) 962-4284.

Preferred Stock

We may issue shares of preferred stock in one or more series. Our board of directors will determine the rights, preferences and privileges of the shares of each wholly unissued series, and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereon, including dividend rights, conversion rights, preemptive rights, voting 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. Convertible preferred stock will be convertible into our common stock or exchangeable for other securities. Conversion may be mandatory or at the holder’s option and would be at prescribed conversion rates. These rights, preferences and privileges could include dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption, liquidation preferences, sinking fund terms and the number of shares constituting, or the designation of, such series, any or all of which may be greater than the rights of common stock. The issuance of our preferred stock could adversely affect the voting power of holders of common stock

 

8


Table of Contents

and the likelihood that such holders will receive dividend payments and payments upon our liquidation. In addition, the issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our company or other corporate action.

Anti-Takeover Effects of our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws and Delaware Law

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws include a number of provisions that may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing another party from acquiring control of us and encouraging persons considering unsolicited tender offers or other unilateral takeover proposals to negotiate with our board of directors rather than pursue non-negotiated takeover attempts. These provisions include the items described below.

Board Composition and Filling Vacancies

Our certificate of incorporation provides for the division of our board of directors into three classes serving staggered three-year terms, with one class being elected each year. Our certificate of incorporation also provides that directors may be removed only for cause and then only by the affirmative vote of the holders of two-thirds or more of the shares then entitled to vote at an election of directors. Furthermore, any vacancy on our board of directors, however occurring, including a vacancy resulting from an increase in the size of our board, may only be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of our directors then in office even if less than a quorum. The classification of directors, together with the limitations on removal of directors and treatment of vacancies, has the effect of making it more difficult for stockholders to change the composition of our board of directors.

No Written Consent of Stockholders

Our certificate of incorporation provides that all stockholder actions are required to be taken by a vote of the stockholders at an annual or special meeting, and that stockholders may not take any action by written consent in lieu of a meeting. This limit may lengthen the amount of time required to take stockholder actions and would prevent the amendment of our bylaws or removal of directors by our stockholders without holding a meeting of stockholders.

Meetings of Stockholders

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide that only a majority of the members of our board of directors then in office may call special meetings of stockholders and only those matters set forth in the notice of the special meeting may be considered or acted upon at a special meeting of stockholders. Our bylaws limit the business that may be conducted at an annual meeting of stockholders to those matters properly brought before the meeting.

Advance Notice Requirements

Our bylaws establish advance notice procedures with regard to stockholder proposals relating to the nomination of candidates for election as directors or new business to be brought before meetings of our stockholders. These procedures provide that notice of stockholder proposals must be timely given in writing to our corporate secretary prior to the meeting at which the action is to be taken. Generally, to be timely, notice must be received at our principal executive offices not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary date of the annual meeting for the preceding year. Our bylaws specify the requirements as to form and content of all stockholders’ notices. These requirements may preclude stockholders from bringing matters before the stockholders at an annual or special meeting.

Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws

Any amendment of our certificate of incorporation must first be approved by a majority of our board of directors, and if required by law or our certificate of incorporation, must thereafter be approved by a majority of the

 

9


Table of Contents

outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment and a majority of the outstanding shares of each class entitled to vote thereon as a class, except that the amendment of the provisions relating to stockholder action, board composition, limitation of liability and the amendment of our bylaws and certificate of incorporation must be approved by not less than two-thirds of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, and not less than two-thirds of the outstanding shares of each class entitled to vote thereon as a class. Our bylaws may be amended by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in office, subject to any limitations set forth in the bylaws; and may also be amended by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, or, if our board of directors recommends that the stockholders approve the amendment, by the affirmative vote of the majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, in each case voting together as a single class.

Undesignated Preferred Stock

Our certificate of incorporation provides for 10,000,000 authorized shares of preferred stock. The existence of authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock may enable our board of directors to discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise. For example, if in the due exercise of its fiduciary obligations, our board of directors were to determine that a takeover proposal is not in the best interests of our stockholders, our board of directors could cause shares of preferred stock to be issued without stockholder approval in one or more private offerings or other transactions that might dilute the voting or other rights of the proposed acquirer or insurgent stockholder or stockholder group. In this regard, our certificate of incorporation grants our board of directors broad power to establish the rights and preferences of authorized and unissued shares of preferred stock. The issuance of shares of preferred stock could decrease the amount of earnings and assets available for distribution to holders of shares of common stock. The issuance may also adversely affect the rights and powers, including voting rights, of these holders and may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change in control of us.

Choice of forum

Our bylaws provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for state law claims for: (1) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; (2) any action asserting a claim of, or a claim based on, a breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any current or former director, officer or other of our employees to us or our stockholders; (3) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law or our certificate of incorporation or bylaws (including the interpretation, validity or enforceability thereof); or (4) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine (the “Delaware Forum Provision”). The Delaware Forum Provision will not apply to any causes of action arising under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act. Our bylaws further provide that, unless we consent in writing to an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America will be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act (the “Federal Forum Provision”). In addition, our bylaws provide that any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our common stock is deemed to have notice of and consented to the foregoing Delaware Forum Provision and Federal Forum Provision.

We recognize that the Delaware Forum Provision and the Federal Forum Provision may impose additional litigation costs on stockholders in pursuing any such claims, particularly if the stockholders do not reside in or near the State of Delaware. Additionally, the forum selection clauses in our bylaws may limit our stockholders’ ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that they find favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees, which may discourage the filing of lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and employees even though an action, if successful, might benefit our stockholders. Alternatively, if the Federal Forum Provision is found inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. The Court of Chancery

 

10


Table of Contents

of the State of Delaware may also reach different judgments or results than would other courts, including courts where a stockholder considering an action may be located or would otherwise choose to bring the action, and such judgments may be more or less favorable to us than our stockholders.

Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law

We are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. In general, Section 203 prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a three-year period following the time that this stockholder becomes an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. Under Section 203, a business combination between a corporation and an interested stockholder is prohibited unless it satisfies one of the following conditions:

 

   

before the stockholder became interested, our board of directors approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;

 

   

upon consummation of the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the voting

 

   

stock outstanding, shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers, and employee stock plans, in some instances, but not the outstanding voting stock owned by the interested stockholder; or

 

   

at or after the time the stockholder became interested, the business combination was approved by our board of directors and authorized at an annual or special meeting of the stockholders by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder.

Section 203 defines a business combination to include:

 

   

any merger or consolidation involving the corporation and the interested stockholder;

 

   

any sale, transfer, lease, pledge or other disposition involving the interested stockholder of 10% or more of the assets of the corporation;

 

   

subject to exceptions, any transaction that results in the issuance or transfer by the corporation of any stock of the corporation to the interested stockholder;

 

   

subject to exceptions, any transaction involving the corporation that has the effect of increasing the proportionate share of the stock of any class or series of the corporation beneficially owned by the interested stockholder; and

 

   

the receipt by the interested stockholder of the benefit of any loans, advances, guarantees, pledges or other financial benefits provided by or through the corporation.

In general, Section 203 defines an interested stockholder as any 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.

 

11


Table of Contents

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

We may offer debt securities which may be senior or subordinated. We refer to senior debt securities and subordinated debt securities collectively as debt securities. Each series of debt securities may have different terms. The following description summarizes the general terms and provisions of the debt securities. We will describe the specific terms of the debt securities and the extent, if any, to which the general provisions summarized below apply to any series of debt securities in the prospectus supplement relating to the series and any applicable free writing prospectus that we authorize to be delivered.

We may issue senior debt securities from time to time, in one or more series under a senior indenture to be entered into between us and a senior trustee to be named in a prospectus supplement, which we refer to as the senior trustee. We may issue subordinated debt securities from time to time, in one or more series under a subordinated indenture to be entered into between us and a subordinated trustee to be named in a prospectus supplement, which we refer to as the subordinated trustee. The forms of senior indenture and subordinated indenture are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Together, the senior indenture and the subordinated indenture are referred to as the indentures and, together, the senior trustee and the subordinated trustee are referred to as the trustees. This prospectus briefly outlines some of the provisions of the indentures. The following summary of the material provisions of the indentures is qualified in its entirety by the provisions of the indentures, including definitions of certain terms used in the indentures. Wherever we refer to particular sections or defined terms of the indentures, those sections or defined terms are incorporated by reference in this prospectus or the applicable prospectus supplement. You should review the indentures that are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part for additional information. As used in this prospectus, the term “debt securities” includes the debt securities being offered by this prospectus and all other debt securities issued by us under the indentures.

General

The indentures:

 

   

do not limit the amount of debt securities that we may issue;

 

   

allow us to issue debt securities in one or more series;

 

   

do not require us to issue all of the debt securities of a series at the same time; and

 

   

allow us to reopen a series to issue additional debt securities without the consent of the holders of the debt securities of such series.

Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the senior debt securities will be unsubordinated obligations and will rank equally with all of our other unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness. Payments on the subordinated debt securities will be subordinated to the prior payment in full of all of our senior indebtedness, as described under “—Subordination” and in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Each indenture provides that we may, but need not, designate more than one trustee under an indenture. Any trustee under an indenture may resign or be removed and a successor trustee may be appointed to act with respect to the series of debt securities administered by the resigning or removed trustee. If two or more persons are acting as trustee with respect to different series of debt securities, each trustee shall be a trustee of a trust under the applicable indenture separate and apart from the trust administered by any other trustee. Except as otherwise indicated in this prospectus, any action described in this prospectus to be taken by each trustee may be taken by each trustee with respect to, and only with respect to, the one or more series of debt securities for which it is trustee under the applicable indenture.

The prospectus supplement for each offering will provide the following terms, where applicable:

 

   

the title of the debt securities and whether they are senior or subordinated;

 

12


Table of Contents
   

the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities being offered, the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities outstanding as of the most recent practicable date and any limit on their aggregate principal amount, including the aggregate principal amount of debt securities authorized;

 

   

the price at which the debt securities will be issued, expressed as a percentage of the principal and, if other than the principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount thereof payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof or, if applicable, the portion of the principal amount of such debt securities that is convertible into common stock or other securities of ours or the method by which any such portion shall be determined;

 

   

if convertible, the terms on which such debt securities are convertible, including the initial conversion price or rate and the conversion period and any applicable limitations on the ownership or transferability of common stock or other securities of ours received on conversion;

 

   

the date or dates, or the method for determining the date or dates, on which the principal of the debt securities will be payable;

 

   

the fixed or variable interest rate or rates of the debt securities, or the method by which the interest rate or rates is determined;

 

   

the date or dates, or the method for determining the date or dates, from which interest will accrue;

 

   

the dates on which interest will be payable;

 

   

the record dates for interest payment dates, or the method by which such dates will be determined;

 

   

the persons to whom interest will be payable;

 

   

the place or places where the principal of, and any premium or make-whole amount, and interest on, the debt securities will be payable;

 

   

where the debt securities may be surrendered for registration of transfer or conversion or exchange;

 

   

the times, prices and other terms and conditions upon which we may redeem the debt securities;

 

   

any obligation we have to redeem, repay or repurchase the debt securities pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provision or at the option of holders of the debt securities, and the times and prices at which we must redeem, repay or repurchase the debt securities as a result of such obligation;

 

   

the currency or currencies in which the debt securities are denominated and payable if other than United States dollars, which may be a foreign currency or units of two or more foreign currencies or a composite currency or currencies and the terms and conditions relating thereto, and the manner of determining the equivalent of such foreign currency in United States dollars;

 

   

whether the principal of, and any premium or make-whole amount, or interest on, the debt securities of the series are to be payable, at our election or at the election of a holder, in a currency or currencies other than that in which the debt securities are denominated or stated to be payable, and other related terms and conditions;

 

   

whether the debt securities will be in registered form, bearer form, or both, and (i) if in registered form, the person to whom any interest shall be payable, if other than the person in whose name the security is registered at the close of business on the regular record date for such interest, or (ii) if in bearer form, the manner in which, or the person to whom, any interest on the security shall be payable if otherwise than upon presentation and surrender upon maturity;

 

   

any restrictions applicable to the offer, sale or delivery of securities in bearer form and the terms upon which securities in bearer form of the series may be exchanged for securities in registered form of the series and vice versa, if permitted by applicable laws and regulations;

 

   

whether any debt securities of the series are to be issuable initially in temporary global form and whether any debt securities of the series are to be issuable in permanent global form with or without

 

13


Table of Contents
 

coupons and, if so, whether beneficial owners of interests in any such permanent global security may, or shall be required to, exchange their interests for other debt securities of the series, and the manner in which interest shall be paid;

 

   

the identity of the depositary for securities in registered form, if such series are to be issuable as a global security;

 

   

the applicability, if any, of the defeasance and covenant defeasance provisions described in this prospectus or in the applicable indenture;

 

   

whether and under what circumstances we will pay any additional amounts on the debt securities in respect of any tax, assessment or governmental charge;

 

   

the material U.S. federal income tax consequences;

 

   

whether and under what circumstances the debt securities being offered are convertible into common stock or other securities of ours, as the case may be, including the conversion price or rate and the manner or calculation thereof;

 

   

the name of the applicable trustee and the nature of any material relationship with us or any of our affiliates, and the percentage of debt securities of the class necessary to require the trustee to take action; and

 

   

any other terms of such debt securities not inconsistent with the provisions of the applicable indenture.

We may issue debt securities that provide for less than the entire principal amount thereof to be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity of the debt securities. We refer to any such debt securities throughout this prospectus as “original issue discount securities.” The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the United States federal income tax consequences and other relevant considerations applicable to original issue discount securities.

Except as described under “—Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets” or as may be set forth in any prospectus supplement, the debt securities will not contain any provisions that (i) would limit our ability to incur indebtedness or (ii) would afford holders of debt securities protection in the event of (a) a highly leveraged or similar transaction involving us, or (b) a change of control or reorganization, restructuring, merger or similar transaction involving us that may adversely affect the holders of the debt securities. In the future, we may enter into transactions, such as the sale of all or substantially all of our assets or a merger or consolidation, that may have an adverse effect on our ability to service our indebtedness, including the debt securities, by, among other things, substantially reducing or eliminating our assets.

Our governing instruments do not define the term “substantially all” as it relates to the sale of assets. Additionally, Delaware cases interpreting the term “substantially all” rely upon the facts and circumstances of each particular case. Consequently, to determine whether a sale of “substantially all” of our assets has occurred, a holder of debt securities must review the financial and other information that we have disclosed to the public.

We will provide you with more information in the applicable prospectus supplement regarding any deletions, modifications, or additions to the events of default or covenants that are described below, including any addition of a covenant or other provision providing event risk or similar protection.

Payment

Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the principal of, and any premium or make-whole amount, and interest on, any series of the debt securities will be payable by mailing a check to the address of the person entitled to it as it appears in the applicable register for the debt securities or by wire transfer of funds to that person at an account maintained within the United States.

 

14


Table of Contents

All monies that we pay to a paying agent or a trustee for the payment of the principal of, and any premium or make-whole amount, or interest on, any debt security will be repaid to us if unclaimed at the end of two years after the obligation underlying payment becomes due and payable. After funds have been returned to us, the holder of the debt security may look only to us for payment, without payment of interest for the period which we hold the funds.

Denomination, Interest, Registration and Transfer

Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities of any series will be issuable in denominations of $1,000 and integral multiples of $1,000.

Interest on the debt securities shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year composed of twelve 30-day months.

Subject to the limitations imposed upon debt securities that are evidenced by a computerized entry in the records of a depository company rather than by physical delivery of a note, a holder of debt securities of any series may:

 

   

exchange them for any authorized denomination of other debt securities of the same series and of a like aggregate principal amount and kind upon surrender of such debt securities at the corporate trust office of the applicable trustee or at the office of any transfer agent that we designate for such purpose; and

 

   

surrender them for registration of transfer or exchange at the corporate trust office of the applicable trustee or at the office of any transfer agent that we designate for such purpose.

Every debt security surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange must be accompanied by a written instrument of transfer satisfactory to the applicable trustee or transfer agent. Payment of a service charge will not be required for any registration of transfer or exchange of any debt securities, but we or the trustee may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection therewith. We may at any time designate additional transfer agents for any series of debt securities.

Neither we, nor any trustee, will be required to:

 

   

issue, register the transfer of or exchange debt securities of any series during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day that the notice of redemption of any debt securities selected for redemption is mailed and ending at the close of business on the day of such mailing;

 

   

register the transfer of or exchange any debt security, or portion thereof, so selected for redemption, in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any debt security being redeemed in part; and

 

   

issue, register the transfer of or exchange any debt security that has been surrendered for repayment at the option of the holder, except the portion, if any, of such debt security not to be so repaid.

Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets

The indentures provide that we may, without the consent of the holders of any outstanding debt securities, (i) consolidate with, (ii) sell, lease or convey all or substantially all of our assets to, or (iii) merge with or into, any other entity provided that:

 

   

either we are the continuing entity, or the successor entity, if other than us, assumes the obligations (a) to pay the principal of, and any premium or make-whole amount, and interest on, all of the debt securities and (b) to duly perform and observe all of the covenants and conditions contained in the applicable indenture;

 

   

after giving effect to the transaction, there is no event of default under the applicable indentures and no event which, after notice or the lapse of time, or both, would become such an event of default, occurs and continues; and

 

15


Table of Contents
   

an officers’ certificate and legal opinion covering such conditions are delivered to each applicable trustee.

Events of Default, Notice and Waiver

Unless the applicable prospectus supplement states otherwise, when we refer to “events of default” as defined in the indentures with respect to any series of debt securities, we mean:

 

   

default in the payment of any installment of interest on any debt security of such series continuing for 90 days unless such date has been extended or deferred;

 

   

default in the payment of principal of, or any premium or make-whole amount on, any debt security of such series when due and payable unless such date has been extended or deferred;

 

   

default in the performance or breach of any covenant or warranty in the debt securities or in the indenture by us continuing for 90 days after written notice described below;

 

   

bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization, or court appointment of a receiver, liquidator or trustee of us; and

 

   

any other event of default provided with respect to a particular series of debt securities.

If an event of default occurs and is continuing with respect to debt securities of any series outstanding, then the applicable trustee or the holders of 25% or more in principal amount of the debt securities of that series will have the right to declare the principal amount of all the debt securities of that series to be due and payable. If the debt securities of that series are original issue discount securities or indexed securities, then the applicable trustee or the holders of 25% or more in principal amount of the debt securities of that series will have the right to declare the portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms thereof to be due and payable. However, at any time after such a declaration of acceleration has been made, but before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the applicable trustee, the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of outstanding debt securities of such series or of all debt securities then outstanding under the applicable indenture may rescind and annul such declaration and its consequences if:

 

   

we have deposited with the applicable trustee all required payments of the principal, any premium or make-whole amount, interest and, to the extent permitted by law, interest on overdue installment of interest, plus applicable fees, expenses, disbursements and advances of the applicable trustee; and

 

   

all events of default, other than the non-payment of accelerated principal, or a specified portion thereof, and any premium or make-whole amount, have been cured or waived.

The indentures require each trustee to give notice to the holders of debt securities within the later of 90 days after an event of default and 30 days after the event of default is actually known to a responsible officer of such trustee, unless such default has been cured or waived. However, the trustee may withhold notice if specified persons of such trustee consider such withholding to be in the interest of the holders of debt securities.

The indentures provide that holders of debt securities of any series may not institute any proceedings, judicial or otherwise, with respect to such indenture or for any remedy under the indenture, unless the trustee fails to act for a period of 90 days after the trustee has received a written request to institute proceedings in respect of an event of default from the holders of 25% or more in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of such series, as well as an offer of indemnity reasonably satisfactory to the trustee. However, this provision will not prevent any holder of debt securities from instituting suit for the enforcement of payment of the principal of, and any premium or make-whole amount, and interest on, such debt securities at the respective due dates thereof.

The indentures provide that, subject to provisions in each indenture relating to its duties in the case of a default, a trustee has no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers at the request or direction of any holders of any

 

16


Table of Contents

series of debt securities then outstanding under the indenture, unless the holders have offered to the trustee reasonable security or indemnity. The holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series or of all debt securities then outstanding under an indenture shall have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the applicable trustee, or of exercising any trust or power conferred upon such trustee. However, a trustee may refuse to follow any direction which:

 

   

is in conflict with any law or the applicable indenture;

 

   

may involve the trustee in personal liability; or

 

   

may be unduly prejudicial to the holders of debt securities of the series not joining the proceeding.

Within 120 days after the close of each fiscal year, we will be required to deliver to each trustee a certificate, signed by one of our several specified officers, stating whether or not that officer has knowledge of any default under the applicable indenture. If the officer has knowledge of any default, the notice must specify the nature and status of the default.

Modification of the Indentures

The indentures provide that modifications and amendments may be made only with the consent of the affected holders of a majority in principal amount of all outstanding debt securities issued under that indenture:

We and our respective trustee may make modifications and amendments of an indenture without the consent of any holder of debt securities for any of the following purposes:

 

   

to evidence the succession of another person to us as obligor under such indenture;

 

   

to provide for uncertificated debt securities in addition to or in place of certificated debt securities;

 

   

to add to our covenants for the benefit of the holders of all or any series of debt securities or to surrender any right or power conferred upon us in such indenture;

 

   

to add events of default for the benefit of the holders of all or any series of debt securities;

 

   

to add to, delete from, or revise the conditions, limitations, and restrictions on the authorized amount, terms, or purposes of issue, authentication, and delivery of debt securities;

 

   

to make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any securityholder in any material respect;

 

   

to establish the form or terms of debt securities of any series;

 

   

to provide for the acceptance of appointment by a successor trustee or facilitate the administration of the trusts under an indenture by more than one trustee; or

 

   

to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency in an indenture, provided that such action shall not adversely affect the interests of holders of debt securities of any series issued under such indenture.

Voting

The indentures provide that in determining whether the holders of the requisite principal amount of outstanding debt securities of a series have given any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver under the indentures or whether a quorum is present at a meeting of holders of debt securities, the principal amount of an original issue discount security that shall be deemed to be outstanding shall be the amount of the principal thereof that would be due and payable as of the date of such determination upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof.

 

17


Table of Contents

Subordination

Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, subordinated debt securities will be subject to the following subordination provisions.

Upon any distribution to our creditors in a liquidation, dissolution or reorganization, the payment of the principal of and interest on any subordinated debt securities will be subordinated to the extent provided in the applicable indenture in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all senior debt. However, our obligation to make payments of the principal of and interest on such subordinated debt securities otherwise will not be affected. No payment of principal or interest will be permitted to be made on subordinated debt securities at any time if a default on senior debt exists that permits the holders of such senior debt to accelerate its maturity and the default is the subject of judicial proceedings or we receive notice of the default. After all senior debt is paid in full and until the subordinated debt securities are paid in full, holders of subordinated debt securities will be subrogated to the rights of holders of senior debt to the extent that distributions otherwise payable to holders of subordinated debt securities have been applied to the payment of senior debt. The subordinated indenture will not restrict the amount of senior debt or other indebtedness of ours. As a result of these subordination provisions, in the event of a distribution of assets upon insolvency, holders of subordinated debt securities may recover less, ratably, than our general creditors.

No restrictions will be included in any indenture relating to subordinated debt securities upon the creation of additional senior debt.

If this prospectus is being delivered in connection with the offering of a series of subordinated debt securities, the accompanying prospectus supplement or the information incorporated in this prospectus by reference will set forth the approximate amount of senior debt outstanding as of the end of our most recent fiscal quarter.

Discharge, Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance

Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the indentures allow us to discharge our obligations to holders of any series of debt securities issued under any indenture when:

 

   

either (i) all securities of such series have already been delivered to the applicable trustee for cancellation; or (ii) all securities of such series have not already been delivered to the applicable trustee for cancellation but (a) have become due and payable, (b) will become due and payable within one year, or (c) if redeemable at our option, are to be redeemed within one year, and we have irrevocably deposited with the applicable trustee, in trust, funds in such currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which such debt securities are payable, an amount sufficient to pay the entire indebtedness on such debt securities in respect of principal and any premium or make-whole amount, and interest to the date of such deposit if such debt securities have become due and payable or, if they have not, to the stated maturity or redemption date;

 

   

we have paid or caused to be paid all other sums payable; and

 

   

an officers’ certificate and an opinion of counsel stating the conditions to discharging the debt securities have been satisfied has been delivered to the trustee.

Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the indentures provide that, upon our irrevocable deposit with the applicable trustee, in trust, of an amount, in such currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which such debt securities are payable at stated maturity, or government obligations, or both, applicable to such debt securities, which through the scheduled payment of principal and interest in accordance with their terms will provide money in an amount sufficient to pay the principal of, and any premium or make-whole amount, and interest on, such debt securities, and any mandatory sinking fund or analogous payments thereon, on the scheduled due dates therefor, the issuing company shall be released from its obligations with respect to such debt securities under the applicable indenture or, if provided in

 

18


Table of Contents

the applicable prospectus supplement, its obligations with respect to any other covenant, and any omission to comply with such obligations shall not constitute an event of default with respect to such debt securities.

Notwithstanding the above, we may not elect to defease and be discharged from the obligation to pay any additional amounts upon the occurrence of particular events of tax, assessment or governmental charge with respect to payments on such debt securities and the obligations to register the transfer or exchange of such debt securities, to replace temporary or mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen debt securities, to maintain an office or agency in respect of such debt securities, or to hold monies for payment in trust.

The applicable prospectus supplement may further describe the provisions, if any, permitting such defeasance or covenant defeasance, including any modifications to the provisions described above, with respect to the debt securities of or within a particular series.

Conversion Rights

The terms and conditions, if any, upon which the debt securities are convertible into common stock or other securities of ours will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. The terms will include whether the debt securities are convertible into shares of common stock or other securities of ours, the conversion price, or manner of calculation thereof, the conversion period, provisions as to whether conversion will be at the issuing company’s option or the option of the holders, the events requiring an adjustment of the conversion price and provisions affecting conversion in the event of the redemption of the debt securities and any restrictions on conversion.

No Recourse

No recourse shall be had under any obligation, covenant or agreement of ours in the senior indenture or any supplemental indenture, or in any of the debt securities or because of the creation of any indebtedness represented thereby, against any of our incorporators, stockholders, officers or directors, past, present or future, or of any predecessor or successor entity thereof under any law, statute or constitutional provision or by the enforcement of any assessment or by any legal or equitable proceeding or otherwise. Each holder, by accepting the debt securities, waives and releases all such liability.

Governing Law

The indentures and the debt securities will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, except to the extent that the Trust Indenture Act is applicable.

 

19


Table of Contents

DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

We may issue warrants to purchase debt securities, common stock, or preferred stock. We may offer warrants separately or together with one or more additional warrants, debt securities, common stock, or preferred stock, or any combination of those securities in the form of units, as described in the applicable prospectus supplement. If we issue warrants as part of a unit, the accompanying prospectus supplement will specify whether those warrants may be separated from the other securities in the unit prior to the expiration date of the warrants. The applicable prospectus supplement will also describe the following terms of any warrants:

 

   

the specific designation and aggregate number of, and the offering price at which we will issue, the warrants;

 

   

the currency or currency units in which the offering price, if any, and the exercise price are payable;

 

   

the date on which the right to exercise the warrants will begin and the date on which that right will expire or, if you may not continuously exercise the warrants throughout that period, the specific date or dates on which you may exercise the warrants;

 

   

whether the warrants are to be sold separately or with other securities as parts of units;

 

   

whether the warrants will be issued in definitive or global form or in any combination of these forms, although, in any case, the form of a warrant included in a unit will correspond to the form of the unit and of any security included in that unit;

 

   

any applicable material U.S. federal income tax consequences;

 

   

the identity of the warrant agent for the warrants and of any other depositaries, execution or paying agents, transfer agents, registrars or other agents;

 

   

the proposed listing, if any, of the warrants or any securities purchasable upon exercise of the warrants on any securities exchange;

 

   

the designation and terms of any equity securities purchasable upon exercise of the warrants;

 

   

the designation, aggregate principal amount, currency and terms of any debt securities that may be purchased upon exercise of the warrants;

 

   

if applicable, the designation and terms of the debt securities, common stock, or preferred stock with which the warrants are issued and, the number of warrants issued with each security;

 

   

if applicable, the date from and after which any warrants issued as part of a unit and the related debt securities, common stock, or preferred stock will be separately transferable;

 

   

the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant and the price at which those shares may be purchased;

 

   

if applicable, the minimum or maximum amount of the warrants that may be exercised at any one time;

 

   

information with respect to book-entry procedures, if any;

 

   

the antidilution provisions of, and other provisions for changes to or adjustment in the exercise price of, the warrants, if any;

 

   

any redemption or call provisions; and

 

   

any additional terms of the warrants, including terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange or exercise of the warrants.

Specific warrant agreements will contain additional important terms and provisions and will be incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.

 

20


Table of Contents

DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

The following description, together with the additional information that we include in any applicable prospectus supplements and in any related free writing prospectuses, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the units that we may offer under this prospectus. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any units that we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any series of units in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. The terms of any units offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below.

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 unit agreement that describes the terms of the series of units we are offering, and any supplemental agreements, before the issuance of the related series of units. The following summaries of material terms and provisions of the units are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the unit agreement and any supplemental agreements applicable to a particular series of units. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplements related to the particular series of units that we may offer under this prospectus, as well as any related free writing prospectuses and the complete unit agreement and any supplemental agreements that contain the terms of the units.

General

We may issue units comprised of shares of common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants and units in any combination. Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security. The unit agreement under which a unit is issued may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately, at any time or at any time before a specified date.

We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of units, including:

 

   

designation and terms of the units, including whether and under what circumstances the securities comprising the units may be held or transferred separately;

 

   

any provisions of the governing unit agreement that differ from those described below; and

 

   

any provisions for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units or of the securities comprising the units.

The provisions described in this section, as well as those described under “Description of Capital Stock,” “Description of Debt Securities” and “Description of Warrants,” will apply to each unit and to the common stock, preferred stock, debt securities and warrants included in each unit, respectively.

Issuance in Series

We may issue units in such amounts and in such numerous distinct series as we determine.

Enforceability of Rights by Holders of Units

Each unit agent will act solely as our agent under the applicable unit agreement and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust with any holder of any unit. A single bank or trust company may act as unit agent for more than one series of units. A unit agent will have no duty or responsibility in case of any default by us under the applicable unit agreement or unit, including any duty or responsibility to initiate any proceedings at law or otherwise, or to make any demand upon us. Any holder of a unit may, without the consent of the related unit agent or the holder of any other unit, enforce by appropriate legal action its rights as holder under any security included in the unit.

 

21


Table of Contents

Title

We, the unit agent and any of its agents, may treat the registered holder of any unit certificate as an absolute owner of the units evidenced by that certificate for any purpose and as the person entitled to exercise the rights attaching to the units so requested, despite any notice to the contrary.

 

22


Table of Contents

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We may sell securities through any one or more of the following methods from time to time:

 

   

to or through underwriters, brokers or dealers;

 

   

through agents;

 

   

directly to one or more other purchasers in negotiated sales or competitively bid transactions;

 

   

through a block trade in which the broker or dealer engaged to handle the block trade will attempt to sell the securities as agent, but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction; or

 

   

through a combination of any of the above methods of sale.

We may directly solicit offers to purchase securities, or agents may be designated to solicit such offers. We will, in the prospectus supplement relating to such offering, name any agent that could be viewed as an underwriter under the Securities Act and describe any commissions that we must pay. Any such agent will be acting on a best efforts basis for the period of its appointment or, if indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, on a firm commitment basis. This prospectus may be used in connection with any offering of our securities through any of these methods or other methods described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

The distribution of the securities may be effected from time to time in one or more transactions:

 

   

at a fixed price, or prices, which may be changed from time to time;

 

   

at market prices prevailing at the time of sale;

 

   

at prices related to such prevailing market prices; or

 

   

at negotiated prices.

Each prospectus supplement will describe the method of distribution of the securities and any applicable restrictions.

The prospectus supplement with respect to the securities of a particular series will describe the terms of the offering of the securities, including the following:

 

   

the name of the agent or any underwriters;

 

   

the public offering or purchase price;

 

   

any discounts and commissions to be allowed or paid to the agent or underwriters;

 

   

all other items constituting underwriting compensation;

 

   

any discounts and commissions to be allowed or paid to dealers; and

 

   

any exchanges on which the securities will be listed.

If any underwriters or agents are utilized in the sale of the securities in respect of which this prospectus is delivered, we will enter into an underwriting agreement or other agreement with them at the time of sale to them, and we will set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such offering the names of the underwriters or agents and the terms of the related agreement with them.

If a dealer is utilized in the sale of the securities in respect of which the prospectus is delivered, we will sell such securities to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may then resell such securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by such dealer at the time of resale.

 

23


Table of Contents

If we offer securities in a subscription rights offering to our existing security holders, we may enter into a standby underwriting agreement with dealers, acting as standby underwriters. We may pay the standby underwriters a commitment fee for the securities they commit to purchase on a standby basis. If we do not enter into a standby underwriting arrangement, we may retain a dealer-manager to manage a subscription rights offering for us.

Agents, underwriters, dealers and other persons may be entitled under agreements which they may enter into with us to indemnification by us against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and may be customers of, engage in transactions with or perform services for us in the ordinary course of business.

If so indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will authorize underwriters or other persons acting as our agents to solicit offers by certain institutions to purchase securities from us pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on the date stated in the prospectus supplement. Each contract will be for an amount not less than, and the aggregate amount of securities sold pursuant to such contracts shall not be less nor more than, the respective amounts stated in the prospectus supplement. Institutions with whom the contracts, when authorized, may be made include commercial and savings banks, insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies, educational and charitable institutions and other institutions, but shall in all cases be subject to our approval. Delayed delivery contracts will not be subject to any conditions except that:

 

   

the purchase by an institution of the securities covered under that contract shall not at the time of delivery be prohibited under the laws of the jurisdiction to which that institution is subject; and

 

   

if the securities are also being sold to underwriters acting as principals for their own account, the underwriters shall have purchased such securities not sold for delayed delivery. The underwriters and other persons acting as our agents will not have any responsibility in respect of the validity or performance of delayed delivery contracts.

Certain agents, underwriters and dealers, and their associates and affiliates may be customers of, have borrowing relationships with, engage in other transactions with, or perform services, including investment banking services, for us or one or more of our respective affiliates in the ordinary course of business.

In order to facilitate the offering of the securities, any underwriters may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the securities or any other securities the prices of which may be used to determine payments on such securities. Specifically, any underwriters may overallot in connection with the offering, creating a short position for their own accounts. In addition, to cover overallotments or to stabilize the price of the securities or of any such other securities, the underwriters may bid for, and purchase, the securities or any such other securities in the open market. Finally, in any offering of the securities through a syndicate of underwriters, the underwriting syndicate may reclaim selling concessions allowed to an underwriter or a dealer for distributing the securities in the offering if the syndicate repurchases previously distributed securities in transactions to cover syndicate short positions, in stabilization transactions or otherwise. Any of these activities may stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities above independent market levels. Any such underwriters are not required to engage in these activities and may end any of these activities at any time.

Under Rule 15c6-1 of the Exchange Act, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in two business days, unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise. The applicable prospectus supplement may provide that the original issue date for your securities may be more than two scheduled business days after the trade date for your securities. Accordingly, in such a case, if you wish to trade securities on any date prior to the third business day before the original issue date for your securities, you will be required, by virtue of the fact that your securities initially are expected to settle in more than two scheduled business days after the trade date for your securities, to make alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement.

The securities may be new issues of securities and may have no established trading market. The securities may or may not be listed on a national securities exchange. We can make no assurance as to the liquidity of or the existence of trading markets for any of the securities.

 

24


Table of Contents

In compliance with the guidelines of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, the aggregate maximum discount, commission or agency fees or other items constituting underwriting compensation to be received by any FINRA member or independent broker-dealer will not exceed 8% of the proceeds from any offering pursuant to this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement.

 

25


Table of Contents

LEGAL MATTERS

Unless the applicable prospectus supplement indicates otherwise, the validity of the securities in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered will be passed upon by Goodwin Procter LLP.

 

26


Table of Contents

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of scPharmaceuticals Inc. as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 and for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2020 incorporated in this Prospectus by reference from the scPharmaceuticals Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 have been audited by RSM US LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report thereon, incorporated herein by reference, and have been incorporated in this Prospectus and Registration Statement in reliance upon such report and upon the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

27


Table of Contents

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

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 www.sec.gov. Copies of certain information filed by us with the SEC are also available on our website at www.scPharmaceuticals.com. Our website is not a part of this prospectus and is not incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

This prospectus is part of a registration statement we filed with the SEC. This prospectus omits some information contained in the registration statement in accordance with SEC rules and regulations. You should review the information and exhibits in the registration statement for further information on us and the securities we are offering. Statements in this prospectus concerning any document we filed as an exhibit to the registration statement or that we otherwise filed with the SEC are not intended to be comprehensive and are qualified by reference to these filings. You should review the complete document to evaluate these statements. You can obtain a copy of the registration statement from the SEC at the address listed above or from the SEC’s website.

 

28


Table of Contents

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference much of the information we file with the SEC, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those publicly available documents. The information that we incorporate by reference in this prospectus is considered to be part of this prospectus.

Because we are incorporating by reference future filings with the SEC, this prospectus is continually updated and those future filings may modify or supersede some of the information included or incorporated in this prospectus. This means that you must look at all of the SEC filings that we incorporate by reference to determine if any of the statements in this prospectus or in any document previously incorporated by reference have been modified or superseded. This prospectus incorporates by reference the documents listed below and any future filings we make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act (in each case, other than those documents or the portions of those documents not deemed to be filed) between the date of the initial registration statement and the effectiveness of the registration statement and following the effectiveness of the registration statement until the offering of the securities under the registration statement is terminated or completed:

 

   

Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, which was filed with the SEC on March 23, 2021;

 

   

Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on February 17, 2021, February 23, 2021 and March 12, 2021; and

 

   

The description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed on November 14, 2017, including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.

We incorporate by reference any future filings made with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act between the date of this prospectus and the termination of the offering.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, unless specifically stated to the contrary, information that we furnish (and that is not deemed “filed” with the SEC) under Items 2.02 and 7.01 of any Current Report on Form 8-K, including the related exhibits under Item 9.01, is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

Any statement contained in a document that is incorporated by reference will be modified or superseded for all purposes to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus, or in any other document that is subsequently filed with the SEC and incorporated by reference into this prospectus, modifies or is contrary to that previous statement. Any statement so modified or superseded will not be deemed a part of this prospectus, except as so modified or superseded. Since information that we later file with the SEC will update and supersede previously incorporated information, you should look at all of the SEC filings that we incorporate by reference to determine if any of the statements in this prospectus or in any documents previously incorporated by reference have been modified or superseded.

Upon request, we will provide, without charge, to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a copy of this prospectus is delivered, a copy of the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus but not delivered therewith. You may request a copy of these filings, and any exhibits we have specifically incorporated by reference as an exhibit in this prospectus, at no cost by writing or telephoning us at the following address: scPharmaceuticals Inc. 2400 District Avenue, Suite 310, Burlington, Massachusetts 01803; telephone: (617) 517-0730.

You may also access these documents, free of charge on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or on our website at www.scPharmaceuticals.com. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus and you should not consider any information on, or that can be accessed from, our website as part of this prospectus.

 

29


Table of Contents

This prospectus is part of a registration statement we filed with the SEC. We have incorporated exhibits into this registration statement. You should read the exhibits carefully for provisions that may be important to you. You should rely only on the information incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone 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 or in the documents incorporated by reference is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus or those documents.

 

30


Table of Contents

 

 

 

 

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

 

LOGO

6,620,000 Shares of Common Stock

Pre-funded Warrant to Purchase

2,905,000 Shares of Common Stock

 

 

 

SVB Securities   Cowen
H.C. Wainwright & Co.   Maxim Group LLC

 

 

November 22, 2022