EX-10.4 9 ex_728256.htm EXHIBIT 10.4 ex_728256.htm

Exhibit 10.4

 

 PLACEMENT AGENCY AGREEMENT

 

 

 

 

  

September 30, 2024

  

Canaccord Genuity LLC

1 Post Office Square

30th Floor

Boston, Massachusetts 02109

  

Ladies and Gentlemen:

  

Introduction. Subject to the terms and conditions herein (this “Agreement”), Clene Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), hereby agrees to sell up to an aggregate of (i) 725,000 registered shares (the “Registered Shares”) of the Company’s common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (the “Common Stock”), (ii) registered pre-funded warrants (the “Registered Pre-Funded Warrants”) to purchase up to 17,626 shares of Common Stock (the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Registered Pre-Funded Warrants, the “Registered Pre-Funded Warrant Shares”), (iii) 379,930 restricted shares (the “Restricted Shares”) of Common Stock, (iv)  restricted pre-funded warrants (the “Restricted Pre-Funded Warrants”) to purchase up to 424,358 shares of Common Stock (the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Restricted Pre-Funded Warrants, the “Restricted Pre-Funded Warrant Shares”), and (v) restricted accompanying warrants (the “Restricted Accompanying Warrants”) to purchase up to 1,546,914 shares of Common Stock (and the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Restricted Accompanying Warrants, the “Restricted Accompanying Warrant Shares”), directly to various investors (each, an “Investor” and, collectively, the “Investors”) through Canaccord Genuity LLC (the “Placement Agent”) as placement agent.

 

The Registered Shares, Registered Pre-Funded Warrants and Registered Pre-Funded Warrant Shares are hereinafter referred to as the “Registered Securities”. The Restricted Shares, Restricted Pre-Funded Warrants, Restricted Pre-Funded Warrant Shares, Restricted Accompanying Warrants and Restricted Accompanying Warrant Shares are hereinafter referred to as the “Restricted Securities” and together with the Registered Securities, the “Securities”. The Registered Shares and Restricted Shares are hereinafter referred to as the “Shares”. The Restricted Pre-Funded Warrants and the Restricted Accompanying Warrants are hereinafter referred to as the “Restricted Warrants” and together with the Registered Warrants, the “Warrants”. The Restricted Pre-Funded Warrant Shares and Restricted Accompanying Warrant Shares are hereinafter referred to as the “Restricted Warrant Shares” and together with the Registered Warrant Shares, the “Warrant Shares”.

 

The documents executed and delivered by the Company and the Investors in connection with the Offering (as defined below), including, without limitation, securities purchase agreements (the “Purchase Agreements”), shall be collectively referred to herein as the “Transaction Documents.” The Placement Agent may retain other brokers or dealers to act as sub-agents or selected-dealers on its behalf in connection with the Offering.

  

The Company hereby confirms its agreement with the Placement Agent as follows:

  

Section1.         Agreement to Act as Placement Agent.

  

(a)            On the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements of the Company herein contained, and subject to all the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Placement Agent shall be the exclusive placement agent in connection with the offering and sale by the Company of the Registered Securities pursuant to the Company's registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-264299) (the “Registration Statement”) and concurrent private placement of the Restricted Securities, with the terms of such offering (the “Offering”) to be subject to market conditions and negotiations between the Company, the Placement Agent and the prospective Investors. The Placement Agent will act on a reasonable best efforts basis and the Company agrees and acknowledges that there is no guarantee of the successful placement of the Securities, or any portion thereof, in the prospective Offering. Under no circumstances will the Placement Agent or any of its Affiliates (as defined below) be obligated to underwrite or purchase any of the Securities for its own account or otherwise provide any financing. The Placement Agent shall act solely as the Company’s agent and not as principal. The Placement Agent shall have no authority to bind the Company with respect to any prospective offer to purchase Securities and the Company shall have the sole right to accept offers to purchase Securities and may reject any such offer, in whole or in part. Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of, the Securities shall be made at one or more closings (each a “Closing” and the date on which each Closing occurs, a “Closing Date”). As compensation for services rendered, on each Closing Date, the Company shall pay to the Placement Agent the fees and expenses set forth below:

    

 

 

(i)            A cash fee equal to 6.0% of the gross proceeds received by the Company from the sale of the Securities at the closing of the Offering (the “Closing”).

  

(ii)          The Company also agrees to reimburse Placement Agent’s expenses of $75,000 payable immediately upon the Closing of the Offering.

  

(b)            The term of the Placement Agent's exclusive engagement will be until the completion of the Offering (the “Exclusive Term”); provided, however, that a party hereto may terminate the engagement with respect to itself at any time upon 10 days written notice to the other parties. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the provisions concerning confidentiality, indemnification and contribution contained herein and the Company’s obligations contained in the indemnification provisions will survive any expiration or termination of this Agreement, and the Company’s obligation to pay fees actually earned and payable and to reimburse expenses actually incurred and reimbursable pursuant to Section 1 hereof and which are permitted to be reimbursed under FINRA Rule 5110(f)(2)(D), will survive any expiration or termination of this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to limit the ability of the Placement Agent or its Affiliates to pursue, investigate, analyze, invest in, or engage in investment banking, financial advisory or any other business relationship with Persons (as defined below) other than the Company. As used herein (i) “Persons” means an individual or corporation, partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated association, joint venture, limited liability company, joint stock company, government (or an agency or subdivision thereof) or other entity of any kind and (ii) “Affiliate” means any Person that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls or is controlled by or is under common control with a Person as such terms are used in and construed under Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).

   

Section2.         Representations, Warranties and Covenants of the Company. The Company hereby represents, warrants and covenants to the Placement Agent as of the date hereof, and as of each Closing Date, as follows:

  

(a)            Securities Law Filings. The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) the Registration Statement under the Securities Act, which was declared effective on April 26, 2022 for the registration of the Registered Securities under the Securities Act. Following the determination of pricing among the Company and the prospective Investors, the Company will file with the Commission pursuant to Rules 430A, 430B and 430C and Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, and the rules and regulations (the “Rulesand Regulations”) of the Commission promulgated thereunder, a final prospectus supplement relating to the placement of the Registered Securities, and will advise the Placement Agent of all further information (financial and other) with respect to the Company required to be set forth therein. Such registration statement, at any given time, including the exhibits thereto filed at such time, as amended at such time, is hereinafter called the “Registration Statement”; such prospectus in the form in which it appears in the Registration Statement at the time of effectiveness, together with any preliminary prospectus supplement relating to the Offering, is hereinafter called the “Base Prospectus”; the preliminary prospectus supplement, if any, in the form in which it was filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) is hereinafter called the “Preliminary Prospectus Supplement”; and the final prospectus supplement, in the form in which it will be filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) (including the Base Prospectus as it may be amended or supplemented) is hereinafter called the “Final Prospectus.” The Registration Statement at the time it originally became effective is hereinafter called the “Original Registration Statement.” Any reference in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, the Original Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement or the Final Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein (the “Incorporated Documents”), if any, which were or are filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), at any given time, as the case may be; and any reference in this Agreement to the terms “amend,” “amendment” or “supplement” with respect to the Registration Statement, the Original Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement or the Final Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the filing of any document under the Exchange Act after the date of this Agreement, or the issue date of the Base Prospectus, the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement or the Final Prospectus, as the case may be, deemed to be incorporated therein by reference. All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information which is “contained,” “included,” “described,” “referenced,” “set forth” or “stated” in the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement or the Final Prospectus (and all other references of like import) shall be deemed to mean and include all such financial statements and schedules and other information which is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement or the Final Prospectus, as the case may be. As used in this paragraph and elsewhere in this Agreement, “Time of Sale Disclosure Package” means the Base Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus supplement, any subscription agreement between the Company and the Investors, and any issuer free writing prospectus as defined in Rule 433 of the Act (each, an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus”), if any, that the parties hereto shall hereafter expressly agree in writing to treat as part of the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and the pricing information set forth on Schedule I attached hereto. The term “any Prospectus” shall mean, as the context requires, the Base Prospectus, the Final Prospectus, and any supplement to either thereof. The Company has not received any notice that the Commission has issued or intends to issue a stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the use of the Base Prospectus or any Prospectus Supplement or intends to commence a proceeding for any such purpose. 

   

 

 

(b)            Assurances. The Original Registration Statement, as amended, (and any further documents to be filed with the Commission) contains all exhibits and schedules as required by the Securities Act. Each of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the time it became effective, complied in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable Rules and Regulations and did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. The Base Prospectus, and the Final Prospectus, each as of its respective date, comply or will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable Rules and Regulations. Each of the Base Prospectus and the Final Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, did not and will not contain as of the date thereof any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The Incorporated Documents, when they were filed with the Commission, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act and the applicable Rules and Regulations promulgated thereunder, and none of such documents, when they were filed with the Commission, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein (with respect to Incorporated Documents incorporated by reference in the Base Prospectus or Final Prospectus), in light of the circumstances under which they were made not misleading. No post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement reflecting any facts or events arising after the date thereof which represent, individually or in the aggregate, a fundamental change in the information set forth therein is required to be filed with the Commission. Except for this Agreement, there are no documents required to be filed with the Commission in connection with the transaction contemplated hereby that (x) have not been filed as required pursuant to the Securities Act or (y) will not be filed within the requisite time period. Except for this Agreement, there are no contracts or other documents required to be described in the Base Prospectus or Final Prospectus, or to be filed as exhibits or schedules to the Registration Statement, which have not been described or filed as required.

  

(c)            Offering Materials. Neither the Company nor any of its directors and officers has distributed and none of them will distribute, prior to each Closing Date, any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities other than the Time of Sale Disclosure Package.

  

(d)            Authorization; Enforcement. The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to enter into and to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and otherwise to carry out its obligations hereunder and thereunder. The execution and delivery of each of this Agreement by the Company and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby and under the Base Prospectus have been duly authorized by all necessary action on the part of the Company and no further action is required by the Company, the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board of Directors”) or the Company’s stockholders in connection therewith. This Agreement has been duly executed by the Company and, when delivered in accordance with the terms hereof, will constitute the valid and binding obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except (i) as limited by general equitable principles and applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies and (iii) insofar as indemnification and contribution provisions may be limited by applicable law.

  

(e)            No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated pursuant to the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, the issuance and sale of the Securities and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby to which it is a party do not and will not (i) conflict with or violate any provision of the Company’s or any subsidiary’s certificate or articles of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational or charter documents, or (ii) conflict with, or constitute a default (or an event that with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) under, result in the creation of any lien upon any of the properties or assets of the Company or any subsidiary, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, acceleration or cancellation (with or without notice, lapse of time or both) of, any agreement, credit facility, debt or other instrument (evidencing a Company or subsidiary debt or otherwise) or other understanding to which the Company or any subsidiary is a party or by which any property or asset of the Company or any subsidiary is bound or affected, or (iii) conflict with or result in a violation of any law, rule, regulation, order, judgment, injunction, decree or other restriction of any court or governmental authority to which the Company or a subsidiary is subject (including federal and state securities laws and regulations), or by which any property or asset of the Company or a subsidiary is bound or affected; except in the case of each of clauses (ii) and (iii), such as could not have or reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, stockholders’ equity, properties, business or prospects of the Company or its subsidiaries taken as a whole.

 

(f)            Certificates. Any certificate signed by an officer of the Company and delivered to the Placement Agent or to counsel for the Placement Agent shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty by the Company to the Placement Agent as to the matters set forth therein.

  

(g)            Reliance. The Company acknowledges that the Placement Agent will rely upon the accuracy and truthfulness of the foregoing representations and warranties and hereby consents to such reliance.

  

(h)            Forward-Looking Statements. No forward-looking statements (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package has been made or reaffirmed without a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good faith.

  

 

 

(i)             Statistical or Market-Related Data. Any statistical, industry-related and market-related data included or incorporated by reference in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, are based on or derived from sources that the Company reasonably and in good faith believes to be reliable and accurate, and such data agree with the sources from which they are derived.

  

(j)             FINRA Affiliations. There are no affiliations with any FINRA member firm that is participating in the Offering among the Company’s officers, directors or, to the knowledge of the Company, any five percent (5%) or greater stockholder of the Company.

  

(k)            Representations and Warranties Incorporated by Reference. Each of the representations and warranties (together with any related disclosure schedules thereto) made to the Investors in the Purchase Agreement is hereby incorporated herein by reference (as though fully restated herein) and is hereby made to, and in favor of, the Placement Agent.

    

Section3.         Delivery and Payment. Each Closing shall occur at the offices of Goodwin Procter LLP, The New York Times Building, 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, New York 10018 (“Placement Agent Counsel”) (or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Placement Agent and the Company). Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, at each Closing payment of the purchase price for the Securities sold on such Closing Date shall be made by Federal Funds wire transfer, against delivery of such Securities, and such Securities shall be registered in such name or names and shall be in such denominations, as the Placement Agent may request at least one business day before the time of purchase (as defined below).

  

Deliveries of the documents with respect to the purchase of the Securities, if any, shall be made at the offices of Placement Agent Counsel. All actions taken at a Closing shall be deemed to have occurred simultaneously.

  

Section4.         Covenants and Agreements of the Company. The Company further covenants and agrees with the Placement Agent as follows:

  

(a)            Registration Statement Matters. The Company will advise the Placement Agent promptly after it receives notice thereof of the time when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective or any supplement to the Base Prospectus or the Final Prospectus has been filed and will furnish the Placement Agent with copies thereof. The Company will file promptly all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of any Prospectus and for so long as the delivery of a prospectus is required in connection with the Offering. The Company will advise the Placement Agent, promptly after it receives notice thereof (i) of any request by the Commission to amend the Registration Statement or to amend or supplement any Prospectus or for additional information, and (ii) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto or any order directed at any Incorporated Document, if any, or any amendment or supplement thereto or any order preventing or suspending the use of the Base Prospectus or the Final Prospectus or any prospectus supplement or any amendment or supplement thereto or any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, of the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the institution or threatened institution of any proceeding for any such purpose, or of any request by the Commission for the amending or supplementing of the Registration Statement or a Prospectus or for additional information. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such stop order or prevention or suspension of such use.  If the Commission shall enter any such stop order or order or notice of prevention or suspension at any time, the Company will use its reasonable best efforts to obtain the lifting of such order at the earliest possible moment, or will file a new registration statement and use its best efforts to have such new registration statement declared effective as soon as practicable.  Additionally, the Company agrees that it shall comply with the provisions of Rules 424(b), 430A, 430B and 430C, as applicable, under the Securities Act, including with respect to the timely filing of documents thereunder, and will use its reasonable efforts to confirm that any filings made by the Company under such Rule 424(b) are received in a timely manner by the Commission.

  

(b)            Blue Sky Compliance. The Company will cooperate with the Placement Agent and the Investors in endeavoring to qualify the Securities for sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions (United States and foreign) as the Placement Agent and the Investors may reasonably request and will make such applications, file such documents, and furnish such information as may be reasonably required for that purpose, provided the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction where it is not now so qualified or required to file such a consent, and provided further that the Company shall not be required to produce any new disclosure document. The Company will, from time to time, prepare and file such statements, reports and other documents as are or may be required to continue such qualifications in effect for so long a period as the Placement Agent may reasonably request for distribution of the Securities. The Company will advise the Placement Agent promptly of the suspension of the qualification or registration of (or any such exemption relating to) the Securities for offering, sale or trading in any jurisdiction or any initiation or threat of any proceeding for any such purpose, and in the event of the issuance of any order suspending such qualification, registration or exemption, the Company shall use its best efforts to obtain the withdrawal thereof at the earliest possible moment.

   

 

 

(c)            Amendments and Supplements to a Prospectus and Other Matters. The Company will comply with the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Securities as contemplated in this Agreement, the Incorporated Documents and any Prospectus. If during the period in which a prospectus is required by law to be delivered in connection with the distribution of Securities contemplated by the Incorporated Documents or any Prospectus (the “Prospectus Delivery Period”), any event shall occur as a result of which, in the judgment of the Company or in the opinion of the Placement Agent or counsel for the Placement Agent, it becomes necessary to amend or supplement the Incorporated Documents or any Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, as the case may be, not misleading, or if it is necessary at any time to amend or supplement the Incorporated Documents or any Prospectus or to file under the Exchange Act any Incorporated Document to comply with any law, the Company will promptly prepare and file with the Commission, and furnish at its own expense to the Placement Agent and to dealers, an appropriate amendment to the Registration Statement or supplement to the Registration Statement, the Incorporated Documents or any Prospectus that is necessary in order to make the statements in the Incorporated Documents and any Prospectus as so amended or supplemented, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, as the case may be, not misleading, or so that the Registration Statement, the Incorporated Documents or any Prospectus, as so amended or supplemented, will comply with law. Before amending the Registration Statement or supplementing the Incorporated Documents or any Prospectus in connection with the Offering, the Company will furnish the Placement Agent with a copy of such proposed amendment or supplement and will not file any such amendment or supplement to which the Placement Agent reasonably objects.

  

(d)            Copies of any Amendments and Supplements to a Prospectus. The Company will furnish the Placement Agent, without charge, during the period beginning on the date hereof and ending on the later of the last Closing Date of the Offering, as many copies of any Prospectus or prospectus supplement and any amendments and supplements thereto, as the Placement Agent may reasonably request.

  

(e)            Free Writing Prospectus. The Company covenants that it will not, unless it obtains the prior written consent of the Placement Agent, make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute an Company Free Writing Prospectus or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act) required to be filed by the Company with the Commission or retained by the Company under Rule 433 of the Securities Act. In the event that the Placement Agent expressly consents in writing to any such free writing prospectus (a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus”), the Company covenants that it shall (i) treat each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an Company Free Writing Prospectus, and (ii) comply with the requirements of Rule 164 and 433 of the Securities Act applicable to such Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including in respect of timely filing with the Commission, legending and record keeping.

   

(f)            Transfer Agent. The Company will maintain, at its expense, a registrar and transfer agent for the Common Stock.

  

(g)            Earnings Statement. As soon as practicable and in accordance with applicable requirements under the Securities Act, but in any event not later than 18 months after the last Closing Date, the Company will make generally available to its security holders and to the Placement Agent an earnings statement, covering a period of at least 12 consecutive months beginning after the last Closing Date, that satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) and Rule 158 under the Securities Act.

  

(h)            Periodic Reporting Obligations. During the Prospectus Delivery Period, the Company will duly file, on a timely basis, with the Commission and the Nasdaq Capital Market (the “Trading Market”) all reports and documents required to be filed under the Exchange Act within the time periods and in the manner required by the Exchange Act.

  

(i)             Additional Documents. The Company will enter into any subscription, purchase or other customary agreements as the Placement Agent or the Investors deem necessary or appropriate to consummate the Offering, all of which will be in form and substance reasonably acceptable to the Placement Agent and the Investors. The Company agrees that the Placement Agent may rely upon, and each is a third party beneficiary of, the representations and warranties, and applicable covenants, set forth in any such purchase, subscription or other agreement with Investors in the Offering.

  

(j)             No Manipulation of Price. The Company will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or result in, or that has constituted or might reasonably be expected to constitute, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any securities of the Company.

  

(k)            Acknowledgment. The Company acknowledges that any advice given by the Placement Agent to the Company is solely for the benefit and use of the Board of Directors of the Company and may not be used, reproduced, disseminated, quoted or referred to, without the Placement Agent's prior written consent.

  

(l)             Announcement of Offering. The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Placement Agent may, subsequent to the Closing, make public its involvement with the Offering.

  

(m)           Reliance on Others. The Company confirms that it will rely on its own counsel and accountants for legal and accounting advice.

  

 

 

Section5.         Conditions of the Obligations of the Placement Agent. The obligations of the Placement Agent hereunder shall be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company set forth in Section 2 hereof, in each case as of the date hereof and as of each Closing Date as though then made, to the timely performance by each of the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder on and as of such dates, and to each of the following additional conditions:

  

(a)            Accountants Comfort Letter. On the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing Date, the Placement Agent shall have received, and the Company shall have caused to be delivered to the Placement Agent, a letter from Deloitte & Touche LLP (the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company), addressed to the Placement Agent, dated as of the date hereof, in form and substance satisfactory to the Placement Agent.

  

(b)            Compliance with Registration Requirements; No Stop Order; No Objection from the FINRA. Each Prospectus (in accordance with Rule 424(b)) and “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act), if any, shall have been duly filed with the Commission, as appropriate; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part thereof shall have been issued and no proceeding for that purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; no order preventing or suspending the use of any Prospectus shall have been issued and no proceeding for that purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; no order having the effect of ceasing or suspending the distribution of the Securities or any other securities of the Company shall have been issued by any securities commission, securities regulatory authority or stock exchange and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or shall be pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, contemplated by any securities commission, securities regulatory authority or stock exchange; all requests for additional information on the part of the Commission shall have been complied with; and the FINRA shall have raised no objection to the fairness and reasonableness of the placement terms and arrangements.

  

(c)            Corporate Proceedings. All corporate proceedings and other legal matters in connection with this Agreement, the Registration Statement and each Prospectus, and the registration, sale and delivery of the Securities, shall have been completed or resolved in a manner reasonably satisfactory to the Placement Agent's counsel, and such counsel shall have been furnished with such papers and information as it may reasonably have requested to enable such counsel to pass upon the matters referred to in this Section 5.

  

(d)            No Material Adverse Change. Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to each Closing Date, in the Placement Agent's sole judgment after consultation with the Company, there shall not have occurred any Material Adverse Effect or any material adverse change or development involving a prospective material adverse change in the condition or the business activities, financial or otherwise, of the Company from the latest dates as of which such condition is set forth in the Registration Statement and Prospectus (“Material Adverse Change”).

  

(e)            Opinion of Counsel for the Company. The Placement Agent shall have received on each Closing Date the favorable opinion of legal counsel to the Company, dated as of such Closing Date, including, without limitation, a negative assurance letter addressed to the Placement Agent and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Placement Agent.

  

(f)            Officers Certificate. The Placement Agent shall have received on each Closing Date a certificate of the Company, dated as of such Closing Date, signed by the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company, to the effect that, and the Placement Agent shall be satisfied that, the signers of such certificate have reviewed the Registration Statement, the Incorporated Documents, any Prospectus Supplement, and this Agreement and to the further effect that:

  

(i)            The representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct, as if made on and as of such Closing Date, and the Company has complied with all the agreements and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to such Closing Date;

  

(ii)           No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the use of any Prospectus has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened under the Securities Act; no order having the effect of ceasing or suspending the distribution of the Securities or any other securities of the Company has been issued by any securities commission, securities regulatory authority or stock exchange in the United States and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, contemplated by any securities commission, securities regulatory authority or stock exchange in the United States;

  

 

 

(iii)          When the Registration Statement became effective, at the time of sale, and at all times subsequent thereto up to the delivery of such certificate, the Registration Statement and the Incorporated Documents, if any, when such documents became effective or were filed with the Commission, and any Prospectus, contained all material information required to be included therein by the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, as the case may be, and in all material respects conformed to the requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, as the case may be, and the Registration Statement and the Incorporated Documents, if any, and any Prospectus, did not and do not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (provided, however, that the preceding representations and warranties contained in this paragraph (iii) shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by the Placement Agent expressly for use therein) and, since the effective date of the Registration Statement, there has occurred no event required by the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder to be set forth in the Incorporated Documents which has not been so set forth; and

  

(iv)         Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Incorporated Documents and any Prospectus, there has not been: (a) any Material Adverse Change; (b) any transaction that is material to the Company and the subsidiaries taken as a whole, except transactions entered into in the ordinary course of business; (c) any obligation, direct or contingent, that is material to the Company and the subsidiaries taken as a whole, incurred by the Company or any subsidiary, except obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business; (d) any material change in the capital stock (except changes thereto resulting from the exercise of outstanding stock options or warrants) or outstanding indebtedness of the Company or any subsidiary; (e) any dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made on the capital stock of the Company; or (f) any loss or damage (whether or not insured) to the property of the Company or any subsidiary which has been sustained or will have been sustained which has a Material Adverse Effect.

    

(g)            Lock-Up Agreements. On the date hereof, the Placement Agent shall have received the executed lock-up agreement, in the form attached hereto as ExhibitA, from each of the directors and officers of the Company.

  

(h)            Stock Exchange Listing. The Common Stock, including the Shares and Warrant Shares, shall be registered under the Exchange Act and shall be listed on the Trading Market, and the Company shall not have taken any action designed to terminate, or likely to have the effect of terminating, the registration of the Common Stock under the Exchange Act or delisting or suspending from trading the Common Stock from the Trading Market, nor shall the Company have received any information suggesting that the Commission or the Trading Market is contemplating terminating such registration or listing.

  

(i)            Opinion of Counsel for the Placement Agent. The Placement Agent shall have received on each Closing Date the favorable opinion of legal counsel to the Placement Agent, dated as of such Closing Date, including, without limitation, a negative assurance letter addressed to the Placement Agent and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Placement Agent.

 

(j)             Additional Documents. On or before each Closing Date, the Placement Agent and counsel for the Placement Agent shall have received such information and documents as they may reasonably require for the purposes of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as contemplated herein, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations and warranties, or the satisfaction of any of the conditions or agreements, herein contained.

  

If any condition specified in this Section 5 is not satisfied when and as required to be satisfied, this Agreement may be terminated by the Placement Agent by notice to the Company at any time on or prior to a Closing Date, which termination shall be without liability on the part of any party to any other party, except that Section 6 (Payment of Expenses), Section 7 (Indemnification and Contribution) and Section 8 (Representations and Indemnities to Survive Delivery) shall at all times be effective and shall survive such termination.

  

 

 

Section6.         Payment of Expenses. The Company agrees to pay all costs, fees and expenses incurred by the Company in connection with the performance of its obligations hereunder and in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, including, without limitation: (i) all expenses incident to the issuance, delivery and qualification of the Securities (including all printing and engraving costs); (ii) all fees and expenses of the registrar and transfer agent of the Common Stock; (iii) all necessary issue, transfer and other stamp taxes in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities; (iv) all fees and expenses of the Company’s counsel, independent public or certified public accountants and other advisors; (v) all costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation, printing, filing, shipping and distribution of the Registration Statement (including financial statements, exhibits, schedules, consents and certificates of experts), the Base Prospectus, the Final Prospectus and each Prospectus Supplement, and all amendments and supplements thereto, and this Agreement; (vi) all filing fees, reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred by the Company or the Placement Agent in connection with qualifying or registering (or obtaining exemptions from the qualification or registration of) all or any part of the Securities for offer and sale under the state securities or blue sky laws or the securities laws of any other country, and, if requested by the Placement Agent, preparing and printing a “Blue Sky Survey,” an “International Blue Sky Survey” or other memorandum, and any supplements thereto, advising the Placement Agent of such qualifications, registrations and exemptions; (vii) if applicable, the filing fees incident to the review and approval by the FINRA of the Placement Agent's participation in the offering and distribution of the Securities; (viii) the fees and expenses associated with including the Shares and Warrant Shares on the Trading Market; (ix) all costs and expenses incident to the travel and accommodation of the Company’s and the Placement Agent's employees on the “roadshow,” if any; and (x) all other fees, costs and expenses referred to in Part II of the Registration Statement.

 

Section7.         Indemnification and Contribution.

  

(a)            The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Placement Agent, its affiliates and each person controlling the Placement Agent (within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act), and the directors, officers, agents and employees of the Placement Agent, its affiliates and each such controlling person (the Placement Agent, and each such entity or person. an “Indemnified Person”) from and against any losses, claims, damages, judgments, assessments, costs and other liabilities (collectively, the “Liabilities”), and shall reimburse each Indemnified Person for all fees and expenses (including the reasonable fees and expenses of one counsel for all Indemnified Persons, except as otherwise expressly provided herein) (collectively, the “Expenses”) as they are incurred by an Indemnified Person in investigating, preparing, pursuing or defending any actions, whether or not any Indemnified Person is a party thereto, (i) caused by, or arising out of or in connection with, any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, any Incorporated Document, or any Prospectus or by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (other than untrue statements or alleged untrue statements in, or omissions or alleged omissions from, information relating to an Indemnified Person furnished in writing by or on behalf of such Indemnified Person expressly for use in the Incorporated Documents) or (ii) otherwise arising out of or in connection with advice or services rendered or to be rendered by any Indemnified Person pursuant to this Agreement, the transactions contemplated thereby or any Indemnified Person's actions or inactions in connection with any such advice, services or transactions; provided, however, that, in the case of clause (ii) only, the Company shall not be responsible for any Liabilities or Expenses of any Indemnified Person that are finally judicially determined to have resulted solely from such Indemnified Person's (x) gross negligence or willful misconduct in connection with any of the advice, actions, inactions or services referred to above or (y) use of any offering materials or information concerning the Company in connection with the offer or sale of the Securities in the Offering which were not authorized for such use by the Company and which use constitutes gross negligence or willful misconduct; provided further, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such Liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in the Registration Statement, any Incorporated Document, or any Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by the Placement Agent specifically for use in the preparation thereof. The Company also agrees to reimburse each Indemnified Person for all Expenses as they are incurred in connection with enforcing such Indemnified Person's rights under this Agreement.

  

 

 

(b)            Upon receipt by an Indemnified Person of actual notice of an action against such Indemnified Person with respect to which indemnity may be sought under this Agreement, such Indemnified Person shall promptly notify the Company in writing; provided that failure by any Indemnified Person so to notify the Company shall not relieve the Company from any liability which the Company may have on account of this indemnity or otherwise to such Indemnified Person, except to the extent the Company shall have been prejudiced by such failure. The Company shall, if requested by the Placement Agent, assume the defense of any such action including the employment of counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Placement Agent, which counsel may also be counsel to the Company. Any Indemnified Person shall have the right to employ separate counsel in any such action and participate in the defense thereof, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Indemnified Person unless: (i) the Company has failed promptly to assume the defense and employ counsel or (ii) the named parties to any such action (including any impeded parties) include such Indemnified Person and the Company, and such Indemnified Person shall have been advised in the reasonable opinion of counsel that there is an actual conflict of interest that prevents the counsel selected by the Company from representing both the Company (or another client of such counsel) and any Indemnified Person; provided that the Company shall not in such event be responsible hereunder for the fees and expenses of more than one firm of separate counsel for all Indemnified Persons in connection with any action or related actions, in addition to any local counsel. The Company shall not be liable for any settlement of any action effected without its written consent (which shall not be unreasonably withheld). In addition, the Company shall not, without the prior written consent of the Placement Agent (which shall not be unreasonably withheld), settle, compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment in or otherwise seek to terminate any pending or threatened action in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not such Indemnified Person is a party thereto) unless such settlement, compromise, consent or termination includes an unconditional release of each Indemnified Person from all Liabilities arising out of such action for which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder. The indemnification required hereby shall be made by periodic payments of the amount thereof during the course of the investigation or defense, as such expense, loss, damage or liability is incurred and is due and payable.

  

(c)            In the event that the foregoing indemnity is unavailable to an Indemnified Person other than in accordance with this Agreement, the Company shall contribute to the Liabilities and Expenses paid or payable by such Indemnified Person in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect (i) the relative benefits to the Company, on the one hand, and to the Placement Agent and any other Indemnified Person, on the other hand, of the matters contemplated by this Agreement or (ii) if the allocation provided by the immediately preceding clause is not permitted by applicable law, not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Placement Agent and any other Indemnified Person, on the other hand, in connection with the matters as to which such Liabilities or Expenses relate, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations; provided that in no event shall the Company contribute less than the amount necessary to ensure that all Indemnified Persons, in the aggregate, are not liable for any Liabilities and Expenses in excess of the amount of fees actually received by the Placement Agent pursuant to this Agreement. For purposes of this paragraph, the relative benefits to the Company, on the one hand, and to the Placement Agent on the other hand, of the matters contemplated by this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as (a) the total value paid or contemplated to be paid to or received or contemplated to be received by the Company in the transaction or transactions that are within the scope of this Agreement, whether or not any such transaction is consummated, bears to (b) the fees paid to the Placement Agent under this Agreement. Notwithstanding the above, no person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act, as amended, shall be entitled to contribution from a party who was not guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation.

  

(d)            The Company also agrees that no Indemnified Person shall have any liability (whether direct or indirect, in contract or tort or otherwise) to the Company for or in connection with advice or services rendered or to be rendered by any Indemnified Person pursuant to this Agreement, the transactions contemplated thereby or any Indemnified Person's actions or inactions in connection with any such advice, services or transactions except for Liabilities (and related Expenses) of the Company that are finally judicially determined to have resulted solely from such Indemnified Person's gross negligence or willful misconduct in connection with any such advice, actions, inactions or services.

   

(e)            The reimbursement, indemnity and contribution obligations of the Company set forth herein shall apply to any modification of this Agreement and shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any termination of, or the completion of any Indemnified Person's services under or in connection with, this Agreement.

  

Section8.         Representations and Indemnities to Survive Delivery. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company or any person controlling the Company, of its officers, and of the Placement Agent set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Placement Agent, the Company, or any of its or their partners, officers or directors or any controlling person, as the case may be, and will survive delivery of and payment for the Securities sold hereunder and any termination of this Agreement. A successor to a Placement Agent, or to the Company, its directors or officers or any person controlling the Company, shall be entitled to the benefits of the indemnity, contribution and reimbursement agreements contained in this Agreement.

  

 

 

Section9.         Notices. All communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be mailed, hand delivered or e-mailed and confirmed to the parties hereto as follows:

  

If to the Placement Agent:

 

Canaccord Genuity LLC

1 Post Office Square

30th Floor

Boston, Massachusetts 02109

Attention: General Counsel

  

With a copy to:

  

Goodwin Procter LLP

The New York Times Building

620 Eighth Avenue

New York, New York 10018

Attention: Thomas S. Levato

  

If to the Company:

  

Clene Inc.

6550 South Millrock Drive, Suite G50

Salt Lake City, Utah 84121

Attention: General Counsel

  

With a copy to:

  

Holland & Knight LLP

200 South Orange Avenue, Suite 2600

Orlando, Florida 32801

Attention: Tom McAleavey

 

Any party hereto may change the address for receipt of communications by giving written notice to the others.

  

Section10.       Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto, and to the benefit of the employees, officers and directors and controlling persons referred to in Section 7 hereof, and to their respective successors, and personal representative, and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder.

  

Section11.       Partial Unenforceability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other section, paragraph or provision hereof. If any Section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement is for any reason determined to be invalid or unenforceable, there shall be deemed to be made such minor changes (and only such minor changes) as are necessary to make it valid and enforceable.

  

 

 

Section12.       Governing Law Provisions. This Agreement shall be deemed to have been made and delivered in New York City and both this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall be governed as to validity, interpretation, construction, effect and in all other respects by the internal laws of the State of New York, without regard to the conflict of laws principles thereof. Each of the Placement Agent and the Company: (i) agrees that any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement and/or the transactions contemplated hereby shall be instituted exclusively in New York Supreme Court, County of New York, or in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, (ii) waives any objection which it may have or hereafter to the venue of any such suit, action or proceeding, and (iii) irrevocably consents to the jurisdiction of the New York Supreme Court, County of New York, and the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in any such suit, action or proceeding. Each of the Placement Agent and the Company further agrees to accept and acknowledge service of any and all process which may be served in any such suit, action or proceeding in the New York Supreme Court, County of New York, or in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and agrees that service of process upon the Company mailed by certified mail to the Company’s address shall be deemed in every respect effective service of process upon the Company, in any such suit, action or proceeding, and service of process upon the Placement Agent mailed by certified mail to the Placement Agent’s address shall be deemed in every respect effective service process upon the Placement Agent, in any such suit, action or proceeding. Notwithstanding any provision of this engagement letter to the contrary, the Company agrees that neither the Placement Agent nor its affiliates, and the respective officers, directors, employees, agents and representatives of the Placement Agent, its affiliates and each other person, if any, controlling the Placement Agent or any of its affiliates, shall have any liability (whether direct or indirect, in contract or tort or otherwise) to the Company for or in connection with the engagement and transaction described herein except for any such liability for losses, claims, damages or liabilities incurred by us that are finally judicially determined to have resulted from the willful misconduct or gross negligence of such individuals or entities. If either party shall commence an action or proceeding to enforce any provision of this Agreement, then the prevailing party in such action or proceeding shall be reimbursed by the other party for its reasonable attorney’s fees and other costs and expenses incurred with the investigation, preparation and prosecution of such action or proceeding.

 

Section 13.          U.S. Special Resolution Regime.         

 

(a)          In the event that the Placement Agent is a Covered Entity and becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from such Placement Agent of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.

 

(b)          In the event that the Placement Agent is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of such Placement Agent and becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against such Placement Agent are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.

 

For purposes of this Section 13:

 

“BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k).

 

“Covered Entity” means any of the following: (i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b); (ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §47.3(b); or (iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §382.2(b).

 

“Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable.

 

“U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

           

 

 

Section14.       General Provisions.

  

(a)            This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the parties to this Agreement and supersedes all prior written or oral and all contemporaneous oral agreements, understandings and negotiations with respect to the subject matter hereof. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each one of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument. This Agreement may not be amended or modified unless in writing by all of the parties hereto, and no condition herein (express or implied) may be waived unless waived in writing by each party whom the condition is meant to benefit. Section headings herein are for the convenience of the parties only and shall not affect the construction or interpretation of this Agreement.

  

(b)            The Company acknowledges that in connection with the offering of the Securities: (i) the Placement Agent has acted at arm’s length, is not an agent of, and owes no fiduciary duties to the Company or any other person, (ii) the Placement Agent owes the Company only those duties and obligations set forth in this Agreement and (iii) the Placement Agent may have interests that differ from those of the Company. The Company waives to the full extent permitted by applicable law any claims it may have against the Placement Agent arising from an alleged breach of fiduciary duty in connection with the offering of the Securities.

  

[The remainder of this pagehas been intentionally left blank]

  

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign below whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts hereof, shall become a binding agreement in accordance with its terms.

 

Very truly yours,

 

CLENE INC.

 

 

 

By: /s/ Robert Etherington                  
Name: Robert Etherington
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer

 

The foregoing Placement Agency Agreement is hereby confirmed and accepted as of the date first above written.

 

CANACCORD GENUITY LLC

 

 

 

By: /s/ Jennifer Pardi                           
Name: Jennifer Pardi
Title: Managing Director

 

 

 

 

 

Schedule I

 

PRICING INFORMATION

 

 

Offering Price Per Registered Share and Accompanying Restricted Warrant: $4.713

 

Offering Price Per Registered Pre-Funded Warrant and Accompanying Restricted Warrant: $4.712

 

Offering Price Per Restricted Share and Accompanying Restricted Warrant (to be paid by non-insiders): $4.713

 

Offering Price Per Restricted Pre-Funded Warrant and Accompanying Restricted Warrant (to be paid by non-insiders): $4.712

 

Offering Price Per Restricted Share and Accompanying Restricted Warrant (to be paid by directors and officers participating in the Offering): $4.875

 

Registered Shares Offered: 725,000

 

Registered Pre-Funded Warrants Offered: Pre-Funded Warrants to Purchase 17,626 Shares of Common Stock

 

Restricted Shares Offered: 379,930

 

Restricted Pre-Funded Warrants Offered: Pre-Funded Warrants to Purchase 424,358 Shares of Common Stock

 

Accompanying Restricted Warrants Offered: Accompanying Warrants to Purchase 1,546,914 Shares of Common Stock

 

Gross Proceeds: $7.3 million

 

Placement Agency Fee: 6.0%

 

Other Material Terms of the Pre-Funded Warrants:

 

Exercise Price: $0.001

 

Exercise Term: Indefinite

 

Other Material Terms of the Accompanying Warrants:

 

Exercise Price: $ 4.82

 

Exercise Term: 5.0 years

 

 

 

 

Exhibit A

 

FORM OF LOCKUP AGREEMENT

 

 

Canaccord Genuity LLC

1 Post Office Square

30th Floor

Boston, Massachusetts 02109

 

Re: Clene Inc.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

The undersigned, a securityholder and/or officer and/or a director of Clene Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), understands that Canaccord Genuity LLC (“Canaccord”) proposes to enter into a Placement Agency Agreement (the “Placement Agency Agreement”) with the Company relating to the proposed offering (the “Offering”) of shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”) and other securities of the Company.   The undersigned acknowledges that Canaccord is relying on the representations and agreements of the undersigned contained in this lock-up agreement in conducting the Offering and, at a subsequent date, in entering into the Placement Agency Agreement with the Company with respect to the Offering.

 

In recognition of the benefit that the Offering will confer upon the undersigned as a securityholder and/or officer and/or a director of the Company, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the undersigned agrees that, during the period beginning on the date hereof and ending on the date that is the later to occur of (i) 45 days from the date of the Placement Agency Agreement and (ii) the date on which the Company or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) publicly announces the outcome of a meeting to discuss the Company’s potential submission of a new drug application under the FDA’s accelerated approval pathway (the “Lock-Up Period”), the undersigned will not (and will cause any immediate family member not to), without the prior written consent of Canaccord, which may withhold its consent in its sole discretion, directly or indirectly, (i) sell, offer to sell, contract to sell or lend, effect any short sale or establish or increase a Put Equivalent Position (as defined in Rule 16a-1(h) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) or liquidate or decrease any Call Equivalent Position (as defined in Rule 16a-1(b) under the Exchange Act), pledge, hypothecate or grant any security interest in, or in any other way transfer or dispose of, any Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Common Stock, in each case whether now owned or hereafter acquired by the undersigned or with respect to which the undersigned has or hereafter acquires the power of disposition (collectively, the “Lock-Up Securities”), (ii) make any demand for, or exercise any right with respect to the registration of any of the Lock-Up Securities, or the filing of any registration statement, prospectus or prospectus supplement (or an amendment or supplement thereto) in connection therewith, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (iii) enter into any swap, hedge or any other agreement or any transaction that transfers, in whole or in part, the economic consequence of ownership of the Lock-Up Securities, whether any such swap or transaction is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or other securities, in cash or otherwise, or (iv) publicly announce the intention to do any of the foregoing.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, and subject to the conditions below, the undersigned may transfer the Lock-Up Securities pursuant to clauses (i) through (v) below without the prior written consent of Canaccord, provided that (1) prior to any such transfer, Canaccord receives a signed lock-up agreement, substantially in the form of this lock-up agreement, for the balance of the Lock-Up Period from each donee, trustee, distributee or transferee, as the case may be, (2) any such transfer shall not involve a disposition for value, (3) in the case of clauses (i) through (iii) below, such transfers are not required to be reported with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Exchange Act, and (4) the undersigned does not otherwise voluntarily effect any public filing or report regarding such transfers:

 

(i)    as a bona fide gift or gifts; or

 

(ii)    to any trust for the direct or indirect benefit of the undersigned or the immediate family (defined below) of the undersigned; or

 

(iii)     to any permitted transferee (defined below); or

 

(iv)    pursuant to a qualified domestic order or in connection with a settlement related to the distribution of assets in connection with the dissolution of marriage or civil union; or

 

 

 

(v)    by will or intestate succession to the legal representative, heir, beneficiary or immediate family of the undersigned upon the death of the undersigned.

 

The undersigned further agrees that the foregoing provisions shall be equally applicable to any Common Stock the undersigned may purchase or otherwise receive in the Offering.

 

Furthermore, notwithstanding the restrictions imposed by this lock-up agreement, the undersigned may, without the prior written consent of Canaccord: (a) exercise an option to purchase shares of Common Stock granted under any stock incentive plan of the Company, which plan is described in the prospectus supplement related to the Offering, provided that the underlying shares of Common Stock shall continue to be subject to the restrictions on transfer set forth in this lock-up agreement and if the undersigned is required to file a report under Section 16 of the Exchange Act reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock during the Lock-Up Period, the undersigned shall clearly indicate in the footnotes thereto the nature and conditions of such exercise or transfer and no other filing or public announcement shall be made voluntarily during the Lock-Up Period in connection with such exercise or transfer; (b) establish a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act for the transfer of shares of Common Stock, provided that, such plan does not provide for any transfers of Common Stock, and no filing with the SEC or other public announcement shall be required or voluntarily made by the undersigned or any other person in connection therewith, in each case during the Lock-Up Period; (c) transfer or dispose of shares of Common Stock purchased in the Offering or on the open market following the Offering, provided that no filing under the Exchange Act reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock shall be required or voluntarily made during the Lock-Up Period, other than Forms 5 and Schedule 13F; or (d) sell Lock-Up Securities for tax withholding purposes in connection with the vesting of equity awards that are subject to a taxable event upon vesting of the Company’s securities, it being understood that all shares of Common Stock received upon such vesting or transfer will remain subject to the restrictions of this lock-up agreement during the Lock-Up Period, and provided that if the undersigned is required to file a report under the Exchange Act reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of the undersigned’s Common Stock during the Lock-Up Period related to such disposition, the undersigned shall include a statement in such report to the effect that the filing relates to the satisfaction of tax withholding obligations of the undersigned in connection with such vesting event and no other filing or public announcement shall be made voluntarily during the Lock-Up Period in connection with such vesting or transfer.

 

The undersigned also agrees and consents to the entry of stop transfer instructions with the Company’s transfer agent and registrar against the transfer of the Lock-Up Securities except in compliance with the foregoing restrictions.

 

With respect to the Offering only, the undersigned waives any registration rights relating to registration under the Securities Act of the offer and sale of any shares of Common Stock and/or any options or warrants or other rights to acquire Common Stock or any securities exchangeable or exercisable for or convertible into Common Stock, or to acquire other securities or rights ultimately exchangeable or exercisable for or convertible into Common Stock, owned either of record or beneficially by the undersigned, including any rights to receive notice of the Offering.

 

The undersigned confirms that the undersigned has not, and has no knowledge that any immediate family member has, directly or indirectly, taken any action designed to or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale of the Common Stock.   The undersigned will not, and will cause any immediate family member not to take, directly or indirectly, any such action.

 

As used herein, “permitted transferee” shall mean (a) the members of the undersigned’s immediate family (for purposes of this lock-up agreement, "immediate family" shall mean the spouse, domestic partner, lineal descendant (including adopted and step-children) and his or her spouse, father, mother, the siblings of such person and his or her spouse, or any other person with whom the undersigned has a relationship by blood, marriage or adoption not more remote than first cousin), (b) if the undersigned is a corporation, limited liability company, partnership or other entity, its partners, shareholders, members of, or owners of similar equity interests in the undersigned by way of distribution upon the liquidation and dissolution of the undersigned or (c) any affiliate of the undersigned.

 

The undersigned represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power, capacity and authority to enter into this lock-up agreement. This lock-up agreement is irrevocable and will be binding on the undersigned and the successors, heirs, personal representatives and assigns of the undersigned.

 

This lock-up agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

 

Whether or not the Offering actually occurs depends on a number of factors, including market conditions.

 

This lock-up agreement shall automatically terminate, and the undersigned shall be released from its obligations hereunder, upon the earliest to occur, if any, of (i) the Company advising Canaccord in writing, prior to the execution of the Placement Agency Agreement, that it has determined not to proceed with the Offering, (ii) the executed Placement Agency Agreement being terminated prior to the closing of the Offering (other than the provisions thereof that survive termination), and (iii) October 31, 2024, in the event that the Placement Agency Agreement has not been executed by such date.

 

[Signature Page Follows]

 

 

 

  Very truly yours,
     
   
  Name of Securityholder/Director/Officer (Print exact name)
     
  By:  
    Signature
     
     
  If not signing in an individual capacity:
     
   
  Name of Authorized Signatory (Print)
     
   
  Title of Authorized Signatory (Print)
  (indicate capacity of person signing if signing as custodian, trustee or on behalf of an entity)