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As filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on May 18, 2015.

Registration No. 333-        

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

Form F-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

CELYAD SA

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Belgium

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

2834

(Primary Standard Industrial

Classification Code Number)

 

Not applicable

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

Rue Edouard Belin 12

1435 Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium

+32 10 394 100

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

 

 

CT Corporation System

111 8 th Avenue

New York, New York 10011

(212) 894-8800

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

 

 

 

Mitchell S. Bloom

Michael H. Bison

Laurie A. Burlingame

Goodwin Procter LLP

Exchange Place

53 State Street

Boston, MA 02109

(617) 570-1000

 

Pierre-Olivier Mahieu

Sophie Rutten

Allen & Overy LLP

Avenue de Tervueren 268A

1150 Brussels, Belgium

+ 32 2 780 2222

 

Marc Recht

Divakar Gupta

Richard Segal

Cooley LLP

500 Boylston Street

Boston, MA 02116

(617) 937-2300

  

Laurent Legein

Wim Dedecker

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP

57 rue de la Loi

1040 Brussels, Belgium

+ 32 2 287 2000

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to public:

As soon as practicable after this Registration Statement becomes effective.

 

 

If any of the securities being registered on this form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box.     ¨

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.     ¨

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.     ¨

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.     ¨

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

 

Title of Each Class of

Securities to be Registered

  Proposed Maximum
Aggregate Offering
Price (1)(2)
 

Amount of

Registration Fee

Ordinary Shares, no nominal value (3)

  $115,000,000   $13,363

 

 

(1)     Includes (a) additional ordinary shares which the underwriters have the option to purchase, and (b) ordinary shares which are being offered in a private placement in Europe and other countries outside of the United States and Canada but which may be resold from time to time in the United States in transactions requiring registration under the Securities Act or an exemption therefrom. The total number of ordinary shares in the U.S. offering and the European private placement is subject to reallocation between them. All or part of these ordinary shares may be represented by American Depositary Shares, or ADSs.
(2)     Estimated solely for the purpose of computing the amount of the registration fee pursuant to Section 457(o) of the Securities Act. Includes the aggregate offering price of additional shares and ADSs that the underwriters have the option to purchase.
(3)     All ordinary shares will be represented by ADSs in the U.S. offering, with each ADS representing one ordinary share. ADSs issuable upon deposit of the ordinary shares registered hereby are being registered pursuant to a separate Registration Statement on Form F-6.

 

 

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

 

 

 


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

 

 

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS   Subject to Completion   May 18, 2015

 

Celyad SA

                     Ordinary Shares

Including Ordinary Shares in the Form of American Depositary Shares

 

LOGO

 

 

We are offering                      of our ordinary shares in a global offering.

We are offering                      ordinary shares in the form of American Depositary Shares, or ADSs, through the underwriters named in this prospectus. The ADSs will be evidenced by American Depositary Receipts, or ADRs, and each ADS represents the right to receive one ordinary share. We have granted the underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional                  ordinary shares in the form of ADSs in the U.S. offering.

We are offering                  ordinary shares in Europe and countries outside of the United States and Canada in a concurrent private placement, or the European private placement, through the underwriters named in this prospectus. We have granted the underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional                  ordinary shares in the European private placement.

The closings of the U.S. offering and the European private placement will be conditioned on each other. The total number of ordinary shares in the U.S. offering and the European private placement is subject to reallocation between them.

This is our initial public offering in the United States. We intend to apply to have the ADSs listed on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “CYAD.” Our ordinary shares have been listed on Euronext Brussels and Euronext Paris since July 5, 2013 under the symbol “CYAD.” On             , 2015, the last reported sale price of our ordinary shares on Euronext Brussels was €             per share, equivalent to a price of $             per ADS, assuming an exchange rate of €             per U.S. dollar.

We are an “emerging growth company” as defined under the United States federal securities laws and, as such, have elected to comply with certain reduced public company reporting requirements for this prospectus and future filings.

Investing in our ordinary shares or ADSs involves risks. Before buying any ADSs or ordinary shares, you should carefully read the discussion of material risks of investing in our ADSs and our ordinary shares in “ Risk Factors ” beginning on page 12 of this prospectus.

Neither the United States Securities and Exchange Commission nor any U.S. state or other regulatory body 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.

 

 

 

      Per Share    Per ADS    Total
Public offering price                             $                        $                    
Underwriting commissions (1)                             $                        $                    
Proceeds, before expenses to us,                             $                        $                    

 

(1)     We refer you to “Underwriting” beginning on page 206 for additional information regarding total underwriting compensation.

 

(2)     Total gross proceeds from the global offering, including the European private placement, are $            . Such proceeds less underwriting commissions are $            .

The underwriters expect to deliver the ADSs to purchasers on or about                 , 2015 through the book-entry facilities of The Depository Trust Company. The underwriters expect to deliver the ordinary shares to purchasers on or about                 , 2015 through the book-entry facilities of Euroclear Belgium.

 

 

UBS Investment Bank   Piper Jaffray

 

 

            , 2015


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You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus or contained in any free writing prospectus that we file or authorize to be filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Neither we nor the underwriters have authorized anyone to provide you with additional information or information different from that contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectus that we file or authorize to be filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. We and the underwriters are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, our securities only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The information contained in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date on the front cover of this prospectus, or such other dates as are stated in this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or of any sale of our securities.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

     Page  

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

     1   

RISK FACTORS

     12   

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

     57   

CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATES

     59   

MARKET INFORMATION

     60   

USE OF PROCEEDS

     61   

DIVIDEND POLICY

     63   

CAPITALIZATION

     64   

DILUTION

     66   

SELECTED HISTORICAL CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

     69   

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

     71   

UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED FINANCIAL INFORMATION

     95   

BUSINESS

     101   

MANAGEMENT

     140   

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

     158   

PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS

     164   

DESCRIPTION OF SHARE CAPITAL

     166   

DESCRIPTION OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES

     182   

SHARES AND ADSs AVAILABLE FOR FUTURE SALE

     191   

MATERIAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS

     194   

ENFORCEMENT OF CIVIL LIABILITIES

     204   

UNDERWRITING

     206   

EXPENSES OF THE GLOBAL OFFERING

     214   

LEGAL MATTERS

     215   

EXPERTS

     216   

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

     217   

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

     F-1   

 

 

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

We are incorporated in Belgium, and a majority of our outstanding securities are owned by non-U.S. residents. Under the rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, we are currently eligible for treatment as a “foreign private issuer.” As a foreign private issuer, we will not be required to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as domestic registrants whose securities are registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 

 

 

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Our financial statements are presented in euros. All references in this prospectus to “$,” “US$,” “U.S.$,” “U.S. dollars,” “dollars” and “USD” mean U.S. dollars and all references to “€” and “euros” mean euros, unless otherwise noted. Throughout this prospectus, references to ADSs mean ADSs or ordinary shares represented by ADSs, as the case may be.

Through and including                     , 2015 (the 25th day after the date of this prospectus) federal securities law may require all dealers that effect transactions in these securities, whether or not participating in the global offering, to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligations to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.

 

 

 

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Prospectus summary

The following summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this prospectus and does not contain all of the information you should consider before investing in the ADSs or the ordinary shares. You should read the entire prospectus carefully, including “Risk Factors” and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. You should carefully consider, among other things, the matters discussed in the sections of this prospectus titled “Business” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” before making an investment decision. Unless otherwise indicated, “Celyad,” “the company,” “our company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Celyad SA and its consolidated subsidiaries.

BUSINESS OVERVIEW

We are a leader in engineered cell therapy treatments with clinical programs initially targeting indications in cardiovascular disease and oncology. Our lead drug product candidate in cardiovascular disease is C-Cure, an autologous cell therapy for the treatment of patients with ischemic heart failure, or HF. We completed enrollment in our first Phase 3 clinical trial of C-Cure in Europe and Israel, or CHART-1, in March 2015. On March 30, 2015, we announced that the Data Safety Monitoring Board, or DSMB, reviewed unblinded safety data from CHART-1 and determined that there was no evidence of obvious differences in safety profiles of patients in the two arms of the trial, which means that the data did not support discontinuation of the trial on the basis of safety. The full data readout from this trial is expected in the middle of 2016. We anticipate initiating our second Phase 3 clinical trial of C-Cure in the United States and Europe, or CHART-2, pending U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, lifting of the existing clinical hold, which we expect in the second half of 2015. Our lead drug product candidate in oncology is CAR-NKG2D, an autologous chimeric antigen receptor, or CAR, an artificial, lab engineered receptor, which is used to graft a given protein onto an immune cell, T lymphocyte, or CAR T-cell, therapy. We are currently enrolling patients with refractory or relapsed acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, or multiple myeloma, or MM, in a Phase 1 clinical trial of CAR-NKG2D in the United States. Interim data from this trial is expected to be reported at various times during the trial, with the full data readout expected in the middle of 2016.

All of our current drug product candidates are autologous cell therapy treatments. In autologous procedures, a patient’s cells are harvested, selected, reprogrammed and expanded, and then infused back into the same patient. A benefit of autologous therapies is that autologous cells are not recognized as foreign by patients’ immune systems. We believe that we are well situated to effectively advance autologous cell therapy treatments for cancer and other indications as a result of the expertise and know-how that we have acquired through our development of C-Cure.

 

 

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OUR PRODUCT CANDIDATE PIPELINE

LOGO

C-CURE FOR ISCHEMIC HEART FAILURE

Cardiovascular diseases, which are diseases of the heart and blood vessels, are the largest cause of mortality in the world and, in 2012, approximately 31% of all global deaths were attributable to cardiovascular diseases according to the World Health Organization. If left untreated, cardiac diseases can lead to HF, a condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s metabolic needs. HF affects 1% to 2% of the adult population in developed countries and approximately 5.7 million patients were diagnosed with HF in the United States in 2012, according to the American Heart Association. HF can either be of ischemic origin, linked to impairment of blood flow to the heart muscle, or non-ischemic origin, linked to other causes such as hypertension and metabolic disorders. In the Bromley heart failure study, 52% of the patients had HF of ischemic origin. Other studies have reported lower rates of ischemic HF, but such differences can be explained by differences in study population, definitions and timing of when the study was completed. The long-term prognosis associated with HF is dire, with approximately 50% mortality at five years following initial diagnosis according to a 2014 report from the American Heart Association. HF is classified according to the severity of the symptoms experienced by the patient. The classification most commonly used in the New York Heart Association, or NYHA, classification, where patients are classified from Class I, where there is no limitation on a patient’s physical activity to Class IV, where the patient is unable to carry on any physical activity without discomfort. Although existing therapies have been somewhat effective in the treatment of HF, there is still great unmet medical need. In particular, in the case of ischemic HF, which is caused by insufficient oxygen to the heart, current treatments fail to address the decrease in the number of functional myocytes, or heart cells, in the heart that result from this lack of oxygen.

Our lead drug product candidate, C-Cure, is an autologous cell therapy that we believe has the potential to treat patients with NYHA, Classes II, III and IV ischemic HF. To guide cardiac tissue formation, our C-Cure therapy reprograms multipotent stem cells harvested from a patient into cardiopoietic cells, cells that can become myocytes, using naturally occurring cytokines, small proteins that play an important role in cell

 

 

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signaling, and growth factors that mimic the signaling that occurs in embryonic heart tissue development. Based on pre-clinical studies, we have identified both direct and indirect modes of action for C-Cure. The direct mode may replace non-functioning myocytes. In the indirect modes, factors secreted by the cardiopoietic cells may cause patients’ resident stem cells to begin pooling, regenerating and differentiating into cardiac cells, with the resulting favorable environment inducing the non-functioning myocytes to regain function. We have developed C-Cure predominantly based on technology that we licensed from the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, or the Mayo Clinic. To assist in the reinjection of cardiopoietic cells, we have also developed C-Cath ez , which we believe will achieve a higher retention rate of cells in the heart relative to the commercial catheter we used in our prior clinical trial.

In the C-Cure process, stem cells are collected from an ischemic HF patient through bone marrow aspiration during an outpatient procedure. The stem cells are then harvested, selected, expanded and differentiated into cardiopoietic cells at our manufacturing facility, yielding a homogeneous and pure cardiopoietic cell population. The cardiopoietic cells are then re-injected into the heart of the ischemic HF patient with our C-Cath ez cell injection catheter.

Phase 2 Clinical Trial

The first human clinical Phase 2 trial for C-Cure was completed in 2012. A total of 45 ischemic HF patients were enrolled in this trial, with the primary endpoint being the safety and feasibility of C-Cure. Positive outcomes were observed in this trial. Patients treated with C-Cure showed a 25% relative improvement of median left ventricular ejection fraction, or LVEF, which is the percentage of blood that is pumped out of the heart at each beat, at six months versus baseline, whereas untreated patients showed a relative improvement of 0.7% versus baseline. Patients treated with C-Cure also demonstrated an improved exercise capacity as measured by the six minutes walking distance test, or six minutes WDT, which measures the distance a patient can walk in a six minute period. The C-Cure treatment group’s walking distance improved by 77 meters compared to the control group.

Phase 3 Clinical Program

We are pursuing clinical development of C-Cure through a comprehensive Phase 3 program comprised of two Phase 3 clinical trials, CHART-1 and CHART-2.

CHART-1

CHART-1 is being conducted in the Europe and Israel and was first authorized in November 2012. CHART-1 is a 240 patient prospective controlled randomized double-blinded trial, including NYHA Class III and IV ischemic HF patients, with each patient having a 50% chance of being assigned to the C-Cure treatment group or the control group. The primary endpoint of this trial is an improvement in the composite hierarchical endpoint comprised of mortality, morbidity, quality of life, six minutes WDT, left ventricular end systolic volume and LVEF. Each patient in the C-Cure treatment group will be compared to each patient in the control group and a comprehensive score will be derived to compare one group against the other.

As of the date of this prospectus, we have completed enrollment of all patients in this trial at over 30 trial sites in Europe and Israel. On March 30, 2015, we announced that DSMB reviewed unblinded safety data from CHART-1 and determined that there was no evidence of obvious differences in safety profiles of patients in the two arms of the trial, which means that the data did not support discontinuation of the trial on the basis of safety. The full data readout from this trial is expected in the middle of 2016.

CHART-2

CHART-2 is expected to be conducted in the United States and Europe. CHART-2 is a 240 patient prospective controlled randomized double-blinded trial, including NYHA Class III and IV ischemic HF

 

 

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patients, with each patient having a 50% chance of being assigned to the C-Cure treatment group or the control group. Our Investigational New Drug Application, or IND, for the use of C-Cure in CHART-2 was initially submitted to the FDA in January 2012. This IND became effective in December 2013 for administration of the cells with Myostar, a catheter used for the injection of therapeutic agents into the heart, and manufactured by Biologics Delivery Systems Group, Cordis Corporation, a Johnson & Johnson company. Prior to initiating the trial, in September 2014, we filed an amendment to the IND requesting among other changes to the initial submission, the use of our proprietary cell injection catheter called C-Cath ez . In January 2015, the FDA issued a clinical hold on CHART-2. Most of the clinical hold questions request clarifications on the design dossier of C-Cath ez , while the remaining questions relate to providing updated safety information on CHART-1, defining CHART-2 stopping rules, and a request to measure troponin, a cardiac marker of injury, at day 30 post baseline procedure. We anticipate responding to the clinical hold questions in the third quarter of 2015 once all safety data from CHART-1 is available, and pending the FDA’s lifting of the clinical hold, initiating CHART-2 during the second half of 2015.

CAR T-CELL THERAPY FOR ONCOLOGY

Our approach to CAR T-cell therapy has the potential to treat a wider range of cancers than other CAR T-cell therapies that target the CD19 antigen, or CD19 CAR Therapy. Our lead CAR T-cell drug product candidate is CAR-NKG2D, which has shown promising data in pre-clinical solid and blood cancer models, including for the treatment of lymphoma, ovarian cancer and myeloma. CAR-NKG2D is constructed using the native sequence of non-engineered natural killer, or NK, cell receptors that target ligands present in numerous cancer cells. Ligands are substances bound together to form a larger complex, such as an antigen bound to other molecules. Accordingly, our technology has the potential to attack and kill a broad range of solid and blood cancers, while CD19 CAR Therapy is typically only effective in treating B lymphocyte, or B-cell, malignancies.

In pre-clinical studies, treatment with CAR-NKG2D significantly increased survival. In some studies, 100% of treated mice survived through the follow-up period of the applicable study, which in one study was 325 days. All untreated mice died during the follow-up period of the applicable study. We are currently enrolling patients with certain types of AML or MM in a Phase1 clinical trial to test the safety and feasibility of single-dose intravenous administration of CAR-NKG2D without prior lymphodepletion conditioning, which is the destruction of lymphocytes and T-cells, normally by radiation. This trial is being conducted at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in the United States and interim data is expected to be reported throughout the trial, with the full data readout expected in the middle of 2016. On April 20, 2015, we announced that the first patient in this trial had been treated with the first dose of CAR-NKG2D, and that no short term adverse events were observed in this patient. A pre-defined, staggered enrollment of two additional patients at the same dose level is expected to occur after an additional 30-day safety assessment of the first treated patient. We obtained access to our CAR T-cell drug product candidates and related technology, including technology licensed from the Trustees of Dartmouth College, or Dartmouth College, in January 2015, through our purchase of OnCyte, LLC, or OnCyte, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Celdara Medical, LLC, a privately-held U.S. biotechnology company.

OUR STRATEGY

Our goal is to be a leader in engineered cell therapy treatments, initially focused on cardiovascular disease and oncology. The key elements of our strategy are as follows:

 

Ø   Complete our Phase 3 clinical program for C-Cure and thereafter file marketing applications for, and begin commercialization of, C-Cure for patients with ischemic HF;

 

Ø   Rapidly advance CAR-NKG2D through clinical development and into commercialization for the treatment of AML and MM;

 

 

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Ø   Leverage our expertise and knowledge of engineered cell therapies to expand our CAR T-cell therapy drug product candidate pipeline;

 

Ø   Develop our allogeneic CAR T-cell technology; and

 

Ø   Select, develop and advance cell therapies in additional therapeutic areas with high unmet need.

RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH OUR BUSINESS

Investing in the ADSs or the ordinary shares involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following risks and all other information contained in this prospectus, including our consolidated financial statements and the related notes contained elsewhere in this prospectus, before making an investment decision regarding our securities. The risks and uncertainties described below are those significant risk factors, currently known and specific to us, that we believe are relevant to an investment in our securities. If any of these risks materialize, our business, financial condition or results of operations could suffer, the price of the ADSs and the ordinary shares could decline and you could lose part or all of your investment.

 

Ø   We have incurred net losses in each period since our inception and anticipate that we will continue to incur net losses in the future.

 

Ø   We have generated only limited revenue from sales of C-Cath ez to date, and do not expect to generate material revenue until we receive regulatory approval for one of our drug product candidates.

 

Ø   We may encounter substantial delays in our clinical trials or we may fail to demonstrate safety and efficacy to the satisfaction of applicable regulatory authorities. For example, our IND for C-Cure was originally submitted to the FDA in January 2012 and is now subject to a clinical hold that prevents the initiation of CHART-2.

 

Ø   Our drug product candidates may cause undesirable side effects or have other properties that could halt their clinical development, prevent their regulatory approval, limit their commercial potential, or result in significant negative consequences.

 

Ø   Clinical development is a lengthy and expensive process with an uncertain outcome, and results of earlier studies and trials as well as data from any interim analysis of ongoing clinical trials may not be predictive of future trial results. Clinical failure can occur at any stage of clinical development.

 

Ø   Cell-based therapies rely on the availability of specialty raw materials, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all.

 

Ø   We depend on intellectual property licensed from third parties and termination of any of these licenses could result in the loss of significant rights, which would harm our business.

 

Ø   There has been no prior active market for the ADSs and an active and liquid market for the ADSs may fail to develop, which could harm the market price of the ADSs.

 

Ø   Our future results will suffer if we do not effectively manage our expanded operations as a result of our recent acquisition of OnCyte.

 

Ø   We believe that we were a passive foreign investment company for our 2014 taxable year, and expect that we may be a passive foreign investment company in other future taxable years. U.S. holders of the ADSs may suffer adverse tax consequences if we are characterized as a passive foreign investment company.

Corporate information

We are a public company listed on Euronext Brussels and Euronext Paris. We were incorporated as a limited liability company ( naamloze vennootschap / société anonyme) under the laws of Belgium on July 24, 2007 under the name Cardio3 Biosciences SA. Our corporate name was changed to Celyad SA

 

 

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on May 5, 2015. We are registered with the Register of Legal Entities (RPM Nivelles) under the enterprise number 0891.118.115. Our principal executive offices are located at Rue Edouard Belin 12, 1435 Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium, and our telephone number is +32 10 394 100. Our agent for service of process in the United States is CT Corporation System. We also maintain a website at www.celyad.com . The reference to our website is an inactive textual reference only and the information contained in, or that can be accessed through, our website is not a part of this prospectus.

We own various trademark registrations and applications, and unregistered trademarks and servicemarks, including CAR-NKG2D, C-Cure ® , C-Cath ez , Celyad and the Celyad and C-Cath ez logos. All other trademarks or trade names referred to in this prospectus are the property of their respective owners. Trade names, trademarks and service marks of other companies appearing in this prospectus are the property of their respective holders. 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. We do not intend to use or display other companies’ trademarks and trade names to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies.

Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company

We qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or 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. These provisions include:

 

Ø   not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act;

 

Ø   presenting only two years of audited financial statements in addition to any required interim financial statements and correspondingly reduced disclosure in management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations in the registration statement for our U.S. initial public offering; and

 

Ø   to the extent that we no longer qualify as a foreign private issuer, (1) reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements; and (2) exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation, including golden parachute compensation.

We may take advantage of these exemptions for up to five years or such earlier time that we are no longer an emerging growth company. We would cease to be an emerging growth company upon the earliest to occur of (1) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have more than $1.0 billion in annual revenue; (2) the date we qualify as a “large accelerated filer,” with at least $700 million of equity securities held by non-affiliates; (3) the issuance, in any three-year period, by our company of more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities held by non-affiliates; and (4) the last day of the fiscal year ending after the fifth anniversary of our U.S. initial public offering. We may choose to take advantage of some but not all of these exemptions. For example, Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can use the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, or the Securities Act, for complying with new or revised accounting standards. Given that we currently report and expect to continue to report under International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IASB, we have irrevocably elected not to avail ourselves of this extended transition period and, as a result, we will adopt new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required by the IASB. We have taken advantage of reduced reporting requirements in this prospectus.

 

 

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Accordingly, the information contained herein may be different than the information you receive from other public companies in which you hold equity securities.

Implications of Being a Foreign Private Issuer

We are also considered a “foreign private issuer.” In our capacity as a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from certain rules under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Exchange Act, as amended, that impose certain disclosure obligations and procedural requirements for proxy solicitations under Section 14 of the Exchange Act. In addition, members of our management team, directors and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and “short-swing” profit recovery provisions of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and the rules under the Exchange Act with respect to their purchases and sales of our ordinary shares or the ADSs. Moreover, we are not required to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as U.S. companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act. In addition, we are not required to comply with Regulation FD, which restricts the selective disclosure of material information.

We may take advantage of these exemptions until such time as we are no longer foreign private issuer. We would cease to be a foreign private issuer at such time as more than 50% of our outstanding voting securities are held by U.S. residents and any of the following three circumstances applies: (1) the majority of the members of our executive team or directors are U.S. citizens or residents, (2) more than 50% of our assets are located in the United States or (3) our business is administered principally in the United States.

We have taken advantage of certain reduced reporting and other requirements in this prospectus. Accordingly, the information contained herein may be different than the information you receive from other public companies in which you hold equity securities.

 

 

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The offering

 

Global offering

                 ordinary shares offered by us, consisting of ordinary shares represented by American depositary shares, or ADSs, offered in the U.S. offering and ordinary shares offered in the European private placement. The closing of each of the U.S. offering and the European private placement is conditioned upon the other. The total number of ordinary shares in the U.S. offering and European private placement is subject to reallocation between these offerings as permitted under the applicable laws and regulations.

 

U.S. offering

                 ADSs representing an equal number of ordinary shares, offered by us pursuant to this prospectus.

 

European private placement

                 ordinary shares offered by us in Europe and countries outside of the United States and Canada.

 

Ordinary shares to be outstanding after the global offering

                 ordinary shares.

 

Option to purchase additional ADSs in the U.S. offering

                 ADSs representing an equal number of ordinary shares.

 

Option to purchase additional ordinary shares in the European private placement

                 ordinary shares.

 

American Depositary Shares

Each ADS represents one ordinary share. You will have the rights of an ADS holder as provided in the deposit agreement among us, the depositary and all holders and beneficial owners of ADSs issued thereunder. To better understand the terms of the ADSs, you should carefully read the section in this prospectus titled “Description of American Depositary Shares.” We also encourage you to read the deposit agreement, which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement that includes this prospectus.

 

Depositary

Citibank, N.A.

 

Use of proceeds

We estimate that we will receive net proceeds from the global offering of approximately $     (€    ) million, assuming a public offering price of $         (€    ) per ADS in the U.S. offering and €         per ordinary share in the European private placement, the closing price of our ordinary shares on

 

 

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Euronext Brussels on                     , 2015, after deducting underwriting commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ options to purchase additional ordinary shares and ADSs. We intend to use the net proceeds we receive from the global offering to advance the development of C-Cure through Phase 3 clinical development as a treatment for ischemic HF, to advance the development of CAR-NKG2D through Phase 1 clinical development as a treatment for AML and MM, to advance additional CAR T-cell therapy drug product candidates for the treatment of additional blood cancers and solid tumors, to support our growth globally by expanding general, administrative and operational functions in our headquarters in Belgium and in the United States and for working capital and general corporate purposes. See the section of this prospectus titled “Use of proceeds.”

 

Risk Factors

You should read the “Risk factors” section of this prospectus for a discussion of factors to consider carefully before deciding to invest in the ADSs or the ordinary shares.

 

Proposed NASDAQ Global Market symbol

“CYAD”

 

Euronext Brussels and Euronext Paris trading symbol

“CYAD”

The number of ordinary shares to be outstanding after the global offering is based on 7,040,387 of our ordinary shares outstanding as of December 31, 2014, and excludes:

 

Ø   296,930 ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of warrants outstanding as of December 31, 2014 pursuant to our warrant plans, at a weighted-average exercise price of €9.57 per share;

 

Ø   93,087 ordinary shares issued to Celdara on January 21, 2015, as part of the upfront payment for the acquisition of OnCyte;

 

Ø   333 ordinary shares issued on February 7, 2015 upon exercise of warrants; and

 

Ø   713,380 ordinary shares issued on March 3, 2015 in a private placement.

Except as otherwise noted, all information in this prospectus assumes:

 

Ø   no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional ADSs and ordinary shares;

 

Ø   no issuances of ordinary shares after December 31, 2014; and

 

Ø   no issuance or exercise of warrants after December 31, 2014.

 

 

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Summary financial data

The following tables summarize our historical consolidated financial data. We derived the summary consolidated statement of comprehensive loss data and consolidated statement of financial position data for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2014 from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. Our audited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards, or IFRS, as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IASB. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected in the future. You should read these data together with our consolidated financial statements and related notes beginning on page F-1, as well as the sections of this prospectus titled “Selected historical consolidated financial data,” “Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations” and “Currency exchange rates” and the other financial information included elsewhere in this prospectus.

The restatement of our previously issued consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2013 relates to errors in our accounting for convertible debentures and for certain share-based payments. For additional information regarding the restatement, see Note 2.36 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

(€’000)    For the year ended December 31,  
                         2014                             2013  
             (as restated)  

Consolidated statement of comprehensive loss

    

Revenue

     146        —     

Cost of sales

     (115     —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross Profit

  31      —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Research and development expenses

  (15,865   (9,046

General and administrative expenses

  (5,016   (3,972

Other operating income

  4,413      64   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating Loss

  (16,437   (12,954

Financial income

  277      60   

Financial expenses

  (41   (1,595

Share of loss of investments accounted for using the equity method

  (252   —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss for the year

  (16,453   (14,489
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Basic and diluted loss per share (1)

  (2.44   (3.53
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Number of shares used for computing basic and diluted loss for the year (2)

  6,750,383      4,099,216   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(1)     Basic and diluted net loss per share are the same in these periods because outstanding warrants would be anti-dilutive due to our net loss in these periods.
(2)   Weighted-average number of shares for the period then ended.

 

 

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(€’000)    For the year ended December 31,  
                         2014                         2013  
             (as restated)  

Consolidated statement of financial position

    

Intangible assets

     10,266        9,400   

Short term investment

     2,671        3,000   

Cash and cash equivalents

     27,633        19,058   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total assets

  43,976      32,386   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Share capital and share premium

  77,917      52,612   

Other reserves

  19,982      18,894   

Retained loss

  (71,215   (54,608
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total shareholders’ equity

  26,684      16,898   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Non-current advances repayable

  10,778      12,072   

Total current liabilities

  6,053      3,389   

Total liabilities

  17,292      15,488   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total equity and liabilities

  43,976      32,386   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

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Risk factors

Investing in the ADSs or ordinary shares involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following risks and all other information contained in this prospectus, including our consolidated financial statements and the related notes contained elsewhere in this prospectus, before making an investment decision regarding our securities. The risks and uncertainties described below are those significant risk factors, currently known and specific to us, that we believe are relevant to an investment in our securities. If any of these risks materialize, our business, financial condition or results of operations could suffer, the price of the ADSs or ordinary shares could decline and you could lose part or all of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Need for Additional Capital

We have incurred losses in each period since our inception and anticipate that we will continue to incur losses in the future.

We are not profitable and have incurred losses in each period since our inception. For the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, we incurred a loss for the year of €16.5 million and €14.5 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2014, we had a retained loss of €71.2 million. We expect these losses to increase as we continue to incur significant research and development and other expenses related to our ongoing operations, continue to advance our drug product candidates through pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, seek regulatory approvals for our drug product candidates, scale-up manufacturing capabilities and hire additional personnel to support the development of our drug product candidates and to enhance our operational, financial and information management systems.

Even if we succeed in commercializing one or more of our drug product candidates, we will continue to incur losses for the foreseeable future relating to our substantial research and development expenditures to develop our technologies. We anticipate that our expenses will increase substantially if and as we:

 

Ø   continue our research, pre-clinical and clinical development of our drug product candidates;

 

Ø   expand the scope of therapeutic indications of our current clinical trials for our drug product candidates;

 

Ø   initiate additional pre-clinical studies or additional clinical trials of existing drug product candidates or new drug product candidates;

 

Ø   further develop the manufacturing processes for our drug product candidates;

 

Ø   seek regulatory and marketing approvals for our drug product candidates that successfully complete clinical trials;

 

Ø   establish a sales, marketing and distribution infrastructure to commercialize any products for which we may obtain marketing approval, in the European Union and the United States;

 

Ø   make milestone or other payments under any in-license agreements;

 

Ø   maintain, protect and expand our intellectual property portfolio; and

 

Ø   create additional infrastructure to support our operations as a U.S. public company.

We may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other unknown factors that may adversely affect our business. The size of our future losses will depend, in part, on the rate of future growth of our expenses and our ability to generate revenue.

Our prior losses and expected future losses have had and will continue to have an adverse effect on our shareholders’ equity and working capital. Further, the losses we incur may fluctuate significantly from

 

 

 

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quarter to quarter and year to year, such that a period to period comparison of our results of operations may not be a good indication of our future performance.

We have generated only limited revenue from sales of C-Cath ez to date, and do not expect to generate material revenue until we receive regulatory approval for one of our drug product candidates.

We have generated only limited revenue from sales of C-Cath ez , our proprietary catheter for injecting cells into the heart, to research laboratories and clinical stage companies. We expect that revenue from sales of C-Cath ez will remain insignificant as we sell C-Cath ez only to research laboratories and clinical stage companies. We have no drug products approved for commercial sale, have not generated any revenue from drug product sales, and do not anticipate generating any revenue from drug product sales until after we have received regulatory approval, if at all, for the commercial sale of a drug product candidate. As of the date of this prospectus, C-Cure, our lead drug product candidate in cardiovascular disease, is in Phase 3 clinical development for the treatment of ischemic heart failure, or HF, while CAR-NKG2D, our lead drug product candidate in oncology, is in Phase 1 clinical development for the treatment of refractory or relapsed acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, and multiple myeloma, or MM. Our ability to generate revenue and achieve profitability depends significantly on our success in many factors, including:

 

Ø   completing research regarding, and pre-clinical and clinical development of, our drug product candidates;

 

Ø   pursuing regulatory approvals and marketing authorizations for drug product candidates for which we complete clinical trials;

 

Ø   developing a sustainable and scalable commercial-scale manufacturing process for our drug product candidates, including establishing our own manufacturing capabilities and infrastructure or establishing and maintaining commercially viable supply relationships with third parties;

 

Ø   launching and commercializing drug product candidates for which we obtain regulatory approvals and marketing authorizations, either directly or with a collaborator or distributor;

 

Ø   obtaining market acceptance of our drug product candidates as viable treatment options;

 

Ø   addressing any competing technological and market developments;

 

Ø   identifying, assessing, acquiring and/or developing new drug product candidates;

 

Ø   negotiating favorable terms in any collaboration, licensing, or other arrangements into which we may enter;

 

Ø   maintaining, protecting, and expanding our portfolio of intellectual property rights, including patents, trade secrets, and know-how; and

 

Ø   attracting, hiring, and retaining qualified personnel.

Even if one or more of the drug product candidates that we develop is approved for commercial sale, we anticipate incurring significant costs associated with commercializing any approved drug product candidate. Our expenses could increase beyond expectations if we are required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or the FDA, European Medicines Agency, or EMA, or other applicable regulatory agencies, to change our manufacturing processes or assays, or to perform clinical, pre-clinical, or other types of studies in addition to those that we currently anticipate. If we are successful in obtaining regulatory approvals to market one or more of our drug product candidates, our revenue will be dependent, in part, upon the size of the markets in the territories for which we gain regulatory approval, the accepted price for the drug product, the ability to get coverage and adequate reimbursement, and whether we own the commercial rights for that territory. If the number of our addressable disease

 

 

 

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patients is not as significant as we estimate, the indication approved by regulatory authorities is narrower than we expect, or the reasonably accepted population for treatment is narrowed by competition, physician choice or treatment guidelines, we may not generate significant revenue from sales of such products, even if approved. If we are not able to generate revenue from the sale of any approved drug products, we may never become profitable.

If we fail to obtain additional financing, we will be unable to complete the development and commercialization of our drug product candidates.

Our operations have required substantial amounts of cash since inception. We expect to continue to spend substantial amounts to continue the clinical development of our drug product candidates, including our ongoing and planned clinical trials for C-Cure, CAR-NKG2D and any of our future drug product candidates. If approved, we will require significant additional amounts in order to launch and commercialize our drug product candidates.

As of December 31, 2014, we had €27.6 million in cash and €2.7 million in short term investments. In March 2015, we raised an additional €31.7 million though a private placement. We estimate that our net proceeds from the global offering will be approximately $         million (€         million), assuming a public offering price of $         (€        ) per ADS in the U.S. offering and €         per ordinary share in the European private placement, the last reported sale price of our ordinary shares on Euronext Brussels on                 , 2015, after deducting the underwriting commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. We expect to use the net proceeds from the global offering to advance the development of C-Cure through Phase 3 clinical development as a treatment for ischemic HF, to advance the development of CAR-NKG2D through Phase 1 clinical development as a treatment for AML and MM, to advance additional CAR T-cell therapy drug product candidates for the treatment of additional blood cancers and solid tumors, to support our growth globally by expanding general, administrative and operational functions in our headquarters in Belgium and in the United States, and the remainder for working capital and other general corporate purposes.

We believe that such proceeds, together with our existing cash, will be sufficient to fund our operations until at least the end of 2017. However, changing circumstances may cause us to increase our spending significantly faster than we currently anticipate, and we may need to spend more money than currently expected because of circumstances beyond our control. We may require additional capital for the further development and commercialization of our drug product candidates and may need to raise additional funds sooner if we choose to expand more rapidly than we presently anticipate.

We cannot be certain that additional funding will be available on acceptable terms, or at all. We have no committed source of additional capital and if we are unable to raise additional capital in sufficient amounts or on terms acceptable to us, we may have to significantly delay, scale back or discontinue the development or commercialization of our drug product candidates or other research and development initiatives. Our licenses may also be terminated if we are unable to meet the payment obligations under the agreements. We could be required to seek collaborators for our drug product candidates at an earlier stage than otherwise would be desirable or on terms that are less favorable than might otherwise be available or relinquish or license on unfavorable terms our rights to our drug product candidates in markets where we otherwise would seek to pursue development or commercialization ourselves. Any these events could significantly harm our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations and cause the price of our American Depositary Shares, or ADSs, or ordinary shares to decline.

 

 

 

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Risk factors

 

 

Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our existing shareholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our drug product candidates or technologies.

We may seek additional funding through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations and/or licensing arrangements. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, your ownership interest will be diluted, and the terms may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect your rights as a holder of the ADSs or the ordinary shares. The incurrence of indebtedness and/or the issuance of certain equity securities could result in increased fixed payment obligations and could also result in certain additional restrictive covenants, such as limitations on our ability to incur additional debt and/or issue additional equity, limitations on our ability to acquire or license intellectual property rights and other operating restrictions that could adversely impact our ability to conduct our business. In addition, issuance of additional equity securities, or the possibility of such issuance, may cause the market price of the ADSs or the ordinary shares to decline. In the event that we enter into collaborations and/or licensing arrangements in order to raise capital, we may be required to accept unfavorable terms, including relinquishing or licensing to a third party on unfavorable terms our rights to technologies or drug product candidates that we otherwise would seek to develop or commercialize ourselves or potentially reserve for future potential arrangements when we might be able to achieve more favorable terms.

Risks Related to Product Development, Regulatory Approval and Commercialization

We may encounter substantial delays in our clinical trials or we may fail to demonstrate safety and efficacy to the satisfaction of applicable regulatory authorities.

Before obtaining regulatory approval or marketing authorization from regulatory authorities for the sale of our drug product candidates, if at all, we must conduct extensive clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the drug product candidates in humans. Clinical testing is expensive, time-consuming and uncertain as to outcome. We cannot guarantee that any clinical trials will be conducted as planned or completed on schedule, if at all. A failure of one or more clinical trials can occur at any stage of testing. Events that may prevent successful or timely completion of clinical development include:

 

Ø   delays in raising, or inability to raise, sufficient capital to fund the planned clinical trials;

 

Ø   delays in reaching a consensus with regulatory agencies on trial design;

 

Ø   identifying, recruiting and training suitable clinical investigators;

 

Ø   delays in reaching agreement on acceptable terms with prospective clinical research organizations, or CROs, and clinical trial sites;

 

Ø   delays in obtaining required Investigational Review Board, or IRB, approval at each clinical trial site;

 

Ø   delays in recruiting suitable patients to participate in our clinical trials;

 

Ø   delays due to changing standard of care for the diseases we are studying;

 

Ø   adding new clinical trial sites;

 

Ø   imposition of a clinical hold by regulatory agencies, after an inspection of our clinical trial operations or trial sites;

 

Ø   failure by our CROs, other third parties or us to adhere to clinical trial requirements;

 

Ø   catastrophic loss of drug product candidates due to shipping delays or delays in customs in connection with delivery to foreign countries for use in clinical trials;

 

 

 

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Risk factors

 

 

 

Ø   failure to perform in accordance with the FDA’s good clinical practices, or GCPs, or applicable regulatory guidelines in other countries;

 

Ø   delays in the testing, validation, manufacturing and delivery of our drug product candidates to the clinical sites;

 

Ø   delays in having patients complete participation in a trial or return for post-treatment follow-up;

 

Ø   clinical trial sites or patients dropping out of a trial;

 

Ø   occurrence of serious adverse events associated with the drug product candidate that are viewed to outweigh its potential benefits; or

 

Ø   changes in regulatory requirements and guidance that require amending or submitting new clinical protocols.

For example, our Investigational New Drug Application, or IND, for the use of C-Cure in our planned Phase 3 clinical trial of C-Cure for the treatment of ischemic HF in the United States and Europe, or CHART-2, was initially submitted to the FDA in January 2012. This IND became effective in December 2013 for administration of the cells with Myostar, a Biologics catheter used for the injection of therapeutic agents into the heart, and manufactured by Biologics Delivery Systems Group, Cordis Corporation, a Johnson & Johnson company. Prior to initiating the trial, in August 2014, we filed an amendment to the IND requesting among other changes to the initial submission, the use of our proprietary cell injection catheter called C-Cath ez . In January 2015, the FDA issued a clinical hold on CHART-2. Most of the clinical hold questions request clarifications on the design dossier of C-Cath ez , while the remaining questions relate to providing updated safety information on CHART-1, defining CHART-2 stopping rules, and a request to measure troponin, a cardiac marker of injury, at day 30 post baseline procedure. We anticipate responding to the clinical hold questions in the third quarter of 2015 once all safety data from CHART-1 is available, and pending the FDA ’s lifting of the clinical hold, initiating CHART-2 during the second half of 2015. However, we cannot be certain that FDA will accept our response and lift the clinical hold.

Any inability to successfully complete pre-clinical and clinical development could result in additional costs to us or impair our ability to generate revenues from product sales, regulatory and commercialization milestones and royalties. Clinical trial delays could also shorten any periods during which we may have the exclusive right to commercialize our drug product candidates or allow our competitors to bring products to market before we do, which could impair our ability to successfully commercialize our drug product candidates and may harm our business and results of operations.

If the results of our clinical trials are inconclusive or if there are safety concerns or adverse events associated with our drug product candidates, we may:

 

Ø   be delayed in obtaining marketing approval for our drug product candidates, if at all;

 

Ø   obtain approval for indications or patient populations that are not as broad as intended or desired;

 

Ø   obtain approval with labeling that includes significant use or distribution restrictions or safety warnings;

 

Ø   be subject to changes in the way the product is administered;

 

Ø   be required to perform additional clinical trials to support approval or be subject to additional post-marketing testing requirements;

 

Ø   have regulatory authorities withdraw their approval of the product or impose restrictions on its distribution in the form of a risk evaluation and mitigations strategy, or REMS, plan;

 

Ø   be subject to the addition of labeling statements, such as warnings or contraindications;

 

Ø   be sued; or

 

Ø   experience damage to our reputation.

 

 

 

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Our drug product candidates could potentially cause other adverse events that have not yet been predicted. As described above, any of these events could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of our drug product candidates and impair our ability to commercialize our products if they are ultimately approved by applicable regulatory authorities.

Our drug product candidates may cause undesirable side effects or have other properties that could halt their clinical development, prevent their regulatory approval, limit their commercial potential, or result in significant negative consequences.

As with most biological drug products, use of our drug product candidates could be associated with side effects or adverse events which can vary in severity from minor reactions to death and in frequency from infrequent to prevalent. Undesirable side effects or unacceptable toxicities caused by our drug product candidates could cause us or regulatory authorities to interrupt, delay, or halt clinical trials. The FDA, EMA, or comparable foreign regulatory authorities could delay or deny approval of our drug product candidates for any or all targeted indications and negative side effects could result in a more restrictive label for any product that is approved. Side effects such as toxicity or other safety issues associated with the use of our drug product candidates could also require us or our collaborators to perform additional studies or halt development or sale of these drug product candidates.

Treatment-related side effects could also affect patient recruitment or the ability of enrolled subjects to complete the trial, or could result in potential product liability claims. In addition, these side effects may not be appropriately or timely recognized or managed by the treating medical staff. Any of these occurrences may materially and adversely harm our business, financial condition and prospects.

Additionally, if one or more of our drug product candidates receives marketing approval, and we or others later identify undesirable side effects caused by such products, including during any long-term follow-up observation period recommended or required for patients who receive treatment using our products, a number of potentially significant negative consequences could result, including:

 

Ø   regulatory authorities may withdraw approvals of such product;

 

Ø   regulatory authorities may require additional warnings on the label;

 

Ø   we may be required to create a REMS plan which could include a medication guide outlining the risks of such side effects for distribution to patients, a communication plan for healthcare providers, and/or other elements to assure safe use;

 

Ø   we could be sued and held liable for harm caused to patients; and

 

Ø   our reputation may suffer.

Any of the foregoing could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of the particular drug product candidate, if approved, and could significantly harm our business, results of operations, and prospects.

If we encounter difficulties enrolling patients in our clinical trials, our clinical development activities could be delayed or otherwise adversely affected.

The timely completion of clinical trials in accordance with their protocols depends, among other things, on our ability to enroll a sufficient number of patients who remain in the trial until its conclusion. We may experience difficulties in patient enrollment in our clinical trials for a variety of reasons, including:

 

Ø   the size and nature of the patient population;

 

Ø   the patient eligibility criteria defined in the protocol;

 

 

 

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Ø   the size of the study population required for analysis of the trial’s primary endpoints;

 

Ø   the proximity of patients to trial sites;

 

Ø   the design of the trial;

 

Ø   our ability to recruit clinical trial investigators with the appropriate competencies and experience;

 

Ø   competing clinical trials for similar therapies;

 

Ø   clinicians’ and patients’ perceptions as to the potential advantages and side effects of the drug product candidate being studied in relation to other available therapies, including any new drugs or treatments that may be approved for the indications we are investigating;

 

Ø   our ability to obtain and maintain patient consents; and

 

Ø   the risk that patients enrolled in clinical trials will not complete a clinical trial.

In addition, our clinical trials will compete with other clinical trials for drug product candidates that are in the same therapeutic areas as our drug product candidates, and this competition will reduce the number and types of patients available to us, because some patients who might have opted to enroll in our trials may instead opt to enroll in a trial being conducted by one of our competitors. Because the number of qualified clinical investigators is limited, we expect to conduct some of our clinical trials at the same clinical trial sites that some of our competitors use, which will reduce the number of patients who are available for our clinical trials at such clinical trial sites. Moreover, because our drug product candidates represent a departure from more commonly used methods for ischemic HF and cancer treatment, potential patients and their doctors may be inclined to use conventional therapies, rather than enroll patients in our clinical trials.

Even if we are able to enroll a sufficient number of patients in our clinical trials, delays in patient enrollment may result in increased costs or may affect the timing or outcome of our clinical trials, which could prevent completion of these trials and adversely affect our ability to advance the development of our drug product candidates.

Clinical development is a lengthy and expensive process with an uncertain outcome, and results of earlier studies and trials as well as data from any interim analysis of ongoing clinical trials may not be predictive of future trial results. Clinical failure can occur at any stage of clinical development.

Clinical testing is expensive and can take many years to complete, and its outcome is inherently uncertain. Failure can occur at any time during the clinical trial process. Although drug product candidates may demonstrate promising results in early clinical (human) trials and pre-clinical (animal) studies, they may not prove to be effective in subsequent clinical trials. For example, testing on animals may occur under different conditions than testing in humans and therefore the results of animal studies may not accurately predict human experience. Likewise, early clinical trials may not be predictive of eventual safety or effectiveness results in larger-scale pivotal clinical trials. The results of pre-clinical studies and previous clinical trials as well as data from any interim analysis of ongoing clinical trials of our drug product candidates, as well as studies and trials of other products with similar mechanisms of action to our drug product candidates, may not be predictive of the results of ongoing or future clinical trials. For example, the positive results generated in our Phase 2 clinical trial of C-Cure for the treatment of patients with ischemic HF do not ensure that our ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial of C-Cure for the treatment of patients with ischemic HF in Europe and Israel, or CHART-1, will demonstrate similar results or observations. Drug product candidates in later stages of clinical trials may fail to show the desired safety and efficacy traits despite having progressed through pre-clinical studies and earlier clinical trials. In addition to the safety and efficacy traits of any drug product candidate, clinical trial failures

 

 

 

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may result from a multitude of factors including flaws in trial design, dose selection, placebo effect and patient enrollment criteria. A number of companies in the pharmaceutical industry have suffered significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials due to lack of efficacy or adverse safety profiles, notwithstanding promising results in earlier trials, and it is possible that we will as well. Based upon negative or inconclusive results, we or our collaborators may decide, or regulators may require us, to conduct additional clinical trials or pre-clinical studies. In addition, data obtained from trials and studies are susceptible to varying interpretations, and regulators may not interpret our data as favorably as we do, which may delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval.

The regulatory approval processes of the FDA, EMA and other comparable regulatory authorities is lengthy, time-consuming, and inherently unpredictable, and we may experience significant delays in the clinical development and regulatory approval, if any, of our drug product candidates.

The research, testing, manufacturing, labeling, approval, selling, import, export, marketing, and distribution of drug products, including biologics, are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA, EMA and other comparable regulatory authorities. We are not permitted to market any biological drug product in the United States until we receive a Biologics License Application, or BLA, from the FDA or a marketing authorization application, or MAA, from the EMA. We have not previously submitted a BLA to the FDA, MAA to the EMA, or similar approval filings to comparable foreign authorities. A BLA must include extensive pre-clinical and clinical data and supporting information to establish that the drug product candidate is safe, pure, and potent for each desired indication. The BLA must also include significant information regarding the chemistry, manufacturing, and controls for the product, and the manufacturing facilities must complete a successful pre-license inspection. We expect the nature of our drug product candidates to create further challenges in obtaining regulatory approval. For example, the FDA and EMA have limited experience with commercial development of genetically modified T-cell therapies for cancer. The FDA may also require a panel of experts, referred to as an Advisory Committee, to deliberate on the adequacy of the safety and efficacy data to support licensure. The opinion of the Advisory Committee, although not binding, may have a significant impact on our ability to obtain licensure of the drug product candidates based on the completed clinical trials. Accordingly, the regulatory approval pathway for our drug product candidates may be uncertain, complex, expensive, and lengthy, and approval may not be obtained.

Obtaining and maintaining regulatory approval of our drug product candidates in one jurisdiction does not mean that we will be successful in obtaining regulatory approval of our drug product candidates in other jurisdictions.

If we obtain and maintain regulatory approval of our drug product candidates in one jurisdiction, such approval does not guarantee that we will be able to obtain or maintain regulatory approval in any other jurisdiction, but a failure or delay in obtaining regulatory approval in one jurisdiction may have a negative effect on the regulatory approval process in others. For example, even if the FDA grants marketing approval of a drug product candidate, comparable regulatory authorities in foreign jurisdictions must also approve the manufacturing, marketing and promotion of the drug product candidate in those countries. Approval procedures vary among jurisdictions and can involve requirements and administrative review periods different from those in the United States, including additional pre-clinical studies or clinical trials as clinical trials conducted in one jurisdiction may not be accepted by regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions. In many jurisdictions outside the United States, a drug product candidate must be approved for reimbursement before it can be approved for sale in that jurisdiction. In some cases, the price that we intend to charge for our products is also subject to approval.

 

 

 

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Obtaining foreign regulatory approvals and compliance with foreign regulatory requirements could result in significant delays, difficulties and costs for us and could delay or prevent the introduction of our products in certain countries. If we fail to comply with the regulatory requirements in international markets and/or to receive applicable marketing approvals, our target market will be reduced and our ability to realize the full market potential of our drug product candidates will be harmed.

A Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the FDA for our drug product candidates may not lead to a faster development or regulatory review or approval process, and it does not increase the likelihood that our drug product candidates will receive marketing approval.

We may seek a Breakthrough Therapy Designation for some of our drug product candidates. A breakthrough therapy is defined as a product that is intended, alone or in combination with one or more other products, to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition, and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the product may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development. For drug product candidates that have been designated as breakthrough therapies, interaction and communication between the FDA and the sponsor of the trial can help to identify the most efficient path for clinical development while minimizing the number of patients placed in ineffective control regimens. Drug product candidates designated as breakthrough therapies by the FDA are also eligible for accelerated approval.

Designation as a breakthrough therapy is within the discretion of the FDA. Accordingly, even if we believe one of our drug product candidates meets the criteria for designation as a breakthrough therapy, the FDA may disagree and instead determine not to make such designation. In any event, the receipt of a Breakthrough Therapy Designation for a drug product candidate may not result in a faster development process, review or approval compared to drugs considered for approval under conventional FDA procedures and does not assure ultimate approval by the FDA. In addition, even if one or more of our drug product candidates qualify as breakthrough therapies, the FDA may later decide that the drug product candidates no longer meet the conditions for qualification.

A Fast Track Designation by the FDA may not actually lead to a faster development or regulatory review or approval process.

We may seek Fast Track Designation for some of our drug product candidates. If a product is intended for the treatment of a serious or life-threatening condition and the product demonstrates the potential to address unmet medical needs for this condition, the product sponsor may apply for Fast Track Designation. The FDA has broad discretion whether or not to grant this designation, so even if we believe a particular drug product candidate is eligible for this designation, we cannot assure you that the FDA would decide to grant it. Even if we do receive Fast Track Designation, we may not experience a faster development process, review or approval compared to conventional FDA procedures. The FDA may withdraw Fast Track Designation if it believes that the designation is no longer supported by data from our clinical development program.

We may seek Orphan Drug Designation for some of our drug product candidates, and we may be unsuccessful or may be unable to maintain the benefits associated with Orphan Drug Designation, including the potential for market exclusivity.

As part of our business strategy, we may seek Orphan Drug Designation for some of our drug product candidates, and we may be unsuccessful. Regulatory authorities in some jurisdictions, including the United States and the European Union, may designate products for relatively small patient populations as orphan drugs. Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may designate a product as an orphan drug if it is a

 

 

 

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product intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is generally defined as a patient population of fewer than 200,000 individuals annually in the United States, or a patient population greater than 200,000 in the United States where there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing the product will be recovered from sales in the United States. In the United States, Orphan Drug Designation entitles a party to financial incentives such as opportunities for grant funding towards clinical trial costs, tax advantages and user-fee waivers.

Similarly, in the European Union, the EMA’s Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products grants Orphan Drug Designation to promote the development of products that are intended for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of life-threatening or chronically debilitating conditions affecting not more than five in 10,000 persons in the European Union and for which no satisfactory method of diagnosis, prevention, or treatment has been authorized (or the product would be a significant benefit to those affected). Additionally, designation is granted for products intended for the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of a life-threatening, seriously debilitating or serious and chronic condition and when, without incentives, it is unlikely that sales of the product in the European Union would be sufficient to justify the necessary investment in developing the product. In the European Union, Orphan Drug Designation entitles a party to financial incentives such as reduction of fees or fee waivers.

Generally, if a drug product candidate with an Orphan Drug Designation subsequently receives the first marketing approval for the indication for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to a period of marketing exclusivity, which precludes the EMA or the FDA from approving another marketing application for the same product and indication for that time period, except in limited circumstances. The applicable period is seven years in the United States and ten years in Europe. The European exclusivity period can be reduced to six years if a product no longer meets the criteria for Orphan Drug Designation or if the drug is sufficiently profitable so that market exclusivity is no longer justified.

Even if we obtain orphan drug exclusivity for a product, that exclusivity may not effectively protect the product from competition because different products can be approved for the same condition or the same products can be approved for different conditions. If one of our drug product candidates that receives an orphan drug designation is approved for a particular indication or use within the rare disease, the FDA may later approve the same product for additional indications or uses within that rare disease that are not protected by our exclusive approval. Even after an orphan drug is approved, the FDA can subsequently approve the same product for the same condition if the FDA concludes that the later product is clinically superior in that it is shown to be safer, more effective or makes a major contribution to patient care. In addition, a designated orphan drug may not receive orphan drug exclusivity if it is approved for a use that is broader than the indication for which it received orphan designation. Moreover, orphan drug exclusive marketing rights in the United States may be lost if the FDA later determines that the request for designation was materially defective or if the manufacturer is unable to assure sufficient quantity of the product to meet the needs of patients with the rare disease or condition or if another product with the same active moiety is determined to be safer, more effective, or represents a major contribution to patient care. Orphan Drug Designation neither shortens the development time or regulatory review time of a product nor gives the product any advantage in the regulatory review or approval process. While we intend to seek Orphan Drug Designation for some of our drug product candidates, we may never receive such designations. Even if we do receive such designations, there is no guarantee that we will enjoy the benefits of those designations.

 

 

 

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Even if we receive regulatory approval of our drug product candidates, we will be subject to ongoing regulatory obligations and continued regulatory review, which may result in significant additional expense and we may be subject to penalties if we fail to comply with regulatory requirements or experience unanticipated problems with our drug product candidates.

If our drug product candidates are approved, they will be subject to ongoing regulatory requirements for manufacturing, labeling, packaging, storage, advertising, promotion, sampling, record-keeping, conduct of post-marketing studies, and submission of safety, efficacy, and other post-market information, including both federal and state requirements in the United States and requirements of comparable foreign regulatory authorities.

Manufacturers and manufacturers’ facilities are required to comply with extensive FDA, and comparable foreign regulatory authority, requirements, including ensuring that quality control and manufacturing procedures conform to current Good Manufacturing Practices, or cGMP, and in certain cases Good Tissue Practices, or cGTP, regulations. As such, we and our contract manufacturers will be subject to continual review and inspections to assess compliance, to the extent applicable, with cGMP and adherence to commitments made in any BLA, other marketing application, and previous responses to inspection observations. Accordingly, we and others with whom we work must continue to expend time, money, and effort in all areas of regulatory compliance, including manufacturing, production, and quality control.

Any regulatory approvals that we receive for our drug product candidates may be subject to limitations on the approved indicated uses for which the product may be marketed or to the conditions of approval, or contain requirements for potentially costly post-marketing testing, including Phase 4 clinical trials and surveillance to monitor the safety and efficacy of the drug product candidate. The FDA may also require a REMS program as a condition of approval of our drug product candidates, which could entail requirements for long-term patient follow-up, a medication guide, physician communication plans or additional elements to ensure safe use, such as restricted distribution methods, patient registries and other risk minimization tools. In addition, if the FDA or a comparable foreign regulatory authority approves our drug product candidates, we will have to comply with requirements including submissions of safety and other post-marketing information and reports, registration, as well as continued compliance with cGMPs and cGCPs for any clinical trials that we conduct post-approval.

The FDA may impose consent decrees or withdraw approval if compliance with regulatory requirements and standards is not maintained or if problems occur after the product reaches the market. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with our drug product candidates, including adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or with our third-party manufacturers or manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may result in revisions to the approved labeling to add new safety information; imposition of post-market studies or clinical trials to assess new safety risks; or imposition of distribution restrictions or other restrictions under a REMS program. Other potential consequences include, among other things:

 

Ø   restrictions on the marketing or manufacturing of our products, withdrawal of the product from the market, or voluntary or mandatory product recalls;

 

Ø   fines, warning letters, or holds on clinical trials;

 

Ø   refusal by the FDA to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications filed by us or suspension or revocation of license approvals;

 

Ø   product seizure or detention, or refusal to permit the import or export of our drug product candidates; and

 

Ø   injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.

 

 

 

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The FDA strictly regulates marketing, labeling, advertising, and promotion of products that are placed on the market. Products may be promoted only for the approved indications and in accordance with approved label. The FDA and other agencies actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses, and a company that is found to have improperly promoted off-label uses may be subject to significant liability. The policies of the FDA and of other regulatory authorities may change and additional government regulations may be enacted that could prevent, limit or delay regulatory approval of our drug product candidates. We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative action, either in the United States or abroad. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may lose any marketing approval that we may have obtained and we may not achieve or sustain profitability.

We will need to obtain FDA approval of any proposed product trade names, and any failure or delay associated with such approval may adversely impact our business.

Any trade name we intend to use for our drug product candidates will require approval from the FDA, regardless of whether we have secured a formal trademark registration from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO. The FDA typically conducts a review of proposed product names, including an evaluation of potential for confusion with other product names and/or medication or prescribing errors. The FDA may also object to any product name we submit if it believes the name inappropriately implies medical claims. If the FDA objects to any of our proposed product names, we may be required to adopt an alternative name for our drug product candidates. If we adopt an alternative name, we would lose the benefit of our existing trademark applications for such drug product candidate, and may be required to expend significant additional resources in an effort to identify a suitable product name that would qualify under applicable trademark laws, not infringe the existing rights of third parties and be acceptable to the FDA. We may be unable to build a successful brand identity for a new trademark in a timely manner or at all, which would limit our ability to commercialize our drug product candidates.

Even if we obtain regulatory approval of our drug product candidates, the products may not gain market acceptance among physicians, patients, hospitals and others in the medical community.

Our autologous engineered-cell therapies may not become broadly accepted by physicians, patients, hospitals, and others in the medical community. Numerous factors will influence whether our drug product candidates are accepted in the market, including:

 

Ø   the clinical indications for which our drug product candidates are approved;

 

Ø   physicians, hospitals, and patients considering our drug product candidates as a safe and effective treatment;

 

Ø   the potential and perceived advantages of our drug product candidates over alternative treatments;

 

Ø   the prevalence and severity of any side effects;

 

Ø   product labeling or product insert requirements of the FDA, EMA, or other regulatory authorities;

 

Ø   limitations or warnings contained in the labeling approved by the FDA or EMA;

 

Ø   the timing of market introduction of our drug product candidates as well as competitive products;

 

Ø   the cost of treatment in relation to alternative treatments;

 

 

 

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Ø   the availability of adequate coverage, reimbursement and pricing by third-party payors and government authorities;

 

Ø   the willingness of patients to pay out-of-pocket in the absence of coverage by third-party payors and government authorities;

 

Ø   relative convenience and ease of administration, including as compared to alternative treatments and competitive therapies; and

 

Ø   the effectiveness of our sales and marketing efforts.

In addition, although we are not utilizing embryonic stem cells in our drug product candidates, adverse publicity due to the ethical and social controversies surrounding the therapeutic use of such technologies, and reported side effects from any clinical trials using these technologies or the failure of such trials to demonstrate that these therapies are safe and effective may limit market acceptance our drug product candidates due to the perceived similarity between our drug product candidates and these other therapies. If our drug product candidates are approved but fail to achieve market acceptance among physicians, patients, hospitals, or others in the medical community, we will not be able to generate significant revenue.

Even if our products achieve market acceptance, we may not be able to maintain that market acceptance over time if new products or technologies are introduced that are more favorably received than our products, are more cost effective or render our products obsolete.

Coverage and reimbursement may be limited or unavailable in certain market segments for our drug product candidates, which could make it difficult for us to sell our drug product candidates profitably.

Successful sales of our drug product candidates, if approved, depend on the availability of adequate coverage and reimbursement from third-party payors. In addition, because our drug product candidates represent novel approaches to the treatment of ischemic HF and cancer, we cannot accurately estimate the potential revenue from our drug product candidates. Patients who are provided medical treatment for their conditions generally rely on third-party payors to reimburse all or part of the costs associated with their treatment. Adequate coverage and reimbursement from governmental healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, and commercial payors are critical to new product acceptance.

Government authorities and third-party payors, such as private health insurers and health maintenance organizations, decide which drugs and treatments they will cover and the amount of reimbursement. Coverage and reimbursement by a third-party payor may depend upon a number of factors, including the third-party payor’s determination that use of a product is:

 

Ø   a covered benefit under its health plan;

 

Ø   safe, effective and medically necessary;

 

Ø   appropriate for the specific patient;

 

Ø   cost-effective; and

 

Ø   neither experimental nor investigational.

In the United States, no uniform policy of coverage and reimbursement for products exists among third-party payors. As a result, obtaining coverage and reimbursement approval of a product from a government or other third-party payor is a time-consuming and costly process that could require us to

 

 

 

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provide to each payor supporting scientific, clinical and cost-effectiveness data for the use of our products on a payor-by-payor basis, with no assurance that coverage and adequate reimbursement will be obtained. Even if we obtain coverage for a given product, the resulting reimbursement payment rates might not be adequate for us to achieve or sustain profitability or may require co-payments that patients find unacceptably high. Additionally, third-party payors may not cover, or provide adequate reimbursement for, long-term follow-up evaluations required following the use of our products. Patients are unlikely to use our drug product candidates unless coverage is provided and reimbursement is adequate to cover a significant portion of the cost of our drug product candidates. Because our drug product candidates have a higher cost of goods than conventional therapies, and may require long-term follow up evaluations, the risk that coverage and reimbursement rates may be inadequate for us to achieve profitability may be greater.

We intend to seek approval to market our drug product candidates in the United States, European Union, and in selected other foreign jurisdictions. If we obtain approval in one or more foreign jurisdictions for our drug product candidates, we will be subject to rules and regulations in those jurisdictions. For example, in the countries of the European Union, the pricing of biologics is subject to governmental control. In these countries, pricing negotiations with governmental authorities can take considerable time after obtaining marketing approval of a drug product candidate. In addition, market acceptance and sales of our drug product candidates will depend significantly on the availability of adequate coverage and reimbursement from third-party payors for our drug product candidates and may be affected by existing and future health care reform measures.

Healthcare legislative reform measures and constraints on national budget social security systems may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Third-party payors, whether domestic or foreign, or governmental or private, are developing increasingly sophisticated methods of controlling healthcare costs. In both the United States and certain foreign jurisdictions, there have been a number of legislative and regulatory changes to the health care system that could impact our ability to sell our products profitably. In particular, in 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, or the ACA, was enacted, which, among other things, subjected biologic products to potential competition by lower-cost biosimilars, addressed a new methodology by which rebates owed by manufacturers under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program are calculated for drugs that are inhaled, infused, instilled, implanted or injected, increased the minimum Medicaid rebates owed by most manufacturers under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, extended the Medicaid Drug Rebate program to utilization of prescriptions of individuals enrolled in Medicaid managed care organizations, subjected manufacturers to new annual fees and taxes for certain branded prescription drugs, and provided incentives to programs that increase the federal government’s comparative effectiveness research. We cannot predict the full impact of the ACA on bio-pharmaceutical companies as many of the ACA reforms require the promulgation of additional detailed regulations implementing the statutory provisions which has not yet completely occurred. Further, new litigation is currently pending before the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to invalidate certain provisions of the ACA.

In addition, other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted in the United States since the ACA was enacted. In August 2011, the Budget Control Act of 2011, among other things, created measures for spending reductions by Congress. A Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, tasked with recommending a targeted deficit reduction of at least $1.2 trillion for the years 2013 through 2021, was unable to reach required goals, thereby triggering the legislation’s automatic reduction to several government programs. This includes aggregate reductions of Medicare payments to providers of 2% per

 

 

 

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fiscal year, which went into effect in April 2013, and will remain in effect through 2024 unless additional Congressional action is taken. In January 2013, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, was signed into law, which, among other things, further reduced Medicare payments to several providers, including hospitals and cancer treatment centers, and increased the statute of limitations period for the government to recover overpayments to providers from three to five years.

There have been, and likely will continue to be, legislative and regulatory proposals at the foreign, federal and state levels directed at broadening the availability of healthcare and containing or lowering the cost of healthcare. We cannot predict the initiatives that may be adopted in the future. The continuing efforts of the government, insurance companies, managed care organizations and other payors of healthcare services to contain or reduce costs of healthcare and/or impose price controls may adversely affect:

 

Ø   the demand for our drug product candidates, if we obtain regulatory approval;

 

Ø   our ability to set a price that we believe is fair for our products;

 

Ø   our ability to generate revenue and achieve or maintain profitability;

 

Ø   the level of taxes that we are required to pay; and

 

Ø   the availability of capital.

Any denial in coverage or reduction in reimbursement from Medicare or other government programs may result in a similar denial or reduction in payments from private payors, which may adversely affect our future profitability.

Our drug product candidates are biologics, which are complex to manufacture, and we may encounter difficulties in production, particularly with respect to process development or scaling-out of our manufacturing capabilities. If we or any of our third-party manufacturers encounter such difficulties, our ability to provide supply of our drug product candidates for clinical trials or our products for patients, if approved, could be delayed or stopped, or we may be unable to maintain a commercially viable cost structure.

Our drug product candidates are biologics and the process of manufacturing our products is complex, highly-regulated and subject to multiple risks. The manufacture of our drug product candidates involves complex processes, including harvesting cells from patients, selecting and expanding certain cell types, engineering or reprogramming the cells in a certain manner to create either cardiopoietic cells or CAR T-cells, expanding the cell population to obtain the desired dose, and ultimately infusing the cells back into a patient’s body. As a result of the complexities, the cost to manufacture our drug product candidates, is higher than traditional small molecule chemical compounds, and the manufacturing process is less reliable and is more difficult to reproduce. Our manufacturing process is susceptible to product loss or failure due to logistical issues associated with the collection of blood cells, or starting material, from the patient, shipping such material to the manufacturing site, shipping the final product back to the patient, and infusing the patient with the product, manufacturing issues associated with the differences in patient starting materials, interruptions in the manufacturing process, contamination, equipment or reagent failure, improper installation or operation of equipment, vendor or operator error, inconsistency in cell growth, and variability in product characteristics. Even minor deviations from normal manufacturing processes could result in reduced production yields, product defects, and other supply disruptions. For example, we were only able to produce C-Cure for 70% of the patients that we attempted to produce drug product candidate for in our Phase 2 clinical trial. If for any reason we lose a patient’s starting material or later-developed product at any point in the process, the manufacturing process for that patient will need to be restarted and the resulting delay may adversely affect that patient’s outcome. If microbial, viral, or other contaminations are discovered in our drug product candidates or in the manufacturing facilities in which

 

 

 

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our drug product candidates are made, such manufacturing facilities may need to be closed for an extended period of time to investigate and remedy the contamination. Because our drug product candidates are manufactured for each particular patient, we are required to maintain a chain of identity with respect to materials as they move from the patient to the manufacturing facility, through the manufacturing process, and back to the patient. Maintaining such a chain of identity is difficult and complex, and failure to do so could result in adverse patient outcomes, loss of product, or regulatory action including withdrawal of our products from the market. Further, as drug product candidates are developed through pre-clinical to late stage clinical trials towards approval and commercialization, it is common that various aspects of the development program, such as manufacturing methods, are altered along the way in an effort to optimize processes and results. Such changes carry the risk that they will not achieve these intended objectives, and any of these changes could cause our drug product candidates to perform differently and affect the results of ongoing clinical trials or other future clinical trials.

We are currently manufacturing C-Cure for CHART-1 in our pilot manufacturing plant in Belgium. We are also planning to build a pilot manufacturing facility in the United States to reduce our overall logistical costs for CHART-2 and to allow redundancy between manufacturing sites. The cells for our ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial of CAR-NKG2D are being manufacturing at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute’s cell manufacturing facility. In the future, we plan to operate two commercial manufacturing sites, one in the United States and one in the European Union. We believe this will allow increased flexibility and reduced logistical costs and will allow for the necessary redundancy in case of site or geography-related failure. However, we are very early in the process of locating sites for these commercial manufacturing facilities and may be unsuccessful in our ability to find appropriate sites for such facilities.

Although we are working, or will be working, to develop commercially viable processes for the manufacture of our drug product candidates, doing so is a difficult and uncertain task, and there are risks associated with scaling to the level required for later-stage clinical trials and commercialization, including, among others, cost overruns, potential problems with process scale-out, process reproducibility, stability issues, lot consistency, and timely availability of reagents or raw materials. We may ultimately be unable to reduce the cost of goods for our drug product candidates to levels that will allow for an attractive return on investment if and when those drug product candidates are commercialized.

In addition, the manufacturing process that we develop for our drug product candidates is subject to FDA and foreign regulatory authority approval process, and we will need to make sure that we or our contract manufacturers, or CMOs, if any, are able to meet all FDA and foreign regulatory authority requirements on an ongoing basis. If we or our CMOs are unable to reliably produce drug product candidates to specifications acceptable to the FDA or other regulatory authorities, we may not obtain or maintain the approvals we need to commercialize such drug product candidates. Even if we obtain regulatory approval for any of our drug product candidates, there is no assurance that either we or our CMOs will be able to manufacture the approved product to specifications acceptable to the FDA or other regulatory authorities, to produce it in sufficient quantities to meet the requirements for the potential launch of the product, or to meet potential future demand. Any of these challenges could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.

We may face competition from biosimilars, which may have a material adverse impact on the future commercial prospects of our drug product candidates.

Even if we are successful in achieving regulatory approval to commercialize a drug product candidate faster than our competitors, we may face competition from biosimilars. The Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009, or BPCI Act, created an abbreviated approval pathway for biological products that

 

 

 

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are demonstrated to be biosimilar to, or interchangeable with, an FDA-approved biological product. “Biosimilarity” means that the biological product is highly similar to the reference product notwithstanding minor differences in clinically inactive components and there are no clinically meaningful differences between the biological product and the reference product in terms of safety, purity, and potency of the product. To meet the higher standard of “interchangeability,” an applicant must provide sufficient information to show biosimilarity and demonstrate that the biological product can be expected to produce the same clinical result as the reference product in any given patient and, if the biological product is administrated more than once to an individual, the risk in terms of safety or diminished efficacy of alternating or switching between the use of the biological product and the reference product is not greater than the risk of using the reference product without such alternation or switch.

A reference biological product is granted 12 years of exclusivity from the time of first licensure of the product, and the FDA will not accept an application for a biosimilar or interchangeable product based on the reference biological product until four years after first licensure. First licensure typically means the initial date the particular product at issue was licensed in the United States. This does not include a supplement for the biological product or a subsequent application by the same sponsor or manufacturer of the biological product (or licensor, predecessor in interest, or other related entity) for a change that results in a new indication, route of administration, dosing schedule, dosage form, delivery system, delivery device, or strength, unless that change is a modification to the structure of the biological product and such modification changes its safety, purity, or potency. Whether a subsequent application, if approved, warrants exclusivity as the first licensure of a biological product is determined on a case-by-case basis with data.

This data exclusivity does not prevent another company from developing a product that is highly similar to the innovative product, generating its own data, and seeking approval. Data exclusivity only assures that another company cannot rely upon the data within the application for the reference biological product to support the biosimilar product’s approval.

In the European Union, the European Commission has granted marketing authorizations for several biosimilars pursuant to a set of general and product class-specific guidelines for biosimilar approvals issued over the past few years. In the European Union, a competitor may reference data supporting approval of an innovative biological product, but will not be able do so until eight years after the time of approval of the innovative product and to get its biosimilar on the market until ten years from the aforementioned approval. This 10-year marketing exclusivity period will be extended to 11 years if, during the first eight of those ten years, the marketing authorization holder obtains an approval for one or more new therapeutic indications that bring significant clinical benefits compared with existing therapies. In addition, companies may be developing biosimilars in other countries that could compete with our products.

If competitors are able to obtain marketing approval for biosimilars referencing our products, our products may become subject to competition from such biosimilars, with the attendant competitive pressure and consequences.

We currently have no marketing and sales organization and have no experience in marketing products. If we are unable to establish marketing and sales capabilities or enter into agreements with third parties to market and sell our drug product candidates, we may not be able to generate product revenue.

We currently have no sales, marketing, or commercial product distribution capabilities and have no experience in marketing products. We intend to develop an in-house marketing organization and sales force, which will require significant capital expenditures, management resources and time. We will have

 

 

 

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to compete with other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to recruit, hire, train and retain marketing and sales personnel. If we are unable or decide not to establish internal sales, marketing and commercial distribution capabilities for any or all products we develop, we will likely pursue collaborative arrangements regarding the sales and marketing of our products. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to establish or maintain such collaborative arrangements, or if we are able to do so, that they will have effective sales forces. Any revenue we receive will depend upon the efforts of such third parties, which may not be successful. We may have little or no control over the marketing and sales efforts of such third parties, and our revenue from product sales may be lower than if we had commercialized our drug product candidates ourselves. We also face competition in our search for third parties to assist us with the sales and marketing efforts of our drug product candidates.

There can be no assurance that we will be able to develop in-house sales and commercial distribution capabilities or establish or maintain relationships with third-party collaborators to successfully commercialize any product in the United States, the European Union, overseas, and as a result, we may not be able to generate product revenue.

We face intense competition and rapid technological change and the possibility that our competitors may develop therapies that are more advanced or effective than ours, which may adversely affect our financial condition and our ability to successfully commercialize our drug product candidates.

We face competition both in the United States and internationally, including from major multinational pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies and universities and other research institutions. In addition, many universities and private and public research institutes are active in our target disease areas. As of the date of this prospectus, our main competitors for C-Cure include Aldagen, Inc., Athersys, Inc., Cytori Therapeutics, Inc., Mesoblast Ltd and Vericel Corporation. As of the date of this prospectus, our main competitors for CAR-NKG2D and our other CAR T-cell product candidates include Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc., bluebird bio, Inc., Cellectis S.A., Juno Therapeutics, Inc., Kite Pharma Inc., Novartis AG and Ziopharm Oncology, Inc.

Many of our competitors have substantially greater financial, technical and other resources, such as larger research and development staff and experienced marketing and manufacturing organizations. Competition may increase further as a result of advances in the commercial applicability of technologies and greater availability of capital for investment in these industries. Our competitors may succeed in developing, acquiring or licensing on an exclusive basis, products that are more effective or less costly than any drug product candidate that we may develop, or achieve earlier patent protection, regulatory approval, product commercialization and market penetration than we do. Additionally, technologies developed by our competitors may render our potential drug product candidates uneconomical or obsolete, and we may not be successful in marketing our drug product candidates against competitors.

In addition, as a result of the expiration or successful challenge of our patent rights, we could face litigation with respect to the validity and/or scope of patents relating to our competitors’ products. The availability of our competitors’ products could limit the demand, and the price we are able to charge, for any products that we may develop and commercialize.

Risks Related to our Reliance on Third Parties

Cell-based therapies rely on the availability of specialty raw materials, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all.

Engineered-cell therapies require many specialty raw materials, some of which are manufactured by small companies with limited resources and experience to support a commercial product. The suppliers may be

 

 

 

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ill-equipped to support our needs, especially in non-routine circumstances like an FDA inspection or medical crisis, such as widespread contamination. We also do not have contracts with many of these suppliers, and may not be able to contract with them on acceptable terms or at all. Accordingly, we may experience delays in receiving key raw materials to support clinical or commercial manufacturing.

In addition, some raw materials are currently available from a single supplier, or a small number of suppliers. We cannot be sure that these suppliers will remain in business, or that they will not be purchased by one of our competitors or another company that is not interested in continuing to produce these materials for our intended purpose.

We rely on third parties to conduct, supervise and monitor our clinical trials. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or meet expected deadlines, we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for or commercialize our drug product candidates and our business could be substantially harmed.

We rely on CROs and clinical trial sites to ensure our clinical trials are conducted properly and on time. While we will have agreements governing their activities, we will have limited influence over their actual performance. We will control only certain aspects of our CROs’ activities. Nevertheless, we will be responsible for ensuring that each of our clinical trials is conducted in accordance with the applicable protocol, legal, regulatory and scientific standards, and our reliance on the CROs does not relieve us of our regulatory responsibilities.

We and our CROs are required to comply with the GCPs for conducting, recording and reporting the results of clinical trials to assure that the data and reported results are credible and accurate and that the rights, integrity and confidentiality of clinical trial participants are protected. The FDA, the Competent Authorities of the Member States of the EEA, and comparable foreign regulatory authorities, enforce these GCPs through periodic inspections of trial sponsors, principal investigators and clinical trial sites. If we or our CROs fail to comply with applicable GCPs, the clinical data generated in our future clinical trials may be deemed unreliable and the FDA, the EMA, or other foreign regulatory authorities may require us to perform additional clinical trials before approving any marketing applications. Upon inspection, the FDA may determine that our clinical trials did not comply with GCPs. In addition, our future clinical trials will require a sufficient number of test subjects to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of our drug product candidates. Accordingly, if our CROs fail to comply with these regulations or fail to recruit a sufficient number of patients, we may be required to repeat such clinical trials, which would delay the regulatory approval process.

Our CROs are not our employees, and we are therefore unable to directly monitor whether or not they devote sufficient time and resources to our clinical programs. These CROs may also have relationships with other commercial entities, including our competitors, for whom they may also be conducting clinical trials or other product development activities that could harm our competitive position. If our CROs do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or obligations, fail to meet expected deadlines, or if the quality or accuracy of the clinical data they obtain is compromised due to the failure to adhere to our clinical protocols or regulatory requirements, or for any other reasons, our clinical trials may be extended, delayed or terminated, and we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for, or successfully commercialize, our drug product candidates. If any such event were to occur, our financial results and the commercial prospects for our drug product candidates would be harmed, our costs could increase, and our ability to generate revenues could be delayed.

If any of our relationships with these third-party CROs terminate, we may not be able to enter into arrangements with alternative CROs or to do so on commercially reasonable terms. Further, switching or

 

 

 

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adding additional CROs involves additional costs and requires management time and focus. In addition, there is a natural transition period when a new CRO commences work. As a result, delays occur, which could materially impact our ability to meet our desired clinical development timelines. Though we carefully manage our relationships with our CROs, there can be no assurance that we will not encounter challenges or delays in the future or that these delays or challenges will not have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and prospects.

Risks Related to Intellectual Property

We depend on intellectual property licensed from third parties and termination of any of these licenses could result in the loss of significant rights, which would harm our business.

We are dependent on patents, know-how, and proprietary technology, both our own and licensed from others. We license technology from the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, or the Mayo Clinic, and the Trustees of Dartmouth College, or Dartmouth College. The Mayo Clinic may terminate our license agreement with them, or the Mayo License, on a product-by-product basis or licensed invention-by-licensed invention basis if we default in making payment when due and payable or under other circumstances specified in the Mayo License, subject to 120 days’ prior written notice and opportunity to cure. The Mayo Clinic may also terminate the Mayo License if we deliberately make false statements in reports delivered to the Mayo Clinic. Further, the Mayo Clinic may terminate the Mayo License immediately for our insolvency or bankruptcy. Dartmouth College may terminate either our 2010 license or 2014 license, if we fail to meet a milestone within the specified time period, unless we pay the corresponding milestone payment. Dartmouth College may terminate either the 2010 license or 2014 license in the event we default or breach any of the provisions of the applicable license, subject to 30 days’ prior notice and opportunity to cure. In addition, each of the 2010 license and 2014 license automatically terminates in the event we become insolvent, make an assignment for the benefit of creditors or file, or have filed against us, a petition in bankruptcy. Furthermore, Dartmouth College may terminate our 2010 license, after April 30, 2024, if we fail to meet the specified minimum net sales obligations for any year, unless we pay to Dartmouth College the royalty we would otherwise be obligated to pay had we met such minimum net sales obligation. Any termination of these licenses could result in the loss of significant rights and could harm our ability to commercialize our drug product candidates. Disputes may also arise between us and our licensors regarding intellectual property subject to a license agreement, including those relating to:

 

Ø   the scope of rights granted under the license agreement and other interpretation-related issues;

 

Ø   whether and the extent to which our technology and processes infringe on intellectual property of the licensor that is not subject to the license agreement;

 

Ø   our right to sublicense patent and other rights to third parties under collaborative development relationships;

 

Ø   the amount and timing of milestone and royalty payments;

 

Ø   whether we are complying with our diligence obligations with respect to the use of the licensed technology in relation to our development and commercialization of our drug product candidates; and

 

Ø   the allocation of ownership of inventions and know-how resulting from the joint creation or use of intellectual property by our licensors and by us and our partners.

If disputes over intellectual property that we have licensed prevent or impair our ability to maintain our current licensing arrangements on acceptable terms, we may be unable to successfully develop and

 

 

 

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commercialize the affected drug product candidates. We are generally also subject to all of the same risks with respect to protection of intellectual property that we license as we are for intellectual property that we own, which are described below. If we or our licensors fail to adequately protect this intellectual property, our ability to commercialize our products could suffer.

We could be unsuccessful in obtaining or maintaining adequate patent protection for one or more of our drug product candidates.

The patent application process is expensive and time-consuming, and we and our current or future licensors and licensees may not be able to apply for or prosecute patents on certain aspects of our drug product candidates or deliver technologies at a reasonable cost, in a timely fashion, or at all. It is also possible that we or our current licensors, or any future licensors or licensees, will fail to identify patentable aspects of inventions made in the course of development and commercialization activities before it is too late to obtain patent protection on them. Therefore, our patents and applications may not be prosecuted and enforced in a manner consistent with the best interests of our business. It is possible that defects of form in the preparation or filing of our patents or patent applications may exist, or may arise in the future, such as with respect to proper priority claims, inventorship, claim scope or patent term adjustments. Under our existing license agreements with the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research and the Trustees of Dartmouth College, we have the right, but not the obligation, to enforce our licensed patents. If our current licensors, or any future licensors or licensees, are not fully cooperative or disagree with us as to the prosecution, maintenance or enforcement of any patent rights, such patent rights could be compromised and we might not be able to prevent third parties from making, using, and selling competing products. If there are material defects in the form or preparation of our patents or patent applications, such patents or applications may be invalid and unenforceable. Moreover, our competitors may independently develop equivalent knowledge, methods, and know-how. Any of these outcomes could impair our ability to prevent competition from third parties, which may have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and operating results.

We currently have issued patents and patent applications directed to our drug product candidates and medical devices, and we anticipate that we will file additional patent applications both in the United States and in other countries, as appropriate. However, we cannot predict:

 

Ø   if and when any patents will issue from patent applications;

 

Ø   the degree and range of protection any issued patents will afford us against competitors, including whether third parties will find ways to invalidate or otherwise circumvent our patents;

 

Ø   whether others will apply for or obtain patents claiming aspects similar to those covered by our patents and patent applications; or

 

Ø   whether we will need to initiate litigation or administrative proceedings to defend our patent rights, which may be costly whether we win or lose.

We cannot be certain, however, that the claims in our pending patent applications will be considered patentable by the USPTO or by patent offices in foreign countries, or that the claims in any of our issued patents will be considered valid and enforceable by courts in the United States or foreign countries.

The strength of patents in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical field can be uncertain, and evaluating the scope of such patents involves complex legal and scientific analyses. The patent applications that we own or in-license may fail to result in issued patents with claims that cover our drug product candidates or uses thereof in the United States or in other foreign countries. Even if the patents do successfully issue, third parties may challenge the validity, enforceability, or scope thereof, which may result in such patents

 

 

 

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being narrowed, invalidated, or held unenforceable. Furthermore, even if they are unchallenged, our patents and patent applications may not adequately protect our intellectual property or prevent others from designing their products to avoid being covered by our claims. If the breadth or strength of protection provided by the patent applications we hold with respect to our drug product candidates is threatened, this could dissuade companies from collaborating with us to develop, and could threaten our ability to commercialize, our drug product candidates. Further, because patent applications in the United States and most other countries are confidential for a period of time after filing, we cannot be certain that we were the first to file any patent application related to our drug product candidates. Furthermore, for U.S. applications in which all claims are entitled to a priority date before March 16, 2013, an interference proceeding can be provoked by a third party or instituted by the USPTO to determine who was the first to invent any of the subject matter covered by the patent claims of our applications. For U.S. applications containing a claim not entitled to priority before March 16, 2013, there is a greater level of uncertainty in the patent law in view of the passage of the America Invents Act, which brought into effect significant changes to the U.S. patent laws, including new procedures for challenging pending patent applications and issued patents.

Patents have a limited lifespan. In the United States, the natural expiration of a patent is generally 20 years after it is filed. Various extensions may be available; however the life of a patent, and the protection it affords, is limited. Further, the extensive period of time between patent filing and regulatory approval for a drug product candidate limits the time during which we can market a drug product candidate under patent protection, which may particularly affect the profitability of our early-stage drug product candidates. If we encounter delays in our clinical trials, the period of time during which we could market our drug product candidates under patent protection would be reduced. Without patent protection for our drug product candidates, we may be open to competition from biosimilar versions of our drug product candidates.

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

Filing, prosecuting and defending patents on drug product candidates in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, and our intellectual property rights in some countries outside the United States can be less extensive than those in the United States. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as federal and state laws in the United States. Consequently, we may not be able to prevent third parties from practicing our inventions in all countries outside the United States, or from selling or importing products made using our inventions in and into the United States or other jurisdictions. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own products and further, may export otherwise infringing products to territories where we have patent protection, but enforcement is not as strong as that in the United States. These products may compete with our products and our patents or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing.

Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions. The legal systems of certain countries, particularly certain developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents, trade secrets and other intellectual property protection, particularly those relating to biotechnology products, which could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of our patents or marketing of competing products in violation of our proprietary rights generally. For example, an April 2014 report from the Office of the United States Trade Representative identified a number of countries, including India and China, where challenges to the procurement and enforcement of patent rights have been reported. Several countries, including India and China, have been listed in the report every year since 1989. Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business,

 

 

 

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could put our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and our patent applications at risk of not issuing and could provoke third parties to assert claims against us. We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful. Accordingly, our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights around the world may be inadequate to obtain a significant commercial advantage from the intellectual property that we develop or license.

Confidentiality agreements with employees and third parties may not prevent unauthorized disclosure of trade secrets and other proprietary information.

In addition to the protection afforded by patents, we seek to rely on trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements to protect proprietary know-how that is not patentable or that we elect not to patent, processes for which patents are difficult to enforce, and any other elements of our product discovery and development processes that involve proprietary know-how, information, or technology that is not covered by patents. Trade secrets, however, may be difficult to protect. We seek to protect our proprietary processes, in part, by entering into confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, outside scientific advisors, contractors and collaborators. Although we use reasonable efforts to protect our trade secrets, our employees, consultants, outside scientific advisors, contractors, and collaborators might intentionally or inadvertently disclose our trade secret information to competitors. In addition, competitors may otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or independently develop substantially equivalent information and techniques. Furthermore, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect proprietary rights to the same extent or in the same manner as the laws of the United States. As a result, we may encounter significant problems in protecting and defending our intellectual property both in the United States and abroad. If we are unable to prevent unauthorized material disclosure of our intellectual property to third parties, or misappropriation of our intellectual property by third parties, we will not be able to establish or maintain a competitive advantage in our market, which could materially adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

Third-party claims of intellectual property infringement against us or our collaborators may prevent or delay our product discovery and development efforts.

Our commercial success depends in part on our avoiding infringement of the patents and proprietary rights of third parties. There is a substantial amount of litigation involving patents and other intellectual property rights in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, as well as administrative proceedings for challenging patents, including interference, derivation, and reexamination proceedings before the USPTO or oppositions and other comparable proceedings in foreign jurisdictions. Recently, due to changes in U.S. law referred to as patent reform, new procedures including inter partes review and post-grant review have been implemented. This reform adds uncertainty to the possibility of challenge to our patents in the future.

Numerous U.S. and foreign issued patents and pending patent applications owned by third parties exist in the fields in which we are developing our drug product candidates. As the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries expand and more patents are issued, the risk increases that our drug product candidates may give rise to claims of infringement of the patent rights of others.

Although we have conducted analyses of the patent landscape with respect to our drug product candidates, and based on these analyses, we believe that we will be able to commercialize our drug product candidates, third parties may nonetheless assert that we infringe their patents, or that we are otherwise employing their proprietary technology without authorization, and may sue us. There may be third-party patents of which we are currently unaware with claims to compositions, formulations,

 

 

 

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methods of manufacture, or methods of use or treatment that cover our drug product candidates. Because patent applications can take many years to issue, there may be currently pending patent applications that may later result in issued patents that our drug product candidates may infringe. In addition, third parties may obtain patents in the future and claim that use of our technologies or the manufacture, use, or sale of our drug product candidates infringes upon these patents. If any such third-party patents were held by a court of competent jurisdiction to cover our technologies or drug product candidates, the holders of any such patents may be able to block our ability to commercialize the applicable drug product candidate unless we obtain a license under the applicable patents, or until such patents expire or are finally determined to be held invalid or unenforceable. Such a license may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all. If we are unable to obtain a necessary license to a third-party patent on commercially reasonable terms, our ability to commercialize our drug product candidates may be impaired or delayed, which could in turn significantly harm our business.

Third parties asserting their patent rights against us may seek and obtain injunctive or other equitable relief, which could effectively block our ability to further develop and commercialize our drug product candidates. Defense of these claims, regardless of their merit, would involve substantial litigation expense and would be a substantial diversion of management and other employee resources from our business, and may impact our reputation. In the event of a successful claim of infringement against us, we may have to pay substantial damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees for willful infringement, obtain one or more licenses from third parties, pay royalties, or redesign our infringing products, which may be impossible or require substantial time and monetary expenditure. In that event, we would be unable to further develop and commercialize our drug product candidates, which could harm our business significantly.

We may be involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents or the patents of our licensors, which could be expensive, time-consuming, and unsuccessful.

Competitors may infringe our patents or the patents of our licensors. To cease such infringement or unauthorized use, we may be required to file patent infringement claims, which can be expensive and time-consuming. In addition, in an infringement proceeding or a declaratory judgment action against us, a court may decide that one or more of our patents is not valid or is unenforceable, or may refuse to stop the other party from using the technology at issue on the grounds that our patents do not cover the technology in question. An adverse result in any litigation or defense proceeding could put one or more of our patents at risk of being invalidated, held unenforceable, interpreted narrowly, or amended such that they do not cover our drug product candidates. Such results could also put our pending patent applications at risk of not issuing. Defense of these claims, regardless of their merit, would involve substantial litigation expense and would be a substantial diversion of employee resources from our business. Interference or derivation proceedings provoked by third parties or brought by the USPTO may be necessary to determine the priority of inventions with respect to, or the correct inventorship of, our patents or patent applications or those of our licensors. An unfavorable outcome could result in a loss of our current patent rights and could require us to cease using the related technology or to attempt to license rights to it from the prevailing party. Our business could be harmed if the prevailing party does not offer us a license on commercially reasonable terms. Litigation, interference, or derivation proceedings may result in a decision adverse to our interests and, even if we are successful, may result in substantial costs and distract our management and other employees.

Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation. In addition, there could be public announcements of the results

 

 

 

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of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments. If securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a substantial adverse effect on the price of our ordinary shares.

Issued patents covering our drug product candidates could be found invalid or unenforceable if challenged in court or before the USPTO or comparable foreign authority.

If we or one of our licensing partners initiate legal proceedings against a third party to enforce a patent covering one of our drug product candidates, the defendant could counterclaim that the patent covering our drug product candidate is invalid or unenforceable. In patent litigation in the United States, defendant counterclaims alleging invalidity or unenforceability are commonplace, and there are numerous grounds upon which a third party can assert invalidity or unenforceability of a patent. Third parties may also raise similar claims before administrative bodies in the United States or abroad, even outside the context of litigation. Such mechanisms include re-examination, inter partes review, post-grant review, and equivalent proceedings in foreign jurisdictions, such as opposition or derivation proceedings. Such proceedings could result in revocation or amendment to our patents in such a way that they no longer cover and protect our drug product candidates. The outcome following legal assertions of invalidity and unenforceability is unpredictable. With respect to the validity of our patents, for example, we cannot be certain that there is no invalidating prior art of which we, our patent counsel, and the patent examiner were unaware during prosecution. If a defendant were to prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity and/or unenforceability, we would lose at least part, and perhaps all, of the patent protection on our drug product candidates. Such a loss of patent protection could have a material adverse impact on our business.

Changes in U.S. patent law could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to protect our products.

As is the case with other biopharmaceutical companies, our success is heavily dependent on intellectual property, particularly patents. Obtaining and enforcing patents in the biopharmaceutical industry involves, both technological and legal complexity, and is therefore costly, time-consuming, and inherently uncertain. Numerous recent changes to the patent laws and proposed changes to the rules of the USPTO may have a significant impact on our ability to protect our technology and enforce our intellectual property rights. For example, the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, or AIA, enacted in 2011 involves significant changes in patent legislation. An important change introduced by the AIA is that, as of March 16, 2013, the United States transitioned to a ‘‘first-to-file’’ system for deciding which party should be granted a patent when two or more patent applications are filed by different parties claiming the same invention. A third party that files a patent application in the USPTO after that date but before us could therefore be awarded a patent covering an invention of ours even if we had made the invention before it was made by the third party. This will require us to be cognizant going forward of the time from invention to filing of a patent application.

Among some of the other changes introduced by the AIA are changes that limit where a patentee may file a patent infringement suit and provide opportunities for third parties to challenge any issued patent in the USPTO. This applies to all of our U.S. patents, even those issued before March 16, 2013. Because of a lower evidentiary standard in USPTO proceedings compared to the evidentiary standard in United States federal court necessary to invalidate a patent claim, a third party could potentially provide evidence in a USPTO proceeding sufficient for the USPTO to hold a claim invalid even though the same evidence would be insufficient to invalidate the claim if first presented in a district court action. Accordingly, a third party may attempt to use the USPTO procedures to invalidate our patent claims that would not have been invalidated if first challenged by the third party as a defendant in a district court action.

 

 

 

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In addition, recent court rulings in cases such as Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc. (Myriad I); BRCA1- & BRCA2-Based Hereditary Cancer Test Patent Litig.,(Myriad II); and Promega Corp. v. Life Technologies Corp. have narrowed the scope of patent protection available in certain circumstances and weakened the rights of patent owners in certain situations. In addition to increasing uncertainty with regard to our ability to obtain patents in the future, this combination of events has created uncertainty with respect to the value of patents once obtained. Depending on decisions by the U.S. Congress, the federal courts, and the USPTO, the laws and regulations governing patents could change in unpredictable ways that would weaken our ability to obtain new patents or to enforce our existing patents and patents that we might obtain in the future. For example, in a recent case, Assoc. for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc., the U.S. Supreme Court held that certain claims to naturally-occurring substances are not patentable. Although we do not believe that any of the patents owned or licensed by us will be found invalid based on this decision, we cannot predict how future decisions by the courts, the U.S. Congress, or the USPTO may impact the value of our patents.

We may be subject to claims that our employees, consultants, or independent contractors have wrongfully used or disclosed confidential information of third parties.

We have received confidential and proprietary information from third parties. In addition, we employ individuals who were previously employed at other biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies. We may be subject to claims that we or our employees, consultants, or independent contractors have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed confidential information of these third parties or our employees’ former employers. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. Even if we are successful in defending against these claims, litigation could result in substantial cost and be a distraction to our management and employees.

Obtaining and maintaining our patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, document submission, fee payment, and other requirements imposed by governmental patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements.

Periodic maintenance fees on any issued patent are due to be paid to the USPTO and foreign patent agencies in several stages over the lifetime of the patent. The USPTO and various foreign governmental patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment, and other similar provisions during the patent application process. Although an inadvertent lapse can in many cases be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules, there are situations in which noncompliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. Noncompliance events that could result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application include failure to respond to official actions within prescribed time limits, non-payment of fees, and failure to properly legalize and submit formal documents. In any such event, our competitors might be able to enter the market, which would have a material adverse effect on our business.

Risks Related to Our Organization, Structure and Operation

Our future results will suffer if we do not effectively manage our expanded operations as a result of our recent acquisition of OnCyte.

We obtained access to our CAR T-cell drug product candidates and related technology, including technology licensed from Dartmouth College, in January 2015, through our acquisition of OnCyte, LLC, or OnCyte, from Celdara Medical, LLC, a privately-held U.S. biotechnology company. Our acquisition of OnCyte significantly changed the composition of our operations, markets and drug product candidate

 

 

 

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mix. Our future success depends, in part, on our ability to address these changes, and, where necessary, to attract and retain new personnel that possess the requisite skills called for by these changes.

Our failure to adequately address the financial, operational or legal risks of the OnCyte acquisition, or any future acquisitions, license arrangements, other strategic transactions could harm our business. Financial aspects of these transactions that could alter our financial position, reported operating results or ADS or ordinary share price include:

 

Ø   use of cash resources;

 

Ø   higher than anticipated acquisition costs and expenses;

 

Ø   potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities;

 

Ø   the incurrence of debt and contingent liabilities, impairment losses or restructuring charges;

 

Ø   large write-offs and difficulties in assessing the relative percentages of in-process research and development expense that can be immediately written off as compared to the amount that must be amortized over the appropriate life of the asset; and

 

Ø   amortization expenses related to other intangible assets.

Operational risks that could harm our existing operations or prevent realization of anticipated benefits from these transactions include:

 

Ø   challenges associated with managing an increasingly diversified business;

 

Ø   disruption of our ongoing business;

 

Ø   difficulty and expense in assimilating the operations, products, technology, information systems or personnel of the acquired company;

 

Ø   diversion of management’s time and attention from other business concerns;

 

Ø   entry into a geographic or business market in which we have little or no prior experience;

 

Ø   inability to maintain uniform standards, controls, procedures and policies;

 

Ø   the assumption of known and unknown liabilities of the acquired business or asset, including intellectual property claims; and

 

Ø   subsequent loss of key personnel.

Our future success depends, in part, upon our ability to manage our expansion opportunities. Integrating new operations into our existing business in an efficient and timely manner, successfully monitoring our operations, costs, regulatory compliance and customer relationships, and maintaining other necessary internal controls pose substantial challenges for us. As a result, we cannot assure you that our expansion or acquisition opportunities will be successful, or that we will realize our expected operating efficiencies, cost savings, revenue enhancements, synergies or other benefits.

We are highly dependent on our Chief Executive Officer and members of our executive management team, and if we are not successful in motivating and retaining highly qualified personnel, we may not be able to successfully implement our business strategy.

Our ability to compete in the highly competitive biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries depends upon our ability to attract, motivate and retain highly qualified managerial, scientific and medical

 

 

 

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personnel. We are highly dependent on members of our executive management team, particularly our chief executive officer, Christian Homsy. We do not maintain “key man” insurance on the life of Christian Homsy, or the lives of any of our other employees. The loss of the services of any members of our executive management team, and our inability to find suitable replacements, could result in delays in product development and harm our business.

Competition for skilled personnel in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries is intense and the turnover rate can be high, which may limit our ability to hire and retain highly qualified personnel on acceptable terms or at all.

To induce valuable employees to remain at our company, in addition to salary and cash incentives, we have provided warrants that vest over time. The value to employees of these equity grants that vest over time may be significantly affected by movements in our share price that are beyond our control, and may at any time be insufficient to counteract more lucrative offers from other companies.

We will need to grow the size and capabilities of our organization, and we may experience difficulties in managing this growth.

As of March 26, 2015, we had 82 full-time and three part-time employees. As our drug product candidates move into later stage clinical development and towards commercialization, we must add a significant number of additional managerial, operational, sales, marketing, financial, and other personnel. Future growth will impose significant added responsibilities on members of management, including:

 

Ø   identifying, recruiting, integrating, maintaining, and motivating additional employees;

 

Ø   managing our internal development efforts effectively, including the clinical and FDA review process for our drug product candidates, while complying with our contractual obligations to contractors and other third parties; and

 

Ø   improving our operational, financial and management controls, reporting systems, and procedures.

Our future financial performance and our ability to commercialize our drug product candidates will depend, in part, on our ability to effectively manage any future growth, and our management may also have to divert a disproportionate amount of its attention away from day-to-day activities in order to devote a substantial amount of time to managing these growth activities.

If we are not able to effectively expand our organization by hiring new employees and expanding our groups of consultants and contractors, we may not be able to successfully implement the tasks necessary to further develop and commercialize our drug product candidates and, accordingly, may not achieve our research, development, and commercialization goals.

If we engage in future acquisitions or strategic partnerships, this may increase our capital requirements, dilute our shareholders, cause us to incur debt or assume contingent liabilities, and subject us to other risks.

We may evaluate various acquisitions and strategic partnerships, including licensing or acquiring complementary products, intellectual property rights, technologies, or businesses. Any potential acquisition or strategic partnership may entail numerous risks, including:

 

Ø   increased operating expenses and cash requirements;

 

Ø   the assumption of additional indebtedness or contingent liabilities;

 

Ø   the issuance of our equity securities;

 

 

 

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Ø   assimilation of operations, intellectual property and products of an acquired company, including difficulties associated with integrating new personnel;

 

Ø   the diversion of our management’s attention from our existing product programs and initiatives in pursuing such a strategic merger or acquisition;

 

Ø   retention of key employees, the loss of key personnel, and uncertainties in our ability to maintain key business relationships;

 

Ø   risks and uncertainties associated with the other party to such a transaction, including the prospects of that party and their existing products or drug product candidates and regulatory approvals; and

 

Ø   our inability to generate revenue from acquired technology and/or products sufficient to meet our objectives in undertaking the acquisition or even to offset the associated acquisition and maintenance costs.

In addition, if we undertake acquisitions, we may issue dilutive securities, assume or incur debt obligations, incur large one-time expenses and acquire intangible assets that could result in significant future amortization expense. Moreover, we may not be able to locate suitable acquisition opportunities and this inability could impair our ability to grow or obtain access to technology or products that may be important to the development of our business.

If we fail to comply with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, we could become subject to fines or penalties or incur costs that could have a material adverse effect on the success of our business.

We are subject to numerous environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, including those governing laboratory procedures and the handling, use, storage, treatment and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes. Our operations involve the use of hazardous and flammable materials, including chemicals and biological materials. Our operations also produce hazardous waste products. We generally contract with third parties for the disposal of these materials and wastes. We cannot eliminate the risk of contamination or injury from these materials, which could cause an interruption of our commercialization efforts, research and development efforts and business operations, environmental damage resulting in costly clean-up and liabilities under applicable laws and regulations governing the use, storage, handling and disposal of these materials and specified waste products. Although we believe that the safety procedures utilized by our third-party manufacturers for handling and disposing of these materials generally comply with the standards prescribed by these laws and regulations, we cannot guarantee that this is the case or eliminate the risk of accidental contamination or injury from these materials. In such an event, we may be held liable for any resulting damages and such liability could exceed our resources and state or federal or other applicable authorities may curtail our use of certain materials and/or interrupt our business operations. Furthermore, environmental laws and regulations are complex, change frequently and have tended to become more stringent. We cannot predict the impact of such changes and cannot be certain of our future compliance. In addition, we may incur substantial costs in order to comply with current or future environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. These current or future laws and regulations may impair our research, development or production efforts. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations also may result in substantial fines, penalties or other sanctions. We do not currently carry biological or hazardous waste insurance coverage.

Although we maintain workers’ compensation insurance to cover us for costs and expenses we may incur due to injuries to our employees resulting from the use of hazardous materials or other work-related injuries, this insurance may not provide adequate coverage against potential liabilities.

 

 

 

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Risks from the improper conduct of employees, agents, contractors, consultants or collaborators could adversely affect our reputation and our business, prospects, operating results, and financial condition.

We cannot ensure that our compliance controls, policies, and procedures will in every instance protect us from acts committed by our employees, agents, contractors, or collaborators that would violate the laws or regulations of the jurisdictions in which we operate, including, without limitation, healthcare, employment, foreign corrupt practices, environmental, competition, and patient privacy and other privacy laws and regulations. Such improper actions could subject us to civil or criminal investigations, and monetary and injunctive penalties, and could adversely impact our ability to conduct business, operating results, and reputation. In particular, our business activities may be subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, and similar anti-bribery or anti-corruption laws, regulations or rules of other countries in which we operate, including the U.K. Bribery Act. The FCPA generally prohibits offering, promising, giving, or authorizing others to give anything of value, either directly or indirectly, to a non-U.S. government official in order to influence official action, or otherwise obtain or retain business. The FCPA also requires public companies to make and keep books and records that accurately and fairly reflect the transactions of the corporation and to devise and maintain an adequate system of internal accounting controls. Our business is heavily regulated and therefore involves significant interaction with public officials, including officials of non-U.S. governments.

Additionally, in many other countries, the health care providers who prescribe pharmaceuticals are employed by their government, and the purchasers of pharmaceuticals are government entities; therefore, our dealings with these prescribers and purchasers are subject to regulation under the FCPA. Recently the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, and Department of Justice have increased their FCPA enforcement activities with respect to pharmaceutical companies. There is no certainty that all of our employees, agents, contractors, consultants or collaborators, or those of our affiliates, will comply with all applicable laws and regulations, particularly given the high level of complexity of these laws. Violations of these laws and regulations could result in fines, criminal sanctions against us, our officers, or our employees, the closing down of our facilities, requirements to obtain export licenses, cessation of business activities in sanctioned countries, implementation of compliance programs, and prohibitions on the conduct of our business. Any such violations could include prohibitions on our ability to offer our products in one or more countries and could materially damage our reputation, our brand, our international expansion efforts, our ability to attract and retain employees, and our business, prospects, operating results, and financial condition.

Our relationships with health care professionals, customers, independent contractors, consultants and third-party payors may be subject, directly or indirectly, to applicable anti-kickback laws, fraud and abuse laws, false claims laws, health information privacy and security laws, transparency laws and other healthcare laws and regulations, which could expose us to penalties, and could result in contractual damages, reputational harm, administrative burdens and diminished profits and future earnings.

Our arrangements with health care professionals, customers, independent contractors, consultants and third-party payors may expose us to broadly applicable fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws and regulations that may constrain the business or financial arrangements and relationships.

In addition, we may be subject to health information privacy and security regulation of the European Union, the United States and other jurisdictions in which we conduct our business. For example, the laws that may affect our ability to operate include:

 

Ø  

the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, persons and entities from knowingly and willfully soliciting, receiving, offering or paying remuneration, directly or indirectly, to

 

 

 

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induce, or in return for, either the referral of an individual, or the purchase or recommendation of an item or service for which payment may be made under a federal healthcare program, such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs;

 

Ø   U.S. federal civil and criminal false claims laws and civil monetary penalty laws, including the federal False Claims Act, which impose criminal and civil penalties against individuals or entities for knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, to the federal government, including the Medicare and Medicaid programs, claims for payment that are false or fraudulent or making a false statement to avoid, decrease or conceal an obligation to pay money to the federal government;

 

Ø   the U.S. federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, which created federal criminal statutes that prohibit, among other things, executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program and making false statements relating to healthcare matters;

 

Ø   HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology and Clinical Health Act of 2009, or HITECH, and their respective implementing regulations, which imposes certain obligations, including mandatory contractual terms, on covered healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses, as well as their business associates, with respect to safeguarding the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information;

 

Ø   the federal Open Payments Program that was created under the ACA, which requires certain manufacturers of covered pharmaceutical drugs, biologics, devices and medical supplies to track and report annually all payments or other transfers of value provided to physicians and teaching hospitals and certain ownership and investment interests held by physicians or their family members in applicable manufacturers and group purchasing organizations; and

 

Ø   analogous state and laws and regulations in other jurisdictions, such as state anti-kickback and false claims laws, which may be broader in scope and also apply to sales or marketing arrangements and claims involving healthcare items or services reimbursed by non-governmental third-party payors, including private insurers, and state and laws in other jurisdiction governing the privacy and security of health information in certain circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and often are not preempted by HIPAA, thus complicating compliance efforts.

Efforts to ensure that our business arrangements with third parties will comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations may involve substantial costs. It is possible that governmental authorities will conclude that our business practices may not comply with current or future statutes, regulations or case law involving applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of these laws or any other governmental regulations that may apply to us, we may be subject to significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, including, without limitation, damages, fines, imprisonment, exclusion from participation in government funded healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations or other sanctions. If any of the physicians or other healthcare providers or entities with whom we expect to do business is found to be not in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, it may be subject to criminal, civil or administrative sanctions, including exclusions from participation in government funded healthcare programs.

Failure to build our finance infrastructure and improve our accounting systems and controls could impair our ability to comply with the financial reporting and internal controls requirements for publicly traded companies.

As a public company, we will operate in an increasingly demanding regulatory environment that requires us to comply with, among things, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and related rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s substantial disclosure requirements, accelerated reporting

 

 

 

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requirements and complex accounting rules. Company responsibilities required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act include establishing corporate oversight and adequate internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. Effective internal controls are necessary for us to produce reliable financial reports and are important to help prevent financial fraud.

We have limited accounting personnel and other resources to address our internal controls and procedures. Our independent registered public accounting firm has not conducted an audit of our internal control over financial reporting. However, in connection with the reaudit of our consolidated financial statements as of and for year ended December 31, 2013 and audit of our consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2014, we identified three material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, such that there is reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis by our employees. The material weaknesses identified were related to a lack of:

 

Ø   accounting resources required to fulfill the reporting requirements of International Financial Reporting Standards, or IFRS, and financial reporting requirements;

 

Ø   comprehensive knowledge of IFRS accounting policies and financial reporting procedures; and

 

Ø   segregation of duties given the size of our finance and accounting team.

As described in Note 2.36 of our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus, we have restated our consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2013 as a result of errors in the accounting treatment of shareholders convertible loans and share-based payments. We believe that the material weaknesses identified contributed to the restatement.

We have taken several remedial actions to address these material weaknesses, which are described under “Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations – Internal control over financial reporting.”

Furthermore, we believe it is possible that if we had performed a formal assessment of our internal control over financial reporting, or if our independent registered public accounting firm had performed an audit of our internal control over financial reporting, other material weaknesses may have been identified. Upon the completion of the global offering, Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404, will require that we include a report of management on our internal control over financial reporting in our annual report on Form 20-F beginning with our annual report for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016. However, until we cease to be an “emerging growth company,” as that term is defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to attest to and report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. This may increase the risk that deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting will go undetected and may make it more difficult for investors and securities analysts to evaluate our company.

Our management may conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is not effective. Moreover, even if our management concludes that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, our independent registered public accounting firm, after conducting its own independent testing, may issue a report that is qualified if it is not satisfied with our internal controls or the level at which our controls are documented, designed, operated or reviewed, or if it interprets the relevant requirements differently from us. In addition, after we become a public company, our reporting

 

 

 

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obligations may place a significant strain on our management, operational and financial resources and systems for the foreseeable future. We may be unable to timely complete our evaluation, testing and any required remediation.

During the course of documenting and testing our internal control procedures in order to satisfy the requirements of Section 404, we may identify other material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. In addition, if we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting, as these standards are modified, supplemented or amended from time to time, we may not be able to conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404. If we fail to achieve and maintain an effective internal control environment, we could experience material misstatements in our consolidated financial statements and fail to meet our reporting obligations, which would likely cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information. This could in turn limit our access to capital markets, harm our results of operations, and lead to a decline in the trading price of our ordinary shares. Additionally, ineffective internal control over financial reporting could expose us to increased risk of fraud or misuse of corporate assets and subject us to potential delisting from The NASDAQ Global Market, or NASDAQ, regulatory investigations and civil or criminal sanctions. We may also be required to restate our financial statements for prior periods.

Our business and operations would suffer in the event of system failures.

Despite the implementation of security measures, our internal computer systems and those of our current and future CROs and other contractors and consultants are vulnerable to damage from computer viruses, unauthorized access, natural disasters, terrorism, war and telecommunication and electrical failures. While we have not experienced any such material system failure, accident or security breach to date, if such an event were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations, it could result in a material disruption of our development programs and our business operations. For example, the loss of clinical trial data from completed or future clinical trials could result in delays in our regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data. To the extent that any disruption or security breach were to result in a loss of, or damage to, our data or applications, or inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, we could incur liability and the further development and commercialization of our product candidates could be delayed.

Business disruptions could seriously harm our future revenue and financial condition and increase our costs and expenses.

Our operations, and those of our third-party research institution collaborators, CROs, CMOs, suppliers, and other contractors and consultants, could be subject to earthquakes, power shortages, telecommunications failures, water shortages, floods, hurricanes, typhoons, fires, extreme weather conditions, medical epidemics, and other natural or man-made disasters or business interruptions. The occurrence of any of these business disruptions could seriously harm our operations and financial condition and increase our costs and expenses. Damage or extended periods of interruption to our corporate, development or research facilities due to fire, natural disaster, power loss, communications failure, unauthorized entry or other events could cause us to cease or delay development of some or all of our drug product candidates. Although we maintain property damage and business interruption insurance coverage on these facilities, our insurance might not cover all losses under such circumstances and our business may be seriously harmed by such delays and interruption.

 

 

 

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If product liability lawsuits are brought against us, we may incur substantial liabilities and may be required to limit commercialization of our drug product candidates.

We face an inherent risk of product liability as a result of the clinical testing of our drug product candidates and will face an even greater risk if we commercialize any products. For example, we may be sued if our drug product candidates cause or are perceived to cause injury or are found to be otherwise unsuitable during clinical testing, manufacturing, marketing or sale. Any such product liability claims may include allegations of defects in manufacturing, defects in design, a failure to warn of dangers inherent in the product, negligence, strict liability or a breach of warranties. Claims could also be asserted under state consumer protection acts. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against product liability claims, we may incur substantial liabilities or be required to limit commercialization of our drug product candidates. Even successful defense would require significant financial and management resources. Regardless of the merits or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in:

 

Ø   decreased demand for our products;

 

Ø   injury to our reputation;

 

Ø   withdrawal of clinical trial participants and inability to continue clinical trials;

 

Ø   initiation of investigations by regulators;

 

Ø   costs to defend the related litigation;

 

Ø   a diversion of management’s time and our resources;

 

Ø   substantial monetary awards to trial participants or patients;

 

Ø   product recalls, withdrawals or labeling, marketing or promotional restrictions;

 

Ø   loss of revenue;

 

Ø   exhaustion of any available insurance and our capital resources;

 

Ø   the inability to commercialize any drug product candidate; and

 

Ø   a decline in our share price.

Our inability to obtain sufficient product liability insurance at an acceptable cost to protect against potential product liability claims could prevent or inhibit the commercialization of products we develop, alone or with collaborators. Although we currently carry €100,000 of clinical trial insurance, the amount of such insurance coverage may not be adequate, we may be unable to maintain such insurance, or we may not be able to obtain additional or replacement insurance at a reasonable cost, if at all. Our insurance policies may also have various exclusions, and we may be subject to a product liability claim for which we have no coverage. We may have to pay any amounts awarded by a court or negotiated in a settlement that exceed our coverage limitations or that are not covered by our insurance, and we may not have, or be able to obtain, sufficient capital to pay such amounts. Even if our agreements with any future corporate collaborators entitle us to indemnification against losses, such indemnification may not be available or adequate should any claim arise.

Our international operations subject us to various risks, and our failure to manage these risks could adversely affect our results of operations.

We face significant operational risks as a result of doing business internationally, such as:

 

Ø   fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates;

 

 

 

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Ø   potentially adverse and/or unexpected tax consequences, including penalties due to the failure of tax planning or due to the challenge by tax authorities on the basis of transfer pricing and liabilities imposed from inconsistent enforcement;

 

Ø   potential changes to the accounting standards, which may influence our financial situation and results;

 

Ø   becoming subject to the different, complex and changing laws, regulations and court systems of multiple jurisdictions and compliance with a wide variety of foreign laws, treaties and regulations;

 

Ø   reduced protection of, or significant difficulties in enforcing, intellectual property rights in certain countries;

 

Ø   difficulties in attracting and retaining qualified personnel;

 

Ø   restrictions imposed by local labor practices and laws on our business and operations, including unilateral cancellation or modification of contracts; and

 

Ø   rapid changes in global government, economic and political policies and conditions, political or civil unrest or instability, terrorism or epidemics and other similar outbreaks or events, and potential failure in confidence of our suppliers or customers due to such changes or events; and tariffs, trade protection measures, import or export licensing requirements, trade embargoes and other trade barriers.

We are subject to certain covenants as a result of certain non-dilutive financial support we have received to date.

We have received non-dilutive financial support totaling €18.7 million as of December 31, 2014, to support various research programs from the Walloon Region, or the Region. The support has been granted in the form of recoverable cash advances, or RCAs, and subsidies.

In the event we decide to exploit any discoveries or products from the research funded by under an RCA, the relevant RCA becomes refundable, otherwise the RCA is not refundable. We own the intellectual property rights which result from the research programs partially funded by the Region, unless we decide not to exploit, or cease to exploit, the results of the research in which case the results and intellectual property rights are transferred to the Region. Subject to certain exceptions, however, we cannot grant to third parties, by way of license or otherwise, any right to use the results without the prior consent of the Region. We also need the consent of the Region to transfer an intellectual property right resulting from the research programs or a transfer or license of a prototype or installation. Obtaining such consent from the Region could give rise to a review of the applicable financial terms. The RCAs also contain provisions prohibiting us from conducting research for any other person which would fall within the scope of a research program of one of the RCAs. Most RCAs provide that this prohibition is applicable during the research phase and the decision phase but a number of RCAs extend it beyond these phases.

Subsidies received from the Region are dedicated to funding research programs and patent applications and are not refundable. We own the intellectual property rights which result from the research programs or with regard to a patent covered by a subsidy. Subject to certain exceptions, however, we cannot grant to third parties, by way of license, transfer or otherwise, any right to use the patents or research results without the prior consent of the Region. In addition, certain subsidies require that we exploit the patent in the countries where the protection was granted and to make an industrial use of the underlying invention. In case of bankruptcy, liquidation or dissolution, the rights to the patents covered by the patent subsidies will be assumed by the Region by operation of law unless the subsidy is reimbursed. Furthermore, we would lose our qualification as a small or medium-sized enterprise, the patent subsidies will terminate and no additional expenses will be covered by such patent subsidies.

 

 

 

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We may be exposed to significant foreign exchange risk.

We incur portions of our expenses, and may in the future derive revenues, in currencies other than the euro, in particular, the U.S. dollar. As a result, we are exposed to foreign currency exchange risk as our results of operations and cash flows are subject to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. We currently do not engage in hedging transactions to protect against uncertainty in future exchange rates between particular foreign currencies and the euro. Therefore, for example, an increase in the value of the euro against the U.S. dollar could be expected to have a negative impact on our revenue and earnings growth as U.S. dollar revenue and earnings, if any, would be translated into euros at a reduced value. We cannot predict the impact of foreign currency fluctuations, and foreign currency fluctuations in the future may adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

The requirements of being a U.S. public company may strain our resources and divert management’s attention.

We will be required to comply with various corporate governance and financial reporting requirements under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, and the rules and regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Public Corporation Accounting Oversight Board. Further, compliance with various regulatory reporting requires significant commitments of time from our management and our directors, which reduces the time available for the performance of their other responsibilities. Our failure to track and comply with the various rules may materially adversely affect our reputation, ability to obtain the necessary certifications to financial statements, lead to additional regulatory enforcement actions, and could adversely affect the value of the ADSs or the ordinary shares.

The investment of our cash and cash equivalents may be subject to risks that may cause losses and affect the liquidity of these investments.

As of December 31, 2014, we had cash and cash equivalents of €27.6 million and short term investments of €2.7 million. We historically have invested substantially all of our available cash and cash equivalents in corporate bank accounts. Pending their use in our business, we intend to invest the net proceeds of the global offering in investments that may include corporate bonds, commercial paper, certificates of deposit and money market funds. These investments may be subject to general credit, liquidity, and market and interest rate risks. We may realize losses in the fair value of these investments or a complete loss of these investments, which would have a negative effect on our financial statements.

Risks Related to the Global Offering and Ownership of the ADSs

There has been no prior active market for the ADSs and an active and liquid market for the ADSs may fail to develop, which could harm the market price of the ADSs.

Prior to the global offering, while our ordinary shares have been traded on Euronext Brussels and Euronext Paris since July 5, 2013, there has been no active public market for the ADSs in the United States. Although we anticipate the ADSs being approved for listing on NASDAQ, an active trading market for the ADSs may never develop or be sustained following the global offering. The initial public offering price of the ADSs will be based on and determined through negotiations between us and the underwriters. This initial public offering price may not be indicative of the market price of the ADSs after the global offering. In the absence of an active trading market for the ADSs, investors may not be able to sell their ADSs at or above the initial public offering price or at the time that they would like to sell. The market price of the ADSs could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to many risk factors listed in this section, and others beyond our control, including:

 

Ø   actual or anticipated fluctuations in our financial condition and operating results;

 

 

 

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Ø   actual or anticipated changes in our growth rate relative to our competitors;

 

Ø   competition from existing products or new products that may emerge;

 

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

 

Ø   failure to meet or exceed financial estimates and projections of the investment community or that we provide to the public;

 

Ø   issuance of new or updated research or reports by securities analysts;

 

Ø   fluctuations in the valuation of companies perceived by investors to be comparable to us;

 

Ø   additions or departures of key management or scientific personnel;

 

Ø   disputes or other developments related to proprietary rights, including patents, litigation matters, and our ability to obtain patent protection for our technologies;

 

Ø   changes to coverage policies or reimbursement levels by commercial third-party payors and government payors and any announcements relating to coverage policies or reimbursement levels;

 

Ø   announcement or expectation of additional debt or equity financing efforts;

 

Ø   sales of the ADSs or ordinary shares by us, our insiders or our other shareholders; and

 

Ø   general economic and market conditions.

These and other market and industry factors may cause the market price and demand for the ADSs to fluctuate substantially, regardless of our actual operating performance, which may limit or prevent investors from readily selling their ADSs and may otherwise negatively affect the liquidity of our ADSs shares. In addition, the stock market in general, and biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies in particular, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of these companies.

Fluctuations in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the euro may increase the risk of holding the ADSs.

Our shares currently trade on Euronext Brussels and Euronext Paris in euros, while the ADSs will trade on NASDAQ in U.S. dollars. Fluctuations in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the euro may result in temporary differences between the value of the ADSs and the value of our ordinary shares, which may result in heavy trading by investors seeking to exploit such differences. In addition, as a result of fluctuations in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the euro, the U.S. dollar equivalent of the proceeds that a holder of the ADSs would receive upon the sale in Belgium of any shares withdrawn from the depositary and the U.S. dollar equivalent of any cash dividends paid in euros on our shares represented by the ADSs could also decline.

Holders of the ADSs are not treated as shareholders of our company.

By participating in the U.S. offering you will become a holder of ADSs with underlying shares in a Belgian public limited liability company. Holders of the ADSs are not treated as shareholders of our company, unless they withdraw our ordinary shares underlying the ADSs. The depositary is the shareholder of the ordinary shares underlying the ADSs. Holders of ADSs therefore do not have any rights as shareholders of our company, other than the rights that they have pursuant to the deposit agreement.

 

 

 

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We have broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds from the global offering and may not use them effectively.

Our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds that we receive from the global offering, including applications for working capital, possible acquisitions and other general corporate purposes, and we may spend or invest these proceeds in a way with which our shareholders disagree. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could harm our business and financial condition. Pending their use, we may invest the net proceeds from the global offering in a manner that does not produce income or that loses value. These investments may not yield a favorable return to our investors.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate research or unfavorable research about our business, the price of the ordinary shares and the ADSs and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for the ordinary shares and the ADSs depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. If no or few securities or industry analysts cover our company, the trading price for the ordinary shares and the ADSs would be negatively impacted. If one or more of the analysts who covers us downgrades the ordinary shares and the ADSs or publishes incorrect or unfavorable research about our business, the price of the ordinary shares and the ADSs would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of our company or fails to publish reports on us regularly, or downgrades the ordinary shares and the ADSs, demand for the ADSs ordinary shares and could decrease, which could cause the price of the ADSs ordinary shares and or trading volume to decline.

We have no present intention to pay dividends on our ordinary shares in the foreseeable future and, consequently, your only opportunity to achieve a return on your investment during that time is if the price of the ADSs or the ordinary shares appreciates.

We have no present intention to pay dividends in the foreseeable future. Any recommendation by our board of directors to pay dividends will depend on many factors, including our financial condition (including losses carried-forward), results of operations, legal requirements and other factors. Furthermore, pursuant to Belgian law, the calculation of amounts available for distribution to shareholders, as dividends or otherwise, must be determined on the basis of our non-consolidated statutory accounts prepared in accordance with Belgian accounting rules. In addition, in accordance with Belgian law and our articles of association, we must allocate each year an amount of at least 5% of our annual net profit under our non-consolidated statutory accounts to a legal reserve until the reserve equals 10% of our share capital. Therefore, we are unlikely to pay dividends or other distributions in the foreseeable future. If the price of the ADSs or the ordinary shares declines before we pay dividends, you will incur a loss on your investment, without the likelihood that this loss will be offset in part or at all by potential future cash dividends.

Our shareholders residing in countries other than Belgium may be subject to double withholding taxation with respect to dividends or other distributions made by us.

Any dividends or other distributions we make to shareholders will, in principle, be subject to withholding tax in Belgium at a rate of 25%, except for shareholders which qualify for an exemption of withholding tax such as, among others, qualifying pension funds or a company qualifying as a parent company within the meaning of the Council Directive (90/435/EEC) July 23, 1990, known as the Parent-Subsidiary Directive, or that qualify for a lower withholding tax rate or an exemption by virtue of a tax treaty. Various conditions may apply and shareholders residing in countries other than Belgium are advised to consult their advisers regarding the tax consequences of dividends or other distributions made by us. Our shareholders residing in countries other than Belgium may not be able to credit the amount of such withholding tax to any tax due on such dividends or other distributions in any other country than

 

 

 

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Belgium. As a result, such shareholders may be subject to double taxation in respect of such dividends or other distributions. Belgium and the United States have concluded a double tax treaty concerning the avoidance of double taxation, or the U.S.-Belgium Tax Treaty. The U.S.-Belgium Tax Treaty reduces the applicability of Belgian withholding tax to 15%, 5% or 0% for U.S. taxpayers, provided that the U.S. taxpayer meets the limitation of benefits conditions imposed by the U.S.-Belgium Tax Treaty. The Belgian withholding tax is generally reduced to 15% under the U.S.-Belgium Tax Treaty. The 5% withholding tax applies in case where the U.S. shareholder is a company which holds at least 10% of the shares in the company. A 0% Belgian withholding tax applies when the shareholder is a company which has held at least 10% of the shares in the company for at least 12 months, or is, subject to certain conditions, a U.S. pension fund. The U.S. shareholders are encouraged to consult their own tax advisers to determine whether they can invoke the benefits and meet the limitation of benefits conditions as imposed by the U.S.-Belgium Tax Treaty.

We believe that we were a passive foreign investment company for our 2014 taxable year, and expect that we may be a passive foreign investment company in other future taxable years. U.S. holders of the ADSs may suffer adverse tax consequences if we are characterized as a passive foreign investment company.

Generally, if, for any taxable year, at least 75% of our gross income is passive income, or at least 50% of the value of our assets is attributable to assets that produce passive income or are held for the production of passive income, including cash, we would be characterized as a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes. For purposes of these tests, passive income includes dividends, interest, and gains from the sale or exchange of investment property and rents and royalties other than rents and royalties which are received from unrelated parties in connection with the active conduct of a trade or business. If we are characterized as a PFIC, U.S. holders of the ADSs may suffer adverse tax consequences, including having gains realized on the sale of the ADSs treated as ordinary income, rather than capital gain, the loss of the preferential rate applicable to dividends received on the ADSs by individuals who are U.S. holders, and having interest charges apply to distributions by us and the proceeds of sales of the ADSs. See “Material income tax considerations—Certain Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations to U.S. Holders—Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations.”

Our status as a PFIC will depend on the composition of our income and the composition and value of

our assets (which, if we are not a “controlled foreign corporation” under Section 957(a) of the Code or

we are publicly traded for the entire year being tested, may be determined in large part by reference to

the market value of the ADSs and ordinary shares, which may be volatile) from time to time. Our status

may also depend, in part, on how quickly we utilize the cash proceeds from the global offering in our business.

We believe we were a PFIC for our 2014 taxable year, and with respect to our 2015 taxable year and possibly other taxable years, we expect that we will be a PFIC based upon the expected value of our assets, including any goodwill, and the expected composition of our income and assets. However, our status as a PFIC is a fact intensive determination made on an annual basis and we cannot provide any assurances regarding our PFIC status for the current or future taxable years.

If you purchase the ADSs in the U.S. offering or ordinary shares in the European private placement, you will experience substantial and immediate dilution.

If you purchase the ADSs in the U.S. offering or ordinary shares in the European private placement, you will experience substantial and immediate dilution of $             (€             ) per ADS/ordinary share in the net tangible book value after giving effect to the global offering at an assumed public offering price of $                 (€             ) per ADS or per ordinary share, the closing price of our ordinary shares on Euronext Brussels on,                 2015, because the price that you pay will be substantially greater than the net tangible book value per ADS or per ordinary share that you acquire. This dilution is due in large part to the

 

 

 

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fact that our earlier investors paid substantially less than the public offering price when they purchased their ordinary shares. You will experience additional dilution upon exercise of any outstanding warrants to subscribe for newly issued ordinary shares under our equity incentive plans (i.e., our warrant plans), or if we otherwise issue additional shares below the public offering price. For a further description of the dilution that you will experience immediately after the global offering, see the section of this prospectus titled “Dilution.”

Future sales of ordinary shares or ADSs by existing shareholders could depress the market price of the ADSs and the ordinary shares.

If our existing shareholders sell, or indicate an intent to sell, substantial amounts of ordinary shares or ADSs in the public market after the 90-day contractual lock-up and other legal restrictions on resale discussed in this prospectus lapse, the trading price of the ADSs and the ordinary shares could decline significantly and could decline below the public offering price. Upon completion of the global offering, we will have outstanding ordinary shares, approximately              of which are subject to the 90-day contractual lock-up referred to above. The representatives of the underwriters may permit us, our directors and members of our management team to sell shares prior to the expiration of the lock-up agreements. See “Underwriting.” After the lock-up agreements pertaining to the global offering expire, and based on the number of ordinary shares outstanding upon completion of the global offering, additional shares will be eligible for sale in the public market, all of which shares are held by directors and members of the management team and will be subject to volume limitations under Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act. In addition, the ordinary shares subject to outstanding warrants under our equity incentive plans and the shares reserved for future issuance under our equity incentive plans will become eligible for sale in the public market in the future, subject to certain legal and contractual limitations.

Following the global offering, we intend to file one or more registration statements with the SEC covering ordinary shares available for future issuance under our equity incentive plans. Upon effectiveness of such registration statements, any shares subsequently issued under such plans will be eligible for sale in the public market, except to the extent that they are restricted by the lock-up agreements referred to above and subject to compliance with Rule 144 in the case of our affiliates. Sales of a large number of the shares issued under these plans in the public market could have an adverse effect on the market price of the ADSs and the ordinary shares. See the section of this prospectus titled “Shares and ADSs available for future sale” for a more detailed description of sales that may occur in the future. If these additional shares or ADSs are sold, or if it is perceived that they will be sold, in the public market, the trading price of the ADSs and the ordinary shares could decline substantially.

We are a Belgian public limited liability company, and shareholders of our company may have different and in some cases more limited shareholder rights than shareholders of a U.S. listed corporation.

We are a public limited liability company incorporated under the laws of Belgium. Our corporate affairs are governed by Belgian corporate and securities law. The rights provided to our shareholders under Belgian corporate law and our articles of association differ in certain respects from the rights that you would typically enjoy as a shareholder of a U.S. corporation under applicable U.S. federal and state laws. Under Belgian corporate law, other than certain information that we must make public and except in certain limited circumstances, our shareholders may not ask for an inspection of our corporate records, while under Delaware corporate law any shareholder, irrespective of the size of its shareholdings, may do so. Shareholders of a Belgian corporation have more limited rights to initiate a derivative action, a remedy typically available to shareholders of U.S. companies, in order to enforce a right of our Company, in case we fail to enforce such right ourselves.

A liability action can be instituted for our account by one or more of our shareholders who, individually or together, hold securities representing at least 1.0% of the votes or a part of the capital worth at least

 

 

 

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€1.25 million and have not approved of the discharge from liability that was granted to the directors. If the court orders the directors to pay damages, they are due to us, though the amounts advanced by the minority shareholders (for example attorney’s fees) are to be reimbursed by us. If the action is disallowed, the minority shareholders may be ordered to pay the costs, and, should there be grounds therefor, to pay damages to the directors, for example for having conducted provocative and reckless legal proceedings.

In addition, a majority of our shareholders present or represented at our meeting of shareholders may release a director from any claim of liability we may have, provided that the financial position of the company is accurately reflected in the annual accounts. This includes a release from liability for any acts of the directors beyond their statutory powers or in breach of the Belgian Company Code, provided that the relevant acts were specifically mentioned in the convening notice to the meeting of shareholders deliberating on the discharge. In contrast, most U.S. federal and state laws prohibit a company or its shareholders from releasing a director from liability altogether if he or she has acted in bad faith or has breached his or her duty of loyalty to the company. Finally, Belgian corporate law does not provide any form of appraisal rights in the case of a business combination. See “Description of share capital.” As a result of these differences between Belgian corporate law and our articles of association, on the one hand, and the U.S. federal and state laws, on the other hand, in certain instances, you could receive less protection as an ADS holder of our company than you would as a shareholder of a listed U.S. company.

Takeover provisions in the national law of Belgium may make a takeover difficult.

Public takeover bids on our shares and other voting securities, such as warrants or convertible bonds, if any, are subject to the Belgian Act of April 1, 2007 on public takeover bids, as amended and implemented by the Belgian Royal Decree of April 27, 2007, or Royal Decree, and to the supervision by the Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority, or FSMA. Public takeover bids must be made for all of our voting securities, as well as for all other securities that entitle the holders thereof to the subscription to, the acquisition of or the conversion into voting securities. Prior to making a bid, a bidder must issue and disseminate a prospectus, which must be approved by the FSMA. The bidder must also obtain approval of the relevant competition authorities, where such approval is legally required for the acquisition of our company. The Belgian Act of April 1, 2007 provides that a mandatory bid will be required to be launched for all of our outstanding shares and securities giving access to ordinary shares if a person, as a result of its own acquisition or the acquisition by persons acting in concert with it or by persons acting on their account, directly or indirectly holds more than 30% of the voting securities in a company that has its registered office in Belgium and of which at least part of the voting securities are traded on a regulated market or on a multilateral trading facility designated by the Royal Decree. The mere fact of exceeding the relevant threshold through the acquisition of one or more shares will give rise to a mandatory bid, irrespective of whether or not the price paid in the relevant transaction exceeds the current market price.

There are several provisions of Belgian company law and certain other provisions of Belgian law, such as the obligation to disclose important shareholdings and merger control, that may apply to us and which may make an unfriendly tender offer, merger, change in management or other change in control, more difficult. These provisions could discourage potential takeover attempts that third parties may consider and thus deprive the shareholders of the opportunity to sell their shares at a premium (which is typically offered in the framework of a takeover bid).

You will not have the same voting rights as the holders of our ordinary shares and may not receive voting materials in time to be able to exercise your right to vote.

Holders of ADSs may exercise voting rights with respect to the ordinary shares represented by the ADSs only in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. The deposit agreement provides that,

 

 

 

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upon receipt of notice of any meeting of holders of our ordinary shares, the depositary will fix a record date for the determination of ADS holders who shall be entitled to give instructions for the exercise of voting rights. Upon timely receipt of notice from us, if we so request, the depositary shall distribute to the holders as of the record date (1) the notice of the meeting or solicitation of consent or proxy sent by us and (2) a statement as to the manner in which instructions may be given by the holders. You may instruct the depositary of your ADSs to vote the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs. Otherwise, you will not be able to exercise your right to vote, unless you withdraw the ordinary shares underlying the ADSs you hold. However, you may not know about the meeting far enough in advance to withdraw those ordinary shares. We cannot guarantee you that you will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that you can instruct the depositary to vote your ordinary shares or to withdraw your ordinary shares so that you can vote them yourself. In addition, the depositary and its agents are not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions or for the manner of carrying out voting instructions. This means that you may not be able to exercise your right to vote, and there may be nothing you can do if the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs are not voted as you requested.

You may be subject to limitations on the transfer of your ADSs and the withdrawal of the underlying ordinary shares.

Your ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its books at any time or from time to time when it deems expedient in connection with the performance of its duties. The depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of your ADSs generally when our books or the books of the depositary are closed, or at any time if we or the depositary think it is advisable to do so because of any requirement of law, government or governmental body, or under any provision of the deposit agreement, or for any other reason, subject to your right to cancel your ADSs and withdraw the underlying ordinary shares. Temporary delays in the cancellation of your ADSs and withdrawal of the underlying ordinary shares may arise because the depositary has closed its transfer books or we have closed our transfer books, the transfer of ordinary shares is blocked to permit voting at a shareholders’ meeting or we are paying a dividend on our ordinary shares.

In addition, you may not be able to cancel your ADSs and withdraw the underlying ordinary shares when you owe money for fees, taxes and similar charges and when it is necessary to prohibit withdrawals in order to comply with any laws or governmental regulations that apply to ADSs or to the withdrawal of ordinary shares or other deposited securities. See “Description of American Depositary Shares—Your Right to Receive the Shares Underlying Your ADSs.”

We are an “emerging growth company” and are availing ourselves of reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies, which could make the ADSs or the ordinary shares less attractive to investors.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, and we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We cannot predict if investors will find the ADSs or the ordinary shares less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find the ADSs or the ordinary shares less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for the ADSs or the ordinary shares and the price of the ADSs or the ordinary shares may be more volatile. We may take advantage of these reporting exemptions until we are no longer an emerging growth company. We would cease to be an emerging growth company upon the earliest to occur of (1) the last day of the fiscal year in

 

 

 

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which we have more than $1.0 billion in annual revenue; (2) the date we qualify as a “large accelerated filer,” with at least $700 million of equity securities held by non-affiliates; (3) the issuance, in any three-year period, by our company of more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities held by non-affiliates; and (4) the last day of the fiscal year ending after the fifth anniversary of our U.S. initial public offering. We may choose to take advantage of some but not all of these exemptions.

Even after we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, we may still qualify as a “smaller reporting company” which would allow us to take advantage of many of the same exemptions from disclosure requirements, including not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation. We cannot predict if investors will find our ordinary shares less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our ordinary shares less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our ordinary shares and our share price may be more volatile.

As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from a number of rules under the U.S. securities laws and are permitted to file less information with the SEC than a U.S. company. This may limit the information available to holders of ADSs or ordinary shares.

We are a “foreign private issuer,” as defined in the SEC’s rules and regulations and, consequently, we are not subject to all of the disclosure requirements applicable to public companies organized within the United States. For example, we are exempt from certain rules under the Exchange Act, that regulate disclosure obligations and procedural requirements related to the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations applicable to a security registered under the Exchange Act, including the U.S. proxy rules under Section 14 of the Exchange Act. In addition, our officers and directors are exempt from the reporting and “short-swing” profit recovery provisions of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and related rules with respect to their purchases and sales of our securities. Moreover, while we currently make annual and semi-annual filings with respect to our listing on Euronext Brussels and Euronext Paris, we will not be required to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as U.S. domestic issuers and will not be required to file quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K under the Exchange Act. Accordingly, there will be less publicly available information concerning our company than there would be if we were not a foreign private issuer.

As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to adopt certain home country practices in relation to corporate governance matters that differ significantly from NASDAQ corporate governance listing standards. These practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with corporate governance listing standards.

As a foreign private issuer listed on NASDAQ, we will be subject to corporate governance listing standards. However, rules permit a foreign private issuer like us to follow the corporate governance practices of its home country. Certain corporate governance practices in Belgium, which is our home country, may differ significantly from corporate governance listing standards. For example, neither the corporate laws of Belgium nor our articles of association require a majority of our directors to be independent and we could include non-independent directors as members of our nomination and remuneration committee, and our independent directors would not necessarily hold regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present. Currently, we intend to follow home country practice to the maximum extent possible. Therefore, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would have under corporate governance listing standards applicable to U.S. domestic issuers. See “Management.”

 

 

 

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We may lose our foreign private issuer status in the future, which could result in significant additional cost and expense.

While we currently qualify as a foreign private issuer, the determination of foreign private issuer status is made annually on the last business day of an issuer’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter and, accordingly, the next determination will be made with respect to us on June 30, 2016. In the future, we would lose our foreign private issuer status if we to fail to meet the requirements necessary to maintain our foreign private issuer status as of the relevant determination date. For example, if more than 50% of our securities are held by U.S. residents and more than 50% of the members of our executive management team or members of our board of directors are residents or citizens of the United States, we could lose our foreign private issuer status.

The regulatory and compliance costs to us under U.S. securities laws as a U.S. domestic issuer may be significantly more than costs we incur as a foreign private issuer. If we are not a foreign private issuer, we will be required to file periodic reports and registration statements on U.S. domestic issuer forms with the SEC, which are more detailed and extensive in certain respects than the forms available to a foreign private issuer. We would be required under current SEC rules to prepare our financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or U.S. GAAP, rather than IFRS, and modify certain of our policies to comply with corporate governance practices associated with U.S. domestic issuers. Such conversion of our financial statements to U.S. GAAP will involve significant time and cost. In addition, we may lose our ability to rely upon exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements on U.S. stock exchanges that are available to foreign private issuers such as the ones described above and exemptions from procedural requirements related to the solicitation of proxies.

It may be difficult for investors outside Belgium to serve process on, or enforce foreign judgments against, us or our directors and senior management.

We are a Belgian public limited liability company. Less than a majority of the members of our board of directors and members of our executive management team are residents of the United States. All or a substantial portion of the assets of such non-resident persons and most of our assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it may not be possible for investors to effect service of process upon such persons or on us or to enforce against them or us a judgment obtained in U.S. courts. Original actions or actions for the enforcement of judgments of U.S. courts relating to the civil liability provisions of the federal or state securities laws of the United States are not directly enforceable in Belgium.

The United States and Belgium do not currently have a multilateral or bilateral treaty providing for reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments, other than arbitral awards, in civil and commercial matters. In order for a final judgment for the payment of money rendered by U.S. courts based on civil liability to produce any effect on Belgian soil, it is accordingly required that this judgment be recognized or be declared enforceable by a Belgian court in accordance with Articles 22 to 25 of the 2004 Belgian Code of Private International Law. Recognition or enforcement does not imply a review of the merits of the case and is irrespective of any reciprocity requirement. A U.S. judgment will, however, not be recognized or declared enforceable in Belgium if it infringes upon one or more of the grounds for refusal that are exhaustively listed in Article 25 of the Belgian Code of Private International Law. Actions for the enforcement of judgments of U.S. courts might be successful only if the Belgian court confirms the substantive correctness of the judgment of the U.S. court and is satisfied that:

 

Ø   the effect of the enforcement judgment is not manifestly incompatible with Belgian public policy;

 

Ø   the judgment did not violate the rights of the defendant;

 

 

 

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Ø   the judgment was not rendered in a matter where the parties transferred rights subject to transfer restrictions with the sole purpose of avoiding the application of the law applicable according to Belgian international private law;

 

Ø   the judgment is not subject to further recourse under U.S. law;

 

Ø   the judgment is not compatible with a judgment rendered in Belgium or with a subsequent judgment rendered abroad that might be recognized in Belgium;

 

Ø   a claim was not filed outside Belgium after the same claim was filed in Belgium, while the claim filed in Belgium is still pending;

 

Ø   the Belgian courts did not have exclusive jurisdiction to rule on the matter;

 

Ø   the U.S. court did not accept its jurisdiction solely on the basis of either the nationality of the plaintiff or the location of the disputed goods; and

 

Ø   the judgment submitted to the Belgian court is authentic.

In addition to recognition or enforcement, a judgment by a federal or state court in the United States against us may also serve as evidence in a similar action in a Belgian court if it meets the conditions required for the authenticity of judgments according to the law of the state where it was rendered. The findings of a federal or state court in the United States will not, however, be taken into account to the extent they appear incompatible with Belgian public policy.

After the completion of the global offering, we may be at an increased risk of securities class action litigation.

Historically, 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 biopharmaceutical companies have experienced significant share price volatility in recent years. If we were to be sued, it could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could harm our business.

We have notified the Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority that we have elected to settle its investigation.

The Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority, or the FMSA, opened an investigation against us on April 22, 2014. Such investigation was related to whether we had failed to timely disclose inside information to the market. In April 2015, we notified the FMSA that we have elected to settle its investigation by paying the proposed fine of €175,000. Our settlement agreement still needs to be approved by the executive committee of the FMSA, but such committee typically accepts the recommendation of FMSA auditor who initially proposed the €175,000 settlement. It is possible that the settlement accepted by the executive committee of the FMSA will differ from the proposed €175,000 settlement, and the decision of the executive committee of the FMSA is not appealable. Although such settlement did not provide for any admission of guilt on our part, the fact that we have entered into a settlement with the FMSA could cause investors to have a negative perception of our governance structure, which would have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

 

 

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Forward-looking statements

This prospectus, particularly the sections of this prospectus titled “Prospectus summary,” “Risk factors,” “Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations” and “Business,” contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than present and historical facts and conditions contained in this prospectus, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial positions, business strategy, plans and our objectives for future operations, are forward-looking statements. When used in this prospectus, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “can,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “is designed to,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “objective,” “should,” or the negative of these and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:

 

Ø   the initiation, timing, progress and results of our pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, and our research and development programs;

 

Ø   our ability to advance drug product candidates into, and successfully commence and complete, clinical trials;

 

Ø   our reliance on the success of our drug product candidates;

 

Ø   the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals;

 

Ø   our ability to develop sales and marketing capabilities;

 

Ø   the commercialization of our drug product candidates, if approved;

 

Ø   the pricing and reimbursement of our drug product candidates, if approved;

 

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

 

Ø   the scope of protection we are able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering our drug product candidates and technology;

 

Ø   our ability to operate our business without infringing the intellectual property rights and proprietary technology of third parties;

 

Ø   cost associated with defending intellectual property infringement, product liability and other claims;

 

Ø   regulatory development in the United States, the European Union and other jurisdictions;

 

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

 

Ø   the potential benefits of strategic collaboration agreements and our ability to enter into strategic arrangements;

 

Ø   our ability to maintain and establish collaborations or obtain additional grant funding;

 

Ø   the rate and degree of market acceptance of our drug product candidates;

 

Ø   developments relating to our competitors and our industry, including competing therapies;

 

Ø   our ability to effectively manage our anticipated growth;

 

Ø   our ability to attract and retain qualified employees and key personnel;

 

Ø   our ability to build our finance infrastructure, improve our accounting systems and controls and remedy the material weaknesses identified in our internal control over financial reporting;

 

Ø   our expectations regarding the period during which we qualify as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act;

 

 

 

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Ø   statements regarding future revenue, hiring plans, expenses, capital expenditures, capital requirements and share performance;

 

Ø   our expected use of proceeds of the global offering;

 

Ø   our expectations regarding our PFIC status;

 

Ø   the future trading price of our ADSs and our ordinary shares and impact of securities analysts’ reports on these prices; and

 

Ø   other risks and uncertainties, including those listed under the caption “Risk factors.”

You should refer to the section of this prospectus titled “Risk factors” for a discussion of important factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. As a result of these factors, we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements in this prospectus will prove to be accurate. Furthermore, if our forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the inaccuracy may be material. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not regard these statements as a representation or warranty by us or any other person that we will achieve our objectives and plans in any specified time frame or at all. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

You should read this prospectus and the documents that we reference in this prospectus and have filed as exhibits to the registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

This prospectus contains market data and industry forecasts that were obtained from industry publications. These data involve a number of assumptions and limitations, and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to such estimates. While we believe the market position, market opportunity and market size information included in this prospectus is generally reliable, such information is inherently imprecise.

 

 

 

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Currency exchange rates

The following table sets forth, for each period indicated, the low and high exchange rates for euros expressed in U.S. dollars, the exchange rate at the end of such period and the average of such exchange rates on the last day of each month during such period, based on the noon buying rate of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for the euro. As used in this document, the term “noon buying rate” refers to the rate of exchange for the euro, expressed in U.S. dollars per euro, as certified by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for customs purposes. The exchange rates set forth below demonstrate trends in exchange rates, but the actual exchange rates used throughout this prospectus may vary.

 

      2010      2011      2012      2013      2014  

High

     1.4536         1.4875         1.3463         1.3816         1.3927   

Low

     1.1959         1.2926         1.2062         1.2774         1.2101   

Rate at end of period

     1.3269         1.2973         1.3186         1.3779         1.2101   

Average rate per period

     1.3262         1.3931         1.2859         1.3281         1.3297   

The following table sets forth, for each of the last six months, the low and high exchange rates for euros expressed in U.S. dollars and the exchange rate at the end of the month based on the noon buying rate as described above.

 

      November
2014
     December
2014
     January
2015
     February
2015
     March
2015
     April
2015
 

High

     1.2554         1.2504         1.2015         1.1462         1.1212         1.1174   

Low

     1.2394         1.2101         1.1279         1.1197         1.0524         1.0582   

Rate at end of period

     1.2438         1.2101         1.1290         1.1197         1.0741         1.1162   

On                     , 2015, the noon buying rate of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for the euro was €1.00 = $                    . Unless otherwise indicated, currency translations in this prospectus reflect the                     , 2015 exchange rate.

Information presented on a constant currency basis in this prospectus is calculated by translating current year results at prior year average exchange rates. Management reviews and analyzes business results excluding the effect of foreign currency translation because they believe this better represents our underlying business trends.

 

 

 

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Market information

Our ordinary shares have been trading on Euronext Brussels and Euronext Paris under the symbol “CYAD” since July 5, 2013.

The following table sets forth for the periods indicated the reported high and low closing sale prices per ordinary share on Euronext Brussels in euros, as well as the average trading volume for our ordinary shares for such periods.

 

Period

   High      Low      Average trading
volume
 

Annual

        

2013 (beginning July 5, 2013)

     €32.80         €12.43         14,317   

2014

     €54.86         €24.67         20,056   

Quarterly

        

Third Quarter 2013 (beginning July 5, 2013)

     €21.45         €13.99         5,397   

Fourth Quarter 2013

     €26.30         €12.50         14,317   

First Quarter 2014

     €54.86         €24.67         40,944   

Second Quarter 2014

     €48.75         €32.00         13,308   

Third Quarter 2014

     €43.00         €34.00         17,260   

Fourth Quarter 2014

     €39.89         €28.01         8,916   

Month Ended

        

November 2014

     €35.96         €33.01         6,619   

December 2014

     €35.97         €28.01         8,093   

January 2015

     €44.00         €33.615         30,609   

February 2015

     €47.85         €39.50         43,436   

March 2015

     €47.59         €40.63         21,547   

April 2015

     €56.43         €43.545         61,014   

On                     2015, the last reported sale price of our ordinary shares on Euronext Brussels was €         per share.

 

 

 

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Use of proceeds

We estimate that we will receive net proceeds from the global offering of approximately $             (€            ) million, assuming a public offering price of $         (€            ) per ADS in the U.S. offering and €             per ordinary share in the European private placement, the closing price of our ordinary shares on Euronext Brussels on             , 2015, after deducting underwriting commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional ordinary shares and ADSs. If the underwriters exercise in full their options to purchase additional ordinary shares and ADSs in the global offering , we estimate that we will receive net proceeds from the global offering of approximately $             (€            ) million, assuming a public offering price of $              (€            ) per ADS in the U.S. offering and €             per ordinary share in the European private placement, the closing price of our ordinary shares on Euronext Brussels on                 , 2015, after deducting underwriting commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

A $1.00 (€            ) increase (decrease) in the assumed public offering price of $         (€            ) per ADS in the U.S. offering and €             per ordinary share in the European private placement, would increase (decrease) our net proceeds from the global offering by $             (€            ) million, assuming the number of the ordinary shares and the ADSs offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting underwriting commissions. Each increase or decrease of              ADSs and ordinary shares in the number of ADSs and ordinary shares offered by us would increase or decrease the net proceeds to us from the sale of the ordinary shares and ADSs we are offering by $             (€            ) million, assuming that the assumed public offering price remains the same and after deducting underwriting commissions. Each increase of              ADSs and ordinary shares in the number of ADSs and ordinary shares offered by us together with a concomitant $1.00 (€            ) increase in the assumed public offering price per ADS in the U.S. offering and €             per ordinary share in the European private placement, would increase the net proceeds to us from the sale of ADSs and ordinary shares we are offering by $             (€            ) million, after deducting underwriting commissions. Each decrease of shares in the number of ordinary shares and ADSs offered by us together with a concomitant $1.00 (€            ) decrease in the assumed public offering price per ADS in the U.S. offering and €             per ordinary share in the European private placement, would decrease the net proceeds to us from the sale of the ADSs and ordinary shares we are offering by $             (€            ) million, after deducting underwriting commissions. The actual net proceeds payable to us will adjust based on the actual number of ADSs and ordinary shares offered by us, the actual public offering price and other terms of the global offering determined at pricing.

The principal purposes of the global offering are to increase our financial flexibility, create a public market for our securities in the United States and facilitate our access to the public equity markets. We currently expect to use the net proceeds from the global offering as follows:

 

Ø   approximately $         million to advance the development of C-Cure through Phase 3 clinical development as a treatment for ischemic HF;

 

Ø   approximately $         million to advance the development of CAR-NKG2D through Phase 1 clinical development as a treatment for AML and MM;

 

Ø   approximately $         million to advance additional CAR T-cell therapy drug product candidates for the treatment of additional blood cancers and solid tumors;

 

Ø   approximately $         million to support our growth globally by expanding general, administrative and operational functions in our headquarters in Belgium and in the United States.

 

 

 

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We expect to use the remainder of any net proceeds from the global offering for working capital and other general corporate purposes.

We may also use a portion of the net proceeds to in-license, acquire or invest in complementary technologies, products or assets. However we have no current plan, commitments or obligations to do so.

Based on our current operation plans and assumptions, we believe that such proceeds, together with our existing cash, will be sufficient to fund our operations until at least the end of 2017. However, changing circumstances may cause us to increase our spending significantly faster than we currently anticipate, and we may need to spend more money than currently expected because of circumstances beyond our control. We may require additional capital for the further development and commercialization of our drug product candidates and may need to raise additional funds sooner if we choose to expand more rapidly than we presently anticipate. We cannot be certain that additional funding will be available on acceptable terms, or at all. We have no committed source of additional capital and if we are unable to raise additional capital in sufficient amounts or on terms acceptable to us, we may have to significantly delay, scale back or discontinue the development or commercialization of our drug product candidates or other research and development initiatives. Our licenses may also be terminated if we are unable to meet the payment obligations under the agreements. We could be required to seek collaborators for our drug product candidates at an earlier stage than otherwise would be desirable or on terms that are less favorable than might otherwise be available or relinquish or license on unfavorable terms our rights to our drug product candidates in markets where we otherwise would seek to pursue development or commercialization ourselves. Any these events could significantly harm our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations and cause the price of our ADSs and our ordinary shares to decline.

We currently have no specific plans as to how the net proceeds from the global offering will be allocated beyond the uses specified above and therefore management will retain discretion to allocate the remainder of the net proceeds of the global offering among these uses.

This expected use of the net proceeds from the global offering represents our intentions based upon our current plans and business conditions. As of the date of this prospectus, we cannot predict with certainty all of the particular uses for the net proceeds to be received upon the completion of the global offering or the amounts that we will actually spend on the uses set forth above. The amounts and timing of our actual expenditures and the extent of clinical development may vary significantly depending on numerous factors, including the progress of our development efforts, the status of and results from pre-clinical studies and any ongoing clinical trials or clinical trials we may commence in the future, as well as any collaborations that we may enter into with third parties for our drug product candidates and any unforeseen cash needs. As a result, our management will retain broad discretion over the allocation of the net proceeds from the global offering.

Pending our use of the net proceeds from the global offering, we intend to invest the net proceeds in a variety of capital preservation investments, including short-term, investment-grade, interest-bearing instruments.

 

 

 

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Dividend policy

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares. We do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our equity securities in the foreseeable future and intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings for use in the operation and expansion of our business. All of the ordinary shares, including in the form of the ADSs, offered by this prospectus will have the same dividend rights as all of our other outstanding ordinary shares. In general, distributions of dividends proposed by our board of directors require the approval of our shareholders at a meeting of shareholders with a simple majority vote, although our board of directors may declare interim dividends without shareholder approval, subject to the terms and conditions of the Belgian Company Code. See ‘‘Description of share capital.’’

Pursuant to Belgian law, the calculation of amounts available for distribution to shareholders, as dividends or otherwise, must be determined on the basis of our non-consolidated statutory financial accounts prepared under Belgian GAAP, and not on the basis of IFRS consolidated accounts. In addition, under the Belgian Company Code, we may declare or pay dividends only if, following the declaration and issuance of the dividends, the amount of our net assets on the date of the closing of the last financial year according to our statutory annual accounts (i.e., the amount of the assets as shown in the balance sheet, decreased with provisions and liabilities, all as prepared in accordance with Belgian accounting rules), decreased with the non-amortized costs of incorporation and expansion and the non-amortized costs for research and development, does not fall below the amount of the paid-up capital (or, if higher, the called capital), increased with the amount of non-distributable reserves. Finally, prior to distributing dividends, we must allocate at least 5% of our annual net profits (under our non-consolidated statutory accounts prepared in accordance with Belgian accounting rules) to a legal reserve, until the reserve amounts to 10% of our share capital.

For information regarding the Belgian withholding tax applicable to dividends and related U.S. reimbursement procedures, see ‘‘Material income tax considerations—Belgian Tax Consequences.’’

 

 

 

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Capitalization

The following table sets forth our cash and cash equivalents and capitalization as of December 31, 2014 on:

 

Ø   an actual basis;

 

Ø   as adjusted to give effect to the acquisition of Oncyte in January 2015;

 

Ø   as further adjusted for the private placement conducted in March 2015; and

 

Ø   as further adjusted basis to reflect: (1) our issuance and sale of              ordinary shares (including ordinary shares in the form of ADSs) in the global offering at an assumed public offering price of $         (€            ) per ADS in the U.S. offering and €             per ordinary share in the European private placement, the closing price of our ordinary shares on Euronext Brussels on                 , 2015, after deducting underwriting commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us; and (2) the application of our net proceeds of the global offering as described under the section of this prospectus titled “Use of proceeds.”

You should read this table together with our consolidated financial statements and related notes beginning on page F-1, as well as the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations” and the other financial information included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

      As of December 31, 2014
      Actual     As
Adjusted (1)
    As Further
Adjusted (2)
    As Further
Adjusted (3)

Cash and cash equivalents

     €27,633        €22,452        €54,197     

Short term investments

     €2,671        €2,671        €2,671     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

Advances repayable

  €10,778      €10,778      €10,778   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

Share capital:

Ordinary shares, par value €3.50: 7,040,387 shares             issued and outstanding, actual; shares issued and outstanding, as adjusted

  24,615      24,940      27,437   

Premiums related to the share capital

  53,302      56,428      85,676   

Other reserves

  19,982      19,982      19,982   

Retained earnings

  (71,215   (71,215   (71,215
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

Total equity attributable to our shareholders

  26,684      30,135      61,880   

Total capitalization

  €37,462      40,913      72,658   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

(1)     As adjusted for the acquisition of Oncyte in January 2015.

 

(2)     As adjusted for the private placement conducted in March 2015.

 

(3)    

Each $1.00 (€            ) increase or decrease in the assumed public offering price of $             (€            ) per ADS in the U.S. offering and €             per ordinary share in the European private placement, the closing price of our ordinary shares on Euronext Brussels on             , 2015, would increase or decrease each of as further adjusted cash and cash equivalents, total equity attributable to our shareholders and total capitalization by approximately $             (€            ) million, assuming that the number of ADSs and ordinary shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus,

 

 

 

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remains the same and after deducting underwriting commissions. We may also increase or decrease the number of ADSs and ordinary shares we are offering. Each increase or decrease of             ADSs and ordinary shares in the number of ADSs and ordinary shares, offered by us would increase or decrease each of as further adjusted cash and cash equivalents, total equity attributable to our shareholders and total capitalization by approximately $             (€            ) million, assuming that the assumed public offering price remains the same, and after deducting underwriting commissions. Each increase of             ADSs and ordinary shares in the number of ADSs and ordinary shares offered by us together with a concomitant $1.00 (€            ) increase in the assumed public offering price of $             (€            ) per ADS in the U.S. offering and €             per ordinary share in the European private placement, the closing price of our ordinary shares on Euronext Brussels on             , 2015, would increase each of as further adjusted cash and cash equivalents, total equity attributable to our shareholders and total capitalization by approximately $             (€            ) million, after deducting underwriting commissions. Each decrease of                     ADSs and ordinary shares in the number of ADSs and ordinary shares offered by us together with a concomitant $1.00 (€            ) decrease in the assumed public offering price of $             (€            ) per ADS in the U.S. offering and €             per ordinary share in the European private placement, the closing price of our ordinary shares on Euronext Brussels on            , 2015, would decrease each of as further adjusted cash and cash equivalents, total equity attributable to our shareholders and total capitalization by approximately $             (€            ) million, after deducting underwriting commissions. The as further adjusted information discussed above is illustrative only and will adjust based on the actual public offering price, the actual number of shares and ADSs offered by us, and other terms of the global offering determined at pricing.

The number of ordinary shares that will be outstanding after the global offering is based on the number of shares outstanding as of December 31, 2014 and excludes:

 

Ø   296,930 ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of warrants outstanding as of December 31, 2014 pursuant to our warrant plans, at a weighted-average exercise price of €9.57 per share;

 

Ø   93,087 ordinary shares issued to Celdara on January 21, 2015, as part of the upfront payment for the acquisition of OnCyte;

 

Ø   333 ordinary shares issued on February 7, 2015 upon exercise of warrants, and

 

Ø   713,380 ordinary shares issued on March 3, 2015 in a private placement.

 

 

 

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Dilution

If you invest in the ordinary shares or the ADSs, your ownership interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the public offering price per ADS/ordinary shares paid by purchasers of the ADSs or the ordinary shares and the as adjusted net tangible book value per ADS/ordinary shares after the global offering. Our net tangible book value as of December 31, 2014 was €26.7 ($32.3) million, or €3.79 ($4.59) per ADS/ordinary share. Net tangible book value per ADS/ordinary share is determined by dividing (1) our total assets less our intangible assets and our total liabilities by (2) the number of ordinary shares outstanding as of December 31, 2014, or             ordinary shares.

After giving effect to the issuance of 93,087 of our ordinary shares to Celdara as part of the upfront payment for the acquisition of OnCyte in January 2015, our as adjusted net tangible book value as of December 31, 2014 would have been €              ($            ) million, or €             ($            ) per ADS/ordinary share. After giving effect to the issuance of 713,380 of our ordinary shares in a private placement in March 2015, our as further adjusted net tangible book value as of December 31, 2014 would have been €             ($            ) million, or €             ($            ) per ADS/ordinary share.

After giving effect to our sale of             ordinary shares (including ordinary shares in the form of ADSs) at an assumed public offering price of $             (€            ) per ADS in the U.S. offering and €             per ordinary share in the European private placement, the closing price of our ordinary shares on Euronext Brussels on             , 2015, and after deducting underwriting commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our as further adjusted net tangible book value as of December 31, 2014 would have been €             ($             ) million, or €             ($             ) per ADS/ordinary share. This amount represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of €             ($             ) per ADS/ordinary share to our existing shareholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of €             ($             ) per ADS/ordinary share to new investors.

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

 

Assumed public offering price per ADS/ordinary share

  €               

Historical net tangible book value per ADS/ordinary share as of December 31, 2014

  €3.79   

Increase in net tangible book value per ADS/ordinary share attributable to the adjustment transactions described in the preceding paragraphs

  €           

Increase in net tangible book value per ADS/ordinary share attributable to new investors participating in the global offering

    
  

 

 

    

As further adjusted net tangible book value per ADS/ordinary share after the global offering

  €               
     

 

 

 

Dilution per ADS/ordinary share to new investors participating in the global offering

  €               
     

 

 

 

The dilution information discussed above is illustrative only and will change based on the actual public offering price and other terms of the global offering determined at pricing. Each $1.00 (€            ) increase or decrease in the assumed public offering price of $             (€            ) per ADS in the U.S. offering and €             per ordinary share in the European private placement, the closing price of our ordinary shares on Euronext Brussels on             , 2015, would increase or decrease our as adjusted net tangible book value by approximately €             ($             ) million, or approximately €             ($             ) per ADS/ordinary share, and the dilution to new investors participating in the global offering would be approximately €             ($             ) per ADS/ordinary share, assuming that the number of ADSs and ordinary shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same, and after deducting underwriting commissions. We may also increase or decrease the number of ADSs and

 

 

 

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ordinary shares we are offering. An increase in the number of ADSs and ordinary shares offered by us by              ADSs and ordinary shares would increase the as adjusted net tangible book value by approximately €             ($             ) million, or €             ($             ) per ADS/ordinary share, and the dilution to new investors participating in the global offering would be €             ($             ) per ADS/ordinary share, assuming that the assumed public offering price remains the same, and after deducting underwriting commissions. Similarly, a decrease in the number of ADSs and ordinary shares offered by us by              ADSs and ordinary shares would decrease the as adjusted net tangible book value by approximately €             ($             ) million, or €             ($             ) per ADS/ordinary share, and the dilution to new investors participating in the global offering would be €             ($             ) per ADS/ordinary share, assuming that the assumed public offering price remains the same, and after deducting underwriting commissions. Each increase of              ADS and ordinary shares in the number of ADSs and ordinary shares offered by us together with a concomitant $1.00 (€            ) increase in the assumed public offering price of $             (€            ) per ADS in the U.S. offering and €             per ordinary share in the European private placement, the closing price of our ordinary shares on Euronext Brussels on             , 2015, would increase our as adjusted net tangible book value by approximately €             ($             ) million, or approximately €             ($             ) per ADS/ordinary share, and the dilution to new investors participating in the global offering would be approximately €             ($             ) per ADS/ordinary share, after deducting underwriting commissions. Each decrease of              ADSs and ordinary shares in the number of ADSs and ordinary shares offered by us together with a concomitant $1.00 (€            ) decrease in the assumed public offering price of $             (€            ) per ADS in the U.S. offering and €             per ordinary share in the European private placement, the closing price of our ordinary shares on Euronext Brussels on             , 2015, would decrease our as adjusted net tangible book value by approximately € ($             ) million, or approximately €             ($             ) per ADS/ordinary share, and the dilution to new investors participating in the global offering would be approximately €             ($             ) per ADS/ordinary share, after deducting underwriting commissions. The as adjusted information discussed above is illustrative only and will be adjusted based on the actual public offering price, the number of ADSs and ordinary shares offered by us and other terms of the global offering determined at pricing.

If the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ordinary shares and ADSs in full, the as adjusted net tangible book value per ADS/ordinary share after the global offering would be €             ($             ) per ADS/ordinary share, the increase in the as adjusted net tangible book value to existing shareholders would be €             ($             ) per ADS/ordinary share, and the dilution to new investors participating in the global offering would be €             ($             ) per ADS/ordinary share.

The following table sets forth as of December 31, 2014 consideration paid to us in cash for ordinary shares and ADSs purchased from us by our existing shareholders and by new investors participating in the global offering, based on an assumed public offering price of $             (€            ) per ADS in the U.S. offering and €             per ordinary share in the European private placement,, the closing price of our ordinary shares on Euronext Brussels on             , 2015, and before deducting underwriting commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us:

 

    Ordinary Shares/
ADSs Purchased from
Us
    Total Consideration     Average
Price per
Ordinary
Share/
ADS
 
     Number    Percent     Amount      Percent    

Existing shareholders

       %        €                 %        €               

New investors

           
 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

  100.0   €              100.0   €               
 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

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In addition, if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ordinary shares and ADSs in full, the number of ordinary shares held by the existing shareholders after the global offering would be reduced to             % of the total number of ordinary shares (including ordinary shares in the form of ADSs) outstanding after the global offering, and the number of ordinary shares (including ordinary shares in the form of ADSs) held by new investors participating in the global offering would increase to             , or             % of the total number of ordinary shares (including ordinary shares in the form of ADSs) outstanding after the global offering.

The tables and calculations above are based on the number of ordinary shares outstanding as of December 31, 2014, but excludes:

 

Ø   296,930 ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of warrants outstanding as of December 31, 2014 pursuant to our warrant plans, at a weighted-average exercise price of €9.57 per share;

 

Ø   93,087 ordinary shares issued to Celdara on January 21, 2015, as part of the upfront payment for the acquisition of OnCyte;

 

Ø   333 ordinary shares issued on February 7, 2015 upon exercise of warrants, and

 

Ø   713,380 ordinary shares issued on March 3, 2015 in a private placement.

 

 

 

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Selected historical consolidated financial data

You should read the following selected historical consolidated financial data in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes beginning on page F-1 and the sections of this prospectus titled “Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations” and “Currency exchange rates.” We derived the consolidated statement of comprehensive loss data for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 and consolidated statement of financial position data as of December 31, 2014 and 2013 from our audited consolidated financial statements beginning on page F-1. Our audited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with IFRS, as issued by the IASB. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected in the future.

The restatement of our previously issued consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2013 relates to errors in our accounting for convertible debentures and certain share-based payments. For additional information regarding the restatement, see Note 2.36 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

(€’000)

   For the year ended December 31,  
             2014                     2013          
    

 

    (as restated)  

Consolidated statement of comprehensive loss

  

Revenue

     146        —     

Cost of sales

     (115     —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross Profit

  31      —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Research and development expenses

  (15,865   (9,046

General and administrative

  (5,016   (3,972

Other operating income

  4,413      64   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating loss

  (16,437   (12,954

Financial income

  277      60   

Financial expenses

  (41   (1,595

Share of loss of investments accounted for using the equity method

  (252   —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss for the year

  (16,453   (14,489
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Basic and diluted loss per shares (1)

  (2.44   (3.53
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Number of shares used for computing basic and diluted loss for the year (2)

  6,750,383      4,099,216   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(1)     Basic and diluted net loss per share are the same in these periods because outstanding warrants would be anti-dilutive due to our net loss in these periods.
(2)     Weighted-average number of shares for the period then ended.

 

 

 

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Selected historical consolidated financial data

 

 

 

( ’000)

   For the year ended December 31,  
             2014                     2013          
    

 

    (as restated)  

Consolidated statement of financial position

    

Intangible assets

     10,266        9,400   

Short term investment

     2,671        3,000   

Cash and cash equivalents

     27,633        19,058   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total assets

  43,976      32,386   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Share capital and share premium

  77,917      52,612   

Other reserves

  19,982      18,894   

Retained loss

  (71,215   (54,608
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total shareholders’ equity

  26,684      16,898   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Non-current advances repayable

  10,778      12,072   

Total current liabilities

  6,053      3,389   

Total liabilities

  17,292      15,488   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total equity and liabilities

  43,976      32,386   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations

You should read the following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve certain risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in these statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include those discussed below and elsewhere in this prospectus, particularly under the “Risk factors” and “Forward-looking statements” sections.

All amounts included herein with respect to the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2014 are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements. The audited consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2014 are prepared pursuant to International Financial Reporting Standards, or IFRS, as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IASB. As permitted by the rules of the SEC for foreign private issuers, we do not reconcile our financial statements to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

Overview

We are a leader in engineered cell therapy treatments with clinical programs initially targeting indications in cardiovascular disease and oncology. Our lead drug product candidate in cardiovascular disease is C-Cure, an autologous cell therapy for the treatment of patients with ischemic heart failure, or HF. We completed enrollment in our first Phase 3 clinical trial of C-Cure in Europe and Israel, or CHART-1, in March 2015. On March 30, 2015, we announced that the Data Safety Monitoring Board, or DSMB, reviewed unblinded safety data from CHART-1 and determined that there was no evidence of obvious differences in safety profiles of patients in the two arms of the trial, which means that the data did not support discontinuation of the trial on the basis of safety. The full data readout from this trial is expected in the middle of 2016. We anticipate initiating our second Phase 3 clinical trial of C-Cure in the United States and Europe, or CHART-2, pending U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, lifting of the existing clinical hold, which we expect in the second half of 2015. Our lead drug product candidate in oncology is CAR-NKG2D, an autologous chimeric antigen receptor, or CAR, an artificial, lab engineered receptor, which is used to graft a given protein onto an immune cell, T lymphocyte, or CAR T-cell, therapy. We are currently enrolling patients with refractory or relapsed acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, or multiple myeloma, or MM, in a Phase 1 clinical trial of CAR-NKG2D in the United States. Interim data from this trial is expected to be reported at various times during the trial, with the full data readout expected in the middle of 2016.

All of our current drug product candidates are autologous cell therapy treatments. In autologous procedures, a patient’s cells are harvested, selected, reprogrammed and expanded, and then infused back into the same patient. A benefit of autologous therapies is that autologous cells are not recognized as foreign by patients’ immune systems. We believe that we are well situated to effectively advance autologous cell therapy treatments for cancer and other indications as a result of the expertise and know-how that we have acquired through our development of C-Cure. We also believe that there are numerous operational synergies between our product platforms, including that, prior to commercialization, our existing pilot manufacturing plant can accommodate both of our cell therapy programs without significant capital expenditure.

On November 5, 2014, we acquired CorQuest Medical, Inc., a private U.S. company, or CorQuest, for a single cash payment of €1.5 million and a potential earn-out payment to the sellers if the intellectual

 

 

 

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Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations

 

 

property acquired from CorQuest is sold, in whole or in part, to a third party within ten years of November 5, 2014. The earn-out payment shall be 2.0% of the value of the cash and non-cash consideration from such sale, or Net Revenue, if the Net Revenue is €10.0 million or less, and 4.0% of the Net Revenue, if the Net Revenue is greater than €10.0 million.

On January 21, 2015, we purchased OnCyte, LLC, or OnCyte, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Celdara Medical, LLC, a privately-held U.S. biotechnology company for an upfront payment of $10.0 million, of which, $6.0 million was paid in cash and $4.0 million was paid in the form of 93,087 of our ordinary shares. Additional contingent payments with an estimated fair value of $42.0 million are payable upon the attainment of various clinical and sales milestones. As a result of this transaction we acquired our CAR T-cell drug product candidates and related technology, including technology licensed from the Trustees of Dartmouth College.

As of December 31, 2014, we have been funded through the following transactions:

 

Ø   proceeds of €42.0 million from private financing rounds;

 

Ø   proceeds of €26.5 million from an initial public offering of our ordinary shares on Euronext Brussels and Euronext Paris, or the Euronext IPO;

 

Ø   proceeds of €25.0 million from a private financing by Medisun International Limited, or Medisun; and

 

Ø   proceeds of €18.7 million from non-dilutive financing sources, such as government grants and recoverable cash advances, or RCAs.

As of December 31, 2014, we had cash and cash equivalents of €27.6 million and short term investments of €2.7 million. In March 2015, we completed a €31.7 million private placement of 713,380 ordinary shares to institutional investors in the United States, bringing our total cash and cash equivalents after this financing as of March 31, 2015, to €46.6 million.

We have incurred net losses in each year since our inception. Substantially all of our net losses have resulted from costs incurred in connection with our research and development programs and from general and administration expenses associated with our operations. For the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, we incurred a loss for the year of €16.5 million and €14.5 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2014, we had a retained loss of €71.2 million. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and increasing operating losses for the foreseeable future. We anticipate that our expenses will increase substantially in connection with our ongoing activities, as we:

 

Ø   continue the development of our drug product candidates, including planned and future clinical trials;

 

Ø   conduct additional research and development for drug product candidate discovery and development;

 

Ø   seek regulatory approvals for our drug product candidates;

 

Ø   prepare for the potential launch and commercialization of our drug product candidates, if approved;

 

Ø   establish a sales and marketing infrastructure for the commercialization of our drug product candidates, if approved;

 

Ø   in-license or acquire additional drug product candidates or technologies;

 

Ø   build-out additional manufacturing capabilities; and

 

Ø   hire additional personnel, including personnel to support our drug product development and commercialization efforts and operations as a U.S. public company.

 

 

 

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We generate limited revenue from sales of C-Cath ez, our proprietary catheter for injecting cells into the heart. We believe that C-Cath ez revenue will remain immaterial in the future as we intend to sell C-Cath ez to research laboratories and clinical-stage companies only.

We do not expect to generate material revenue from drug product sales unless and until we successfully complete development of, and obtain marketing approval for, one or more of our drug product candidates, which we expect will take a number of years and is subject to significant uncertainty. Accordingly, we anticipate that we will need to raise additional capital, in addition to the net proceeds from the global offering, prior to commercialization of C-Cure. Until such time that we can generate substantial revenue from drug product sales, if ever, we expect to finance our operating activities through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, government or other third-party funding, including government grants and RCAs, and collaborations and licensing arrangements. However, we may be unable to raise additional funds or enter into such arrangements when needed on favorable terms, or at all, which would have a negative impact on our financial condition and could force us to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our development programs or commercialization efforts or grant to others rights to develop or market drug product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves. Failure to receive additional funding could cause us to cease operations, in part or in full.

Financial Operations Overview

The successful development of research programs and drug product candidates is uncertain and we expect to continue to incur operating losses for the foreseeable future as we develop C-Cure and our other drug product candidates. At this time, we cannot reasonably estimate the precise timing or detailed costs of the efforts that will be necessary to complete the remainder of the development of our drug product candidates and their research and development programs. We are also unable to predict when material cash inflows will commence from sales of C-Cure or any of our other drug product candidates.

Set forth below is a discussion of factors that we believe will materially impact our results of operations in future periods.

Revenue

For the periods presented in this prospectus, the only revenue we generated was for third-party sales of C-Cath ez in 2014 that are immaterial in comparison to our operating expenses. We expect revenue from C-Cath ez sales to remain immaterial compared to our operating expenses for the foreseeable future.

Cost of Sales

For the periods presented in this prospectus, costs of sales are related to the cost of manufacturing C-Cath ez .

We expect the costs of sales related to sales of C-Cath ez will remain immaterial compared to our operating expenses for the foreseeable future.

Recoverable cash advances

RCAs support specific development programs and are typically granted by regional governmental entities, and in our case, the Walloon Region. RCA contracts consist of three phases: the research phase, the decision phase and the exploitation phase. During the research phase, we receive funds from the Walloon Region based on statements of expenses.

RCAs are recognized as “Other operating income” on a systematic basis over the periods in which we recognize the costs compensated by the RCAs as expenses.

 

 

 

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At the end of the research phase, we generally decide within a period of six months whether or not to exploit the results of the research phase; this phase is known as the decision phase. If we elect to exploit the results achieved under a RCA, we enter the exploitation phase, which may have a duration of up to ten years. If we elect to exploit the results under an RCA, the relevant RCA becomes contingently refundable, and we recognize a liability when it is probable that all or a portion of the RCA will be refunded and the amount to be refunded is estimable. The provision of the liability for amounts to be refunded under our RCA programs are recognized as a reduction of other operating income in the income statement.

In 2015, we will be required to make exploitation decisions on our remaining outstanding RCAs. As a result, we may potentially recognize an additional undiscounted liability of €2.5 million. This amount is based on the amount effectively perceived by us as of December, 31 2014.

When we decide not to exploit, or cease to exploit, the results under an RCA, we notify the Walloon Region of our decision. The RCA related to such decision will no longer be refundable as of the calendar year following such decision, and the research data and intellectual property rights related to such results are transferred to the Walloon Region. Also, when we decide to renounce our rights to patents which may result from the research, title to such patents are transferred to the Walloon Region.

When we decide to discontinue the development program for which a financial liability has been accounted for, or decide not to exploit, or cease to exploit, the results of a program previously recognized as a financial liability, the outstanding liability is derecognized at the end of the period and credited to the income statement as other operating income.

We are now in the exploitation phase with of RCAs paid related to C-Cath ez and C-Cure. As of December 31, 2014, the total cumulative reimbursements associated with the RCAs related to C-Cath ez and C-Cure amounted to €0.5 million.

Other government grants

Since inception through December 31, 2014, we received grants totaling €1.7 million and we expect to continue to apply for grants from FP7 and Walloon Region authorities. These grants are used to partially finance early stage projects such as fundamental research, applied research and prototype design.

As of the date of this prospectus, none of the grants received are subject to any conditions. As per our agreements with these governmental authorities, grants are paid upon our submission of a statement of expenses. We incur project expenses first and ask for partial reimbursement according to the terms of the agreements.

The government grants are recognized in profit or loss on a systematic basis over the periods in which we recognize as expenses the related costs for which the grants are intended to compensate.

Research and development expenses

The following expenses are aggregated and presented under the caption “Research and development expenses”:

 

Ø   Manufacturing expenses;

 

Ø   Clinical, quality and regulatory expenses; and

 

Ø   Other research and development expenses.

 

 

 

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Manufacturing expenses

Manufacturing expenses represented 25% and 19% of our total operating expenses for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. For the periods presented in this prospectus, manufacturing expenses only included the costs to manufacture C-Cure, but will include the cost of manufacturing our other clinical-stage drug product candidates in the future. These costs are mainly comprised of the salaries of the manufacturing team, production raw material and supplies, maintenance and calibration charges of equipment and the rental of Good Manufacturing Practices laboratory facilities. Raw materials are the main component to the current cost of production of C-Cure and will remain as such in the future as they are closely associated to the production of clinical batches. Most of our raw material suppliers are large companies, and pursuant to our internal procedures, we are trying to have an alternative supplier for each critical material, to limit risk of disruption and price sensitivity. The second largest caption in manufacturing expenses is the salaries of our production team. We expect salaries will increase in 2015 and plateau thereafter. We lease our production facility from Biological Manufacturing Services SA. Manufacturing expenses are mostly driven by the number and the size of clinical trials that we conduct on our drug product candidates. We expect these expenses will remain significant in the near future and will increase as our clinical trials include a greater number of patients and we potentially commence commercialization of our drug product candidates, if approved.

Clinical, quality and regulatory expenses

Our clinical, quality and regulatory expenses relate to our C-Cure clinical trial activities and represented 37% and 34% of our total operating expenses for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Our clinical, quality and regulatory expenses include employee expenses, costs of setting up quality procedures, as well as the preparation and supervision of our clinical trials. These expenses also include the costs of maintaining and overseeing our intellectual property portfolio, such as the costs of intellectual property legal counsel and associated filing and maintenance fees. We expect that these expenses will increase in the near future given the expected clinical trial activities associated with our drug product candidates, including our CAR T-cell drug product candidates.

All clinical, quality and regulatory costs related to our C-Cure clinical program incurred to date have been expensed as incurred, and we have not capitalized any such costs. We may review this policy in the future depending on the outcome of our current development programs.

We cannot determine with certainty the duration and completion costs of our current or future clinical trials of our drug product candidates or if, when, or to what extent we will generate revenue from the commercialization and sale of any of our drug product candidates that obtain regulatory approval. We may never succeed in achieving regulatory approval for any of our drug product candidates. The duration, costs and timing of clinical trials and development of our drug product candidates will depend on a variety of factors, including:

 

Ø   per patient clinical trial costs;

 

Ø   the number of patients that participate in clinical trials;

 

Ø   the drop-out or discontinuation rates of patients;

 

Ø   the duration of patient follow-up;

 

Ø   the scope, rate of progress and expense of our ongoing as well as any additional non-clinical studies, clinical trials and other research and development activities;

 

 

 

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Ø   clinical trial and early-stage results;

 

Ø   the terms and timing of regulatory approvals;

 

Ø   the expense of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing patent claims and other intellectual property rights; and

 

Ø   the ability to market, commercialize and achieve market acceptance of C-Cure or any of our other product candidates.

A change in the outcome of any of these variables with respect to the development of C-Cure or any other drug product candidate that we are developing could mean a significant change in the costs and timing associated with the development of C-Cure or such other drug product candidate. For example, if FDA, European Medicines Agency, or EMA, or other regulatory authority were to require us to conduct additional pre-clinical studies and clinical trials beyond those which we currently anticipate will be required for the completion of clinical development of our drug product candidates, or if we experience significant delays in enrollment in any clinical trials, we would be required to spend significant additional financial resources and time on the completion of the clinical development of the applicable drug product candidate.

Product candidates in later stages of clinical development generally have higher development costs than those in earlier stages of clinical development, primarily due to the increased size and duration of later-stage clinical trials.

We have not received regulatory approval from the FDA, EMA or any other regulatory authority to market any of our drug product candidates. The successful development of our drug product candidates is highly uncertain. Our drug product candidates are tested in numerous pre-clinical studies for safety, pharmacology and efficacy. We then conduct clinical trials for those drug product candidates that are determined to be the most promising. We fund these trials ourselves or through non-dilutive funding. As we obtain results from clinical trials, we may elect to discontinue or delay trials for some drug product candidates in order to focus resources on drug product candidates that we believe are more promising. Completion of clinical trials may take several years or more, and the length of time generally varies substantially according to the type, complexity, novelty and intended use of a drug product candidate. The cost of clinical trials for a particular drug product candidate may vary significantly.

At this time we cannot reasonably estimate the time and costs necessary to complete the development of any of our drug product candidates or the period, if any, in which we will generate drug product revenue. There are numerous risks and uncertainties associated with drug product development, including:

 

Ø   terms and timing of regulatory approvals and authorizations; and

 

Ø   the number, the design and the size of the clinical trials required by the regulatory authorities to seek marketing approval.

Other research and development expenses

Other research and development expenses represented 14% and 17% of our total operating expenses for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Other research and development expenses reflect costs incurred for our research and development projects related to our pre-clinical drug product candidates. These expenses include the salaries of scientists and technicians, our laboratory supplies, depreciation of our license with the Mayo Foundation

 

 

 

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for Medical Education and Research, or Mayo License, and the costs of our outsourced research and development studies and services. With the exception of the Mayo License, which has been capitalized and amortized over 20 years, and C-Cath ez development costs capitalized since May 2012, we expense all research and development costs as they are incurred. The €0.9 million development costs of C-Cath ez have been capitalized since May 1, 2012, the month following our receipt of the CE mark for C-Cath ez .

We utilize our research and development staff and infrastructure resources across projects in our programs and many of our costs historically have not been specifically attributable to a single project. Accordingly, we cannot state precisely our total costs incurred on a project-by-project basis. In addition, our research and development expense may vary substantially from period to period based on the timing and scope of our research and development activities, the timing of regulatory approvals or authorizations and the rate of commencement and enrollment of patients in clinical trials.

Other research and development activities are central to our business. We expect that our other research and development expenses will continue to grow in the future with our development of drug product candidates from our cardiovascular disease program and our CAR T-cell program.

The expected increase in research and development expenditures will mostly relate to higher personnel costs, outsourcing costs and additional in house pre-clinical studies.

General and administrative expenses

General and administrative expenses represented 24% and 31% of our total operating expenses for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Our general and administrative expenses consist of salaries and other share-based compensation costs not related to research and development activities for personnel in executive, finance, accounting and communication functions. It also includes costs related to professional fees for auditors and lawyers and consulting fees not related to research and development operations and fees related to functions that are outsourced by us such as information technology, or IT. General and administrative expenses are expected to increase in the near future with the expansion of our executive management team to include new personnel responsible for legal, IT, sales and marketing, as well as with the additional responsibilities related to becoming a U.S. public company.

Other operating income

During the periods presented in this prospectus, our other operating income is primarily generated from (i) government grants received from the European Commission under the Seventh Framework Program, or FP7, and (ii) government grants received from the Regional government, or Walloon Region, in the form of RCAs.

From inception through December 31, 2014, we have received subsidies totaling €1.7 million and RCAs totaling €17.0 million. In the future, we expect to generate income from a combination of subsidies, RCAs, products sales and upfront fees, research and development support, milestone payments from potential collaborations and royalties from the licensing of intellectual property. We expect that future income will continue to fluctuate from period to period as a result of the timing of future regional funding, the terms and timing of potential collaboration agreements and, to the extent that any drug products are approved and successfully commercialized, the volume and timing of drug product sales.

 

 

 

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Finance Income

Finance income relates to interest income earned on bank accounts and from currency exchange rate differences. Our cash and cash equivalents have been deposited primarily in savings and deposit accounts with original maturities of three months or less. Savings and deposit accounts generate a modest amount of interest income. We expect to continue this investment philosophy.

Finance Expenses

Finance expenses relate to interest payable on shareholder loans and finance leases, as well as interest on overdrafts and current exchange rate differences.

Restatement of 2013 Financial Statements

Our financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2013 were restated to reflect errors in the IFRS recognition and measurement of shareholders convertible loans and share-based payments. The restatement of the shareholders convertible loans is a result of classifying such loans as financial debt, instead of equity, previously called ‘quasi equity’, as originally posted in our 2013 financial statements. We decided that the shareholders convertible loans should have been accounted for as a financial debt, because the loans were convertible into a variable number of shares. The restatement of the share-based payment is a result of recognizing the fair value of the warrants issued under our May 2013 warrants plan based on the initial public offering price of our ordinary shares in the Euronext IPO. For further details on these adjustments, see Note 2.36 of our consolidated financial statements.

Consolidated financial data

The following is a summary of our consolidated financial data.

Revenue

 

(€’000)    For the year ended December 31,  
          2014         

    2013    

(as restated)

 

C-Cath ez Sales

     146         —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Revenue

  146      —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

In the year ended December 31, 2014, the total revenue generated through sales of C-Cath ez was € 0.1 million. No revenue was generated from sales of C-Cath ez in 2013.

Cost of Sales

 

(€’000)    For the year ended December 31,  
          2014        

    2013    

(as restated)

 

C-Cath ez Cost of Sales

     (115     —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Cost of Sales

  (115   —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

In 2014, the total cost of sales associated with sales of C-Cath ez amounted to €0.1 million. There were no costs of sales in 2013 as there were no sales of C-Cath ez .

Research and development expenses

The following is a summary of manufacturing expenses, clinical, quality and regulatory expenses and other research and development expenses, which are aggregated and presented as research and development expenses in our consolidated financial statements.

 

 

 

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Manufacturing expenses

 

(€’000)    For the year ended December 31,  
         2014              2013      
              (as restated)  

Employee expenses

     1,501         842   

Contractor fees

     402         76   

Pilot Plan consulting fees

     348         289   

Raw materials

     2,060         988   

Rent & utilities

     234         133   

Other manufacturing costs

     591         87   

Total manufacturing expenses

     5,136         2,415   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Manufacturing expenses increased by €2.7 million in 2014 as compared to 2013. In 2014, manufacturing expenses were primarily related to the production of clinical lots of C-Cure for CHART-1, which was initiated in 2013. The first clinical lots were produced in the middle of 2013 with a slow ramp-up over the second part of 2013, whereas in 2014, all our production resources were used at full capacity.

The employee expenses increase year over year is a result of the hiring of 13 additional employees in 2014 due to higher production needs.

Increase of production associated with the ramp-up of CHART-1 also explained the increase of €1.1 million of raw materials cost year over year. This increase is mostly related to the volume of raw materials consumed during CHART-1 as purchase prices remained stable throughout 2014.

The contractor fees are comprised primarily of the supply of C-Cath ez , manufactured by Creganna. The increase in such fees in 2014 compared to 2013 is due to the number of catheters used in CHART-1.

Clinical, quality and regulatory expenses

 

(€’000)    For the year ended December 31,  
         2014              2013      
              (as restated)  

Employee expenses

     1,780         1,460   

Study cost

     4,924         2,169   

IP filing & maintenance fees

     351         360   

Travel & living

     249         180   

Consulting fees

     436         269   

Other costs

     12         34   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total clinical, quality and regulatory expenses

  7,752      4,472   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

All clinical, quality and regulatory expenses for the periods presented relate to CHART-1. The €3.3 million increase in these expenses in 2014 as compared to 2013 is primarily related to the initiation of CHART-1 in the middle of 2013, resulting in only six months of trial expenses in 2013, as compared to 12 months of trial expenses in 2014. Trial costs are mainly driven by the costs of clinical vendors and investigators associated with clinical trial management. Trial management costs increased year over year due to the higher number of patients enrolled in CHART-1 in 2014.

The employee expenses increase between 2013 and 2014 is due to an increase in the number of employees in our clinical and quality teams.

 

 

 

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The increased number of patients in CHART-1 also explained the increase in consulting fees. Such fees are mainly comprised of fees paid to regulatory affairs and quality assurance consultants, and the outsourced quality control testing performed on incoming materials and in process-controls.

Clinical, quality and regulatory expenses are expected to grow in the near future with the initiation of CHART-2 and our Phase 1 clinical trial of CAR-NKG2D.

Other research and development expenses

 

(€’000)    For the year ended December 31,  
         2014             2013      
             (as restated)  

Employee expenses

     954        898   

Mayo research project

     751        4   

Pre-clinical studies

     273        275   

Delivery systems

     51        459   

Other costs

     121        67   

R&D consultant fees

     13        29   

Capitalization C-Cath ez development costs

     (50     (459

Subtotal

     2,113        1,273   

Depreciation and amortization

     864        886   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total other research and development expenses

  2,977      2,159   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

For 2014 and 2013, our other research and development expenses reflect costs incurred for research and development projects related to C-Cure, including the salaries of scientists and technicians, our laboratory supplies, depreciation of the Mayo License and the costs of the outsourced research and development services.

In 2014, pre-clinical research and development expenses increased by €0.8 million as compared to 2013 primarily related to direct research that we funded at the Mayo Clinic for €0.7 million. Under the Mayo License, we participate in a three year direct research program. Payments are triggered by initiation of research programs agreed upon by us and Mayo Clinic. This ongoing research was limited in 2013 and was reactivated in 2014.

As a result of our acquisition of Oncyte and CAR T-cell technology, pre-clinical research and development expenses are expected to increase significantly in future periods.

General and Administrative

 

(€’000)    For the year ended December 31,  
          2014         

2013

(as restated)

 

Employee expenses

     1,408         910   

Share-based payment

     1,528         1,258   

Rent

     315         323   

Communication & Marketing

     394         206   

Consulting fees

     741         975   

Travel & Living

     399         147   

Post employment benefits

     28         —     

Other

     203         153   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total General and administration

  5,016      3,972   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

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General and administrative expenses increased by €1.0 million in 2014 as compared in 2013 primarily related to our recruitment of additional employees to strengthen our executive management team and other support functions such as finance, accounting and investor relations. In addition, there was an increase in our share-based payments in 2014 as compared to 2013, as a result of warrants granted to new employees, members of our executive management team and directors under our May 2014 warrant plan.

Consulting fees are composed of legal, audit, human resources and other fees. The decrease in consulting fees in 2014 as compared to 2013 is due to fees related to the Euronext IPO in 2013.

Other operating income

 

(€’000)    For the year ended December 31,  
          2014         

    2013    

(as restated)

 

Recoverable cash advances (RCA)

     2,791         955   

Subsidies

     636         129   

Recognition of provision for reimbursement RCA

     —           (1,020

Reversal of provision for reimbursement RCA

     507         —     

Realized gain on contribution of IP into joint venture

     312         —     

Other movements

     167         —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Other Operating Income

  4,413      64   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Other operating income increased by €4.3 million in 2014 as compared to 2013.

The increase in other operating income in 2014 compared to 2013 is mainly due to the receipt of funds from RCA contracts and subsidies. We received funding and notification of funding from RCAs amounting to €2.8 million in 2014, mainly related to RCAs for the use of C-Cath ez as an investigational device in the United States and additional pre-clinical studies of C-Cure, compared to €1.0 million in 2013. We also received subsidies and grants from the Walloon Region for a total of €0.6 million in 2014 compared to €0.1 million in 2013. Such subsidies and grants support our research and development projects.

During the year ended December 31, 2014, we abandoned one RCA program previously recognized as a liability, resulting in a reversal of a provision of €0.5 million.

In 2013, we elected to exploit an RCA, triggering the recognition of a €1.0 million liability.

In 2014, we recorded another liability for €0.2 million reflecting amounts to reimburse the Walloon Region under grant contract 6305, corresponding to the amount received but not expensed by us at the time of entry into the grant agreement.

We expect to receive the remainder of the existing cash advance agreements outstanding as of December, 31, 2014, of approximately €1.7 million in 2015 and 2016. We also plan to submit further applications for additional Walloon Region non-dilutive funding in 2015 and thereafter to partially finance new research and development programs.

In 2015, we will decide whether to exploit one of our RCAs, triggering a potential recognition of an additional liability of €2.5 million.

 

 

 

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Operating loss

As a result of the foregoing, our operating loss increased by €3.5 million in 2014 as compared to 2013, totaling €16.4 million in 2014.

Financial income and Financial expenses

 

(€’000)    For the year ended December 31,  
      2014     

2013

(as restated)

 

Interest shareholders convertibles loans

     —           401   

Interest finance leases

     6         6   

Interest on overdrafts and other finance costs

     16         19   

Fair value convertible loans

     —           1,158   

Exchange differences

     19         11   

Finance expenses

     41         1,595   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Interest income bank account

  277      47   

Exchange differences

  —        12   

Other

  —        1   

Finance income

  277      60   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Financial expenses represent interest paid, bank charges and the fair value of convertible loans. Most of the financial expenses in 2013 related to shareholder convertible loans. An expense of €1.2 million was posted on such loans to reflect their fair value at the time of their conversion in May 2013.

Interest income on short term deposits increased significantly from 2013 to 2014, reflecting the increase of our average cash position over the periods, primarily resulting from the Euronext IPO.

Income tax expense

As we incurred losses in all of the relevant periods, we had no taxable income and therefore incurred no corporate taxes.

Loss for the year

As a result of the foregoing, our loss for the year increased by €2.0 million from €14.5 million in 2013 to €16.5 million in 2014.

Operating Capital Requirements

We believe that the net proceeds of the global offering, together with our existing cash and cash equivalents, and short term investments will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements, based on the current scope of our activities, until at least the end of 2017. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could use our capital resources sooner than we currently expect. In any event, we will require additional capital to pursue pre-clinical and clinical activities, obtain regulatory approval for, and to commercialize our drug product candidates.

Until we can generate a sufficient amount of revenue from our drug product candidates, if ever, we expect to finance our operating activities through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, government, including RCAs and subsidies, or other third-party financings and collaborations. Additional capital may not be available on reasonable terms, if at all. If we are unable to raise additional

 

 

 

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capital in sufficient amounts or on terms acceptable to us, we may have to significantly delay, scale back or discontinue the development or commercialization of one or more of our drug product candidates. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of additional debt or equity securities, it could result in dilution to our existing shareholders, increased fixed payment obligations and these securities may have rights senior to those of our ordinary shares. If we incur indebtedness, we could become subject to covenants that would restrict our operations and potentially impair our competitiveness, such as limitations on our ability to incur additional debt, limitations on our ability to acquire, sell or license intellectual property rights and other operating restrictions that could adversely impact our ability to conduct our business. Any of these events could significantly harm our business, financial condition and prospects.

Our present and future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including, among other things:

 

Ø   the size, progress, timing and completion of our clinical trials for any current or future drug product candidates, including C-Cure and CAR-NKG2D;

 

Ø   the number of potential new drug product candidates we identify and decide to develop;

 

Ø   the costs involved in filing patent applications, maintaining and enforcing patents or defending against claims or infringements raised by third parties;

 

Ø   the time and costs involved in obtaining regulatory approval for drug products and any delays we may encounter as a result of evolving regulatory requirements or adverse results with respect to any of these drug products;

 

Ø   selling and marketing activities undertaken in connection with the anticipated commercialization of C-Cure and any other current or future drug product candidates and costs involved in the creation of a sales and marketing organization; and

 

Ø   the amount of revenue, if any, we may derive either directly or in the form of royalty payments from future potential partnership agreements on our technology platforms.

For more information as to the risks associated with our future funding needs, see the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk factors.”

Liquidity and capital resources

Our liquidity requirements primarily relate to the funding of manufacturing expenses, clinical quality and regulatory expenses, research and development expenses, general and administrative expenses, capital expenditures, repayments of finance leases and working capital requirements.

We monitor our risk to a shortage of funds using a recurring liquidity planning tool. Our objective is to maintain a balance between continuity of funding and flexibility through the use of bank deposits and finance leases.

Since May 2012, we have expensed all our clinical and research and development costs with the exception of the development costs for C-Cath ez, which were capitalized following our receipt of the CE mark for C-Cath ez, .

As of December 2014, we have funded our operations through several private investments for a total of €42.0 million, the Euronext IPO which resulted in proceeds of €26.5 million, and a private placement of €25.0 million conducted in June 2014. We also received non-dilutive funding from governmental bodies and received cash proceeds from subsidies and RCAs totaling €18.7 million.

 

 

 

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As of December 31, 2014, we had cash and cash equivalents of €27.6 million and short term investments of €2.7 million. Our cash and cash equivalents have been deposited primarily in savings and deposit accounts that have original maturities of three months or less and generate only minimal interest income.

On January 21, 2015, we purchased of OnCyte, for an upfront payment of $10.0 million, of which $6.0 million was paid in cash and $4.0 million was paid in the form of 93,087 our ordinary shares. Additional contingent payments with an estimated fair value of $42.0 million are payable upon the attainment of various clinical and sales milestones.

We are exposed to liabilities and contingent liabilities as a result of the RCAs we have received from the Walloon Region. Out of the RCAs contracted as of December 31, 2014, €17.0 million has been effectively paid out.

In 2015 and 2016, we will have to make an exploitation decision on the remaining RCAs with a potential recognition of an additional liability of €3.5 million based on the advances effectively paid out as of December 31, 2014.

Please see our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for an analysis of our non-derivative financial liabilities into relevant maturity groupings based on the remaining period at the balance sheet date to the contractual maturity date. The amounts disclosed in the table are the contractual undiscounted cash flows.

The following table sets forth our consolidated cash flows information for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013.

 

( ’000)    Year ended December 31,  
         2014             2013      
             (as restated)  

Net cash used in operations

     (17,414     (10,638

Net cash used in investing activities

     (1,768     (3,532

Net cash from financing activities

     27,757        31,583   

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

     8,575        17,413   

 

 

Cash flow from operating activities represented at year end 2014 a net cash outflow of €17.4 million. Compared to the period ended December 31, 2013, the net cash outflow from operating activities increased by €6.8 million. This increase primarily resulted from the initiation of CHART-1 in the middle of 2013, which significantly increased our expenditures for our manufacturing and clinical operations by €2.7 million and €3.3 million, respectively.

Cash flow from investing activities represented a net cash outflow amounting to €1.8 million in 2014 mainly due to the acquisition of CorQuest for a cash payment of €1.5 million. In 2013, most of the cash outflow from investing activities resulted from a €3.0 million investment in a three-year short term deposit account.

Cash flow from financing activities represented a net cash inflow of €27.8 million in 2014 compared to €31.6 million in 2013. In 2014, the proceeds we received from our issuance of our shares were less than in 2013, €25.3 million compared to €30.6 million, respectively, whereas the proceeds received from RCAs and subsidies from the Walloon Region increased in 2014 compared to 2013, €2.4 million compared to €1.1 million, respectively.

 

 

 

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Cash and Funding Sources

During 2013 and 2014, we obtained new financing mostly through the issuance of our shares. A summary of our financing activities during 2014 and 2013 is as follows:

 

( ’000)    Total      Equity capital      Finance leases      Other debt  

2013

     31,643         30,623         —           1,020   

2014

     25,749         25,305         444         —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Financing

  57,392      55,928      444      1,020   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

In March 2015, we completed a €31.7 million capital increase via a private placement subscribed by qualified institutional investors in the United States and Europe at a price of €44.50 per share. The net proceeds, after deduction of the placement fees amounted to €29.8 million.

During 2014, our capital was increased in June 2014 by way of a capital increase of €25.0 million, represented by 568,180 new shares. Our capital was also increased by way of exercise of warrants. Over four different exercise periods, 139,415 warrants were exercised resulting in the issuance of 139,415 new shares. Our capital and share premium were therefore increased respectively by €0.5 million each. Also, we financed part of our capital expenditures with a bank lease of €0.4 million.

Over the course of 2013, we conducted a private placement of €7.0 million in May 2013 and closed our Euronext IPO in July 2013 for proceeds of €26.5 million. Net proceeds from these capital increases amounted to €30.6 million. We also recognized a new cash advance of €1.0 million from a RCA from the Walloon Region as we decided to exploit a RCA related to C-Cath ez development.

Since inception, we have not incurred any bank debt. Some of our capital expenditures related to laboratory and office equipment are financed with 3-year maturity finance leases.

In 2013, we decided to exploit the results associated with an RCA related to C-Cath ez and therefore recognized a €1.0 million debt.

Amounts due to the Walloon Region, booked as advances repayable, at the end of 2014 correspond to funding received under several RCAs, dedicated to supporting specific development programs related to C-Cure and C-Cath ez .

 

 

 

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The movements of the advances repayable recorded in 2014 and 2013 are summarized in the table below:

 

( ’000)        

Balance of January 1, 2013

     11,842   

+ liability recognition

     +1,020   

-repayments

     -211   

+/- other transactions

     -150   
  

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2013

  12,501   
  

 

 

 

Balance of January 1, 2014

  12,501   
  

 

 

 

+ liability recognition

  —     

-repayments

  -272   

+/- other transactions

  -674   

Balance at December 31, 2014

  11,555   
  

 

 

 

Contractual Obligations and Commitments

The following table discloses aggregate information about material contractual obligations and periods in which payments were due as of December 31, 2014. Future events could cause actual payments to differ from these estimates.

 

( ’000)    Total      Less than
one year
     One to three
years
     Three to
five years
     More than
five years
 

As of December 31, 2014

              

Finance leases

     413         134         245         34         —     

Operating leases

     1,683         751         679         88         165   

Pension obligations

     182         —           —           —           182   

Advances repayable (current and non-current)

     11,555         777         1,570         1,846         7,362   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

  13,833      1,662      2,494      1,968      7,709   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

On January 21, 2015, we acquired OnCyte from Celdara for an upfront payment of $10.0 million, of which $6.0 million was paid in cash and $4.0 million was paid in the form of 93,087 our ordinary shares. Additional contingent payments with an estimated fair value of $42.0 million are payable upon the attainment of various clinical and sales milestones. The liability for the estimated contingent consideration is not reflected in the consolidated statement of financial position as of December 31, 2014.

Capital Expenditures

We do not capitalize our research and development expenses until we receive marketing authorization for the applicable product candidate. As of end of 2014, all clinical, research and development expenditures related to the development of C-Cure and are accounted for as operating expenses.

 

 

 

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Our capital expenditures were €0.6 million and €0.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. There are no material capital projects planned in 2015. In addition, we completed the acquisition of CorQuest in November 2014, resulting in recognition of patent intangible assets of €1.5 million.

 

( ’000)    As of December 31,  
         2014              2013      
              (as restated)  

Intangible assets

     10,266         9,400   

Property, plant and equipment

     598         243   

Other long term financial assets

     109         140   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

  10,973      9,783   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of the date of this prospectus and also for the periods presented, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements.

Critical accounting estimates

Our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our audited financial statements, which we have prepared in accordance with IFRS as issued by the IASB. The preparation of our financial statements requires management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of revenues, expenses, assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent liabilities, at the end of the reporting period.

Our significant accounting policies are more fully described in Note 2.2 to our consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. We have identified these policies as critical to understanding and evaluating the estimates and judgments important to the presentation of our financial condition and results of operations and require us to make judgments and estimates on matters that are inherently uncertain and may change in future periods.

Estimates and judgments are continually evaluated and are based on historical experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances. Uncertainty about these assumptions and estimates could result in outcomes that require a material adjustment to the carrying amount of the asset or liability affected in future periods.

In the process of applying our accounting policies, management has made judgments and has used estimates and assumptions concerning the future. The resulting accounting estimates will, by definition, seldom equal the related actual results. The estimates and assumptions that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next financial year are addressed below.

Advances received from the Walloon Region: recognition of a liability

The advances received only become contingently reimbursable if certain conditions are met. Assessing if these conditions are met (or not) can only reasonably be performed at the end of the research phase. At the end of this research phase, we should, within a period of six months, decide whether or not to exploit the results of the research programs. In the event we decide to exploit the results under a RCA, the relevant RCA becomes contingently refundable to the Walloon Region and we apply the recognition and measurement criteria of IAS 37 related to liability recognition, with any amounts being recognized as a reduction of other operating income in our statement of comprehensive income (loss).

 

 

 

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The total estimated amount to be reimbursed includes the sales-independent reimbursements as well as the sales-dependent reimbursements and interest (if applicable) if the reimbursement of these amounts is probable. The contingent liability is discounted using a discount rate made up of two components: a risk free rate reflecting the maturity of the advances repayable and the spread reflecting our credit risk.

At the time of a liability recognition, an estimate is made of the amount to be reimbursed including the sales-independent reimbursements (an annual lump-sum), the sales-dependent reimbursements and the interest to be paid. These estimated future (outgoing) cash flows are discounted as the liability is a long-term liability.

When a liability is recognized, significant estimates are required to determine the discount rate used to calculate the present value of those liabilities as well as the determination of the estimated cash flow relating to the exploitation. The estimates triggering the discount rate are the assessment of own credit risk as well as the risk profile of the financial instruments. At the end of 2014, we estimated the total liabilities using a discount rate of 12.5%.

After initial recognition this liability is measured at amortized cost using the effective interest method. An interest expense is recognized based on the discount rate used.

Each year, we reassess the amounts to be reimbursed based upon (i) progress made in the pre-clinical and clinical development of all projects partially financed by RCAs and, (ii) on the updated sales projections over the reimbursement period.

In 2014 no new advances were recognized as contingently repayable.

In 2014, we notified the Walloon Region of our decision to not exploit the outcome of two RCAs related to the industrialization of the C-Cure production process in bioreactors, resulting in a decrease of estimated amounts to be reimbursed of €0.5 million.

Share-based payment transactions

We have established share-based compensation plans as an incentive for our employees, members of our executive management team and independent directors, as well as certain consultants and advisors. Warrants are granted by the board of directors in accordance with authorizations given by our shareholders. Warrant grants are based on the merits of the individual grantee and no employee is entitled to receive warrants simply by virtue of being employed.

Under the terms of our warrant programs, warrants are granted at an exercise price equal to the market price as determined by our board of directors on the grant date. The vesting of warrants is generally conditioned on the grantee completing a period of service. Each warrant grant vests in installments after the date of grant, subject to continued service of the grantee. Warrant exercises are settled with the delivery of shares.

For all plans issued before July 2013, warrants were granted at an exercise price equal to share price used at the occasion of the last capital increase as determined by the board of directors on the grant date. Before becoming a public company, we issued warrants in 2008, 2010 and 2013.

In May 2013 and May 2014, respectively, we issued 266,641 and 100,000 warrants to our employees, members of our executive management team and directors. Out of the warrants issued, 302,150 were granted and 282,750 were outstanding as of December 31, 2014.

 

 

 

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We measure the cost of these equity-settled transactions by reference to the fair value of the equity instruments at the date on which they are granted. Estimating fair value for share-based payment transactions requires determining the most appropriate valuation model, which is dependent on the terms and conditions of the grant. This estimate also requires determining the most appropriate inputs to the valuation model including the expected life of the share option, volatility and dividend yield and making assumptions about them.

The variables, used in this model are:

Fair Value of Our Ordinary Shares: In connection with our listing on Euronext Brussels and Euronext Paris in July 2013, we established a policy to determine the fair value of our warrants. Pursuant to Belgian law, the exercise price of warrants is established at the lower of a) the 30 days average closing stock price and b) the closing stock price for the day preceding the issuance of warrants. Prior to our listing on Euronext Brussels and Euronext Paris, the fair value of the respective warrant plans was determined as the price paid for our shares during the last private financing round. For the warrants issued in May 2013, because of the proximity to our Euronext IPO, the warrants were valued using price as which our ordinary shares were sold in the Euronext IPO.

Expected Term: The expected term represents the period that the share-based awards are expected to be outstanding. As we do not have sufficient historical experience for determining the expected term of the share-based awards granted, we have based the expected term on the simplified method, which represents the period from the grant of the award to the expiration of the award.

Expected Volatility:  We are using the volatility of our share price on Euronext Brussels and Euronext Paris observed since the Euronext IPO. Prior to the Euronext IPO, we used the volatility of our peers.

Risk-Free Interest Rate: The risk-free interest rate is based on the yields of Belgian government bonds with maturities similar to the expected term of the warrants for each warrant group.

Dividend Yield: We have never declared or paid any cash dividends and do not presently plan to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Consequently, we used an expected dividend yield of zero.

For the purpose of estimating the fair value per share of the warrants, we believe the expected volatility and the estimated fair value per underlying share are the most critical assumptions. Changes in these assumptions could significantly affect the fair value of warrants and, as a result, the amount of share-based compensation that we recognize in our consolidated financial statements. If any of the assumptions used in the Black-Scholes option-pricing model changes significantly, share-based compensation for future awards may differ materially compared with the awards granted previously.

The fair value of warrants granted to the participants is recorded as an expense against a credit in equity. The total amount to be expensed is determined by reference to the fair value, using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, of the warrants at the time of grant. For allocation of the share-based compensation expenses to be recorded, we treat each installment of a graded vesting award as a separate grant.

 

 

 

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The following table presents the weighted-average assumptions used to estimate the fair value of warrants granted during the periods presented:

 

     As of December 31,  
          2014             2013      

Expected dividend yield

     —          —     

Expected share value volatility

     68     36% - 40

Risk-free interest rate

     1     2

Expected life (in years)

     10        10   

 

 

For 2014 and 2013, the share-based compensation expenses recorded in our income statement amounted to €1.5 million and €1.3 million, respectively.

Consolidation

We periodically undertake transactions that may involve obtaining control, joint control or significant influence of other companies. These transactions include equity acquisitions and asset purchases. In all such cases management makes an assessment as to whether we have control, joint control or significant influence of the other company, and whether such company should be consolidated as a subsidiary or accounted for as a joint venture or as an associated company. In making this assessment management considers the underlying economic substance of the transaction in addition to the contractual terms.

At year end 2014, an assessment was completed to decide if we had obtained control or joint control of Cardio3 Biosciences Asia. Our subscription and joint venture agreement with Medisun stipulates that:

 

Ø   We acquired 40% of the share capital of Cardio3 BioSciences Asia in return for an outlicense for the development of C-Cure in Greater China.

 

Ø   Medisun acquired 60% of the shares of Cardio3 Biosciences Asia for HK$ 5 million. Medisun will make additional cash contributions for additional shares over the next three years to fund research.

 

Ø   The agreement stipulates that unanimous consent is required from both parties to the agreements over relevant activities, for example approving budgets and business plans, declaring dividends, borrowing money, applying for registration of intellectual property, etc.

 

Ø   Our arrangement is structured as a limited company and provides us and the parties to the agreements with rights to the net assets of the limited company under the arrangements.

Based on the above, we have assessed there is joint control and that Cardio3 Bioscienes Asia is a joint venture.

Business combinations

In respect of acquired businesses by us, significant judgment is made to determine whether these acquisitions are to be considered as an asset deal or as a business combination. Determining whether a particular set of assets and activities is a business should be based on whether the integrated set is capable of being conducted and managed as a business by a market participant. Moreover, management judgment is particularly involved in the recognition and fair value measurement of the acquired assets, liabilities, contingent liabilities and contingent consideration. In making this assessment management considers the underlying economic substance of the items concerned in addition to the contractual terms.

 

 

 

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Contingent consideration provisions

We make provision for the estimated fair value of contingent consideration arrangements arising from business combinations. The estimated amounts are the expected payments, determined by considering the possible scenarios of forecast sales and other performance criteria, the amount to be paid under each scenario, and the probability of each scenario, which is then discounted to a net present value. The estimates could change substantially over time as new facts emerge and each scenario develops.

Deferred Tax Assets

Deferred tax assets for unused tax losses are recognised to the extent that it is probable that taxable profit will be available against which the losses can be utilized. Significant management judgment is required to determine the amount of deferred tax assets that can be recognized, based upon the likely timing and level of future taxable profits together with future tax planning strategies.

Once we will obtain market approval for C-Cure, or another drug product candidate, and when we will have more certainty on the generation of taxable income, we will recognize deferred tax assets accordingly.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

We are exposed to a variety of financial risks: market risk (including foreign exchange risk and interest rate risk), credit risk and liquidity risk. Our overall risk management program focuses on preservation of capital given the unpredictability of financial markets.

Foreign exchange risk

We are exposed to foreign exchange risk as certain collaborations or supply agreements of raw materials are denominated in USD. Moreover we have also investments in foreign operations, whose net assets are exposed to foreign currency translation risk (USD). So far, because of the materiality of the exposure, we did not enter into any currency hedging arrangements. No sensitivity has been performed on the foreign exchange risk as up till now we still consider this risk as immaterial.

We are exposed to foreign exchange risk arising from various currency exposures, primarily with respect to the USD. Our functional currency is the Euro, but we have several of our product suppliers and clinical vendors invoicing US in USD or in other currencies. In addition, we plan to convert a substantial portion of the proceeds from the global offering to Euro.

We have not established any formal practice to manage the foreign exchange risk against our functional currency. As of December 31, 2014, we had no trade receivables denominated in USD and had trade payables denominated in USD of $0.9 million.

Foreign exchange rate movements had no material effect on our results for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013. Because of our growing activities in the United States, the foreign exchange risk may increase in the future.

Liquidity risk

Based on our current operating plans, we believe that the anticipated net proceeds of the global offering, together with our existing cash and cash equivalents and short term investments, will be sufficient to fund our operations through at least the end of 2017.

 

 

 

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JOBS Act Exemptions

On April 5, 2012, the JOBS Act was signed into law. The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, reduce reporting requirements for an “emerging growth company.” We are qualified as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act. As an emerging growth company, we are electing to take advantage of the following exemptions:

 

Ø   including disclosure of two years of audited financial statements, as opposed to three years, in addition to any required interim financial statements;

 

Ø   not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; and

 

Ø   to the extent that we are no longer qualify as a foreign private issuer, (1) reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements; and (2) exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation, including golden parachute compensation.

We may take advantage of these exemptions for up to five years or such earlier time that we are no longer an emerging growth company. We would cease to be an emerging growth company upon the earliest to occur of (1) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have more than $1.0 billion in annual revenue; (2) the date we are qualified as a “large accelerated filer,” with at least $700 million of equity securities; (3) the issuance, in any three-year period, by us of more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities held by non-affiliates; and (4) the last day of the fiscal year ending after the fifth anniversary of our U.S. initial public offering. We may choose to take advantage of some but not all of these exemptions. For example, Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can use the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. Given that we currently report and expect to continue to report under IFRS as issued by the IASB, we have irrevocably elected not to avail ourselves of this extended transition period and, as a result, we will adopt new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required by the IASB. We have taken advantage of reduced reporting requirements in this prospectus. Accordingly, the information contained herein may be different than the information you receive from other public companies in which you hold equity securities.

Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

We have determined the existence of three material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis by our employees. The material weakness identified were a lack of knowledge of:

 

Ø   accounting resources required to fulfill the reporting requirements of International Financial Reporting Standards, or IFRS, and financial reporting requirements;

 

Ø   comprehensive IFRS accounting policies and financial reporting procedures; and

 

Ø   segregation of duties given the size of our finance and accounting team.

As described in Note 2.36 of our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus, we have restated our consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2013 as a result of errors in the accounting treatment of shareholders convertible loans and share-based payments. We believe that the material weaknesses identified contributed to the restatements.

 

 

 

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We have not yet undertaken and our independent registered public accounting firm has not yet conducted a comprehensive assessment of our internal control over financial reporting for purposes of identifying and reporting material weaknesses, significant deficiencies and control deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting. We anticipate being first required to issue management’s annual report on internal control over financial reporting, pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, in connection with issuing our consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ending December 31, 2016.

We believe it is possible that, if we had performed a formal assessment of our internal control over financial reporting, or if our independent registered public accounting firm had performed an audit of our internal control over financial reporting, other material weaknesses, significant deficiencies or control deficiencies may have been identified.

We have taken several remedial actions to address the material weaknesses identified. In particular, we have hired additional staff for the finance department, including a corporate controller, and we are planning to hire a compliance financial officer with experience with external financial reporting, IFRS and establishing appropriate financial reporting policies, controls and procedures.

The process of designing and implementing an effective financial reporting system is a continuous effort that requires us to anticipate and react to changes in our business and the economic and regulatory environments, as well as to expend significant resources to maintain a financial reporting system that is adequate to satisfy our reporting obligations. See “Risk Factors – Risks Related to Our Business Failure to build our finance infrastructure and improve our accounting systems and controls could impair our ability to comply with the financial reporting and internal controls requirements for publicly traded companies.”

Change in Certifying Accountant

Under Belgium corporate law, the shareholders of companies elect their locally registered independent public accounting firm for a mandate of three years. At the end of each mandate, the shareholders may renew the mandate for another mandate of three years, or opt for another firm.

On May 5, 2014, our annual shareholder’s meeting decided not to renew the independent public accounting firm mandate of Ernst & Young. At the time of shareholders decision, Ernst & Young had been our auditor for six years.

Ernst & Young’s reports (under International Standards on Auditing) on our consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 did not contain an adverse opinion or disclaimer of opinion and was not qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope or accounting principles. In connection with the audits of our financial statements for each of the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 there were no disagreements with Ernst & Young on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure, or auditing scope or procedure during the two years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, that if not resolved to the satisfaction of Ernst & Young, would have caused it to make reference to the subject matter of the disagreements in connection with its report.

During the two years ended December 31, 2013, and the interim period January 1, 2014 to May 5, 2014, none of the reportable events described in paragraphs (A) through (D) of Item 16F(a)(1)(v) of Form 20-F occurred.

We engaged PricewaterhouseCoopers Reviseurs d’Entreprises scrl, or PwC, as our new independent registered public accounting firm as of May 5, 2014. During the two years ended December 31, 2013, and the interim period January 1, 2014 to May 5, 2014, neither we nor anyone on our behalf, has

 

 

 

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consulted with PwC on the application of accounting principles to a specified transaction, either completed or proposed; or the type of audit opinion that might be rendered on our consolidated financial statements or any matter that was the subject of a disagreement, as that term is defined in Item 16F(a)(1)(iv) of Form 20-F and the related instructions to Item 16F of Form 20-F, or a reportable event, as that term is defined in Item 16F(a)(1)(v).

We have provided Ernst & Young with a copy of these disclosures prior to the filing hereof and have requested that Ernst & Young furnish to us a letter addressed to the Securities and Exchange Commission stating whether Ernst & Young agrees with the statements made by us in this item. Ernst & Young has furnished such letter, which letter is filed hereto as required by Item 16F(a)(3) of Form 20-F.

 

 

 

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Unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information

On January 21, 2015, we acquired the outstanding membership interests in Oncyte LLC (“Oncyte”) the oncology division of Celdara Medical, LLC (“Celdara”), a privately-held biotechnology company based in Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA. The acquisition establishes our entry into the field of immuno-oncology with a portfolio of drug product candidates including three autologous CAR T-cell therapy products and an allogeneic T-cell platform, targeting a broad range of cancer indications. Pursuant to the terms of the Stock Purchase Agreement and the Asset Purchase Agreement, we made a cash payment of $6.0 million at closing and issued new shares to Celdara with a value of $4.0 million. Additional contingent payments with an estimated fair value of $42.0 million may be due upon reaching various clinical and sales milestones. We financed the acquisition with existing cash and authorized share capital.

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information gives effect to the acquisition as if it had been completed on January 1, 2014 for purposes of the statement of operations and December 31, 2014 for purposes of the statement of financial position. The historical consolidated financial information of us and Oncyte has been adjusted in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information to give effect to events that are (1) directly attributable to the acquisition, (2) factually supportable, and (3) with respect to the statements of operations, expected to have a continuing impact on the combined results. The unaudited pro forma adjustments are based upon currently available information and assumptions that we believe to be reasonable. The pro forma adjustments and related assumptions are described in the notes accompanying the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information.

The pro forma financial information and adjustments are preliminary and have been made solely for purposes of providing these unaudited pro forma condensed combined statements of operations and balance sheet. Differences between these preliminary estimates and the final acquisition accounting may occur and these differences could have a material impact on the pro forma financial information presented and the combined company’s future results of operations and financial position. The actual results reported in future periods may differ significantly from that reflected in these pro forma financial information for a number of reasons, including but not limited to differences between the assumptions used to prepare this pro forma financial statements and actual amounts, as well as cost savings from operating and expense efficiencies and potential income enhancements.

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined statement of operations does not reflect any prospective income enhancements or operating synergies that the combined company may achieve as a result of the acquisition or the costs to integrate the operations or the costs necessary to achieve these income enhancements and operating synergies. In addition, the unaudited pro forma condensed combined statements of operations do not give effect to the consummation of the global offering. As a result, the pro forma information does not purport to be indicative of what the financial condition or results of operations would have been had the transactions been completed on the applicable dates of this pro forma financial information. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined statements of operations and balance sheet are for informational purposes only and do not purport to project the future financial condition and results of operations after giving effect to the transactions.

The following unaudited pro forma condensed financial information is derived from the audited historical consolidated financial statements of us as of and for the year-ended December 31, 2014

 

 

 

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prepared in accordance with IFRS as issued by the IASB and the audited financial statements of the OnCyte Clinical Trials Program as of and for the year-ended December 31, 2014 prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or US GAAP, each included elsewhere in this prospectus. You should read this unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information in conjunction with the accompanying notes, the audited financial statements of us and Oncyte referred to above, as well as with “Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations”, included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

Statement of Financial Position   Cardio3
Biosciences SA
    Oncyte            Proforma
combined
 
(€’000)   As of
December 31,
2014
    As of
December 31,
2014
    Reclassification
(Note 2)
     Pro Forma
Adjustment
(Note 4)
    As of
December 31,
2014
 

NON-CURRENT ASSETS

    11,041        83        —           44,817        55,941   

Intangible assets

    10,266        61        —           44,839 (a)(b)      55,166   

Property, Plant and Equipment

    598        22           (22 )(b)      598   

Investment accounted for using the equity method

    68        —             —          68   

Other non-current assets

    109        —             —          109   

CURRENT ASSETS

    32,935        145        —           (5,326     27,754   

Trade and Other Receivables

    830        141           (141 )(b)      830   

Grant receivables

    1,009        —               1,009   

Other current assets

    792        4           (4 )(b)      792   

Short-term investment

    2,671        —               2,671   

Cash and cash equivalents

    27,633        —             (5,181 )(c)      22,452   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

TOTAL ASSETS

  43,976      228      —        39,491      83,695   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

EQUITY

  26,684      20      —        3,431      30,135   

Share Capital

  24,615      208      —        117 (b)(d)    24,940   

Share premium

  53,302      —        3,126 (d)    56,428   

Other reserves

  19,982      (16   16 (b)    19,982   

Retained loss

  (71,215   (172   172 (b)    (71,215
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES

  11,239      24      —        36,244      47,507   

Financial leases

  279      —        —        279   

Advances repayable

  10,778      —        —        10,778   

Other non-current liabilities

  182      24      (24 )(b)    182   

Contingent liabilities

  —        —        36,268 (e)    36,268   

CURRENT LIABILITIES

  6,053      184      —        (184   6,053   

Financial leases

  134      —        —        134   

Advances repayable

  777      —        —        777   

Trade payables

  4,042      —        —        4,042   

Other current liabilities

  1,100      184      (184 )(b)    1,100   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES

  43,976      228      —        39,491      83,695   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

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IFRS Statement of operations    Cardio3
Biosciences SA
    Oncyte                    Proforma
combined
 
(€’000)    For the year
ended
December 31,
2014
    For the year
ended
December 31,
2014
    Reclassification
(Note 2)
   

Pro Forma
Adjustment

(Note 4)

     For the year
ended
December 31,
2014
 

Revenue

     146        —          —          —           146   

Grant income

     —          756        (756     —           —     

Cost of sales

     (115            (115
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Gross profit

  31      31   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Costs of Operations

  —        (928   928      —        —     

Research and Development

  (15,865   —        (928   —        (16,793

General and administrative

  (5,016   —        —        —        (5,016

Other operating income

  4,413      —        756      —        5,169   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Operating Loss

  (16,437   (172   —       
—  
  
  (16,609
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Financial (income)

  277      —        —        —        277   

Financial expenses

  (41   —        —        —        (41

Share of Loss of investment accounted for using the equity method

  (252   —        —        —        (252
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Loss before taxes

  (16,453   (172   —       
—  
  
  (16,625
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Income taxes

  —        —        —        —     

Loss for the year

  (16,453   (172   —        —        (16,625
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Basic and diluted loss per share
(in €)

  (2.44   (2.43
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Oncyte LLC—Notes to Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Information

Note 1: Basis of preparation

The acquisition is accounted for in accordance with the acquisition method of accounting for business combinations with Cardio3 Biosciences SA as the acquiring entity. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information is based on the historical consolidated financial statements of the Cardio3 Biosciences SA and Oncyte after giving effect to the consideration paid by Cardio3 Biosciences SA to consummate the acquisition, as well as pro forma adjustments as described in Note 4. In accordance with the acquisition method of accounting for business combinations, tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed are required to be recorded at their respective fair market values as of the date of the acquisition, with any excess purchase price allocated to goodwill.

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined statement of operations for the twelve months ended December 31, 2014 is presented as if the acquisition had occurred on January 1, 2014. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined statement of financial position is presented as if the acquisition had occurred on December 31, 2014.

The fair values assigned to the intangible assets acquired from Oncyte are based on management’s estimates and assumptions with the assistance of an independent valuation specialist. The estimated fair values of these assets acquired are considered preliminary. We believe that the information provides a reasonable basis for estimating the fair values of assets acquired; however, the provisional measurements

 

 

 

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of fair value are subject to change. We expect to finalize the valuation of the intangible assets as soon as practicable, but not later than one-year from the acquisition date.

The Oncyte’ balance sheet positions initially expressed in USD have been translated in EUR by using the closing EUR/USD exchange rate as at December 31, 2014 (1EUR = 1.21548USD); whereas the Oncyte’ statement of operations positions initially expressed in USD have been translated in EUR by using the average EUR/USD exchange rate over the year 2014 (1EUR = 1.32947USD).

Under the acquisition method, acquisition-related transaction costs (e.g. advisory, legal, valuation and other professional fees) are not included as consideration transferred but are accounted for as expenses in the periods in which the costs are incurred. These costs are not presented in the unaudited pro forma combined consolidated statements of operations because they will not have a continuing impact on the combined results. Total acquisition-related transaction costs of the combined company were immaterial.

Note 2. Accounting Policies

The historical financial information extracted from the financial statements of Oncyte is prepared in accordance with US GAAP. For the purpose of presenting the historical information of Oncyte in a reporting format that is consistent with that of us, certain components of Oncyte’s statement of operations and comprehensive income have been reclassified. The following reclassifications have been made in the unaudited proforma combined statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2014:

Amounts historically included in Grant income on Oncyte’s statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss) have been reclassified to Other operating income in order to conform with our financial statement presentation. Amounts historically included in Cost of Operations on Oncyte’s statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss) have been reclassified to Research and Development in order to conform with our financial statement presentation. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information does not assume any differences in accounting policies. We believe there are no differences between US GAAP and IFRS as issued by the IASB that would have a material impact on the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information.

Note 3. Calculation of Estimated Consideration Transferred and Preliminary Allocation of Consideration to Net Assets Acquired

The following table summarizes the preliminary reconciliation of upfront payment in accordance to the Share Purchase Agreement and the total purchase price:

 

Cash consideration according to the Share Purchase Agreement

$ 6.0 million    5.2 million [1]  

Issuance of ordinary shares of the Group according to the Share Purchase Agreement

$ 4.0 million    3.4 million [1]  

Preliminary estimate of fair value of contingent consideration

$ 42.0 million    36.3 million [1]  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Purchase Price

$ 52.0 million    44.9 million   

 

[1]   Converted using the following exchange rate as of January 21, 2015: 1EUR = 1,15806USD

The value of the 93,087 ordinary shares issued as part of the consideration paid for Oncyte was based on a share price of €37.08, our share price at the date of the acquisition.

 

 

 

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The preliminary fair value estimate of contingent consideration of $42.0 million (€36.3 million) relates to the achievement of certain regulatory and sales milestones and are based on the contractual terms defined in the Share Purchase Agreement. The preliminary fair value estimate of contingent consideration was obtained using several discount rates and probability rates of success over the different products candidates acquired and is subject to change.

Following the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement, assuming successful development of the lead product CAR-NKG2D, Celdara could receive up to $45.0 million in development and regulatory milestones until market approval. Celdara will also be eligible to additional payments on the other products in development upon achievement of development and regulatory milestones totaling up to $21.0 million per product. In addition, the seller will receive per product up to $80.0 million in sales milestones when total net sales will exceed $1 billion and royalties ranging from 5% to 8% on net sales.

The transaction was accounted for as a business combination under the acquisition method of accounting.

For purposes of these unaudited pro forma condensed financial statements, the above consideration transferred will be assigned to the fair value of acquired assets and is based on preliminary estimates and is subject to change. The following table summarizes the estimated fair values of the assets acquired as if the transaction occurred on December 31, 2014:

 

In-process research and development

$ 52.0 million      €44.9 million (1)  

Assets acquired

$ 52.0 million      €44.9 million (1)  

Liabilities assumed

  —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net assets acquired

$ 52.0 million      €44.9 million   

 

[1]   Converted using the following exchange rate as of January 21, 2015: 1EUR = 1.15806USD

No deferred tax liability has been recorded on the fair value of the intangible assets acquired. The company intends to make an election to treat the share acquisition as the acquisition of assets for U.S. federal income tax purposes resulting in tax deductible amortization of the intangible assets acquired.

The fair value of the acquired assets and liabilities assumed was determined on a provisional basis. The provisional fair value of acquired assets and liabilities assumed can change when the final fair value of the acquired assets and liabilities assumed is established.

Note 4. Pro Forma Adjustments

 

  a)   To consider the estimated fair value of the intangible asset of Oncyte. The acquired assets have been recognized at an estimated fair value determined by us with the assistance of an independent valuation specialist in an amount of €44.9 million—$52.0 million translated by using the closing EUR/USD exchange rate as at January 21, 2015 (1EUR = 1.15806USD).

 

  b)   The Oncyte business has been acquired through a special purpose vehicle especially created for this transaction which only the intangible assets related to the CAR T-cell technology have been transferred in. We have not acquired the underlying property, plant and equipment, working capital and long term liabilities of the Oncyte business. The historical figures reflected in the unaudited condensed consolidated statement of financial position is a carve-out of the financial statements of the Sellers’ activities related to CAR T-cell technology as at December 31, 2014 including all the assets and liabilities. Consequently, the elements not related to the intangible assets have been eliminated in the pro forma combined financial information.

 

 

 

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  c)   To record the use of cash and cash equivalents to fund the cash consideration paid according the Share Purchase Agreement amounting to €5.2 million—$6.0 million translated by using historical exchange rate (1 EUR = 1.15806USD) as at the acquisition date (January 21, 2015).

 

  d)   To record the issuance of our new shares for a total value of €3.4 million—$4.0 million translated by using historical exchange rate (1 EUR = 1.15806USD) as at the acquisition date (January 21, 2015), split between the share capital (€0.3 million) and the share premium (€3.1 million).

 

  e)   To reflect the preliminary fair value estimate of the contingent consideration: €36.3 million—$42.0 million translated by using the closing EUR/USD exchange rate as at January 21, 2015 (1EUR = 1.15806USD).

 

 

 

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Business

Overview

We are a leader in engineered cell therapy treatments with clinical programs initially targeting indications in cardiovascular disease and oncology. Our lead drug product candidate in cardiovascular disease is C-Cure, an autologous cell therapy for the treatment of patients with ischemic heart failure, or HF. We completed enrollment in our first Phase 3 clinical trial of C-Cure in Europe and Israel, or CHART-1, in March 2015. On March 30, 2015, we announced that the Data Safety Monitoring Board, or DSMB, reviewed unblinded safety data from CHART-1 and determined that there was no evidence of obvious differences in safety profiles of patients in the two arms of the trial, which means that the data did not support discontinuation of the trial on the basis of safety. The full data readout from this trial is expected in the middle of 2016. We anticipate initiating our second Phase 3 clinical trial of C-Cure in the United States and Europe, or CHART-2, pending U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, lifting of the existing clinical hold, which we expect in the second half of 2015. Our lead drug product candidate in oncology is CAR-NKG2D, an autologous chimeric antigen receptor, or CAR, an artificial, lab engineered receptor, which is used to graft a given protein onto an immune cell, T lymphocyte, or CAR T-cell, therapy. We are currently enrolling patients with refractory or relapsed acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, or multiple myeloma, or MM, in a Phase 1 clinical trial of CAR-NKG2D in the United States. Interim data from this trial is expected to be reported at various times during the trial, with the full data readout expected in the middle of 2016.

All of our current drug product candidates are autologous cell therapy treatments. In autologous procedures, a patient’s cells are harvested, selected, reprogrammed and expanded, and then infused back into the same patient. A benefit of autologous therapies is that autologous cells are not recognized as foreign by patients’ immune systems. We believe that we are well situated to effectively advance autologous cell therapy treatments for cancer and other indications as a result of the expertise and know-how that we have acquired through our development of C-Cure. We also believe that there are numerous operational synergies between our product platforms, including that, prior to commercialization, our existing pilot manufacturing plant can accommodate both of our cell therapy programs without significant capital expenditure.

HF is a condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s metabolic needs, affects 1% to 2% of the adult population in developed countries and approximately 5.7 million patients were diagnosed with HF in the United States in 2012, according to the American Heart Association. The long-term prognosis associated with HF is dire, with approximately 50% mortality at five years following initial diagnosis, according to a report from the American Heart Association. Although existing therapies have been somewhat effective in the treatment of HF, there is still great unmet medical need. In particular, in the case of ischemic HF, which is caused by insufficient oxygen to the heart, current treatments fail to address the decrease in the number of functional myocytes, or heart cells, in the heart that result from this lack of oxygen. Over time this functional decrease modifies the dynamics of cardiac contractions leading to tissue remodeling and loss of cardiac function. We believe that cellular therapies have the potential to repair or replace the non-functioning myocytes of ischemic HF patients.

To guide cardiac tissue formation, our C-Cure therapy reprograms multipotent stem cells harvested from a patient into cardiopoietic cells, cells that can become myocytes, using naturally occurring cytokines, small proteins that play an important role in cell signaling, and growth factors that mimic the signaling that occurs in embryonic heart tissue development. Based on pre-clinical studies, we have identified both direct and indirect possible modes of action for C-Cure. The direct mode may replace non-functioning myocytes.

 

 

 

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In the indirect modes, factors secreted by the cardiopoietic cells may cause patients’ resident stem cells to begin pooling, regenerating and differentiating into cardiac cells, with the resulting favorable environment inducing the non-functioning myocytes to regain function. We have developed C-Cure predominantly on technology that we licensed from the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, or the Mayo Clinic. To assist in the reinjection of cardiopoietic cells, we have also developed C-Cath ez , which we believe may be able to achieve a higher retention rate of cells in the heart relative to the commercial catheter we used in our prior clinical trial.

Positive outcomes were observed in ischemic HF patients treated with C-Cure in our Phase 2 clinical trial in Europe. Patients treated with C-Cure showed a 25% relative improvement of median left ventricular ejection fraction, or LVEF, which is the percentage of blood that is pumped out of the heart at each beat, at six months versus baseline, whereas untreated patients showed a relative improvement of 0.7% versus baseline. Patients treated with C-Cure also demonstrated an improved exercise capacity as measured by the six minutes walking distance test, or six minutes WDT, which measures the distance a patient can walk in a six-minute period. The C-Cure treatment group’s walking distance improved by 77 meters compared to the control group.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States after cardiovascular diseases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the American Cancer Society, in 2014, there were an estimated 1.6 million new cancer cases diagnosed and over 550,000 cancer deaths in the United States alone. In the past decades, the cornerstones of cancer therapies have been surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Since 2001, small molecules that specifically target cancer cells have emerged as standard treatments for a number of cancers. For example, Gleevec is marketed by Novartis AG for the treatment of leukemia, and Herceptin is marketed by Genentech, Inc. for the treatment of breast and gastric cancer. Although these targeted therapies have significantly improved the outcomes for certain patients with these cancers, there is still a high unmet need for the treatment of these and many other cancers.

While the immune system has a natural response to cancer, automatically recognizing and eliminating cancer cells, cancer cells can develop the ability to evade immune response, resulting in the formation of potentially dangerous cancerous tumors and blood cancers. CAR T-cell therapy is a new technology that broadly involves engineering patients’ own T-cells to express CARs so that these re-enginerred cells recognize and kill cancer cells, overcoming cancer cells’ ability to evade immune response.According to a January 2015 review article published in Immunological Reviews, several early clinical trials involving CAR T-cell therapies have suggested potentially high clinical responses in difficult to treat relapsed or refractory B lymphocyte, or B-cell, malignancies. For example, results of a clinical trial reported in the New England Journal of Medicine in October 2014 demonstrated that CAR T-cell therapy that targets the CD19 antigen, or CD19 CAR Therapy, was effective in treating patients with relapsed and refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Treatment was associated with a complete remission rate of 90% and sustained remissions of up to two years after treatment.

Our lead CAR T-cell drug product candidate is CAR-NKG2D, which has shown promising data in pre-clinical solid and blood cancer models, including for the treatment of lymphoma, ovarian cancer and myeloma. CAR-NKG2D is constructed using the native sequence of non-engineered natural killer, or NK, cell receptors that target ligands, which are antigens or antigens complexed with other molecules, present on numerous cancer cells. Ligands are substances bound together to form a larger complex, such as an antigen bound to other molecules. Accordingly, our technology has the potential to attack and kill a broad range of solid and blood cancers, while CD19 CAR Therapy is typically only effective in B-cell malignancies. In pre-clinical studies, treatment with CAR-NKG2D significantly increased survival. In some studies, 100% of treated mice survived through the follow-up period of the applicable study, which

 

 

 

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in one study was 325 days. All untreated mice died during the follow-up period of the applicable study. We obtained access to our CAR T-cell drug product candidates and related technology, including technology licensed from the Trustees of Dartmouth College, or Dartmouth College, in January 2015, through our purchase of OnCyte, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Celdara Medical, LLC, or Celdara, a privately-held U.S. biotechnology company.

Strategy

Our goal is to be a leader in engineered cell therapy treatments, initially focused on cardiovascular disease and oncology. The key elements of our strategy are as follows:

 

Ø   Complete our Phase 3 clinical program for C-Cure and thereafter file for, marketing applications and begin commercialization, of C-Cure for patients with ischemic HF . Based on the favorable safety and efficacy profile demonstrated in our Phase 2 clinical trial, we believe that C-Cure is a promising candidate for the treatment of ischemic HF. We completed enrollment in CHART-1 in March 2015 and, pending FDA clearance of the existing clinical hold, anticipate initiating CHART-2 in the second half of 2015. If our Phase 3 clinical program for C-Cure is successful, we plan to submit a marketing authorization application to the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, and a biologics license application to the FDA and thereafter to actively pursue commercialization of C-Cure.

 

Ø   Rapidly advance CAR-NKG2D through clinical development and into commercialization for the treatment of AML and MM. CAR T-cell therapy is an emerging therapy for the treatment of some cancers, such as B-cell malignancies. We are currently enrolling patients with refractory or relapsed AML or MM in a Phase 1 clinical trial of CAR-NKG2D in the United States. If this clinical trial is successful, we intend to progress CAR-NKG2D into later clinical trials. We believe that the knowledge that we have gained through the development of C-Cure will allow us to more efficiently progress CAR-NKG2D through clinical development.

 

Ø   Leverage our expertise and knowledge of engineered-cell therapies to expand our CAR T-cell therapy drug product candidate pipeline. The NKG2D receptor has ligands that are expressed in numerous types of cancer cells, including those associated with ovarian, bladder, breast, lung and liver cancers, as well as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, while CD19 CAR Therapy is typically only effective in treating B-cell malignancies. Accordingly, we plan to also target the treatment of cancers beyond AML and MM, where the cancer cells express NKG2D receptor ligands, with CAR-NKG2D, in the near future. We are currently conducting pre-clinical studies to determine which other cancers to pursue with CAR-NKG2D. In addition, we are continuing pre-clinical studies of our other pre-clinical product candidates, NKp30, which is another activating receptor of NK cells, and B7H6, which is a NKp30 ligand expressed on cancer cells.

 

Ø   Develop our allogeneic CAR T-cell technology . We also have technology that we believe may enable the development of an allogeneic CAR T-cell therapy, where T-cells harvested from one patient are engineered into CAR T-cells that can be used in the treatment other patients without triggering an immune response. This could allow for the manufacture of an off the shelf CAR T-cell therapy product, which has the potential to transform the treatment of cancer.

 

Ø   Select, develop and advance cell therapies in additional therapeutic areas with high unmet need. We believe that we are well situated to effectively advance cell therapy treatments for additional indications, such as acute myocardial infraction, or heart attack, and congestive non-ischemic HF, as a result of the expertise and know-how that we have acquired through the development of C-Cure. Additional new indications may be identified through our relationship with the Mayo Clinic, and we will consider developing autologous cell therapy treatments for additional indications in which there is high unmet medical need.

 

 

 

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Drug product candidates

We are a leader in engineered cell therapy treatments with clinical programs initially targeting indications in cardiovascular disease and oncology. We currently hold worldwide rights to all of our drug product candidates, which are summarized in the table below.

 

LOGO

Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular diseases, which are diseases of the heart and blood vessels, are the largest cause of mortality in the world and, in 2012, approximately 31% of all global deaths were attributable to cardiovascular diseases, according to the World Health Organization. A subset of cardiovascular diseases, cardiac diseases, which are diseases of the heart, represent the single largest cause of death in the cardiovascular diseases population, according to the American Heart Association. If left untreated, cardiac diseases can lead to HF, a condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s metabolic needs.

HF affects 1% to 2% of the adult population in developed countries and approximately 5.7 million patients were diagnosed with HF in the United States in 2012, according to the American Heart Association. HF can either be of ischemic origin, linked to impairment of blood flow to the heart muscle, or non-ischemic origin, linked to other causes such as hypertension and metabolic disorders. In the Bromley heart failure study, 52% of the patients had HF of ischemic origin. Other studies have reported lower rates of ischemic HF, but such differences can be explained by differences in study population, definitions and timing of when the study was completed. The prevalence of HF is increasing due to an aging population and the increasing prevalence of major cardiovascular risk factors, such as obesity and diabetes. Population studies published in Nature Reviews Cardiology have estimated that one in five people over the age of 40 will develop HF during his or her lifetime. The long-term prognosis associated with heart failure is dire, with approximately 50% mortality at five years following initial diagnosis, according to a 2014 report from the American Heart Association.

 

 

 

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HF is classified according to the severity of the symptoms experienced by the patient. The classification most commonly used is the New York Heart Association, or NYHA, classification. The table below summarizes the NYHA Functional Classification.

 

NYHA
Functional
Classification*

  

Functional Capacity

Class I

  

No limitation of physical activity. Ordinary physical activity does not cause undue breathlessness, fatigue, or palpitations.

Class II

  

Slight limitation of physical activity. Comfortable at rest, but ordinary physical activity results in breathlessness, fatigue, or palpitations.

Class III

  

Marked limitation of physical activity. Comfortable at rest, but less than ordinary physical activity causes breathlessness, fatigue, or palpitations.

Class IV

  

Unable to carry on any physical activity without discomfort. Symptoms at rest can be present. If any physical activity is undertaken, discomfort is increased.

 

*   In addition, the level of objective evidence of the cardiovascular disease is also classified as A, B, C, or D, representing, no evidence of disease, evidence of minimal disease, evidence of moderate disease, and evidence of severe disease, respectively.

Hospitalizations of HF patients are expensive and are particularly problematic, as the risk of death is increased with each recurrent HF-related hospitalization, according to an article in the Journal of American College of Cardiology. As of 2013, there were one million primary HF-related hospitalizations annually in the United States, according to a report in the Journal of American College of Cardiology. The estimated direct cost of HF in the United States in 2012 was $60.2 billion, half of which was related to hospitalizations, according to a 2014 review article published in Clinical Cardiology. By 2030, the total cost of HF in the United States is projected to increase to $70 billion, according to a Policy Statement from the American Heart Association.

Current Treatments of Heart Failure

Patients with HF are treated with medications such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin-2 receptor blockers, beta blockers and diuretics. Patients with HF may also be equipped with certain implantable devices, such as Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators, or ICDs, or Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Devices. Current treatment options for patients in severe stages of the disease include heart transplant surgery or implantation of a left ventricular assist device, or LVAD, a battery operated mechanical circulatory device used to partially or completely replace the function of the left ventricle of the heart. Both of these end-stage treatment options require invasive open-chest surgery, can be associated with numerous complications, including risk of thrombosis and infection in the case of LVADs, and can require lifetime immunosuppressive therapy in the case of transplant. In 2012, approximately 2,300 HF patients in the United States underwent heart transplant according to a report from the American Heart Association. In 2013, approximately 2,500 patients had a primary LVAD implanted, according to the Sixth INTERMACS annual report.

Although existing therapies have been somewhat effective in the treatment of HF, there is still great unmet medical need. In particular, in the case of ischemic HF, which is caused by insufficient oxygen to the heart, current treatments fail to address the decrease in the number of functional myocytes in the heart that result from this lack of oxygen. Over time this functional decrease modifies the dynamics of cardiac contractions

 

 

 

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leading to tissue remodeling and loss of cardiac function. We believe that cellular therapies have the potential to repair or replace the non-functioning myocytes of ischemic HF patients.

Our Approach

Our lead drug product candidate, C-Cure, is an autologous cell therapy that we believe has the potential to treat patients with NYHA Classes II, III and IV ischemic HF through both direct and indirect modes of action. The direct mode may replace non-functioning myocytes. In the indirect modes, factors secreted by the cardiopoietic cells may cause patients’ resident stem cells to begin pooling, regenerating and differentiating into cardiac cells, with the resulting favorable environment inducing the non-functioning myocytes to regain function. We have developed C-Cure based predominantly on technology that we licensed from the Mayo Clinic.

Since the heart does not harbor large quantities of stem cells, it cannot rely on self-repair mechanisms to address damage to the myocardium. Accordingly, in order to repair or replace non-functioning myocytes, the introduction of cardiopoietic cells is necessary. To guide cardiac tissue formation, our C-Cure therapy reprograms multipotent stem cells harvested from a patient into cardiopoietic cells using naturally occurring cytokines and growth factors that mimic the signaling that occurs in embryonic heart tissue development. In the C-Cure process, stem cells are collected from an ischemic HF patient through bone marrow aspiration during an outpatient procedure. The stem cells are then harvested, selected, expanded and differentiated into cardiopoietic cells at our manufacturing facility, yielding a homogeneous and pure cardiopoietic cell population. The cardiopoietic cells are then re-injected into the heart of the ischemic HF patient with our C-Cath ez cell injection catheter.

Graphic representation of the C-Cure technology. 1

 

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Clinical Development

Phase 2 Clinical Trial

The first human clinical Phase 2 trial for C-Cure was completed in 2012. This trial was initially designed as a Phase 2/3 trial, but only the Phase 2 portion of this trial was completed. The Phase 2 portion was a prospective, randomized, open, parallel two-arm study and consisted of 45 ischemic HF patients, with the primary endpoint being the safety and feasibility of C-Cure. Safety was assessed based on occurrence of cardiovascular events and arrhythmias. Feasibility was assessed based on assessment of cell expansion, manufacturing, phenotye release, in addition to catheter-based delivery. Measures of efficacy included cardiac function and structure as assessed by LVEF, left ventricular end systolic volume, left ventricular end diastolic volume, as well as clinical exercise capacity as assessed by the six minutes WDT and quality-of-life measures.

Patients between 18 and 75 years of age with NYHA Class II or III ischemic HF, an LVEF > 15% and < 40%, and who had not experienced a heart attack within two months prior to enrollment were candidates for the trial. The 45 patients enrolled in the trial were randomly assigned to either the control group or the C-Cure treatment group, with each patient having a 67% chance of being assigned to the C-Cure treatment group and a 33% chance of being assigned to the control group. Baseline data demonstrated a similar distribution of age, sex, body mass index, prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and cardiac disease history in both the C-Cure treatment group and control group, and no difference in medications or hemodynamics was observed. Both groups received optimal standard of care as defined by the American College of Cardiology guidelines and the European Society of Cardiology guidelines, including the implantation of an ICD if the patient did not already have one. Patients assigned to the C-Cure treatment group received C-Cure in addition to the optimal standard of care. Where patient factors such as medications and co-morbidities prevented us from producing sufficient cells to obtain the C-Cure dose necessary for treatment, patients were assigned to the control group per the trial protocol. This trial was performed at nine clinical trial sites located in Europe.

At six months following treatment, patients treated with C-Cure showed a 25% relative improvement of median LVEF versus baseline (p<0.0001), whereas patients in the control group showed a relative improvement of 0.7% versus baseline. Furthermore, all patients in the C-Cure treatment group showed improved LVEF beyond the optimal standard of care, with 76% of patients demonstrating an absolute increase of over 3% and 57% showing an absolute increase of over 5%. Patients in the C-Cure treatment group also had a significant reduction in left ventricular end systolic volume as compared to patients in the control group, with patients in the C-Cure treatment groups showed a reduction of -24.8 ml, while patients in the control group showed a reduction of -8.8 ml (p < 0.001). In addition, patients in the C-Cure treatment group demonstrated an improved exercise capacity as measured by the six minutes WDT. The C-Cure treatment group’s walking distance improved by 77 meters compared to the control group (p<0.01). Patients in the C-Cure treatment group also had a reduction in end diastolic volume as compared to patients in the control group, and patients in the C-Cure treatment group also demonstrated a reduction in heart mass as compared to patients in the control group, although neither of these results reached statistical significance.

The Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Quality-of-Life questionnaire was used to score the extent to which patients’ lives were affected by ischemic HF. A higher score on the test represents a lower quality-of-life, with the maximum score being 105. Over the course of six months, the score of the patients in the C-Cure treatment group improved by 7.1 points, whereas the score of the control group patients improved by 0.4 points. In addition, the C-Cure treatment group had 30% of patients improve by a 10 point difference or more while no patients in the control group improved by that difference. These results did not reach statistical significance.

 

 

 

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A result is considered to be statistically significant when the probability of the result occurring by random chance, rather than from the efficacy of the treatment, is sufficiently low. The conventional method for measuring the statistical significance of a result is known as the “p-value”, which represents the probability that random chance caused the result (e.g., a p-value = 0.001 means that there is a 0.1% or less probability that the difference between the control group and the treatment group is purely due to random chance). A p-value = 0.05 is a commonly used criterion for statistical significance, and may be supportive of a finding of efficacy by regulatory authorities. However, regulatory authorities, including the FDA and EMA, do not rely on strict statistical significance thresholds as criteria for market approval and maintain the flexibility to evaluate the overall risks and benefits of a treatment. Accordingly, treatments may receive market approval from the FDA or EMA even if the p-value of the primary endpoint is greater than 0.05, or may fail to receive market approval from the FDA or EMA even if the p-value of the primary endpoint is less than 0.05.

No unanticipated serious adverse events definitely attributed to C-Cure or the trial procedure were reported in this trial. One patient experienced a serious adverse reaction, migraine with aura, one day post-procedure, but was subject to similar migraine episodes in the past. Another patient experienced rapid and irregular heartbeat resolved by applying an electrical stimulation to the heart during the procedure. A third patient experienced atrial fibrillation approximately a year and a half after the study procedure, but records of arrhythmia prior to treatment support that atrial fibrillation was a pre-existing condition.

We produced C-Cure for 21 out of the 30 patients attempted as patient factors such as medications and co-morbidities prevented us from producing sufficient cells for certain patients in the trial. However, we have made improvements to our manufacturing process, which we believe will allow us to have a greater than 80% manufacturing success rate in our Phase 3 clinical trials. These changes include:

 

Ø   adopting cryopreserved, a process whereby cells that are susceptible to damage caused by time are preserved by cooling to sub-zero temperatures, product storage to extend the shelf life of the cells;

 

Ø   improving the release criteria to ensure that desirable cells are not incorrectly rejected. In our Phase 2 trial of C-Cure, some production lots were rejected because the tests used identified the presence of impurities such as osteoblasts, or bone precursor cells, adipocytes, or fat cells, or chondrocytes, or cartilage cells. Upon further examination, it appeared that the methods used were overly sensitive. New methods have been developed that are more specific, while at the same time remaining as sensitive; and

 

Ø   developing predictive tests that allow us to reject patient bone marrow, that is unsuitable to yield the required number of cells for effective treatment. In CHART-1, patients bone marrow that does not reach 24 million cells are rejected from the manufacturing process, resulting in such patients not being randomized for treatment and discontinued from the trial. Therefore, only bone marrow that is capable of good cell expansion proceeds to the next culture phase, leading to randomization of the patient in the trial.

Phase 3 Clinical Program

We are pursuing clinical development of C-Cure through a comprehensive Phase 3 program comprised of two Phase 3 clinical trials, CHART-1 and CHART-2.

CHART-1

CHART-1 is being conducted in Europe and Israel and was first authorized in November 2012. CHART-1 is a 240 patient prospective controlled randomized double-blinded trial, including NYHA Class III and IV ischemic HF patients, with each patient having a 50% chance of being assigned to the C-Cure treatment group or the control group. The primary endpoint of this trial is an improvement in the

 

 

 

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composite hierarchical endpoint using the Finkelstein-Schoenfeld statistical method. The elements of this endpoint are, in hierarchical order, mortality, morbidity, quality of life, six minutes WDT, left ventricular end systolic volume and LVEF. Each patient in the C-Cure treatment group will be compared to each patient in the control group and a comprehensive score will be derived to compare one group against the other.

We received a pediatric waiver across all subsets of the pediatric population for C-Cure for the treatment of ischemic HF from the EMA in February 2015, therefore all clinical trials of C-Cure will be restricted to the adult population. In April 2014, the EMA issued a certificate of quality data for C-Cure. This Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products, or ATMP, certification recognizes that the data generated for C-Cure in its development programs to date meet the standards imposed by the EMA. The ATMP’s certificate for quality data will facilitate the EMA’s review of our anticipated future application for marketing authorization for C-Cure. On March 30, 2015, we announced that DSMB reviewed unblinded safety data from CHART-1 and determined that there was no evidence of obvious differences in safety profiles of patients in the two arms of the trial, which means that the data did not support discontinuation of the trial on the basis of safety. The full data readout from this trial is expected in the middle of 2016.

As of the date of this prospectus, we have completed enrollment of all patients in this trial at over 30 trial sites in Europe and Israel. We anticipate reporting interim futility data from this trial in the second quarter of 2015, with the full data readout expected in the middle of 2016.

CHART-2

On January 27, 2012, we, as the sponsor, filed our Investigational New Drug Application, or IND, for the use of C-Cure in CHART-2 with the FDA (NCT02317458). The subject of the IND is the efficacy and safety of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal cardiopoietic cells for improving exercise capacity in subjects with advanced chronic ischemic HF.

CHART-2 is expected to be conducted in the United States and Europe. CHART-2 is a 240 patient prospective controlled randomized double-blinded trial, including NYHA Class III and IV ischemic HF patients, with each patient having a 50% chance of being assigned to the C-Cure treatment group or the control group. The primary efficacy endpoint of CHART-2 is the change in the six-minutes WDT from pre-procedure to nine months. Our IND became effective in December 2013 for administration of the cells with Myostar, a catheter used for the injection of therapeutic agents into the heart, and manufactured by Biologics Delivery Systems Group, Cordis Corporation a Johnson & Johnson company. Prior to initiating the trial, in September 2014, we filed an amendment to the IND requesting among other changes to the initial submission, the use of our proprietary cell injection catheter called C-Cath ez . In January 2015, the FDA issued a clinical hold on CHART-2. Most of the clinical hold questions request clarifications on the design dossier of C-Cath ez , while the remaining questions relate to providing updated safety information on CHART-1, defining CHART-2 stopping rules, and a request to measure troponin, a cardiac marker of injury, at day 30 post baseline procedure. We anticipate responding to the clinical hold questions in the third quarter of 2015 once all safety data from CHART-1 is available, and pending the FDA’s lifting of the clinical hold, initiating CHART-2 during the second half of 2015.

Oncology

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States after cardiovascular diseases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cancer accounts for nearly one out of every four deaths in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. In 2014, there were an estimated 1.6 million new diagnosed cancer cases and over 550,000 cancer deaths in the United States alone.

 

 

 

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According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the approximate prevalence of AML in the United States as of January 1, 2011 was 37,726 and the incidence rate of MM in the United States as from 2007 to 2011 was 7.7 per 100,000 population for men and 4.9 per 100,000 population for women.

CAR T-Cell Therapy

The immune system has a natural response to cancer, as cancer cells express antigens that can be recognized by cells of the immune system. Upon recognition of an antigen, activated T-cells release substances that kill cancer cells and attract other immune cells to assist in the killing process. However, cancer cells can develop the ability to release inhibitory factors that allow them to evade immune response, resulting in the formation of potentially dangerous cancerous tumors and blood cancer.

CAR T-cell therapy is a new technology that broadly involves engineering patients’ own T-cells to express CARs so that these re-engineered cells recognize and kill cancer cells, overcoming cancer cells’ ability to evade the immune response. CARs are comprised of the following elements:

 

Ø   binding domains that encode proteins, such as variable fragments of antibodies that are expressed on the surface of a T-cell and allow the T-cell to recognize specific antigens on cancer cells;

 

Ø   intracellular signaling domains derived from T-cell receptors that activate the signaling pathways responsible for the immune response following binding to cancer cells; and

 

Ø   costimulatory and adaptor domains, which enhance the effectiveness of the T-cells in their immune response.

Once activated, CAR T-cells proliferate and kill cancer cells directly through the secretion of cytotoxins that destroy cancer cells, and these cytokines attract other immune cells to the tumor site to assist in the killing process.

Illustration of CAR T-cell binding to a ligand, triggering mechanisms to eliminate cancer cells.

 

LOGO

The CAR T-cell therapeutic process starts with collecting cells from a patient’s bone marrow. T-cells are then harvested and selected from the collected cells, following which the CAR is introduced into the T-cells using retrovirus vectors, a widely used technology to transfer genes into immune cells using the

 

 

 

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natural capacity of a retrovirus to deliver genes into cells. The CAR T-cells are then expanded prior to injection back into the patient.

Current Investigational Treatments of Cancer using CAR T-Cells

In the past decades, the cornerstones of cancer therapies have been surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Since 2001, small molecules that specifically target cancer cells have emerged as standard treatments for a number of cancers. For example, Gleevec is marketed by Novartis AG for the treatment of leukemia, and Herceptin is marketed by Genentech, Inc. for the treatment of breast and gastric cancer. Although these targeted therapies have significantly improved the outcomes for certain patients with these cancers, there is still a high unmet need for the treatment of these and many other cancers. CAR T-cell therapy is an emerging therapy for the treatment of some cancers, such as B-cell malignancies.

CAR19 is a widely used CAR, which has an antigen binding domain that recognizes the normal B-cell marker CD19. CD19 CAR Therapies have demonstrated high clinical responses in difficult to treat refractory B-cell malignancies. For example, results of a clinical trial reported in the New England Journal of Medicine in October 2014 demonstrated that CD19 CAR Therapy was effective in treating patients with relapsed and refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Treatment was associated with a complete remission rate of 90% and sustained remissions of up to two year after treatment. Despite its promise, CD19 CAR Therapy is inherently limited to the treatment of B-cell malignancies.

Our Approach to CAR T-Cell Therapy

Our approach to CAR T-cell therapy has the potential to treat a wider range of cancers than CD19 CAR Therapy because, in certain cases, we employ natural receptors that target multiple ligands, at least one of which is found in numerous cancers, as opposed to targeting a single ligand. Our primary CAR technologies use activated receptors of NK cells, lymphocytes of the innate immune system that kill cancer cells directly and also secrete cytokines that attract other immune cells to assist in the killing process. The receptors used in our therapies target ligands that are activated in cancer cells, but are absent or expressed at low levels in normal cells, resulting in therapies that are intended to be less destructive to normal cells.

Our lead CAR T-cell drug product candidate is CAR-NKG2D. CAR-NKG2D uses the native sequence of NKG2D in the CAR construct, thereby avoiding linker sequences that could be recognized as “non-self” by the immune system and thereby trigger an immune response. Accordingly, CAR-NKG2D does not require re-engineering to allow it to bind to cancer cell ligands with high affinity. CAR-NKG2D also makes use of DAP10, a naturally occurring adaptor molecule that is normally is expressed by T-cells, to aid in the immune response.

Ligands for the NKG2D receptor are expressed either individually or together with other ligands at the surface of cancer cells, allowing for the targeting of multiple tumor types given the higher likelihood of expression of at least one ligand. NKG2D receptor ligands, such as ULBP, MICA and MICB, are expressed in numerous solid tumors and blood cancers, including ovarian, bladder, breast, lung and liver cancers, as well as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. MICA and MICB may be induced in association with cell stress, infection or malignant transformation. Within a given cell population, we have shown in vitro effectiveness of CAR-NKG2D even when as few as 7% of the cancer cells expressed a NKG2D receptor ligand.

Pre-Clinical Development

CAR-NKG2D has been tested in pre-clinical models of solid and blood cancers, including lymphoma, ovarian cancer and myeloma. In pre-clinical studies, treatment with CAR-NKG2D significantly increased survival. In some studies, 100% of treated mice survived through the follow-up period of the applicable study, which in one study was 325 days. All untreated mice died during the follow-up period of the applicable study.

 

 

 

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In one representative study, as shown in the figure below, the treatment with CAR-NKG2D completely prevented tumor development in mice injected with ovarian cancer cells and followed over a period of 225 days. In contrast, all mice injected with ovarian cancer cells that were treated with unmodified T-cells developed cancerous tumors and died during that period.

 

LOGO

Our pre-clinical models have also shown that treatment with CAR-NKG2D is followed by changes in a tumor’s micro-environment resulting from the local release of chemokines, a family of small cytokines. In a pre-clinical study, mice that had been injected with 5T33MM cancer cells and treated with CAR-NKG2D were rechallenged either with the 5T33MM cancer cells or a different tumor type (RMA lymphoma cells). The mice that were rechallenged with the same tumor type survived, while the mice that were challenged with a different tumor type died, as shown in the figure below.

 

LOGO

We believe that the mechanism by which the mice in the former group survived may be linked to T-cell memory against the tumor antigen, independent of the continued presence of CAR-NKG2D. We believe that this continued protection may be a result of the type of chemokines released at the time of the initial CAR-NKG2D treatment, and we do not believe that this effect has been demonstrated with other CARs.

 

 

 

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Moreover, pre-clinical studies have suggested that CAR-NKG2D could potentially have a direct effect on tumor vasculature. Tumor vessels express ligands for the NKG2D receptor that are not generally expressed by normal vessels. We believe that this expression may be linked to genotoxic stress, hypoxia and reoxygenation in tumors and therefore that CAR-NKG2D could potentially inhibit tumor growth by decreasing tumor vasculature, which could possibly render it effective in the treatment of NKG2D-negative tumors.

Pre-clinical studies also demonstrate that CAR-NKG2D is effective without lymphodepletion conditioning, which is the destruction of lymphocytes and T-cells, normally by radiation. We believe this absence of a pre-conditioning regimen may expand the range of patients eligible for CAR T-cell treatment, reduce costs, reduce toxicity and thereby improve patient experience and acceptance.

No significant toxicology findings were reported from pre-clinical multiple-dose studies at dose levels below 10,000,000 CAR-NKG2D per animal. Some temporary weight loss was noted in animals treated with CAR-NKG2D. At this dose, histology showed there was no accumulation of infused cells in any organ other than the lungs. We believe that this accumulation of infused cells in the lungs was likely due to the large number of cells infused into the animals.

Clinical Development

On June 9 2014, Celdara filed an IND with the FDA (NCT02203825) related to the CAR-NKG2D trial. The subject of the IND is evaluating the safety and feasibility of administering a single intravenous dose of CAR-NKG2D to patients with AML, Myelodysplastic Syndrome and MM.

We are currently enrolling patients with (i) AML who are not in remission and for which standard therapy options are not available or (ii) relapsed or refractory progressive MM, in a Phase 1 clinical trial to test the safety and feasibility of single-dose intravenous administration of CAR-NKG2D T-cells without prior lymphodepletion conditioning. This is a dose escalation trial to test four different dose levels. Patients may receive doses anywhere from 1,000,000 up to 30,000,000 CAR-NKG2D T-cells in a single intravenous injection. For each dose level, three patients, one with AML, one with MM, and one with either AML or MM, will be recruited, until a toxicological response is demonstrated or we reach a dose of 30,000,000 cells. Once a dose has been selected, an additional 12 patients, six AML patients and six MM patients, will be included in the dose expansion part of the trial, to probe efficacy signals. This trial is being conducted at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in the United States. Interim data is expected to be reported throughout this trial, with the full data readout expected in the middle of 2016. On April 20, 2015, we announced that the first patient in this trial had been treated with the first dose of CAR-NKG2D, and that no short term adverse events were observed in this patient. A pre-defined, staggered enrollment of two additional patients at the same dose level is expected to occur after an additional 30-day safety assessment of the first treated patient.

We are currently conducting pre-clinical studies to determine which other cancers to pursue with CAR-NKG2D.

Other CAR T-Cell Development

Allogeneic Platform

Autologous CAR T-cells must be manufactured for each individual patient. As a result this form of treatment presents cost and logistical challenges. We have technology that we believe may enable the development of an allogeneic CAR T-cell therapy, where T-cells harvested from one patient, the donor, are engineered into CAR T-cells that can be used in the treatment of other patients, the host, without triggering an immune response. Functioning T-cell receptors on a donor T-cell are responsible for

 

 

 

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eliciting an adverse immune reaction in the host, which is known as a graft-versus-host response. The goal of our allogeneic platform is to eliminate the graft-versus host response. Our allogeneic platform is based on the engineering of T-cells that lack expression of a functional T-cell receptor, while at the same time expressing a CAR that can trigger the killing of cancer cells. We believe that our allogeneic platform may allow us to manufacture an off the shelf CAR T-cell therapy product, which has the potential to transform the treatment of cancer.

Additional Autologous Programs

We also have two additional autologous CAR T-cell programs that are in pre-clinical development. The first program involves the use of a CAR T-cell expressing NKp30, another activated receptor of NK cells. CAR T-cells expressing NKp30 target ligands, which are expressed on many types of cancer cells, including lymphoma, leukemia and gastrointestional stromal tumors. The primary ligand of NKp30 is B7H6. Previous pre-clinical studies performed at Dartmouth College and reported in the Journal of Immunology in 2012 demonstrated that CAR-T cells expressing NKp30 were able to kill cancer cells expressing NKp30 ligands both in vitro and in vivo. The second program involves the specific targeting of B7H6 to kill cancer cells that express B7H6. Previous pre-clinical studies performed at Dartmouth College and reported in the Journal of Immunology in 2015 demonstrated that therapy targeting B7H6 decreased tumor burden of melanoma- and ovarian cancer-bearing mice.

Comparison of our CAR T-cell therapy approach to CD19 CAR Therapy.

 

LOGO

Our Complementary Devices

We developed C-Cath ez , which is CE-marked, with the goal of overcoming limitations of existing cell injection devices that we discovered during our development of C-Cure. Due to continuous heart

 

 

 

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movements, we believe that injecting cells into the heart requires a stable needle that anchors into the tissue during injection. In addition, excess pressure on cells during injection has an adverse impact on cell retention. To respond to these challenges, C-Cath ez features a curved needle that provides stability during the injection and multiple holes along the needle that increase the exit surface, reducing the pressure exerted on cells during the injection procedure. In pre-clinical studies, we obtained a higher retention rate of injected cells through the use of C-Cath ez as compared to other commercially available catheters. In a pre-clinical study of C-Cath ez , use of C-Cath ez did not cause myocardial perforation or clinically relevant increases in the blood levels of cardiac enzymes were observed in pigs or dogs. We also market C Cath ez in the European Union as a stand-alone medical device for delivery of diagnostic and therapeutic agents indicated for delivery into the heart to research laboratories and clinical-stage companies only.

In addition, we believe our heart access technology will enable cardiologists to take a unique access route directly to the patient’s left atrium, which may potentially enable the deployment of catheters or other necessary instruments for use in the treatment of various indications such as mitral valve disorders and structural heart diseases, conditions often linked to HF. This heart access technology includes the heart access sheath, mitral valve neo-chordae, and closure device. These devices are either in the discovery phase or pre-clinical development.

Manufacturing

We plan to use our pilot manufacturing facility, located in Belgium, for the manufacture of C-Cure until commercial launch. This facility has a production capacity of approximately 250 patients per year. We are also building a second pilot manufacturing facility in Rochester, Minnesota to reduce our overall logistical costs for patients in CHART-2 and to provide redundancy.

In the future, we plan to operate two commercial manufacturing sites, one in the United States and one in the European Union. We believe that this will provide us with increased flexibility, reduced logistical costs and necessary redundancy, as well as allowing us to comply with contractual obligations that require us to manufacture in the European Union.

We have been working on the optimization of our manufacturing processes to reduce our cost of production. For example, we are currently developing a closed system that may allow for the manufacture of C-Cure in vessels that prevent contact with the environment, which we expect will reduce our need for Class B clean rooms and the associated expense.

The cells for our ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial of CAR-NKG2D are being manufactured at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute’s cell manufacturing facility.

Commercialization

We currently intend to market C-Cure using a sales model focused on leading catheterization laboratories and referral networks. We believe that C-Cure would first be adopted by high-volume key-opinion-leader catheterization laboratories, and progressively by a broader segment of the market. We expect to establish or acquire a specialty sales force to increase physician familiarity with our treatments and field technicians to assist sites during adoption. While we maintain all commercial rights to our C-Cure technology and currently intend to commercialize C-Cure directly, we may in the future adopt a partnering strategy for C-Cure in the United States and/or the European Union.

Given the developmental stage our CAR T-cell platform, we have not yet developed a commercialization plan for our CAR T-cell drug product candidates.

Licensing and Collaboration Agreements

Academic and clinical collaborations

We have core relationships and collaborations with the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, or the Mayo Clinic, and the Trustees of Dartmouth College, or Dartmouth.

 

 

 

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Mayo Clinic

C-Cure is based on technology discovered at the Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics lab at the Mayo Clinic, led by Dr. Andre Terzic. Under our technology license agreement with the Mayo Clinic entered into in June 2007 and amended in July 2008 and October 2010, or Mayo License, we were granted an exclusive, worldwide license to make, use, modify, enhance, promote, market and/or sell the “Cardiogenic Cocktail for the production of Cardiac Cells” and “Stem Cell Based Therapy for Non-ischemic Cardiomyopathic Heart Failure” within the field of cardiovascular regeneration or protection, including certain related patents. In addition, we were granted a non-exclusive, worldwide license to licensed know-how in connection with the licensed inventions within the same field. The exclusive license is subject to the Mayo Clinic’s right to make and use the licensed inventions and licensed know-how within its affiliates’ own programs, and to the rights, if any, of the United States government. The Mayo Clinic has the right to purchase quantities of licensed invention from us at cost to meet its and its affiliates’ internal needs.

In consideration for the rights granted to us under the Mayo License, we were required to pay an upfront fee to Mayo Clinic of €9,500,000 upon the initial agreement and $3,193,125 upon the execution of the second amendment, which were subsequently converted into our share capital. We also paid the Mayo Clinic $337,000 for the purchase of equipment for research purposes. Additionally, we are required to pay to the Mayo Clinic a low single-digit royalty on net commercial sales by us or by our permitted sublicensees from the commercialization of licensed products, on a licensed product-by-licensed product basis, beginning on the date of the first commercial sale of the relevant licensed product and extending until the earlier of (i) the 15 year anniversary of the first commercial sale of such licensed product, (ii) the date on which the licensed product is no longer covered by a valid claim of a licensed patent in the applicable territory, or (iii) termination of the Mayo License. The Mayo License permits a reduction of these royalties, not to exceed a specified floor, for amounts payable to third parties as required to in-license necessary third-party technology.

Under the Mayo License, we are responsible for the development, manufacture and commercialization of the licensed inventions. We committed to provide the Mayo Clinic with $500,000 of directed research funding per year for the years 2012 through 2014. Any results of this research will automatically be included as licensed inventions under the Mayo License. We will also fund research at the Mayo Clinic in the amount of $1,000,000 per year for four years in the area of regeneration or protection for cardiovascular applications. Such payments will begin once we have achieved both commercial sale of a licensed product and a positive cash flow from operations in the previous financial year. We will have an exclusive right of first negotiation to acquire an exclusive license to inventions that are the direct result of work carried out under these grants, in accordance with the mechanism described in the Mayo License. The Mayo Clinic provided us with directed research and conducted a dose finding study for us at no additional cost. Subject to pre-existing obligations, until October 18, 2015, we also have an exclusive right of first negotiation to obtain an exclusive license from the Mayo Clinic on any guided cardiopoiesis technology developed by Dr. Andre Terzic or developed or co-developed by Dr. Atta Behfar, the senior investigator involved in the discovery of the cardiopoiesis technology. With respect to both of the foregoing rights of first negotiation, if we and the Mayo Clinic do not reach agreement for a license for the applicable invention within the prescribed negotiation period or permitted extension, the Mayo Clinic is prohibited from entering into a license agreement for such invention with a third party for a period of nine months.

The Mayo License will continue until the later of ten years or as long as the Mayo Clinic has any rights to any part of the licensed inventions. The Mayo Clinic may terminate the license on a product-by-product basis or licensed invention-by-licensed invention basis if we default in making payment when due and payable or under other circumstances specified in the Mayo License, subject to 120 days’ prior

 

 

 

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written notice and opportunity to cure. The Mayo Clinic may also terminate the Mayo License if we deliberately make false statements in reports delivered to Mayo Clinic. Additionally, Mayo Clinic may convert the license to non-exclusive or terminate the license upon final decision of an arbitral tribunal that we breached our diligence obligations under the Mayo License. Further, Mayo Clinic may terminate the agreement immediately for our insolvency or bankruptcy, as described in the Mayo License.

In November 2014, we entered into a Preferred Access Agreement with the Mayo Clinic. Pursuant to this agreement, the Mayo Clinic will review with us, on a quarterly basis, technologies arising from the Mayo Center for Regenerative Medicine, and we may review certain other technologies upon request. If, as a result of such reviews, we and the Mayo Clinic decide to advance a certain technology, we will enter into a separate exclusive license agreement with respect to such technology. This agreement remains in effect until December 2017, and may be extended by mutual agreement.

Dartmouth College and Celdara

In January 2015, we entered into a stock purchase agreement, or the Celdara Agreement, with Celdara Medical, LLC, or Celdara, pursuant to which we purchased all of the outstanding membership interests of OnCyte, LLC, or OnCyte, for a $10.0 million upfront payment to Celdara, $6.0 million of which was paid in cash and $4.0 million of which was paid in the form of 93,087 of our ordinary shares. After this transaction we, Celdara and OnCyte entered into an asset purchase agreement, or OnCyte APA, pursuant to which Celdara sold to OnCyte, data, protocols, regulatory documents and intellectual property, including the rights and obligations under license agreements between Celdara and Dartmouth College, related to our CAR T-cell therapy programs, or the Transferred Assets. Pursuant to the OncCyte APA, we are obligated to make development-based milestone payments to Celdara of $40.0 million for clinical products and of $36.5 million for pre-clinical products, as well as sales-based milestone payments of up to $80.0 million for products based on the Transferred Assets, or CAR Products. The OnCyte APA also requires us to make tiered single-digit royalty payments to Celdara in connection with the sales of CAR Products. Such royalties are payable on a CAR Product-by CAR Product and country-by-country basis until the later of (i) the last day that at least one valid patent claim covering the CAR Product exists, or (ii) the tenth anniversary of the day of the first commercial sale of the CAR Product in such country. Under the OnCyte APA, we can opt out of the development of any CAR Product if the data does not meet the scientific criteria of success. We may also opt out of development of any CAR Product for any other reason upon payment of a termination fee of $2.0 million to Celdara.

2010 Dartmouth License Agreement

Under the exclusive license agreement with Dartmouth College entered into in April 2010 and amended in February 2012, July 2013 and January 2015, Dartmouth College granted us (as successor in interest to Celdara) an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-bearing license to certain know-how and patent rights to make, have made, use, and/or sell any product or process for human therapeutics, the manufacture, use or sale of which, is covered by such patent rights. Dartmouth College reserves the right to use the licensed patent rights and licensed know-how, in the same field, for education and research purposes only. The patent rights covered by this agreement are related, in part, to methods for treating cancer involving chimeric NK and NKP30 receptor targeted therapeutics and T cell receptor-deficient T cell compositions in treating tumor, infection, GVHD, transplant and radiation sickness.

In consideration for the rights granted to us under the agreement, we are required to pay to Dartmouth College an annual license fee of $20,000 as well as a low single-digit royalty based on annual net sales of the licensed products by us and by our permitted sublicensees, with certain minimum net sales obligations beginning April 30, 2024 and continuing for each year of sales thereafter. We are also obligated to pay to Dartmouth College a certain tiered percentage of sublicensing income ranging from

 

 

 

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the mid-single digits to the mid-teens based on the development stage of the technology at the time the sublicense is granted. We are not required to pay sublicensing income on transactions in which we form a new spin-off entity and transfer at least a portion of our assets. Additionally, the agreement requires that we exploit the licensed products, and we have agreed to meet certain developmental and regulatory milestones. Upon successful completion of such milestones, we are obligated to pay to Dartmouth College certain milestone payments up to an aggregate amount of $1.5 million. We are responsible for all expenses in connection with the preparation, filing, prosecution and maintenance of the patents covered under the agreement.

After April 30, 2024, Dartmouth College may terminate the license if we fail to meet the specified minimum net sales obligations for any year, unless we pay to Dartmouth College the royalty we would otherwise be obligated to pay had we met such minimum net sales obligation. Dartmouth College may also terminate the license if we fail to meet a milestone within the specified time period, unless we pay the corresponding milestone payment. Either party may terminate the agreement in the event the other party defaults or breaches any of the provisions of the agreement, subject to 30 days’ prior notice and opportunity to cure. In addition, the agreement automatically terminates in the event we become insolvent, make an assignment for the benefit of creditors or file, or have filed against us, a petition in bankruptcy. Absent early termination, the agreement will continue until the expiration date of the last to expire patent right included under the agreement in the last to expire territory. We expect that the last to expire patent right included under this agreement will expire in 2033, absent extensions or adjustments.

2014 Dartmouth License Agreement

Under the exclusive license agreement with Dartmouth College entered into in June 2014 and amended in January 2015, Dartmouth College granted us (as successor in interest to Celdara) an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-bearing license under certain know-how and patent rights to make, have made, use, modify, exploit, distribute, and/or sell any product or process for human therapeutics, the manufacture, use or sale of which, is covered by such patent rights. Our license is subject to any rights that may be required to be granted to the government of the United States, and Dartmouth College reserves the right to use the licensed patent rights and licensed know-how, in the same field, for education and research purposes only. The patent rights covered by this agreement are related, in part, to anti-B7-H6 antibody, fusion proteins and methods of using the same.

In consideration for the rights granted to us under the agreement, we are required to pay to Dartmouth College a license maintenance fee of $10,000 upon the first anniversary of the agreement and an annual license maintenance fee of $20,000 thereafter. We are also required to pay to Dartmouth College a low single-digit royalty based on annual net sales of the licensed products by us and by our permitted sublicensees, with a specified minimum royalty payment for each year of sales. We are obligated to pay to Dartmouth College a certain tiered percentage of sublicensing income ranging from the mid-single digits to the mid-teens based on the time or development stage of the technology at the time the sublicense is granted. We are not required to pay sublicensing income on transactions in which we form a new spin-off entity and transfer at least a portion of our assets. Additionally, the agreement requires that we exploit the licensed products, and we have agreed to meet certain developmental and regulatory milestones. Upon successful completion of such milestones for each licensed product, we are obligated to pay to Dartmouth College certain milestone payments up to an aggregate amount of $1.6 million. We are responsible for all expenses in connection with the preparation, filing, prosecution and maintenance of the patents covered under the agreement.

Dartmouth College may, at its option, terminate the license, upon thirty days written notice, if we fail to pay at least the minimum royalty payment amount or make such minimum payment within such thirty day period. In addition, Dartmouth College has the right to terminate if we fail to meet a milestone

 

 

 

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within the specified time period or fail to make the corresponding milestone payment, subject to 30 days’ prior written notice and opportunity to cure. We may unilaterally terminate the agreement by giving three months advance written notice to Dartmouth College and paying a termination fee of $2,500. Either party may terminate the agreement in the event the other party defaults or breaches any of the provisions of the agreement, subject to 30 days’ prior notice and opportunity to cure. In addition, the agreement automatically terminates in the event we become insolvent, make an assignment for the benefit of creditors or file, or have filed against us, a petition in bankruptcy. Absent early termination, the agreement will continue until the expiration date of the last to expire patent right included under the agreement in the last to expire territory. We expect that the last to expire patent right included under this agreement will expire in 2033, absent extensions or adjustments.

Intellectual Property

Patents and patent applications

Patents, patent applications and other intellectual property rights are important in the sector in which we operate. We consider on a case-by-case basis filing patent applications with a view to protecting certain innovative products, processes, and methods of treatment. We may also license or acquire rights to patents, patent applications or other intellectual property rights owned by third parties, academic partners or commercial companies which are of interest to us.

Our patent portfolio includes pending patent applications and issued patents in the United States and in foreign countries. These patents and applications generally fall into four broad categories:

 

Ø   patents and pending patent applications relating to cardiopoiesis, a subset of which are licensed from the Mayo Clinic;

 

Ø   patents and pending applications we own that relate to cardiac injection catheter technology;

 

Ø   patent applications owned by our subsidiary Corquest that relate to cardiac medical device technology; and

 

Ø   patents and patent applications licensed from Dartmouth that relate to our CAR-T platform.

The term of a U.S. patent may be eligible for patent term extension under the Hatch-Waxman Act to account for at least some of the time the drug or device is under development and regulatory review after the patent is granted. With regard to a drug or device for which FDA approval is the first permitted marketing of the active ingredient, the Hatch-Waxman Act allows for extension of the term of one U.S. patent. The extended patent term cannot exceed the shorter of five years beyond the non-extended expiration of the patent or 14 years from the date of the FDA approval of the drug or device. Some foreign jurisdictions have analogous patent term extension provisions that allow for extension of the term of a patent that covers a device approved by the applicable foreign regulatory agency.

Cardiopoiesis Platform Patents

As of March 31, 2015, our cardiopoiesis platform portfolio includes seven patent families, four of which are owned by the Mayo Clinic, which we refer to as the Mayo Cardiopoiesis Patents and are exclusively licensed to us, and three of which are owned by us, which we refer to as the Cardio3 Cardiopoiesis Patents.

The Mayo Cardiopoiesis Patents include three issued U.S. patents; 16 foreign patents issued in jurisdictions including Australia, China, Europe, Hong Kong, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore and South Africa; three pending U.S. patent applications; and 25 foreign patent applications pending in jurisdictions including Europe, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Israel, India, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. These patents and patent

 

 

 

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applications relate to compositions and methods for inducing cardiogenesis in embryonic stem cells, methods of identifying cardiopoietic stem cells, and methods of using cardiopoietic stem cells to treat cardiovascular tissue. The Mayo Cardiopoiesis Patents will begin to expire in 2025, absent any adjustments or extensions. We expect that any patents that eventually issue from currently pending applications in the Mayo Cardiopoiesis patent portfolio will begin to expire in 2025, absent any adjustments or extensions.

Our Cardiopoiesis Patents include an issued patent in New Zealand; a pending U.S. patent application; and 17 foreign patent applications pending in jurisdictions including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Europe, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand, as well as an application filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty. These patents and patent applications relate to pharmaceutical compositions containing cardiopoietic stem cells and methods of their production, as well as therapeutic targets and agents for treating ischemia reperfusion injury. Our Cardiopoiesis Patents will begin to expire in 2030, absent any adjustments or extensions. We expect that any patents that eventually issue from currently pending applications in our Cardiopoiesis patent portfolio will begin to expire in 2030, absent any adjustments or extensions.

CAR T-cell Platform Patents

As of March 31, 2015, our CAR T-cell portfolio includes three patent families exclusively licensed to us by Dartmouth. This portfolio includes two issued U.S. patents; four pending U.S. patent applications; and 12 foreign patent applications pending in jurisdictions including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Europe, India, Japan, Mexico, and Russia. These patents and patent applications relate to particular chimeric antigen receptors and to T-cell receptor-deficient T-cells. One pending U.S. patent application relating to T-cell receptor-deficient T-cells has been allowed, and we intend to submit additional prior art references to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to assess whether they are relevant to the claimed invention. Patents in our CAR T-cell portfolio will begin to expire in 2025, absent any adjustments or extensions. We expect that any patents that eventually issue from currently pending applications in the CAR T-cell Platform patent portfolio will begin to expire in 2025, absent any adjustments or extensions.

Cardiac Injection Catheter Technology Patents

As of March 31, 2015, our cardiac injection catheter technology portfolio includes two patent families we own. This portfolio includes a pending U.S. patent application; five patents issued in jurisdictions including Belgium, Europe, Israel, Mexico, and New Zealand; and 13 foreign patent applications pending in jurisdictions including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom, as well as an application filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty. These patents and patent applications relate to injection catheters and processes for their use. Patents in this portfolio, if issued, will begin to expire in 2025, absent any adjustments or extensions. We expect that any patents that eventually issue from currently pending applications in the Cardiac Injection Catheter Technology patent portfolio will begin to expire in 2029, absent any adjustments or extensions.

Heart Access Technology Patents

As of March 31, 2015, our heart access technology portfolio includes five patent families owned by Corquest, our wholly owned subsidiary. This portfolio includes ten pending U.S. patent applications and ten foreign patent applications pending in various jurisdictions. Patents in this portfolio, if issued, will begin to expire in 2032, absent any adjustments or extensions. jurisdictions including Brazil, Canada, Europe, Mexico, Russia, and the Republic of Korea, as well as applications filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty. These patents and patent applications relate to devices, assemblies and methods for treating cardiac injuries and defects.

 

 

 

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Trade secrets

In addition to our patents and patent applications, we keep certain of our proprietary information as trade secrets, which we seek to protect by confidentiality agreements with our employees and third parties, and by fragmenting know-how between different individuals, in accordance with standard industry practices.

Competition

The industry in which we operate is subject to rapid technological change. We face competition from pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and medical devices companies, as well as from academic and research institutions. Some of these competitors are pursuing the development of medicinal products and other therapies that target the same diseases and conditions that we are targeting.

Some of our current or potential competitors, either alone or with their collaboration partners, have significantly greater financial resources and expertise in research and development, manufacturing, preclinical testing, conducting clinical trials and marketing approved products than we do. Mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and gene therapy industries may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These competitors also compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel and establishing clinical trial sites and patient registration for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs.

Our commercial opportunity could be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and commercialize products that are safer, more effective, have fewer or less severe side effects, are more convenient or are less expensive than any products that we may develop. Our competitors also may obtain FDA or other regulatory approval for their products more rapidly than we may obtain approval for ours, which could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we are able to enter the market. The key competitive factors affecting the success of all of our programs are likely to be their efficacy, safety and convenience.

C-Cure

We have identified several companies that are active in cardiac cell therapy as of the date of this prospectus, including Aldagen, Inc., Athersys, Inc., Cytori Therapeutics, Inc., Mesoblast Ltd and Vericel Corporation.

CAR T-Cell Therapy

Early results from clinical trials have fueled continued interest in CAR T-cell therapies and our competitors include Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc., bluebird bio, Inc., Cellectis S.A., Juno Therapeutics, Inc., Kite Pharma Inc., Novartis AG and Ziopharm Oncology, Inc.

Government Regulation

Government authorities in the United States at the federal, state and local level and in other countries extensively regulate, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacture, quality control, approval, labeling, packaging, storage, record-keeping, promotion, advertising, distribution, post-approval monitoring and reporting, marketing and export and import of drug and biological products, or biologics, such as our drug product candidates. Generally, before a new drug or biologic can be marketed, considerable data demonstrating its quality, safety and efficacy must be obtained, organized into a format specific for each regulatory authority, submitted for review and an application for marketing authorization must be approved by the regulatory authority.

 

 

 

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Certain products may be comprised of components that are regulated under separate regulatory authorities and by different centers at the FDA. These products are known as combination products. A combination product is comprised of a combination of a drug and a device; a biological product and a device; a drug and a biological product; or a drug, a device, and a biological product. Under regulations issued by the FDA, a combination product includes:

 

Ø   a product comprised of two or more regulated components that are physically, chemically, or otherwise combined or mixed and produced as a single entity;

 

Ø   two or more separate products packaged together in a single package or as a unit and comprised of drug and device products, device and biological products, or biological and drug products;

 

Ø   a drug, device, or biological product packaged separately that according to its investigational plan or proposed labeling is intended for use only with an approved individually specified drug, device or biological where both are required to achieve the intended use, indication, or effect and where upon approval of the proposed product the labeling of the approved product would need to be changed, e.g., to reflect a change in intended use, dosage form, strength, route of administration, or significant change in dose; or

 

Ø   any investigational drug, device, or biological packaged separately that according to its proposed labeling is for use only with another individually specified investigational drug, device, or biological product where both are required to achieve the intended use, indication, or effect.

One of our drug product candidates is a combination product that is comprised of a biologic and a device (an endocardial injection catheter) that is used for delivery of the biologic. Under the FDCA, the FDA is charged with assigning a center with primary jurisdiction, or a lead center, for review of a combination product. That determination is based on the “primary mode of action” of the combination product, which means the single mode of action that provides the most important therapeutic action of the combination product, i.e., the mode of action expected to make the greatest contribution to the overall intended therapeutic effects of the combination product. Thus, if the primary mode of action of a device-biologic combination product is attributable to the biologic product, that is, if it acts by means of a virus, therapeutic serum, toxin, antitoxin, vaccine, blood, blood component or derivative, allergenic product, or analogous product, the FDA center responsible for premarket review of the biologic product (the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, or CBER) would have primary jurisdiction for the combination product. CBER is the agency component with primary jurisdiction for the premarket review and regulation for our C-Cure investigational product. Because C-Cure utilizes a catheter as a delivery system to the heart, CBER may consult or collaborate with the agency center that is responsible for the premarket review of that device, the Center for Devices and Radiological Health, or CDRH.

U.S. Biological Product Development

In the United States, the FDA regulates biologics under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, and the Public Health Service Act, or PHSA, and their implementing regulations. Biologics are also subject to other federal, state and local statutes and regulations. The process of obtaining regulatory approvals and the subsequent compliance with appropriate federal, state, local and foreign statutes and regulations require the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources. Failure to comply with the applicable U.S. requirements at any time during the product development process, approval process or after approval, may subject an applicant to administrative or judicial sanctions. These sanctions could include, among other actions, the FDA’s refusal to approve pending applications, withdrawal of an approval, a clinical hold, untitled or warning letters, product recalls or withdrawals from the market, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution injunctions, fines, refusals of government contracts, restitution, disgorgement, or civil or criminal penalties. Any agency or judicial enforcement action could have a material adverse effect on us.

 

 

 

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Our drug product candidates must be approved by the FDA through the Biologics License Application, or BLA, process before they may be legally marketed in the United States. The process required by the FDA before a biologic may be marketed in the United States generally involves the following:

 

Ø   completion of extensive nonclinical, sometimes referred to as pre-clinical laboratory tests, pre-clinical animal studies and formulation studies in accordance with applicable regulations, including the FDA’s Good Laboratory Practice, or GLP, regulations;

 

Ø   submission to the FDA of an IND, which must become effective before human clinical trials may begin;

 

Ø   performance of adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials in accordance with applicable IND regulations, good clinical practices, or GCPs, and other clinical trial-related regulations to establish the safety and efficacy of the proposed drug product candidate for its proposed indication;

 

Ø   submission to the FDA of a BLA;

 

Ø   satisfactory completion of an FDA pre-approval inspection of the manufacturing facility or facilities where the product is produced to assess compliance with the FDA’s current good manufacturing practice, or cGMP, requirements to assure that the facilities, methods and controls are adequate to preserve the product’s identity, strength, quality, purity and potency;

 

Ø   potential FDA audit of the pre-clinical and/or clinical trial sites that generated the data in support of the BLA; and

 

Ø   FDA review and approval of the BLA prior to any commercial marketing or sale of the product in the United States.

The data required to support a BLA is generated in two distinct development stages: pre-clinical and clinical. The pre-clinical development stage generally involves laboratory evaluations of drug chemistry, formulation and stability, as well as studies to evaluate toxicity in animals, which support subsequent clinical testing. The conduct of the pre-clinical studies must comply with federal regulations, including GLPs. The sponsor must submit the results of the pre-clinical studies, together with manufacturing information, analytical data, any available clinical data or literature and a proposed clinical protocol, as well as other information, to the FDA as part of the IND. An IND is a request for authorization from the FDA to administer an investigational drug product to humans. The central focus of an IND submission is on the general investigational plan and the protocol(s) for human trials. The IND automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless the FDA raises concerns or questions regarding the proposed clinical trials and places the IND on clinical hold within that 30-day time period. In such a case, the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding concerns before the clinical trial can begin. The FDA may also impose clinical holds on a drug product candidate at any time before or during clinical trials due to safety concerns, non-compliance, or other issues affecting the integrity of the trial. Accordingly, we cannot be sure that submission of an IND will result in the FDA allowing clinical trials to begin, or that, once begun, issues will not arise that could cause the trial to be suspended or terminated. Where a trial is conducted at, or sponsored by, institutions receiving NIH funding for recombinant DNA research, prior to the submission of an IND to the FDA, a protocol and related documentation is submitted to and the trial is registered with the NIH Office of Biotechnology Activities, or OBA, pursuant to the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules, or NIH Guidelines. Compliance with the NIH Guidelines is mandatory for investigators at institutions receiving NIH funds for research involving recombinant DNA, however many companies and other institutions not otherwise subject to the NIH Guidelines voluntarily follow them. The NIH is responsible for convening the Recombinant NDA Advisory Committee, or RAC, a federal advisory committee, which discusses protocols that raise novel or particularly important scientific, safety or

 

 

 

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ethical considerations at one of its quarterly public meetings. The OBA will notify the FDA of the RAC’s decision regarding the necessity for full public review of a gene therapy protocol. RAC proceedings and reports are posted to the OBA web site and may be accessed by the public.

The clinical stage of development involves the administration of the drug product candidate to healthy volunteers and patients under the supervision of qualified investigators, generally physicians not employed by or under the trial sponsor’s control, in accordance with GCPs, which include the requirement that all research subjects provide their informed consent for their participation in any clinical trial. Clinical trials are conducted under protocols detailing, among other things, the objectives of the clinical trial, dosing procedures, subject selection and exclusion criteria, and the parameters to be used to monitor subject safety and assess efficacy. Each protocol, and any subsequent amendments to the protocol, must be submitted to the FDA as part of the IND. Further, each clinical trial must be reviewed and approved by an independent institutional review board, or IRB, at or servicing each institution at which the clinical trial will be conducted. An IRB is charged with protecting the welfare and rights of trial participants and considers such items as whether the risks to individuals participating in the clinical trials are minimized and are reasonable in relation to anticipated benefits. The IRB also approves the informed consent form that must be provided to each clinical trial subject or his or her legal representative and must monitor the clinical trial until completed.

There are also requirements governing the reporting of ongoing clinical trials and completed clinical trial results to public registries. Sponsors of certain clinical trials of FDA-regulated products, including biologics, are required to register and disclose certain clinical trial information, which is publicly available at www.clinicaltrials.gov. Information related to the product, patient population, phase of investigation, study sites and investigators, and other aspects of the clinical trial is then made public as part of the registration. Sponsors are also obligated to discuss the results of their clinical trials after completion. Disclosure of the results of these trials can be delayed until the new product or new indication being studied has been approved. However, there are evolving rules and increasing requirements for publication of trial-related information, and it is possible that data and other information from trials involving biologics that never garner approval could in the future require disclosure. In addition, publication policies of major medical journals mandate certain registration and disclosures as a pre-condition for potential publication, even if not currently mandated as a matter of law. Competitors may use this publicly available information to gain knowledge regarding the progress of development programs.

Clinical trials are generally conducted in three sequential phases, known as Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3, and may overlap. Phase 1 clinical trials generally involve a small number of healthy volunteers who are initially exposed to a single dose and then multiple doses of the drug product candidate. The primary purpose of these clinical trials is to assess the metabolism, pharmacologic action, side effect tolerability and safety of the drug product candidate and, if possible, to gain early evidence on effectiveness. Phase 2 clinical trials typically involve studies in disease-affected patients to determine the dose required to produce the desired benefits. At the same time, safety and further pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic information is collected, as well as identification of possible adverse effects and safety risks and preliminary evaluation of efficacy. Phase 3 clinical trials generally involve large numbers of patients at multiple sites, in multiple countries, and are designed to provide the data necessary to demonstrate the efficacy of the product for its intended use, its safety in use, and to establish the overall benefit/risk relationship of the product and provide an adequate basis for product approval. Phase 3 clinical trials may include comparisons with placebo and/or other comparator treatments. The duration of treatment is often extended to mimic the actual use of a product during marketing. Generally, two adequate and well-controlled Phase 3 clinical trials are required by the FDA for approval of a BLA.

 

 

 

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Post-approval trials, sometimes referred to as Phase IV clinical trials, may be conducted after initial marketing approval. These trials are used to gain additional experience from the treatment of patients in the intended therapeutic indication. In certain instances, FDA may condition approval of a BLA on the sponsor’s agreement to conduct additional clinical trials to further assess the biologic’s safety and effectiveness after BLA approval.

Progress reports detailing the results of the clinical trials, among other information, must be submitted at least annually to the FDA, and written IND safety reports must be submitted to the FDA and the investigators for serious and unexpected suspected adverse events, findings from other studies suggesting a significant risk to humans exposed to the biologic, findings from animal or in vitro testing that suggest a significant risk for human subjects, and any clinically important increase in the rate of a serious suspected adverse reaction over that listed in the protocol or investigator brochure. Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials may not be completed successfully within any specified period, if at all. The FDA, the IRB, or the sponsor may suspend or terminate a clinical trial at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the research subjects or patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk. Similarly, an IRB can suspend or terminate approval of a clinical trial at its institution if the clinical trial is not being conducted in accordance with the IRB’s requirements or if the drug has been associated with unexpected serious harm to patients. Additionally, some clinical trials are overseen by an independent group of qualified experts organized by the clinical trial sponsor, known as a data safety monitoring board or committee. This group provides authorization for whether or not a trial may move forward at designated intervals based on access to certain data from the trial. We may also suspend or terminate a clinical trial based on evolving business objectives and/or competitive climate. Concurrent with clinical trials, companies usually complete additional animal studies and must also develop additional information about the chemistry and physical characteristics of the drug product candidate as well as finalize a process for manufacturing the product in commercial quantities in accordance with cGMP requirements. The manufacturing process must be capable of consistently producing quality batches of the drug product candidate and, among other things, must develop methods for testing the identity, strength, quality and purity of the final product. Additionally, appropriate packaging must be selected and tested and stability studies must be conducted to demonstrate that the drug product candidate does not undergo unacceptable deterioration over its shelf life.

BLA and FDA Review Process

Following trial completion, trial data are analyzed to assess safety and efficacy. The results of pre-clinical studies and clinical trials are then submitted to the FDA as part of a BLA, along with proposed labeling for the product and information about the manufacturing process and facilities that will be used to ensure product quality, results of analytical testing conducted on the chemistry of the drug product candidate, and other relevant information. The BLA is a request for approval to market the biologic for one or more specified indications and must contain proof of safety, purity, potency and efficacy, which is demonstrated by extensive pre-clinical and clinical testing. The application may include both negative or ambiguous results of pre-clinical and clinical trials as well as positive findings. Data may come from company-sponsored clinical trials intended to test the safety and efficacy of a use of a product, or from a number of alternative sources, including studies initiated by investigators. To support marketing approval, the data submitted must be sufficient in quality and quantity to establish the safety and efficacy of the investigational product to the satisfaction of the FDA. FDA approval of a BLA must be obtained before a biologic may be marketed in the United States.

Under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, or PDUFA, as amended, each BLA must be accompanied by a significant user fee, which is adjusted on an annual basis. PDUFA also imposes an annual product fee for human drugs and an annual establishment fee on facilities used to manufacture prescription drugs. Fee waivers or reductions are available in certain circumstances, including a waiver of the application fee for the first application filed by a small business.

 

 

 

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Once a BLA has been accepted for filing, which occurs, if at all, sixty days after the BLA’s submission, the FDA’s goal is to review BLAs within 10 months of the filing date for standard review or six months of the filing date for priority review, if the application is for a product intended for a serious or life-threatening condition and the product, if approved, would provide a significant improvement in safety or effectiveness. The review process is often significantly extended by FDA requests for additional information or clarification.

After the BLA submission is accepted for filing, the FDA reviews the BLA to determine, among other things, whether the proposed drug product candidate is safe and effective for its intended use, and whether the drug product candidate is being manufactured in accordance with cGMP to assure and preserve the drug product candidate’s identity, strength, quality, purity and potency. The FDA may refer applications for novel drug product candidates or drug product candidates which present difficult questions of safety or efficacy to an advisory committee, typically a panel that includes clinicians and other experts, for review, evaluation and a recommendation as to whether the application should be approved and under what conditions. The FDA is not bound by the recommendations of an advisory committee, but it considers such recommendations carefully when making decisions. The FDA will likely re-analyze the clinical trial data, which could result in extensive discussions between the FDA and us during the review process. The review and evaluation of a BLA by the FDA is extensive and time consuming and may take longer than originally planned to complete, and we may not receive a timely approval, if at all.

Before approving a BLA, the FDA will conduct a pre-approval inspection of the manufacturing facilities for the new product to determine whether they comply with cGMPs. The FDA will not approve the product unless it determines that the manufacturing processes and facilities are in compliance with cGMP requirements and adequate to assure consistent production of the product within required specifications. In addition, before approving a BLA, the FDA may also audit data from clinical trials to ensure compliance with GCP requirements. After the FDA evaluates the application, manufacturing process and manufacturing facilities, it may issue an approval letter or a Complete Response Letter. An approval letter authorizes commercial marketing of the product with specific prescribing information for specific indications. A Complete Response Letter indicates that the review cycle of the application is complete and the application will not be approved in its present form. A Complete Response Letter usually describes all of the specific deficiencies in the BLA identified by the FDA. The Complete Response Letter may require additional clinical data and/or an additional pivotal Phase III clinical trial(s), and/or other significant and time-consuming requirements related to clinical trials, pre-clinical studies or manufacturing. If a Complete Response Letter is issued, the applicant may either resubmit the BLA, addressing all of the deficiencies identified in the letter, or withdraw the application. Even if such data and information is submitted, the FDA may ultimately decide that the BLA does not satisfy the criteria for approval. Data obtained from clinical trials are not always conclusive, and the FDA may interpret data differently than we interpret the same data.

There is no assurance that the FDA will ultimately approve a product for marketing in the United States, and we may encounter significant difficulties or costs during the review process. If a product receives marketing approval, the approval may be significantly limited to specific populations, severities of allergies, and dosages or the indications for use may otherwise be limited, which could restrict the commercial value of the product. Further, the FDA may require that certain contraindications, warnings or precautions be included in the product labeling or may condition the approval of the BLA on other changes to the proposed labeling, development of adequate controls and specifications, or a commitment to conduct post-market testing or clinical trials and surveillance to monitor the effects of approved products. For example, the FDA may require Phase IV testing which involves clinical trials designed to further assess the product’s safety and effectiveness and may require testing and surveillance programs to

 

 

 

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monitor the safety of approved products that have been commercialized. The FDA may also place other conditions on approvals including the requirement for a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy, or REMS, to assure the safe use of the product. If the FDA concludes a REMS is needed, the sponsor of the BLA must submit a proposed REMS. The FDA will not approve the NDA without an approved REMS, if required. A REMS could include medication guides, physician communication plans, or elements to assure safe use, such as restricted distribution methods, patient registries and other risk minimization tools. Any of these limitations on approval or marketing could restrict the commercial promotion, distribution, prescription or dispensing of products. Product approvals may be withdrawn for non-compliance with regulatory standards or if problems occur following initial marketing.

Expedited Development and Review Programs

The FDA has a Fast Track program that is intended to expedite or facilitate the process for reviewing new drugs and biological products that meet certain criteria. Specifically, new drugs and biological products are eligible for Fast Track designation if they are intended to treat a serious or life-threatening condition and non-clinical or clinical data demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical needs for the condition. Fast Track designation applies to the combination of the product and the specific indication for which it is being studied. The sponsor of a new drug or biologic may request the FDA to designate the drug or biologic as a Fast Track product concurrently with, or at any time after, submission of an IND, and the FDA must determine if the product qualifies for Fast Track designation within 60 days of receipt of the sponsor’s request. Unique to a Fast Track product, the FDA may consider for review sections of the marketing application on a rolling basis before the complete application is submitted, if the sponsor provides a schedule for the submission of the sections of the application, the FDA agrees to accept sections of the application and determines that the schedule is acceptable, and the sponsor pays any required user fees upon submission of the first section of the application.

Any product submitted to the FDA for marketing, including under a Fast Track program, may be eligible for other types of FDA programs intended to expedite development and review, such as priority review and accelerated approval. Any product is eligible for priority review, or review within a six-month timeframe from the date a complete BLA is accepted for filing, if it has the potential to provide a significant improvement in safety and effectiveness compared to available therapies. The FDA will attempt to direct additional resources to the evaluation of an application for a new drug or biological product designated for priority review in an effort to facilitate the review.

Additionally, a product may be eligible for accelerated approval. An investigational drug may obtain accelerated approval if it treats a serious or life-threatening condition and generally provides a meaningful advantage over available therapies and demonstrates an effect on a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit or on a clinical endpoint that can be measured earlier than irreversible morbidity or mortality, or IMM, that is reasonably likely to predict an effect on IMM or other clinical benefit. As a condition of approval, the FDA may require that a sponsor of a drug or biological product receiving accelerated approval perform adequate and well-controlled post-marketing clinical trials. If the FDA concludes that a drug shown to be effective can be safely used only if distribution or use is restricted, it will require such post-marketing restrictions as it deems necessary to assure safe use of the drug, such as:

 

Ø   distribution restricted to certain facilities or physicians with special training or experience; or

 

Ø   distribution conditioned on the performance of specified medical procedures.

The limitations imposed would be commensurate with the specific safety concerns presented by the product. In addition, the FDA currently requires as a condition for accelerated approval pre-approval of promotional materials, which could adversely impact the timing of the commercial launch of the

 

 

 

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product. Fast Track designation, priority review and accelerated approval do not change the standards for approval but may expedite the development or approval process.

Breakthrough Designation

The Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act, or FDASIA, amended the FDCA to require the FDA to expedite the development and review of a breakthrough therapy. A product can be designated as a breakthrough therapy if it is intended to treat a serious or life-threatening condition and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that it may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints. A sponsor may request that a drug product candidate be designated as a breakthrough therapy concurrently with, or at any time after, the submission of an IND, and the FDA must determine if the drug product candidate qualifies for breakthrough therapy designation within 60 days of receipt of the sponsor’s request. If so designated, the FDA shall act to expedite the development and review of the product’s marketing application, including by meeting with the sponsor throughout the product’s development, providing timely advice to the sponsor to ensure that the development program to gather pre-clinical and clinical data is as efficient as practicable, involving senior managers and experienced review staff in a cross-disciplinary review, assigning a cross-disciplinary project lead for the FDA review team to facilitate an efficient review of the development program and to serve as a scientific liaison between the review team and the sponsor, and taking steps to ensure that the design of the clinical trials is as efficient as practicable.

Pediatric Trials

Under the Pediatric Research Equity Act, or PREA, a BLA or supplement to a BLA must contain data to assess the safety and efficacy of the product for the claimed indications in all relevant pediatric subpopulations and to support dosing and administration for each pediatric subpopulation for which the product is safe and effective. FDASIA requires that a sponsor who is planning to submit a marketing application for a drug or biological product that includes a new active ingredient, new indication, new dosage form, new dosing regimen or new route of administration submit an initial Pediatric Study Plan, or PSP, within sixty days of an end-of-Phase II meeting or as may be agreed between the sponsor and FDA. The initial PSP must include an outline of the pediatric study or studies that the sponsor plans to conduct, including study objectives and design, age groups, relevant endpoints and statistical approach, or a justification for not including such detailed information, and any request for a deferral of pediatric assessments or a full or partial waiver of the requirement to provide data from pediatric studies along with supporting information. FDA and the sponsor must reach agreement on the PSP. A sponsor can submit amendments to an agreed-upon initial PSP at any time if changes to the pediatric plan need to be considered based on data collected from nonclinical studies, early phase clinical trials, and/or other clinical development programs. The FDA may, on its own initiative or at the request of the applicant, grant deferrals for submission of data or full or partial waivers.

Post-Marketing Requirements

Following approval of a new product, a manufacturer and the approved product are subject to continuing regulation by the FDA, including, among other things, monitoring and recordkeeping activities, reporting to the applicable regulatory authorities of adverse experiences with the product, providing the regulatory authorities with updated safety and efficacy information, product sampling and distribution requirements, and complying with promotion and advertising requirements, which include, among others, standards for direct-to-consumer advertising, restrictions on promoting products for uses or in patient populations that are not described in the product’s approved labeling (known as “off-label use”), limitations on industry-sponsored scientific and educational activities, and requirements for promotional activities involving the internet. Although physicians may prescribe legally available drugs and biologics for off-label uses, manufacturers may not market or promote such off-label uses.

 

 

 

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Modifications or enhancements to the product or its labeling or changes of the site of manufacture are often subject to the approval of the FDA and other regulators, which may or may not be received or may result in a lengthy review process. Prescription drug promotional materials must be submitted to the FDA in conjunction with their first use. Any distribution of prescription drug products and pharmaceutical samples must comply with the U.S. Prescription Drug Marketing Act, or the PDMA, a part of the FDCA.

In the United States, once a product is approved, its manufacture is subject to comprehensive and continuing regulation by the FDA. The FDA regulations require that products be manufactured in specific approved facilities and in accordance with cGMPs. The cGMP requirements for constituent parts of cross-labeled combination products that are manufactured separately and not co-packaged are the same as those that would apply if these constituent parts were not part of a combination product. For single-entity and co-packaged combination products, there are two ways to demonstrate compliance with cGMP requirements, either compliance with all cGMP regulations applicable to each of the constituent parts included in the combination product, or a streamlined approach demonstrating compliance with either the drug/biologic cGMPs or the medical device quality system regulation rather than demonstrating full compliance with both, under certain conditions. These conditions include demonstrating compliance with specified provisions from the other of these two sets of cGMP requirements. Because the C-Cure device comprises a biologic and a cathether that are not co-packaged, we need to comply with the cGMPs requirements for each constituent part. We rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties for the production of clinical and commercial quantities of our products in accordance with cGMP regulations. cGMP regulations require, among other things, quality control and quality assurance as well as the corresponding maintenance of records and documentation and the obligation to investigate and correct any deviations from cGMP. Manufacturers and other entities involved in the manufacture and distribution of approved products are required to register their establishments with the FDA and certain state agencies, and are subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA and certain state agencies for compliance with cGMP and other laws. Accordingly, manufacturers must continue to expend time, money, and effort in the area of production and quality control to maintain cGMP compliance. These regulations also impose certain organizational, procedural and documentation requirements with respect to manufacturing and quality assurance activities. BLA holders using contract manufacturers, laboratories or packagers are responsible for the selection and monitoring of qualified firms, and, in certain circumstances, qualified suppliers to these firms. These firms and, where applicable, their suppliers are subject to inspections by the FDA at any time, and the discovery of violative conditions, including failure to conform to cGMP, could result in enforcement actions that interrupt the operation of any such facilities or the ability to distribute products manufactured, processed or tested by them. Discovery of problems with a product after approval may result in restrictions on a product, manufacturer, or holder of an approved BLA, including, among other things, recall or withdrawal of the product from the market.

The FDA also may require post-approval testing, sometimes referred to as Phase IV testing, risk minimization action plans and post-marketing surveillance to monitor the effects of an approved product or place conditions on an approval that could restrict the distribution or use of the product. Discovery of previously unknown problems with a product or the failure to comply with applicable FDA requirements can have negative consequences, including adverse publicity, judicial or administrative enforcement, warning letters from the FDA, mandated corrective advertising or communications with doctors, and civil or criminal penalties, among others. Newly discovered or developed safety or effectiveness data may require changes to a product’s approved labeling, including the addition of new warnings and contraindications, and also may require the implementation of other risk management measures. Also, new government requirements, including those resulting from new legislation, may be established, or the FDA’s policies may change, which could delay or prevent regulatory approval of our products under development.

 

 

 

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Other Regulatory Matters

Manufacturing, sales, promotion and other activities following product approval are also subject to regulation by numerous regulatory authorities in addition to the FDA, including, in the United States, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, other divisions of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and state and local governments. In the United States, sales, marketing and scientific/educational programs must also comply with federal and state fraud and abuse laws, data privacy and security laws, transparency laws, and pricing and reimbursement requirements in connection with governmental payor programs, among others. The handling of any controlled substances must comply with the U.S. Controlled Substances Act and Controlled Substances Import and Export Act. Products must meet applicable child-resistant packaging requirements under the U.S. Poison Prevention Packaging Act. Manufacturing, sales, promotion and other activities are also potentially subject to federal and state consumer protection and unfair competition laws.

The distribution of pharmaceutical products is subject to additional requirements and regulations, including extensive record-keeping, licensing, storage and security requirements intended to prevent the unauthorized sale of pharmaceutical products.

The failure to comply with regulatory requirements subjects firms to possible legal or regulatory action. Depending on the circumstances, failure to meet applicable regulatory requirements can result in criminal prosecution, fines or other penalties, injunctions, recall or seizure of products, total or partial suspension of production, denial or withdrawal of product approvals, or refusal to allow a firm to enter into supply contracts, including government contracts. In addition, even if a firm complies with FDA and other requirements, new information regarding the safety or efficacy of a product could lead the FDA to modify or withdraw product approval. Prohibitions or restrictions on sales or withdrawal of future products marketed by us could materially affect our business in an adverse way.

Changes in regulations, statutes or the interpretation of existing regulations could impact our business in the future by requiring, for example: (i) changes to our manufacturing arrangements; (ii) additions or modifications to product labeling; (iii) the recall or discontinuation of our products; or (iv) additional record-keeping requirements. If any such changes were to be imposed, they could adversely affect the operation of our business.

U.S. Patent Term Restoration and Marketing Exclusivity

Depending upon the timing, duration and specifics of the FDA approval of our drug product candidates, some of our U.S. patents may be eligible for limited patent term extension under the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984, commonly referred to as the Hatch-Waxman Amendments. The Hatch-Waxman Amendments permit a patent restoration term of up to five years as compensation for patent term lost during product development and the FDA regulatory review process. However, patent term restoration cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years from the product’s approval date. The patent term restoration period is generally one-half the time between the effective date of an IND and the submission date of a BLA plus the time between the submission date of a BLA and the approval of that application, except that the review period is reduced by any time during which the applicant failed to exercise due diligence. Only one patent applicable to an approved drug is eligible for the extension and the application for the extension must be submitted prior to the expiration of the patent. The U.S. PTO, in consultation with the FDA, reviews and approves the application for any patent term extension or restoration. In the future, we may apply for restoration of patent term for our currently owned or licensed patents to add patent life beyond its current expiration date, depending on the expected length of the clinical trials and other factors involved in the filing of the relevant BLA.

 

 

 

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An abbreviated approval pathway for biological products shown to be similar to, or interchangeable with, an FDA-licensed reference biological product was created by the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009, or BPCI Act, which was part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, or collectively the ACA. This amendment to the PHSA attempts to minimize duplicative testing. Biosimilarity, which requires that the biological product be highly similar to the reference product notwithstanding minor differences in clinically inactive components and that there be no clinically meaningful differences between the product and the reference product in terms of safety, purity, and potency, can be shown through analytical studies, animal studies, and a clinical trial or trials. Interchangeability requires that a biological product be biosimilar to the reference product and that the product can be expected to produce the same clinical results as the reference product in any given patient and, for products administered multiple times, that the product and the reference product may be switched after one has been previously administered without increasing safety risks or risks of diminished efficacy relative to exclusive use of the reference biological product. However, complexities associated with the larger, and often more complex, structure of biological products as compared to small molecule drugs, as well as the processes by which such products are manufactured, pose significant hurdles to implementation that are still being worked out by the FDA.

A reference biological product is granted twelve years of exclusivity from the time of first licensure of the product, and the FDA will not accept an application for a biosimilar or interchangeable product based on the reference biological product until four years after first licensure. “First licensure” typically means the initial date the particular product at issue was licensed in the United States. This does not include a supplement for the biological product or a subsequent application by the same sponsor or manufacturer of the biological product (or licensor, predecessor in interest, or other related entity) for a change that results in a new indication, route of administration, dosing schedule, dosage form, delivery system, delivery device, or strength, unless that change is a modification to the structure of the biological product and such modification changes its safety, purity, or potency. Whether a subsequent application, if approved, warrants exclusivity as the “first licensure” of a biological product is determined on a case-by-case basis with data submitted by the sponsor.

Pediatric exclusivity is another type of regulatory market exclusivity in the United States. Pediatric exclusivity, if granted, adds six months to existing exclusivity periods and patent terms. This six-month exclusivity, which attaches to both the twelve-year and four-year exclusivity periods for reference biologics, may be granted based on the voluntary completion of a pediatric trial in accordance with an FDA-issued “Written Request” for such a trial.

European Union Drug Development

In the European Union, our future drug product candidates will also be subject to extensive regulatory requirements. As in the United States, medicinal products can only be marketed if a marketing authorization, or MA, from the competent regulatory agencies has been obtained.

Clinical Trials

Similar to the United States, the various phases of pre-clinical and clinical research in the European Union are subject to significant regulatory controls. Although the EU Clinical Trials Directive 2001/20/EC has sought to harmonize the European Union clinical trials regulatory framework, setting out common rules for the control and authorization of clinical trials in the European Union, the European Union Member States have transposed and applied the provisions of the Directive differently. This has led to significant variations in the Member State regimes. To improve the current system, a new Regulation No. 536/2014 on clinical trials on medicinal drug product candidates for human use, which repealed Directive 2001/20/EC, was adopted on April 16, 2014, and published in the European Official

 

 

 

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Journal on May 27, 2014. The new Regulation aims at harmonizing and streamlining the clinical trials authorization process, simplifying adverse event reporting procedures, improving the supervision of clinical trials, and increasing their transparency. The new Regulation entered into force on June 16, 2014, but will apply not earlier than May 28, 2016. Until then the Clinical Trials Directive 2001/20/EC will still apply. In addition, the transitory provisions of the new Regulation offer the sponsors the possibility to choose between the requirements of the Directive and the Regulation for one year from the entry into application of the Regulation.

Under the current regime, before a clinical trial can be initiated it must be approved in each of the European Union countries where the trial is to be conducted by two distinct bodies: the National Competent Authority, or NCA, and one or more Ethics Committees, or ECs. More specifically, a clinical trial may not be started until the relevant EC has issued a favorable opinion, and the NCA has not informed the Sponsor of the trial of any grounds for non-acceptance or confirmed that no such grounds exist. Approval will only be granted if satisfactory information demonstrating the quality of the investigational agent and its non-clinical safety has been provided, together with a study plan that details the manner in which the trial will be carried out.

ECs determine whether the proposed clinical trial will expose participants to unacceptable conditions of hazards, while considering, among other things, the trial design, protocol, facilities, investigator and supporting staff, recruitment of clinical trial subjects, the Investigator’s Brochure, or IB, indemnity and insurance, etc. The EC also determines whether clinical trial participants have given informed consent to participate in the trial. Following receipt of an application (which must be submitted in the national language), ECs must deliver their opinion within 60 days (or sooner if the Member State has implemented a shorter time period). For clinical trials of gene therapy, somatic cell therapy, and all medicinal products containing genetically modified organisms, this timeline may be extended (with an additional 120 days).

Similarly, a valid request for authorization (in the national language) must be submitted to the NCA of each Member State where the trial will be conducted. Sponsors must be notified of the decision within 60 days of receipt of the application (unless shorter time periods have been fixed), in the absence of which, the trial is considered approved. However, for clinical trials of gene therapy, somatic cell therapy, and all medicinal products containing genetically modified organisms, a written authorization by the competent NCA is required. Similar timeline extensions as for ECs exist.

Studies must comply with ethical guidelines and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) guidelines. Monitoring of adverse reactions that occur during clinical trials, including, where applicable, notification of the same to the competent NCA and ECs, is also required. Trials can be terminated early if a danger to human health is established or continuing the trial would be considered unethical. Consequently, the rate of completion of clinical trials may be delayed by many factors, including slower than anticipated patient enrollment or adverse events occurring during clinical trials.

Drug Review and Approval

In the European Economic Area, or EEA (which is comprised of the 28 Member States of the European Union plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein), medicinal products can only be commercialized after obtaining a Marketing Authorization, or MA. There are two types of marketing authorizations:

The Centralized MA, which is issued by the European Commission through the Centralized Procedure, based on the opinion of the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, or CHMP, of the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, and which is valid throughout the entire territory of the EEA. The

 

 

 

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Centralized Procedure is mandatory for certain types of products, such as biotechnology medicinal products, orphan medicinal products, advanced-therapy medicines such as gene-therapy, somatic cell-therapy or tissue-engineered medicines, and medicinal products containing a new active substance indicated for the treatment of HIV, AIDS, cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes, auto-immune and other immune dysfunctions, and viral diseases. The Centralized Procedure is optional for products containing a new active substance not yet authorized in the EEA, or for products that constitute a significant therapeutic, scientific or technical innovation or which are in the interest of public health in the European Union.

National MAs, which are issued by the competent authorities of the Member States of the EEA and only cover their respective territory, are available for products not falling within the mandatory scope of the Centralized Procedure. Where a product has already been authorized for marketing in a Member State of the EEA, this National MA can be recognized in other Member State(s) through the Mutual Recognition Procedure, or MRP. If the product has not received a National MA in any Member State at the time of application, it can be approved simultaneously in various Member States through the Decentralized Procedure, or DCP. Under the DCP an identical dossier is submitted to the competent authorities of each of the Member States in which the MA is sought, one of which is selected by the applicant as the Reference Member State, or RMS. The competent authority of the RMS prepares a draft assessment report, a draft summary of product characteristics, or SmPC, and a draft of the labeling and package leaflet, which are sent to the other Member States (referred to as the Concerned Member States, or CMSs) for their approval. If the CMSs raise no objections, based on a potential serious risk to public health, to the assessment, SmPC, labeling, or packaging proposed by the RMS, the product is subsequently granted a national MA in all the relevant Member States (i.e. in the RMS and the CMSs).

Under the above described procedures, before granting the MA, the EMA or the competent authorities of the Member States of the EEA make an assessment of the risk-benefit balance of the product on the basis of scientific criteria concerning its quality, safety and efficacy.

Marketing Authorization Application

Following positive completion of clinical trials, pharmaceutical companies can submit a MA application. The MA application shall include all information that is relevant to the evaluation of the medicinal products, whether favorable or unfavourable. The application dossier must include, among other things, the results of pharmaceutical (physico-chemical, biological, or microbiological) tests, preclinical (toxicological and pharmacological) tests, and clinical trials, including the therapeutic indications, contra-indications, and adverse reactions, and the recommended dosing regimen or posology.

In addition to demonstrating the safety and efficacy of the medicinal product, pharmaceutical companies are required to guarantee the consistent quality of the product. Therefore, the conditions for obtaining a MA include requirements that the manufacturer of the product complies with applicable legislation including Good Manufacturing Practice, or GMP, related implementing measures and applicable guidelines that involve, amongst others, ongoing inspections of manufacturing and storage facilities.

Early Access Mechanisms

Several schemes exist in the EU to support earlier access to new medicines falling within the scope of the Centralized Procedure, in particular (i) accelerated assessment; (ii) conditional MAs ; and (iii) MAs granted under exceptional circumstances.

For a medicine which is of “major public health interest” (in particular, in terms of therapeutic innovation), accelerated assessment can be requested, taking up to 150 days instead of the usual period of up to 210 days. There is no single definition of what constitutes major public health interest. This

 

 

 

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should be justified by the applicant on a case-by-case basis. The justification should present the arguments to support the claim that the medicinal product introduces new methods of therapy or improves on existing methods, thereby addressing to a significant extent the greater unmet needs for maintaining and improving public health.

Conditional MAs may be granted on the basis of less complete data than usual in order to meet unmet medical needs of patients and in the interest of public health, subject to specific obligations with regard to further studies and intended to be replaced by a full unconditional MA once the missing data is provided. A conditional MA is valid for one year on a renewable basis.

Medicines for which the MA applicant can demonstrate that the normally required comprehensive efficacy and safety data cannot be provided (for example because the disease which the medicine treats is extremely rare) may be eligible for a MA under exceptional circumstances. These are medicines for which it is never intended that a full MA will be obtained. MAs under exceptional circumstances are reviewed annually to reassess the risk-benefit balance.

Supplementary Protection Certificates and data/market exclusivity

In Europe, the extension of effective patent term to compensate originator pharmaceutical companies for the period between the filing of an application for a patent for a new medicinal product and the first MA for such product, has been achieved by means of a Supplementary Protection Certificate (SPC) which can be applied for by the originator pharmaceutical company within 6 months from the granting of the first MA and comes into effect on expiry of the basic patent. Such SPC attaches only to the active ingredient of the medicinal product for which the MA has been granted. The SPC for an active ingredient has a single last potential expiry date throughout the EEA, and cannot last for more than five years from the date on which it takes effect ( i.e. , patent expiry. Furthermore, the overall duration of protection afforded by a patent and a SPC cannot exceed 15 years from the first MA. The duration of a medicinal product SPC can be extended by a single six-month period, or pediatric extension, when all studies in accordance with a pediatric investigation plan, or PIP, have been carried out.

Innovative medicines benefit from specific data and marketing exclusivity regimes. These regimes are intended to provide general regulatory protection to further stimulate innovation. The current rules provide for (i) an 8-year data protection (from the MA of an innovative medicine) against the filing of an abridged application for a follow-on product, referring to the data supporting the MA of the innovative medicince (data exclusivity); and (ii) a 10-year protection against the marketing of a follow-on product (marketing exclusivity), with a possible extension by 1 year if, during the first 8 years, a new therapeutic indication (which is considered to bring a significant clinical benefit in comparison with existing therapies) is approved. This protection is often referred to as the “eight, plus two, plus one” rule. Additional reward mechanisms exist, most notably a 10-year orphan medicines’ marketing exclusivity, and a 1-year data exclusivity for developing a new indication for an old substance and for switch data supporting a change in prescription status.

The current rules also provide for a system of obligations and rewards and incentives intended to facilitate the development and accessibility of pediatric medicinal products, and to ensure that such products are subject to high quality ethical research. Pursuant to such rules, pharmaceutical companies are often required to submit a Pediatric Investigation Plan, or PIP, at a relatively early stage of product development, which defines the pediatric studies to be completed before a MA application can be submitted. Upon completion of the studies in the agreed PIP, the company may be entitled to a “reward”, i.e. , the afore-mentioned 6-month pediatric extension of the SPC for non-orphan medicinal products; or a two-year extension of the 10-year marketing exclusivity period for orphan medicines.

 

 

 

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Post-marketing and pharmacovigilance requirements

When granting a MA, competent authorities ( i.e. , the EMA or the relevant NCAs) may impose an obligation to conduct additional clinical testing, sometimes referred to as Phase IV clinical trials, or other post-approval commitments, to monitor the product after commercialization. Additionally, the MA may be subjected to limitations on the indicated uses for the product.

Also, after a MA has been obtained, the marketed product and its manufacturer and MA holder will continue to be subject to a number of regulatory obligations , as well as to monitoring/inspections by the competent authorities.

Under applicable pharmacovigilance rules, pharmaceutical companies must, in relation to all their authorized products, irrespective of the regulatory route of approval, collect, evaluate and collate information concerning all suspected adverse reactions and, when relevant, report it to the competent authorities. This information includes both suspected adverse reactions signaled by healthcare professionals, either spontaneously or through post-authorization studies, regardless of whether or not the medicinal product was used in accordance with the authorized SmPC and/or any other marketing conditions, and suspected adverse reactions identified in worldwide-published scientific literature. To that end, a MA holder must have (permanently and continuously) at its disposal an appropriately qualified person responsible for pharmacovigilance and establish an adequate pharmacovigilance system. All relevant suspected adverse reactions, including suspected serious adverse reactions, which must also be reported on an expedited basis, should be submitted to the competent authorities in the form of Periodic Safety Update Reports, or PSURs. PSURs are intended to provide an update for the competent authorities on the worldwide safety experience of a medicinal product at defined time points after authorization. PSURs must therefore comprise a succinct summary of information together with a critical evaluation of the risk/benefit balance of the medicinal product, taking into account any new or changing information. The evaluation should ascertain whether any further investigations need to be carried out, and whether the SmPC or other product information needs to be modified.

To ensure that pharmaceutical companies comply with pharmacovigilance regulatory obligations, and to facilitate compliance, competent authorities will conduct pharmacovigilance inspections. These inspections are either routine ( i.e. aimed at determining whether the appropriate personnel, systems, and resources are in place) or targeted to companies suspected of being non-compliant. Reports of the outcome of such inspections will be used to help improve compliance and may also be used as a basis for enforcement action.

Other regulatory matters

Advertising of medicines is subject to tighter controls than general consumer goods and specific requirements are set forth in Directive 2001/83/EC, which apply in addition to the general rules. In general, advertising of unapproved medicinal products or of unapproved uses of otherwise authorized medicinal products ( e.g. , off-label uses) is prohibited, and advertising for prescription medicinal products must be directed only towards health care professionals ( i.e. , advertising of these products to the general public is prohibited). Member States have implemented the advertising rules differently and the requirements vary significantly depending on the specific country. Advertising of medicinal products in an online setting, including social media, can be particularly challenging given the strict rules in place.

 

 

 

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Pricing &Reimbursement

United States

Sales of our products will depend, in part, on the extent to which our products, once approved, will be covered and reimbursed by third-party payors, such as government health programs, commercial insurance and managed healthcare organizations. These third-party payors are increasingly reducing reimbursements for medical products and services. The process for determining whether a third-party payor will provide coverage for a drug product, including a biologic, typically is separate from the process for setting the price of a drug product or for establishing the reimbursement rate that a payor will pay for the drug product once coverage is approved. Third-party payors may limit coverage to specific drug products on an approved list, also known as a formulary, which might not include all of the approved drugs for a particular indication.

In order to secure coverage and reimbursement for any drug product candidate that might be approved for sale, we may need to conduct expensive pharmacoeconomic studies in order to demonstrate the medical necessity and cost-effectiveness of the drug product candidate, in addition to the costs required to obtain FDA or other comparable regulatory approvals. Whether or not we conduct such studies, our drug product candidates may not be considered medically necessary or cost-effective. A third-party payor’s decision to provide coverage for a drug product does not imply that an adequate reimbursement rate will be approved. Further, one payor’s determination to provide coverage for a product does not assure that other payors will also provide coverage, and adequate reimbursement, for the product. Third party reimbursement may not be sufficient to enable us to maintain price levels high enough to realize an appropriate return on our investment in product development.

The containment of healthcare costs has become a priority of federal and state governments, and the prices of drugs, including biologics, have been a focus in this effort. The U.S. government, state legislatures and foreign governments have shown significant interest in implementing cost-containment programs, including price controls, restrictions on reimbursement and requirements for substitution of generic products. Adoption of price controls and cost-containment measures, and adoption of more restrictive policies in jurisdictions with existing controls and measures, could further limit our net revenue and results. Decreases in third-party reimbursement for our drug product candidate or a decision by a third-party payor to not cover our drug product candidate could reduce physician usage of the drug product candidate and have a material adverse effect on our sales, results of operations and financial condition.

For example, the ACA, enacted in March 2010, has had, and is expected to continue to have, a significant impact on the health care industry. The ACA has expanded coverage for the uninsured while at the same time containing overall healthcare costs. With regard to pharmaceutical products, among other things, the ACA expanded and increased industry rebates for drugs covered under Medicaid programs and made changes to the coverage requirements under the Medicare Part D program. We cannot predict the full impact of the ACA on bio-pharmaceutical companies as many of the ACA reforms require the promulgation of additional detailed regulations implementing the statutory provisions which has not yet completely occurred. Further, new legislation is currently pending before the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to invalidate certain provisions of the ACA.

In addition, other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted in the United States since the ACA was enacted. On August 2, 2011, the Budget Control Act of 2011 among other things, created measures for spending reductions by Congress. A Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, tasked with recommending a targeted deficit reduction of at least $1.2 trillion for the years 2013 through 2021, was unable to reach required goals, thereby triggering the legislation’s automatic reduction to several government programs. This includes aggregate reductions to Medicare payments to providers of up to

 

 

 

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2% per fiscal year, started in April 2013 and will stay in effect through 2024 unless additional Congressional action is taken. On January 2, 2013, President Obama signed into law the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, or the ATRA, which delayed for another two months the budget cuts mandated by these sequestration provisions of the Budget Control Act of 2011. The ATRA, among other things, also reduced Medicare payments to several providers, including hospitals, imaging centers and cancer treatment centers, and increased the statute of limitations period for the government to recover overpayments to providers from three to five years.

In addition, in some foreign countries, the proposed pricing for a drug must be approved before it may be lawfully marketed. The requirements governing drug pricing vary widely from country to country.

European Union

In Europe, pricing and reimbursement for pharmaceutical products are not harmonized and fall within the exclusive competence of the national authorities, provided that basic transparency requirements (such as maximum timelines) defined at the European level are met as set forth in the EU Transparency Directive 89/105/EEC. A Member State may approve a specific price for a medicinal product or it may instead adopt a system of direct or indirect controls on the profitability of the company placing the medicinal product on the market. For example, in France, effective access to the market assumes that our future products will be reimbursed by social security. The price of medications is negotiated with the Economic Committee for Health Products, or CEPS.

As a consequence, reimbursement mechanisms by public national healthcare systems, or private health insurers also vary from country to country. In public healthcare systems, reimbursement is determined by guidelines established by the legislator or a competent national authority. In general, inclusion of a product in reimbursement schemes is dependent upon proof of the product efficacy, medical need, and economic benefits of the product to patients and the healthcare system in general. Acceptance for reimbursement comes with cost, use and often volume restrictions, which again vary from country to country.

The pricing and reimbursement level for medicinal products will depend on the strength of the clinical data set and, as for most novel therapies, restrictions may apply. In most countries, national competent authorities ensure that the prices of registered medicinal products sold in their territory are not excessive. In making this judgment, they usually compare the proposed national price either to prices of existing treatments and/or to prices of the product at issue in other countries – so-called “international reference pricing” – also taking into account the type of treatment (preventive, curative or symptomatic), the degree of innovation, the therapeutic breakthrough, volume of sales, sales forecast, size of the target population and/or the improvement (including cost savings) over comparable treatments. Given the growing burden of medical treatments on national healthcare budgets, reimbursement and insurance coverage is an important determinant of the accessibility of medicines.

The various public and private plans, formulary restrictions, reimbursement policies, patient advocacy groups, and cost-sharing requirements may play a role in determining effective access to the market of our product candidates. The national competent authorities may also use a range of policies and other initiatives intended to influence pharmaceutical consumption. There can be no assurance that any country that has price controls or reimbursement limitations for pharmaceutical products will allow favorable reimbursement and pricing arrangements for any of our drug product candidates. Historically, products launched in the European Union do not follow price structures of the United States and generally tend to be priced at a significantly lower level.

 

 

 

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Other Healthcare Laws and Compliance Requirements

Our business operations in the United States and our arrangements with clinical investigators, healthcare providers, consultants, third-party payors and patients may expose us to broadly applicable federal and state fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws. These laws may impact, among other things, our research, proposed sales, marketing and education programs of our drug product candidates that obtain marketing approval. The laws that may affect our ability to operate include, among others:

 

Ø   the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, persons and entities from knowingly and willfully soliciting, receiving, offering or paying remuneration (including any kickback, bribe or rebate), directly or indirectly, in cash or in kind, to induce or reward, or in return for, either the referral of an individual for, or the purchase, lease, order, or recommendation of, an item, good, facility or service reimbursable under a federal healthcare program, such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs;

 

Ø   federal civil and criminal false claims laws and civil monetary penalty laws, which impose penalties and provide for civil whistleblower or qui tam actions against individuals and entities for, among other things, knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, claims for payment from Medicare, Medicaid, or other third-party payers that are false or fraudulent, or making a false statement or record material to payment of a false claim or avoiding, decreasing, or concealing an obligation to pay money to the federal government, including for example, providing inaccurate billing or coding information to customers or promoting a product off-label;

 

Ø   the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, which created federal criminal statutes that prohibit, among other things, executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program, obtaining money or property of the health care benefit program through false representations, or knowingly and willingly falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact, making false statements or using or making any false or fraudulent document in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits or services.

 

Ø   the federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act, enacted as part of the ACA, which requires applicable manufacturers of covered drugs, devices, biologics and medical supplies to track and annually report to CMS payments and other transfers of value provided to physicians and teaching hospitals and certain ownership and investment interest held by physicians or their immediate family members in applicable manufacturers and group purchasing organizations;

 

Ø   HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology and Clinical Health Act, or HITECH, and its implementing regulations, which imposes certain requirements on covered entities and their business associates relating to the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information; and

 

Ø   state law equivalents of each of the above federal laws, such as state anti-kickback and false claims laws which may apply to items or services reimbursed by any third-party payor, including commercial insurers, state marketing and/or transparency laws applicable to manufacturers that may be broader in scope than the federal requirements, state laws that require biopharmaceutical companies to comply with the biopharmaceutical industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the federal government, and state laws governing the privacy and security of health information in certain circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and may not have the same effect as HIPAA, thus complicating compliance efforts.

The ACA broadened the reach of the federal fraud and abuse laws by, among other things, amending the intent requirement of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and certain applicable federal criminal healthcare fraud statutes. Pursuant to the statutory amendment, a person or entity no longer needs to have actual

 

 

 

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knowledge of this statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation. In addition, the ACA provides that the government may assert that a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the civil False Claims Act or the civil monetary penalties statute.

Efforts to ensure that our business arrangements with third parties will comply with applicable healthcare laws will involve substantial costs. It is possible that governmental authorities will conclude that our business practices may not comply with current or future statutes, regulations or case law involving applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of these laws or any other governmental regulations that may apply to us, we may be subject to significant administrative, civil, and/or criminal penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, individual imprisonment, exclusion from government funded healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations. If the physicians or other healthcare providers or entities with whom we expect to do business are found to be not in compliance with applicable laws, they also may be subject to administrative, civil, and/or criminal sanctions, including exclusions from government funded healthcare programs.

Employees

As of March 26, 2015, we employed 82 full-time and three part-time employees, including 75 in research and development and 10 in general and administrative Fourteen of our employees have either an M.D. or a Ph.D. We have never had a work stoppage, and none of our employees is represented by a labor organization or under any collective-bargaining arrangements. We consider our employee relations to be good.

Facilities

We rent a 1,120 square meter office and laboratory space from the Axis Parc developer located at the Axis Parc in Mont-Saint-Guibert pursuant to a lease agreement dated October 31, 2007, as amended from time to time, which expires on September 30, 2017. In addition, clean-room environments are available to use from Biological Manufacturing Services SA in the same building pursuant to a service agreement dated April 11, 2011, which will automatically renew for three years on December 31, 2015. We believe that our current office and laboratory space is sufficient to meet our clinical needs until the expiration of our lease.

We plan to identify additional facilities in the Flemish region of Belgium to construct our contemplaed future European manufacturing plant. We have committed to maintain our headquarters and registered office in the Walloon region of Belgium and all of our existing activities will continue to be performed in the Walloon region.

Legal Proceedings

From time to time we may become involved in legal proceedings or be subject to claims arising in the ordinary course of our business. We are not presently a party to any legal proceedings that, if determined adversely to us, would individually or taken together have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition or cash flows. Regardless of the outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on us because of defense and settlement costs, diversion of management resources and other factors.

 

 

 

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Management

Our Board of Directors

We currently have eleven directors, less than a majority of whom are citizens or residents of the United States.

Pursuant to the Belgian Company Code, we are managed by a board of directors acting as a collegiate body. We have opted for a one-tier governance structure. Pursuant to the Belgian Company Code, the board of directors is our ultimate decision-making body, except with respect to those areas that are reserved by law or by our articles of association to the shareholders’ meeting.

Under our articles of association, our board of directors must be composed of at least three members, who may be natural persons or legal entities. Under our corporate governance charter and in accordance with the Belgian Corporate Governance Code, at least half of the board members must be non-executive directors and at least three must be independent directors as defined by the Belgian Company Code. Subject to this, the number of directors is determined by our shareholders. Directors are elected, re-elected and may be removed at a shareholders’ general meeting with a simple majority vote of our shareholders.

Pursuant to the Belgian Company Code, if the mandate of a director becomes vacant, the remaining directors have the right to temporarily appoint a new director to fill the vacancy until the first shareholders’ meeting after the mandate became vacant. The new director completes the term of the director whose mandate became vacant.

Pursuant to our corporate governance charter, our directors are elected for a maximum term of four years.

Under our articles of association, PMV-TINA Comm. V and Sofipôle SA are each entitled to nominate a candidate for appointment as a member of the our board of directors as long as such entity (or any of its affiliates) continues to hold a minimum number of shares. As of December 31, 2014, the number of shares was 427,929 shares for PMV-TINA and 495,879 shares for Sofipôle).

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the current members of our board of directors, including their ages, as of March 15, 2015:

 

Name    Age    Term(1)    Position(s)
Michel Lussier (2)    58    2016    Chairman of the Board of Directors
LSS Consulting SPRL, represented by its permanent representative Christian Homsy    56    2016    Executive Director, CEO
William Wijns    63    2016    Independent Director
Pienter-Jan BVBA, represented by its permanent representative Chris Buyse (2, 3)    50    2016    Independent Director
R.A.D. Life Sciences BVBA, represented by its permanent representative Rudy Dekeyser (2, 3)    53    2016    Independent Director
Jean-Marc Heynderickx    56    2019    Independent Director

 

 

 

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Name    Age    Term(1)    Position(s)
Chris De Jonghe (3)    42    2017    Independent Director
Hanspeter Spek (2)    65    2018    Independent Director
Danny Wong    52    2018    Non-Executive Director
Serge Goblet    57    2016    Non-Executive Director
TOLEFI SA, represented by its permanent representative Serge Goblet    57    2018    Non-Executive Director

 

(1)     The term of the mandates of the directors will expire immediately after the annual meeting of shareholders held in the year set forth next to the director’s name, except for Jean-Marc Heynderickx’s mandate which will expire on January 31, 2019 and Chris De Jonghe’s mandate which will expire on September 25, 2017.
(2)     Member of the nomination and remuneration committee.
(3)     Member of the audit committee.

Unless otherwise stated, the address for our directors is Rue Edouard Belin 12, 1435 Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium.

Our board of directors has determined that six out of eleven of the member of the board are independent under Belgian law and the NASDAQ Stock Market listing requirements.

The following is the biographical information of the members of our board of directors or of their permanent representatives:

Michel Lussier has served as Chairman of our board of directors since 2007 and is also our co-founder. Mr. Lussier was also the Chairman of the board of directors and co-founder of our predecessor entity, Cardio3 SA, until 2008. Mr. Lussier recently founded Medpole Ltd, the North American satellite of MedPole SA, a European incubator for medical technology start-up companies located in Belgium, and serves as the Chief Executive Officer for the group. In this capacity, he is a managing director of Fjord Ventures, a Laguna Hills, California based medical technology accelerator / incubator. Since May 2014, Mr. Lussier has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Metronom Health Inc, an early stage medical device company created by Fjord Ventures, developing a continuous glucose monitoring system. Prior to that, from 2002 to 2013, he worked for Volcano Corporation, where he served in a number of positions, most recently as President, Clinical and Scientific Affairs from 2012 to 2013, and prior to that from 2007 to 2012, Group President, Advanced Imaging Systems, Global Clinical & Scientific Affairs and General Management of Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Mr. Lussier obtained a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Electrical Engineering and Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Montreal. He also holds an MBA from INSEAD (European Institute of Business Administration), France. In addition to serving on our board of directors, he also serves on the boards of directors of several early stage medical devices companies.

Christian Homsy (representative of LSS Consulting SPRL) has served as a member of our board of directors since 2007 and has been our Chief Executive Officer since its inception. Mr. Homsy gained his business experience in senior research and development, marketing, business development and sales positions at Guidant Corporation, a leading medical device company active in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. He was also founder of Guidant Institute for Therapy Development, a landmark facility for physician and health care professionals’ education. Before joining us, Mr. Homsy was General Manager of Medpole, a European incubator dedicated to initiating the European operations for start-up

 

 

 

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companies in the medical device or biotechnology fields. He also holds a director mandate in Medpole SA. Mr. Homsy obtained his Medical Doctorate at the University of Louvain and holds an M.B.A. from the IMD (International Institute for Management Development) in Lausanne (Switzerland).

William Wijns  has served as a member of our board of directors since 2007 and is also our co-founder. Since 1994, Dr. Wijns has been the co-Director of the Cardiovascular Center Aalst and active as an interventional cardiologist. More recently, he has been involved with the clinical applications of non-invasive coronary angiography with the use of multislice computed tomography as well as innovative therapies for cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure. He has authored 500 publications in peer-reviewed journals and holds several positions in national and international professional and scientific organizations. He is currently Deputy Editor of the European Heart Journal (impact factor 14,723). Dr. Wijns previously worked at the Thorax Center in Rotterdam, where he was actively involved with the first applications of nuclear cardiology, thrombolysis and coronary dilatation, and the University of Louvain in Brussels, where he directed the cardiac PET program and became Clinical Professor of Cardiology. His research there focused on the regulation of coronary blood flow and cardiac metabolism in ischemic heart disease. Dr. Wijns graduated in 1976 from the University of Louvain in Belgium where he trained as a cardiologist until 1981. In the past five years, he has held board memberships in the European Society of Cardiology and the World Heart Federation. He is currently Chairman of PCR, co-Director of Africa PCR and EuroPCR, the official congress of the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions.

Serge Goblet (permanent representative of TOLEFI SA) has served as a member of our board of directors since 2008. He holds a Master Degree in Business and Consular Sciences from ICHEC Brussels Management School, Belgium and has many years of international experience as director in Belgian and foreign companies. He is the managing director of TOLEFI SA, a Belgian holding company, and holds director mandates in subsidiaries of TOLEFI. Mr. Goblet has two voting rights at our board of directors, one in his own name and one on behalf of TOLEFI SA, as its permanent representative.

Chris Buyse (permanent representative of Pienter-Jan BVBA) has served as a member of our board of directors since 2008. He brings more than 25 years of international financial expertise and experience in introducing best financial management practices. He is currently Managing Director of Life Sciences Research Partners VZW, a non-profit organization supporting and investing in innovative companies active in life sciences. He is also setting up Fund+NV/SA, a fund that will be investing in Belgian biotech companies. Between August 2006 and June 2014, Mr. Buyse served as the Chief Financial Officer and board member of ThromboGenics NV, a leading biotech company that is listed on NYSE Euronext Brussels. Before joining ThromboGenics, he was the Chief Financial Officer of the Belgian biotech company CropDesign, where he coordinated the acquisition by BASF in July 2006. Prior to joining CropDesign he was financial manager of WorldCom/MCI Belux, a European subsidiary of one of the world’s largest telecommunication companies and he was also the Chief Financial Officer and interim Chief Executive Officer of Keyware Technologies. Mr. Buyse holds a master degree in applied economic sciences from the University of Antwerp and an MBA from Vlerick School of Management in Gent. He currently serves, in his own name or as permanent representative of a management company, as member of the board of directors of the following publicly and privately held companies: Bone Therapeutics SA, Orgenesis Inc. Iteos SA, Bioxodes SA, Bio Incubator NV, Immo David NV, Pinnacle Investments SA, CreaBuild NV, Sofia BVBA, Pienter-Jan BVBA, Life Sciences Research Partners VZW (a shareholder of the Company) and Keyware Technologies NV.

Rudy Dekeyser (permanent representative of R.A.D. Life Sciences BVBA) has served as a member of our board of directors since 2007. Since 2012, Mr. Dekeyser has been managing partner of the LSP Health

 

 

 

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Economics Fund, a private equity fund investing in late stage European and North American health care companies. Prior to joining LSP Health Economics Fund, Mr. Dekeyser was managing director of VIB (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology), where he was also responsible for the intellectual property portfolio, business development and new venture activities. He obtained a Ph.D. in molecular biology at the University of Ghent. He holds non-executive director positions in Curetis AG, Sequana Medical AG and Remynd NV, and held non-executive director positions in Devgen NV, CropDesign NV, Ablynx NV, Actogenix NV, Pronota NV, Flandersbio VZW, Bioincubator Leuven NV and Multiplicom NV. He is a co-founder of ASTP (the European associations of technology transfer managers) and Chairman of EMBLEM (EMBL’s business arm). Mr. Dekeyser has been an advisor to several seed and venture capital funds and to multiple regional and international committees on innovation.

Jean-Marc Heynderickx has served as a member of our board of directors since 2013. Mr. Heynderickx spent his career in the Louis Delhaize Group of which he was Chief Executive Officer from 1995 to 2010. As such, he was also chairman of sub holding companies in France, Luxemburg and in The Netherlands. In 2006 he co-founded the Budapest Food Bank. From 2000 to 2005, he was board member of Comeos (Fedis) national retail organization and the Charleroi Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Heynderickx is now Chief Executive Officer of Nextgen group, a private venture capital holding managing 18 companies active in Belgium, France, Hungary and Romania. He holds a degree in Marketing from Charleroi University (Belgium) and completed the Solvay executive program in Real Estate. He holds non-executive director positions FRI (First Retail International), Stanley&Stella, Medi-Market, Claris Clinic and CBO Territoria.

Chris De Jonghe has served as a member of our board of directors since 2013. She is Group Manager Venture Capital at PMV (ParticipatieMaatschappij Vlaanderen). She was first Licensing Manager then Business Development Manager of VIB (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology), before joining PMV in 2013, initially as Senior Investment Manager in January 2013. Since August 2013 she joined the Group Management Committee, responsible for daily management at PMV, as Group Manager Venture Capital. She obtained a Ph.D. in Science (Biochemistry) and a Bachelor degree in Laws at the University of Antwerp. She is a member of the board of directors of AgroSavfe NV, eSaturnus NV, Vesalius Biocapital I Sicar and Vesalius Biocapital II Sicar. She is member of Flanders’Bio and IFB Network.

Hanspeter Spek has served as a member of our board of directors since 2014. He started his career at Pfizer where, over more than ten years and after a thorough comprehensive training in commercial general management, he held positions of increasing responsibility. He then joined Sanofi as Marketing Director and rose through the organization to become the Executive Vice President, International in 2000. When Sanofi and Aventis merged in 2004, he took on the responsibility of Executive Vice President, Operations. In 2009, he was nominated President Global Operations. He retired from Sanofi in mid-2013. He has since joined Advent as a Senior Advisor for Healthcare. He continues to serve on the board of Sanofi, Germany, as chairman.

Danny Wong has served as a member of our board of directors since 2014. Since May 2007, Mr. Wong has served as an executive director of the National Investments Fund Limited, and was appointed chairman in June 2007. As the executive director and chairman of National Investments Fund Limited, he is responsible for the strategic development of National Investments Fund Limited. Prior to that from 2001 to 2005, he was the executive director of Sun Hung Kai International Limited, where he was in charge of investment banking and responsible for the public listing of companies, as well as fundraising for private and public companies. Recently, Mr. Wong established Medisun Holdings Limited, a group of companies which commits to the stem cell regenerative bio-medical industry. He holds a Bachelor degree in Economics and Accounting from China Central University of Finance and Economics.

 

 

 

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Director Independence

As a foreign private issuer, under the listing requirements and rules of NASDAQ, we are not required to have independent directors on our board of directors, except to the extent that our audit committee is required to consist of independent directors, subject to certain phase-in schedules. However, our board of directors has determined that, under current listing requirements and rules of NASDAQ (which we are not subject to) and taking account any applicable committee independence standards, Pienter-Jan BVBA represented by its permanent representative Chris Buyse, R.A.D. Life Sciences BVBA represented by its permanent representative Rudy Dekeyser, Jean-Marc Heynderickx, William Wijns, Chris De Jonghe and Hanspeter Spek are “independent directors.” In making such determination, our board of directors considered the relationships that each non-employee director has with us and all other facts and circumstances our board of directors deemed relevant in determining the director’s independence, including the number of ordinary shares beneficially owned by the director and his or her affiliated entities (if any).

The independence criteria of Article 526ter of the Belgian Company Code can be summarized as follows:

 

Ø   the director has not been an executive member of the board of directors, member of the management board (“ directiecomité / comité de direction ”) (should such corporate body be created) or daily manager of the company (or an affiliate of the company, if any), during a term of five years prior to his or her election;

 

Ø   the director has not been a non-executive director for more than three consecutive terms or during a period of more than 12 years;

 

Ø   the director has not been a member of the managerial staff of the company (or an affiliate of the company, if any) during a term of three years prior to his or her election;

 

Ø   the director does not receive and has not received any remuneration or other significant financial advantage from the company (or an affiliate of the company, if any), other than the profit share (“ tantièmes ”) and remuneration received in his or her capacity as a non-executive director or as a member of the supervisory body;

 

Ø   the director does not own any corporate rights that represent 10% or more of the share capital, of the corporate funds or of a category of shares of the company. If the director has corporate rights which represent less than 10%, then:

 

  Ø   such rights, taken together with rights in the same company held by companies over which the director has control, may not represent 10% or more of the share capital, the corporate funds or of a category of shares of the company;

 

  Ø   or the disposal of these shares, or the exercise of the rights attached thereto, may not be subject to agreements or unilateral commitments entered into by the director.

 

Ø   the independent director in any case cannot represent a shareholder who falls under the conditions set forth in this criterion;

 

Ø   the director does not and, during the past financial year, did not, have a significant business relationship with the company (or an affiliate of the company, if any), either directly or as a partner, shareholder, member of the board of directors or member of the managerial staff of a company or of a person that maintains such a relationship;

 

Ø   the director is not and has not been at any time during the past three years, a partner or an employee of the company’s current or former statutory auditor or of a company or person affiliated therewith;

 

 

 

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Ø   the director is not an executive director of another company in which an executive director of the company is a non-executive director or a member of the supervisory body, and has no other significant ties with executive directors of the company through his or her involvement in other companies or bodies;

 

Ø   the director’s spouse, unmarried legal partner and relatives (via birth or marriage) up to the second degree do not act as a member of the board of directors, member of the management board (“ directiecomité / comité de direction ”) (should such corporate body be created) or daily manager or member of the managerial staff in the company (or an affiliate of the company, if any), and do not meet one of the criteria set out above.

Role of the Board in Risk Oversight

Our board of directors is primarily responsible for the oversight of our risk management activities and has recently delegated to the audit committee the responsibility to assist our board of directors in this task. While our board oversees our risk management, our management is responsible for day-to-day risk management processes. Our board of directors expects our management to consider risk and risk management in each business decision, to proactively develop and monitor risk management strategies and processes for day-to-day activities and to effectively implement risk management strategies adopted by the board of directors. We believe this division of responsibilities is the most effective approach for addressing the risks we face.

Board Practices

Our board of directors can set up specialized committees to analyze specific issues and advise the board of directors on those issues.

The committees are advisory bodies only and the decision-making remains within the collegial responsibility of the board of directors. The board of directors determines the terms of service of each committee with respect to the organization, procedures, policies and activities of the committee.

Our board of directors has set up and appointed an audit committee and a nomination and remuneration committee. The composition and function of all of our committees will comply with all applicable requirements of the Belgian Company Code, the Belgian Corporate Governace Code, the Exchange Act, the applicable rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market and SEC rules and regulations.

Committees

Audit Committee

Our board of directors has recently established an audit committee. Our audit committee consists of three members: Pienter-Jan BVBA, represented by its permanent representative, Chris Buyse, R.A.D. Life Sciences BVBA, represented by its permanent representative, Rudy Dekeyser and Chris De Jonghe.

Our board of directors has determined that one member of the audit committee is independent under Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act and the applicable rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market and that Chris Buyse qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined under the Exchange Act.

As a result we plan to rely on the phase-in rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market pursuant to which we must have one independent director on our audit committee at the time of listing, a majority of independent directors on our audit committee within 90 days of the effectiveness of the registration

 

 

 

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statement for our U.S. initial public offering, and all independent directors on our audit committee within one year of the effectiveness of the registration statement for our U.S. initial public offering.

The role of our audit committee is to ensure the effectiveness of our internal control and risk management systems, the internal audit (if any) and its effectiveness and the statutory audit of the annual and consolidated accounts, and to review and monitor the independence of the external auditor, in particular regarding the provision of additional services to the company. The committee reports regularly to our board of directors on the exercise of its functions. It informs our board of directors about all areas in which action or improvement is necessary in its opinion and produces recommendations concerning the necessary steps that need to be taken. The audit review and the reporting on that review cover us and our subsidiaries as a whole. The members of the audit committee are entitled to receive all information which they need for the performance of their function, from our board of directors, executive management team and employees. Every member of the audit committee shall exercises this right in consultation with the chairman of the audit committee.

Our audit committee’s duties and responsibilities to carry out its purposes include, among others: our financial reporting, internal controls and risk management, and our internal and external audit process. These tasks are further described in the audit committee charter as set out in our corporate governance charter and in Article 526 bis of the Belgian Company Code.

Nomination and Remuneration Committee

Our nomination and remuneration committee consists of four members: Michel Lussier (Chairman), Pienter-Jan BVBA, represented by its permanent representative Chris Buyse, RAD Life Sciences BVBA, represented by its permanent representative and Rudy Dekeyser and Hanspeter Spek.

Our board of directors has determined that two members of the nomination and remuneration committee are independent under the applicable rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market.

The role of the nomination and remuneration committee is to assist the board of directors in all matters:

 

Ø   relating to the selection and recommendation of qualified candidates for membership of the board of directors;

 

Ø   relating to the nomination of the CEO;

 

Ø   relating to the nomination of the members of the executive management team, other than the CEO, upon proposal by the CEO;

 

Ø   relating to the remuneration of independent directors;

 

Ø   relating to the remuneration of the CEO;

 

Ø   relating to the remuneration of the members of the executive management team, other than the CEO, upon proposal by the CEO; and

 

Ø   on which the board of directors or the chairman of the board of directors requests the nomination and remuneration committee’s advice.

Additionally, with regard to matters relating to remuneration, except for those areas that are reserved by law to the board of directors, the nomination and remuneration committee will at least have the following tasks:

 

Ø   preparing the remuneration report (which is to be included in the board of director’s corporate governance statement); and

 

Ø   explaining its remuneration report at the annual shareholders’ meeting.

 

 

 

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The committee’s tasks are further described in the nomination and remuneration committee charter as set out in our corporate governance charter and Article 526 quater of the Belgian Company Code.

Executive Management Team

The board of directors has established an executive management team which does not constitute an executive committee (“ directiecomité / comité de direction ”) under Article 524bis of the Belgian Company Code. The terms of service of the executive management team have been determined by the board of directors and are set out in our corporate governance charter. The executive management team is chaired by our Chief Executive Officer. The following table set forth certain information with respect to the current members of our executive management team as of March 15, 2015:

 

Name    Age    Position(s)

LSS Consulting SPRL, represented by its representative, Christian Homsy

   56    Chief Executive Officer

PaJe SPRL, represented by its representative Patrick Jeanmart

   42    Chief Financial Officer

Advanced Therapies Consulting Ltd., represented by its representative Peter De Waele.

   58    Vice President Research & Development
Georges Rawadi    47    Vice President Business Development
Warren Sherman    63    Chief Medical Officer

ViaNova SPRL, represented by its representatives, Vincent Brichard

   49    Vice President Immuno-oncology

The members of the executive management team are appointed and may be dismissed by the board of directors. The board of directors appoints them on the basis of the recommendations of the nomination and remuneration committee, which shall also assist the board of directors on the remuneration policy of the members of the executive management team, and their individual remunerations.

The remuneration, duration and conditions of dismissal of executive management team members are governed by the agreement entered into between us and each member of the executive management team in respect of their function within the company.

Unless otherwise stated, the address for members of the executive management team is Rue Edouard Belin 12, 1435 Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium.

There is no potential conflict of interest between the private interests or other duties of the members of the executive management team listed above and their duties to us.

Below are the biographies of those members of our executive management team or of the representatives of the management committee who do not also serve on our board of directors:

Patrick Jeanmart (representative of PaJe SPRL has served as our Chief Financial Officer since September 2007. Prior to joining us, Mr. Jeanmart worked for IBA Group (Ion Beam Applications, Belgium) for six years where he held a number of senior financial management positions within the corporate organization and several IBA subsidiaries located in Belgium, Italy, UK and the U.S. Between January 2004 and 2007, he acted as Vice President of Finance of IBA Molecular. He also holds the position of

 

 

 

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Chief Financial Officer at Medpole SA and at Biological Manufacturing Services SA. Mr. Jeanmart obtained a Master in Economics from the University of Namur, Belgium.

Peter De Waele (representative of Advanced Therapies Consulting Ltd.) has been our Vice President Research and Development since November 2010. He is the author and co-author of several peer reviewed scientific publications, and the inventor of several patents and patent applications. He has been a consultant to the pharmaceutical and biotech industry since 2006, with a particular focus on adult stem cell product development for different therapeutic indications. Until 2006, Dr. De Waele worked as Chief Operating Officer at XCELLentis NV, a biotech company developing stem cell based therapies and medical devices for wound healing. Before founding XCELLentis in 2001, he held several senior management positions at Innogenetics NV. As Chief Therapeutics Officer of Innogenetics and as Chief Operating Officer of XCELLentis he was responsible for several multicenter international clinical trials with recombinant vaccines and cell derived advanced medical products. Moreover, Dr. De Waele serves as the Managing Director at Advanced Therapies Consulting Limited. He is also consultant for regulatory affairs, quality assurance and quality control and research & development for Esperite N.V. (formerly Cryo-Save Group N.V.) as well as acting as Responsible Person for the Dutch tissue bank Stichting Cryo-Save. He obtained his Master of Science in Biochemistry and Physiology at Ghent University, Belgium and holds a doctoral degree in Molecular Biology at the department of Molecular Biology headed by Professor Walter Fiers at the same university, where he was assistant professor until 1986.

Georges Rawadi has served as Vice President Business Development since June 2014. Prior to joining us, Dr. Rawadi served as Vice President Business Development with Cellectis. He previously held business development management positions at Galapagos, ProStrakan France and Sanofi-Aventis France, and conducted consultancy assignments in Business Development and Alliance Management. His work included all aspects and stages of business development, driving several projects from target identification and negotiation to closing deals. He holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the Pierre et Marie Curie University (France), and a Masters in Management and Strategy in the Health Industry from the ESSEC Business School.

Warren Sherman has served as our Chief Marketing Officer since October 2014. He is an American interventional cardiologist with more than 30 years’ experience in the field of cardiology, with a focus in cell-based therapies for treating patients post myocardial infarction and with heart failure. Before joining us, Dr. Sherman was at the Columbia University Medical Center in New York, where he served in a number of capacities, including Interventional Cardiologist at Columbia University Medical Center/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Director of Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine at the Center for Interventional Vascular Therapy, and Associate Professor of Medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Sherman is also the founder of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation’s International Conference on Cell Therapy for Cardiovascular Disease (IC3D), which is the foremost meeting for healthcare experts dedicated to the evolving field of cell-based therapies for the repair and regeneration of cardiac and vascular disease. He received his Bachelor degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, medical degree from the State University of New York Upstate Medical School in Syracuse, and his fellowship training at Oregon Health Sciences University, in Portland, Oregon. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology, and serves as an advisor to a multitude of government organizations, societies and industries.

Vincent Brichard (representative of ViaNova SPRL) is a physician by training, specialized in oncology. He started his academic career at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Brussels Branch, followed by positions at the Institut Curie Cancer Center, Paris, and at the University of Louvain, Brussels. In 2002, he joined GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, where he led the Cancer Vaccines Business Unit. Until recently,

 

 

 

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Dr. Brichard was the Senior Vice President of the Immunotherapeutics Business Unit, and member of the Vaccines Executive team at GSK Biologicals. He will continue to hold other non-executive positions with other companies. Dr. Brichard holds a Ph.D. in tumor immunology.

The executive management team discusses and consults with the board of directors and advises the board of directors on the day-to-day management of the company in accordance with our values, strategy, general policy and budget, as determined by the board of directors.

The further tasks for which the executive management team is responsible are described in greater detail in the terms of service of the executive management team as set out in our corporate governance charter.

General Information About Our Directors and Members of Executive Management Team

As of the date of this prospectus and except as set out below, none of the directors or members of our executive management team for at least the previous five years:

 

Ø   holds any convictions in relation to fraudulent offenses;

 

Ø   holds an executive function in the form of a senior manager or a member of the administrative, management or supervisory bodies of any company at the time of or preceding any bankruptcy, receivership or liquidation;

 

Ø   has been subject to any official public incrimination and/or sanction by any statutory or regulatory authority (including any designated professional body); or

 

Ø   has ever been disqualified by a court from acting as member of the administrative, management or supervisory bodies of any company or from acting in the management or conduct of affairs of any company.

Family Relationships

There are no family relationships among any of the members of our executive management team or directors.

Serge Goblet is the managing director and controlling shareholder of TOLEFI SA. Mr. Goblet has two voting rights at our board of directors, one in his own name and one on behalf of TOLEFI SA, as its permanent representative.

Corporate Governance Practices

Along with our articles of association, we adopted a corporate governance charter in accordance with the recommendations set out in the Belgian Corporate Governance Code issued on March 12, 2009 by the Belgian Corporate Governance Committee. The Belgian Corporate Governance Code is based on a “comply or explain” system: Belgian listed companies are expected to follow the Belgian Corporate Governance Code, but can deviate from specific provisions and guidelines (though not the principles) provided they disclose the justification for such deviations.

Our board of directors complies with the Belgian Corporate Governance Code, but believes that certain deviations from its provisions are justified in view of our particular situation.

These deviations include the grant of options or warrants to non-executive directors. In this way, we have additional possibilities to attract or retain competent non-executive directors and to offer them an

 

 

 

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attractive additional remuneration without the consequence that this additional remuneration weighs on our financial results. Furthermore, the grant of warrants is a commonly used method in the sector in which we operate. Without this possibility, we would be subject to a considerable disadvantage compared to competitors who do offer warrants to their non-executive directors. Our board of directors is of the opinion that the grant of options or warrants has no negative impact on the functioning of the non-executive directors.

Additionally, Jean-Marc Heynderickx was appointed as a director on January 31, 2013 for a duration of six years, which is in excess of the maximum duration of four years for a director’s mandate provided by the Belgian Corporate Governance Code. This appointment was done at a time when the Corporate Governance Code was not applicable to us. In the future, we will ensure that no director’s mandate will exceed the maximum duration of four years as provided by the Corporate Governance Code.

Our board of directors reviews its corporate governance charter from time to time and makes such changes as it deems necessary and appropriate. Additionally, our board of directors adopted written terms of reference for each of the executive management team, the audit committee and the nomination and remuneration committee, which are part of the corporate governance charter.

Differences between Our Corporate Governance Practices and the Listing Rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market

The listing rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market include certain accommodations in the corporate governance requirements that allow foreign private issuers, to follow ‘‘home country’’ corporate governance practices in lieu of the otherwise applicable corporate governance standards of the NASDAQ Stock Market. The application of such exceptions requires that we disclose each noncompliance with the NASDAQ Stock Market listing rules that we do not follow and describe the Belgian corporate governance practices we do follow in lieu of the relevant NASDAQ Stock Market corporate governance standard.

We intend to continue to follow Belgian corporate governance practices in lieu of the corporate governance requirements of the NASDAQ Stock Market in respect of the following:

 

Ø   Quorum at Shareholder Meetings . NASDAQ Stock Market Listing Rule 5620(c) requires that for any meeting of shareholders, the quorum must be no less than 33.33% of the outstanding ordinary shares. There is no general quorum requirement under Belgian law for ordinary meetings of shareholders, except in relation to decisions regarding certain matters. See ‘‘Description of Share Capital—Description of the Rights and Benefits Attached to Our Shares—Right to Attend and Vote at Our Meetings of Shareholders—Quorum and Majority Requirements.’’

 

Ø  

Compensation Committee. NASDAQ Stock Market Listing Rule 5605(d)(2) requires that compensation of officers must be determined by, or recommended to, the board of directors for determination, either by a majority of the independent directors, or a compensation committee comprised solely of independent directors. NASDAQ Stock Market Listing Rule 5605(e) requires that director nominees be selected, or recommended for selection, either by a majority of the independent directors or a nominations committee comprised solely of independent directors. Under Belgian law, we are not subject to any such requirements. In particular, we are not required by Belgian law to set up any compensation or nominations committees within our board of directors, and are therefore not subject to any Belgian legal requirements as to the composition of such committees either. However, our articles of association provide that our board of directors may form committees from among its members. Our board of directors has set up and appointed a nomination and remuneration committee. Pursuant article 526 quater of the Belgian Company Code, only a majority of the members of the

 

 

 

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committee must qualify as independent as defined under article 526 ter of the Belgian Company Code. Our nomination and remuneration committee is currently comprised of four directors, all of whom are independent in accordance with article 526ter of the Belgian Company Code and the NASDAQ rules.

 

Ø   Independent Director Majority on Board/Meetings . NASDAQ Stock Market Listing Rules 5605(b)(1) and (2) require that a majority of the board of directors must be comprised of independent directors and that independent directors must have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present. We are not required under Belgian law to have more than two independent directors on our board of directors. However, our articles of association provide that our board of directors must be comprised of at least three directors, of which, pursuant to our corporate governance charter, at least three directors must be independent directors under Belgian law. We do not intend to require our independent directors to meet separately from the full board of directors on a regular basis or at all although the board of directors is supportive of its independent members voluntarily arranging to meet separately from the other members of our board of directors when and if they wish to do so.

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

Prior to the completion of the global offering, we expect to adopt a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, or the Code of Conduct, that is applicable to all of our employees, members of our executive management team and directors. Following the completion of the global offering, the Code of Conduct will be available on our website at www.c3bs.com. The audit committee of our board of directors will be responsible for overseeing the Code of Conduct and will be required to approve any waivers of the Code of Conduct for employees, members of our executive management team and directors. We expect that any amendments to the Code of Conduct, or any waivers of its requirements, will be disclosed on our website.

Compensation of Directors and Executive Management Team

The aggregate compensation paid and benefits in kind granted by us to the current members of our executive management team and directors, including share-based compensation, for the year ended December 31, 2014, was €2.6 million. For the year ended December 31, 2014, €3,000 of the amounts set aside or accrued to provide pension, retirement or similar benefits to our employees was attributable to members of our executive management team.

For a discussion of our employment arrangements with members of our executive management team and consulting arrangement with our directors, see the section of this prospectus titled “Certain relationships and related party transactions-Agreements with Our Directors and Members of our Executive Management Team.” For more information regarding warrant grants, see the section of this prospectus titled “—Warrant Plans.”

Except the arrangements described in the section of this prospectus titled “Certain relationships and related party transactions-Agreements with Our Directors and Members of our Executive Management Team,” there are no arrangements or understanding between us and any of our other executive officers or directors providing for benefits upon termination of their employment, other than as required by applicable law.

Compensation of Our Board of Directors

The remuneration of our directors and the grant of warrants to our directors is submitted by our board of directors (following advice from the nomination and remuneration committee) for approval to the general shareholders’ meeting and is only implemented after such approval. The aggregate compensation paid and benefits in kind granted by us to our current directors, including share-based compensation, for the year ended December 31, 2014, was €0.2 million.

 

 

 

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The procedure for establishing the remuneration policy and setting remuneration for members of our board of directors is determined by our board of directors on the basis of proposals from the nomination and remuneration committee, taking into account relevant benchmarks from the biotechnology industry.

The independent directors receive fixed remuneration in consideration for their membership of the board of directors and their attendance at the committee meetings of which they are members . The remuneration package for the independent directors approved by the shareholders’ meeting of June 11, 2013 is made up of a fixed annual fee of €8,000. The fee is supplemented with a fixed annual fee of €3,000 for membership of each committee of the board of directors, to be increased by €2,000 in case the relevant director chairs a committee.

All directors are entitled to a reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses actually incurred as a result of participation in meetings of the board of directors.

On the advice of the nomination and remuneration committee, the board of directors may propose to the shareholders’ meeting to grant options or warrants in order to attract or retain non-executive directors with the most relevant skills, knowledge and expertise. Insofar as this grant of options or warrants comprises variable remuneration under Article 554 of the Belgian Company Code, this remuneration shall be submitted for approval to the next annual general shareholders meeting.

The directors’ mandate may be terminated ad nutum (at any time) without any form of compensation.

No loans or guarantees were given to members of the board of directors during the year ended December 31, 2014.

There are no employment or service agreements that provide for notice periods or indemnities between us and members of the board of directors who are not a member of the executive management team. In respect of the members of the board of directors who are a member of the executive management team, reference is made to the section “Executive Management Team” here below.

The chairman of our board of directors, Michel Lussier, does not receive remuneration.

 

 

 

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The following table sets forth the fees received by our non-executive directors for the performance of their mandate as a board member, during the year ended December 31, 2014:

 

Name   

Fees Earned

(€)

Michel Lussier   

—  

William Wijns   

—  

Serge Goblet   

—  

Pienter-Jan BVBA, represented by its permanent representative, Chris Buyse    18,000
R.A.D. Sciences BVBA, represented by its permanent representative Rudy Dekeyser    11,000
Jean-Marc Heynderickx    —  
Chris De Jonghe    —  
Hanspeter Spek    25,000
Danny Wong    —  
Tolefi SA, represented by its permanent representative, Serge Goblet    —  
Total    54,000

Our executive director (i.e., LSS Consulting SPRL, represented by Christian Homsy) does not receive any specific or additional remuneration for his service on our board of directors, as this is included in his total remuneration package in his capacity as Chief Executive Officer. For more information regarding Mr. Homsy’s compensation, see the section of this prospectus titled “—Compensation of Members of the Executive Management Team.”

The table below provides an overview as of December 31, 2014 of the warrants held by the non-executive directors.

 

     Warrant Awards  
Name   

Number of

Ordinary Shares

Underlying

Warrants

    

Warrant

Exercise

Price in euros

    

Warrant

Expiration

Date

 

Michel Lussier

     400         35.36         May 5, 2016   

William Wijns

     —           —           —     

Serge Goblet

     —           —           —     

Chris Buyse [1]

     5,000         35.36         Oct 29, 2015   

Rudy Dekeyser

     —           —           —     

Jean-Marc Heynderickx

     —           —           —     

Chris De Jonghe

     —           —           —     

Hanspeter Spek

     5,000         35.79         May 5, 2019   

Danny Wong

     —           —           —     

TOLEFI SA

     2,504         35.36         May 5, 2016   

 

[1]   Chris Buyse holds these warrants and shares in person, whereby he is the permanent representative of Pienter-Jan BVBA, his management company, which has been appointed as independent director.

Compensation of Members of the Executive Management Team

The compensation of the members of our executive management team is determined by our board of directors based on the recommendations by our nomination and remuneration committee.

The remuneration of the members of our executive management team consists of different components:

 

Ø   Fixed remuneration: a basic fixed fee designed to fit responsibilities, relevant experience and competences, in line with market rates for equivalent positions. The amount of fixed remuneration is evaluated and determined by the board of directors every year.

 

 

 

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Ø   Short term variable remuneration: members of the executive management team may be entitled to a yearly bonus, given the level of achievement of the criteria set out in the corporate objective for that year.

 

Ø   Incentive plan: warrants have been granted and may be granted in the future, to the members of the executive management team. For a description of the main characteristics of our warrant plans, see the section of this prospectus titled “—Warrant Plans.”

 

Ø   Other: Members of the executive management team with an employee contract with us entitle them to our pension, company car and payments for invalidity and healthcare cover and other fringe benefits of non-material value.

No loans, quasi-loans or other guarantees were granted to members of our executive management team during the year ended on December 31, 2014.

The following table sets forth information regarding compensation earned by LSS Consulting SPRL, represented by Christian Homsy, our Chief Executive Officer, during the year ended December 31, 2014.

 

      Compensation (in euros)  

Fixed fee

     369,000   

Variable fee

     110,700   

Total

     479,700   

Mr. Homsy was not granted warrants in 2014. Mr. Homsy did exercise 80,000 warrants to acquire 80,000 of our ordinary shares in 2014.

The following table sets forth information concerning the aggregate compensation earned during the year ended December 31, 2014 by the other members of our executive management team.

 

      Compensation (in euros)  

Fixed remuneration (gross)

     208,278   

Variable remuneration (short term)

     60,668   

Fixed fee

     647,276   

Variable fee

     112,464   

Pension/Life

     3,269   

Other benefits

     2,927   

Total

     1,034,882   

In addition, the other members of the executive management team were granted and accepted 17,500 warrants under the May 5, 2014 warrant plan. The exercise price of the warrants is €33.18 and €39.22. The following table sets forth the number of warrants granted under such plans to the other members of the executive management team:

 

Name    Number of Warrants under
the May 5, 2014 plan

Georges Rawadi

     7,500

Vincent Brichard

   10,000

 

 

 

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The table below provides an overview as of December 31, 2014 of the warrants held by the members of our executive management team.

 

     Warrant Awards  
Name   

Number of

Ordinary Shares

Underlying

Warrants

    

Warrant

Exercise

Price in euros

    

Warrant

Expiration

Date

 

Christian Homsy [1]

     112,000         2.64         May 6, 2018   
     200         35.36         May 5, 2016   

Patrick Jeanmart [2]

     56,000         2.64         May 6, 2018   
     25         35.36         May 5, 2016   

Peter De Waele

     6,500         2.64         May 6, 2018   

George Rawadi

     7,500         39.22         May 5, 2024   

Vincent Brichard

     10,000         33.18         May 5, 2019   

 

[1]     Christian Homsy holds these warrants in person, whereby he is the representative of LSS Consulting SPRL, his management company, which has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer.
[2]     Patrick Jeanmart holds these warrants in person, whereby he is the representative of PaJe SPRL, his management company, which has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer.

Warrant Plans

We have created various incentive plans under which warrants were granted to our employees, consultants or directors. Additionally, we entered into certain loan agreements loan E, loan F, loan G and loan H further to which anti-dilution warrants were granted to the lenders of the relevant loans. Finally, we have granted warrants to certain of our shareholders and to certain investors in the BMS project (all warrants are together referred to as “Warrants”). This section provides an overview of the outstanding Warrants on the date hereof.

Upon proposal of the board of directors, the extraordinary shareholders’ meeting approved the issuance of, in the aggregate, Warrants giving right to subscribe to shares as follows:

 

Ø   On September 26, 2008, (Warrants giving right to 90,000 shares). Of these 90,000 Warrants, 50,000 were offered and accepted. None are outstanding on the date hereof;

 

Ø   on May 5, 2010 (Warrants giving right to 50,000 shares). Of these 50,000 Warrants (15,000 Warrants A, 5,000 Warrants B and 30,000 Warrants C), 12,710 Warrants A were accepted but none are outstanding on the date hereof, 5,000 Warrants B were accepted and are still outstanding on the date hereof, and 21,700 Warrants C were accepted and 2,298 Warrants C are still outstanding on the date hereof;

 

Ø   on October 29, 2010 (Warrants giving right to 79,500 shares). Out of the 79,500 Warrants offered, 61,050 Warrants were accepted by the beneficiaries and 6,882 Warrants are outstanding on the date hereof;

 

Ø   on January 31, 2013 (Warrants giving right to 140,000 shares). Out of the 140,000 Warrants, 120,000 were granted to certain members of the executive management team and a pool of 20,000 Warrants was created. The Warrants attributed to certain members of the executive management team were fully vested at December 31, 2013 and were all exercised in January 2014 and therefore converted into ordinary shares. The remaining 20,000 Warrants were not granted and therefore lapsed;

 

 

 

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Ø   on May 6, 2013 (11 investor Warrants are attached to each Class B Share subscribed in the capital increase in cash which was decided on the same date, with each investor Warrant giving right to subscribe to one ordinary share – as a result, these Warrants give right to a maximum 2,433,618 ordinary shares); subject to the Warrants being offered and accepted by the beneficiaries. On May 31, 2013, Warrants giving right to 2,409,176 ordinary shares were issued and accepted, which have all been exercised on the date hereof.

 

Ø   on May 6, 2013 (Warrants giving right to 266,241 ordinary shares). Out of the 266,241 Warrants offered, 253,150 Warrants were accepted by the beneficiaries and 233,750 warrants are outstanding on the date hereof.

 

Ø   on June 11, 2013 (Over allotment Warrant giving right to a maximum number of shares equal to 15% of the new shares issued in the context of the offering, i.e. 207,225 shares). The over allotment Warrant was exercised on July 17, 2013 ;

 

Ø   on May 5, 2014 (Warrants giving right to 100,000 shares), a plan of 100,000 Warrants was approved. Warrants were offered to Company’s new comers (employees, non-employees and directors) in several tranches. Out of the Warrants offered, 49,000 warrants were accepted by the beneficiaries and 100,000 Warrants are outstanding on the date hereof.

As a result, on December 31, 2014, there are 296,930 Warrants outstanding which represent approximately 4.71% of the total number of all our issued and outstanding voting financial instruments.

 

 

 

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Issue

Date

  Term  

Number

of
Warrants
Issued

[1]

   

Number

of
Warrants
Granted

in
number

of shares

[2]

    Exercise
Price (in
Euros)
    Number of
Warrants
No Longer
Exercisable
    Warrants
exercised
    Number of
Warrants
Outstanding
   

Exercise
periods

vested
warrants

[3]

September 26, 2008   From December 26, 2008 to December 31, 2014     90,000        50,000        22.44        32,501        17,499        —        January 1, 2012
– December 31,
2014
May 5, 2010   From May 5, 2010 to the day of the contribution in kind of Company’s debt under the Loan C Agreement     15,000        12,710        22.44        410        12,300        —        The day of the
contribution in
kind of
Company’s debt
under the Loan
C Agreement
May 5, 2010   From May 5, 2010 to May 5, 2016     5,000        5,000        35.36        —          —          5,000      May 5, 2013 –
May 5, 2016
May 5, 2010   From May 5, 2010 to December 31, 2016     30,000        21,700        22.44        18,236        1,166        2,298      January 1, 2012
– December 31,
2016
October 29, 2010   From October 29, 2010 to October 28, 2020     79,500        61,050        35.36        53,418        750        6,882      January 1, 2014
– October 28,
2020
January 31, 2013   From January 31, 2013 to January 31, 2023     140,000        120,000        4.52        —          120,000        —        From January 1,
2014 to
January 31, 2023
May 6, 2013   From May 6, 2013 to June 4, 2013    
2,409,176
  
    2,409,176        0.01        —          2,409,176        —        From May 6,
2013 to June 4,
2013
May 6, 2013   From May 6, 2013 to May 6, 2023     266,241        253,150        2.64        19,400        —          233,750      From
January 1, 2017
to May 6, 2023
May 2018 for
non-employees
and to May 6,
2023 for
employees
May 5, 2014   From May 16, 2014 to May 15, 2024     100,000        49,000        35.79        —          —          100,000      From
January 1, 2018
to May 15,
2019 for non-
employees and
to May 15,
2024 for
employees

 

[1]     Issued under the condition precedent of the Warrant effectively being offered and accepted.
[2]     The numbers reflect the number of shares for which the holder of Warrants can subscribe upon exercise of all relevant Warrants.
[3]     The Warrants (i) can only be exercised by the holder of Warrants if they have effectively vested, and (ii) can only be exercised during the exercise periods as set out in the respective issue and exercise conditions.

Apart from the warrants plans described above, there are currently no other stock options, options to purchase securities, convertible securities or other rights to subscribe for or purchase securities outstanding.

 

 

 

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Certain relationships and related party transactions

Since January 1, 2012, there has not been, nor is there currently proposed, any material transaction or series of similar material transactions to which we were or are a party in which any of the members of our board of directors or executive management team, holders of more than 5% of any class of our voting securities, or any member of the immediate family of any of the foregoing persons, had or will have a direct or indirect material interest, other than the compensation and shareholding arrangements we describe in “Management” and “Principal Shareholders,” and the transactions we describe below.

Transactions with Our Principal Shareholders

Issuances of Securities

On May 6, 2013 and May 31, 2013, we issued 1,124,373 ordinary shares and 2,409,176 warrants giving the right to acquire 2,409,176 additional shares on June 4, 2013 in connection with our fourth round of financing, for an aggregate amount of €19.0 million, out of which €12.0 million was related to conversion of shareholders convertible loans, and €7.0 million was contributed in cash. Convertible loans were converted at their contractual price. The €7.0 million was contributed in cash at a value of €31.96 per share. The following table summarizes the ordinary shares acquired in connection with this offering by members of our executive management team, directors and holders of more than 5% of our outstanding voting securities.

 

Name of Shareholder   

Number of Ordinary
Shares

Purchased (#)

    

Aggregate

Purchase

Price (€)

 

TOLEFI SA

     2,055,530         7,721,858.02   

SRIW SA

     309,924         2,510,077.86   

Michel Lussier

     117,105         601,200.57   

BELGENEXT SA (1)

     250,753         2,562,023.78   

Chris Buyse

     18,768         50,157.48   

William Wijns

     18,768         50,157.48   

Christian Homsy

     47,179         202,199.87   

Patrick Jeanmart

     7,774         30,562.61   

 

(1)     Consists of 273,301 shares held by BELGENEXT SA, which is controlled by Mr. Jean-Marc Heynderickx.

On July 9, 2013 we issued 1,381,500 ordinary shares in connection with our initial public offering of our ordinary shares on Euronext Brussels and Euronext Paris, for an aggregate purchase price of €23.0 million at a purchase price per share of €16.65. The following table summarizes the ordinary shares acquired in connection with this offering by members of our executive management team, directors and holders of more than 5% of our outstanding voting securities.

 

Name of Shareholder   

Number of Ordinary
Shares

Purchased (#)

    

Aggregate

Purchase

Price (€)

 

PMV-TINA

     570,571         9,500,007.15   

SRIW SA (1)

     267,038         4,446,182.70   

 

(1)     Shares acquired by Sofipôle SA, a fully owned subsidiary of SRIW SA.

 

 

 

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Shareholders’ Agreements

On May 14, 2012, certain of our shareholders participated in a €1,994,570 convertible loan, or loan F. The following members of our executive management team, directors and holders of more than 5% of our outstanding voting securities participated in loan F: TOLEFI SA, SRIW SA, Michel Lussier, Christian Homsy and Patrick Jeanmart. The loan and 10% on annual basis interest were converted into equity on May 6, 2013 upon the closing of our fourth financing round. The conversion price was €38.39 per share.

On October 2, 2012, certain of our shareholders participated in a €2,784,083 convertible loan, or loan G. The following members of our executive management team, directors and holders of more than 5% of our outstanding voting securities participated in loan G: TOLEFI SA, SRIW SA and Michel Lussier. The loan and 10% on annual basis interest were converted in equity on May 6, 2013 at the occasion of the closing of the fourth financing round. The conversion price was €4.52 per share.

On December 21, 2012, certain of our shareholders participated in a €2,250,000 convertible loan, or loan H, of which €250,000 was paid out in early 2013. The following director was a party to the convertible loan: BELGENEXT SA. The loan and 10% on annual basis interest were converted into equity on May 6, 2013 upon the closing of our fourth financing round. The conversion price was €30.71 per share.

Everyone who participated in loan F, loan G and loan H received anti-dilutive warrants to protect their shares issued at in connection with our third financing round and their shares that were issued at our May 6, 2013 shareholders meeting against future dilution before first read-out of the primary endpoint of our Phase 3 clinical trial of C-Cure. All of these warrants have been cancelled.

The shareholders’ agreements among our major shareholders entered into on December 23, 2008, as amended, was terminated on June 17, 2013, in view of, and subject to the completion of, the initial listing of our ordinary shares on Euronext Brussels and Euronext Paris.

Agreements with Our Directors and Members of our Executive Management Team

Employment Arrangements

We have entered into employment agreements with the below members of our executive management team:

Georges Rawadi

On April 2, 2014, we entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Rawadi, our Vice President Business Development, with an effective date as of June 2, 2014. Pursuant to this agreement, Mr. Rawadi is entitled to an annual base salary of €130,000, and is also eligible to receive a bonus capped at 50% of his annual compensation, determined in full discretion by the board of directors on the basis of the Mr. Rawadi’s performance and our overall performance. Mr. Rawadi is also eligible to receive warrants.

Warren Sherman

On September 16, 2014, we entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Sherman, our Chief Medical Officer, with an effective date as of October 1, 2014. Pursuant to this agreement, Mr. Sherman is entitled to an annual base salary of $325,000, and is also eligible to receive a bonus capped at 20% of his annual compensation, determined in full discretion by the board of directors on the basis of Mr. Sherman’s performance and our overall performance. Mr. Sherman is also eligible to receive warrants.

 

 

 

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Consulting Arrangements

We have entered into consulting agreements with the below members of our executive management team.

Christian Homsy

On February 22, 2008, we entered into a management services agreement with Christian Homsy, our Chief Executive Officer, with an effective date as of July 24, 2007. Pursuant to this agreement, Mr. Homsy is entitled to an annual base fee of €220,000 and a lump sum pension plan premium of €26,000. Mr. Homsy is also eligible to receive warrants and participate in our bonus plan, determined in full discretion by the board of directors on the basis of the Mr. Homsy’s performance and our overall performance. This agreement ended on January 23, 2014.

On January 23, 2014, we contracted with LSS Consulting SPRL, permanently represented by Mr. Homsy. Under this new agreement, Mr. Homsy is entitled to an annual base fee. Mr. Homsy is also eligible to receive warrants and a bonus capped at 30% of his annual base fee, determined in full discretion by the board of directors on the basis of the Mr. Homsy’s performance and our overall performance.

Patrick Jeanmart

On January 7, 2008, we entered into a management services agreement with Patrick Jeanmart SPRL, represented by Patrick Jeanmart, our Chief Financial Officer. Under this agreement, Mr. Jeanmart is entitled to an annual base fee of €120,000. Mr. Jeanmart is also eligible for a bonus capped at 20% of his annual base fee, determined in full discretion by the board of directors on the basis of the Mr. Jeanmart’s performance and our overall performance.

Peter De Waele

On November 2, 2010, we entered into a management services agreement with Advanced Therapies Consulting Limited, represented by Peter De Waele, our Vice President Research & Development. Under this agreement, Mr. De Waele is entitled to an annual base fee based on a daily compensation rate initially set at €1,100 per day. Mr. De Waele is also eligible for a bonus capped at 10% of his annual base fee, determined in full discretion by the board of directors on the basis of Mr. De Waele’s performance and our overall performance.

Vincent Brichard

On December 28 2014, we entered into a management services agreement with ViaNova SPRL, represented by Vincent Brichard, our Vice President Immuno-Oncology, with an effective date as of December 28, 2014. Under this Agreement, Mr. Brichard is entitled to an annual base fee based on a compensation rate initially set at €2,000 per day or €250 per hour. Mr. Brichard is also eligible to receive warrants.

Director and Executive Management Team Compensation

See “Compensation of Directors and Executive Management Team” for information regarding compensation of directors and members of our executive management team.

Warrants

Since our inception, we have granted warrants to certain of our directors and members of our executive management team. See “Compensation of Directors and Executive Management Team” for information regarding warrants issued to members of our executive management team and directors.

 

 

 

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Indemnification Agreements

In connection with the global offering, we intend to enter into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and members of our executive management team. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

Service Agreement with Biological Manufacturing Services SA

In April 2011, we entered into an agreement for the provision of services for production of cardiac cells with Biological Manufacturing Services SA, or BMS, a service provider in the biotechnology sector that operates clean rooms on its site located at Rue Edouard Belin 12, 1435 Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium. Under this agreement, BMS provides us with support, services and provision of assets for the production our products, including making clean rooms available to us for our exclusive use. TOLEFI SA, of which Serge Goblet is the managing director, owns 50% of BMS. Patrick Jeanmart, our Chief Financial Officer, also holds the position of CFO at BMS. Since December 31, 2012, this agreement automatically renews for successive three year period unless terminated earlier. The total annual services fees paid by us to BMS was €299,000 in 2014 and €249,000 in 2013.

Medisun

On June 16, 2014, we entered into an investment agreement, or Medisun Agreement, with Medisun International Limited, or Medisun, pursuant to which Medisun purchased 568,180 of our ordinary shares for an aggregate purchase price of €25.0 million. In connection with entry into the Medisun Agreement, we and Medisun also entered into a subscription and joint venture agreement, or JV Agreement. Pursuant to the JV Agreement, we and Medisun agreed to form Cardio3 Biosciences Asia Holdings Limited, or Cardio3 Asia, to conduct clinical trials of C-Cure in the Peoples Republic of China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, and other territories mutually agreed upon by us and Medisun, with the goal of obtaining marketing authorization for C-Cure in the applicable territories. We obtained a 40.0% initial ownership interest in Cardio3 Asia in exchange for our entry into a license agreement with Cardio3 Asia, or License Agreement, pursuant to which we granted an exclusive, royalty-free and non-transferable license to Cardio3 Asia for C-Cure and certain know-how for conducting clinical trials in the applicable territories, and Medisun obtained an initial 60.0% ownership interest in Cardio3 Asia for an aggregate payment of €500,000. Pursuant to the JV Agreement, Medisun agreed to provide additional funding as necessary for clinical trials to be conducted by Cardio3 Asia by purchasing additional shares of Cardio3 Asia. In the event that Cardio3 Asia receives marketing authorization in any of the applicable territories, we have agreed to grant to Cardio3 Asia, at Cardio3 Asia’s election, a commercialization license on the terms specified by the parties in the JV Agreement. Either party to the JV Agreement must also offer its shares to the other party before transferring or otherwise disposing of them. Under the JV Agreement, any minority shareholder of Cardio3 Asia must be offered the same pricing for its shares as is being received by a majority shareholder. The JV Agreement can be terminated by the mutual agreement of us and Medisun, by us if the first patient in clinical trials in the applicable territories has not been recruited by June 16, 2015, or the last patient for any of the clinical trials in the applicable territories has not been recruited within two years from the time that the first patient is recruited, and by Medisun if we cease to comply with certain warranties in the JV Agreement and License Agreement, or for reasons related to our failure to secure or maintain certain intellectual property protections.

Related-Party Transactions Policy

Article 524 of the Belgian Company Code provides for a special procedure that applies to intragroup or related party transactions with affiliates. The procedure applies to decisions or transactions between us

 

 

 

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and our affiliates that are not one of our subsidiaries. Prior to any such decision or transaction, our board of directors must appoint a special committee consisting of three independent directors, assisted by one or more independent experts. This committee must assess the business advantages and disadvantages of the decision or transaction, quantify its financial consequences and determine whether the decision or transaction causes a disadvantage to us that is manifestly illegitimate in view of our policy. If the committee determines that the decision or transaction is not illegitimate but will prejudice us, it must analyze the advantages and disadvantages of such decision or transaction and set out such considerations as part of its advice. Our board of directors must then make a decision, taking into account the opinion of the committee. Any deviation from the committee’s advice must be justified. Directors who have a conflict of interest are not entitled to participate in the deliberation and vote. The committee’s advice and the decision of the board of directors must be notified to our statutory auditor, who must render a separate opinion. The conclusion of the committee, an excerpt from the minutes of the board of directors and the opinion by the statutory auditor must be included in our annual report. This procedure does not apply to decisions or transactions in the ordinary course of business under customary market conditions and security documents, or to transactions or decisions with a value of less than 1% of our net assets as shown in our consolidated annual accounts.

In addition to this, our corporate governance charter provides for guidelines for transactions between us and our directors or members of the executive management team. According to such guidelines:

 

Ø   A member of our board of directors or executive management team will in any event be considered to have a conflict of interests if:

 

  Ø   he/she has a personal financial interest in a company with which we intend to enter into a transaction;

 

  Ø   he/she, his/her spouse, registered partner or other life companion, foster child or relative by blood or marriage up to the second degree is a member of the executive management of or board of a company with which we intend to enter into a transaction;

 

  Ø   he/she is a member of the board or executive management of, or holds similar office with, a company with which we intend to enter into a transaction;

 

  Ø   under applicable law, including the rules of any stock market on which our shares may be listed, such conflict of interests exists or is deemed to exist.

Each member of the board of directors or each member of the executive management team must immediately report any potential conflict of interests to the chairman and to the other members of the board of directors or of the executive management team, as the case may be. The members concerned must provide the chairman and the other members of the board of directors or of executive management team, as the case may be, with all information relevant to the conflict, including information relating to the persons with whom he has a family law relationship (his/her spouse, registered partner or other life companion, foster child or relative by blood or marriage up to the second degree) to the extent relevant for the assessment of the existence of a conflict of interests. The chairman of the board of directors or of the executive management team will determine whether a reported (potential) conflict of interests qualifies as a conflict of interests.

If this is the case, a member of the board of directors or of the executive management team, as the case may be, must not participate in the discussions or decision-taking process of the board of directors or of the executive management team, as the case may be, on a subject or transaction in relation to which he has a conflict of interests with us. This transaction, if approved, must be concluded on term customary in the sector concerned and be approved, in the case of a decision by the executive management team, by

 

 

 

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the board of directors. Without prejudice to the foregoing, each member of the board of directors who is faced, directly or indirectly, with a financial interest that conflicts with a decision or transaction within the competence of the board of directors, within the meaning of Article 523, or Article 524ter of the Belgian Company Code, as the case may be, must inform the other members of the board of directors thereof prior to the deliberations. The declaration, as well as the justification, must be included in the minutes of the relevant meeting of the board of directors. The relevant member of the board of directors must inform the statutory auditor of his conflict of interests. With a view to publication in the annual report, the board of directors must set out in its minutes the nature of the decision or transaction and the justification thereof, including the financial consequences of the decision or transaction for us. In the case of a conflict of interests within the executive management team, a copy of the minutes of the executive management team must be submitted to the board of directors at its next meeting. The chairman must procure that all these transactions involving conflicts of interests will be referred to in the annual report, with a declaration that the provisions in our corporate governance charter have been complied with.

 

 

 

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Principal shareholders

The following table sets forth information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of April 20, 2015 for:

 

Ø   each person who is known by us to own beneficially more than 5% of our outstanding ordinary shares;

 

Ø   each member of our board of directors;

 

Ø   each member of our executive management team; and

 

Ø   all members of our board of directors and executive management team as a group.

Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC. These rules generally attribute beneficial ownership of securities to persons who possess sole or shared voting power or investment power with respect to those securities and include ordinary shares that can be acquired within 60 days of April 20, 2015. The percentage ownership information shown in the table prior to the global offering is based upon 7,040,387 ordinary shares outstanding as of April 20, 2015. The percentage ownership information shown in the table after the global offering is based upon             ordinary shares outstanding, assuming the sale of             ADSs and ordinary shares by us in the global offering and no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional ordinary shares and ADSs. The percentage ownership information shown in the table after the global offering if the underwriters’ option is exercised in full is based upon             ordinary shares outstanding, assuming the sale of             ADSs and ordinary shares by us in the global offering assuming the exercise in full of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional ordinary shares and ADSs.

Except as otherwise indicated, all of the shares reflected in the table are ordinary shares and all persons listed below have sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares beneficially owned by them, subject to applicable community property laws. The information is not necessarily indicative of beneficial ownership for any other purpose.

In computing the number of ordinary shares beneficially owned by a person and the percentage ownership of that person, we deemed outstanding ordinary shares subject to warrants held by that person that are immediately exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of April 20, 2015. We did not deem these shares outstanding, however, for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person. Beneficial ownership representing less than 1% is denoted with an asterisk (*). The information in the table below is based on information known to us or ascertained by us from public filings made by the shareholders. Except as otherwise indicated in the table below, addresses of the directors, members of the executive management team and named beneficial owners are in care of Rue Edouard Belin 12, 1435 Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium.

 

Name of Beneficial Owner

   Shares
Beneficially
Owned Prior to
the Global Offering
    Shares
Beneficially
Owned
After
the Global
Offering
     Shares
Beneficially
Owned After
the Global
Offering if
Underwriters’
Option is
Exercised in
Full
 
   Number      Percentage     Percentage      Percentage  

5% Shareholders:

          

TOLEFI SA(1)

     2,267,844         28.90 %     %        %  

PMV-TINA

     428,071         5.46     

MEDISUN INTal Ltd

     568,180         7.24     

SRIW SA(2)

     400,000         5.10     

 

 

 

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Principal shareholders

 

 

Name of Beneficial Owner

   Shares
Beneficially
Owned Prior to
the Global Offering
    Shares
Beneficially
Owned
After
the Global
Offering
   Shares
Beneficially
Owned After
the Global
Offering if
Underwriters’
Option is
Exercised in
Full
   Number      Percentage     Percentage    Percentage

Directors and Members of Executive Management Team

          

Michel Lussier

     162,370         2.07     

Jean-Marc Heynderickx(3)

     125,753         1.06     

Christian Homsy(4)

     67,454         *     

William Wijns

     4,079         *     

Patrick Jeanmart

     13,924         *     

All directors and executive officers as a group (five persons)

     373,580         4.76     

 

(1)   TOLEFI SA is represented by its permanent representative, Serge Goblet.
(2)   Includes shares held by Sofipôle SA, a fully owned subsidiary of SRIW SA.
(3)   Includes 125,753 shares held by BELGENEXT SA, which is controlled by Mr. Jean-Marc Heynderickx.
(4)   Includes 8,000 shares held by Karim Homsy, Mr. Homsy’s son, 6,000 shares held by Bastian Homsy, Mr. Homsy’s son, and 8,000 shares held by Benjamin Homsy, Mr. Homsy’s son.

Each of our shareholders is entitled to one vote per ordinary share. None of the holders of our shares will have different voting rights from other holders of shares after the closing of the global offering. We are not aware of any arrangement that may, at a subsequent date, result in a change of control of our company.

As of                 , 2015, assuming that all of our ordinary shares represented by ADSs are held by residents of the United States, approximately     % of our outstanding shares were held in the United States by         holders of record.

 

 

 

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Description of share capital

The following description of our share capital summarizes certain provisions of our articles of association and the Belgian Company Code. Because this description is a summary, it may not contain all information important to you. Accordingly, this description is qualified entirely by references to our articles of association. Copies of our articles of association will be publicly available as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.

The following description includes comparisons of certain provisions of our articles of association and the Belgian Company Code applicable to us and the Delaware General Corporation Law, or the DGCL, the law under which many publicly listed companies in the United States are incorporated. Because such statements are summaries, they do not address all aspects of Belgian law that may be relevant to us and our shareholders or all aspects of Delaware law which may differ from Belgian law, and they are not intended to be a complete discussion of the respective rights.

Share Capital

Share Capital and Shares

Our share capital is represented by ordinary shares without nominal value. Our share capital is fully paid-up. Our shares are not separated into classes.

The number of shares issued is expressed in units.

 

    

As of the
date of this
prospectus

 

     As of December 31,  
         2014      2013  

Total number of issued and outstanding shares

     7,847,187         7,040,387         6,332,792   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total share capital (€’000)

  27,438      24,615      22,138   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

As of December 31, 2014, our share capital amounts to €24.6 million, represented by 7,040,387 fully authorized and subscribed and paid-up shares without nominal value. This number does not include outstanding warrants issued by us and granted to certain of our directors, employees and non-employees nor any other capital increases after December 31, 2014. Neither we nor any of our subsidiaries holds any of our own shares.

On January 21, 2015, we issued 93,087 new shares to Celdara Medical, LLC in the context of a contribution in kind to our capital of 26.7% of the shares issued by OnCyte, LLC. On February 6, 2015, we issued 333 new shares as a result of exercise of 333 warrants by a former employee. On March 3, 2015, we issued 713,380 new shares to institutional investors in the context of a private placement. Following these capital increases, on March 3, 2015, our share capital amounted to €27.4 million, represented by 7,847,187 shares.

Other Outstanding Securities

In addition to the shares already outstanding, we have granted warrants, which upon exercise will lead to an increase in the number of our outstanding shares. A total of 296,930 warrants (where each warrant entitles the holder to subscribe for one new share) were outstanding and granted as of December 31, 2014. For further information, see ‘‘Management—Warrant Plans.’’

 

 

 

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History of Securities Issuances

Since January 1, 2012, the following events have changed the number and classes of our issued and outstanding shares:

 

Ø   On May 6, 2013, the convertible loans E, F, G and H previously recorded as quasi equity were contributed in kind to our capital for a total amount of €12,013,681.96 (of which €5,026,141.96 in share capital and €6,987,540 in issue premium) in exchange for 905,357 new class B shares.

 

Ø   On May 31, 2013, 219,016 new class B shares were issued in exchange for a total contribution in cash of €6,999,751.36 (of which €1,552,729.26 in share capital and €5,447,022.10 in issue premium).

 

Ø   On June 4, 2013, 2,409,176 new class B shares were issued upon conversion of warrants.

 

Ø   At the extraordinary shareholders’ meeting of June 11, 2013 all existing classes of shares (A and B) were converted into ordinary shares (preferred shares were converted at a 1 for 1 ratio).

 

Ø   On July 9, 2013, we completed our initial public offering in Belgium and France. We issued 1,381,500 new shares at €16.65 per share, corresponding to a total of €23,001,975 (of which €4,835,250 in share capital and €18,166,725 in issue premium).

 

Ø   On July 17, 2013, the over-allotment option was fully exercised for a total amount of €3,450,296 (of which €725,287.5 in share capital and €2,725,008.5 as issue premium) corresponding to 207,225 new shares. The total initial public offering proceeds amounted to €26,450,296 and our capital and share premium increased accordingly. The costs relating to the capital increases performed in 2013 amounted to €2.8 million and are presented in deduction of equity.

 

Ø   On June 11, 2013, the extraordinary shareholders’ meeting authorized the board of directors to increase the share capital, in one or several times, and under certain conditions set forth in extenso in the articles of association. This authorization is valid for a period of five years starting on July 26, 2013 and ending on July 26, 2018. The board of directors may increase the share capital within the framework of the authorized capital for an amount of up to €21,412,720.43. The board has already used € 5,161,264.50 of the authorized capital. Therefore the remaining authorized capital, prior to the offering, amounts to € 16,251,455.93.

 

Ø   In June 2014, our capital was increased by way of a contribution in cash of €24,999,920 (of which €1,988,630 in share capital and €23,011,290 in issue premium), represented by 568,180 new shares fully subscribed by Medisun International Limited.

 

Ø   In the course of 2014, our capital was also increased by way of exercise of warrants. Over four different exercise periods, 139,415 warrants were exercised resulting in the issuance of 139,415 new shares. Our capital and the share premium were therefore increased respectively by €487,952.50 and €499,810.10.

 

Ø   On January 21, 2015, our capital was increased by way of a contribution in kind of €3,451,680 (of which €325,504.50 in share capital and €3,125,875.50 in issue premium), represented by 93,087 new shares issued to Celdara Medical, LLC in the context of a contribution in kind to our capital of 26.7% of the shares issued by OnCyte, LLC.

 

Ø   On February 7, 2015, our capital was increased following the exercise of 333 warrants resulting in the issuance of 333 new shares (with a capital increase of €1,165.50 and an issue premium of €6,307.02).

 

Ø   On March 3, 2015, our capital was increased by way of a contribution in cash of €31,745,410 (of which €2,496,830 in share capital and €29,248,580 in issue premium), represented by 713,380 new shares issued to institutional investors in the context of a private placement.

 

 

 

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All shares issued have been fully paid.

The table below provides an overview of the shares issued since our incorporation on July 7, 2007.

 

Category   Transaction date   Description   # of shares      Issue price (in €)  

Class A shares

  July 24, 2007   Company incorporation     409,375         0.15   

Class A shares

  August 31, 2007   Contribution in kind (upfront fee Mayo Licence)     261,732         36.30   

Class B shares

  December 23, 2008   Capital increase in cash (Round B)     137,150         35.36   

Class B shares

  December 23, 2008   Contribution in kind (Loan B)     67,502         35.36   

Class B shares

  October 29, 2010   Contribution in cash     21,000         22.44   

Class B shares

  October 29, 2010   Contribution in kind (Loan C)     92,068         35.36   

Class B shares

  October 29, 2010   Contribution in kind (Loan D)     57,095         35.36   

Class B shares

  October 29, 2010   Contribution in cash     73,793         35.36   

Class B shares

  October 29, 2010   Exercise of warrants     12,300         22.44   

Class B shares

  October 29, 2010   Contribution in kind (Mayo receivable)     69,455         44.20   

Class B shares

  October 29, 2010   Contribution in cash     9,048         44.20   

Class B shares

  May 6, 2013   Contribution in kind (Loan E)     118,365         38,39   

Class B shares

  May 6, 2013   Contribution in kind (Loan F)     56,936         38,39   

Class B shares

  May 6, 2013   Contribution in kind (Loan G)     654,301         4,52   

Class B shares

  May 6, 2013   Contribution in kind (Loan H)     75,755         30,71   

Class B shares

  May 31, 2013   Contribution in cash     219,016         31,96   

Class B shares

  June 4, 2013   Conversion of warrants     2,409,176         0,01   

Ordinary shares

  June 11, 2013   Conversion of Class A and Class B shares in ordinary shares     4,744,067         —     

Ordinary shares

  July 9, 2013   Initial Public Offering     1,381,500         16.65   

Ordinary shares

  July 17, 2013   Exercise of over-allotment option     207,225         16.65   

Ordinary shares

  January 31, 2014   Exercise of warrants issued in September 2008     5,966         22.44   

Ordinary shares

  January 31, 2014   Exercise of warrants issued in May 2010     333         22.44   

Ordinary shares

  January 31, 2014   Exercise of warrants issued in January 2013     120,000         4.52   

Ordinary shares

  May 5, 2014   Exercise of warrants issued in September 2008     2,366         22.44   

Ordinary shares

  June 16, 2014   Capital increase in cash     284,090         44.00   

Ordinary shares

  June 30, 2014   Capital increase in cash     284,090         44.00   

Ordinary shares

  August 4, 2014   Exercise of warrants issued in September 2008     5,000         22.44   

Ordinary shares

  August 4, 2014   Exercise of warrants issued in October 2010     750         35.36   

Ordinary shares

  November 3, 2014   Exercise of warrants issued in September 2008     5,000         22.44   

 

 

 

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Category   Transaction date   Description   # of shares      Issue price (in €)  

Ordinary shares

  January 21, 2015   Capital increase in kind     93,087         37.08   

Ordinary shares

  February 7, 2015   Exercise of warrants issued in October 2010     333         22.44   

Ordinary shares

  March 3, 2015   Capital increase in cash     713,380         44.50   

 

( 000)                              
Date    Nature of the transactions    Share Capital      Share premium      Number of shares  
   Balance as of January 1, 2013      9,975         —           1,210,518   
  

Issue of share subscription warrants

     24         —           2,409,176   
  

Capital increase by issuance of common shares

     12,139         30,474         2,713,098   
  

Balance as of December 31, 2013

     22,138         30,474         6,332,792   

 

( 000)                              
Date    Nature of the transactions    Share Capital      Share premium      Number of shares  
  

Balance as of January 1, 2014

     22,138         30,474         6,332,792   
   Issue of share subscription warrants      488         500         139,415   
  

Capital increase by issuance of common shares

     1,989         21,899         568,180   
   Share based payments      —           429         —     
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2014

  24,615      53,302      7,040,387   
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

The total number of shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2014 totals 7,040,387. All shares are ordinary shares.

As of December 31, 2014, based on publicly available information, our shareholding was as follows:

 

      Shares      % age  

TOLEFI SA

     2,267,844         32.21

PMV-TINA

     570,571         8.10

MEDISUN

     568,180         8.07

SRIW SA

     533,828         7.58

Senior Management

     368,149         5.23

Others

     2,731,815         38.81

TOTAL

     7,040,387         100

Articles of Association and Other Share Information

Corporate Profile

Our legal and commercial name is Celyad SA. Prior to May 5, 2015, our corporate name was Cardio3 Biosciences SA. We are a limited liability company incorporated in the form of a naamloze vennootschap / société anonyme under Belgian law. We are registered with the Register of Legal Entities (RPM Nivelles) under the enterprise number 0891.118.115. Our principal executive and registered offices are located at rue Edouard Belin 12, 1435 Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium and our telephone number is +32 10 394 100. Our agent for service of process in the United States is CT Corporation System.

We were incorporated in Belgium on July 24, 2007 for an unlimited duration. Our fiscal year ends December 31.

 

 

 

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Corporate Purpose

Our corporate purpose as set forth in Article 3 of our articles of association is as follows:

“The company’s purpose, both in Belgium and abroad, on its own behalf or on behalf of third parties, for itself or for others, is to develop new medical technologies, and in particular, but not exclusively, to research and develop, manufacture and sell parts and systems, including the procedures, formula, development and manufacturing methods, the instruments and equipment, the materials and products, the prototypes, the software and technical and research programs, the design, the patents and trademarks, all related directly or indirectly to biotechnologies and, in particular but not exclusively, to cell therapies and the various directly or indirectly related scientific, operational, legal and financial fields. The company may, if necessary, file and register all or part of its research (patents, inventions, trademarks) and partake in any operation relating directly or indirectly to its corporate purpose if these operations are necessary in order to enable it to pursue its activities.

The company may partake, both in Belgium and abroad, in all industrial, commercial, financial, movable property and real estate transactions that are likely to help expand or promote its business directly or indirectly.

It may acquire any moveable and real property, even if it has no direct or indirect link to the company’s corporate purpose.

It can provide any form of security in order to guarantee the undertakings of an affiliated or associated company to which it is linked through a shareholding, or of any third party in general.

It can, through any means, acquire an interest in, cooperate or merge with any associations, ventures, businesses, or companies that have an identical, similar or related corporate purpose, or that are likely to promote the company or facilitate the sale of its products or services. It may acquire a financial interest in the form of capital contribution, an assignment, a merger, subscription or stake, or in any other manner, in companies, businesses, or operations that have a similar or related corporate purpose, or which are likely to help it achieve its corporate purpose.”

Board of Directors

Belgian law does not specifically regulate the ability of directors to borrow money from us.

Article 523 of the Belgian Company Code provides that if one of our directors directly or indirectly has a personal patrimonial interest that conflicts with a decision or transaction that falls within the powers of our board of directors, the director concerned must inform our other directors before our board of directors makes any decision on such transaction. The statutory auditor must also be notified. The director may neither participate in the deliberation nor vote on the conflicting decision or transaction. A copy of the minutes of the meeting of our board of directors that sets forth the statements of the conflicted director, the nature of the transaction, the financial impact of the matter on us and the justification of the decision of our board of directors must be published in our annual report. The statutory auditors’ report on the annual accounts must contain a description of the financial impact on us of each of the decisions of our board of directors where director conflicts arise.

In case of non-compliance with the foregoing, we may request the annulment of the decision or the transaction which has taken place in breach of these provisions if the counterparty to the decision or the transaction was, or should have been, aware of such breach.

 

 

 

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The DGCL generally permits transactions involving a Delaware corporation and an interested director of that corporation if (i) the material facts as to the director’s relationship or interest and as to the transaction are disclosed and a majority of disinterested directors consent, (ii) the material facts are disclosed as to the director’s relationship or interest and a majority of shares entitled to vote thereon consent or (iii) the transaction is fair to the corporation at the time it is authorized by the board of directors, a committee of the board of directors or the shareholders.

We rely on a provision in the Listing Rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market that allows us to follow Belgian corporate law with respect to certain aspects of corporate governance. This allows us to continue following certain corporate governance practices that differ in significant respects from the corporate governance requirements applicable to U.S. companies listed on the NASDAQ Global Market. In particular, the Listing Rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market require a majority of the directors of a listed U.S. company to be independent, whereas in Belgium, only three directors need to be independent. Nevertheless, our board of directors currently comprises of four independent directors and seven non-independent directors. See ‘‘Management—Our Board of Directors.’’ The Listing Rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market further require that each of the nominating, compensation and audit committees of a listed U.S. company be comprised entirely of independent directors. However, the Belgian Corporate Governance Code recommends only that a majority of the directors on each of these committees meet the technical requirements for independence under Belgian corporate law. At present, our audit committee is composed of 3 independent directors. Our nomination and remuneration committee is composed of 3 independent directors out of 4 members. Our board of directors has no plan to change the composition of our audit committee and nomination and remuneration committee.

Form and Transferability of Our Shares

All of our shares belong to the same class of securities and are in registered form or in dematerialized form. All of our outstanding shares are fully paid-up and freely transferable, subject to any contractual restrictions.

Belgian company law and our articles of association entitle shareholders to request, in writing and at their expense, the conversion of their dematerialised shares into registered shares and vice versa. Any costs incurred as a result of the conversion of shares into another form will be borne by the shareholder. For shareholders who opt for registered shares, the shares will be recorded in our shareholder register.

Currency

Our share capital, which is represented by our outstanding ordinary shares, is denominated in euros.

Changes to Our Share Capital

In principle, changes to our share capital are decided by our shareholders. Our shareholders may at any time at a meeting of shareholders decide to increase or decrease our share capital. Any such resolution of shareholders must satisfy the quorum and majority requirements that apply to an amendment of the articles of association, as described below in ‘‘—Description of the Rights and Benefits Attached To Our Shares—Right to Attend and Vote at Our Meeting of Shareholders—Quorum and Majority Requirements.’’ No shareholder is liable to make any further contribution to our share capital other than with respect to shares held by such shareholder that would not be fully paid-up.

Share Capital Increases by Our Board of Directors

Subject to the quorum and majority requirements described below in ‘‘—Description of the Rights and Benefits Attached To Our Shares—Right to Attend and Vote at Our Meeting of Shareholders—Quorum

 

 

 

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and Majority Requirements,’’ our meeting of shareholders may authorize our board of directors, within certain limits, to increase our share capital without any further approval of our shareholders. A capital increase that is authorized in this manner is referred to as authorized capital. This authorization can only be granted for a renewable period of a maximum of five years as from the date of the publication of the authorization in the Annexes to the Belgian Official Gazette and may not exceed the amount of the registered share capital at the time of the authorization. On June 11, 2013, our meeting of shareholders granted this authorization in respect of the authorized capital.

Without prejudice to more restrictive rules set forth by law, our board of directors was authorized to increase the registered capital of the company in one or more transactions with a maximum amount that cannot exceed €21,412,720.43 (excluding issuance premiums, if any). The board has already used €5,161,264.50 of the authorized capital. Therefore the remaining authorized capital, prior to the offering, amounts to €16,251,455.93.

Normally, the authorization of the board of directors to increase our share capital through contributions in kind or in cash with cancellation or limitation of the preferential right of the existing shareholders is suspended if we are notified by the Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority, or the FSMA, of a public takeover bid on the financial instruments of the company. The shareholders’ meeting can, however, authorize the board of directors to increase the share capital by issuing further shares, not representing more than 10% of the shares of the Company at the time of such a public tender offer. On June 11, 2013, the extraordinary shareholders’ meeting decided to authorize the board of directors to increase our share capital, including with limitation or cancellation of the shareholders’ preferential subscription rights, in one or more times and including the authorization to make use of such authorized capital in the framework of a public tender offer.

Preferential Subscription Rights

In the event of a share capital increase for cash through the issuance of new shares, or in the event we issue convertible bonds or warrants, our existing shareholders have a preferential right to subscribe, pro rata, to the new shares, convertible bonds or warrants. These preferential subscription rights are transferable during the subscription period.

Our shareholders may, at a meeting of shareholders, decide to limit or cancel this preferential subscription right, subject to special reporting requirements. Such decision by the shareholders must satisfy the same quorum and majority requirements as the decision to increase our share capital.

Shareholders may also decide to authorize our board of directors to limit or cancel the preferential subscription right within the framework of the authorized capital, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Belgian Company Code. Our board of directors currently has the authority to increase the share capital within the framework of the authorized capital, and the right to limit or cancel the preferential subscription right within the framework of the authorized capital. See also ‘‘—Share Capital Increases by Our Board of Directors’’ above.

Under the DGCL, shareholders of a Delaware corporation have no preemptive rights to subscribe for additional issues of stock or to any security convertible into such stock unless, and to the extent that, such rights are expressly provided for in the corporation’s certificate of incorporation.

Purchases and Sales of Our Own Shares

We may only repurchase our own shares pursuant to authorization of our shareholders at a meeting of shareholders taken under the conditions of quorum and majority provided for in the Belgian Company Code. Pursuant to the Belgian Company Code, such a decision requires a quorum of shareholders

 

 

 

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holding an aggregate of at least 50% of the share capital and approval by a majority of at least 80% of the share capital present or represented. If there is no quorum, a second meeting must be convened. No quorum is required at the second meeting, but the relevant resolution must be approved by a majority of at least 80% of the votes validly cast at the shareholders meeting.

Within such authorization, we may only repurchase our own shares if the amount that we would use for repurchase is available for distribution. Currently we have no such an authorization and we neither have any funds available for distribution, nor own any of our own shares.

Under the DGCL, a Delaware corporation may purchase or redeem its own shares, unless the capital of the corporation is impaired or the purchase or redemption would cause an impairment of the capital of the corporation.

Description of the Rights and Benefits Attached To Our Shares

Right to Attend and Vote at Our Meetings of Shareholders

Annual Meeting of Shareholders

Our annual meeting of shareholders is held every year on May 5, at 9am (Central European Time), at our registered office or at any other place in Belgium mentioned in the notice of the meeting. If this date is a Saturday, Sunday or a public holiday in Belgium, the meeting is held on the following day that is a business day in Belgium.

At the annual meeting of shareholders, the board of directors submits the audited statutory financial statements under Belgian GAAP and the reports of the board of directors and of the statutory auditor with respect thereto to the shareholders. The shareholders meeting then decides on the approval of the statutory financial statements under Belgian GAAP, the proposed allocation of the Company’s profit or loss, the discharge of liability of the directors and the statutory auditor, and, as the case may be, the reappointment or dismissal of the statutory auditor and/or of all or certain directors and the matters described in Article 554 of the Belgian Company Code.

Special and Extraordinary Meetings of Shareholders

Our board of directors or the statutory auditor (or the liquidators, if appropriate) may, whenever our interests so require, convene a special or extraordinary meeting of shareholders. Such meeting of shareholders must also be convened when one or more shareholders holding at least one-fifth of our share capital so demands.

Under the DGCL, special meetings of the shareholders of a Delaware corporation may be called by such person or persons as may be authorized by the certificate of incorporation or by the bylaws of the corporation, or if not so designated, as determined by the board of directors. Shareholders generally do not have the right to call meetings of shareholders , unless that right is granted in the certificate of incorporation or the bylaws.

Notices Convening Meetings of Shareholders and Agenda

Notices of our meetings of shareholders contain the agenda of the meeting, indicating the items to be discussed as well as any proposed resolutions that will be submitted at the meeting.

 

 

 

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One or more shareholders holding at least 3% of our share capital may request for items to be added to the agenda of any convened meeting and submit proposed resolutions in relation to existing agenda items or new items to be added to the agenda, provided that:

 

Ø   They prove ownership of such shareholding as at the date of their request and record their shares representing such shareholding on the record date; and

 

Ø   The additional items on the agenda and any proposed resolutions have been submitted in writing by these shareholders to the board of directors at the latest on the twenty-second day preceding the day on which the relevant meeting of shareholders is held.

The shareholding must be proven by a certificate evidencing the registration of the relevant shares in the share register of the company or by a certificate issued by the authorized account holder or the clearing organization certifying the book-entry of the relevant number of dematerialized shares in the name of the relevant shareholder(s).

The notice must be published in the Belgian Official Gazette ( Belgisch Staatsblad/Moniteur belge ) at least 30 days prior to the meeting of shareholders. In the event a second convening notice is necessary and the date of the second meeting is mentioned in the first convening notice, that period is seventeen days prior to the second meeting of shareholders. The notice must also be published in a national newspaper 30 days prior to the date of the meeting of shareholders, except if the meeting concerned is an annual meeting of shareholders held at the municipality, place, day and hour mentioned in the articles of association and whose agenda is limited to the examination of the annual accounts, the annual report of the board of directors, the annual report of the statutory auditor, the vote on the discharge of the directors and the statutory auditor and the vote on the items referred to in Article 554, paragraphs 3 and 4 of the Belgian Company Code (i.e., in relation to a remuneration report or a severance pay). Notices of all our meetings of shareholders and all related documents, such as specific board and auditor’s reports, are also published on our website.

Convening notices must be sent 30 days prior to the meeting of shareholders to the holders of registered shares, holders of registered bonds, holders of registered warrants, holders of registered certificates issued with our cooperation and to our directors and statutory auditor. This communication is made by ordinary letter unless the addressees have individually and expressly accepted in writing to receive the notice by another form of communication, without having to give evidence of the fulfillment of such formality.

Under the DGCL, unless otherwise provided in the certificate of incorporation or bylaws, written notice of any meeting of the shareholders of a Delaware corporation must be given to each shareholder entitled to vote at the meeting not less than ten nor more than sixty days before the date of the meeting and shall specify the place, date, hour and, in the case of a special meeting, the purpose of the meeting.

Admission to Meetings

A shareholder is only entitled to participate in and vote at the meeting of shareholders, irrespective of the number of shares he owns on the date of the meeting of shareholders, provided that his shares are recorded in his name at midnight (Central European Time) at the end of the fourteenth day preceding the date of the meeting of shareholders, or the record date:

 

Ø   in case of registered shares, in our register of registered shares; or

 

Ø   in case of dematerialized shares, through book-entry in the accounts of an authorized account holder or clearing organization.

 

 

 

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In addition, we (or the person designated by us) must, at the latest on the sixth day preceding the day of the meeting of shareholders, be notified as follows of the intention of the shareholder to participate in the meeting of shareholders:

 

Ø   In case of registered shares, the shareholder must, at the latest on the above-mentioned date, notify us (or the person designated by us) in writing of his intention to participate in the meeting of shareholders and of the number of shares he intends to participate in the meeting of shareholders with by returning a signed paper form, or, if permitted by the convening notice, by sending an electronic form (signed by means of an electronic signature in accordance with the applicable Belgian law) electronically, to us on the address indicated in the convening notice; and

 

Ø   In case of dematerialized shares, the shareholder must, at the latest on the above-mentioned date, provide us (or the person designated by us), or arrange for us (or the person designated by us) to be provided with, a certificate issued by the authorized account holder or clearing organization certifying the number of dematerialized shares recorded in the shareholder’s accounts on the record date in respect of which the shareholder has indicated his intention to participate in the meeting of shareholders.

Each shareholder has the right to attend a meeting of shareholders and to vote at the meeting of shareholders in person or through a proxy holder. The proxy holder does not need to be a shareholder. A shareholder may only appoint one person as proxy holder for a particular meeting of shareholders, except in cases provided for in the law. Our board of directors may determine the form of the proxies. The appointment of a proxy holder must in any event take place in paper form or electronically, the proxy must be signed by the shareholder (as the case may be, by means of an electronic signature in accordance with the applicable Belgian law) and we must receive the proxy at the latest on the sixth day preceding the day on which the meeting of shareholders is held.

The board of directors must maintain a register in which, for each shareholder who has duly expressed its intention to participate to the shareholders meeting, it shall record the name and address (or registered offices) of such shareholder, the number of shares it held on the registration date and for which it has expressed its intention to participate to the meeting, as well as a description of the documents evidencing that such shareholder held the relevant shares at the registration date.

Prior to participating to the shareholders meeting, the holders of securities or their proxy holders must sign the attendance list, thereby mentioning: (i) the identity of the holder of securities, (ii) if applicable, the identity of the proxy holder, and (iii) the number of securities they represent. The representatives of shareholders-legal entities must present the documents evidencing their quality as legal body or special proxy holder of such legal entity. In addition, the proxy holders must present the original of their proxy evidencing their powers, unless the convening notice required the prior deposit of such proxies. The physical persons taking part in the shareholders meeting must be able to prove their identity.

The holders of profit certificates (if any), shares without voting rights (if any), bonds (if any), warrants or other securities issued by us (if any), as well as the holders of certificates issued with our co-operation and representative securities issued by us (if any), may attend the shareholders meeting.

Pursuant to Article 7, section 5 of the Belgian Law of May 2, 2007 on the disclosure of major shareholdings, a transparency declaration has to be made if a proxy holder that is entitled to voting rights above the threshold of 5% or any multiple of 5% of the total number of voting rights attached to our outstanding financial instruments on the date of the relevant meeting of shareholders would have the right to exercise the voting rights at his discretion.

 

 

 

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Votes

Each shareholder is entitled to one vote per share.

Voting rights can be suspended in relation to shares:

 

Ø   That were not fully paid up, notwithstanding the request thereto of our board of directors.

 

Ø   To which more than one person is entitled, except in the event a single representative is appointed for the exercise of the voting right.

 

Ø   That entitle their holder to voting rights above the threshold of 5% or any multiple of 5% of the total number of voting rights attached to our outstanding financial instruments on the date of the relevant general meeting of shareholders, except to the extent where the relevant shareholder has notified us and the Belgian FSMA at least twenty days prior to the date of the general meeting of shareholders on which he or she wishes to vote of its shareholding reaching or exceeding the thresholds above.

 

Ø   Of which the voting right was suspended by a competent court or the Belgian FSMA.

Quorum and Majority Requirements

Generally, there is no quorum requirement for our meeting of shareholders, except as provided for by law in relation to decisions regarding certain matters. Decisions are made by a simple majority, except where the law provides for a special majority.

Under the DGCL, the certificate of incorporation or bylaws of a Delaware corporation may specify the number of shares required to constitute a quorum but in no event shall a quorum consist of less than one-third of shares entitled to vote at a meeting. In the absence of such specifications, a majority of shares entitled to vote shall constitute a quorum.

Matters involving special legal quorum and majority requirements include, among others, amendment to the articles of association, issues of new shares, convertible bonds or warrants and decisions (except if decided by the board in the framework of the authorized capital) regarding mergers and demergers, dissolutions or other reorganizations, which require at least 50% of the share capital to be present or represented and the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 75% of the votes cast.

Any modification of our corporate purpose or legal form or subject to certain exceptions the possibility of acquiring own shares requires a quorum of shareholders holding an aggregate of at least 50% of the share capital and at least 50% of the profit certificates if any and approval by a majority of at least 80% of the share capital present or represented. If there is no quorum, a second meeting must be convened. At the second meeting, no quorum is required, but the relevant resolution must be approved by a majority of at least 80% of the share capital present or represented.

If the above mentioned quora are not reached, a second meeting may be convened at which no quorum requirement applies. The special majority requirement for voting, however, remains applicable.

Right to Ask Questions at our Meetings of Shareholders

Within the limits of Article 540 of the Belgian Company Code, members of the board of directors and the auditor will answer, during the meeting of shareholders, the questions raised by shareholders. Shareholders can ask questions either during the meeting or in writing, provided that we receive the written questions at the latest on the sixth day preceding the meeting of shareholders and that they have complied with the formalities to attend the meeting of shareholders.

 

 

 

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Dividends

All shares participate in the same manner in our profits, if any. Pursuant to the Belgian Company Code, the shareholders can in principle decide on the distribution of profits with a simple majority vote at the occasion of the annual meeting of shareholders, based on the most recent non-consolidated statutory audited annual accounts, prepared in accordance with the generally accepted accounting principles in Belgium and based on a (non-binding) proposal of the board of directors. The articles of association also authorize our board of directors to declare interim dividends subject to the terms and conditions of the Belgian Company Code.

Pursuant to Article 617 of the Belgian Company Code, dividends can only be distributed if following the declaration and payment of the dividends the amount of the company’s net assets on the date of the closing of the last financial year according to the non-consolidated statutory annual accounts (i.e., the amount of the assets as shown in the balance sheet, decreased with provisions and liabilities, all as prepared in accordance with Belgian accounting rules), decreased with the non-amortized costs of incorporation and expansion and the non-amortized costs for research and development, does not fall below the amount of the paid-up capital (or, if higher, the called capital), increased with the amount of non-distributable reserves. In addition, prior to distributing dividends, at least 5% of our annual net profit under our non-consolidated statutory accounts (prepared in accordance with Belgian accounting rules) must be allotted to a legal reserve, until the legal reserve amounts to 10% of the share capital. See “Dividend Policy”.

The right to payment of dividends expires five years after the board of directors declared the dividend payable.

Under the DGCL, a Delaware corporation may pay dividends out of its surplus (the excess of net assets over capital), or in case there is no surplus, out of its net profits for either or both of the fiscal year in which the dividend is declared and the preceding fiscal year (provided that the amount of the capital of the corporation is not less than the aggregate amount of the capital represented by the issued and outstanding stock of all classes having a preference upon the distribution of assets). Dividends may be paid in the form of shares, property or cash.

Appointment of Directors

Our articles of association provide that our board of directors shall be composed of at least three directors.

Under our articles of association, each of PMV-TINA Comm. V and Sofipôle SA is entitled to nominate a candidate for appointment to our board of directors as long as such entity (or any of its affiliates) continues to hold a minimum number of shares. As of December 31, 2014, the number of shares was 427,929 shares for PMV-TINA and 495,879 shares for Sofipôle.

Liquidation Rights

Our company can only be voluntarily dissolved by a shareholders’ resolution passed with a majority of at least 75% of the votes cast at an extraordinary meeting of shareholders where at least 50% of the share capital is present or represented. In the event the required quorum is not present or represented at the first meeting, a second meeting needs to be convened through a new notice. The second meeting of shareholders can validly deliberate and decide regardless of the number of shares present or represented.

Under the DGCL, unless the board of directors approves the proposal to dissolve, dissolution of a Delaware corporation must be approved by shareholders holding 100% of the total voting power of the

 

 

 

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corporation. Only if the dissolution is initiated by the board of directors may it be approved by a simple majority of the corporation’s outstanding shares. The DGCL allows a Delaware corporation to include in its certificate of incorporation a supermajority voting requirement in connection with dissolutions initiated by the board.

In the event of the dissolution and liquidation of our company, the assets remaining after payment of all debts and liquidation expenses will be distributed to the holders of our shares, each receiving a sum on a pro rata basis.

If, as a result of losses incurred, the ratio of our net assets (on a non-consolidated basis, determined in accordance with Belgian legal and accounting rules) to share capital is less than 50%, our board of directors must convene an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders within two months of the date upon which our board of directors discovered or should have discovered this undercapitalization. At this meeting of shareholders, our board of directors needs to propose either our dissolution or our continuation, in which case our board of directors must propose measures to address our financial situation. Our board of directors must justify its proposals in a special report to the shareholders. Shareholders representing at least 75% of the votes validly cast at this meeting have the right to dissolve us, provided that at least 50% of our share capital is present or represented at the meeting. In the event the required quorum is not present or represented at the first meeting, a second meeting needs to be convened through a new notice. The second meeting of shareholders can validly deliberate and decide regardless of the number of shares present or represented.

If, as a result of losses incurred, the ratio of our net assets to share capital is less than 25%, the same procedure must be followed, it being understood, however, that in the event shareholders representing 25% of the votes validly cast at the meeting can decide to dissolve the company. If the amount of our net assets has dropped below €61,500 (the minimum amount of share capital of a Belgian public limited liability company), any interested party is entitled to request the competent court to dissolve us. The court can order our dissolution or grant a grace period during which time we must remedy the situation. Holders of ordinary shares have no sinking fund, redemption or appraisal rights.

Belgian Legislation

Disclosure of Significant Shareholdings

The Belgian Law of May 2, 2007 on the disclosure of significant shareholdings in issuers whose securities are admitted to trading on a regulated market requires each natural or legal person acquiring or transferring our shares (directly or indirectly, by ownership of ADSs or otherwise) to notify us and the Belgian FSMA each time their shareholding crosses (upwards or downwards) a threshold of 5% of the total number of outstanding voting rights allocated to the Company’s securities or any multiple thereof.

Similarly, if as a result of events changing the breakdown of voting rights, the percentage of the voting rights reaches, exceeds or falls below any of the above thresholds, disclosure is required even when no acquisition or disposal of shares or ADSs has occurred (e.g., as a result of a capital increase or a capital decrease). Finally, disclosure is also required when persons acting in concert enter into, modify or terminate their agreement resulting in their voting rights reaching, exceeding or falling below any of the above thresholds.

The disclosure statements must be addressed to the Belgian FSMA and to us at the latest on the fourth trading day following the day on which the circumstance giving rise to the disclosure occurred.

 

 

 

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The notification can be electronically transmitted to the Company and the Belgian FSMA. The forms required to make such notifications, as well as further explanations may be found on the website of the Belgian FSMA (www.fsma.be).

Violation of the disclosure requirements may result in the suspension of voting rights, a court order to sell the securities to a third party and/or criminal liability. The Belgian FSMA may also impose administrative sanctions.

We must publish all information contained in such notifications no later than three trading days after receipt of such notification. In addition, we must mention in the notes to its annual accounts, our shareholders structure (as it appears from the notifications received). Moreover, we must publish the total share capital, the total number of voting securities and voting rights (for each class of securities (if any)), at the end of each calendar month during which one of these numbers has changed, as well as on the day on which our shares will for the first time be admitted to trading on Euronext Brussels and Euronext Paris. Furthermore, we must disclose, as the case may be, the total number of bonds convertible in voting securities (if any), whether or not incorporated in securities, to subscribe to voting securities not yet issued (if any), the total number of voting rights that can be obtained upon the exercise of these conversion or subscription rights and the total number of shares without voting rights (if any).

Unless otherwise provided by law, a shareholder shall only be allowed to vote at our meeting of shareholders the number of shares such shareholder validly disclosed at the latest twenty days before such meeting.

In accordance with U.S. federal securities laws, holders of our ordinary shares and holders of ADSs will be required to comply with disclosure requirements relating to their ownership of our securities. Any person that, after acquiring beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares or ADSs, is the beneficial owners of more than 5% of our outstanding ordinary shares or ordinary shares underlying ADSs must file with the SEC a Schedule 13D or Schedule 13G, as applicable, disclosing the information required by such schedules, including the number of our ordinary shares or ordinary shares underlying ADSs that such person has acquired (whether alone or jointly with one or more other persons). In addition, if any material change occurs in the facts set forth in the report filed on Schedule 13D (including a more than 1% increase or decrease in the percentage of the total shares beneficially owned), the beneficial owner must promptly file an amendment disclosing such change.

Disclosure of Net Short Positions

Pursuant to the Regulation (EU) No. 236/2012 of the European Parliament and the Council on short selling and certain aspects of credit default swaps, any person that acquires or disposes of a net short position relating to our issued share capital, whether by a transaction in shares or ADSs, or by a transaction creating or relating to any financial instrument where the effect or one of the effects of the transaction is to confer a financial advantage on the person entering into that transaction in the event of a decrease in the price of such shares or ADSs is required to notify the Belgian FSMA if, as a result of which acquisition or disposal his net short position reaches, exceeds or falls below 0.2% of our issued share capital and each 0.1% above that. If the net short position reaches 0.5%, and also at every 0.1% above that, the Belgian FSMA will disclose the net short position to the public.

Public Takeover Bids

The European Takeover Directive 2004/25/EC of April 21, 2004 has been implemented in Belgium through the law of April 1, 2007 on public takeovers, or the Takeover Law, the Royal Decree of April 27, 2007 on public takeovers and the Royal Decree of April 27, 2007 on squeeze-out bids.

 

 

 

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Public takeover bids in Belgium for our shares or other securities giving access to voting rights are subject to supervision by the Belgian FSMA. The Takeover Law determines when a bid is deemed to be public in Belgium. Public takeover bids must be extended to all of the voting securities, as well as all other securities giving access to voting rights. Prior to making a bid, a bidder must publish a prospectus that has been approved by the Belgian FSMA prior to publication.

The Takeover Law provides that a mandatory bid must be launched on all our shares (and our other securities giving access to voting rights), if a person, as a result of its own acquisition or the acquisition by persons acting in concert with it or by persons acting for its account, directly or indirectly holds more than 30% of our voting securities (directly or through ADSs). In general and except for certain exceptions, the mere fact of exceeding the relevant threshold as a result of an acquisition will give rise to the obligation to launch a mandatory tender offer, irrespective of whether or not the price paid in the relevant transaction exceeds the then current market price. In such an event, the tender offer must be launched at a price equal to the higher of the two following amounts: (i) the highest price paid by the offeror or the persons acting in concert with it for the acquisition of shares during the last 12 calendar months; and (ii) the average trading price during the last 30 days before the obligation to launch a tender offer arose. No mandatory tender offer is required, amongst other things, when the acquisition is the result of a subscription for a capital increase with application of the preferential subscription rights of the shareholders. The acceptance period for the tender offer must be at least two weeks and not more than ten weeks.

In principle, the authorization granted to the board of directors to increase the share capital through contributions in cash with cancellation or limitation of the preferential subscription right of the existing shareholders is suspended as of the notification to the company by the Belgian FSMA of a public tender offer on the securities of such company. The shareholders meeting can, however, authorize the board of directors to increase the share capital by issuing shares representing not more than 10% of the existing shares of the company at the time of such a public tender offer. Such authorization was granted to our board of directors on date June 11, 2013. Those powers remain in effect for a period of three years from the date of this authorization.

Squeeze-out

Pursuant to Article 513 of the Belgian Company Code and the regulations promulgated thereunder, a person or legal entity, or different persons or legal entities acting alone or in concert, that own together with the company 95% of the securities with voting rights in a public company are entitled to acquire the totality of the securities with voting rights in that company following a squeeze-out offer. The securities that are not voluntarily tendered in response to such an offer are deemed to be automatically transferred to the bidder at the end of the procedure. At the end of the procedure, the company is no longer deemed a public company, unless bonds issued by the company are still spread among the public. The consideration for the securities must be in cash and must represent the fair value (verified by an independent expert) in order to safeguard the interests of the transferring shareholders.

The DGCL provides for shareholders appraisal rights, or the right to demand payment in cash of the judicially determined fair value of the shareholder’s shares, in connection with certain mergers and consolidations.

Limitations on the Right to Own Securities

Neither Belgian law nor our articles of association impose any general limitation on the right of non-residents or foreign persons to hold our securities or exercise voting rights on our securities other than those limitations that would generally apply to all shareholders.

 

 

 

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Exchange Controls and Limitations Affecting Shareholders

There are no Belgian exchange control regulations that impose limitations on our ability to make, or the amount of, cash payments to residents of the United States.

We are in principle under an obligation to report to the National Bank of Belgium certain cross-border payments, transfers of funds, investments and other transactions in accordance with applicable balance-of-payments statistical reporting obligations. Where a cross-border transaction is carried out by a Belgian credit institution on our behalf, the credit institution will in certain circumstances be responsible for the reporting obligations.

Securities Exercisable for Ordinary Shares

Equity Incentives

See the section of this prospectus titled “Management—Warrant Plans” for a description of securities granted by our board of directors to our directors, members of the executive management team, employees and other service providers.

Listing

We intend to apply to list the ADSs on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “CYAD.”

Transfer Agent and Registrar

Upon the closing of the global offering, the transfer agent and registrar for the ADSs will be Citibank, N.A.

 

 

 

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Description of American depositary shares

American Depositary Shares

Citibank, N.A. as depositary, registers and delivers American Depositary Shares, also referred to as ADSs. Each ADS represents one ordinary share (or a right to receive one ordinary share) deposited with the principal office of                      or any successor, as custodian for the depositary. Each ADS will also represent any other securities, cash or other property which may be held by the depositary in respect of the depositary facility. The depositary’s corporate trust office at which the ADSs are administered is located at 101 Barclay Street, New York, New York 10286. The depositary’s principal executive office is located at One Wall Street, New York, New York 10286.

You may hold ADSs either (1) directly (a) by having an American Depositary Receipt, also referred to as an ADR, which is a certificate evidencing a specific number of ADSs, registered in your name, or (b) by having ADSs registered in your name in the Direct Registration System, or (2) indirectly by holding a security entitlement in ADSs through your broker or other financial institution. If you hold ADSs directly, you are a registered ADS holder, also referred to as an ADS holder. This description assumes you are an ADS holder. If you hold the ADSs indirectly, you must rely on the procedures of your broker or other financial institution to assert the rights of ADS holders described in this section. You should consult with your broker or financial institution to find out what those procedures are.

The Direct Registration System, or DRS, is a system administered by The Depository Trust Company, also referred to as DTC, pursuant to which the depositary may register the ownership of uncertificated ADSs, which ownership is confirmed by periodic statements sent by the depositary to the registered holders of uncertificated ADSs.

As an ADS holder, you will not be treated as one of our shareholders and you will not have shareholder rights. Belgian law governs shareholder rights. The depositary will be the holder of the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs. As a holder of ADSs, you will have ADS holder rights. A deposit agreement among us, the depositary and you, as an ADS holder, and all other persons directly and indirectly holding ADSs sets out ADS holder rights as well as the rights and obligations of the depositary. New York law governs the deposit agreement and the ADRs. In the event of any discrepancy between the ADRs and the deposit agreement, the deposit agreement governs.

The ADSs are registered with the SEC on Form F-6 (File no. 333-         ) and the form deposit agreement is filed as an exhibit to such registration statement.

The following is a summary of the material provisions of the deposit agreement. For more complete information, you should read the entire deposit agreement and the form of ADR. For directions on how to obtain copies of those documents see the section of this prospectus titled “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”

Dividends and Other Distributions

How will you receive dividends and other distributions on the ordinary shares?

The depositary has agreed to pay you the cash dividends or other distributions it or the custodian receives on ordinary shares or other deposited securities, after deducting its fees and expenses. You will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of ordinary shares your ADSs represent.

Cash . We do not expect to declare or pay any cash dividends or cash distributions on our ordinary shares for the foreseeable future. The depositary will convert any cash dividend or other cash distribution we pay on the ordinary shares or any net proceeds from the sale of any ordinary shares, rights, securities or

 

 

 

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other entitlements into U.S. dollars if it can do so on a reasonable basis and at the then prevailing market rate, and can transfer the U.S. dollars to the United States. If that is not possible and lawful or if any government approval is needed and cannot be obtained, the deposit agreement allows the depositary to distribute the foreign currency only to those ADS holders to whom it is possible to do so. It will hold the foreign currency it cannot convert for the account of the ADS holders who have not been paid. It will not invest the foreign currency and it will not be liable for any interest. Before making a distribution, any taxes or other governmental charges, together with fees and expenses of the depositary that must be paid, will be deducted. See the section of this prospectus titled “Material Income Tax Considerations.” It will distribute only whole U.S. dollars and cents and will round fractional cents to the nearest whole cent. If the exchange rates fluctuate during a time when the depositary cannot convert the foreign currency, you may lose some or all of the value of the distribution.

Ordinary Shares . The depositary may distribute additional ADSs representing any ordinary shares we distribute as a dividend or free distribution to the extent reasonably practicable and permissible under law. The depositary will only distribute whole ADSs. It will try to sell ordinary shares which would require it to deliver a fractional ADS and distribute the net proceeds in the same way as it does with cash. If the depositary does not distribute additional ADSs, the outstanding ADSs will also represent the new ordinary shares. The depositary may sell a portion of the distributed ordinary shares sufficient to pay its fees and expenses in connection with that distribution.

Elective Distributions in Cash or Shares. If we offer holders of our ordinary shares the option to receive dividends in either cash or shares, the depositary, after consultation with us, may make such elective distribution available to you as a holder of the ADSs. We must first instruct the depositary to make such elective distribution available to you. As a condition of making a distribution election available to ADS holders, the depositary may require satisfactory assurances from us that doing so would not require registration of any securities under the Securities Act. There can be no assurance that you will be given the opportunity to receive elective distributions on the same terms and conditions as the holders of ordinary shares, or at all.

Rights to Purchase Additional Ordinary Shares . If we offer holders of our securities any rights to subscribe for additional ordinary shares or any other rights, the depositary may make these rights available to ADS holders. If the depositary decides it is not legal and practical to make the rights available but that it is practical to sell the rights, the depositary will use reasonable efforts to sell the rights and distribute the proceeds in the same way as it does with cash. The depositary will allow rights that are not distributed or sold to lapse. In that case, you will receive no value for them .

If the depositary makes rights available to you, it will exercise the rights and purchase the ordinary shares on your behalf and in accordance with your instructions. The depositary will then deposit the ordinary shares and deliver ADSs to you. It will only exercise rights if you pay it the exercise price and any other charges the rights require you to pay and comply with other applicable instructions.

U.S. securities laws may restrict transfers and cancellation of the ADSs representing ordinary shares purchased upon exercise of rights. For example, you may not be able to trade these ADSs freely in the United States. In this case, the depositary may deliver restricted depositary shares that have the same terms as the ADSs described in this section except for changes needed to put the necessary restrictions in place.

Other Distributions . The depositary will send to you anything else we distribute on deposited securities by any means it determines is equitable and practicable. If it cannot make the distribution proportionally among the owners, the depositary may adopt another equitable and practical method. It may decide to sell what we distributed and distribute the net proceeds, in the same way as it does with cash. Or, it may

 

 

 

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decide to hold what we distributed, in which case ADSs will also represent the newly distributed property. However, the depositary is not required to distribute any securities (other than ADSs) to ADS holders unless it receives satisfactory evidence from us that it is legal to make that distribution. In addition, the depositary may sell a portion of the distributed securities or property sufficient to pay its fees and expenses in connection with that distribution.

Neither we nor the depositary are responsible for any failure to determine that it may be lawful or feasible to make a distribution available to any ADS holders. We have no obligation to register ADSs, ordinary shares, rights or other securities under the Securities Act. This means that you may not receive the distributions we make on our ordinary shares or any value for them if it is illegal or impractical for us to make them available to you .

Deposit, Withdrawal and Cancellation

How are ADSs issued?

The depositary will deliver ADSs if you or your broker deposit ordinary shares or evidence of rights to receive ordinary shares with the custodian. Upon payment of its fees and expenses and of any taxes or charges, such as stamp taxes or share transfer taxes or fees, and delivery of any required endorsements, certifications or other instruments of transfer required by the depositary, the depositary will register the appropriate number of ADSs in the names you request and will deliver the ADSs to or upon the order of the person or persons that made the deposit.

How can ADS holders withdraw the deposited securities?

You may surrender your ADSs at the depositary’s corporate trust office. Upon payment of its fees and expenses and of any taxes or charges, such as stamp taxes or share transfer taxes or fees, the depositary will deliver the ordinary shares and any other deposited securities underlying the ADSs to you or a person designated by you at the office of the custodian or through a book-entry delivery. Alternatively, at your request, risk and expense, the depositary will deliver the deposited securities at its corporate trust office, if feasible.

How can ADS holders interchange between certificated ADSs and uncertificated ADSs?

You may surrender your ADRs to the depositary for the purpose of exchanging your ADRs for uncertificated ADSs. The depositary will cancel the ADRs and will send you a statement confirming that you are the owner of uncertificated ADSs. Alternatively, upon receipt by the depositary of a proper instruction from a registered holder of uncertificated ADSs requesting the exchange of uncertificated ADSs for certificated ADSs, the depositary will execute and deliver to you an ADR evidencing those ADSs.

Voting Rights

How do you vote?

You may instruct the depositary to vote the number of whole deposited ordinary shares your ADSs represent. The depositary will notify you of shareholders’ meetings or other solicitations of consents and arrange to deliver our voting materials to you if we ask it to. Those materials will describe the matters to be voted on and explain how you may instruct the depositary how to vote. For instructions to be valid, they must reach the depositary by a date set by the depositary.

The depositary will try, as far as practical, and subject to the laws of Belgium and to our articles of association, to vote or to have its agents vote the ordinary shares or other deposited securities as instructed by ADS holders. If we requested the depositary to act at least 30 days prior to the meeting date

 

 

 

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and the depositary does not receive voting instructions from you by the specified date, it will consider you to have authorized and directed it to vote or cause to be voted the number of deposited securities represented by your ADSs in favor of all resolutions set out in the notice of meeting that are endorsed by the Company’s board of directors and against all resolutions of that kind that are not so endorsed. The depositary will vote or cause to be voted the deposited securities in accordance with the above unless we notify the depositary that we do not wish the deposited securities to be so voted.

The depositary will only vote or attempt to vote as you instruct or as described above.

We cannot assure you that you will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that you can instruct the depositary to vote your ordinary shares. In addition, the depositary and its agents are not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions or for the manner of carrying out voting instructions provided that any such failure is in good faith. This means that you may not be able to exercise your right to vote and there may be nothing you can do if your ordinary shares are not voted as you requested.

In order to give you a reasonable opportunity to instruct the depositary as to the exercise of voting rights relating to deposited securities, if we request the depositary to act, we will give the depositary notice of any such meeting and details concerning the matters to be voted upon at least 30 days in advance of the meeting date except where under Belgian law the notice period for such meeting is less than 30 days. If we request that the depositary act less than 30 days in advance of a meeting date, the depositary shall use commercially reasonable efforts to distribute the information and otherwise comply with the voting provisions described above.

Except as described above, you will not be able to exercise your right to vote unless you withdraw the ordinary shares. However, you may not know about the shareholder meeting enough in advance to withdraw the ordinary shares.

 

 

 

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Fees and Expenses

What fees and expenses will you be responsible for paying?

Pursuant to the terms of the deposit agreement, the holders of ADSs will be required to pay the following fees:

 

Persons depositing or withdrawing ordinary shares
or ADSs must pay:
For:
$5.00 (or less) per 100 ADSs (or portion of 100 ADSs)

Ø    Issue of ADSs, including issues resulting from a distribution of ordinary shares or rights or other property

 

Ø    Cancellation of ADSs for the purpose of withdrawal, including if the deposit agreement terminates

$0.05 (or less) per ADS

Ø    Any cash distribution to you

A fee equivalent to the fee that would be payable if securities distributed to you had been ordinary shares and the shares had been deposited for issue of ADSs

Ø    Distribution of securities distributed to holders of deposited securities which are distributed by the depositary to you

$0.05 (or less) per ADS per calendar year, which fee will initially be set at $0.02 per ADS per calendar year but may be changed at any time

Ø    Depositary services

Registration or transfer fees

Ø    Transfer and registration of ordinary shares on our share register to or from the name of the depositary or its agent when you deposit or withdraw shares

Expenses of the depositary

Ø    Cable, telex and facsimile transmissions (when expressly provided in the deposit agreement)

 

Ø    Converting foreign currency to U.S. dollars

Taxes and other governmental charges the depositary or the custodian have to pay on any ADS or share underlying an ADS, for example, share transfer taxes, stamp duty or withholding taxes

Ø    As necessary

Any charges incurred by the depositary or its agents for servicing the deposited securities

Ø    As necessary

The depositary collects its fees for delivery and surrender of ADSs directly from investors depositing ordinary shares or surrendering ADSs for the purpose of withdrawal or from intermediaries acting for them. The depositary collects fees for making distributions to investors by deducting those fees from the amounts distributed or by selling a portion of distributable property to pay the fees. The depositary may collect its annual fee for depositary services by deduction from cash distributions or by directly billing investors or by charging the book-entry system accounts of participants acting for them. The depositary may collect any of its fees by deduction from any cash distribution payable to ADS holders that are obligated to pay those fees. The depositary may generally refuse to provide for-fee services until its fees for those services are paid.

From time to time, the depositary may make payments to us to reimburse or share revenue from the fees collected from ADS holders, or waive fees and expenses for services provided, generally relating to costs

 

 

 

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and expenses arising out of establishment and maintenance of the ADS program. In performing its duties under the deposit agreement, the depositary may use brokers, dealers or other service providers that are affiliates of the depositary and that may earn or share fees or commissions.

Payment of Taxes

You will be responsible for any taxes or other governmental charges payable on your ADSs or on the deposited securities represented by any of your ADSs. The depositary may refuse to register any transfer of your ADSs or allow you to withdraw the deposited securities represented by your ADSs until such taxes or other charges are paid. It may apply payments owed to you or sell deposited securities represented by your ADSs to pay any taxes owed and you will remain liable for any deficiency. If the depositary sells deposited securities, it will, if appropriate, reduce the number of ADSs registered in your name to reflect the sale and pay you any net proceeds, or send you any property, remaining after it has paid the taxes. Your obligation to pay taxes and indemnify us and the depository against any tax claims will survive the transfer or surrender of your ADSs, the withdrawal of the deposited ordinary shares as well as the termination of the deposit agreement.

Reclassifications, Recapitalizations and Mergers

 

If we: Then:

Ø    Reclassify, split up or consolidate any of the deposited securities

Each ADS will automatically represent its equal share of the new deposited securities.

Ø    Distribute securities on the ordinary shares that are not distributed to you

The depositary may deliver new ADSs or ask you to surrender your outstanding ADRs in exchange for new ADRs identifying the new deposited securities. The depositary may also sell the new deposited securities and distribute the net proceeds if we are unable to assure the depositary that the distribution (a) does not require registration under the Securities Act or (b) is exempt from registration under the Securities Act.

Ø    Recapitalize, reorganize, merge, liquidate, or take any similar action

Any replacement securities received by the depositary shall be treated as newly deposited securities and either the existing ADSs or, if necessary, replacement ADSs distributed by the depositary will represent the replacement securities. The depositary may also sell the replacement securities and distribute the net proceeds if the replacement securities may not be lawfully distributed to all ADS holders.

Amendment and Termination

How may the deposit agreement be amended?

We may agree with the depositary to amend the deposit agreement and the ADRs without your consent for any reason. If an amendment adds or increases fees or charges, except for taxes and other governmental charges or expenses of the depositary for registration fees, facsimile costs, delivery charges or similar items, or materially prejudices a substantial right of ADS holders, it will not become effective for outstanding ADSs until 30 days after the depositary notifies ADS holders of the amendment. At the time an amendment becomes effective, you are considered, by continuing to hold your ADSs, to agree to the amendment and to be bound by the ADRs and the deposit agreement as amended .

 

 

 

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How may the deposit agreement be terminated?

The depositary will terminate the deposit agreement if we ask it to do so, in which case the depositary will give notice to you at least 30 days prior to termination. The depositary may also terminate the deposit agreement if the depositary has told us that it would like to resign and we have not appointed a new depositary within 60 days. In such case, the depositary must notify you at least 30 days before termination.

After termination, the depositary and its agents will do the following under the deposit agreement but nothing else: collect distributions on the deposited securities, sell rights and other property, and deliver ordinary shares and other deposited securities upon cancellation of ADSs. Four months after termination, the depositary may sell any remaining deposited securities by public or private sale. After that, the depositary will hold the money it received on the sale, as well as any other cash it is holding under the deposit agreement for the pro rata benefit of the ADS holders that have not surrendered their ADSs. It will not invest the money and has no liability for interest. The depositary’s only obligations will be to account for the money and other cash. After termination our only obligations under the deposit agreement will be to indemnify the depositary and to pay fees and expenses of the depositary that we agreed to pay and we will not have any obligations thereunder to current or former ADS holders.

Limitations on Obligations and Liability

Limits on our obligations and the obligations of the depositary; limits on liability to holders of ADSs

The deposit agreement expressly limits our obligations and the obligations of the depositary. It also limits our liability and the liability of the depositary. We and the depositary:

 

Ø   are only obligated to take the actions specifically set forth in the deposit agreement without negligence or bad faith;

 

Ø   are not liable if either of us is prevented or delayed by law or circumstances beyond our control from performing our obligations under the deposit agreement;

 

Ø   are not liable if either of us exercises, or fails to exercise, discretion permitted under the deposit agreement;

 

Ø   are not liable for the inability of any holder of ADSs to benefit from any distribution on deposited securities that is not made available to holders of ADSs under the terms of the deposit agreement, or for any special, consequential or punitive damages for any breach of the terms of the deposit agreement;

 

Ø   are not liable for any tax consequences to any holders of ADSs on account of their ownership of ADSs;

 

Ø   have no obligation to become involved in a lawsuit or other proceeding related to the ADSs or the deposit agreement on your behalf or on behalf of any other person; and

 

Ø   may rely upon any documents we believe in good faith to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper person.

In the deposit agreement, we and the depositary agree to indemnify each other under certain circumstances. Additionally, we, the depositary and each owner and holder waives the right to a jury trial in an action against us or the depositary arising out of or relating to the deposit agreement.

Requirements for Depositary Actions

Before the depositary will deliver or register a transfer of an ADS, make a distribution on an ADS, or permit withdrawal of ordinary shares, the depositary may require:

 

Ø   payment of share transfer or other taxes or other governmental charges and transfer or registration fees charged by third parties for the transfer of any ordinary shares or other deposited securities;

 

 

 

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Ø   satisfactory proof of the identity and genuineness of any signature or other information it deems necessary; and

 

Ø   compliance with regulations it may establish, from time to time, consistent with the deposit agreement, including presentation of transfer documents.

The depositary may refuse to deliver ADSs or register transfers of ADSs generally when the transfer books of the depositary or our transfer books are closed or at any time if the depositary or we think it advisable to do so.

Your Right to Receive the Ordinary Shares Underlying Your ADSs

ADS holders have the right to cancel their ADSs and withdraw the underlying ordinary shares at any time except:

 

Ø   when temporary delays arise because: (1) the depositary has closed its transfer books or we have closed our transfer books; (2) the transfer of ordinary shares is blocked to permit voting at a shareholders’ meeting; or (3) we are paying a dividend on our ordinary shares;

 

Ø   when you owe money to pay fees, taxes and similar charges; and

 

Ø   when it is necessary to prohibit withdrawals in order to comply with any laws or governmental regulations that apply to ADSs or to the withdrawal of ordinary shares or other deposited securities.

This right of withdrawal is not limited by any other provision of the deposit agreement.

Pre-release of ADSs

The deposit agreement permits the depositary to deliver ADSs before deposit of the underlying ordinary shares. This is called a pre-release of the ADSs. The depositary may also deliver ordinary shares upon cancellation of pre-released ADSs (even if the ADSs are canceled before the pre-release transaction has been closed out). A pre-release is closed out as soon as the underlying ordinary shares are delivered to the depositary. The depositary may receive ADSs instead of ordinary shares to close out a pre-release. The depositary may pre-release ADSs only under the following conditions: (1) before or at the time of the pre-release, the person to whom the pre-release is being made represents to the depositary in writing that (a) it or its customer owns the ordinary shares or ADSs to be deposited, (b) it or its customer assigns all beneficial right, title and interest in the ordinary shares or ADSs to be deposited to the depositary for the benefit of the owners, and (c) it will not take any action with respect to the ordinary shares or ADSs to be deposited that is inconsistent with the transfer of ownership (including, without the consent of the depositary, disposing of the ordinary shares or ADSs to be deposited other than in satisfaction of the pre-release); (2) the pre-release is fully collateralized with cash or other collateral that the depositary considers appropriate; and (3) the depositary must be able to close out the pre-release on not more than five business days’ notice. In addition, the depositary will limit the number of ADSs that may be outstanding at any time as a result of pre-release, although the depositary may disregard the limit from time to time, if it thinks it is appropriate to do so.

Direct Registration System

In the deposit agreement, all parties to the deposit agreement acknowledge that the DRS and Profile Modification System, or Profile, will apply to uncertificated ADSs upon acceptance thereof to DRS by DTC. DRS is the system administered by DTC under which the depositary may register the ownership of uncertificated ADSs and such ownership will be evidenced by periodic statements sent by the depositary to the registered holders of uncertificated ADSs. Profile is a required feature of DRS that allows a DTC participant, claiming to act on behalf of a registered holder of ADSs, to direct the depositary to register a

 

 

 

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transfer of those ADSs to DTC or its nominee and to deliver those ADSs to the DTC account of that DTC participant without receipt by the depositary of prior authorization from the ADS holder to register that transfer.

In connection with and in accordance with the arrangements and procedures relating to DRS/Profile, the parties to the deposit agreement understand that the depositary will not determine whether the DTC participant that is claiming to be acting on behalf of an ADS holder in requesting registration of transfer and delivery described in the paragraph above has the actual authority to act on behalf of the ADS holder (notwithstanding any requirements under the Uniform Commercial Code). In the deposit agreement, the parties agree that the depositary’s reliance on and compliance with instructions received by the depositary through the DRS/Profile System and in accordance with the deposit agreement will not constitute negligence or bad faith on the part of the depositary.

Shareholder Communications; Inspection of Register of Holders of ADSs; ADS Holder Information

The depositary will make available for your inspection at its office all communications that it receives from us as a holder of deposited securities that we make generally available to holders of deposited securities. The depositary will send you copies of those communications if we ask it to. You have a right to inspect the register of holders of ADSs, but not for the purpose of contacting those holders about a matter unrelated to our business or the ADSs.

Each holder of ADSs will be required to provide such information as from time to time may be requested by the Company, or as may otherwise be required to be disclosed, in accordance with applicable law, the rules and requirements of any stock exchange or clearing system on which the ADSs are traded or the articles of association of the Company.

 

 

 

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Shares and ADSs available for future sale

Prior to the global offering, no public market existed in the United States for our ordinary shares or the ADSs. Future sales of ADSs and ordinary shares in the public market after the global offering, and the availability of ADSs or the ordinary shares for future sale, could adversely affect the market price of the ADSs and ordinary shares prevailing from time to time. As described below, a significant number of currently outstanding ordinary shares will not be available for sale shortly after the global offering due to contractual restrictions on transfers of ordinary shares. Accordingly, sales of substantial amounts of the ADSs or the ordinary shares, or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect prevailing market prices for the ADSs or the ordinary shares and could impair our future ability to raise equity capital.

Based on the number of ordinary shares outstanding on December 31, 2014, upon completion of the global offering,             ordinary shares (including ordinary shares in the form of ADSs) will be outstanding, assuming no outstanding warrants are exercised. All of the ADSs sold in the global offering will be freely tradable without restrictions or further registration under the Securities Act, except for any ADSs sold to our “affiliates,” as that term is defined under Rule 144 under the Securities Act. The remaining ordinary shares held by existing shareholders are “restricted securities,” as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act. Restricted securities may be sold in the public market only if registered or if their resale qualifies for exemption from registration described below under Rule 144 or 701 promulgated under the Securities Act.

Additionally, warrants to purchase             ordinary shares outstanding as of December 31, 2014 and assuming no outstanding warrants are exercised and no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares and ADSs, warrants exercisable for             ordinary shares will be vested and eligible for sale 90 days after the date of this prospectus subject to Belgian law.

Under the lock-up and market stand-off agreements described below and the provisions of Rules 144 and 701 under the Securities Act and Belgian law, and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional ADSs and ordinary shares, these restricted securities will be available for sale in the public market as follows:

 

Ø   approximately             shares (including ordinary shares represented by ADSs) will be eligible for immediate sale on the date of this prospectus; and

 

Ø               shares (including ordinary shares represented by ADSs) will be eligible for sale upon the expiration of the lock-up and market stand-off agreements 90 days after the date of this prospectus, provided that shares held by our affiliates will remain subject to volume, manner of sale, and other resale limitations set forth in Rule 144, as described below and subject to Belgian law.

Rule 144

In general, persons who have beneficially owned restricted ordinary shares for at least six months, and any affiliate of the company who owns either restricted or unrestricted ordinary shares, are entitled to sell their securities without registration with the SEC under an exemption from registration provided by Rule 144 under the Securities Act.

In general, a person who has beneficially owned restricted ordinary shares for at least six months would be entitled to sell their securities pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act provided that (1) such person is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the 90 days preceding, a sale and (2) we have been subject to the Exchange Act periodic reporting requirements for at

 

 

 

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least 90 days before the sale. Such sale by non-affiliates must also comply with current public information provisions of Rule 144. Persons who have beneficially owned restricted ordinary shares for at least six months, but who are our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the 90 days preceding a sale, would be subject to additional restrictions, by which such person would be entitled to sell within any three-month period only a number of securities that does not exceed the greater of either of the following:

 

Ø   1.0% of the number of ordinary shares then outstanding in the form of ADSs or otherwise, which will equal approximately             ordinary shares immediately after the completion of the global offering based on the number of ordinary shares outstanding as of December 31, 2014; and

 

Ø   the average weekly trading volume of the ADSs on the NASDAQ Global Market during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale,

provided, in each case, that we have been subject to the Exchange Act periodic reporting requirements for at least 90 days before the sale. Such sales both by affiliates and by non-affiliates must also comply with the manner of sale, current public information and notice provisions of Rule 144.

Rule 701

Rule 701 under the Securities Act, as in effect on the date of this prospectus, permits resales of shares in reliance upon Rule 144 but without compliance with certain restrictions of Rule 144, including the holding period requirement. Most of our employees, members of our management team or directors who purchased shares under a written compensatory plan or contract may be entitled to rely on the resale provisions of Rule 701, but all holders of Rule 701 shares are required to wait until 90 days after the date of this prospectus before selling their shares subject also to Belgian law. However, all Rule 701 shares are subject to lock-up agreements as described below and in the section of this prospectus titled “Underwriting” and will not become eligible for sale until the expiration of the restrictions set forth in those agreements.

Options and Warrants to Purchase Ordinary Shares

We intend to file one or more registration statements on Form S-8 under the U.S. Securities Act to register all ordinary shares issued or issuable pursuant to the exercise of outstanding warrants. We expect to file the registration statements, which will become effective immediately upon filing, shortly after the date of this prospectus. Shares covered by these registration statements will then be eligible for sale in the public markets, subject to vesting restrictions and any applicable holding periods, any applicable lock-up agreements described below and Rule 144 limitations applicable to affiliates.

Registration Rights

None of our security holders possess registration rights.

Regulation S

Regulation S provides generally that sales made in offshore transactions are not subject to the registration or prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act. Accordingly, restricted securities may be sold in offshore transactions in compliance with Regulation S.

Lock-Up Agreements

We, our directors and members of our management team, and certain of our other shareholders have agreed that, without the prior written consent of UBS Securities LLC, or UBS, we and they will not, subject to limited exceptions, during the period ending 90 days after the date of this prospectus, directly

 

 

 

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or indirectly, offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of any ordinary shares, ADSs or other shares of our capital stock or any securities convertible into, exerciseable or exchangeable for such capital stock.

UBS on behalf of the underwriters will have discretion in determining if, and when, to release any ordinary shares or ADSs subject to lock-up agreements.

We do not currently expect any release of ordinary shares or ADSs subject to lock-up agreements prior to the expiration of the applicable lock-up periods. Upon the expiration of the applicable lock-up periods, substantially all of the ordinary shares and ADSs subject to such lock-up restrictions will become eligible for sale, subject to the limitations described above.

In case of the lock-up agreements executed by our directors and members of our executive management team and the other shareholders, the foregoing lock-up restrictions do not apply to the following:

 

Ø   (a) the registration of the offer and sale of our ordinary shares as contemplated by the underwriting agreement between us and UBS;

 

Ø   (b) transfers of our ordinary shares acquired in the global offering, provided that the party to the lock-up agreement is not a member of our executive management team, a director or a holder of 5% or more of our ordinary shares;

 

Ø   (c) transactions relating to our ordinary shares acquired in open market transactions after the date of this prospectus, provided that the party to the lock-up agreement is not a member of our executive management team, a director or a holder of 5% or more of our ordinary shares;

 

Ø   (d) transfers as a bona fide gift or gifts or by will or intestate succession upon death;

 

Ø   (e) transfers to any trust for the direct or indirect benefit of the party to the lock-up agreement or any immediate family member, or in the case of such a trust, from such trust to any beneficiaries of the trust;

 

Ø   (f) if the party to the lock-up agreement is a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust or other business entity, transfers (i) to another corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust or other business entity that is a direct or indirect affiliate of the party to the lock-up agreement or (ii) to limited partners, limited liability company members or shareholders of the party to the lock-up agreement;

 

Ø   (g) transfers by operation of law or by order of a court of competent jurisdiction;

 

Ø   (h) transfers to us in full or partial payment of the exercise price for warrants to purchase our ordinary shares or taxes required to be paid upon the exercise of warrants to purchase our ordinary shares; or

 

Ø   (i) establishment of a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act, provided that such plan does not provide for the transfer of our ordinary shares or other of our securities during the lock-up period,

provided that (1) in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to clauses (d) through (g) above, any such transfer shall not involve a disposition for value and each transferee shall agree in writing to be bound by a lock-up agreement, and (2) in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to clauses (b) through (g) above, no filing by any party (donor, donee, transferor or transferee) under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act or any other public announcement shall be required or made during the lock-up period in connection with such transfer.

 

 

 

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Material income tax considerations

The information presented under the caption “Certain Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations to U.S. Holders” below is a discussion of certain material U.S. federal income tax considerations to a U.S. holder (as defined below) of investing in ADSs. The information presented under the caption “Belgian Tax Consequences” is a discussion of the material Belgian tax consequences of investing in ADSs.

You should consult your tax advisor regarding the applicable tax consequences to you of investing in ADSs under the laws of the United States (federal, state and local), Belgium, and any other applicable foreign jurisdiction.

Certain Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations to U.S. Holders

The following is a summary of certain material U.S. federal income tax considerations relating to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of ADSs by a U.S. holder (as defined below). This summary addresses only the U.S. federal income tax considerations for U.S. holders that are initial purchasers of the ADSs pursuant to the global offering and that will hold such ADSs as capital assets. This summary does not address all U.S. federal income tax matters that may be relevant to a particular U.S. holder. This summary does not address tax considerations applicable to a holder of ADSs that may be subject to special tax rules including, without limitation, the following:

 

Ø   banks, financial institutions or insurance companies;

 

Ø   brokers, dealers or traders in securities, currencies, commodities, or notional principal contracts;

 

Ø   tax-exempt entities or organizations, including an “individual retirement account” or “Roth IRA” as defined in Section 408 or 408A of the Code (as defined below), respectively;

 

Ø   real estate investment trusts, regulated investment companies or grantor trusts;

 

Ø   persons that hold the ADSs as part of a “hedging,” “integrated” or “conversion” transaction or as a position in a “straddle” for U.S. federal income tax purposes;

 

Ø   partnerships (including entities classified as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes) or other pass-through entities, or persons that will hold the ADSs through such an entity;

 

Ø   certain former citizens or long term residents of the United States;

 

Ø   holders that own directly, indirectly, or through attribution 10% or more of the voting power or value of our ADSs and shares; and

 

Ø   holders that have a “functional currency” other than the U.S. dollar.

Further, this summary does not address the U.S. federal estate, gift, or alternative minimum tax considerations, or any U.S. state, local, or non-U.S. tax considerations of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of the ADSs.

This description is based on the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), existing, proposed and temporary U.S. Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder and administrative and judicial interpretations thereof, and the income tax treaty between Belgium and the United States, in each case as in effect and available on the date hereof. All the foregoing is subject to change, which change could apply retroactively, and to differing interpretations, all of which could affect the tax considerations described below. There can be no assurances that the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) will not take a contrary or different position concerning the tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and

 

 

 

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disposition of the ADSs and that such a position would not be sustained. Holders should consult their own tax advisers concerning the U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax consequences of acquiring, owning, and disposing of the ADSs in their particular circumstances.

For the purposes of this summary, a “U.S. holder” is a beneficial owner of ADSs that is (or is treated as), for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

 

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

 

Ø   a corporation, or other entity that is treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof, or the District of Columbia;

 

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

 

Ø   a trust, if a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over its administration and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all of the substantial decisions of such trust or has a valid election in effect under applicable U.S. Treasury Regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.

If a partnership (or any other entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds ADSs, the U.S. federal income tax consequences relating to an investment in the ADSs will depend in part upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Such a partner or partnership should consult its tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal income tax considerations of acquiring, owning and disposing of the ADSs in its particular circumstances.

In general, a U.S. holder who owns ADSs will be treated as the beneficial owner of the underlying shares represented by those ADSs for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, no gain or loss will generally be recognized if a U.S. holder exchanges ADSs for the underlying shares represented by those ADSs.

The U.S. Treasury has expressed concern that parties to whom ADSs are released before shares are delivered to the depositary (“pre-release”), or intermediaries in the chain of ownership between holders and the issuer of the security underlying the ADSs, may be taking actions that are inconsistent with the claiming of foreign tax credits by holders of ADSs. These actions would also be inconsistent with the claiming of the reduced rate of tax, described below, applicable to dividends received by certain non-corporate holders. Accordingly, the creditability of Belgian taxes, and the availability of the reduced tax rate for dividends received by certain non-corporate U.S. holders, each described below, could be affected by actions taken by such parties or intermediaries.

As indicated below, this discussion is subject to U.S. federal income tax rules applicable to a “passive foreign investment company,” or a PFIC.

Persons considering an investment in the ADSs should consult their own tax advisors as to the particular tax consequences applicable to them relating to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of the ADSs, including the applicability of U.S. federal, state and local tax laws and non-U.S. tax laws.

Distributions. We do not expect to make distributions with respect to the ADSs in the foreseeable future. Subject to the discussion under “ Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations ,” below, the gross amount of any distribution (before reduction for any amounts withheld in respect of Belgian withholding tax) actually or constructively received by a U.S. holder with respect to ADSs generally will be taxable to the U.S. holder as a dividend to the extent of the U.S. holder’s pro rata share of our current and

 

 

 

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accumulated earnings and profits as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. Distributions in excess of earnings and profits will be non-taxable to the U.S. holder to the extent of, and will be applied against and reduce, the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in the ADSs. Distributions in excess of earnings and profits and such adjusted tax basis will generally be taxable to the U.S. holder as either long-term or short-term capital gain depending upon whether the U.S. holder has held the ADSs for more than one year as of the time such distribution is received. However, since we do not calculate our earnings and profits under U.S. federal income tax principles, it is expected that any distribution will be reported as a dividend, even if that distribution would otherwise be treated as a non-taxable return of capital or as capital gain under the rules described above. Non-corporate U.S. holders may qualify for the preferential rates of taxation with respect to dividends on ADSs applicable to long term capital gains ( i.e. , gains from the sale of capital assets held for more than one year) applicable to qualified dividend income (as discussed below) if we are a “qualified foreign corporation” and certain other requirements (discussed below) are met. A non-U.S. corporation (other than a corporation that is classified as a PFIC for the taxable year in which the dividend is paid or the preceding taxable year) generally will be considered to be a qualified foreign corporation (a) if it is eligible for the benefits of a comprehensive tax treaty with the United States which the Secretary of Treasury of the United States determines is satisfactory for purposes of this provision and which includes an exchange of information provision, or (b) with respect to any dividend it pays on ADSs which are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States. The ADSs will be listed on the NASDAQ Global Market which is an established securities market in the United States. While there can be no assurance that the ADSs will be readily tradable on the NASDAQ Global Market, we anticipate that the ADSs will be readily tradable on the NASDAQ Global Market. Therefore, unless we are a PFIC in the year a dividend is paid or in the preceding year, dividends received by non-corporate U.S. holders should be taxed at the reduced rates applicable to long-term capital gains, provided that a holding period requirement (more than 60 days of ownership, without protection from the risk of loss, during the 121 day period beginning 60 days before the ex-dividend date) and certain other requirements are met. Dividends received by a corporate U.S. holder will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction generally allowed to corporate U.S. holders.

A U.S. holder generally may claim the amount of any Belgian withholding tax as either a deduction from gross income or a credit against U.S. federal income tax. However, the foreign tax credit is subject to numerous complex limitations that must be determined and applied on an individual basis. Generally, the credit cannot exceed the proportionate share of a U.S. holder’s U.S. federal income tax that such U.S. holder’s foreign source taxable income bears to such U.S. holder’s worldwide taxable income. In applying this limitation, a U.S. holder’s various items of income and deduction must be classified, under complex rules, as either “foreign source” or “U.S. source.” In addition, this limitation is calculated separately with respect to specific categories of income. The amount of a distribution with respect to the ADSs that is treated as a “dividend” may be lower for U.S. federal income tax purposes than it is for Belgian income tax purposes, potentially resulting in a reduced foreign tax credit for the U.S. holder. Each U.S. holder should consult its own tax advisors regarding the foreign tax credit rules.

In general, the amount of a distribution paid to a U.S. holder in a foreign currency will be the dollar value of the foreign currency calculated by reference to the spot exchange rate on the day the U.S. holder receives the distribution, regardless of whether the foreign currency is converted into U.S. dollars at that time. The U.S. holder will take a tax basis in the foreign currency equal to their U.S. dollar equivalent on such date. The conversion of the foreign currency into U.S. dollars at a later date will give rise to foreign currency exchange gain or loss equal to the difference between their U.S. dollar equivalent at such later time and their tax basis. Any foreign currency gain or loss a U.S. holder recognizes on a subsequent conversion of foreign currency into U.S. dollars will be U.S. source ordinary income or loss. If a distribution received in a foreign currency is converted into U.S. dollars on the day they are received, a

 

 

 

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U.S. holder should not be required to recognize foreign currency gain or loss in respect of the distribution. For foreign credit limitation purposes, distributions paid on ADSs that are treated as dividends will generally be foreign source income and will generally constitute passive category income.

Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of the ADSs. A U.S. holder will generally recognize gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes upon the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of ADSs in an amount equal to the difference between the U.S. dollar value of the amount realized from such sale or exchange and the U.S. holder’s tax basis for those ADSs. Subject to the discussion under “ Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations ” below, this gain or loss will generally be a capital gain or loss. The adjusted tax basis in the ADSs generally will be equal to the cost of such ADSs. Capital gain from the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of ADSs by a non-corporate U.S. holder is generally eligible for the preferential rate of taxation applicable to long-term capital gains, if the non-corporate U.S. holder’s holding period determined at the time of such sale, exchange or other taxable disposition for such ADSs exceeds one year. The deductibility of capital losses for U.S. federal income tax purposes is subject to limitations under the Code. Any such gain or loss that a U.S. holder recognizes generally will be treated as U.S. source gain or loss for foreign tax credit limitation purposes.

Medicare Tax. Certain U.S. holders that are individuals, estates or trusts are subject to a 3.8% tax on all or a portion of their “net investment income,” which may include all or a portion of their dividend income and net gains from the disposition of ADSs. Each U.S. holder that is an individual, estate or trust is urged to consult its tax advisors regarding the applicability of the Medicare tax to its income and gains in respect of its investment in the ADSs.

Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations. If we are classified as a PFIC in a taxable year when a U.S. holder owns our ADSs, the U.S. holder will be subject to special rules generally intended to reduce or eliminate any benefits from the deferral of U.S. federal income tax that the U.S. holder could derive from investing in a non-U.S. company that does not distribute all of its earnings on a current basis.

A corporation organized outside the United States generally will be classified as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes in any taxable year in which, after applying certain look-through rules with respect to the income and assets of its subsidiaries, either: (i) at least 75% of its gross income is “passive income” or (ii) at least 50% of the average quarterly value of its total gross assets (which, assuming we are not a controlled foreign corporation for the year being tested, would be measured by fair market value of our assets, and for which purpose the total value of our assets may be determined in part by the market value of the ADSs and our ordinary shares, which are subject to change) is attributable to assets that produce “passive income” or are held for the production of “passive income.”

Passive income for this purpose generally includes dividends, interest, royalties, rents, gains from commodities and securities transactions and the excess of gains over losses from the disposition of assets which produce passive income. Generally, a non-U.S. corporation that owns directly or indirectly at least 25% by value of the stock of another corporation is treated for purposes of the PFIC tests as owning its proportionate share of the assets of the other corporation and as receiving directly its proportionate share of the other corporation’s income. If we are classified as a PFIC in any year with respect to which a U.S. holder owns ADSs, we will generally be treated as a PFIC with respect to such U.S. holder in all succeeding years during which the U.S. holder owns the ADSs, regardless of whether we continue to meet the tests described above.

Whether we are a PFIC for any taxable year will depend on the composition of our income and the projected composition and estimated fair market value of our assets in each year, and because this is a

 

 

 

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factual determination made annually after the end of each taxable year, there can be no assurance that we will not be considered a PFIC in any taxable year. The market value of our assets may be determined in large part by reference to the market price of the ADSs and our ordinary shares, which is likely to fluctuate after the global offering. In addition, the composition of our income and assets will be affected by how, and how quickly, we use the cash proceeds from the global offering in our business.

Based on the foregoing, we believe we were a PFIC for our 2014 taxable year and with respect to our 2015 taxable year, we expect that we will be a PFIC based upon the expected value of our assets, including any goodwill, and the expected composition of our income and assets, however, as previously mentioned, we cannot provide any assurances regarding our PFIC status for the current or future taxable years.

If we are a PFIC, and you are a U.S. holder, then unless you make one of the elections described below, a special tax regime will apply to both (a) any “excess distribution” by us to you (generally, your ratable portion of distributions in any year which are greater than 125% of the average annual distribution received by you in the shorter of the three preceding years or your holding period for the ADSs) and (b) any gain recognized on the sale or other disposition of the ADSs. Under this regime, any excess distribution and recognized gain will be treated as ordinary income and will be subject to tax as if (a) the excess distribution or gain had been recognized ratably over your holding period, (b) the amount deemed recognized in each year had been subject to tax in such year at the highest marginal rate for such year (other than income allocated to the current year and any taxable year before we became a PFIC, which would be subject to tax at the U.S. holder’s regular ordinary income rate for the current year and would not be subject to the interest charge discussed below), and (c) the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax had been imposed on the taxes deemed to have been payable in those years. In addition, dividend distributions made to you will not qualify for the lower rates of taxation applicable to long-term capital gains discussed above under “Distributions.”

Certain elections exist that may alleviate some of the adverse consequences of PFIC status. A U.S. holder may make an election to mark-to-market the U.S. holder’s ADSs. An electing U.S. holder will recognize as ordinary income any excess of the fair market value of the ADSs at the end of each taxable year over their adjusted tax basis, and will recognize an ordinary loss the excess of the adjusted tax basis of the ADSs over their fair market value at the end of the taxable year (but only to the extent of the net amount of income previously recognized as a result of the mark-to-market election). The U.S. holder’s tax basis in the ADSs will be adjusted to reflect these income or loss amounts. Any gain recognized on the sale or other disposition of ADSs in a year when we are a PFIC will be treated as ordinary income and any loss will be treated as an ordinary loss (but only to the extent of the net amount of income previously included as a result of the mark-to-market election). Gain or loss recognized on the sale or other disposition of ADSs in a year when we are not a PFIC will be a capital gain or loss. The mark-to-market election is available only if we are a PFIC and the ADSs are “regularly traded” on a “qualified exchange.” The ADSs will be treated as “regularly traded” in any calendar year in which more than a de minimis quantity of the ADSs are traded on a qualified exchange on at least 15 days during each calendar quarter (subject to the rule that trades that have as one of their principal purposes the meeting of the trading requirement as disregarded). The NASDAQ Global Market is a qualified exchange for this purpose and, consequently, if the ADSs are regularly traded, the mark-to-market election will be available to a U.S. holder.

We do not currently intend to provide the information necessary for U.S. holders to make qualified electing fund elections if we are treated as a PFIC for any taxable year. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors to determine whether any of these elections would be available and if so, what the consequences of the alternative treatments would be in their particular circumstances.

 

 

 

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If we are determined to be a PFIC, the general tax treatment for U.S. Holders described in this section would apply to indirect distributions and gains deemed to be recognized by U.S. Holders in respect of any of our subsidiaries that also may be determined to be PFICs.

If a U.S. holder owns ADSs during any taxable year in which we are a PFIC, the U.S. holder generally will be required to file an IRS Form 8621 (Information Return by a Shareholder of a Passive Foreign Investment Company or Qualified Electing Fund) with respect to the company, generally with the U.S. holder’s federal income tax return for that year. If our company were a PFIC for a given taxable year, then you should consult your tax advisor concerning your annual filing requirements.

The U.S. federal income tax rules relating to PFICs are complex. Prospective U.S. investors are urged to consult their own tax advisers with respect to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of the ADSs, the consequences to them of an investment in a PFIC, any elections available with respect to the ADSs and the IRS information reporting obligations with respect to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of the ADSs.

Backup Withholding and Information Reporting. U.S. holders generally will be subject to information reporting requirements with respect to dividends on ADSs and on the proceeds from the sale, exchange or disposition of ADSs that are paid within the United States or through U.S.-related financial intermediaries, unless the U.S. holder is an “exempt recipient.” In addition, U.S. holders may be subject to backup withholding on such payments, unless the U.S. holder provides a taxpayer identification number and a duly executed IRS Form W-9 or otherwise establishes an exemption. Backup withholding is not an additional tax, and the amount of any backup withholding will be allowed as a credit against a U.S. holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle such holder to a refund, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

Foreign Asset Reporting. Certain U.S. holders who are individuals are required to report information relating to an interest in the ADSs, subject to certain exceptions (including an exception for shares held in accounts maintained by U.S. financial institutions) by filing IRS Form 8938 (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets) with their federal income tax return. U.S. holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding their information reporting obligations, if any, with respect to their ownership and disposition of the ADSs.

THE DISCUSSION ABOVE IS A GENERAL SUMMARY. IT DOES NOT COVER ALL TAX MATTERS THAT MAY BE OF IMPORTANCE TO A PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR. EACH PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR IS URGED TO CONSULT ITS OWN TAX ADVISOR ABOUT THE TAX CONSEQUENCES TO IT OF AN INVESTMENT IN ADSS IN LIGHT OF THE INVESTOR’S OWN CIRCUMSTANCES.

Belgian Tax Consequences

The following paragraphs are a summary of material Belgian tax consequences of the ownership of ADSs by an investor. The summary is based on laws, treaties and regulatory interpretations in effect in Belgium on the date of this document, all of which are subject to change, including changes that could have retroactive effect.

The summary only discusses Belgian tax aspects which are relevant to U.S. holders of ADSs, or ‘‘Holders.’’ This summary does not address Belgian tax aspects which are relevant to persons who are fiscally resident in Belgium or who avail of a permanent establishment or a fixed base in Belgium to which the ADSs are effectively connected.

 

 

 

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This summary does not purport to be a description of all of the tax consequences of the ownership of ADSs, and does not take into account the specific circumstances of any particular investor, some of which may be subject to special rules, or the tax laws of any country other than Belgium. This summary does not describe the tax treatment of investors that are subject to special rules, such as banks, insurance companies, collective investment undertakings, dealers in securities or currencies, persons that hold, or will hold, ADSs in a position in a straddle, share-repurchase transaction, conversion transactions, synthetic security or other integrated financial transactions. Investors should consult their own advisers regarding the tax consequences of an investment in ADSs in the light of their particular circumstances, including the effect of any state, local or other national laws.

In addition to the assumptions mentioned above, it is also assumed in this discussion that for purposes of the domestic Belgian tax legislation, the owners of ADSs will be treated as the owners of the ordinary shares represented by such ADSs. However, the assumption has not been confirmed by or verified with the Belgian Tax Authorities.

Dividend Withholding Tax

As a general rule, a withholding tax of 25% is levied on the gross amount of dividends paid on the ordinary shares represented by the ADSs, subject to such relief as may be available under applicable domestic or tax treaty provisions.

Dividends subject to the dividend withholding tax include all benefits attributed to the ordinary shares represented by the ADSs, irrespective of their form, as well as reimbursements of statutory share capital by us, except reimbursements of fiscal capital made in accordance with the Belgian Company Code. In principle, fiscal capital includes paid-up statutory share capital, and subject to certain conditions, the paid-up issue premiums and the cash amounts subscribed to at the time of the issue of profit sharing certificates.

In case of a redemption by us of our own shares represented by ADSs, the redemption distribution (after deduction of the portion of fiscal capital represented by the redeemed shares) will be treated as a dividend which in principle is subject to the withholding tax of 25%, subject to such relief as may be available under applicable domestic or tax treaty provisions. In case of a liquidation of our company, any amounts distributed in excess of the fiscal capital will also be treated as a dividend, and will in principle be subject to a 25% withholding tax, subject to such relief as may be available under applicable domestic or tax treaty provisions.

For non-residents the dividend withholding tax, if any, will be the only tax on dividends in Belgium, unless the non-resident avails of a fixed base in Belgium or a Belgian permanent establishment to which the ADSs are effectively connected.

Relief of Belgian Dividend Withholding Tax

Under the Belgium-United States Tax Treaty, or the Treaty, under which we are entitled to benefits accorded to residents of Belgium, there is a reduced Belgian withholding tax rate of 15% on dividends paid by us to a U.S. resident which beneficially owns the dividends and is entitled to claim the benefits of the Treaty under the limitation of benefits article included in the Treaty (“a Qualifying Holder”).

If such Qualifying Holder is a company that owns directly at least 10% of our voting stock, the Belgian withholding tax rate is further reduced to 5%. No withholding tax is however applicable if the Qualifying Holder, is either of the following:

 

Ø   a company that is a resident of the United States that has owned directly ADSs representing at least 10% of our capital for a twelve-month period ending on the date the dividend is declared, or

 

 

 

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Ø   a pension fund that is a resident of the United States, provided that such dividends are not derived from the carrying on of a business by the pension fund or through an associated enterprise.

Under the normal procedure, we or our paying agent must withhold the full Belgian withholding tax, without taking into account the reduced Treaty rate. Qualifying Holders may then make a claim for reimbursement for amounts withheld in excess of the rate defined by the Treaty. The reimbursement form (Form 276 Div-Aut.) may be obtained by letter from the Bureau Central de Taxation Bruxelles-Etranger, Boulevard du Jardin Botanique 50 boîte 3429, 1000 Brussels, Belgium, by fax at +32 (0) 257/968 42 or via email at ctk.db.brussel.buitenland@minfin.fed.be. Qualifying Holders may also, subject to certain conditions, obtain the reduced Treaty rate at source. Qualifying Holders should deliver a duly completed Form 276 Div-Aut. no later than 10 days after the date on which the dividend has been paid or attributed (whichever comes first).

U.S. holders should consult their own tax advisors as to whether they qualify for reduction or exemption in/from withholding tax upon payment or attribution of dividends, and as to the procedural requirements for obtaining a reduced withholding tax upon the payment of dividends or for making claims for reimbursement.

Withholding tax is also not applicable, pursuant to Belgian domestic tax law, on dividends paid to a U.S. pension fund which satisfies the following conditions:

 

  (i)   to be a legal entity with fiscal residence in the United States and without a permanent establishment or fixed base in Belgium,

 

  (ii)   whose corporate purpose consists solely in managing and investing funds collected in order to pay legal or complementary pensions,

 

  (iii)   whose activity is limited to the investment of funds collected in the exercise of its statutory mission, without any profit making aim and without operating a business in Belgium,

 

  (iv)   which is exempt from income tax in the United States, and

 

  (v)   provided that it (save in certain particular cases as described in Belgian law) is not contractually obligated to redistribute the dividends to any ultimate beneficiary of such dividends for whom it would manage the shares or ADSs, nor obligated to pay a manufactured dividend with respect to the shares or ADSs under a securities borrowing transaction. The exemption will only apply if the U.S. pension fund provides an affidavit confirming that it is the full legal owner or usufruct holder of the shares or ADSs and that the above conditions are satisfied. The organization must then forward that affidavit to us or our paying agent.

Capital Gains and Losses

Pursuant to the Treaty, capital gains and/or losses realized by a Qualifying Holder from the sale, exchange or other disposition of ADSs are exempt from tax in Belgium.

Capital gains realized on ADSs by a corporate Holder who is not a Qualifying Holder are generally not subject to taxation in Belgium unless such Holder is acting through a Belgian establishment to which the ADSs are effectively connected (in which case a 33.99%, 25.75%, 0.412% or 0% tax on the capital gain may apply, depending on the particular circumstances). Capital losses are generally not tax deductible.

Private individual Holders which are not Qualifying Holders and which are holding ADSs as a private investment will, as a rule, not be subject to tax in Belgium on any capital gains arising out of a disposal of ADSs. Losses will, as a rule, not be tax deductible.

 

 

 

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However, if the gain realized by such individual Holders on ADSs is deemed to be realized outside the scope of the normal management of such individual’s private estate and the capital gain is obtained or received in Belgium, the gain will be subject to a final tax of 30.28%.

Moreover, capital gains realized by such individual Holders on the disposal of ADSs for consideration, outside the exercise of a professional activity, to a non-resident corporation (or a body constituted in a similar legal form), to a foreign state (or one of its political subdivisions or local authorities) or to a non-resident legal entity that is established outside the European Economic Area, are in principle taxable at a rate of 16.5% if, at any time during the five years preceding the realization event, such individual Holders own or have owned directly or indirectly, alone or with his/her spouse or with certain other relatives, a substantial shareholding in us (that is, a shareholding of more than 25% of our shares).

Capital gains realized by a Holder upon the redemption of ADSs or upon our liquidation will generally be taxable as a dividend. See ‘‘Dividend Withholding Tax.’’

Estate and Gift Tax

There is no Belgium estate tax on the transfer of ADSs on the death of a Belgian non-resident. Donations of ADSs made in Belgium may or may not be subject to gift tax depending on the modalities under which the donation is carried out.

Belgian Tax on Stock Exchange Transactions

A stock market tax is normally levied on the purchase and the sale and on any other acquisition and transfer for consideration in Belgium of ADSs through a professional intermediary established in Belgium on the secondary market, so-called ‘‘secondary market transactions.’’ The tax is due from the transferor and the transferee separately. The applicable rate amounts to 0.27% of the consideration paid but with a cap of 800 euros per transaction and per party.

Belgian non-residents who purchase or otherwise acquire or transfer, for consideration, ADSs in Belgium for their own account through a professional intermediary may be exempt from the stock market tax if they deliver a sworn affidavit to the intermediary in Belgium confirming their non-resident status.

In addition to the above, no stock market tax is payable by: (i) professional intermediaries described in Article 2, 9 and 10 of the Law of August 2, 2002 acting for their own account, (ii) insurance companies described in Article 2, §1 of the Law of July 9, 1975 acting for their own account, (iii) professional retirement institutions referred to in Article 2, §1 of the Law of October 27, 2006 relating to the control of professional retirement institutions acting for their own account, or (iv) collective investment institutions acting for their own account. No stock exchange tax will thus be due by Holders on the subscription, purchase or sale of ADSs, if the Holders are acting for their own account. In order to benefit from this exemption, the Holders must file with the professional intermediary in Belgium a sworn affidavit evidencing that they are non-residents for Belgian tax purposes.

Proposed Financial Transactions Tax

The European Commission has published a proposal for a Directive for a common financial transactions tax, or FTT, in Belgium, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Austria, Portugal, Slovenia and Slovakia, or collectively, the Participating Member States.

The proposed FTT has a very broad scope and could, if introduced in its current form, apply to certain dealings in ADS’s in certain circumstances. Under current proposals, the FTT could apply in certain

 

 

 

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circumstances to persons both within and outside of the Participating Member States. Generally, it would apply to certain dealings in ADSs where at least one party is a financial institution, and at least one party is established in a Participating Member State.

A financial institution may be, or be deemed to be, ‘‘established’’ in a Participating Member State in a broad range of circumstances, including by transacting with a person established in a Participating Member State.

The FTT proposal remains subject to negotiation between the Participating Member States. It may therefore be altered prior to any implementation. Joint statements issued by participating Member States indicate an intention to implement the FTT by 1 January 2016. Additional E.U. Member States may decide to participate. Prospective Holders of ADSs are advised to seek their own professional advice in relation to the FTT.

 

 

 

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Enforcement of civil liabilities

Cardio3 Biosciences SA is a corporation organized under the laws of Belgium. The majority of our directors are citizens and residents of countries other than the United States, and the majority of our assets are located outside of the United States. Accordingly, it may be difficult for investors:

 

Ø   to obtain jurisdiction over us or our non-U.S. resident officers and directors in U.S. courts in actions predicated on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws;

 

Ø   to enforce judgments obtained in such actions against us or our non-U.S. resident officers and directors;

 

Ø   to bring an original action in a Belgian court to enforce liabilities based upon the U.S. federal securities laws against us or our non-U.S. resident officers or directors; and

 

Ø   to enforce against us or our directors in non-U.S. courts, including Belgian courts, judgments of U.S. courts predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws.

The United States currently does not have a treaty with Belgium providing for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments, other than arbitral awards, in civil and commercial matters. Consequently, a final judgment rendered by any federal or state court in the United States, whether or not predicated solely upon U.S. federal or state securities laws, would not automatically be enforceable in Belgium. Actions for the recognition and enforcement of judgments of U.S. courts are regulated by Articles 22 to 25 of the 2004 Belgian Code of Private International Law. Recognition or enforcement does not imply a review of the merits of the case and is irrespective of any reciprocity requirement. A U.S. judgment will, however, not be recognized or declared enforceable in Belgium, unless (in addition to compliance with certain technical provisions) the Belgian courts are satisfied of the following:

 

Ø   The effect of the recognition or enforcement of judgment is not manifestly incompatible with (Belgian) public order.

 

Ø   The judgment did not violate the rights of the defendant.

 

Ø   The judgment was not rendered in a matter where the parties did not freely dispose of their rights, with the sole purpose of avoiding the application of the law applicable according to Belgian international law.

 

Ø   The judgment is not subject to further recourse under U.S. law.

 

Ø   The judgment is not incompatible with a judgment rendered in Belgium or with a prior judgment rendered abroad that might be recognized in Belgium.

 

Ø   The claim was not filed outside Belgium after a claim was filed in Belgium, if the claim filed in Belgium relates to the same parties and the same subject and is still pending.

 

Ø   The Belgian courts did not have exclusive jurisdiction to rule on the matter.

 

Ø   The U.S. court did not accept its jurisdiction solely on the basis of either the presence of the plaintiff or the location of the disputed goods in the United States.

 

Ø   The judgment did not concern the deposit or validity of intellectual property rights when the deposit or registration of those intellectual property rights was requested, done or should have been done in Belgium pursuant to international treaties.

 

Ø   The judgment did not relate to the validity, operation, dissolution, or liquidation of a legal entity that has its main seat in Belgium at the time of the petition of the U.S. court.

 

 

 

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Ø   If the judgment relates to the opening, progress or closure of insolvency proceedings, it is rendered on the basis of the European Insolvency Regulation (EC Regulation No. 1346/2000 of May 29, 2000) or, if not, that (a) a decision in the principal proceedings is taken by a judge in the state where the most important establishment of the debtor was located or (b) a decision in territorial proceedings was taken by a judge in the state where the debtor had another establishment than its most important establishment.

 

Ø   The judgment submitted to the Belgian court is authentic under the laws of the state where the judgment was issued; in case of a default judgment, it can be shown that under locally applicable laws the invitation to appear in court was properly served on the defendant; a document can be produced showing that the judgment is, under the rules of the state where it was issued, enforceable and was properly served on the defendant.

In addition, with regard to the enforcement by legal proceedings of any claim (including the exequatur of foreign court decisions in Belgium), a registration tax of 3% (to be calculated on the total amount that a debtor is ordered to pay) is due, if the sum of money that the debtor is ordered to pay by a Belgian court judgment, or by a foreign court judgment that is either (i) automatically enforceable and registered in Belgium or (ii) rendered enforceable by a Belgian court, exceeds €12,500. The debtor is liable for the payment of the registration tax.

A stamp duty is payable for each original copy of an enforcement judgment rendered by a Belgian court, with a maximum of €1,450.

 

 

 

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Underwriting

We are offering our ADSs and ordinary shares described in this prospectus through the underwriters named below. UBS Securities LLC and Piper Jaffray & Co. are acting as joint bookrunners of the global offering and as representative of the underwriters. We will enter into an underwriting agreement with the representative. Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement, each of the underwriters will severally agree to purchase, and we will agree to sell to the underwriters, in their own name but for the account of the investors, the number of ADSs and ordinary shares listed next to each such underwriters’ name in the following table.

 

Underwriters   

Number

of ADSs

  

Number of
Ordinary
Shares

UBS Securities LLC

     

Piper Jaffray & Co.

     

Total

     
  

 

  

 

The underwriting agreement will provide that the underwriters must buy all of the ADSs and ordinary shares if they buy any of them. However, the underwriters will not be required to pay for the ADSs and ordinary shares covered by the underwriters’ option to purchase additional ADSs and ordinary shares as described below.

Our ADSs and ordinary shares will be offered subject to a number of conditions, including:

 

Ø   receipt and acceptance of our ADSs and ordinary shares by the underwriters; and

 

Ø   the underwriters’ right to reject orders in whole or in part.

The underwriters initially propose to offer part of the ordinary shares and ADSs directly to the public at the offering price listed on the cover page of this prospectus and part to certain dealers. After the initial offering of the ordinary shares and ADSs, the offering price and other selling terms may from time to time be varied by the representatives.

The closings of the U.S. offering and the European private placement will be conditioned on each other. The total number of ordinary shares in the U.S. offering and European private placement is subject to reallocation between them.

We have been advised by the representative that the underwriters intend to make a market in our ADSs but that they are not obligated to do so and may discontinue making a market at any time without notice.

In connection with the global offering, certain of the underwriters or securities dealers may distribute prospectuses electronically.

OPTION TO PURCHASE ADDITIONAL ADSs AND ORDINARY SHARES

We will grant the underwriters an option to buy up to an aggregate of             additional ADSs and ordinary shares. The underwriters will have 30 days from the date of this prospectus to exercise this option. If the underwriters exercise this option, they will each purchase additional ADSs and ordinary shares approximately in proportion to the amounts specified in the table above.

 

 

 

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UNDERWRITING COMMISSIONS

Ordinary shares and ADSs sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be offered at the initial offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus. Sales of ADS and ordinary shares made outside of the United States may be made by affiliates of the underwriters. If all the ADS and ordinary shares are not sold at the initial public offering price, the representative may change the offering price and the other selling terms. Upon execution of the underwriting agreement, the underwriters will be obligated to purchase the ADS and ordinary shares at the prices and upon the terms stated therein.

 

                 Total  
      Per share    Per ADS      No exercise      Full exercise  

Public offering price

      $                    $                    $                

Underwriting commissions to be paid by us

      $         $         $     

Proceeds, before expenses, to us

      $         $         $     

We estimate that the total expenses of the global offering payable by us, not including the underwriting fees, will be approximately $             million. We have agreed with the underwriters to pay fees and expenses related to the review and qualification of the global offering by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) and “blue sky” expenses, up to a maximum of $            .

NO SALES OF SIMILAR SECURITIES

We, members of our executive management team and directors, and substantially all of our shareholders have entered into lock-up agreements with the underwriters. Under the lock-up agreements, subject to certain exceptions, we and each of these persons may not, without the prior written approval of UBS Securities LLC, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, or hedge our ADSs or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for our ADSs. These restrictions will be in effect for a 90-day period after the date of this prospectus.

UBS Securities LLC may, at any time, without public notice and in its sole discretion, release some or all the securities from these lock-up agreement; provided, that in the case of a release given to any of our officers or directors, we will be required to announce such a release in a press release at least two business days prior to the effective date of such release as long as we are notified at least three business days in advance thereof. There are no agreements between the representative, on the one hand, and our officers or directors, on the other hand, releasing any such officer or director from these lock-up agreements prior to the expiration of the 90-day period. If the restrictions under the lock-up agreements are waived, our ADSs and ordinary shares may become available for resale into the market, subject to applicable law, which could reduce the market price of our ADSs and ordinary shares.

INDEMNIFICATION

We have agreed to indemnify the several underwriters against certain liabilities, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act. If we are unable to provide this indemnification, we have agreed to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.

NASDAQ QUOTATION

We plan to apply to have our ADSs approved for listing on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “CYAD.”

 

 

 

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PRICE STABILIZATION, SHORT POSITIONS

In connection with the global offering, the underwriters may engage in activities that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of our ADSs and our ordinary shares during and after the global offering, including:

 

Ø   stabilizing transactions;

 

Ø   short sales;

 

Ø   purchases to cover positions created by short sales;

 

Ø   imposition of penalty bids; and

 

Ø   syndicate covering transactions.

Stabilizing transactions consist of bids or purchases made for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our ADSs and our ordinary shares while the global offering is in progress. Stabilization transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. These transactions may also include making short sales of our ADSs and our ordinary shares, which involve the sale by the underwriters of a greater number of ADSs and our ordinary shares than they are required to purchase in the global offering and purchasing ADSs and our ordinary shares on the open market to cover short positions created by short sales. Short sales may be “covered short sales,” which are short positions in an amount not greater than the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares referred to above, or may be “naked short sales,” which are short positions in excess of that amount.

The underwriters may close out any covered short position by either exercising their option, in whole or in part, or by purchasing ordinary shares or ADSs in the open market. In making this determination, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of ordinary shares or ADSs available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase ordinary shares or ADSs through the options to purchase additional ordinary shares or ADSs.

Naked short sales are short sales made in excess of the option to purchase additional ordinary shares or ADSs. The underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing ordinary shares or ADSs in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the ordinary shares or ADSs in the open market that could adversely affect investors who purchased in the global offering. Any naked short position will not exceed an amount equal to 5% of the original number of ordinary shares or ADSs offered.

The underwriters also may 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 representative has repurchased ordinary shares or ADSs sold by or for the account of that underwriter in stabilizing or short covering transactions.

These stabilizing transactions, short sales, purchases to cover positions created by short sales, the imposition of penalty bids and syndicate covering transactions may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our ADSs and our ordinary shares or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our ADSs and our ordinary shares. As a result of these activities, the price of our ADSs and our ordinary shares may be higher than the price that otherwise might exist in the open market. The underwriters may carry out these transactions on the NASDAQ, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise. Neither we nor the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of the ADSs or ordinary shares. Neither we, nor any of the underwriters make any representation that the underwriters will engage in

 

 

 

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these stabilization transactions or that any transaction, once commenced, will not be discontinued without notice.

Stabilization will not be executed above the offer price. Within five business days of the end of the stabilization period, the following information will be made public:

 

(i)   whether or not stabilization was undertaken;

 

(ii)   the date at which stabilization started;

 

(iii)   the date on which stabilization last occurred;

 

(iv)   the price range within which stabilization was carried out, for each of the dates on

 

(v)   which stabilization transactions were carried out; and

 

(vi)   the final size of the global offering, including the result of the stabilization and the exercise of the over-allotment option, if any.

DETERMINATION OF OFFERING PRICE

Prior to the global offering, there was no public market for our ADSs. The initial public offering price will be determined by negotiation among us and the representative of the underwriters. The principal factors to be considered in determining the initial public offering price include:

 

Ø   the information set forth in this prospectus and otherwise available to the representative;

 

Ø   our history and prospects and the history and prospects for the industry in which we compete;

 

Ø   our past and present financial performance;

 

Ø   our prospects for future earnings and the present state of our development;

 

Ø   the general condition of the securities market at the time of the global offering;

 

Ø   the recent market prices of, and demand for, publicly traded ADSs of generally comparable companies;

 

Ø   the recent market prices of our ordinary shares on the Euronext Brussels and Euronext Paris; and

 

Ø   other factors deemed relevant by the underwriters and us.

The estimated public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus is subject to change as a result of market conditions and other factors. Neither we nor the underwriters can assure investors that an active trading market will develop for our ADSs or that the ADSs will trade in the public market at or above the initial public offering price.

AFFILIATIONS

The underwriters and 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 their affiliates may from time to time in the future engage with us and perform services for us or in the ordinary course of their business for which they will receive customary fees and expenses. In the ordinary course of their various 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, and such investment and securities activities may

 

 

 

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involve securities and/or instruments of us. The underwriters and their respective affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of these securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in these securities and instruments.

ELECTRONIC DISTRIBUTION

A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the Internet sites or through other online services maintained by one or more of the underwriters participating in the global offering, or by their affiliates. In those cases, prospective investors may view offering terms online and, depending upon the particular underwriter, prospective investors may be allowed to place orders online. The underwriters may agree with us to allocate a specific number of ordinary shares or ADSs for sale to online brokerage account holders. Any such allocation for online distributions will be made by the underwriters on the same basis as other allocations. Other than the prospectus in electronic format, the information on any underwriter’s website and any information contained in any other website maintained by an underwriter is not part of the prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, has not been approved and/or endorsed by us or any underwriter in its capacity as underwriter and should not be relied upon by investors.

NOTICE TO PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS

European Economic Area

In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area which has implemented the Prospectus Directive (each, a “Relevant Member State”), including but not limited to Belgium and France, an offer to the public of any shares or ADSs which are the subject of the global offering contemplated by this prospectus (the “Shares”) may not be made in that Relevant Member State except that an offer to the public in that Relevant Member State of any Shares may be made at any time under the following exemptions under the Prospectus Directive, if they have been implemented in that Relevant Member State:

 

(a)   to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under the Prospectus Directive;

 

(b)   by the underwriters to fewer than 100, or, if the Relevant Member State has implemented the relevant provisions of the 2010 PD Amending Directive, 150, natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Directive) subject to obtaining the prior consent of the representatives of the underwriters for any such offer; or

 

(c)   in any other circumstances falling within Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive,

provided that no such offer of Shares shall result in a requirement us or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 16 of the Prospectus Directive.

For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to any Shares in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any Shares to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase any Shares, as the same may be varied in that Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that Member State. The expression “Prospectus Directive means Directive 2003/71/EC (and amendments thereto, including the 2010 PD Amending Directive, to the extent implemented in the Relevant Member State), and includes any relevant implementing measure in each Relevant Member State and the expression “2010 PD Amending Directive means Directive 2010/73/EU.

 

 

 

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The EEA selling restriction is in addition to any other selling restrictions set out in this prospectus.

United Kingdom

This prospectus is only being distributed to and is only directed at: (1) persons who are outside the United Kingdom; (2) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the “Order”); or (3) high net worth companies, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons falling within (1)-(3) together being referred to as “relevant persons”). The ordinary shares and ADSs are only available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire such ordinary shares and ADSs will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this prospectus or any of its contents.

Australia

This prospectus is not a formal disclosure document and has not been, nor will be, lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. It does not purport to contain all information that an investor or their professional advisers would expect to find in a prospectus or other disclosure document (as defined in the Corporations Act 2001 (Australia)) for the purposes of Part 6D.2 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Australia) or in a product disclosure statement for the purposes of Part 7.9 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Australia), in either case, in relation to the securities.

The securities are not being offered in Australia to “retail clients” as defined in sections 761G and 761GA of the Corporations Act 2001 (Australia). The global offering is being made in Australia solely to “wholesale clients” for the purposes of section 761G of the Corporations Act 2001 (Australia) and, as such, no prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document in relation to the securities has been, or will be, prepared.

This prospectus does not constitute an offer in Australia other than to persons who do not require disclosure under Part 6D.2 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Australia) and who are wholesale clients for the purposes of section 761G of the Corporations Act 2001 (Australia). By submitting an application for our securities, you represent and warrant to us that you are a person who does not require disclosure under Part 6D.2 and who is a wholesale client for the purposes of section 761G of the Corporations Act 2001 (Australia). If any recipient of this prospectus is not a wholesale client, no offer of, or invitation to apply for, our securities shall be deemed to be made to such recipient and no applications for our securities will be accepted from such recipient. Any offer to a recipient in Australia, and any agreement arising from acceptance of such offer, is personal and may only be accepted by the recipient. In addition, by applying for our securities you undertake to us that, for a period of 12 months from the date of issue of the securities, you will not transfer any interest in the securities to any person in Australia other than to a person who does not require disclosure under Part 6D.2 and who is a wholesale client.

Hong Kong

The contents of this prospectus have not been reviewed by any regulatory authority in Hong Kong. You are advised to exercise caution in relation to the offer. If you are in any doubt about any of the contents of this prospectus, you should obtain independent professional advice. Please note that (i) our securities may not be offered or sold in Hong Kong, by means of this prospectus or any document other than to “professional investors” within the meaning of Part I of Schedule 1 of the Securities and Futures

 

 

 

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Ordinance (Cap.571, Laws of Hong Kong) (SFO) and any rules made thereunder, or in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap.32, Laws of Hong Kong) (CO) or which do not constitute an offer or invitation to the public for the purpose of the CO or the SFO, and (ii) no advertisement, invitation or document relating to our securities may be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere) which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to the securities which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” within the meaning of the SFO and any rules made thereunder.

Japan

Our securities have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law) and our securities will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in Japan, or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan (which term as used herein means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan, or to a resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law and any other applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines of Japan.

Singapore

This prospectus has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of our securities may not be circulated or distributed, nor may our securities be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (SFA), (ii) to a relevant person pursuant to Section 275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA, or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.

Where our securities are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 by a relevant person which is:

 

(a)   a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or

 

(b)   a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an individual who is an accredited investor, securities (as defined in Section 239(1) of the SFA) of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired our securities pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 except:

 

  (1)   to an institutional investor or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person arising from an offer referred to in Section 275(1A) or Section 276(4)(i)(B) of the SFA;

 

  (2)   where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer;

 

 

 

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  (3)   where the transfer is by operation of law; or

 

  (4)   as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA.

Switzerland

This Prospectus does not constitute an issue prospectus pursuant to Article 652a or Article 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations (CO) and the ordinary shares and ADSs will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. Therefore, the Prospectus may not comply with the disclosure standards of the CO and/or the listing rules (including any prospectus schemes) of the SIX Swiss Exchange. Accordingly, the ordinary shares and ADSs may not be offered to the public in or from Switzerland, but only to a selected and limited circle of investors, which do not subscribe to the ordinary shares and ADSs with a view to distribution.

Greece

The securities have not been approved by the Hellenic Capital Markets Commission for distribution and marketing in Greece. This document and the information contained therein do not and shall not be deemed to constitute an invitation to the public in Greece to purchase the securities. The securities may not be advertised, distributed, offered or in any way sold in Greece except as permitted by Greek law.

Dubai International Finance Centre

This prospectus relates to an Exempt Offer in accordance with the Markets Rules of the Dubai Financial Services Authority. This prospectus is intended for distribution only to Professional Clients who are not natural persons. It must not be delivered to, or relied on by, any other person. The Dubai Financial Services Authority has no responsibility for reviewing or verifying any documents in connection with Exempt Offers. The Dubai Financial Services Authority has not approved this document nor taken steps to verify the information set out in it, and has no responsibility for it. The securities to which this prospectus relates may be illiquid and/or subject to restrictions on their resale. Prospective purchasers of the securities offered should conduct their own due diligence on the securities. If you do not understand the contents of this document you should consult an authorized financial adviser.

 

 

 

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Expenses of the global offering

Set forth below is an itemization of the total expenses, excluding underwriting commissions, which are expected to be incurred in connection with our sale of ordinary shares and ADSs in the global offering. With the exception of the registration fee payable to the SEC and the filing fee payable to FINRA, all amounts are estimates.

 

Itemized Expenses    Amount  

SEC registration fee

   $ 13,363   

NASDAQ Listing fee

     *   

FINRA filing fee

     *   

Printing expenses

     *   

Legal fees and expenses

     *   

Accounting fees and expenses

     *   

Miscellaneous costs

     *   
  

 

 

 

Total

$ *   
  

 

 

 

 

*   To be provided by amendment.

 

 

 

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Legal matters

Goodwin Procter LLP, Boston, Massachusetts, is representing the company in connection with the global offering. Allen & Overy LLP, Brussels, Belgium, will pass upon the validity of the ordinary shares represented by the ADSs offered hereby and other legal matters concerning the global offering relating to Belgian law, including matters of Belgian income tax law. Cooley LLP, Boston, Massachusetts and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, Brussels, Belgium are representing the underwriters in connection with the global offering.

 

 

 

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Experts

The financial statements as of December 31, 2014, December 31, 2013 and January 1, 2013 and for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2014 included in this Prospectus have been so included in reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers Reviseurs d’entreprises scrl, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

The registered offices of PricewaterhouseCoopers Reviseurs d’entreprises scrl are located at Woluwedal 18, B-1932 Sint-Stevens Woluwe, Belgium.

The audited historical financial statements of OnCyte Clinical Trials Program included in this Prospectus have been so included in reliance on the report of Gallagher, Flynn & Company, LLP, independent accountants, given on the authority of such firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

 

 

 

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Where you can find additional information

We have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission a registration statement on Form F-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the shares to be represented by ADSs offered in this prospectus. A related registration statement on Form F-6 will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to register the ADSs. This prospectus, which forms a part of the registration statement, does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. Certain information is omitted and you should refer to the registration statement and its exhibits for that information. With respect to references made in this prospectus to any contract or other document of Celyad SA, such references are not necessarily complete and you should refer to the exhibits attached to the registration statement for copies of the actual contract or document.

You may review a copy of the registration statement, including exhibits and any schedule filed therewith, and obtain copies of such materials at prescribed rates, at the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Public Reference Room in Room 1580, 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549-0102. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the Securities and Exchange Commission at 1-800-SEC-0330. The Securities and Exchange Commission maintains a website (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding registrants, such as Celyad SA, that file electronically with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Upon completion of the global offering, we will be subject to the information reporting requirements of the Exchange Act applicable to foreign private issuers and, in accordance therewith, we will file with the Securities and Exchange Commission annual reports on Form 20-F within four months of our fiscal year end, and provide to the Securities and Exchange Commission other material information on Form 6-K. Those reports may be inspected without charge at the locations described above. As a foreign private issuer, we will be exempt from the rules under the Exchange Act related to the furnishing and content of proxy statements, and our officers, directors and principal shareholders will be exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, we will not be required under the Exchange Act to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as United States companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act.

We maintain a corporate website at www.celyad.com . Information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website does not constitute a part of this prospectus. We have included our website address in this prospectus solely as an inactive textual reference.

We must file our articles of association and all other deeds that are to be published in the Annexes to the Belgian Official Gazette with the clerk’s office of the Commercial Court of Nivelles (Belgium), where they are available to the public. A copy of the most recently restated articles of association and our corporate governance charter is also available on our website.

In accordance with Belgian law, we must prepare annual audited statutory financial statements. The statutory financial statements and the reports of our board of directors and of the statutory auditor relating thereto are filed with the National Bank of Belgium, where they are available to the public. Furthermore, we must publish our annual statutory financial statements and semi-annual interim financial statements (in the form provided by the Belgian Royal Decree of November 14, 2007 relating to the obligations of issuers of financial instruments admitted to trading on a Belgian regulated market (as amended from time to time), prepared under Belgian GAAP. In addition, we will also provide such

 

 

 

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Where you can find additional information

 

 

financial statements and interim financial statements as prepared under IFRS as endorsed by the European Union.

We have to disclose price-sensitive information, information about its shareholders’ structure, and certain other information to the public. In accordance with the Belgian Royal Decree of November 14, 2007, such information and documentation will be made available through press releases, the financial press in Belgium, our website, the communication channels of Euronext Brussels and Euronext Paris or a combination of these media.

 

 

 

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INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF CARDIO3 BIOSCIENCES S.A. AT DECEMBER 31, 2014, DECEMBER 31, 2013 AND JANUARY 1, 2013 AND FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2014 AND DECEMBER 31, 2013

 

     Page  

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     F-2   

Consolidated Statement of Financial Position

     F-3   

Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Loss

     F-4   

Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity

     F-5   

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flow s

     F-6   

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

     F-7   

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF ONCYTE CLINICAL TRIALS PROGRAM AT DECEMBER 31, 2014 AND 2013 AND FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2014 AND 2013

 

Independent Auditor’s Report

     F-57   

Statements of Financial Position

     F-58   

Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss)

     F-59   

Statement of Changes in Net Parent Company Investment

     F-60   

Statements of Cash Flows

     F-61   

Notes to the Financial Statements

     F-62   

In accordance with Regulation S-X 3-05, the audited financial statements of the OnCyte Clinical Trials Program as of December 31, 2014 and 2013 and for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 are presented herein.

 

 

 

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1     REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors and shareholders of Cardio3 Biosciences S.A.:

In our opinion, the accompanying consolidated statements of financial position and the related consolidated statements of comprehensive loss, of changes in equity and of cash flows present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Cardio3 Biosciences S.A. and its subsidiaries at December 31, 2014, December 31, 2013 and January 1, 2013, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2014 in conformity with International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits of these statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

As discussed in Note 2.36 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has restated its 2013 financial statements to correct two errors.

Liège, March 31, 2015

PricewaterhouseCoopers Reviseurs d’Entreprises sccrl

Represented by

/s/ Patrick Mortroux

Patrick Mortroux

 

 

 

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Consolidated statement of financial position

 

(€’000)         As of December 31,    

As per January 1,
2013 (restated) [1]

 
      Notes    2014    

2013

(restated) [1]

   

NON-CURRENT ASSETS

        11,041        9,783        10,148   

Intangible assets

   2.6      10,266        9,400        9,615   

Property, Plant and Equipment

   2.7      598        243        383   

Investment accounted for using the equity method

   2.13      68        —          —     

Other non-current assets

   2.8      109        140        150   

CURRENT ASSETS

        32,935        22,603        2,337   

Trade and other receivables

   2.9      830        422        305   

Grants receivables

   2.9      1,009        —          —     

Other current assets

   2.9      792        123        387   

Short term investments

   2.10      2,671        3,000        —     

Cash and cash equivalents

   2.11      27,633        19,058        1,645   
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

TOTAL ASSETS

  43,976      32,386      12,485   
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

EQUITY

  26,684      16,898      (29,138

Share capital

2.15   24,615      22,138      9,975   

Share premium

2.15   53,302      30,474      —     

Other reserves

2.23   19,982      18,894      1,006   

Retained loss

  (71,215   (54,608   (40,119

NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES

  11,239      12,099      11,266   

Finance leases

  279      27      109   

Advances repayable

2.18   10,778      12,072      11,157   

Post employment benefits

2.17   182      —        —     

CURRENT LIABILITIES

  6,053      3,389      30,357   

Finance leases

  134      79      160   

Convertible loan

  —        —        26,878   

Advances repayable

2.18   777      429      685   

Trade payables

2.19   4,042      2,169      1,770   

Other current liabilities

2.19   1,100      712      864   
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES

  43,976      32,386      12,485   
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

[1]   Consolidated statement of financial position as per January 1, 2013 and as per December 31, 2013 has been restated (see Note 2.36)

The footnotes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

 

 

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Consolidated statement of comprehensive loss

 

(€’000)           For the year ended December 31,  
      Notes          2014        

2013

(restated) [1]

 
Revenue         146        —     

Cost of sales

        (115     —     
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
Gross profit   31      —     
     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Research and development expenses

  2.26      (15,865   (9,046

General administrative expenses

  2.27      (5,016   (3,972

Other operating income

  2.28      4,413      64   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
Operating Loss   (16,437   (12,954
     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Financial income

  2.30      277      60   

Financial expenses

  2.30      (41   (1,595

Share of loss of investments accounted for using the equity method

  2.13      (252   —     
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
Loss before taxes   (16,453   (14,489
     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income taxes

  2.22      —        —     
Loss for the year [2]   (16,453   (14,489
     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Other comprehensive loss

Items that will not be reclassified to profit and loss   (154   —     

Remeasurements of post employment benefit obligations, net of tax

  (154   —     
Items that may be subsequently reclassified to profit or loss   (10   —     

Currency translation differences

  (10   —     
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
Other comprehensive loss for the year, net of tax   (164   —     
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
Total comprehensive loss for the year   (16,617   (14,489
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
Total comprehensive loss for the year attributable to equity holders [2]   (16,617   (14,489
     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Basic and diluted loss per share (in €)

  2.31      (2.44   (3.53
     

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

[1]   Consolidated statement of comprehensive loss for 2013 has been restated (see note 2.36)
[2]   For 2014 and 2013, the Cardio3 Biosciences SA and its subsidiaries do not have any non-controlling interests and the losses for the year are fully attributable to owners of the parent.

The footnotes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

 

 

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Consolidated statement of changes in equity

 

(€’000)   

Share
capital

(Note 2.15)

     Share
premium
(Note 2.15)
    Other
reserves
(Note 2.23)
    Retained
loss
    Total
Equity
 

Balance as of January 1, 2013 as previously reported

     9,975         —          12,412        (24,647     (2,260

Effect of restatement

     —           —          (11,406     (15,472     (26,878
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance as of January 1, 2013 (restated)

     9,975         —          1,006        (40,119     (29,138
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Capital increase in cash

     7,113         26,339        —          —          33,452   

Exercise of warrants

     24         —          —          —          24   

Contribution in kind convertible loans

     5,026         6,988        16,631        —          28,645   

Share-based payments

     —           —          274        —          274   

Restatement on share-based payments

     —           —          984        —          984   

Transaction costs associated with capital increases

     —           (2,853     —          —          (2,853
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total transactions with owners, recognized directly in equity (restated)

     12,163         30,474        17,889        —          60,526   

Loss for year

     —           —          —          (14,489 )     (14,489 )

Currency Translation differences

     —           —          —          —          —     

Remeasurements of defined benefit obligation

     —           —          —          —          —     

Total comprehensive loss for the year (restated)

     —           —          —          (14,489     (14,489
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2013 (restated)

     22,138         30,474        18,894        (54,608     16,898   
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Capital increase in cash

     1,989         23,011        —          —          25,000   

Exercise of warrants

     488         500        —          —          988   

Share-based payments

     —           429        1,098        —          1,527   

Transaction costs associated with capital increases

     —           (1,112     —          —          (1,112
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total transactions with owners, recognized directly in equity

     2,477         22,828        1,098        —          26,403   
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss for the year

     —           —          —          (16,453     (16,453

Currency translation differences

     —           —          (10     —          (10

Remeasurements of defined benefit obligation

     —           —          —          (154     (154
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total comprehensive loss for the year

     —           —          (10     (16,607     (16,617
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2014

     24,615         53,302        19,982        (71,215     26,684   
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

The footnotes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

 

 

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Consolidated statement of Cash flows

 

(€’000)    For the year ended
31 December
 
      Notes      2014    

2013

(restated)  [1]

 
Cash flow from operating activities        
Net Loss for the year         (16,453     (14,489
Non-cash adjustments        

Depreciation

     2.7         193        213   

Amortisation

     2.6         677        674   

Interests on convertible loans

        —          357   

Fair value on convertible loans

        —          1,159   

Post employment benefit

     2.17         28        —     

Share of loss in company consol. under equity method

     2.13         252        —     

Gain on contribution IP at incorp. C3BS Asia Ltd.

     2.13         (312     —     

Reversal provision for reimbursement RCAs

     2.28         (507     —     

Proceeds of grants and advances

     2.28         (2,418     395   

Share-based payments

     2.16         1,098        1,258   
Change in working capital        

Trade receivables, other receivables

        (2,048     (452

Trade payables, other payable and accruals

        2,076        247   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
Net cash (used in)/from operations         (17,414     (10,638
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
Cash flow from investing activities        
Acquisitions of Property, Plant & Equipment      2.7         (590     (73
Acquisitions of Intangible assets      2.6         (50     (459
Acquisition of short term investment      2.10         372        (3,000
Investment in subsidiary      2.14         (1,500     —     
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
Net cash used in investing activities         (1,768     (3,532
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
Cash flow from financing activities        
Proceeds from borrowings         444        —     
Repayments of finance leases         (138     (163
Proceeds from issuance of shares and exercise of warrants      2.16         25,305        30,623   
Proceeds from subsidies      2.28         636        129   
Proceeds from RCAs & other grants      2.28         1,782        955   
Proceeds from convertible loan         —          250   
Repayment of advances         (272     (211
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
Net cash from financing activities         27,757        31,583   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
Net cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the period         19,058        1,645   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
Change in net cash and cash equivalents         8,575        17,413   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
Net cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period         27,633        19,058   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

[1]     Consolidated statement of cash flows has been restated relating to the restatement of net loss for the year ended December 31, 2013 (see note 2.36)

The footnotes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

 

 

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2    NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

 

2.1    General information

Cardio3 BioSciences SA (“the Company”) and its subsidiaries (together, “the Group”) is a biotechnology group specialising in stem cell-based therapies for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. It is acting in the field of cardiac regenerative medicine. It is currently developing several therapeutic therapies based on two distinct technology platforms, respectively in cardiology and oncology. The group has two fully owned subsidiaries in the US, Cardio3 Inc and Corquest Medical Inc, and has incorporated a joint venture in Hong-Kong in July 2014, Cardio3 BioSciences Asia Ltd, with its Hong-Kong based partner Medisun International Ltd. Corquest Medical Inc. was acquired in November 2014.

Cardio3 BioSciences was incorporated on July 24, 2007 under the name “Cardio3 BioSciences”. Cardio3 BioSciences is a limited liability company (“Société Anonyme”) governed by Belgian law with its registered office at Axis Parc, Rue Edouard Belin 12, B-1435 Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium (company number 0891.118.115). The Company is listed on NYSE Euronext Brussels and NYSE Euronext Paris regulated markets.

2.2    Summary of significant accounting policies

The significant accounting policies used for preparing the consolidated financial statements are explained here below.

2.2.1    Basis of preparation

The consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a historical cost basis. The consolidated financial statements have been approved for issue by the Board of Directors of cardio3 BioSciences on March 19, 2015.

The consolidated financial statements are presented in euro and all values are presented in thousands (€000) except when otherwise indicated.

Statement of compliance

The consolidated financial statements of the Group have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and IFRS Interpretations Committee (IFRS IC) interpretations applicable to companies reporting under IFRS.

The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in accordance with IFRS requires the use of certain critical accounting estimates. It also requires management to exercise its judgment in the process of applying the Group’s accounting policies. The areas involving a higher degree of judgment or complexity, are areas where assumptions and estimates are significant to the financial statements. They are disclosed in Note 2.4.

Going concern

The Group is pursuing a strategy to develop certain products and obtain approval from the authorities to commercialise those products. Since June 2013, the Group is conducting international Phase III clinical trials in heart failure with C-Cure, its most advanced therapy, and will initiate in the beginning of 2015 a Phase I clinical trial with CAR-NKG2D, its lead product in oncology. Management has prepared detailed budgets and cash flow forecasts for the following two years. These forecasts reflect the strategy of the Group and include significant expenses and cash outflows in relation to the development of selected research programs and products candidates.

 

 

 

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Based on its current scope of activities, the Group estimates its current cash position (including short term investments) is sufficient to cover its cash requirements for 2015.

After due consideration of the above, the Board of Directors determined that management has an appropriate basis to conclude on the continuity over the next 12 months of the Group’s business and hence it is appropriate to prepare the financial statements on a going concern basis.

Changes to accounting standards and interpretations

None of the amendments to standards or interpretations which are effective for the first time for the financial year beginning on January 1, 2014 had a material impact on the Group’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2014.

A number of new standards and amendments to standards have been issued, but are not mandatory for the first time for the financial year beginning January 1, 2014 and have not been applied in preparing these consolidated financial statements. None of these is expected to have a significant effect on the consolidated financial statements of the Group, except the following set out below:

 

Ø   IFRS 9 ‘Financial instruments’, effective for annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2018. The standard addresses the classification, measurement and derecognition of financial assets and financial liabilities.

The Group is yet to assess IFRS 9’s full impact.

2.2.2    Consolidation

(a) Subsidiaries

Subsidiaries are all entities (including structured entities) over which the Group has control. The Group controls an entity when the Group is exposed to, or has rights to, variable returns from its involvement with the entity and has the ability to affect those returns through its power over the entity. Subsidiaries are fully consolidated from the date on which control is transferred to the Group. They are deconsolidated from the date control ceases.

The Group applies the acquisition method to account for business combinations.

The consideration transferred for the acquisition of a subsidiary is measured at the aggregate of the fair values of the assets transferred, the liabilities incurred or assumed and the equity interests issued by the Group at the date of the acquisition. The consideration transferred includes the fair value of any asset or liability resulting from a contingent consideration arrangement. Identifiable assets acquired and liabilities and contingent liabilities assumed in a business combination are measured initially at their fair values at the acquisition date.

Acquisition-related costs are expensed as incurred.

Any contingent consideration to be transferred by the Group is recognized at fair value at the acquisition date. Subsequent changes to the fair value of the contingent consideration that is deemed to be an asset or liability is recognized in accordance with IAS 39 either in profit or loss or as a change to other comprehensive income. Contingent consideration that is classified as equity is not re-measured, and its subsequent settlement is accounted for within equity.

 

 

 

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Inter-company transactions, balances and unrealized gains on transactions between group companies are eliminated. Unrealized losses are also eliminated. When necessary, amounts reported by subsidiaries have been adjusted to conform with the Group’s accounting policies.

(b) Joint arrangements

The Group applies IFRS 11 to all joint arrangements. Under IFRS 11 investments in joint arrangements are classified as either joint operations or joint ventures depending on the contractual rights and obligations of each investor. The Group has assessed the nature of its joint arrangements and determined them to be joint ventures. Joint ventures are accounted for using the equity method.

Under the equity method of accounting, interests in joint ventures are initially recognised at cost and adjusted thereafter to recognise the group’s share of the post-acquisition profits or losses and movements in other comprehensive income. When the group’s share of losses in a joint venture equals or exceeds its interests in the joint ventures (which includes any long-term interests that, in substance, form part of the group’s net investment in the joint ventures), the Group does not recognise further losses, unless it has incurred obligations or made payments on behalf of the joint ventures.

Unrealised gains on transactions between the Group and its joint ventures are eliminated to the extent of the group’s interest in the joint ventures. Unrealised losses are also eliminated unless the transaction provides evidence of an impairment of the asset transferred. Accounting policies of the joint ventures have been changed where necessary to ensure consistency with the policies adopted by the Group.

2.2.3    Foreign currency translation

(a) Functional and presentation currency

Items included in the financial statements of each of the Group’s entities are measured using the currency of the primary economic environment in which the entity operates (“the functional currency”). The consolidated financial statements are presented in Euros, which is the Group’s presentation currency.

(b) Transactions and balances

Foreign currency transactions (mainly USD) are translated into functional currency using the applicable exchange rate on the transaction dates. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are retranslated at the functional currency spot rate of exchange ruling at the reporting date.

Foreign currency exchange gains and losses arising from settling foreign currency transactions and from the retranslation of monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies at the reporting date are recognised in the income statement.

Non-monetary items that are measured in terms of historical cost in a foreign currency are translated using the exchange rates as of the dates of the initial transactions. Non-monetary items measured at fair value in a foreign currency are translated using the exchange rates at the date when the fair value is determined.

(c) Group companies

The results and financial position of all Group entities that have a functional currency different from the presentation currency are translated into the presentation currency as follows:

 

Ø   Assets and liabilities for each balance sheet presented are translated at the closing rate at the date of that balance sheet;

 

 

 

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Ø   Income and expenses for each income statement are translated at average exchange rate (unless this average is not a reasonable approximation of the cumulative effect of the rates prevailing on the transaction dates, in which case income and expenses are translated at the rate on the dates of the transactions); and

 

Ø   All resulting exchange differences are recognized in other comprehensive income.

2.2.4    Revenue

Revenue is measured at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable, and represents amounts receivable for goods supplied in the ordinary course of the Group activities, stated net of discounts, returns and value added taxes. The Company recognizes revenue when the amount of revenue can be reliably measured and when it is probable that future economic benefits will flow to the entity. The amount of revenue is not considered to be reliably measured until all contingencies relating to the sale have been resolved.

Revenue from the sale of goods is recognized when:

 

Ø   The significant risks and rewards of the ownership of goods are transferred to the buyer;

 

Ø   The Group retains neither continuing managerial involvement to the degree usually associated with ownership nor effective control over the goods sold;

 

Ø   The amount of revenue can be measured reliably;

 

Ø   It is probable that the economic benefits associated with the transaction will flow to the entity; and

 

Ø   The costs incurred or to be incurred in respect of the transaction can be measured reliably.

For 2014, the only revenues generated by the Group are associated with C-Cath ez , its proprietary catheter, and are marginal compared to its operating expenses.

2.2.5    Other operating income

2.2.5.1    Government grants

The Group’s current operating income is primarily generated from (i) government grants received from the European Commission under the Seventh Framework Program (“FP7”) and other authorities (see paragraph 1.2.5.1.2) and (ii) government grants received from the Regional government (“Walloon Region” or “Region”) in the form of recoverable cash advances (RCAs) (see paragraph 1.2.5.1.1)

Government grants are recognised at their fair value where there is a reasonable assurance that the grant will be received and the Group will comply with all attached conditions. Once a government grant is recognized, any related contingent liability (or contingent asset) is treated in accordance with IAS 37, Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets.

Government grants relating to costs are deferred and recognised in the income statement over the period necessary to match them with the costs that they are intended to compensate.

2.2.5.1.1    Recoverable cash advances (RCAs)

As explained above, the Group receives grants from the Regional government in the form of recoverable cash advances (RCAs).

 

 

 

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RCAs are dedicated to support specific development programs. All RCA contracts, in essence, consist of three phases, i.e. , the “research phase”, the “decision phase” and the “exploitation phase”. During the research phase, the Group receives funds from the Region based on statements of expenses.

The RCAs are recognized in profit or loss on a systematic basis over the periods in which the entity recognizes as expenses the related costs for which the grants are intended to compensate.

At the end of the research phase, the Group should within a period of six months decide whether or not to exploit the results of the research phase (decision phase). The exploitation phase may have a duration of up to 10 years. In the event the Group decides to exploit the results under an RCA, the relevant RCA becomes contingently refundable and the company applies the recognition criteria of IAS 37 related to liability recognition, with any amounts being recognized as a reduction of other operating income in the income statement.

When the Group does not exploit (or does not continue to exploit) the results under an RCA, it has to notify the Region of this decision. This decision is of the sole responsibility of the Group. The RCA associated to the decision does not become refundable (respectively is no longer refundable as of the calendar year after such decision), and the rights related to such results will be transferred to the Region. Also when the Group decides to renounce to its rights to patents which may result from the research, title to such patents will be transferred to the Region.

2.2.5.1.2    Other government grants

The Group has received and will continue to apply grants to European (FP7) and Regional authorities. These grants are dedicated to partially finance early stage projects such as fundamental research, applied research, prototype design, etc.

As per December 31 2014, all grants received are not associated to any conditions. As per contract, grants are paid upon submission by the Group of statement of expenses. The Company incurs project expenses first and asks for partial refunding according to the terms of the contracts.

The government grants are recognized in profit or loss on a systematic basis over the periods in which the entity recognizes as expenses the related costs for which the grants are intended to compensate.

2.2.6    Intangible assets

Intangible assets acquired from third parties are measured on initial recognition at cost. Following initial recognition, intangible assets are carried at cost less any accumulated amortisation and accumulated impairment losses.

Internally generated intangible assets, excluding capitalised development costs (when conditions are met), are not capitalised. Expenditure is reflected in the income statement in the year in which the expenditure is incurred.

The useful life of intangible assets is assessed as finite. They are amortised over the expected useful economic life and assessed for impairment whenever there is an indication that the intangible asset may be impaired. The amortisation period and the amortisation method for an intangible asset with a finite useful life are reviewed at least at each financial year end. Changes in the expected useful life or the expected pattern of consumption of future economic benefits embodied in the asset is accounted for by

 

 

 

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changing the amortisation period or method, as appropriate, and are treated as changes in accounting estimates. The amortisation expense on intangible assets with finite lives is recognised in the income statement of in the expense category consistent with the function of the intangible asset.

Gains or losses arising from derecognition of an intangible asset are measured as the difference between the net disposal proceeds and the carrying amount of the asset and are recognised in the income statement when the asset is derecognised.

(a) Research and development costs

Research costs are expensed as incurred. Development expenditures on an individual project are recognised as an intangible asset when the Group can demonstrate:

 

  a)   the technical feasibility of completing the intangible asset so that it will be available for use or sale.

 

  b)   its intention to complete the intangible asset and use or sell it.

 

  c)   its ability to use or sell the intangible asset.

 

  d)   how the intangible asset will generate probable future economic benefits. Among other things, the entity can demonstrate the existence of a market for the output of the intangible asset or the intangible asset itself or, if it is to be used internally, the usefulness of the intangible asset.

 

  e)   the availability of adequate technical, financial and other resources to complete the development and to use or sell the intangible asset.

 

  f)   its ability to measure reliably the expenditure attributable to the intangible asset during its development.

For the industry in which the Group operates, the life science industry, criteria a) and d) tend to be the most difficult to achieve. Experience shows that in the biotechnology sector technical feasibility of completing the project is met when such project completes successfully Phase III of its development. For medical devices this is usually met at the moment of CE marking.

Following initial recognition of the development expenditure as an asset, the cost model is applied requiring the asset to be carried at cost less any accumulated amortisation and accumulated impairment losses.

Amortisation of the asset begins when development has been completed and the asset is available for use. It is amortised over the period of expected future benefit. Amortisation is recorded in Research & Development expenses. During the period of development, the asset is tested for impairment annually.

As per December 31, 2014, only the development costs of C-Cath ez are capitalized and amortized over a period of 17 years which corresponds to the period over which the intellectual property is protected.

(b) Patents, Licences and Trademarks

Payments related to the acquisition of technology rights are capitalised as intangible assets when the two following criteria are met:

 

Ø   it is probable that the expected future economic benefits that are attributable to the asset will flow to the entity; and

 

Ø   the cost of the asset can be measured reliably.

 

 

 

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Licences for the use of intellectual property are granted for a period corresponding to the intellectual property of the assets licensed. Amortisation is calculated on a straight-line basis over this useful life.

Patents and licences are assessed for impairment whenever there is an indication these assets may be impaired. Indication of impairment is related to the value of the patent demonstrated by the pre-clinical and clinical results of the technology.

(c) Software

Software only concerns acquired computer software licences. Software is capitalised on the basis of the costs incurred to acquire and bring to use the specific software. These costs are amortised over their estimated useful lives of three years on a straight-line basis.

2.2.7    Property, plant and equipment

Plant and equipment is stated at cost, net of accumulated depreciation and/or accumulated impairment losses, if any. Repair and maintenance costs are recognised in the income statement of as incurred.

Depreciation is calculated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the asset as follows:

 

Ø   Land and buildings: 15 to 20 years

 

Ø   Plant and equipment: 5 to 15 years

 

Ø   Laboratory equipment: 3 to 5 years

 

Ø   Furniture: 3 to 10 years

 

Ø   Leasehold improvements: 3 to 10 years (based on duration of office building lease)

An item of property, plant and equipment and any significant part initially recognised is derecognised upon disposal or when no future economic benefits are expected from its use or disposal. Any gain or loss arising on derecognition of the asset (calculated as the difference between the net disposal proceeds and the carrying amount of the asset) is included in the income statement when the asset is derecognised.

The assets’ residual values, useful lives and methods of depreciation are reviewed at each financial year end, and adjusted prospectively, if applicable.

2.2.8    Leases

The determination of whether an arrangement is, or contains, a lease is based on the substance of the arrangement at inception date: whether fulfilment of the arrangement is dependent on the use of a specific asset or assets or the arrangement conveys a right to use the asset.

Finance leases, which transfer to the Group substantially all the risks and benefits incidental to ownership of the leased item, are capitalised at the commencement of the lease at the fair value of the leased property or, if lower, at the present value of the minimum lease payments. Lease payments are apportioned between finance charges and reduction of the lease liability so as to achieve a constant rate of interest on the remaining balance of the liability. Finance charges are recognised in the income statement.

Leased assets are depreciated over the useful life of the asset. However, if there is no reasonable certainty that the Group will obtain ownership by the end of the lease term, the asset is depreciated over the shorter of the estimated useful life of the asset and the lease term.

 

 

 

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Operating lease payments are recognised as an expense in the income statement on a straight line basis over the lease term.

The Group has performed sale and leaseback transactions. If the sale and leaseback transaction results in a finance lease, any excess of sales proceeds over the carrying amount is deferred and amortised over the lease term. If the transaction results in an operating lease and the transaction occurred at fair value, any profit or loss is recognised immediately.

2.2.9    Impairment of non-financial assets

The Group assesses at each reporting date whether there is an indication that an asset may be impaired. If any indication exists, or when annual impairment testing for an asset is required, the Group estimates the asset’s recoverable amount. An asset’s recoverable amount is the higher of an asset’s or cash-generating unit’s (CGU) fair value less costs to sell and its value in use and is determined for an individual asset, unless the asset does not generate cash inflows that are largely independent of those from other assets or group of assets. Where the carrying amount of an asset or CGU exceeds its recoverable amount, the asset is considered impaired and is written down to its recoverable amount. In assessing value in use, the estimated future cash flows are discounted to their present value using a pre-tax discount rate that reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to the asset. In determining fair value less costs to sell, an appropriate valuation model is used based on the discounted cash-flow model.

An assessment is made at each reporting date as to whether there is any indication that previously recognised impairment losses may no longer exist or may have decreased. If such indication exists, the Group estimates the asset’s or cash-generating unit’s recoverable amount. A previously recognised impairment loss is reversed only if there has been a change in the assumptions used to determine the asset’s recoverable amount since the last impairment loss was recognised. The reversal is limited so that the carrying amount of the asset does not exceed its recoverable amount, nor exceed the carrying amount that would have been determined, net of depreciation, had no impairment loss been recognised for the asset in prior years. Such reversal is recognised in the income statement unless the asset is carried at a revalued amount, in which case the reversal is treated as a revaluation increase.

The Group has three cash-generating units which consist of the development and commercialization activities on its the following products, C-Cath ez, Heart-Xs and C-Cure. Indicators of impairment used by the Group are the pre-clinical and clinical results obtained with the technology.

2.2.10    Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents in the statement of financial position comprise cash at banks and on hand and short-term deposits with an original maturity of three months or less.

2.2.11    Financial assets

2.2.11.1    Classification

The Group classifies its financial assets in the following category: loans and receivables. The classification depends on the purpose for which the financial assets were acquired. Management determines the classification of its financial assets at initial recognition.

Loans and receivables are non-derivative financial assets with fixed or determinable payments that are not quoted in an active market. They are included in current assets, except for maturities greater than 12

 

 

 

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months after the end of the reporting period. These are classified as non-current assets. The Group’s loans and receivables comprise “cash and cash equivalents”, “short-term deposits”, “trade and other receivables” and “Deposits”. Those trade debtors are not impaired and are not material in relation to the current and total assets. Impairments are assessed on an individual basis and as such, there is not general rule that trade debtors overdue since a certain number of days are impaired.

2.2.11.2    Initial recognition and measurement

All financial assets are recognised initially at fair value plus directly attributable transaction costs.

2.2.11.3    Subsequent measurement

After initial measurement, loans and receivables are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest rate method (EIR), less impairment. Amortised cost is calculated by taking into account any discount or premium on acquisition and fee or costs that are an integral part of the EIR. The EIR amortisation is included in finance income in the income statement. The losses arising from impairment are recognised in the income statement.

2.2.11.4    Impairment of financial assets

The Group assesses at each reporting date whether there is any objective evidence that a financial asset or a group of financial assets is impaired. A financial asset or a group of financial assets is deemed to be impaired if, and only if, there is objective evidence of impairment as a result of one or more events that has occurred after the initial recognition of the asset and that loss event has an impact on the estimated future cash flows of the financial asset or the group of financial assets that can be reliably estimated.

Evidence of impairment may include indications that the debtors or a group of debtors is experiencing significant financial difficulty, default or delinquency in interest or principal payments, the probability that they will enter bankruptcy or other financial reorganisation and where observable data indicate that there is a measurable decrease in the estimated future cash flows, such as changes in arrears or economic conditions that correlate with defaults.

Financial assets carried at amortised cost

For financial assets carried at amortised cost the Group first assesses individually whether objective evidence of impairment exists individually for financial assets that are individually significant, or collectively for financial assets that are not individually significant. If the Group determines that no objective evidence of impairment exists for an individually assessed financial asset, it includes the asset in a group of financial assets with similar credit risk characteristics and collectively assesses them for impairment. Assets that are individually assessed for impairment and for which an impairment loss is, or continues to be, recognised are not included in a collective assessment of impairment.

If there is objective evidence that an impairment loss has incurred, the amount of the loss is measured as the difference between the asset’s carrying amount and the present value of estimated future cash flows.

The present value of the estimated future cash flows is discounted at the financial assets’ original effective interest rate. If a loan has a variable interest rate, the discount rate for measuring any impairment loss is the current effective interest rate.

The carrying amount of the asset is reduced through the use of an allowance account and the amount of the loss is recognised in the income statement. Interest income continues to be accrued on the reduced

 

 

 

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carrying amount and is accrued using the rate of interest used to discount the future cash flows for the purpose of measuring the impairment loss. The interest income is recorded as part of finance income in the income statement. Loans together with the associated allowance are written off when there is no realistic prospect of future recovery. If, in a subsequent year, the amount of the estimated impairment loss increases or decreases because of an event occurring after the impairment was recognised, the previously recognised impairment loss is increased or reduced by adjusting the allowance account. If a future write-off is later recovered, the recovery is credited to the income statement.

2.2.12    Financial liabilities

2.2.12.1    Classification

The Group’s financial liabilities include trade and other payables, bank overdrafts and loans and borrowings. The Group classifies its financial liabilities in the following category: financial liabilities measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

2.2.12.2    Initial recognition and measurement

All financial liabilities are recognised initially at fair value and in the case of loans and borrowings, plus directly attributable transaction costs.

2.2.12.3    Subsequent measurement

The measurement of financial liabilities depends on their classification as follows:

(a) Trade payables and other payables

After initial recognition, trade payables and other payables are measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

(b) Loans and borrowings

After initial recognition, interest bearing loans and borrowings are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest rate method. Gains and losses are recognised in the income statement when the liabilities are derecognised.

Amortised cost is calculated by taking into account any discount or premium on acquisition and fee or costs that are an integral part of the EIR. The EIR amortisation is included in finance expense in the income statement.

2.2.12.4    Derecognition

A financial liability is derecognised when the obligation under the liability is discharged or cancelled or expires.

When an existing financial liability is replaced by another from the same lender on substantially different terms, or the terms of an existing liability are substantially modified, such an exchange or modification is treated as a derecognition of the original liability and the recognition of a new liability, and the difference in the respective carrying amounts is recognised in the income statement.

 

 

 

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2.2.13    Provisions

Provisions are recognised when the Group has a present obligation (legal or constructive) as a result of a past event, it is probable that an outflow of resources embodying economic benefits will be required to settle the obligation and a reliable estimate can be made of the amount of the obligation. Where the Group expects some or all of a provision to be reimbursed, for example under an insurance contract, the reimbursement is recognised as a separate asset but only when the reimbursement is virtually certain. The expense relating to any provision is presented in the income statement net of any reimbursement. If the effect of the time value of money is material, provisions are discounted using a current pre-tax rate that reflects, where appropriate, the risks specific to the liability. Where discounting is used, the increase in the provision due to the passage of time is recognised as a finance cost.

We also refer to Note 2.2.5.1.1 on Recoverable Cash Advances (RCAs) where it is explained that recoverable cash advances received from the Regional government are accounted for in accordance with IAS 37 as from the moment these become contingently refundable.

2.2.14    Employee benefits

Defined contribution plan

The Group operates a pension plan which requires contributions to be made by the Group to an insurance company.

Because of the Belgian legislation applicable to 2nd pillar pension plans (so-called “Law Vandenbroucke”), all Belgian defined contribution plans have to be considered under IFRS as defined benefit plans. Law Vandenbroucke states that in the context of defined contribution plans, the employer must guarantee a minimum return of 3.75% on employee contributions and 3.25% on employer contributions. Because of this minimum guaranteed return for defined contributions plans in Belgium, the employer is exposed to a financial risk (there is a legal obligation to pay further contributions if the fund does not hold sufficient assets to pay all employee benefits relating to employee service in the current and prior periods).

Prior to 2014, the Group did not apply the defined benefit accounting for these plans because higher discount rates were applicable and the return on plan assets provided by the insurance company was sufficient to cover the minimum guaranteed return. As a result of continuous low interest rates offered by the European financial markets, in 2014 Cardio 3 Biosciences has decided to measure and account for the potential impact of defined benefit accounting for these pension plans with a minimum fixed guaranteed return because of the higher financial risk related to these plans than in the past. The prior year financial statements were not revised due to such effect not being material.

The Group has calculated the provision for employee benefit pension plans with the assistance of an independent third-party actuarial firm. The calculation is based on the projected unit credit method.

The liability recognized in the balance sheet in respect of the pension plans is the present value of the defined benefit obligation at the end of the reporting period less the fair value of plan assets. The present value of the defined benefit obligation is determined by discounting the estimated future cash outflows using interest rates of high-quality corporate bonds that are denominated in the currency in which the benefits will be paid, and that have terms to maturity approximating to the terms of the related pension obligation.

 

 

 

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The current service cost of the defined benefit plan, recognized in the income statement as part of the operating costs, reflects the increase in the defined benefit obligation resulting from employee service in the current year, benefit changes, curtailments and settlements.

Past-service costs are recognized immediately in the income statement.

The net interest cost is calculated by applying the discount rate to the net balance of the defined benefit obligation and the fair value of plan assets. This cost is included in the operating costs in the income statement.

Actuarial gains and losses arising from experience adjustments and changes in actuarial assumptions are charged or credited to other comprehensive income in the period in which they arise.

Short term benefits

Short-term employee benefits are those expected to be settled wholly before twelve months after the end of the annual reporting period during which employee services are rendered, but do not include termination benefits such as wages, salaries, profit-sharing and bonuses and non-monetary benefits paid to current employees.

The undiscounted amount of the benefits expected to be paid in respect of service rendered by employees in an accounting period is recognised in that period. The expected cost of short-term compensated absences is recognised as the employees render service that increases their entitlement or, in the case of non-accumulating absences, when the absences occur, and includes any additional amounts an entity expects to pay as a result of unused entitlements at the end of the period.

Share-based payments

Certain employees, managers and members of the Board of Directors of the Group receive remuneration, as compensation for services rendered, in the form of share-based payments. It concerns “equity-settled” share-based payments.

(a) Measurement

The cost of equity-settled share-based payments is measured by reference to the fair value at the date on which they are granted. The fair value is determined by using an appropriate pricing model, further details are given in the Note 2.16.

(b) Recognition

The cost of equity-settled share-based payments is recognised, together with a corresponding increase in equity, over the period in which the service conditions are fulfilled. The cumulative expense recognised for equity-settled transactions at each reporting date until the vesting date reflects the extent to which the vesting period has expired and the Group’s best estimate of the number of equity instruments that will ultimately vest.

The expense or credit for a period accounted for in the income statement represents the movement in cumulative expense recognised as of the beginning and end of that period.

 

 

 

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(c) Modification

Where the terms of an equity-settled transaction award are modified, the minimum expense recognised is the expense as if the terms had not been modified, if the original terms of the award were met. An additional expense is recognised for any modification that increases the total fair value of the share-based payment transaction, or is otherwise beneficial to the employee as measured at the date of modification.

(d) Forfeiture

At the end of each reporting period, the Group revises its estimates of the number of options that are expected to vest based on the non-market vesting conditions and service conditions. The Group recognizes the impact of the revision to original estimates, if any, in the income statement, with a corresponding adjustment to equity.

2.2.15    Taxes

Tax is recognised in the income statement, except to the extent that it relates to items recognised in other comprehensive income or directly in equity. In this case, the tax is also recognised in other comprehensive income or directly in equity, respectively.

Deferred tax

Deferred tax is provided using the liability method on temporary differences at the reporting date between the tax bases of assets and liabilities and their carrying amounts for financial reporting purposes.

Deferred tax liabilities are recognised for all taxable temporary differences, except:

 

Ø   Where the deferred tax liability arises from the initial recognition of goodwill or of an asset or liability in a transaction that is not a business combination and, at the time of the transaction, affects neither the accounting profit nor taxable profit or loss;

 

Ø   In respect of taxable temporary differences associated with investments in subsidiaries, associates and interests in joint ventures, where the timing of the reversal of the temporary differences can be controlled and it is probable that the temporary differences will not reverse in the foreseeable future.

Deferred tax assets are recognised for all deductible temporary differences, carry forward of unused tax credits and unused tax losses(except if the deferred tax asset arises from the initial recognition of an asset or liability in a transaction other than a business combination and that, at the time of the transaction affects neither accounting nor taxable profit or loss), to the extent that it is probable that taxable profit will be available against which the deductible temporary differences, and the carry forward of unused tax credits and unused tax losses can be utilised.

The carrying amount of deferred tax assets is reviewed at each reporting date and reduced to the extent that it is not probable that sufficient taxable profit will be available to allow all or part of the deferred tax asset to be utilised. Unrecognised deferred tax assets are reassessed at each reporting date and are recognised to the extent that it has become probable that future taxable profits will allow the deferred tax asset to be recovered.

 

 

 

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Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured at the tax rates that are expected to apply in the year when the asset is realised or the liability is settled, based on tax rates (and tax laws) that have been enacted or substantively enacted at the reporting date.

Deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities are offset, if a legally enforceable right exists to set off current tax assets against current income tax liabilities and the deferred taxes relate to income taxes levied by the same taxation authority or either the same taxable entity or different taxable entities where there is an intention to settle the balances on a net basis.

2.2.16    Earnings (loss) per share

The basic net profit/(loss) per share is calculated based on the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period.

The diluted net profit/(loss) per share is calculated based on the weighted average number of shares outstanding including the dilutive effect of potentially dilutive ordinary shares such as warrants and convertible debts. Potentially dilutive ordinary shares should be included in diluted earnings (loss) per share when and only when their conversion to ordinary shares would decrease the net profit per share (or increase net loss per share).

2.3    Risk Management

Financial risk factors

(a) Interest rate risk

The interest rate risk is very limited as the Group has only a limited amount of finance leases and no outstanding loans. So far, because of the materiality of the exposure, the Group did not enter into any interest hedging arrangements.

(b) Credit risk

Seen the limited amount of trade receivables due to the fact that sales to third parties are not significant, credit risk arises mainly from cash and cash equivalents and deposits with banks and financial institutions. The Group only works with national reputable commercial banks and financial institutions.

(c) Foreign exchange risk

The Group is exposed to foreign exchange risk as certain collaborations or supply agreements of raw materials are denominated in USD. Moreover the Group has also investments in foreign operations, whose net assets are exposed to foreign currency translation risk (USD and HKD). So far, because of the materiality of the exposure, the Group did not enter into any currency hedging arrangements. No sensitivity has been performed on the foreign exchange risk as up till now this risk is still considered as immaterial by the Group.

(d) Liquidity risk

The Group monitors its risk to a shortage of funds using a recurring liquidity planning tool.

The Group’s objective is to maintain a balance between continuity of funding and flexibility through the use of bank deposit and finance leases.

 

 

 

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The Group is exposed to liabilities and contingent liabilities as a result of the RCAs it has received from the Walloon Government. Out of the RCAs contracted as of December 31, 2014, €17.0 million has been effectively paid out.

In 2015 and 2016, the Group will have to make an exploitation decision on the remaining RCAs (Agreement 5951, 6646 and 7027) with a potential recognition of an additional liability of €3.5 million based on the advances effectively paid out as per 31 December 2014.

We refer to note 2.20 for an analysis of the Group’s non-derivative financial liabilities into relevant maturity groupings based on the remaining period at the balance sheet date to the contractual maturity date. The amounts disclosed in the table are the contractual undiscounted cash flows.

Capital management

The Group’s objectives when managing capital are to safeguard Cardio3 BioSciences’ ability to continue as a going concern in order to provide returns for shareholders and benefits for other stakeholders and to maintain an adequate structure to limit to costs of capital.

2.4    Critical accounting estimates and judgments

The preparation of the Group’s financial statements requires management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of revenues, expenses, assets and liabilities, and the disclosure of contingent liabilities, at the end of the reporting period.

Estimates and judgements are continually evaluated and are based on historical experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Uncertainty about these assumptions and estimates could result in outcomes that require a material adjustment to the carrying amount of the asset or liability affected in future periods.

In the process of applying the Group’s accounting policies, management has made judgments and has used estimates and assumptions concerning the future. The resulting accounting estimates will, by definition, seldom equal the related actual results. The estimates and assumptions that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next financial year are addressed below.

(a) Advances received from the Walloon Region: recognition of a contingent liability

Advances received from the Walloon Region only become contingently reimbursable if the Company notifies the Region of its decision to exploit the outcome of the research program funded with the advances received. At the end of this research phase, the Group should, within a period of six months, decide whether or not to exploit the results of the research programs (‘decision phase’). In the event the Group decides to exploit the results under an RCA, the relevant RCA becomes contingently repayable to the Walloon Region and the Company determines its liability under IAS 37. When a contingent liability is recognised, estimates are required to determine the discount rate used to calculate the present value of those contingent liabilities as well as the determination of the estimated cash flows.

The reimbursements of the RCAs to the Walloon Region consist of two elements, i.e. , sales-dependent reimbursements (a percentage of sales) and sales-independent reimbursements (an annual lump-sum). For more information we refer to Note 2.18.

 

 

 

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(b) Consolidation

The Group periodically undertakes transactions that may involve obtaining control, joint control or significant influence of other companies. In July 2014 Cardio3 Biosciences together with Medisun International incorporated Cardio3 Biosciences Asia Ltd. An assessment was completed to decide if Cardio3 Biosciences had obtained control or joint control of the new company. The agreement stipulates that:

 

Ø   Cardio3 Biosciences acquired 40% of the share capital of Cardio3 BioSciences Asia in return for an outlicense for the development of C-Cure in Greater China.

 

Ø   Medisun acquired 60% of shares for HK$ 5 million. They will make additional cash contribution for additional shares over the next 3 years to fund the research.

 

Ø   The JV agreement stipulates that unanimous consent is required from both parties to the agreements over relevant activities, for example approving budgets and business plans; declaring dividends; borrowing money, apply for registration of IP etc.

 

Ø   The Group’s joint arrangement is structured as a limited company and provides the Group and the parties to the agreements with rights to the net assets of the limited company under the arrangements.

Based on the above, the Group has assessed there is joint control and that Cardio3 Bioscienes Asia is a joint venture.

(c) Business combinations

In respect of acquired businesses by the Group, significant judgement is made to determine whether these acquisitions are to be considered as an asset deal or as a business combination. Determining whether a particular set of assets and activities is a business should be based on whether the integrated set is capable of being conducted and managed as a business by a market participant. Moreover, management judgement is particularly involved in the recognition and fair value measurement of the acquired assets, liabilities, contingent liabilities and contingent consideration. In making this assessment management considers the underlying economic substance of the items concerned in addition to the contractual terms. For more information, we refer to Note 2.14.

(d) Contingent consideration provisions

The Group makes provision for the estimated fair value of contingent consideration arrangements arising from business combinations (see Note 2.14). The estimated amounts are the expected payments, determined by considering the possible scenarios of forecast sales and other performance criteria, the amount to be paid under each scenario, and the probability of each scenario, which is then discounted to a net present value. The estimates could change substantially over time as new facts emerge and each scenario develops.

(e) Deferred Tax Assets

Deferred tax assets for unused tax losses are recognised to the extent that it is probable that taxable profit will be available against which the losses can be utilised. Significant management judgment is required to determine the amount of deferred tax assets that can be recognised, based upon the likely timing and level of future taxable profits together with future tax planning strategies. Further details are contained in Note 2.22.

 

 

 

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(f) Share-based payment transactions

The Group measures the cost of equity-settled transactions with employees by reference to the fair value of the equity instruments at the date at which they are granted. Estimating fair value for share-based payment transactions requires determining the most appropriate valuation model, which is dependent on the terms and conditions of the grant. This estimate also requires determining the most appropriate inputs to the valuation model including the expected life of the share option, volatility and dividend yield and making assumptions about them. The assumptions and models used for estimating fair value for share-based payment transactions are disclosed in Note 2.16.

2.5     Operating segment information

The chief operating decision-maker, who is responsible for allocating resources and assessing performance of the Group, has been identified as the Board of Directors that makes strategic decisions.

As per December 31, 2014 the Group was operating in one operating segment. Management has determined that there is only one operating segment based on the information reviewed by the Board of Directors during 2014. The Board of Directors considers the business of the Group from a general company-wide perspective seen the close interrelation between the different projects (C-Cath, C-Cure, CorQuest technology platform). Although the Group is currently active in Europe, the US and Asia, no geographical financial information is currently available given the fact that the core operations are currently still in a study phase.

No disaggregated information on product level or geographical level or any other level is currently existing and hence also not considered by the Board for assessing performance or allocating resources.

As per December 31, 2014, all the Group non-current assets are located in Belgium, except the Corquest intellectual property, valued at €1,5 million which is located in the US.

During 2014 only limited revenues were generated from external customers. All revenues generated relate to sales of C-Cath ez to a limited number of customers located in the US.

 

 

 

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2.6     Intangible assets

The intangible assets are broken down as follow:

 

(€’000)   

Development

costs

   

Patents,

licences,
trademarks

    Software     Total  

Cost:

        

At January 1, 2013

     549        11,844        110        12,503   

Additions

     458        —          —          458   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

At December 31, 2013

  1,007      11,844      110      12,961   

Additions

  50      —        —        50   

Acquisition of subsidiary (Note 2.14.1)

  —        1,493      —        1,493   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

At December 31, 2014

  1,057      13,337      110      14,504   

Accumulated amortisation

At January 1, 2013

  (21   (2,839   (28   (2,888

Amortisation charge (Note 2.24)

  (61   (592   (20   (673
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

At December 31, 2013

  (82   (3,431   (48   (3,561

Amortisation charge (Note 2.24)

  (64   (592   (21   (677
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

At December 31, 2014

  (146   (4,023   (69   (4,238

Net book value

Cost

  1,007      11,844      110      12,961   

Accumulated amortisation

  (82   (3,431   (48   (3,561
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

As at December 31, 2013

  925      8,413      62      9,400   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cost

  1,057      13,337      110      14,504   

Accumulated amortisation

  (146   (4,023   (69   (4,238
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

As at December 31, 2014

  911      9,314      41      10,266   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

The capitalised development costs relate to the development of C-Cath ez. Since May 2012 and the CE marking of C-Cath ez , the development costs of C-Cath ez are capitalized and depreciated over the estimate residual intellectual property protection as of the CE marking (15 years and 16 years respectively in 2014 and 2013). No other development costs have been capitalised up till now. All C-Cure related development costs have been assessed as not being eligible for capitalisation and have therefore been recognised in the income statement as research and development expenses.

Patents, Licenses and Trademarks relate to the following items:

 

Ø   A licence, granted in August 2007 by Mayo Clinic (for an amount of k€9,500) upon the Group’s inception and an extension to the licensed field of use, granted on 29 October 2010 for a total amount of k€2,344. The licence and its extension are amortised straight line over a period of 20 years.

 

Ø   Patents acquired upon the acquisition of CorQuest LLC in November 2014. The fair value of these intellectual rights was estimated at k€1,492 (See Note 2.14.1). These patents are amortised over 18 years, corresponding to the remaining intellectual property protection filed for the first patent application in 2012.

Management has not identified any impairment indicators in relation to the intangible assets as mentioned above. Therefore no impairment exercise was performed and hence no impairment losses were recognized.

 

 

 

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2.7     Property, plant and equipment

 

(€’000)    Equipment     Furnitures     Leasehold     Total  

Cost:

        

At January 1, 2013

     1,340        167        543        2,050   

Additions

     41        9        23        73   

Disposals

     (7     —          —          (7
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

At December 31, 2013

  1,374      176      566      2,116   

Additions

  566      —        24      590   

Disposals

  (39   (9   —        (48
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

At December 31, 2014

  1,901      167      590      2,658   

Accumulated depreciation:

At January 1, 2013

  (974   (160   (533   (1,667

Depreciation charge (note 2.24)

  (204   (6   (3   (213

Disposals

  7      —        —        7   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

At December 31, 2013

  (1,171   (166   (536   (1,873

Depreciation charge (note 2.24)

  (175   (1   (11   (187
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

At December 31, 2014

  (1,346   (167   (547   (2,060
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net book value

Cost

  1,374      176      566      2,116   

Accumulated depreciation

  (1,171   (166   (536   (1,873
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

As at December 31, 2013

  203      10      30      243   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cost

  1,901      167      590      2,658   

Accumulated depreciation

  (1,346   (167   (547   (2,060
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

As at December 31, 2014

  555      —        43      598   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Property, Plant and Equipment is mainly composed of office furniture, leasehold improvements, and laboratory machinery and equipment.

Finance leases

Lease contracts considered as finance lease relate to some contracts with financial institutions and relate to laboratory and office equipment. All finance leases have a maturity of three years and were initiated since March 2008. A key common feature is that they include an option to purchase the leased asset at the end of the three-year-lease term. The carrying value of plant and equipment held under finance leases at 31 December 2014 was €422,556 (31 December 2013 was €137,512). The carrying value corresponds to the net asset value of the leases at the end of period and includes the purchase option price.

2.8     Non current financial assets

 

(€’000)

   As of December 31,      As of
January 1,
 
      2014      2013      2013  

Deposits

     108.59         140.12         150.53   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

  108.59      140.12      150.53   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

The non-current financial assets are composed of security deposits paid to the lessors of the building leased by the Group and to Social Security Contribution.

 

 

 

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2.9     Trade receivable, advances and other current assets

 

(€’000)

   As of December 31,      As of
January 1,
 
      2014      2013      2013  

Trade receivable

        

Trade receivable

     30.75         149.34         216.79   

Advance deposits

     701.08         —           —     

Other receivables

     98.04         271.94         88.20   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Trade and Other receivables

  829.87      421.28      304.99   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Grants and Recoverable Cash Advances

  1,008.82      —        —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Prepaid expenses

  211.77      122.91      249.25   

VAT receivable

  388.54      —        137.85   

Other receivables

  191.92      —        —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Other current assets

  792.23      122.91      387.10   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

As of December 31, 2014, other receivables mainly relate to advance deposits made to the CHART-2 clinical vendors.

Grants and Recoverable Cash Advances refer to amounts due by the Walloon Region and are related to Recoverable Cash Advances and grants agreements.

Impairment of receivables is assessed on an individual basis at the end of each accounting year.

As per December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, no receivable was overdue. There were no carrying amounts for trade and other receivables denominated in foreign currencies and no impairments were recorded.

2.10     Short term investments

 

(€’000)    As of December 31,      As of
January 1,
 
      2014      2013      2013  

Short term investments

     2,670.88         3,000.00         —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

  2,670.88      3,000.00          —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Amounts recorded as short term investments in the current assets correspond to short term deposits with fixed interest rates. Short-term deposits are made for variable periods depending on the short term cash requirements of the Group. Interest is calculated at the respective short-term deposit rates.

2.11     Cash and cash equivalents

 

(€’000)    As of December 31,      As of
January 1,
 
      2014      2013      2013  

Cash at bank and on hand

     27,633.10         19,058.26         1,645.03   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

  27,633.10      19,058.26      1,645.03   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Cash at banks earn interest at floating rates based on daily bank deposit rates.

 

 

 

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2.12     Subsidiaries fully consolidated

 

Name    Country of
Incorporation and
Place of Business
     Nature of Business   

Proportion of

ordinary
shares directly
held by parent
(%)

    Proportion of
ordinary shares
held by the
group (%)
    Proportion of
ordinary shares
held by non-
controlling
interests (%)
 

Cardio3 Inc

     US       Biopharma      100     100     0

CorQuest

     US       Medical Device      100     100     0

Cardio3 Inc was incorporated in 2011 to support clinical and regulatory activities of the Group in the US. It has little activities and shows a net loss for the year ended December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 of respectively $71,132 and $6,397. The initiation of the CHART-2 trial should generate material activities in the course of 2015.

Corquest Inc was acquired on November 5, 2014. Corquest Inc. is developing Heart XS, a new access route to the left atrium. Further details on the acquisition are disclosed in Note 2.14.1.

2.13     Investment in joint venture

 

Name   Country of
Incorporation and
Place of Business
   Nature of Business   Ownership
interests
(%)
  Nature of
relationship
  Measurement
method

Cardio3 BioSciences Asia Ltd

 



Hong-Kong

  



Pharmaceuticals

  40%   Note 1   Equity Method

Note 1: Cardio3 BioSciences Asia Ltd is a joint venture created in July 2014 with Medisun International, a financial partner and shareholder of the Group. The joint venture aims to initiate the clinical development of C-Cure and further commercialize C-Cure in Greater China. The Group owns 40% of the shares of Cardio3 BioSciences Asia Ltd. The Group will contribute its know-how in clinical operations and regulatory offers, and will bear the cost of production of C-Cure clinical batches of the upcoming Phase III clinical trial to be conducted in Greater China.

Cardio3 BioSciences Asia Ltd is a private company and there is no quoted market price available for its shares.

 

(€’000)    2014  

At January 1

     —     

Incorporation of JV

     312   

Share of (loss) for the period

     (252

FX adjustment

     8   
  

 

 

 

At December 31

  68   
  

 

 

 

The Group has no commitments relating to its joint venture and there are no contingent liabilities relating to the Group’s interest in the joint venture.

Summarized financial information for the joint venture:

Set out below is the summarized financial information for Cardio3 BioSciences Asia Ltd which is accounted for using the equity method.

 

 

 

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Summarized balance sheet :

 

(€’000)   

As of December 31,

2014

 

Current

  

Cash and cash equivalents

     429   
  

 

 

 

Total current assets

  429   
  

 

 

 

Other current liabilities

  824   
  

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

  824   
  

 

 

 

Non-current assets

  565   
  

 

 

 

Total non-current assets

  565   
  

 

 

 

Net Assets

  170   
  

 

 

 

Summarized statement of comprehensive loss :

 

(€’000)    For year ended
December 31, 2014
 

Revenue

     —     

Depreciation and amortisation

     (5

Operating expense

     (624

Interest income

     —     
  

 

 

 

Pre-tax loss from continuing operations

  (629
  

 

 

 

Income tax expense

  —     
  

 

 

 

Post-tax loss from continuing operations

  (629
  

 

 

 

Total comprehensive loss

  (629
  

 

 

 

The information above reflects the amounts presented in the consolidated financial statements of the joint venture. There are no differences in accounting policies between the Group and the joint venture.

Reconciliation of summarised financial information :

Reconciliation of the summarized financial information presented to the carrying amount of the interest in the joint venture.

 

(€’000)    2014  

Opening equity incorporation JV

     780   

FX adjustment on equity as per Dec.31. 2014

     19   

Loss for the period

     (629
  

 

 

 

Closing net assets

  170   
  

 

 

 

Interest in joint venture

  40
  

 

 

 

Interest in net assets of joint venture

  68   
  

 

 

 

Carrying value

  68   
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2.14    Business Combinations

2.14.1 Corquest Medical, Inc.

On November 5, 2014 the Group acquired a 100% interest in CorQuest Medical, Inc. (‘CorQuest’), a US private company based in Miami (Florida), through a single cash payment of k€1,500. With this acquisition, the Group intends to strengthen its Medical Device division. The CorQuest technology platform is fully complementary with Cardio3 BioSciences’ C-Cathez ® and C-Cure ® programs. The acquisition of CorQuest and the development of these technologies will not significantly affect the Company’s burn rate over the two coming years. However, the acquisition of an extra medical device with a potential to market by 2016, as well as other therapeutic applications, will enable the Company to create multiple short term value creation milestones for its shareholders. Although no workforce is transferred, this transaction is considered as a business combination since the Group acquired inputs and processes in the form of intellectual property and will be able to progress this intellectual property further through the appropriate clinical and regulatory approval processes with the aim of obtaining EC mark approval by the end of 2016 which would allow commercialisation in Europe. In order to guarantee the transfer of knowledge an exclusive consultancy agreement was concluded with one of the sellers.

The following table summarises the consideration paid for Corquest as well as the provisional fair value of assets acquired at the acquisition date.

 

Consideration at November 5, 2014 (€’000)  

Cash

     1,500   
  

 

 

 

Total consideration transferred

  1,500   
  

 

 

 

 

Recognised amounts of identifiable assets acquired (€’000)        

Licences & Patents

     1,493   

Trade and Other Receivables

     7   
  

 

 

 

Total identifiable net assets

  1,500   
  

 

 

 

This acquisition has been subject to a Purchase Price Allocation process which consists in booking, at “fair value”, all the assets and liabilities of a target company acquired in the consolidated balance sheet of the acquiring company. The acquired assets and liabilities have been valued at fair value by the Group with the assistance of an independent third-party valuation firm.

The fair value of the acquired assets was determined on a provisional basis. The fair value as stated is provisional because the integration process of the acquired entity and its activities is still ongoing. The provisional fair value of acquired assets can change when the final fair value of the acquired assets and liabilities assumed is established.

The “Licences and Patents” of CorQuest can be considered as its only significant asset. It has been valued using a Risk-Adjusted Net Present Value (“rNPV”) method. Patents acquired are depreciated over 18 years, corresponding to the remaining intellectual property protection filed for the first patent application in 2012 ( See Note 2.6).

No cash or cash equivalents were acquired.

No deferred tax liability has been provisionally recorded on the PPA step up of intangible assets since the company intends to elect for IRS Section 338 which will lead to creating a tax deductible depreciation in the US Tax books.

 

 

 

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There were no revenues contributed by Corquest Medical, Inc in the consolidated statement of comprehensive loss. Since 5 November 2014 all expenses associated to the development of the assets acquired were incurred by the Company itself. Had Corquest Medical, Inc. been consolidated from 1 January 2014, the consolidated statement of comprehensive loss would show an additional pro-forma loss of $124,643.70.

There were no material acquisition-related costs related to the acquisition of Corquest Medical, Inc.

2.14.2    Oncyte LLC

On 21 January 2015, the Company acquired 100% of the share capital of Oncyte LLC from Celdara Medical LLC in exchange for a cash consideration of USD 6 million and 93,087 new shares of Cardio3 BioSciences for a total value of USD 4 million, or (EUR 3,451,680). The fair value of the 93,087 ordinary shares issued as part of the consideration paid for Oncyte LLC was based on a share price of EUR 37.08, the share price at the date of acquisition.

Oncyte LLC is the company holding the CAR T-Cell portfolio of clinical-stage immuno-oncology assets. The portfolio includes three autologous CAR T-Cell cell therapy products and an allogeneic T-Cell platform, targeting a broad range of cancer indications. CAR T-Cell immuno-oncology represents one of the most promising cancer treatment areas today. The lead portfolio candidate CAR-NKG2D is expected to start U.S. Phase I trial Q1 2015. The final results are expected by mid-2016.

Although no workforce is transferred, this transaction is considered as a business combination since the Group will be able to produce outputs based on the inputs acquired and processes transferred in the form of intellectual property. The transfer of knowledge to the Group is guaranteed by the conclusion of a service agreement between the Group and the seller.

The following table summarises the consideration paid for Oncyte LLC, the provisional fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date.

 

Consideration at January 21, 2015 (€’000)        

Cash

     5,181   

Equity instruments (93,087 ordinary shares)

     3,452   

Contingent Consideration

     36,267   
  

 

 

 

Total consideration transferred

  44,900   
  

 

 

 
Recognised amounts of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed (€’000)        

In-process research and development

     44,900   
  

 

 

 

Total identifiable net assets

  44,900   
  

 

 

 

This acquisition has been subject to a Purchase Price Allocation, process which consists in booking, at “fair value”, all the assets and liabilities of a target company acquired in the consolidated balance sheet of the acquiring company. The acquired assets and liabilities have been valued at fair value by the Group with the assistance of an independent third-party valuation firm.

The fair value of the acquired assets and liabilities assumed was determined on a provisional basis. The fair value as stated here above is provisional because the integration process of the acquired entity and its

 

 

 

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activities is still ongoing. The provisional fair value of acquired assets and liabilities assumed can change when the final fair value of the acquired assets and liabilities assumed is established.

The Intangible asset of Oncyte can be considered as its only significant asset.

The sales price also includes a provisional estimate of the fair value of the contingent consideration payment, the potential remaining part of the purchase price, based on future outcome of the research and development and potential future sales that are estimated, through a risk-adjusted Net Present Value, at USD 42 million (considering the impact of the discount and the probability of success). For the successful development of the most advanced product CAR-NKG2D, the seller could receive up to USD 50 million in development and regulatory milestones until market approval. The seller will be eligible to additional payments on the other products upon achievement of development and regulatory milestones totalling up to USD 21 million per product. In addition, the seller will receive up to USD 80 million in sales milestones when net sales will exceed USD 1 billion and royalties ranging from 5 to 8%. The provisional estimate of fair value for contingent consideration is subject to change as the Company finalizes its accounting for the acquisition of Oncyte.

No deferred taxes have been taken up in the overview of provisional fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed since the company intends to elect for IRS Section 338 which will lead to creating a tax deductible depreciation in the US Tax books.

No revenues are included in the consolidated financial statements of 2014 since Oncyte LLC was only acquired in 2015.

Had Oncyte LLC been consolidated from January 1, 2014, the consolidated statement of comprehensive loss would show pro-forma revenue of €146 and loss of €16,625.

No material acquisition-related costs have been charged to the consolidated income statement for the year ended December 31, 2014.

2.15    Share Capital & convertible loans

The number of shares issued is expressed in units.

 

     As of December 31,  
      2014      2013  

Number of ordinary shares

     7,040,387         6,332,792   

Share Capital (€’000)

     24,615         22,138   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total number of issued and outstanding shares

  7,040,387      6,332,792   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total share capital (€’000)

  24,615      22,138   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

As of December 31, 2014, the share capital amounts to €24,615k represented by 7,040,387 fully authorized and subscribed and paid-up shares with a nominal value of €3.50. This number does not include warrants issued by the Company and granted to certain directors, employees and non-employees of the Company.

History of the capital of the Company

The Company has been incorporated on July 24, 2007 with a share capital of €62,500 by the issuance of 409,375 class A shares. On August 31, 2007, the Company has issued 261,732 class A shares to Mayo Clinic by way of a contribution in kind of the upfront fee that was due upon execution of the Mayo Licence for a total amount of €9,500,000.

 

 

 

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Round B Investors have participated in a capital increase of the Company by way of a contribution in kind of a convertible loan (€2,387,049) and a contribution in cash (€4,849,624 of which €1,949,624 uncalled) on December 23, 2008; 204,652 class B shares have been issued at the occasion of that capital increase. Since then, the capital is divided in 875,759 shares, of which 671,107 are class A shares and 204,652 are class B shares.

On October 29, 2010, the Company closed its third financing round resulting in a capital increase totalling €12,100,809. The capital increase can be detailed as follows:

 

Ø   capital increase in cash by certain existing investors for a total amount of €2,609,320.48 by the issuance of 73,793 class B shares at a price of €35.36 per share;

 

Ø   capital increase in cash by certain existing investors for a total amount of €471,240 by the issuance of 21,000 class B shares at a price of €22.44 per share;

 

Ø   capital increase in cash by certain new investors for a total amount of €399,921.60 by the issuance of 9,048 class B shares at a price of €44.20 per share;

 

Ø   exercise of 12,300 warrants (“Warrants A”) granted to the Round C investors with total proceeds of €276,012 and issuance of 12,300 class B shares. The exercise price was €22.44 per Warrant A;

 

Ø   contribution in kind by means of conversion of the loan C for a total amount of €3,255,524.48 (accrued interest included) by the issuance of 92,068 class B shares at a conversion price of €35.36 per share;

 

Ø   contribution in kind by means of conversion of the loan D for a total amount of €2,018,879.20 (accrued interest included) by the issuance of 57,095 class B shares at a conversion price of €35.36 per share. The loan D is a convertible loan granted by certain investors to the Company on 14 October 2010 for a nominal amount of €2,010,000.

 

Ø   contribution in kind of a payable towards Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research for a total amount of €3,069,911 by the issuance of 69,455 class B shares at a price of €44.20 per share. The payable towards Mayo Clinic was related to (i) research undertaken by Mayo Clinic in the years 2009 and 2010, (ii) delivery of certain materials, (iii) expansion of the Mayo Clinical Technology Licence Contract by way the Second Amendment dated 18 October 2010.

On May 5, 2011, pursuant the decision of the Extraordinary General Meeting, the capital was reduced by an amount of €18,925,474 equivalent to the outstanding net loss as of 31 December 2010.

On May 6, 2013 and May 31, 2013, the Company closed its fourth financing round, the ‘Round D financing’. The convertible loans E, F, G and H previously recorded as financial debt were converted in shares which led to an increase in equity for a total amount of €28,645k of which € 5,026k is accounted for as capital and € 6,988k as share premium. The remainder (€16,631k) is accounted for as other reserves. Furthermore a contribution in cash by existing shareholders of the Company led to an increase in share capital and issue premium by an amount of €7,000k.

At the Extraordinary Shareholders Meeting of June 11, 2013 all existing classes of shares of the Company have been converted into ordinary shares. Preferred shares have been converted at a 1 for 1 ratio and subsequently.

On July 7, 2013, the Company completed its Initial Public Offering. The Company issued 1,381,500 new shares at €16.65 per shares, corresponding to a total of €23,002k.

 

 

 

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On July 17, 2013, the over-allotment option was fully exercised for a total amount of €3,450k corresponding to 207,225 new shares. The total IPO proceeds amounted to €26,452k and the capital and the share premium of the Company increased accordingly.

The costs relating to the capital increases performed in 2013 amounted to €2.8 million and are presented in deduction of share premium.

On June 11, 2013, the Extraordinary General Shareholders’ Meeting of Cardio3 BioSciences SA authorized the Board of Directors to increase the share capital of the Company, in one or several times, and under certain conditions set forth in extenso in the articles of association. This authorization is valid for a period of five years starting on July 26, 2013 and until July 26, 2018. The Board of Directors may increase the share capital of the Company within the framework of the authorized capital for an amount of up to €21,413k.

Over the course of 2014, the capital of the Company was increased in June 2014 by way of a capital increase of €25,000k represented by 568,180 new shares fully subscribed by Medisun International Limited.

The capital of the Company was also increased by way of exercise of Company warrants. Over four different exercise periods, 139,415 warrants were exercised resulting in the issuance of 139,415 new shares. The capital and the share premium of the Company were therefore increased respectively by €488k and €500k.

As of December 31, 2014 all shares issued have been fully paid.

 

 

 

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The following share issuances occurred during 2013 and 2014:

 

Category    Transaction date    Description   

# of

shares

     Par value (in €)  

Class A shares

   July 24, 2007    Company incorporation      409,375         0.15   

Class A shares

   August 31, 2007    Contribution in kind (upfront
fee Mayo Licence)
     261,732         36.30   

Class B shares

   December 23, 2008    Capital increase (Round B)      137,150         35.36   

Class B shares

   December 23, 2008    Contribution in kind (Loan B)      67,502         35.36   

Class B shares

   October 28, 2010    Contribution in cash      21,000         22.44   

Class B shares

   October 28, 2010    Contribution in kind (Loan C)      92,068         35.36   

Class B shares

   October 28, 2010    Contribution in kind (Loan D)      57,095         35.36   

Class B shares

   October 28, 2010    Contribution in cash      73,793         35.36   

Class B shares

   October 28, 2010    Exercise of warrants      12,300         22.44   

Class B shares

   October 28, 2010    Contribution in kind (Mayo
receivable)
     69,455         44.20   

Class B shares

   October 28, 2010    Contribution in cash      9,048         44.20   

Class B shares

   May 6, 2013    Contribution in kind (Loan E)      118,365         38,39   

Class B shares

   May 6, 2013    Contribution in kind (Loan F)      56,936         38,39   

Class B shares

   May 6, 2013    Contribution in kind (Loan G)      654,301         4,52   

Class B shares

   May 6, 2013    Contribution in kind (Loan H)      75,755         30,71   

Class B shares

   May 31, 2013    Contribution in cash      219,016         31,96   

Class B shares

   June 4, 2013    Conversion of warrants      2,409,176         0,01   

Ordinary shares

   June 11, 2013    Conversion of Class A and
Class B shares in ordinary
shares
     4,744,067         —     

Ordinary shares

   July 9, 2013    Initial Public Offering      1,381,500         16.65   

Ordinary shares

   July 17, 2013    Exercise of over-allotment
option
     207,225         16.65   

Ordinary shares

   January 31, 2014    Exercise of warrants issued in
September 2008
     5,966         22.44   

Ordinary shares

   January 31, 2014    Exercise of warrants issued in
May 2010
     333         22.44   

Ordinary shares

   January 31, 2014    Exercise of warrants issued in
January 2013
     120,000         4.52   

Ordinary shares

   May 5, 2014    Exercise of warrants issued in
September 2008
     2,366         22.44   

Ordinary shares

   June 16, 2014    Capital increase      284,090         44.00   

Ordinary shares

   June 30, 2014    Capital increase      284,090         44.00   

Ordinary shares

   August 4, 2014    Exercise of warrants issued in
September 2008
     5,000         22.44   

Ordinary shares

   August 4, 2014    Exercise of warrants issued in
October 2010
     750         35.36   

Ordinary shares

   November 3, 2014    Exercise of warrants issued in
September 2008
     5,000         22.44   

 

 

 

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(€000)                                      
Date    Nature of the transactions    Share Capital      Share premium      Number of shares      Nominal value  
   Balance as of January 1st, 2013      9,975         —           1,210,518         9,975   
   Issue of shares related to exercise of warrants      24         —           2,409,176         24   
   Capital increase by issuance of ordinary common shares (after deduction of transaction costs)      12,139         30,474         2,713,098         45,466   
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
Balance as of December 31, 2013   22,138      30,474      6,332,792      55,465   
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(€000)                                      
Date    Nature of the transactions    Share Capital      Share premium      Number of shares      Nominal value  
   Balance as of January 1, 2014      22,138         30,474         6,332,792         55,465   
   Issue of shares related to exercise of warrants      488         500         139,415         988   
   Capital increase by issuance of ordinary common shares (after deduction of transaction costs)      1,989         21,899         568,180         25,000   
   Share based payments      —           429         —           429   
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
Balance as of December 31, 2014   24,615      53,302      7,040,387      81,882   
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

As of January 1, 2013, the company had Class A shares of 671,107 and Class B shares of 539,411, respectively, totalling 1,210,518, which along with 1,124,373 Class B shares issued in 2013 and 2,409,176 warrants converted into Class B shares in 2013 were converted into 4,744,067 ordinary common shares in 2013. The total number of shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2014 and 2013 totals 7,040,387 and 6,332,792, respectively, and are ordinary common shares.

2.16    Share based payments

The Company operates an equity-based compensation plan, whereby warrants are granted to directors, management and selected employees and non-employees. The warrants are accounted for as equity-settled share-based payment plans since the Company has no legal or constructive obligation to repurchase or settle the warrants in cash.

Each warrant gives the beneficiaries the right to subscribe to one common share of the Company. The warrants are granted for free and have an exercise price equal to the fair market price of the underlying shares at the date of the grant, as determined by the Board of Directors of the Company.

 

 

 

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Movements in the number of warrants outstanding and their related weighted average exercise prices are as follows:

 

      2014      2013  
      Weighted
average
exercise
price (in €)
     Number of
warrants
     Weighted
average
exercise
price (in €)
     Number of
warrants
 

Outstanding as of January 1

     5.32         404,961         28.77         114,645   

Granted

     35.79         49,000         3.24         373,150   

Forfeited

     2.64         15,950         29.14         82,834   

Exercised

     7.09         139,415         —           —     

Expired

     22.44         1,666         —           —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

At December 31

  9.57      296,930      5.32      404,961   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Warrants exercised in 2014 resulted in 139,415 shares being issued at a weighted average price of € 7.09 each. In 2013 no warrants were exercised. For those exercised in 2014 the related weighted average share price at the time of exercise was € 31,31.

Warrants outstanding at the end of the year have the following expiry date and exercise price:

 

Grant date    Vesting date      Expiry date      Number of
warrants
outstanding as
of 31
December,
2014
     Number of
warrants
outstanding as
of 31
December, 2013
     Exercise
price per
share
 

September 26, 2008

     Sep 26, 2011         Dec 31, 2014         —           19,165         22.44   

May 5, 2010 (warrants B)

     May 5, 2010         May 5, 2016         5,000         5,000         35.36   

May 5, 2010 (warrants C)

     May 5, 2013         May 5, 2016         2,298         3,464         22.44   

October 29, 2010

     Oct 29, 2013         Oct 28, 2020         6,882         7,632         35.36   

January 31, 2013

     Dec 31, 2013         Jan 31, 2023         —           120,000         4.52   

May 6, 2013

     May 6, 2016         May 6, 2023         233,750         249,700         2.64   

May 5, 2014

     May 5, 2017         May 5, 2024         49,000            35.79   
        

 

 

    

 

 

    
  296,930      404,961   
        

 

 

    

 

 

    

Warrants issued on January 31, 2013

On January 31, 2013, the Extraordinary Shareholders Meeting issued a total of 140,000 Personnel Warrants. Out of the 140,000 warrants, 120,000 were granted to certain members of the Executive Management Team and a pool of 20,000 warrants was created. The exercise price of these warrants is €4.52. The warrants attributed to certain members of the Executive Management Team were fully vested at December 31, 2013. The warrants attributed to the Executive Management Team add a 10 years exercise period, as from January 1, 2014 and were all exercised in January 2014 and therefore converted into ordinary shares.

The remaining 20,000 warrants were not granted and therefore lapsed.

 

 

 

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Warrants issued on May 6, 2013

At the Extraordinary Shareholders Meeting of May 6, 2013, a plan of 266,241 warrants was approved. Warrants were offered to Company’s employees and management team. Out of the 266,241 warrants offered, 253,150 warrants were accepted by the beneficiaries and 233,750 warrants are outstanding on the date hereof.

The 253,150 warrants will be vested in equal tranches over a period of three years. The warrants become 100% vested after the third anniversary the issuance. The warrants that are vested can only be exercised at the end of the third calendar year following the issuance date, thus starting on January 1, 2017. The exercise price amounts to €2.64. Warrants not exercised within 10 years after issue become null and void.

Warrants issued on May 5, 2014

At the Extraordinary Shareholders Meeting of May 5, 2014, a plan of 100,000 warrants was approved. Warrants were offered to Company’s new comers (employees, non-employees and directors) in several tranches. Out of the warrants offered, 49,000 warrants were accepted by the beneficiaries and 49,000 warrants are outstanding on the date hereof.

The 100,000 warrants will be vested in equal tranches over a period of three years. The warrants become 100% vested after the third anniversary the issuance. The warrants that are vested can only be exercised at the end of the third calendar year following the issuance date, thus starting on January 1, 2018. The exercise price amounts of the different tranches amount respectively to €35.79 and €39.22. Warrants not exercised within 10 years after issue become null and void.

The fair value of the warrants has been determined at grant date based on the Black-Scholes formula. The variables, used in this model, are:

 

     Warrants issued on  
     

May 5, 2010

(warrants B)

    

May 5, 2010

(warrants C)

    

October 29,

2010

     January 31,
2013
     May 6,
2013
     May 5,
2014 1
 

Number of warrants issued

     5,000         30,000         79,500         140,000         266,241         100,000   

Number of warrants granted

     5,000         21,700         61,050         120,000         253,150         49,000   

Number of warrants not fully vested as of December 31, 2014

     —           2,298         6,882         —           233,750         100,000   

Value of shares

     22.44         22.44         35.36         4.52         14.99         35.79   

Exercise price (in €)

     35.36         22.44         35.36         4.52         2.64         35.79 4   

Expected dividend yield

     —           —           —           —           

Expected share value volatility

     35.60%*         35.60%*         35.60%*         35.60%*         39.55%*         67.73%²   

Risk-free interest rate

     3.31%         3.31%         3.21%         2.30%         2.06%         1.09%   

Fair value (in €)

     5.72         9.05         9.00         2.22         12.44         26.16³   

Weighted average remaining contractual life

     1.42         1.42         5.78         8.09         8.35         9.35   

 

( * )     Expected volatility has been determined based on the benchmark of peer companies
( 1 )     Warrants issued on May 5, 2014 are offered in several tranches, in May 2014, September 2014 and December 2014. Assumptions on each tranche are disclosed in the following notes

 

 

 

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( 2 )     The volatility has been determined based on the stock price evolution post IPO: 67.73% in May 2014, 60.84% in September 2014 and 58.17% in December 2014.
( 3 )     The fair value of the three tranches are 26.16€ in May 2014, 26.75€ in September 2014 and 22.56€ in December 2014.
( 4 )     The value of shares and exercise price of the three tranches are 35.79€ in May 2014 and 39.22€ in September 2014.

The total net expense recognised in the income statement for the outstanding warrants totals € 1,527k for 2014 (2013: € 1,258k).

2.17    Post-employment benefits

 

(€000)    As of December 31,  
      2014      2013  

Pension obligations

     182         —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

  182      —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

The Group operates a pension plan which requires contributions to be made by the Group to an insurance company. Because of the Belgian legislation applicable to 2nd pillar pension plans (so-called “Law Vandenbroucke”), all Belgian defined contribution plans have to be accounted for under IFRS as defined benefit plans because of the minimum guaranteed returns on these plans.

Prior to 2014, the Group did not apply the defined benefit accounting for these plans because higher discount rates were applicable and the return on plan assets provided by the insurance company was sufficient to cover the minimum guaranteed return. As a result of continuous low interest rates offered by the European financial markets, in 2014 Cardio 3 Biosciences has decided to measure and account for the potential impact of defined benefit accounting for these pension plans with a minimum fixed guaranteed return because of the higher financial risk related to these plans than in the past. The prior year financial statements were not revised due to such effect not being material.

The contributions to the plan are determined as a percentage of the yearly salary. There are no employee contributions. The benefit also includes a death in service benefit.

The amounts recognised in the balance sheet are determined as follows:

 

     As of December 31,  
(€’000)        2014             2013      

Present value of funded obligations

     1,073        738   

Fair value of plan assets

     (891     (727
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Deficit of funded plans

  182      11   

Total deficit of defined benefit pension plans

  182      11   

Liability in the balance sheet

  182      0   

As explained above the liability as per December 31, 2013 is not recognized as it is not material to the financial statements. Interest expense / (income) and remeasurements for 2013 have not been calculated as these were assessed as not material since discount rate as per January 1, 2013 is comparable to the one used as per December 31, 2013 and participants to the post-employment plan have not changed substantially between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2013.

 

 

 

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The movement in the defined benefit liability over the year is as follows:

 

(€’000)    Present value
of obligation
    Fair value
of plan
assets
    Total  

As of January 1, 2013

     597        586        11   

Current service cost

     141          141   

Interest expense / (income)

     —          —          —     

Remeasurements

     —          —          —     

Employer contributions

     —          141        (141
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

As of January 1, 2014

  738      727      11   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Current service cost

  190      190   

Interest expense/(income)

  26      28      (2
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  954      755      199   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Remeasurements

- return on plan assets, excluding amounts included in interest expense/(income)

  (15   15   

- (Gain)/loss from change in financial assumptions

  177      177   

- Experience (gains)/losses

  (38   (38
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  139      (15   154   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Employer contributions:

  171      (171

Benefits Paid

  -20      -20      0   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

At December 31, 2014

  1,073      891      182   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

The charge included in operating profit for post-employment benefits amount to:

 

(€’000)    2014     2013  

Current service cost

     190        141   

Interest expense on DBO

     26        —     

Interest (income) on plan assets

     (28     —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total defined benefit costs at December 31, 2014

  188      141   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

The re-measurements included in other comprehensive loss amount to:

 

(€’000)    2014     2013  

Effect of changes in financial assumptions

     177        —     

Effect of experience adjustments

     (38     —     

Return on plan assets

     15        —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2014

  154      —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Plan assets relate all to qualifying insurance policies. The significant actuarial assumptions as per December 31, 2014 were as follows:

Demographic assumptions:

 

Ø   Mortality tables: MR-5 year for the men, MR-5 year for the women

 

Ø   Withdrawal rate: 5% each year

 

 

 

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Economic assumptions:

 

Ø   Yearly inflation rate: 1,75%

 

Ø   Yearly salary raise: 1,5% (above inflation)

 

Ø   Yearly discount rate: 2%

If the discount rate would decrease/increase with 0,25%, the defined benefit obligation would increase resp. decrease with 2,2% and 5%.

The above sensitivity analysis is based on a change in an assumption while holding all other assumptions constant. In practice, this is unlikely to occur, and changes in some of the assumptions may be correlated. When calculating the sensitivity of the defined benefit obligation to significant actuarial assumptions the same method (present value of the defined benefit obligation calculated with the projected unit credit method at the end of the reporting period) has been applied as when calculating the pension liability recognised within the statement of financial position.

Through its defined benefit pension plan, the Group is exposed to a number of risks, the most significant of which are detailed below:

 

Ø   Changes in discount rate: a decrease in discount rate will increase plan liabilities;

 

Ø   Inflation risk: the pension obligations are linked to inflation, and higher inflation will lead to higher liabilities. The majority of the plan’s assets are either unaffected by or loosely correlated with inflation, meaning that an increase in inflation will also increase the deficit.

The investment positions are managed by the insurance company within an asset-liability matching framework that has been developed to achieve long-term investments that are in line with the obligations under the pension schemes.

Expected contributions to pension benefit plans for the year ending December 31, 2015 are k€176. The weighted average duration of the defined benefit obligation is estimated at 28 years.

2.18    Advances repayable

 

(€’000)    2014      2013  

Total Non-Current portion as of January 1

     12,072         11,157   

Total Non-Current portion at December 31

     10,778         12,072   

Total Current portion as of January 1,

     429         685   

Total Current potion at December 31

     777         429   

The Group receives government support in the form of recoverable cash advances from the Walloon Region in order to compensate the research and development costs incurred by the Group. These advances are recognised in the income statement as other operating income over the period in which the Group recognises the expenses for which the advances are intended to compensate.

The advances received only become contingently reimbursable if certain conditions are met. Assessing if these conditions are met (or not) can only reasonably be performed at the end of the ‘research phase’. At the end of this research phase, the Group should, within a period of six months, decide whether or not to exploit the results of the research programs (‘decision phase’). In the event the Group decides to exploit

 

 

 

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the results under an RCA, the relevant RCA becomes contingently refundable to the Walloon Region and the company applies the recognition criteria of IAS 37 related to liability recognition, with any amounts being recognized as a reduction of other operating income in the income statement.

The total estimated amount to be reimbursed as per December 31, 2014 includes the sales-independent reimbursements as well as the sales-dependent reimbursements and interests (if applicable) if the reimbursement of these amounts is probable. The contingent liability is discounted using a discount rate made up of two components: a risk free rate reflecting the maturity of the advances repayable and the spread reflecting the Company credit risk.

The amounts recorded under ‘Current Advances Repayable’ correspond to the sales-independent amounts estimated to be repaid to the Region in the next 12 months period. Non-current Advances repayable are the sum of the estimated sales-independent and sales-dependent reimbursements discounted using a discount rate of 12.5%.

Each year, the Group reassesses the amounts to be reimbursed based on the updated sales projections over the reimbursement period.

For 2014 no new advances were recognized as contingently repayable.

In 2014, the Company notified the Region of its decision to not exploit the outcome of two RCAs related to the industrialization of the C-Cure production process in bioreactors (Agreement n°5914 and 6548), resulting in a decrease of estimated amounts to be reimbursed of €0.5 million.

Reference is made to the table below which shows (i) the year for which amounts under those agreements have been received and initially recognised in the income statement as other operating income and (ii) a description of the specific characteristics of those recoverable cash advances including repayment schedule and information on other outstanding advances.

As per December 31, 2014, the Company has received a total of €16,951k in recoverable cash advances out of a total contractual amount of €18,733k. Taking into account the unused amounts of the terminated contracts, the residual amount to receive out of the existing contracts amounts to €1,782k and should be received over 2015 and 2016 depending on the progress of the different programs partially funded by the Region.

 

(in €’000)                    Amounts received for the years ended December 31      Amounts yet to
receive
 
Contract
number
   Project      Contractual
amount
     Previous
years
     2013      2014      Total      2015 and beyond  

5160

     C-Cure         2,920         2,920         —           —           2,920         —     

5731

     C-Cure         3,400         3,400         —           —           3,400         —     

5914

     C-Cure         700         687         —           —           687         —     

5915

     C-Cath ez         910         910         —           —           910         —     

5951

     Industrialization         1,470         866         —           —           866         604   

6003

     C-Cure         1,729         1,715         —           —           1,715         —     

6230

     C-Cure         1,084         1,083         —           —           1,084         —     

6363

     C-Cure         1,140         1,020         106         —           1,126         —     

6548

     Industrialization         660         418         124         —           541         119   

6633

     C-Cath ez         1,020         920         100         —           1,020         —     

6646

     Proteins         1,200         450         —           —           450         750   

7027

     C-Cath ez         2,500         —           625         1,607         2,232         268   
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

  18,733      14,389      955      1,607      16,951      1,741   
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

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(in €’000)                         as of December 31, 2014  

Contract

number

   Contractual
amount
     Total      2015 and
beyond
     Status      Contingent
liability
recognized
(before
discounting)
     Amount
reimbursed
(cumulative)
 

5160

     2,920         2,920         —           Exploitation         2,920         —     

5731

     3,400         3,400         —           Exploitation         3,400         —     

5914

     700         687         —           Abandoned            180   

5915

     910         910         —           Exploitation         910         180   

5951

     1,470         866         604         Research         —           —     

6003

     1,729         1,715         —           Exploitation         1,715         —     

6230

     1,084         1,083         —           Exploitation         1,084         —     

6363

     1,140         1,126         —           Exploitation         1,126         241   

6548

     660         541         119         Abandoned         —           —     

6633

     1,020         1,020         —           Exploitation         1,020         32   

6646

     1,200         450         750         Research         —           —     

7027

     2,500         2,232         268         Research         —           —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

       

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

  18,733      16,951      1,741      12,175      633   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

       

 

 

    

 

 

 

The contracts 5160, 5731, 5914, 5915 and 5951 have the following specific characteristics:

 

Ø   funding by the Region covers 70% of the budgeted project costs;

 

Ø   certain activities have to be performed within the Region;

 

Ø   in case of an outlicensing agreement or a sale to a third party, Cardio3 BioSciences will have to pay 10% of the price received (excl. of VAT) to the Region;

 

Ø   sales-independent reimbursements, sales-dependent reimbursements, and amounts due in case of an outlicensing agreement or a sale to a third party, are, in the aggregate, capped at 100% of the principal amount paid out by the Region;

 

Ø   sales-dependent reimbursements payable in any given year can be set-off against sales-independent reimbursements already paid out during that year;

 

Ø   the amount of sales-independent reimbursement and sales-dependant reimbursement may possibly be adapted in case of an outlicensing agreement, a sale to a third party or industrial use of a prototype or pilot installation, when obtaining the consent of the Walloon Region to proceed thereto.

The other contracts have the following specific characteristics:

 

Ø   funding by the Region covers 60% of the budgeted project costs;

 

Ø   certain activities have to be performed within the European Union;

 

Ø   sales-independent reimbursements represent in the aggregate 30% of the principal amount;

 

Ø   sales-dependent reimbursements range between 50% and 200% (including accrued interest) of the principal amount of the RCA depending on the actual outcome of the project compared to the outcome projected at the time of grant of the RCA (below or above projections);

 

Ø   interests (at Euribor 1 year (as applicable on the first day of the month in which the decision to grant the relevant RCA was made + 100 basis points) accrue as of the 1 st day of the exploitation phase;

 

Ø   the amount of sales-independent reimbursement and sales-dependant reimbursement may possibly be adapted in case of an outlicensing agreement, a sale to a third party or industrial use of a prototype or pilot installation, when obtaining the consent of the Region to proceed thereto.

 

 

 

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Ø   sales-independent reimbursements and sales-dependent reimbursements are, in the aggregate (including the accrued interests), capped at 200% of the principal amount paid out by the Region;

 

Ø   in case of bankruptcy, the research results obtained by the Company under those contracts are expressed to be assumed by the Region by operation of law.

The table below summarizes, in addition to the specific characteristics described above, certain terms and conditions for the recoverable cash advances:

 

Contract

number

  Research
phase
  Percentage
of total
project
costs
  Turnover-
dependent
reimbursement
 

Turnover-

independent
reimbursement

  Interest
rate
accrual
 

Amounts due in
case of licensing (per

year) resp. Sale

(€’000)                              

5160

  01/05/05-
30/04/08
  70%   0.18%   Consolidated with 6363   N/A   N/A

5731

  01/05/08-
31/10/09
  70%   0.18%   Consolidated with 6363   N/A   N/A

5914

  01/09/08-
30/06/11
  70%   5.00%   30 in 2012 and 70 each year after   N/A   10% with a minimum of 100/Y

5915

  01/08/08-
30/04/11
  70%   5.00%   40 in 2012 and 70 each year after   N/A   10% with a minimum of 100/Y

5951

  01/09/08-
31/08/11
  70%   5.00%   100 in 2014 and 150 each year after   N/A   10% with a minimum of 200/Y

6003

  01/01/09-
30/09/11
  60%   0.18%   Consolidated with 6363   N/A   N/A

6230

  01/01/10-
31/03/12
  60%   0.18%   Consolidated with 6363   N/A   N/A

6363

  01/03/10-
30/06/12
  60%   0.18%   From 103 to 514 starting in 2013 until 30% of advance is reached   Starting
on
01/01/13
  N/A

6548

  01/01/11-
31/03/13
  60%   0.01%   From 15 to 29 starting in 2014 until 30% of advance is reached   Starting
on
01/10/13
  N/A

6633

  01/05/11-
30/11/12
  60%   0.27%   From 10 to 51 starting in 2013 until 30% of advance is reached   Starting
on
01/06/13
  N/A

6646

  01/05/11-
30/04/13
  60%   0.01%   From 12 to 60 starting in 2015 until 30% of advance is reached   Starting
on
01/01/14
  N/A

7027

  01/11/12-
31/10/14
  50%   0.33%   From 25 to 125 starting in 2015 until 30% of advance is reached   Starting
on
01/01/15
  N/A

 

 

 

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In 2015 and 2016, the Company will have to make exploitation decisions on the remaining RCAs (Agreement 5951, 6646 and 7027) with a potential recognition of an additional contingent liability of €3.5 million (maximum undiscounted amount). This amount is determined based on the amount effectively perceived by the Company as of December 31, 2014.

2.19    Trade payables and other current liabilities

 

(€’000)    As of December 31,      As of
January 1,
2013
 
          2014              2013         

Total trade payables

     4,042         2,169         1,770   

Other current liabilities

        

Social security

     242         155         174   

Payroll accruals and taxes

     825         539         415   

Other current liabilities

     33         18         275   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total other current liabilities

  1,100      712      864   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Trade payables (composed of supplier’s invoices and accruals for supplier’s invoices not yet received at closing) are non-interest bearing and are normally settled on a 60-day terms. Other current liabilities are non-interest bearing and have an average term of six months. Fair value equals approximately the carrying amount of the trade payables and other current liabilities.

The Other current liabilities include the short term debts to employees and social welfare and tax agencies.

No discounting was performed to the extent that the amounts do not present payments terms longer than one year at the end of each fiscal year presented.

2.20    Maturity analysis of financial liabilities

The table below analyses the Group’s non-derivative financial liabilities into relevant maturity groupings based on the remaining period at the balance sheet date to the contractual maturity date. The amounts disclosed in the table are the contractual undiscounted cash flows.

Financial liabilities as of December 31, 2013:

 

(€’000)    Total      Less than one
year
     One to five
years
     More than five
years
 

As of December 31, 2013

           

Financial leases

     109         81         28         —     

Trade payables and other current liabilities

     2,881         2,881         —           —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total financial liabilities

  2,990      2,962      28      —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Financial liabilities posted as of December 31, 2014:

 

(€’000)    Total      Less than one
year
     One to five
years
     More than five
years
 

As of December 31, 2014

           

Financial leases

     425         140         285         —     

Trade payables and other current liabilities

     5,142         5,142         —           —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total financial liabilities

  5,567      5,282      285      —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2.21    Financial instruments by category

 

     As of December 31, 2013  
(€’000)    Loans and
    receivables    
         Total      

Assets as per balance sheet

     

Deposits

     140         140   

Trade and other receivables

     422         422   

Other current assets

     123         123   

Short term investment

     3,000         3,000   

Cash and cash equivalents

     19,058         19,058   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

  22,743      22,743   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

For the financial assets as mentioned above, the carrying amount as per December 31, 2013 is a reasonable approximation of their fair value.

 

     As of December 31, 2013  
(€’000)    Financial liabilities
at amortised cost
     Total  

Liabilities as per balance sheet

     

Finance lease liabilities

     106         106   

Trade payables and other current liabilities

     2,881         2,881   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

  2,987      2,987   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

For the financial liabilities as mentioned above the carrying amount as per December 31, 2013 is a reasonable approximation of their fair value.

 

     As of December 31, 2014  
(€’000)    Loans and
    receivables    
         Total      

Assets as per balance sheet

     

Deposits

     109         109   

Trade and other receivables

     830         830   

Other current assets

     1,801         1,801   

Short term investment

     2,671         2,671   

Cash and cash equivalents

     27,633         27,633   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

  33,044      33,044   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

For the financial assets as mentioned above, the carrying amount as per December 31, 2014 is a reasonable approximation of their fair value.

 

     As of December 31, 2014  
(€’000)    Financial
liabilities at
amortised cost
     Total  

Liabilities as per balance sheet

     

Finance lease liabilities

     413         413   

Trade payables and other current liabilities

     5,142         5,142   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

  5,555      5,555   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

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For the financial liabilities as mentioned above the carrying amount as per December 31, 2013 is a reasonable approximation of their fair value.

2.22    Deferred taxes

The following table shows the reconciliation between the effective and theoretical tax expense at the theoretical standard Belgian tax rate of 33.99% (excluding additional contributions):

 

(€’000)    For the year ended December 31,  
          2014             2013      

Loss before taxes

     (16,453     (14,489

Theoretical group tax rate

     33.99     33.99

Theoretical tax gain

     5,592        4,925   

Increase/decrease in tax expense arising from:

    

Permanent differences (1)

     378        970   

Fair value convertible loans

     —          (394

Share-based compensation

     (519     (428

C3BS Asia

     21        —     

Capitalization of R&D costs

     (4,634     (2,721

Depreciation of Mayo license

     (42     (42

Recoverable cash advances

     794        (136

Other temporary differences

     (10     —     

Non recognition of deferred tax assets related to statutory tax losses

     (1,806     (2,494

Non taxable statutory losses

     226        320   

Effective tax gain / (expense)

     —          —     

Effective tax rate

     —       —  

 

(1)     The significant balance of permanent differences is mainly affected by transaction costs on capital increases occurred in 2014 and 2013. These transaction costs are booked in equity and are subject to a tax deduction

Unrecognized deferred tax assets:

 

(€’000)    For the year ended
December 31,
 
      2014     2013  

Net loss carried forward

     (44,504     (39,192

Opening temporary differences

     (20,883     (12,354

Amortization of intangibles

     118        111   

Recoverable cash advances

     2,336        (400

Capitalization of development costs

     (13,873     (8,240

Post employment benefits

     (183  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total temporary differences of the period

  (11,602   (8,529
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Accumulated temporary differences

  (32,485   (20,883

Total IFRS tax losses carried forward and Deductible temporary difference (net)

  (76,989   (60,075

Unrecognised deferred tax assets

  26,169      20,419   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Group has unused tax losses carried forward that are available indefinitely for offset against future taxable profits of the Group. In addition to the net loss carried forward, the Group can benefit from additional tax benefits (notional interest deduction) which can be carry-forward for a period of 7 years.

 

(€’000)    As of December 31,  
          2014             2013      

Notional interest

     (1,861     (1,861

The Group has a history of losses and significant uncertainty exists surrounding the Group’s ability to realise taxable profits in the near future. Therefore, the Group did not recognise any deferred tax assets in respect of these losses, unless sufficient taxable temporary differences were available by which these deferred tax assets can be offset.

The table below present the accumulated deferred tax assets and liabilities as per end of the periods.

 

(€’000)    As of December 31,  
      2014     2013  

Deferred tax assets

     30,074        23,490   

Deferred tax liabilities

     (3,905     (3,071

Unrecognized deferred tax assets

     26,169        20,419   

The statutory tax rate is 33.99%. It should be noted that the Group has obtained on October 14, 2009 a tax ruling issued by the Belgian tax authorities by whom the Group is allowed to exempt 80% of all future revenues originated from patents and licences registered in the books of the Group. The tax ruling has no expiration date and will be applicable until the patents will fall in the public domain.

2.23    Other reserves

 

(€’000)    Note      Share based
payment
reserve
    Convertible
loan
    Translation     Total  

Balance as of January 1, 2013 as previously reported

        1,006        11,406        —          12,412   

Effect of restatement

     2.36           (11,406       (11,406
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance as of January 1, 2013 (restated)

  1,006      —        —        1,006   

Contribution in kind convertible loans

  2.15      —        16,631      —        16,631   

Vested share-based payments

  2.16      274      —        —        274   

Restatement share-based payments

  2.36      984      984   
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2013 (restated)

  2,264      16,631      —        18,894   
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Vested share-based payments

  2.16      1,527      —        —        1,527   

Exercise of warrants

  (429   (429

Currency Translation differences subsidiaries

  —        —        (18   (18

Currency Translation differences joint venture

  2.13      8      8   
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2014

  3,362      16,631      (10   19,982   
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2.24    Depreciation and amortisation

 

(€’000)    For the year ended December 31,  
      2014      2013  

Depreciation of property, plant and equipment

     187         213   

Amortisation of intangible assets

     677         673   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total depreciation and amortisation

  864      886   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

2.25    Employee benefit expenses

 

(€’000)    For the year ended December 31,  
          2014              2013      

Salaries, wages and bonuses

     3,113         2,151   

Executive Management team compensation

     1,448         1,126   

Share based payments

     1,527         1,258   

Social security

     889         666   

Post employment benefits

     188         141   

Hospitalisation insurance

     30         22   

Other benefit expenses

     3         4   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Employee expenses

  7,198      5,368   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

Headcount    For the year ended December 31,  
          2014              2013      

Research & Development

     65.8         46   

General and administrative staff

     8.9         5   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Headcount

  74.7      51   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

2.26    Research and Development expenses

The following expenses are aggregated and presented under the caption ‘Research and development expenses’ in the consolidated statement of comprehensive loss:

 

  -   Manufacturing expenses;
  -   Clinical, Quality and Regulatory expenses;
  -   Other research and development expenses.

Manufacturing expenses

 

(€’000)    For the year ended December 31,  
          2014              2013      

Employee expenses

     1,501         842   

Contractor fees

     402         76   

Pilot Plan consulting fees

     348         289   

Raw materials

     2,060         988   

Rent & utilities

     234         133   

Other manufacturing costs

     591         87   

Total Manufacturing expenses

     5,136         2,415   

 

 

 

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Clinical, quality and regulatory expenses

 

      2014      2013  

Employee expenses

     1,780         1,460   

Study cost

     4,924         2,169   

IP filing & maintenance fees

     351         360   

Travel & living

     249         180   

Consulting fees

     436         269   

Other costs

     12         34   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Clinical, quality and regulatory expenses

  7,752      4,472   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Other research and development expenses

 

(€’000)    For the year ended December 31,  
          2014             2013      

Employee expenses

     954        898   

Mayo research Project

     751        4   

Pre-clinical studies

     274        275   

Delivery systems

     51        459   

Other costs

     120        67   

R&D consultant fees

     13        29   

Capitalization C-Cath ez development costs

     (50     (459
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Subtotal

  2,113      1,273   

Depreciation and amortization

  864      886   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Other research and development expenses

  2,977      2,159   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

2.27    General administrative expenses

 

(€’000)    For the year ended December 31,  
          2014              2013      

Employee expenses

     1,408         910   

Share-based payment

     1,528         1,258   

Rent

     315         323   

Communication & Marketing

     394         206   

Consulting fees

     741         975   

Travel & Living

     399         147   

Post employment benefits

     28         —     

Other

     203         153   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total General and administration

  5,016      3,972   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2.28    Other operating income

Other operating income is related to government grants received. For the government grants received in the form of recoverable cash advances (RCAs) we refer to note 2.18 for more information.

 

(€’000)    For the year ended 31 December  
              2014                      2013          

Recoverable cash advances (RCAs)

     2,791         955   

Subsidies

     636         129   

Reversal provision for reimbursement RCA

     507         —     

Additional provision for reimbursement RCA

     —           (1,020

Realized gain on contribution IP into joint venture

     312         —     

Other

     167         —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Operating Income

  4,413      64   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

2.29    Operating leases

The Group has entered into various leasing contracts for the purpose of renting buildings and equipment. These leases have an average life of three to five years with no renewal option included in the contracts. There are no restrictions placed upon the Group by entering into these leases.

Operating lease expenses amounts to €709k in 2014 and €576k in 2013.

Future minimum rentals payable under non-cancellable operating leases as of December 31 are detailed as follows:

 

(€’000)    As of December 31,  
          2014              2013      

Within one year

     751         624   

After one year but no more than five years

     767         1,068   

More than five years

     165         —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Operating leases

  1,683      1,692   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

2.30    Finance income and expense

 

(€’000)    For the year ended December 31,  
          2014              2013      

Interest shareholders loans

     —           401   

Interest finance leases

     6         6   

Interest on overdrafts and other finance costs

     16         19   

Fair value convertible loans

     —           1,158   

Exchange Differences

     19         11   

Finance expenses

     41         1,595   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Interest income bank account

  277      48   

Exchange Differences

  —        12   

Finance income

  277      60   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2.31    Loss per share

The loss per share is calculated by dividing loss for the year by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period. As the Group is incurring net losses, outstanding warrants have an anti-dilutive effect. As such, there is no difference between the basic and the diluted earnings per share. In case the warrants would be included in the calculation of the loss per share, this would decrease the loss per share.

 

(€’000)    As of December 31,  
      2014     2013  

Loss of the year attributable to Equity Holders

     (16,453     (14,489

Weighted average number of shares outstanding

     6,750,383        4,099,216   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Earnings per share (non-fully diluted)

  (2.44   (3.53
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

2.32    Contingent assets and liabilities

As mentioned in note 2.18 the Group has to reimburse certain government grants received in the form of recoverable cash advances under certain conditions. For more information we refer to note 1.18.

Over 2015 and 2016, the Group will have to make exploitation decisions on the remaining RCAs (Agreement 5951, 6646 and 7027) with a potential recognition of an additional contingent liability of €3.5 million (maximum undiscounted amount).

2.33    Commitments

2.33.1    Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

Based on the terms of the second amendment of the licence agreement dated October 18, 2010, the Company is committed to the following payments:

Undirected research grants

The Company will fund research in the Field at Mayo Clinic of $1,000,000 per year for four years beginning in or after 2015, as soon as the Company has had both a first commercial sale of a Licensed Product and a positive cash flow from operations in the previous financial year. The Company will have an exclusive right of first negotiation to acquire an exclusive license to inventions that are the direct result of work carried out under these grants. In case the Company exercises its option to negotiate, but no agreement is reached within a certain period, then Mayo Clinic during the following nine-month period cannot enter into a licence with a third party.

Royalties

The Company will pay a 2% royalty (on net commercial sales by itself or its sub-licensees) to Mayo Clinic, for all of the products that absent the Mayo Licence would infringe a valid claim of a Licensed Patent (each, a “Licensed Product”), during a royalty period (on a Licensed Product-by-Licensed Product basis) beginning on the date of first commercial sale of such Licensed Product and ending on the earlier of: (i) 15 years from first commercial sale; (ii) the date on which such Licensed Product is no longer covered by a valid claim of a Licensed Patent in the territories in which it is sold; (iii) or termination of the Mayo Licence.

Currently no liability has been accounted for by the Group for these variable payments to Mayo Foundation.

 

 

 

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2.33.2    Corquest Inc

Based on the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement dated November 5, 2014, former shareholders of Corquest Inc will be entitled to an earn-out payment based on the net revenues generated by the Company, which revenues should be generated from the selling or divesting, in all or in part, of Proprietary Intellectual Property Rights of the Company to a third party.

As from the November 5, 2014 date until the tenth anniversary of the Agreement, former shareholders of Corquest Inc are entitled to:

 

Ø   an Earn-Out royalty of 2% if Net Revenue are bellow or equal to 10 million euro

 

Ø   or an Earn-Out royalty of 4% if Net Revenue are higher than 10 million euro

2.34    Related-party transactions

2.34.1    Remuneration of key management

Key management consists of the members of the Executive Management Team and the entities controlled by any of them.

 

     As of December 31,  
      2014      2013  

Number of Management Members

     6         4   

 

(€’000)    For the year ended December 31,  
          2014              2013      

Short term employee benefits [1]

     275         —     

Post employee benefits

     —           —     

Share-based compensation

     976         1,029   

Other employment costs [2]

     —        

Management fees

     1,239         987   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total benefits

  2,490      2,016   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

[1]     Include salaries, social security, bonuses, lunch vouchers
[2]     Such as Company cars

 

     As of December 31,  
      2014      2013  

Number of warrants granted

     17,500         294,500   

Number of warrants lapsed

     —           60,000   

Cumulative outstanding warrants

     192,225         294,725   

Exercised warrants

     120,000         —     

Outstanding payables (in ‘000€)

     363         216   

Shares owned

     166,160         96,768   

 

 

 

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2.34.2     Transactions with non-executive directors

 

     For the year ended December 31,  
(€’000)    2014      2013  

Share-based compensation

     46         —     

Management fees

     54         22   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total benefits

  100      22   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

     As of December 31,  
      2014      2013  

Number of warrants granted

     5,000         —     

Number of warrants lapsed

     —           —     

Number of exercised warrants

     10,000         —     

Cumulative outstanding warrants

     12,904         15,400   

Outstanding payables (in ‘000€)

     —           27   

Shares owned

     3,317,283         485,278   

2.34.3     Transactions with shareholders

 

     For the year ended December 31,  
(€’000)        2014              2013      

Rent (1)

     299         249   

Patent costs (2)

     592         592   

Scientific collaboration (3)

     754         —     

Other

     —        
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

  1,645      841   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

[1]     Relate to lease paid to Biological Manufacturing Services, company controlled by Tolefi SA
[2]     Relate to Mayo License depreciation
[3]     Relate to directed research grant paid to Mayo Clinic under License Agreement

 

     As of December 31,  
(€’000)    2014      2013  

Outstanding payables

     76         115   

2.35     Events after the balance sheet date

2.35.1    Acquisition of Oncyte LLC

On January 21, 2015, the Company acquired 100% of the share capital of Oncyte LLC from Celdara Medical LLC in exchange for a cash consideration of USD 6 million and new shares of Cardio3 BioSciences for a total value of USD 4 million. The sales price also includes a contingent consideration payment based on future outcome of the research and development and potential future sales provisionally estimated to USD 42 million (considering the impact of the discount and the probability of success). For the successful development of the most advanced product CAR-NKG2D, the seller could receive up to USD 50 million in development and regulatory milestones until market approval. The seller will be eligible to additional payments on the other products upon achievement of development and regulatory milestones totalling up to USD 21 million per product. In addition, the seller will receive up to USD 80 million in sales milestones when net sales will exceed USD 1 billion and royalties ranging from 5 to 8%.

 

 

 

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Oncyte LLC is the company holding the CAR T-Cell portfolio of clinical-stage immuno-oncology assets. The portfolio includes three autologous CAR T-Cell cell therapy products and an allogeneic T-Cell platform, targeting a broad range of cancer indications. CAR T-Cell immuno-oncology represents one of the most promising cancer treatment areas today. The lead portfolio candidate CAR-NKG2D is expected to start U.S. Phase I trial Q1 2015. The final results are expected by mid-2016.

2.35.2     Private placement of €31.7 million on March 3, 2015

On March 3, 2015, the Company completed a €31.7 million capital increase via a private placement subscribed by qualified institutional investors in the United States and Europe at a price of €44.50 per share. The placed shares represent 10% of the current number of outstanding shares, bringing the total number of shares outstanding after the issue to 7,847,187, and the capital of the Company to €27,438,380.63. The net proceeds, after deduction of the placement fees amount to € 29.8 million and will be dedicated to:

 

Ø   Further develop its newly acquired CAR-T cell technology platform;

 

Ø   Strengthen the leadership of C-Cure ® for the treatment of congestive heart failure, and;

 

Ø   For general corporate purposes.

2.36    Restatement of 2013 financial statements: correction of prior period errors

The financial statements of the Group of 2013 were restated to reflect a co rrection in the IFRS accounting treatment of the shareholders convertible loans as well as a change in the IFRS 2 calculations for the fair value of the warrants that were issued on May 6, 2013.

The restatement for the IFRS accounting treatment of the shareholders convertible loans is related to the reconsideration of the shareholders convertible loans E, F, G and H as financial debt, instead of equity (previously called ‘quasi equity’) as originally reflected in the 2013 financial statements. After due consideration with its auditors, the Group decided that the shareholders convertible loans should have been accounted for as a financial debt, because the loans were convertible into a variable number of shares. This correction in the IFRS accounting treatment triggers the valuation of this financial debt at redemption amount at inception and at each subsequent reporting date up till conversion in May 2013. The redemption amount of this financial debt as per December 31, 2012 amounts to € 26,9 million. Therefore equity as per January 1, 2013 decreased with € 26,9 million compared to previously reported figures. The increase in the financial liability led to an additional loss of € 1,1 million in the 2013 income statement. An amount of € 0,6 million has also been reclassified from equity to liability before May 2013. The financial liability before conversion in May 2013 therefore amounted to € 28,6 million, including € 0,6 million. Due to the conversion of these convertible loans in May 2013, the amount of the financial liability has been reclassified into equity, leading to an increase in equity by € 28,6 million. The total net equity of the Group as of 31 December 2013 remains unchanged.

The restatement due to a correction in the IFRS 2 calculations for the fair value of the warrants that were issued on May 6, 2013 led to an additional loss of € 1 million in the 2013 income statement and to an increase in the other reserves with the same amount. Therefore there is no impact on total equity as per December 31, 2013. The restatement was done to take into account the value of the shares at the moment of IPO in July 2013 amounting to EUR 16,65 whereas the value of the shares was previously determined at EUR 2,64.

These adjustments have no impact on the net cash position of the Company as of January 1, 2013 and as of December 31, 2013 as these are non-cash adjustments.

 

 

 

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Tables below show the 2013 consolidated statement of financial position and of comprehensive loss as it was originally reported and the restated financials.

2013 Consolidated statement of financial position

 

(€’000)    For the year ended December 31,  
      2013
(reported)
    2013
(restated)
 

NON-CURRENT ASSETS

     9,783        9,783   

Intangible assets

     9,400        9,400   

Property, Plant and Equipment

     243        243   

Investment accounted for using the equity method

     —          —     

Other non-current assets

     140        140   

CURRENT ASSETS

     22,603        22,603   

Trade and Other Receivables

     422        422   

Grants receivables

     —          —     

Other current assets

     123        123   

Short term investments

     3,000        3,000   

Cash and cash equivalents

     19,058        19,058   

TOTAL ASSETS

     32,386        32,386   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

EQUITY

  16,898      16,898   

Share Capital

  22,138      22,138   

Share premium

  30,474      30,474   

Other reserves

  675      18,894   

Retained loss

  (36,389   (54,608

NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES

  12,099      12,099   

Finance leases

  27      27   

Advances repayable

  12,072      12,072   

Post employment benefits

  —        —     

CURRENT LIABILITIES

  3,389      3,389   

Finance leases

  79      79   

Convertible loan

Advances repayable

  429      429   

Trade payables

  2,169      2,169   

Other current liabilities

  712      712   

TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES

  32,386      32,386   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Consolidated statement of comprehensive loss

 

(€’000)    For the year ended December 31,  
      2013
(reported)
   

2013

(restated)

 

Revenue

     —          —     

Cost of sales

     —          —     

Gross profit

     —          —     

Research and Development expenses

     (9,046     (9,046

General administrative expenses

     (2,987     (3,972

Other operating income

     64        64   

Operating Loss

     (11.969     (12,954

Financial income

     60        60   

Financial expenses

     (437     (1,595

Loss before taxes

     (12,346     (14,489

Income taxes

     —          —     

Loss for the year

     (12,346     (14,489
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Basic and diluted loss per share (in €)

  (3.01   (3.53
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Other comprehensive loss

Other comprehensive loss for the year, net of tax

  —        —     

Total comprehensive loss for the year

  (12,346   (14,489

Total comprehensive loss for the year attributable to Equity Holders

  (12,346   (14,489
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Independent Auditor’s Report

To the Members and Board of Directors of Celdara Medical, LLC

Management’s Responsibility for the Financial Statement

We have audited the accompanying statements of financial position of OnCyte Clinical Trials Program (the carved-out operations of certain activities of Celdara Medical, LLC) as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the related statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss), changes in net parent company investment, and cash flows for the years then ended.

Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of these financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America; this includes the design, implementation, and maintenance of internal control relevant to the preparation and fair presentation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

Auditor’s Responsibility

Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement.

An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. The procedures selected depend on the auditor’s judgment, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant to the entity’s preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity’s internal control. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of significant accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements.

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion.

Opinion

In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the OnCyte Clinical Trials Program as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for years then ended in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

/s/ Gallagher, Flynn & Company, LLP

February 26, 2015

South Burlington, Vermont, USA

 

 

 

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ONCYTE CLINICAL TRIALS PROGRAM

(CARVE-OUT OF CERTAIN OPERATIONS OF CELDARA MEDICAL, LLC)

STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION

AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2014 AND 2013

 

 

 

      2014      2013  
ASSETS   

CURRENT ASSETS

  

Accounts receivable

   $ 171,765       $ 257,314   

Prepaid expenses

     4,182         2,344   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total current assets

  175,947      259,658   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

EQUIPMENT, at cost, net of accumulated depreciation of $27,899 in 2014 and $9,701 in 2013

  27,296      45,494   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

OTHER ASSETS

Patent development costs

  38,942      —     

Prepaid technology licensing fees, less current portion

  35,545      22,271   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
  74,487      22,271   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total assets

$ 277,730    $ 327,423   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
LIABILITIES AND NET PARENT COMPANY INVESTMENT   

CURRENT LIABILITIES

Accrued expenses

$ 212,314    $ 177,282   

Deferred income, current portion

  10,919      18,198   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

  223,233      195,480   

DEFERRED INCOME, less current portion

  29,544      49,189   

NET PARENT COMPANY INVESTMENT

  24,953      82,754   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total liabilities and net parent company investment

$ 277,730    $ 327,423   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

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ONCYTE CLINICAL TRIALS PROGRAM

(CARVE-OUT OF CERTAIN OPERATIONS OF CELDARA MEDICAL, LLC)

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2014 AND 2013

 

 

 

      2014     2013  

GRANT INCOME

    

Cost reimbursement

   $ 954,791      $ 1,318,520   

Fixed fees

     50,823        76,435   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
  1,005,614      1,394,955   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

COSTS OF OPERATIONS

Direct costs

  903,707      944,144   

Indirect costs

  330,178      390,867   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
  1,233,885      1,335,011   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

NET INCOME (LOSS)

  (228,271   59,944   

OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME, NET OF TAX

  —        —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

TOTAL COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

$ (228,271 $ 59,944   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

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ONCYTE CLINICAL TRIALS PROGRAM

(CARVE-OUT OF CERTAIN OPERATIONS OF CELDARA MEDICAL, LLC)

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET PARENT COMPANY INVESTMENT

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2014 AND 2013

 

 

 

NET PARENT COMPANY INVESTMENT, JANUARY 1, 2013

$ 212,677   

Parent company repayments during the year, net

  (189,867

Net comprehensive income for the year

  59,944   
  

 

 

 

NET PARENT COMPANY INVESTMENT, DECEMBER 31, 2013

  82,754   

Parent company advances and investments during the year, net

  170,470   

Net comprehensive loss for the year

  (228,271
  

 

 

 

NET PARENT COMPANY INVESTMENT, DECEMBER 31, 2014

$ 24,953   
  

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

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ONCYTE CLINICAL TRIALS PROGRAM

(CARVE-OUT OF CERTAIN OPERATIONS OF CELDARA MEDICAL, LLC)

STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2014 AND 2013

 

 

 

      2014     2013  

INCREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

    

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES

    

Net comprehensive income (loss)

   $ (228,271   $ 59,944   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Noncash items included in net comprehensive income (loss):

Depreciation

  20,543      11,703   

Changes in assets and liabilities:

Accounts receivable

  85,549      57,815   

Prepaid expenses

  —        8,579   

Accrued expenses

  17,575      39,292   

Deferred income

  (26,924   49,304   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
  96,743      166,693   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

  (131,528   226,637   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

CASH FLOW FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES

Patent development costs

  (38,942   —     

Purchase of equipment

  —        (36,770
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash used in investing activities

  (38,942   (36,770
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

FINANCING ACTIVITIES

Contributions from (repayments to) parent, net

  170,470      (189,867
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
  170,470      (189,867
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

  —        —     

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, beginning of year

  —        —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, end of year

$ —      $ —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Supplemental Disclosures of Cash Flows Information:

Cash paid during the year for:

Interest expense

$ —      $ —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income taxes

$ —      $ —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

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ONCYTE CLINICAL TRIALS PROGRAM

(CARVE-OUT OF CERTAIN OPERATIONS OF CELDARA MEDICAL, LLC)

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2014 AND 2013

 

 

A) SUMMARY OF OPERATIONS AND ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Operations:

Celdara Medical, LLC, (“Celdara,” “Parent”) is a bio-tech company building academic and early-stage innovations into high-potential medical companies, identifying discoveries of exceptional value at the earliest stages and moving them toward the market. OnCyte Clinical Trial Program (“the Program”) is one of Celdara’s research programs.

Accounting policies:

A summary of the significant accounting policies applied by the Program is as follows:

1.     Basis of presentation

As described in greater detail in Note E, on January 21, 2015, the Program and all related intellectual property rights were sold by Celdara Medical, LLC to a newly-formed entity called OnCyte, LLC in exchange for the full membership interest in OnCyte, LLC. Simultaneously, the membership interest in OnCyte, LLC was sold to Cardio3 Biosciences, SA (a Belgian Company, “C3BS”) for $6,000,000 in cash, $4,000,000 in stock subscriptions in C3BS plus C3BS’ assumption of all liabilities related to the Program (including the agreements described in Note C).

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America from the financial statements of Celdara Medical, LLC. These financial statements have been prepared solely to demonstrate its historical results of operations, financial position, and cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 under Celdara Medical, LLC’s management that are specifically identifiable to the Program, which utilized the intellectual property sold into OnCyte LLC, which was subsequently sold to C3BS.

The assets and liabilities in the financial statements have been reflected on a historical cost basis, as included in the historical statements of financial position of the Parent.

The statements of comprehensive income (loss) include “direct costs” that are allocated to the Program by the Parent for certain functions that are attributable exclusively to the Program, such as personnel, equipment and lab supplies, subaward expenses, and consulting fees. Fringe benefits are allocated to the Program as a direct cost as a percentage of salaries and wages based upon the ratio of actual costs of fringe benefits to total salaries and wages for the Parent as a whole.

The statements of comprehensive income (loss) also include “indirect costs” that are allocated to the Program at a rate of 40% of indirect costs based upon an indirect cost rate established by the National Institute of Health for Facilities and Administrative costs for Phase II Small Business Innovation Research Grants of 40% of the direct Program costs. Indirect costs consist of costs incurred by Celdara as a whole for facilities, administration, information systems, finance, risk management, corporate legal costs, and other shared costs and are allocated to the Program. Certain costs, such as salaries, may be allocated as either direct or indirect costs to projects depending on the nature of the work performed.

 

 

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Management believes the assumptions underlying the financial statements, including the assumptions regarding allocating general corporate expenses from the Parent, are reasonable. Nevertheless, the financial statements may not include all actual expenses that would have been incurred by the Program and may not reflect the combined results of operations, financial position and cash flows had it been a standalone business during the periods presented. Actual costs that would have been incurred if the Program had been a stand-alone business would depend on multiple factors, including organizational structure and strategic decisions made in various areas, including information technology and infrastructure, facilities, and personnel.

These financial statements do not intend to represent the financial position, results of operations or cash flows of Celdara Medical, LLC as a whole.

2.     Income recognition

Income relates to amounts earned under a United States Department of Health and Human Services - National Institute of Health (“NIH”) Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (“SBIR”) grant. Income is recognized upon recognition of qualifying costs of the activities under the grant (see Note A3), and a “fixed fee” as a percentage of total costs pursuant to the grant agreement. Income related to amounts received from the NIH for reimbursement of equipment costs are deferred until related depreciation costs are recognized.

3.     Expense recognition

Expenses of the Program are recognized as incurred as described in Note A1.

4.     Accounts receivable

Accounts receivable consists of amounts due from the federal government under a grant from the National Institute of Health. Accounts receivable are stated at the amount the Program expects to collect. Past due balances over 60 days are reviewed for collectability. Uncollectible amounts, if any, are written off through a charge to bad debt expense and a credit to accounts receivable. There was no allowance required as of December 31, 2014 and 2013.

5.     Equipment

Equipment consists of laboratory equipment used in the Program’s activities funded by the SBIR grant (see Note A2). Depreciation is provided for in amounts sufficient to relate the cost of depreciable assets to operations over their estimated service lives, which is seven years. The double-declining method of depreciation is followed for substantially all assets for financial reporting purposes based upon the expected utilization of the equipment.

6.     Patent development costs

Patent costs under development consist of legal costs related to the preparation for filing of applications for patents for various technologies. Upon approval, patent development costs will be amortized by charges to operations on a straight-line basis over their expected useful lives.

 

 

 

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7.     Impairment of long-lived assets

Long-lived assets, such as equipment, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to estimated undiscounted future cash flows. An impairment charge is recognized in the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value of the asset. During 2014 and 2013, no impairment losses were required to be recognized.

8.     Income taxes

As a limited liability company, Celdara’s and (as a component of Celdara) the Program’s taxable income or loss is passed through to members in accordance with their respective percentage ownership. Therefore, no provision or liability for income taxes has been included in the financial statements.

Management evaluated Celdara’s tax positions and concluded that Celdara had taken no uncertain tax positions that require adjustment to the Program’s financial statements. With few exceptions, Celdara is no longer subject to income tax examinations by the U.S. federal, state or local tax authorities for years before 2011.

9.     Use of estimates

In preparing financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, management is required to make estimated and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and income and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

10.     Net parent company investment

Net parent company investment includes the Parent’s investment in the Program and the net amounts due to or due from the Parent. Recorded amounts reflect capital contributions as well as the results of operations and other comprehensive income (loss). The net parent company investment is also discussed in Note D.

11.     New accounting pronouncements

In February 2013, the FASB issued ASU No. 2013-02, “Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reporting of Amounts Reclassified Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income.” ASU No. 2013-02 requires companies to provide information about the amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income by component. Additionally, companies are required to disclose these reclassifications by each respective line item on the statements of income. ASU No. 2013-02 is effective for the Program for the year ending December 31, 2014, though the Program has early adopted as permitted. The adoption of this guidance had no impact on the Program’s financial condition or results of operations.

In June 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-05, “Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Presentation of Comprehensive Income.” ASU No. 2011-05 eliminates the option to present components of other comprehensive income as part of the statement of shareholders’ equity. All non-owner changes in shareholders’ equity instead must be presented either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive

 

 

 

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income or in two separate but consecutive statements. ASU No. 2011-05 was effective for the Program for the year ended December 31, 2013. The adoption of this guidance had no impact on the Program’s financial condition or results of operations.

12.     Comprehensive income (loss)

Comprehensive income (loss) is the total of net income (loss) plus all other changes in net assets arising from nonowner sources, which are referred to as other comprehensive income (loss). An analysis of changes in the components of accumulated other comprehensive earnings is presented in the statements of comprehensive income (loss). There were no comprehensive income (loss) activities during the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013.

B)     ACCRUED EXPENSES

Accrued expenses consist of the following as of December 31:

 

      2014      2013  

Accrued subaward payments

   $ 112,705       $ 150,146   

Accrued payroll and fringe benefits

     —           11,502   

Accrued materials costs

     —           8,880   

Accrued licensing fees

     75,000         —     

Accrued legal fees

     18,375         —     

Other accrued expenses

     6,234         6,754   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
$ 212,314    $ 177,282   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

C)     COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES – LICENSING AGREEMENTS

The Program has entered into two agreements under which it licenses technology from a third party for an annual fee, fees related to future milestones, and royalties on future sales in the event that the technologies are commercialized.

The first agreement, entered into in April 2010, is for certain technology for a fourteen-year period expiring April 2024. The Program paid an advance fee of $38,520 for the use of certain technology over the life of the agreement. The advance payment is being amortized on a straight-line basis over the life of the agreement. The agreement provides for additional payments to the licensor for various milestones as well as annual payments of $20,000. The Program has recognized a charge to operations and a related liability in the amount of $75,000 in 2014 and $0 in 2013 related to milestone achievement. Total expense related to this agreement was $97,344 in 2014 and 2013. The agreement may be terminated by the licensor if payments related to milestones are not made on a timely basis as defined in the agreement.

The second agreement, entered into during June 2014, is for certain technology for an undefined period that expires pursuant to the expiration of the final patents created, if any, under the use of the technology. The Program paid an advance fee of $18,375 for the use of certain technology over the life of the agreement. The advance payment will be amortized on a straight-line basis over the life of the agreement. The agreement provides for additional payments to the licensor for various milestones as well a payment of $10,000 for the first year and annual payments of $20,000 thereafter payable at the anniversary date of the agreement. Total expense related to this agreement was $10,919 in 2014 and $0 in 2013. The agreement may be terminated by the licensor if payments related to milestones are not made on a timely basis as defined in the agreement.

 

 

 

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Future noncancelable minimum payments due under the licensing agreements are as follows at December 31, 2014:

 

Years Ending December 31,    Amount  

2015

   $ 30,000   

2016

     40,000   

2017

     40,000   

2018

     40,000   

2019

     40,000   

Thereafter

     180,000   
  

 

 

 
$ 370,000   
  

 

 

 

D)     RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

The Program is conducted as a component of Celdara Medical, LLC. All income is billed by Celdara and credited to the Program, all operating costs are paid for by Celdara and charged to the Program, and all equipment acquisitions and intangible assets are paid for by Celdara and charged to the Program.

E)     SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

ASC 855, “Subsequent Events,” requires disclosure of the date through which subsequent events have been evaluated, as well as whether the date is the date the financial statements were issued or the date the financial statements were available to be issued. The Program has evaluated subsequent events through February 26, 2015, the date the financial statements were issued. No significant subsequent events have occurred through this date requiring adjustment to the financial statements or disclosures.

On January 21, 2015, the Program and all related intellectual property rights were sold by Celdara Medical, LLC to a newly-formed entity called OnCyte, LLC in exchange for the full membership interest in OnCyte, LLC. Simultaneously, the membership interest in OnCyte, LLC was sold to Cardio3 Biosciences, SA (a Belgian Company, “C3BS”) for $6,000,000 in cash, $4,000,000 in stock subscriptions in C3BS plus C3BS’ assumption of all liabilities related to the Program (including the agreements described in Note C). The agreements also include contingent consideration to be paid to Celdara related to the achievement of developmental milestones and sales targets, and royalties on certain sales volumes.

 

 

 

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LOGO

Through and including                    , 2015 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade ADSs or our ordinary shares, whether or not participating in the global offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.


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PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

Item 6.    Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

Under Belgian law, the directors of a company may be liable for damages to the company in case of improper performance of their duties. Our directors may be liable to our company and to third parties for infringement of our articles of association or Belgian company law. Under certain circumstances, directors may be criminally liable. We maintain liability insurance for the benefit of our directors and members of our executive management team.

We maintain liability insurance for our directors and officers, including insurance against liability under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and we intend to enter into agreements with our directors and executive officers to provide contractual indemnification. With certain exceptions and subject to limitations on indemnification under Belgian law, these agreements will provide for indemnification for damages and expenses including, among other things, attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and settlement amounts incurred by any of these individuals in any action or proceeding arising out of his or her actions in that capacity.

These agreements may discourage shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against our directors and executive officers for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and executive officers, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our shareholders. Furthermore, a shareholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and officers pursuant to these insurance agreements.

Certain of our non-employee directors may, through their relationships with their employers or partnerships, be insured and/or indemnified against certain liabilities in their capacity as members of our board of directors.

In the underwriting agreement, the form of which is filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this registration statement, the underwriters will agree to indemnify, under certain conditions, us, the members of our board of directors and persons who control our company within the meaning of the Securities Act against certain liabilities, but only to the extent that such liabilities are caused by information relating to the underwriters furnished to us in writing expressly for use in this registration statement and certain other disclosure documents.

 

 

 

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INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

 

 

Item 7.    Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.

Set forth below is information regarding share capital issued and warrants granted by us since January 1, 2012. Some of the transactions described below involved directors, officers and 5% shareholders and are more fully described under the section of the prospectus titled “Certain Relationships and Related-Party Transactions.”

Issuances of Shares

 

Category    Transaction date    Description   

# of

shares

     Issue
price (in €)
 

Class B shares

  

May 6, 2013

   Issue upon contribution in kind (Loan E)      118,365         38.39   

Class B shares

  

May 6, 2013

   Issue upon contribution in kind (Loan F)      56,936         38.39   

Class B shares

  

May 6, 2013

   Issue upon contribution in kind (Loan G)      654,301         4.52   

Class B shares

  

May 6, 2013

   Issue upon contribution in kind (Loan H)      75,755         30.71   

Class B shares

  

May 31, 2013

   Issue upon contribution in cash      219,016         31.96   

Class B shares

  

June 4, 2013

   Issue upon conversion of warrants      2,409,176         0.01   

Ordinary shares

  

June 11, 2013

   Conversion of Class A and Class B shares in ordinary shares      4,744,067         —     

Ordinary shares

  

July 9, 2013

   Issue at Initial Public Offering      1,381,500         16.65   

Ordinary shares

  

July 17, 2013

   Issue upon exercise of over-allotment option      207,225         16.65   

Ordinary shares

  

January 31, 2014

   Issue upon exercise of warrants      5,966         22.44   

Ordinary shares

  

January 31, 2014

   Issue upon exercise of warrants      333         22.44   

Ordinary shares

  

January 31, 2014

   Issue upon exercise of warrants      120,000         4.52   

Ordinary shares

  

May 5, 2014

   Issue upon exercise of warrants      2,366         22.44   

Ordinary shares

  

June 16, 2014

   Issue upon contribution in cash      284,090         44.00   

Ordinary shares

  

June 30, 2014

   Issue upon contribution in cash      284,090         44.00   

Ordinary shares

   August 4, 2014    Issue upon exercise of warrants      5,000         22.44   

Ordinary shares

   August 4, 2014    Issue upon exercise of warrants      750         35.36   

Ordinary shares

   November 3, 2014    Issue upon exercise of warrants      5,000         22.44   

Ordinary shares

   January 21, 2015    Issue upon contribution in in kind      93,087         37.08   

Ordinary shares

   February 7, 2015    Issue upon exercise of warrants      333         22.44   

Ordinary shares

   March 3, 2015    Issue upon contribution in cash      713,380         44.50   

The offers, sales and issuances of the securities described in the preceding paragraphs were exempt from registration either (a) under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act in that the transactions were between an issuer and sophisticated investors and did not involve any public offering within the meaning of Section 4(a)(2) or (b) under Regulation S promulgated under the Securities Act in that offers, sales and issuances were not made to persons in the United States and no directed selling efforts were made in the United States.

 

 

 

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INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

 

 

Issuances Under Our Warrant Plans

Since January 1, 2012, we granted to employees, consultants, members of our Scientific Advisory Board and non-employee directors, pursuant to our warrant plans and in exchange for services rendered or to be rendered, warrants to purchase an aggregate of 3,147,084 ordinary shares with exercise prices ranging from €0.01 to €35.79 per share. Since January 1, 2012, an aggregate of 2,548,924 ordinary shares were issued upon the exercise of warrants issued under our warrant plans, at exercise prices between €0.01 to €35.36 per share, for aggregate proceeds of €1,019,326.88. Since January 1, 2012, an aggregate of 223,686 warrants issued under our warrant plans were cancelled.

As a result, on December 31, 2014, there are 296,930 warrants outstanding which represent approximately 4.05% of the total number of all our issued and outstanding voting financial instruments.

The offers, sales and issuances of the securities described in the preceding paragraph were exempt from registration either (a) under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act in that the transactions were between an issuer and members of its senior executive management and did not involve any public offering within the meaning of Section 4(a)(2), (b) under Rule 701 promulgated under the Securities Act in that the transactions were under compensatory benefit plans and contracts relating to compensation or (c) under Regulation S promulgated under the Securities Act in that offers, sales and issuances were not made to persons in the United States and no directed selling efforts were made in the United States.

Item 8.    Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.

(a)    Exhibits.

The exhibits to the registration statement are listed in the Exhibit Index to this registration statement and are incorporated herein by reference.

(b)    Financial Statement Schedules.

All information for which provision is made in the applicable accounting regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission is either included in the financial statements or is not required under the related instructions or is inapplicable, and therefore has been omitted.

Item 9.    Undertakings.

The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriters at the closing specified in the underwriting agreement, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriters to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the provisions described in Item 6 hereof, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

 

 

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INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

 

 

The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:

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

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

 

 

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form F-1 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Mechelen, Belgium, on May 18, 2015.

 

CELYAD SA

By: 

/s/ Christian Homsy

Name: Christian Homsy

Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

 

 

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POWER OF ATTORNEY

We, the undersigned directors, officers and/or authorized representative in the United States of Celyad, SA, hereby severally constitute and appoint Christian Homsy and Patrick Jeanmart, and each of them singly, our true and lawful attorneys, with full power to any of them, and to each of them singly, to sign for us and in our names in the capacities indicated below the registration statement on Form F-1 filed herewith, and any and all pre-effective and post-effective amendments to said registration statement, and any registration statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, in connection with the registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, of equity securities of Celyad SA, and to file or cause to be filed the same, with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as each of them might or could do in person, and hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys, and each of them, or their substitute or substitutes, shall do or cause to be done by virtue of this Power of Attorney.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated on May 18, 2015.

 

Signature    Title
/s/ Christian Homsy   

Chief Executive Officer and Director

(Principal Executive Officer)

Christian Homsy   
/s/ Patrick Jeanmart   

Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

Patrick Jeanmart   
/s/ Michel Lussier    Chairman of the Board
Michel Lussier   
/s/ William Wijns    Director
William Wijns   
/s/ Serge Goblet    Director
Serge Goblet   
/s/ Chris Buyse    Director
Chris Buyse   
/s/ Rudy Dekeyser    Director
Rudy Dekeyser   
/s/ Jean-Marc Heynderickx    Director
Jean-Marc Heynderickx   

/s/ Chris De Jonghe

   Director
Chris De Jonghe   

/s/ Hanspeter Spek

   Director
Hanspeter Spek   

/s/ Danny Wong

   Director
Danny Wong   

/s/ Donald J. Puglisi

   Authorized Representative in the United States

Puglisi & Associates, By Mr. Donald J. Puglisi, Managing Director

  

 

 

 

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EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit
Number
   Description of Exhibit
  1.1*    Form of Underwriting Agreement
  3.1    Articles of Association (English translation)
  4.1*    Form of Deposit Agreement
  4.2*    Form of American Depositary Receipt (included in Exhibit 4.1)
  5.1*    Opinion of Allen & Overy LLP
  8.1*    Tax Opinion of Allen & Overy LLP
10.1    Non-Commercial Lease Agreement, dated October 31, 2007, between Immobilière Belin 12 SA and the registrant, as amended (English translation).
10.2†*    Form of Indemnification Agreement between the registrant and each of its executive officers and directors
10.3†    Services Agreement, dated January 7, 2008, between the registrant and Patrick Jeanmart SPRL (English translation).
10.4    Open-Ended Employment Contract, dated April 2, 2014, between the registrant and George Rawadi (English translation).
10.5    Employment Agreement, dated as of September 16, 2014, between the registrant and Warren Sherman, MD.
10.6    Management Services Agreement, dated February 22, 2008, between the registrant and Christian Homsy.
10.7    Services Agreement, dated November 2, 2010, between the registrant and Peter de Waele.
10.8    Service Agreement, dated as of December 28, 2014, between the registrant and Vincent Brichard.
10.9    Exclusive License Agreement, dated April 30, 2010, between the Trustees of Dartmouth College and Celdara Medical, LLC, as amended.
10.10    Exclusive License Agreement, dated June 27, 2014, between the Trustees of Dartmouth College and Celdara Medical, LLC, as amended.
10.11    Technology License Contract, dated June 4, 2007, between the registrant and Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, as amended.
10.12*    Stock Purchase Agreement, by and among the registrant and Celdara Medical, LLC, dated as of January 5, 2015.
10.13*    Asset Purchase Agreement, by and among OnCyte, LLC, Celdara Medical, LLC and the registrant, dated January 21, 2015.
10.14##    Share Purchase Agreement, by and between the registrant and Didier de Canniere and Serge Elkiner, dated as of October 31, 2014.
10.15    Agreement for the Provision of Services for Production of Cardiac Cells between Biological Manufacturing Services and the registrant, dated April 11, 2011 (English translation).
10.16†    Warrant Plans (English translation)
16.1    Letter of Ernst & Young.
21.1    List of Subsidiaries of the registrant
23.1    Consent of PwC Reviseurs d’Entreprises SCCRL
23.2    Consent of Gallagher, Flynn & Company, LLP
23.3*    Consent of Allen & Overy (included in Exhibits 5.1 and 8.1)
24.1    Power of Attorney (included on signature page to the original filing of this Registration Statement on Form F-1)

 

 

 

 


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EXHIBIT INDEX

 

 

 

*   To be filed by amendment.
  Indicates a management contract or any compensatory plan, contract or arrangement.
#   Confidential treatment has been requested for portions of this exhibit. These portions will be omitted from the registration statement and have been filed separately with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
##   Certain exhibits and schedules to these agreements have been omitted from the registration statement pursuant to Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K. The registrant will furnish copies of any of the exhibits and schedules to the Securities and Exchange Commission upon request.

 

 

 

Exhibit 3.1

COORDINATED ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION of the public limited company making or having made a public offering of securities, Cardio3 BioSciences, with head office at 12 rue Edouard Belin, 1435 Mont-Saint-Guibert, company number 0891.118.115.

Company established by virtue of a deed passed by the notary Gérard Indekeu, residing in Brussels, on the twenty-fourth of July, two thousand and seven, and published in summary form in the Annexes of the following issue of the Belgian Official Gazette ( Moniteur Belge ) under the number 20070806-0117087.

The articles of association of which were amended by a document drawn up by the aforementioned notary Gérard Indekeu on the thirty-first of August, two thousand and seven and published in the Annexes to the Belgian Official Gazette under the number 20071003/0143533.

Articles of association amended by a document drawn up by the notary partner Pierre Paulus de Châtelet, formerly residing in Rixensart, on 26 September 2008, Belgian Official Gazette, under the number 2008-10-13/0162065.

Articles of association amended by a document drawn up by the aforementioned notary partner Pierre Paulus de Châtelet on 23 December 2008, published in the Annexes to the Belgian Official Gazette under the number 20090120/09010290.

Articles of association amended by a document drawn up by the aforementioned notary, on 5 May 2010, and published in the Annexes to the Belgian Official Gazette under the number 2010-06-03 / 0079698.

Articles of association amended by a document drawn up by the aforementioned notary, on 29 October 2010, and published in the Annexes to the Belgian Official Gazette under the number 20101201- 0174259.

Articles of association rectified by a document drawn up by the notary Françoise Montfort in Rixensart, on 7 January 2011, and published in the Annexes to the Belgian Official Gazette under the number 20110131-0016668.

Articles of association amended by a document drawn up by the aforementioned notary Françoise Montfort, on 5 May 2011, and published in the Annexes to the Belgian Official Gazette under the number 20110606-84155.

Articles of association amended by a document drawn up by the aforementioned notary Françoise Montfort, on 6 May 2013, and published in the Annexes to the Belgian Official Gazette under the number 2013-06-05 / 0084810.

Articles of association amended by a document drawn up by the aforementioned notary Françoise Montfort, on 31 May 2013, and published in the Annexes to the Belgian Official Gazette under the number 2013-06-20 /0093935.

Articles of association amended by a document drawn up by the aforementioned notary Françoise Montfort, on 4 June 2013, and published in the Annexes to the Belgian Official Gazette under the number 2013-06-24 / 0095581.

Articles of association amended by a document drawn up by the aforementioned notary Françoise Montfort, on 9 July 2013, and published in the Annexes to the Belgian Official Gazette under the number 2013-07-26 / 0117431.

Articles of association amended by a document drawn up by the aforementioned notary Françoise Montfort, on 17 July 2013, and published in the Annexes to the Belgian Official Gazette under the number 2013-08-16/0128300.

Articles of association amended by a document drawn up by the aforementioned notary Françoise Montfort, on 26 September 2013, and published in the Annexes to the Belgian Official Gazette under the number 2013-10-14-0155339.

Articles of association amended by a document drawn up by the aforementioned notary Françoise Montfort, on 31 January 2014, and published in the Annexes to the Belgian Official Gazette under the number 20140319-0063903.

 

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Articles of association amended by a document drawn up by the aforementioned notary Françoise Montfort, on 5 May 2014, and published in the Annexes to the Belgian Official Gazette under the number 2014-06-05 / 0112591.

Articles of association amended by a document drawn up by the aforementioned notary Françoise Montfort, on 16 June 2014, and published in the Annexes to the Belgian Official Gazette under the number 20140709/0132868.

Articles of association amended by a document drawn up by the aforementioned notary Françoise Montfort, on 30 June 2014, and published in the Annexes to the Belgian Official Gazette under the number 20140722/0141424.

Articles of association amended by a document drawn up by the aforementioned notary Françoise Montfort, on 4 August 2014, and published in the Annexes to the Belgian Official Gazette under the number 20140825-0159432.

Articles of association amended by a document drawn up by the aforementioned notary Françoise Montfort, on 3 November 2014 and published in the Annexes to the Belgian Official Gazette under the number 20141128-0214987

Articles of association amended by a document drawn up by the aforementioned notary Françoise Montfort, on 21 January, 2015 in the process of being published.

ARTICLE 1 – TYPE AND NAME

The company is a public limited company making or having made a public offering of securities.

It bears the name “Cardio3 BioSciences.” This name shall always be preceded or followed by the words ‘société anonyme’ ( public limited company ) or the abbreviation “SA” ( plc .).

ARTICLE 2 – HEAD OFFICE

The head office is located at 12, rue Edouard Belin, 1435 Mont-Saint-Guibert.

The company’s Board may, without amending the articles of association, transfer the head office to any other place in Belgium, providing it complies with the applicable legislation on the use of languages. The Board shall ensure that all transfers of the head office are published in the Annexes to the Belgian Official Gazette.

The Board shall also be authorized to establish administrative offices, operational offices, branches and subsidiaries both in Belgium and abroad.

ARTICLE 3 - PURPOSE

The company’s purpose, both in Belgium and abroad, on its own behalf or on behalf of third parties, for itself or for others, is to develop new medical technologies, and in particular, but not exclusively, to research and develop, manufacture and sell parts and systems, including the procedures, formula, development and

 

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manufacturing methods, the instruments and equipment, the materials and products, the prototypes, the software and technical and research programs, the design, the patents and trademarks, all related directly or indirectly to biotechnologies and, in particular but not exclusively, to cell therapies and the various directly or indirectly related scientific, operational, legal and financial fields. The company may, if necessary, file and register all or part of its research (patents, inventions, trademarks) and partake in any operation relating directly or indirectly to its corporate purpose if these operations are necessary in order to enable it to pursue its activities.

The company may partake, both in Belgium and abroad, in all industrial, commercial, financial, movable property and real estate transactions that are likely to help expand or promote its business directly or indirectly.

It may acquire any moveable and real property, even if it has no direct or indirect link to the company’s purpose.

It can provide any form of security in order to guarantee the undertakings of an affiliated or associated company to which it is linked through a shareholding, or of any third party in general.

It can, through any means, acquire an interest in, cooperate or merge with any associations, ventures, businesses, or companies that have an identical, similar or related corporate purpose, or that are likely to promote the company or facilitate the sale of its products or services. It may acquire a financial interest in the form of new capital, a transfer, a merger, subscription or stake, or in any other manner, in companies, businesses, or operations that have a similar or related corporate purpose, or which are likely to help it achieve its corporate purpose.

ARTICLE 4 – PERIOD OF INCORPORATION

The company was incorporated for an unlimited period.

ARTICLE 5 - CAPITAL

The company’s capital is set at twenty-four million, nine hundred and forty thousand, three hundred and eighty-five euros and thirteen euro cents (24,940,385.13 EUR), represented by seven million, one hundred and thirty-three thousand, four hundred and seventy-four (7,133,474) no-par value shares, each of which represents one /seven million, one hundred and thirty-three thousand, four hundred and seventy-fourth share in the capital.

ARTICLE 6 - MODIFICATION OF THE SHARE CAPITAL

The share capital may be increased or reduced by decision of the general meeting of shareholders made according to the provisions governing the amendment of the articles of association.

 

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On the occasion of each capital increase, the new shares to be subscribed for in cash shall be offered preemptively to the shareholders in proportion to the share of the capital represented by their shares for a period of at least fifteen days as of the first day of the subscription period. The general meeting of shareholders shall determine the subscription price and the period during which the preemptive right shall be exercised. However, this preemptive subscription right can be limited or abolished by decision of the general meeting of shareholders made in the interests of the company and according to the provisions governing the amendment of the articles of association. In the event of a capital increase accompanied by a share issue premium, the amount of this premium shall be fully paid up at the time of subscription. The premium must be recorded in a non-distributable account named “Issue premiums,” which can only be decreased or closed by decision of the general meeting of shareholders made in accordance with the provisions of the Company Code governing the amendment of articles of association. The issue premium shall, in the same manner as the share capital, serve as a joint pledge to third parties.

ARTICLE 7 – AUTHORIZED CAPITAL

7.1 The Board shall be authorized to increase the share capital in one or more installments, up to an amount of twenty one million four hundred and twelve thousand seven hundred and twenty euros and forty-three euro cents (21,412,720.43 EUR) on the dates and according to the procedures decided by the Board for a period of five years as of publication of this authorization in the Annexes to the Belgian Official Gazette.

This authorization may be renewed in accordance with the legal provisions.

The Board shall be authorized to increase the share capital, as described above, either through cash contributions or, subject to compliance with the law, through contributions in kind, or by using available or unavailable reserves or reserves from the ‘issue premiums’ account. In the latter cases, the increase can be made with or without issuing new shares.

A capital increase within the scope of the authorized capital can also be performed by issuing convertible bonds or subscription rights – linked or not to other securities – giving rise to the creation of shares in accordance with the applicable legal provisions.

The Board shall be authorized, in the event of a capital increase or the issuance of convertible bonds or subscription rights, to limit or abolish, in the interest of the company, the preemptive rights foreseen under the law, including those in favor of one or more specific individuals, whether they are members of staff of the company or its subsidiaries or not.

 

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7.2 When the capital increase decided by the Board includes an issue premium, the amount of the latter, less any deduction for expenses, shall be assigned to an non-distributable account, which shall constitute a capital guarantee for third parties and which can only be decreased or closed by decision of the general meeting of shareholders made in accordance with the applicable quorum and majority requirements for capital reduction decisions, without prejudice to the right of the Board to incorporate said account into the share capital, pursuant to 7.1. above.

7.3 By virtue of a decision of the extraordinary general meeting of shareholders held on 11 June 2013, the Board may also avail itself of the aforementioned authorizations, subsequent to receipt by the company of notification from the Financial Services and Markets Authority that it has received a public takeover bid for the Company, through cash contributions and by limiting or abolishing the preemptive right of shareholders (including those in favor of one or more specific individuals who are not employees of the company or of its subsidiaries) or through contributions in kind through the issuance of shares, warrants or convertible bonds, pursuant to the applicable legal provisions. The Board may only exercise these powers if the aforementioned notification from the Financial Services and Markets Authority was received prior to 11 June 2016.

7.4 The Board shall be authorized, with power of substitution, to amend the articles of association on the occasion of each capital increase within the framework of the authorized capital in order to reflect the company’s new share capital and share situation.

The Board made use of the authorized capital mentioned in article 7 in the amount of two million three hundred and thirty-eight thousand six hundred and thirty euros (2,338,630 EUR).

ARTICLE 8 – BUYBACK, PLEDGING AND DISPOSAL OF OWN SHARES

The company may buy back or pledge its own shares in accordance with the legal provisions. The Board shall be authorized to dispose of the shares acquired by the company on or outside the stock market, subject to the conditions set by the Board, without the prior approval of the general meeting of shareholders, and in accordance with the law.

The aforementioned authorizations shall extend to any acquisitions and disposals of the company’s shares performed by its direct subsidiaries,

 

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pursuant to the definition of such subsidiaries under the legal provisions relating to the purchase of parent company shares by subsidiary companies, and may be extended under the conditions laid down in the law.

ARTICLE 9 – CALL FOR FUNDS

The Board shall determine, at its sole discretion, the date and manner in which the calls for funds are made on shares that were not fully paid up.

If a shareholder fails to meet the request to pay up its shares within the deadline set by the Board, the exercise of the voting rights linked to said shares shall be suspended, as of right, until the payments are paid. Moreover, the shareholder shall be required, as of right, to pay the company a default interest rate equal to the legal rate plus two percent.

If the shareholder continues to default after receiving formal notice to pay sent by registered mail subsequent to expiry of the deadline set by the Board, the latter shall be entitled to have the relevant shares sold on the stock market, through an investment company or a credit institution, without prejudice to the company’s entitlement to claim the balance due, as well as any damages, from the shareholder.

The shareholder may not pay up its shares in advance without the prior approval of the Board.

ARTICLE 10 – TYPE OF SHARES AND REGISTER OF REGISTERED SHARES

The shares are registered or dematerialized.

The register of registered shares is an electronic register. The Board may decide to delegate the maintenance and management of the electronic register to a third party. All the entries in this register, including assignments and conversions, can be validly made based on documents or instructions that the assigner, the assignee or the holder of securities may send electronically or via any other medium. The company shall have the discretion to accept and enter in the registry any assignment that may have been surmised from correspondence or other documents proving the existence of an agreement between the assigner and the assignee.

ARTICLE 11 - EXERCISE OF RIGHTS PERTAINING TO SECURITIES

With regard to the company, the shares and all other securities issued by the company are indivisible. If one of these securities is owned by several persons, or if the rights pertaining to one of these securities are

 

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divided among several persons, the related rights shall be suspended as of right, until a single person has been designated as the owner of the security with regard to the company. The rights relating to the shares that are encumbered with usufruct or a pledge shall be exercised respectively by the usufructuary and by the pledger, unless otherwise stipulated in a written agreement signed by all those concerned and notified to the company.

ARTICLE 12 - COMPOSITION OF THE BOARD

For the purposes of this article, the terms below shall hold the following meanings:

‘Main Shareholders’ means PMV and Sofïpôle.

‘Bid’ means the initial public offering for the company’s shares made on 9 July 2013.

‘PMV’ means PMV-TINA Comm.VA, with head office at 63 Oude Graanmarkt, 1000 Brussels and Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE) business registration number 0835.081.809 (Brussels Registry of Legal Entities).

‘Sofipôle’ means Sofïpôle SA, with head office at 13 Avenue Maurice Destenay, 4000 Liège and Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE) business registration number 0877.938.090 (Liège Registry of Legal Entities).

‘S.R.I.W.’ means S.R.I.W. SA, with head office at 13 Avenue Maurice Destenay, 4000 Liège and Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE) business registration number 0219.919.487 (Liège Registry of Legal Entities).

The company is administered by a Board validly composed of at least three members, who may or may not be shareholders, and can be natural or legal persons.

Each Main Shareholder shall have the right, separately, to put forward candidates for a directorship of the Board providing that this Main Shareholder, or one of its affiliated companies, owns at least 75% of the total number of shares jointly held by this Main Shareholder and its affiliated companies at the time of the Bid, i.e., 661,172 shares jointly owned by Sofïpôle and S.R.I.W. (an affiliated company of Sofïpôle) and 570,571 shares held by PMV. The directors put forward by the Main Shareholders shall not be remunerated.

Each Main Shareholder must notify the Board of the identity of the candidates at least six weeks before the date of the general meeting of shareholders at which the directors will be appointed.

Each Main Shareholder shall be entitled to have the director it proposed replaced by a person chosen from a list of at least two candidates submitted to the Board by the same Main Shareholder (or by a member of its group, as designated by the Main Shareholder), and shall be subject to the same notification conditions with regard to the Board,

 

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i.e. the names of the candidates shall be submitted at least six weeks prior to the date of the general meeting of shareholders at which the new director will be appointed. If a Main Shareholder who has the right to put forward candidates for a directorship of the Board does not submit a list of candidates, the general meeting of shareholders can either, at its sole discretion, appoint a director to fill the position for which no short list of candidates was submitted, who shall retain his position up until such time as the relevant Main Shareholder presents a list of candidates for this director’s position, or choose not to appoint a director.

If a legal person is appointed as a director of the Board, it shall designate, pursuant to the rules laid down in the Company Code, a standing representative, who is authorized to represent it in its relations with the company. The director may only revoke the mandate of its representative if it simultaneously designates a replacement.

The duration of the mandate of a Board director may not exceed six years. Board directors whose mandates have expired shall remain in their posts until the general meeting of shareholders appoints their successors, whatever the reason for the delay.

Outgoing Board directors may be reappointed.

The Board directors may have their mandates revoked at any time by the general meeting of shareholders.

ARTICLE 13 – VACANCY ARISING PRIOR TO THE END OF A MANDATE

In the event that a place on the Board becomes vacant, the remaining directors shall be entitled to provisionally appoint a replacement. The director thus appointed shall complete the mandate of the director he is replacing.

Final appointment of the new director shall be placed on the agenda of the following meeting of the general meeting of shareholders.

ARTICLE 14 - CHAIRMANSHIP

The Board shall elect a chairman from among its members by a simple majority of votes. In the event of a tied vote, the chairman shall have the deciding vote.

ARTICLE 15 – BOARD MEETINGS

The Board shall be convened by its chairman (or by any person entrusted to do so by the chairman), or by two directors, whenever it is in the interest of the company to do so. Notice of a meeting may be validly made by letter, fax, email or telephone.

The notice shall mention the place, date, time and agenda of the meeting. The notice shall be sent at least two working days prior to the meeting by letter, fax, email or by any other

 

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written medium. In duly substantiated urgent cases, the period may be less than two working days. If there is no chairman or the latter is absent, a director chosen by the other directors shall chair the meeting.

If all the directors are present or validly represented, the lawfulness of the meeting notice cannot be contested. Unless the Board decides otherwise, any person responsible for the day-to-day management of the Company may attend and participate in the Board meetings, but without voting rights; in order to dispel any misunderstanding, it is specified that the foregoing shall only apply in the event that the CEO is not a member of the Board.

ARTICLE 16 – PROCEEDINGS

At least a majority of the directors must be present (in person, or by telephone or videoconference), or represented, for a quorum to be reached. If the majority of directors are not present at a Board meeting, any of the directors shall be entitled to convene a second meeting of the Board with the same agenda. Said meeting shall be held within a reasonable period of time (which shall be not less than 15 days, unless the urgent nature of the decisions to be made requires otherwise, in which case at least 3 days’ notice shall be required) as of the date of written notification sent to all the directors, in which reference shall be made to this article. Without prejudice to the fifth paragraph of this article, this second Board meeting shall be entitled to make decisions and adopt the agenda, irrespective of the number of directors present or represented.

The Board may only validly make decisions on items that are not on the agenda if all the directors are present in person and they unanimously decide to address these items.

Any director may give a proxy to his colleagues, by letter, fax, email or any other written medium, in order to represent him at a Board meeting. A director may not represent more than two of his colleagues.

Except in the case stipulated in the next paragraph, the decisions of the Board shall be made by a majority of votes cast. Blank or irregular votes shall not be counted as votes cast. In the event of a tied vote, the director chairing the meeting shall have the deciding vote, save in cases where the Board comprises two members.

If a director has a direct or indirect conflicting financial interest in a decision or an operation to be decided

 

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by the Board, the rules and procedures laid down in the Company Code shall hold. If, during a meeting of the Board where the majority required to validly make decisions is present, one or more directors present or represented refrain from voting due to such a conflicting interest, the relevant decision or decisions shall be made by a majority of the votes cast by the other directors, either present or represented.

In the event of an urgency, the Board’s decisions may be made, to the extent permitted by the law, by unanimous written consent of the directors. However, this procedure shall not be used to adopt the annual accounts and to make decisions relating to the use of the authorized capital.

Unless otherwise stated, the decisions made by unanimous written consent shall be deemed to have been made at the head office and shall take effect as of the date of the last written consent signed by a director. Directors may attend a meeting via conference call, videoconference, or by any other means of communication that enables the directors to communicate with each other.

In such cases, they shall be deemed to have attended that meeting.

Unless otherwise stipulated, the decisions shall be deemed to have been made at the head office and shall take effect as of the date of the meeting.

ARTICLE 17 - MINUTES

The decisions of the Board shall be recorded in the minutes, which are signed by the directors present or by their representatives. The proxies shall be appended to the minutes.

Copies or extracts to be produced in court or elsewhere shall be signed by at least two directors or by one Chief Executive Officer. This power can be delegated to a representative.

ARTICLE 18 - POWERS OF THE BOARD

The Board shall be vested with the widest powers with a view to performing all acts that can help, or are required, to achieve the company’s purpose.

It shall have the power to perform all acts not expressly reserved for the general meeting of shareholders by law or by the articles of association.

The Board can, under its responsibility, delegate part of its powers for particular and specific purposes to a third party of its choosing. The Board shall form, from amongst its own members, an audit committee pursuant to provisions of the Company Code. The audit committee shall be

 

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mandated to ensure continuous monitoring of the tasks performed by the auditor and to perform any additional task entrusted to it by the Board. If it is not compulsory to form an audit committee from among the members of the Board, the Board can decide that the tasks assigned to the audit committee shall be performed by the Board as a whole.

The Board may form other committees and determine their powers.

ARTICLE 19 - REMUNERATION

Directorships shall not be remunerated, unless otherwise decided by the general meeting of shareholders.

The company may derogate from the provisions of article 520b, paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Company Code with regard to any person covered by the scope of these provisions.

ARTICLE 20 - REPRESENTATION

The company shall be validly represented with regard to all acts, including in court proceedings, by two directors acting jointly or by one Chief Executive Officer acting alone, who shall not have to justify to third parties a decision made previously by the Board.

The company shall also be validly represented by a representative acting within the scope of its power-of-attorney.

ARTICLE 21- DAY-TO-DAY MANAGEMENT

The Board may delegate the day-to-day management of the company to one or more natural or legal persons. If the person in charge of day-to-day management is also a director, he shall hold the title of Chief Executive Officer, or CEO. Otherwise, he shall hold the title of managing director.

The post of CEO or managing director in charge of day-to-day management shall not be remunerated, unless otherwise decided by the Board.

The Board has the power to determine the conditions and limits attached to this power-of-attorney and to terminate it.

When several persons are responsible for day-to-day management, the company shall be validly represented with regard to all acts of day-to-day management, including in court proceedings, by one person in charge of day-to-day management, who shall not have to justify to third parties a decision made previously by the Board.

 

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Any person responsible for day-to-day management may, under its responsibility, delegate to a third party of its choosing part of its powers for particular and specific purposes.

ARTICLE 22 - AUDITING

Auditing of the company shall be entrusted to one or more auditors, who shall be appointed for a three-year renewable period.

The auditors shall be appointed from among the members, either natural or legal persons, of the Institute of Company Auditors.

The general meeting of shareholders shall determine the number of auditors and set their remuneration.

ARTICLE 23 – AUDITORS’ TASKS

The auditors shall, collectively and individually, have an unlimited right to monitor and scrutinize the financial situation, the annual accounts and the regularity, with regard to the applicable legal provisions and the articles of association, of the transactions entered in the annual accounts.

They may, without removing them, examine the ledgers, correspondence, minutes and, more generally, all records of the company.

Each quarter, the Board shall submit to them a summary of the company’s assets and liabilities.

The auditors shall, with a view to the general meeting of shareholders, draft a detailed written report containing in particular the statutory information. The auditors may, in the course of their duties and at their own expense, receive assistance from staff or other persons, for whom they shall be liable.

ARTICLE 24 - COMPOSITION AND POWERS OF THE GENERAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

The duly constituted general meeting shall represent all shareholders The decisions made by the general meeting of shareholders shall be binding on all the shareholders, even if they were absent or dissenting. It shall be vested with the widest powers with a view to performing or ratifying acts relevant to the company.

ARTICLE 25 - MEETINGS

The ordinary general meeting shall meet, as of right, on the fifth of May at nine o’clock. If this day falls on a Saturday, a Sunday or on an official public holiday, the meeting shall be held on the next working day.

An extraordinary general meeting may be convened whenever it is in the interests of the company to do so and must be convened whenever a group of shareholders constituting one fifth of the share capital so requests.

 

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The general meetings shall be held at the head office or at any other venue indicated in the meeting notices.

ARTICLE 26 – MEETING NOTICE

The general meeting shall be convened by the Board or by the auditors.

The meeting notices shall contain the place, date, time and agenda for the general meeting, stating the items to be discussed and the resolutions for decisions, and shall be sent in the manner and within the timeframes stipulated in the Company Code.

Each year, at least one ordinary general meeting shall be held, the agenda for which shall mention at least the following: (i) where applicable, discussion of the management report and the auditors’ report, (ii) discussion and adoption of the annual accounts and appropriation of the surplus, (iii) discharge for the directors and, (iv) where applicable, for the auditors and, where applicable, (v) appointment of directors and auditors.

ARTICLE 27 – RULES OF ADMISSION

The right to attend the general meeting and to exercise one’s voting rights shall be subject to the accounting registration of the shares in the name of the shareholder by the fourteenth day preceding the general meeting at twenty four hundred hours (Belgian time), either through their entry in the register of the company’s registered shares, or through their entry into the accounts with an authorized account holder or clearing institution, regardless of the number of shares owned by the shareholder on the day of the general meeting.

The shareholder shall indicate to the company, or to the person designated by the company for that role, that he intends to attend the general meeting at the latest by the sixth day prior to the date of the meeting.

The holders of dematerialized securities shall notify their intention to make use of their rights at the meeting to one of the financial institutions listed in the meeting notice or to any other institution specified in the meeting notice in accordance with the conditions laid down in that notice, at the latest by the sixth day prior to the date of the meeting. The holders of bonds, subscription rights or certificates issued with the cooperation of the company may attend the general meeting, but in a non-voting capacity only and subject to meeting the conditions of admission applicable to the shareholders.

 

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ARTICLE 28 - REPRESENTATION

Any shareholder may give his proxy to a third party of his choosing by letter, fax, email or by any other written medium, in order to represent him at a general meeting of shareholders.

The Board may, in the meeting notices, stipulate the form the proxies are to take. The proxies must reach the company at the latest by the sixth day prior to the general meeting.

ARTICLE 29 - BUREAU

All general meetings shall be chaired by the chairman of the Board, or if the Board has no chairman or the latter is unable to attend, by a person designated for that purpose by the general meeting.

The chairman of the meeting may designate a secretary, who does not necessarily have to be a shareholder or a member of the Board.

If the number of shareholders present or represented so allows, the general meeting may choose two tellers. The directors present complete the bureau.

ARTICLE 30 – ADJOURNMENT

The Board shall be entitled to adjourn, at once, any ordinary general meeting or other meeting by up to three weeks.

This adjournment shall not annul the other decisions made, unless the general assembly decides otherwise,

The conditions for admission to the first meeting, including the submission of any proxies, shall remain valid for the second meeting.

An adjournment may only take place once. The second general meeting shall be entitled to adopt definitively the annual accounts.

ARTICLE 31 –NUMBER OF VOTES - EXERCISE OF VOTING RIGHTS

Each share shall confer the right to one vote.

ARTICLE 32 – PROCEEDINGS

Before starting the meeting, an attendance list indicating the names of the shareholders and the number of shares they hold shall be signed by each one of them or by their representative. The same shall apply to the holders of the other securities issued by the company or with its cooperation.

 

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The general meeting may only make decisions on items that are not on the agenda if all the shareholders are present or represented at the general meeting and they unanimously decide to address these items.

The directors shall answer any questions from the shareholders on items on the agenda. Where applicable, the auditors shall answer any questions from the shareholders on their report.

Unless otherwise stipulated by a legal or statutory provision, all decisions of the general meeting shall be made by a simple majority of votes, irrespective of the number of shareholders present or represented. Blank or irregular votes shall not be counted as votes cast.

If, in a decision relating to an appointment, none of the candidates obtains an absolute majority of votes, a second vote shall be held between the two candidates that obtained the highest number of votes. If the second vote is tied, the eldest candidate shall be elected.

Voting shall be by show of hands or by roll call, unless the general meeting decides otherwise by a simple majority of votes cast.

The shareholders may, by unanimous consent, make all decisions falling within the remit of the general meeting in writing, with the exception of those that have to be legally certified. Unless otherwise stipulated, the decisions made in writing shall be deemed to have been taken at the head office and shall take effect as of the date of the last signature by a shareholder.

ARTICLE 33 - MINUTES

The minutes of the general meeting shall be signed by the members of the Bureau and by any shareholders who so request.

Unless otherwise stipulated by the law, the copies or extracts to be produced in court or elsewhere shall be signed by two Board directors (or by one Chief Executive Officer). This power may be delegated to a representative.

ARTICLE 34 – ANNUAL ACCOUNTS

The accounting period shall begin on the first of January and end on the thirty-first of December of each year.

At the end of each accounting year, the Board shall produce an inventory, as well as the company’s annual accounts. To the extent required by the law, the Board shall also produce a management report. This report

 

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shall include a comment on the annual accounts, which is intended to faithfully represent the business performance and situation of the company, as well as all other information required by the Company Code.

ARTICLE 35 – ADOPTION OF THE ANNUAL ACCOUNTS

The ordinary general meeting shall, where applicable, hear a presentation of the management report and the auditors’ report and rule on adoption of the annual accounts.

After adoption of the annual accounts, the general meeting shall take a special vote on discharge of the Board directors and, where applicable, the auditors. This discharge can only be validly granted if the annual accounts contain no omissions or false information concealing the actual situation of the company and, with regard to acts performed in breach of the articles of association, if the latter have been specifically mentioned in the meeting notice.

Within thirty days of adoption by the general meeting, the annual accounts and, where applicable, the management report, as well as any other document stipulated in the Company Code, shall be filed by the Board with the Bank of Belgium ( Banque Nationale de Belgique ).

ARTICLE 36 - DISTRIBUTION

Each year, five per cent (5%) of the net profit stipulated in the annual accounts shall be deducted to build the legal reserve. This deduction shall cease to be compulsory once the reserve is equal to one tenth of the share capital.

Based on a proposal from the Board, the balance shall be made available each year to the general meeting, which alone shall decide on its appropriation by a simple majority of votes cast, within the limits stipulated in the Company Code.

ARTICLE 37 – PAYMENT OF DIVIDENDS – INTERIM PAYMENTS

The dividends shall be paid at the times and places decided by the Board.

The Board may, within the limits stipulated in the Company Code, pay out one or more interim dividends, which shall be paid out based on the results of the current accounting year.

ARTICLE 38 – EARLY DISSOLUTION

Should the net assets amount to less than half of the company’s share capital as a result of losses, the Board shall submit the question of the dissolution of the company and, where necessary, propose other measures to the general meeting, which shall make a decision in accordance with the rules laid down in the Company Code.

 

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The general meeting shall take place within a period of no more than two months from the time when the loss was ascertained or should have been ascertained in accordance with legal or statutory provisions.

Should the net assets amount to less than a quarter of the company’s share capital as a result of losses, dissolution may be decided by a quarter of the votes cast at the general meeting.

Should the net assets amount to less than the minimum legal share capital requirement, any party may request the dissolution of the company by the courts. The courts may, at their discretion, grant the company a stay of execution in order for it to rectify the situation.

ARTICLE 39 - LIQUIDATION

In the event of dissolution of the company, for whatever reason and at whatever time, liquidation shall be handled by liquidators appointed by the general meeting or, failing this, by the Board acting as a committee of liquidators. Unless otherwise decided, the liquidators shall act collectively. To this end, the liquidators shall be vested with the widest powers in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Company Code, subject to any restrictions imposed by the general meeting.

The liquidators shall not be remunerated unless otherwise decided by the general meeting.

ARTICLE 40 - DISTRIBUTION

After settlement of all debts, charges and liquidation fees, the net assets shall be used first for the repayment, in cash or in kind, of the shares that have been fully paid up and not yet repaid.

Any remaining surplus shall be shared out equally among all the shares.

If the net proceeds do not allow for the repayment of all the shares, the liquidators shall first repay the shares that have been paid up to a greater extent until they reach the same level as the shares paid up to a lesser extent or by making a call for additional funds from the owners of the latter shares.

ARTICLE 41- ADDRESS FOR SERVICE

Any Board director, managing director or liquidator that is domiciled or has its head office abroad shall elect to have his address for service, for

 

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the duration of his mandate, at the head office, to which all services and notifications relating to the affairs of the company and his management responsibilities can be validly sent in his name, with the exception of the meeting notices served in accordance with these articles of association.

The holders of registered shares or other registered securities issued by the company or with the cooperation of the company shall notify the company of any change of address or head office. Failing this, they shall be deemed to have chosen as their address for service their previous domicile or head office.

ARTICLE 42 – APPLICABLE LAW

All matters not stipulated in these articles of association shall be governed by the Company Code.

Consequently, the provisions of these laws, from which no explicit derogations have been established, shall be deemed to have been incorporated into these articles of association and any clauses that are in contradiction with the imperative stipulations of these laws shall be deemed not to have been written.

Done in Rixensart, on January 21, 2015

Notary Françoise MONTFORT

 

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Exhibit 10.1

 

LEASE   10/31/07
 

 

AXISPARC

Office building located at

 

12 rue Edouard Belin, 1435 Mont St Guibert

 

NON-COMMERCIAL LEASE AGREEMENT – 1,680 m 2

LOGO

 

BETWEEN:

Immobilière Belin 12 SA, with head office at 1, rue Edouard Belin, 1435

Mont St Guibert,

Represented by Mr. Henri Fischgrund, Chief Executive Officer,
Hereinafter the Lessor,
AND: Cardio 3 Biosciences SA, with head office at 9 blvd de France, parc de
l’Alliance, 1420 Braine l’Alleud, represented by Christian Homsy, Chief Executive Officer,
Hereinafter the Lessee,

IT IS HEREBY AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1: Axisparc

 

  1.1. Axisparc is a business park comprising 4 zones.

 

Zone 1:

Axisparc Offices: 9 buildings housing over 30,000 m 2 of office space.

Zone 2:

Axisparc Service Center: 1 building housing restaurant facilities + day care center + fitness center + conference rooms.

Zone 3:

Axisparc High Tech: office buildings, workshops and laboratories mainly intended for SME’s.

Zone 4:

Axisparc New Tech: office buildings and laboratories mainly intended for large businesses.

 

  1.2. The building covered by this lease agreement is located in zone 3.

This zone, as well as zone 4, is under co-ownership and the users and occupants of the premises are bound by the co-ownership regulations, which are entitled: Axisparc Technology Specifications (see appendix 1).

 

  1.3. The building covered by this lease agreement shall be built by the Lessor on the land located at 12 rue Belin, Mont St Guibert.

The building’s proportional share within Axisparc Technology is 3.79 %.

The adjoining land shall be earmarked for any potential extensions to be built for the lessee (see article 2 (b) below).

[Translator note: Page initialed by two people at the bottom right of the page and at the bottom right of all subsequent pages, except the last page. Stamp in top right hand corner of the first page bearing the marking: Received on January 8, 2008]

 

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Article 2: Leased premises

 

a) The Lessor shall lease to the Lessee, who accepts (appendix 2), offices, laboratories and parking spaces, as stipulated in the table below (hereinafter the ‘leased premises’).

 

    

Phase I

    
Offices   

Level 1: 560 m 2

Level 0: 560 m 2

  
Labs    Level -1 : 560 m 2   
Parking lot    40 spaces   

 

b) The Lessor has set aside a plot of land for the Lessee, enabling the latter to expand the surface area of its premises and have the Lessor build on said land one or more buildings during later building phases.

Nonetheless, this possibility of expanding its premises shall be time limited, i.e.: if, after the first eight months of the lease agreement, the Lessee has not expressed its intention, by registered letter, to lease a building to be built on that land during a subsequent building phase, this possibility of extending its premises shall lapse and the lessor shall be entitled to use that land to develop another project for third parties.

The lease conditions for buildings built at subsequent stages shall be those stipulated in this lease agreement for comparable surface areas and technical descriptions, i.e., at the following unit prices:

 

   Zone for semi-buried laboratories:      90 €/m2   

   Zone for laboratories located above ground:      105 €/m2   

   Office zone located above ground:      130 €/m2   

   Additional charge per elevator:      1.8 €/m2   
   (Minimum 3 levels)   

   Dismantling of façade:      1,880 €/level   

   Additional charge per bathroom:      5.60 €/m2/level   

 

c) The lease agreement shall also include an entitlement for the Lessee, its staff and third parties with which it does business, to use, at the same time as the Lessor and all other persons authorized by it, the roads and thoroughfares within the business park that provide access to the leased premises for them and for any vehicles needed for the operation of its company.

Article 3: Intended use

The premises shall be leased for use as offices and laboratories. The Lessee agrees to comply with this intended use for the duration of the lease.


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The Lessee may not modify this intended use without the prior written consent of the Lessor, who shall always be entitled to reject the modification providing there are just grounds for doing so. It is expressly agreed that the intended used of the premises is an essential condition of this lease agreement, in the absence of which the Lessor would not have entered into the contract.

Under no circumstances may the leased premises be used to operate a retail business or a handicraft activity that entails direct contact with the general public, even if the premises are used as showrooms, thereby ensuring that this lease agreement is not, and shall never be, governed by the law of 30 April 1951 on commercial leases.

The Lessee shall refrain from performing, on the premises, any activity that could disrupt the tranquility and peaceful enjoyment of its neighbors and agrees to comply with Axisparc Technology’s specifications.

Each parking space shall be reserved exclusively for the parking of vehicles. It is strictly prohibited to store goods in those spaces or to wash or maintain vehicles. The Lessee shall not be authorized to hold public sales in the parking lot.

The Lessor reserves the right to modify or switch the designated parking bays, if this becomes necessary as a result of construction or maintenance work, or tenant turnover or for reasons of security or internal organization within the building, subject to the Lessor notifying the tenant of the change or switch.

Article 4: Term

This lease agreement shall take effect upon provisional acceptance of the building, which is currently scheduled to take place on October 1, 2008, on the understanding that the first lease payment shall be payable only six months after entry in force of this lease agreement.

The lease has been concluded for a term of nine consecutive years and shall expire on the date of the ninth anniversary of entry into force of the lease agreement without notice and by the mere fact of the term being reached. Upon expiry of the lease agreement, continued occupation of the premises shall, under no circumstances, be interpreted as tantamount to tacit renewal of the lease.

The Lessee may terminate this lease agreement at the end of the 3rd and 6th years, subject to written notice sent by registered mail to the Lessor at least six months prior to the end of the three-year period.

Should the Lessee decide to terminate the lease after a period of 3 years, he shall pay out the full amount of the incentive received, i.e., 6 months’ rent. Should the Lessee decide to terminate the lease after a period of 6 years, it shall pay out half of the amount of the incentive received, i.e., 3 months’ rent.

In the event that the Lessee leases buildings built during subsequent building phases, the provisions of this lease agreement shall apply to these new premises. The terms and conditions of the lease agreement shall remain unchanged, such that there is no discrepancy between phase 1 and subsequent phases.

The date of provisional acceptance of the building is conditioned by the award of the planning permit, which is scheduled to take 3 calendar months,

 

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BAIL    31/10/07

 

as well as by the length of the works, which are scheduled to take 120 working days. If, due to circumstances beyond the control of the Lessor, the date of provisional acceptance and, thus, the start of the lease agreement, are postponed by a period equal to the duration of the disruptions caused, which shall not exceed 40 working days, no compensation shall be owed by either party. However, if the total period of the disruption exceeds 40 working days, a penalty of 3,000 €/working day shall be payable by the party at fault, without prejudice to the latter proving that the damage it incurred is higher than this amount.

The lessee may start fitting the laboratory approx. 80 working days after the start of the work.

Article 5: Annual rent

 

Level -1     Level 0     Level +1     Parking lot        
Area     UP     Total     Area     UP     Total     Area     UP     Total     Area     UP     Total     Total  
  560m2        91.8€        51,408€        560m2        131.8€        73,808€        560m2        131.8€        73,808€        40        400€        16,000€        215,024€   

Option: raising the ceiling in the laboratory by 100 cm: 1,790 €

The rent shall be payable quarterly at the start of each quarter and shall be paid into Dexia account n° 068-2450893-21 held by Immobilière Belin 12 SA.

As a commercial gesture, the Lessor agrees to a 6-month rent-free period (the first 6 months). This incentive shall not cover any charges and taxes.

The charges shall be billed to the Lessee separately, as of the entry into force of the lease or, if the Lessee occupies the premise prior to the entry into force of the lease, as of the date of occupation of these premises.

Article 6: Rent adjustments

 

6.1. Indexations shall be applied as follows:

 

6.1.1. The rent shall be linked to the Kingdom’s health index, as stipulated in the Royal Decree of 12/24/93.

 

6.1.2. Without it ever being lower than the last indexed rent, the rent shall be revised, automatically and as of right, on an annual basis on the anniversary date of entry into force of the lease based on the index for the month preceding that of the revision and using the formula below, the base index being that of the month preceding the signature of this lease agreement, pursuant to article 1728 a of the Civil Code (base index = September 2007).

 

New rent =   Base rent x index for the month preceding the month of the revision  
  Base index  

 

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LEASE 10/31/07

 

6.1.3. In the event that the basis for calculating the official health index were to be modified or abolished, the parties expressly agree that the amount of the rent shall be pegged to the conversion rate published in the Belgian Official Gazette (Moniteur Belge) or to any other system that replaces this index.

 

6.2. It is expressly agreed that any waiver by the Lessor of the rent increases pursuant to this article must be made in writing and signed by the latter.

 

6.3. If, subsequently, VAT were to be applied to this type of lease, the cost shall be borne by the Lessee.

Article 7: Charges

 

A. Taxes

Property tax, as well as all other taxes and contributions in general of any kind that may be levied by any authority on the lease or on the occupation of the buildings, shall be borne by the Lessee.

The Lessee shall indemnify the Lessor with regard to any prejudice incurred by the latter as a result of delayed payment by the Lessee of the taxes for which it is liable.

The aforementioned taxes shall be reimbursed to the Lessor within 15 days of their notification to the Lessee.

 

B. Communal charges relating to Axisparc Technology

These charges relate mainly to the upkeep of thoroughfares, underground service networks and green areas, as well as the management company’s fees. Axisparc Technology’s management company shall communicate to the relevant owners and tenants a breakdown of the charges and a quarterly provisional bill for charges. The Lessee shall contribute to these costs proportionately to its share within the co-ownership, as stipulated in article 1.3 of this lease. The distribution of the shares within the co-ownership may, however, be modified, subject to a decision approved by more than 75 % of the co-owners of Axisparc Technology.

The role of the management company shall be performed by the Property Developer until such time as at least 75 % of the co-ownership shares within Axisparc Technology have been allocated.

 

C. Communal and individual charges relating to the building

Since the Lessee is the only tenant in the building, there are no communal charges for the building and the tenant shall be liable for the cost of:

 

a) Water, gas and electricity meter rental and consumption;

 

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LEASE 10/31/07

 

b) Maintenance and cleaning of the premises, the rear, front and side façades and the inside and outside of the windows

 

c) Premiums paid by the Lessor to insure the building, as specified in article 18, as well as the excess payable in the event of an insurance claim.

This list is not exhaustive, but rather indicative.

 

D. Advance payment for communal charges

 

  The Lessee shall pay the management company of Axisparc Technology 3 % of the value of its rent in advance to cover its share of the contribution to the communal charges for the leased premises. This percentage may be adjusted in light of the communal charges incurred in the previous year.

 

  These advance payments shall be paid within 15 days of the management company sending the provisional bill for charges.

 

E. Final settlement of communal and individual charges

At the end of each year, Axisparc Technology’s management company shall draw up a final breakdown of the various charges mentioned in this article. Each tenant shall receive a final breakdown of the charges each quarter or, where applicable, each year, and shall pay the management company its outstanding contribution upon receipt of the breakdown of the charges or shall receive a refund in the event that its advance payments exceed the amount actually owed.

The management company may make provision, in its annual accounts, for advance payments for non-recurring charges arising from maintenance work to be carried on the communal areas for a period exceeding one year.

The Lessor may change the payment method used by the tenants to make the advance payments for charges in light of regulatory changes or modifications within Axisparc Technology and the building.

Article 8: Payment methods – Late payment

Rents, taxes, charges and all other sums owed by the Lessee under the terms of this lease shall be payable as of their due date, which shall constitute a formal notice to pay. They are assignable and shall be paid into the account designated by the Lessor.

Without prejudice to any other rights of, and actions filed by the Lessor, failure by the Lesser to pay any rents, taxes, charges and all other sums owed by it under this lease shall give rise, as of their due date, to the application, as of right and without prior formal notice, of a 7% rate of annual interest.

 

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Article 9: Use of the premises

The Lessee agrees to make use of the premises with due diligence and, in particular, agrees to use the leased premises and other parts of the building in conformity with the provisions of article 10 below.

The maximum authorized ceiling loads, including the partition weight, may not exceed 350 kg/m 2 on the upper stories and 500 kg/m 2 in the basement, unless otherwise stipulated in the technical documentation.

The fitting, installation and use of telephones, radios and televisions, as well as teleprinters and other technical equipment inside the leased premises shall be done at the sole risk and expense of the Lessee and under its full and sole responsibility.

If the fitting of the aforementioned equipment is likely to require work outside the building, or in the communal areas, the Lessee shall submit a written request to the Lessor prior to the work. The Lessee shall ensure that its use of said equipment does not disrupt the enjoyment of the other occupants. This work shall be performed at the sole expense of the Lessee.

In accordance with the safety regulations, the fire doors shall never be kept open.

If the Lessee does not comply with its obligations with regard to the maintenance and state of repair of the leased premises, the Lessor shall be entitled, without prejudice to its other rights, to enter the premises and perform, at the Lessee’s expense, any work that the latter has failed to perform.

Article 10: Specifications for Axisparc Technology

The Lessee agrees to comply with the requirements of the specifications for Axisparc Technology, which it acknowledges it has received and agrees to.

These requirements may be added to, modified or amended by Axisparc Technology’s co-owners, in particular to preserve the luxury status of the buildings, to improve the conditions under which the buildings operate or to seek a better distribution of the clauses between the co-ownership by-laws and the other documents that would have to be produced if a new co-ownership were created (basic deed, co-ownership by-laws).

Article 11: Inventory of the premises at the start of the lease

An inventory of the premises at the start of the lease, which shall be final and binding on the parties, shall be drawn up prior to entry into force of the lease and, at the latest, by the time of effective occupation of the leased premises by the Lessee or finally, in the case of the laboratory to be fitted out by the Lessee on the leased premises pursuant to article 4 , prior to the premises being fitted out for the Lessee.

 

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This inventory shall be conducted either by an expert designated by the parties by mutual agreement or jointly by two experts, with each party designating and remunerating its own expert. The fees owed to the expert(s) shall be borne equally by both parties.

Article 12: Restitution of the premises

An inventory of the premises at the end of the lease shall be performed in accordance with the same procedure as that described in the previous article, so that the expert or experts can valuate the rental damage and, where applicable, the compensation to be paid to compensate for the unavailability of the premises. The decision of the expert(s), as at the time of the initial inventory, shall be final and binding on both parties.

Upon expiry of the lease, the Lessee shall leave the leased premises in the state of repair in which it accepted them, as stipulated in the inventory made at the start of the lease, allowing for normal wear-and-tear, but without any prejudice whatsoever to the provisions of article 13 below.

However, if the lease is terminated through the fault of, or due to circumstances attributable to the tenant, in a way other than described in the provisions article 4 of this lease contract, the tenant shall be deemed liable for all damage, including normal wear-and-tear, caused during the term of the lease.

It is expressly stipulated that any damage caused by fitting, modifying and removing partitions shall not constitute normal wear-and-tear and shall be attributable to the Lessee, notwithstanding disrepair and normal wear-and-tear.

The requisite restoration work shall be completed by the Lessee before expiry of the lease. Failing this, the Lessee shall be liable to pay, without prejudice to its other obligations, an unavailability compensation equivalent to the amount of the monthly rent at the end of the lease, plus charges and taxes, for the period of months of unavailability estimated by the expert(s), which shall be at least 1 month.

Insofar as is necessary, it is stipulated that if, for whatever reason, this lease were to be renewed and/or were to remain in force beyond the term mentioned in article 3 and no new inventory were drawn up on that occasion, the inventory drawn up at the start of this lease, as well as any addenda thereto, shall serve as a basis for determining the rental damage at the end of the lease.

Article 13: Fitting out, transformations and modifications

Any construction work, fitting out, embellishments, transformations, placing of advertising boards and/or satellite dishes, or new organization of the space on the premises shall be subject to the prior, express and written consent of the Lessor, which may not withhold its consent without reasonable cause.

The Lessor hereby declares that it agrees to the Lessee fitting out the laboratory on the leased premises.

 

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In its request, the Lessee shall provide the Lessor with the work plans that it intends to implement or have implemented for it by a third party on the leased premises, as well as the scope of work, the specifications and the list of materials it intends to use. The Lessee agrees to use only materials that meet the applicable safety standards.

The Lessor shall notify the tenant of its position within 15 calendar days.

If, during and/or subsequent to implementation of the plans, one of the materials used were no longer to meet national or European safety standards and/or were to be downgraded, the Lessee shall be obliged to ensure its replacement as quickly as possible after the downgrading or the risk thereof has been brought to its attention. The removal work shall be performed by a company specifically authorized to do such work.

The Lessee shall ensure that the removal work does not affect parts of the building not leased under this agreement. Should the Lessee fail to repair any damage caused by the removal of hazardous materials within 15 working days of receiving a letter of formal notice from the Lessor, the Lessor shall be entitled to repair any damage or replace the damaged parts at the expense of the Lessee, who shall be bound to refund the Lessor upon presentation of the settled invoice for the work.

The work may only be performed at the expense of the Lessee, who shall bear sole liability in this respect.

The Lessor reserves the right to supervise, at its own expense, any work it has authorized and can require the Lessee to demonstrate proof of a suitable insurance policy.

Moreover, with regard to all work for which a permit is granted, the Lessee shall ensure compliance with all applicable regulations, particularly in terms of the building, operating or environment permits, as well as with any safety regulations applicable to the building, including the safety standards required by the insurer, the Lessor and the fire service.

In the event that significant modifications were to be made to the leased premises by the Lessee during the term of the lease and assuming the Lessor agrees for the leased premises to be delivered in their modified state following the modification work, the Lessor shall be entitled to draw up, at the sole expense of the Lessee, a rider to the inventory established at the start of the lease.

Upon expiry of the lease, the Lessor shall be entitled, without compensation, to preserve any changes, embellishments and modifications made to the premises, unless the Lessee wishes to take them when it leaves, or requires them to be removed and the premises restored partially or fully to their original state at the expense of the Lessee, even if the work was performed with the express consent of the Lessor, providing the latter requests that the Lessee remove these fittings in time to enable the premises to be restored to a pristine state prior to expiry of the contract. The same shall apply to all lighting, bell ringing systems, IT cabling, partitions, sound-proofing, etc. that the Lessee may have fitted.

 

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Article 14: Work, repairs and maintenance

Only the cost of major repairs, as stipulated in the Civil Code, shall be borne by the Lessor, providing they are not attributable to the Lessee. The cost of all other repairs shall be borne by the Lessee.

The Lessee shall maintain the leased premises, at its own expense, in a good state of repair. It shall ensure that the premises and the inside of the windows are cleaned, and that they always remain clean.

If damage requiring repair by the tenant occurs, the Lessor may, subject to written notice sent by registered mail, require the Lessee to perform all the necessary repair work and complete it within two months of sending said written notice. Failure to do so shall entitle the Lessor to immediately have all the work performed at the risk and expense of the defaulting Lessee.

In such cases, the Lessee shall grant access to the leased premises to the Lessor, its representatives and the tradesmen designated by the Lessor, subject to his being forewarned of this, in order to check the state of repair of the leased premises and the building in general and to conduct the necessary inspections and repairs, even if these repairs affect a neighboring tenant, it being understood that this work shall be performed with due care and diligence.

The Lessee shall notify the Lessor, without delay and by registered mail, of any repairs required and for which the latter is liable. Should it fail to do this, the Lessee shall be held liable for any resulting damage and adverse consequences, for which the Lessor may not, under any circumstances, be held liable in the absence of said notification.

The Lessor shall take all steps necessary at the latest within two months of receipt of the registered letter mentioned in the previous paragraph.

In the event that the cost of the repairs is borne by the building’s insurers, the Lessee shall bear the cost of the excess charge, providing it is liable for the loss or the loss is attributable to it, and shall pay the difference between the amount paid out by the insurer and the actual price paid.

The Lessee shall, immediately and at its own expense, replace any broken, cracked or damaged windowpanes.

Article 15: Change of provisions

The Axisparc complex complies with the legal and regulatory provisions, particularly those pertaining to the environment, which were applicable at the time the building permit was granted.

The Lessee shall, under no circumstances, be liable for the clean-up or repair costs or for damage it and/or third parties incurred as a result of a complaint by a third party or an authority or pursuant to a breach of the applicable environmental legislation or regulations, with regard to the presence of pollutants or hazardous (e.g., asbestos)

 

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or prohibited substances on the leased premises, in the ground, the basements or in the groundwater, providing this damage or these costs are not the result of the activity performed by the Lessee on the leased premises subsequent to entry into force of this lease agreement.

The cost of any work required under administrative regulations and arising from the Lessee’s activity shall be borne by the latter, without there being any possibility for the Lessee to receive reimbursement from the Lessor when it leaves or to argue for termination of the lease on any grounds whatsoever. This work is subject to the provisions of article 13 of this lease agreement.

Article 16: Guarantee

In order to guarantee the performance of all its obligations under the lease agreement, the Lessee shall obtain, at the time of signing the lease and to the benefit of the Lessor, an irrevocable bank guarantee issued by a bank approved by the Lessor for an amount equal to half a year’s rent, i.e., 107.512 €. The Lessor shall have the right of approval of the guarantor and of the terms and conditions of the guarantee. In the event that the Lessee leases buildings built at later stages, this guarantee shall be adjusted accordingly. This guarantee shall be payable upon first request and payment shall only be requested in the event of gross negligence on the part of the Lessee.

The bank guarantee shall constitute an essential condition of this lease agreement, in the absence of which the Lessor would not have entered into the contract. Any breach of such an obligation shall be deemed serious, which the Lessee expressly accepts.

In the event of adjustments to the rent, the amount of the guarantee shall be adjusted accordingly so that it always equals a sum equivalent to 6 months’ rent.

The bank guarantee shall be issued prior to occupying the leased premises.

In any case, said terms and conditions of the guarantee shall stipulate that the guarantee is lodged for a period that shall expire at the earliest three months after expiry of the lease.

This guarantee shall be returned to the Lessee three months after the end of the lease, providing the latter can demonstrate that it has fully performed all its obligations under the lease. During the term of the lease, the guarantee may not, under any circumstances, be offered or allocated, in full or in part, by the Lessee in order to pay the rent or other contractual debts.

Should the Lessee be declared bankrupt, the guarantee may be used by the Lessor to compensate for payment arrears or other breaches by the Lessee of its obligations, including rents and communal charges.

Without prejudice to this guarantee, and in accordance with article 1752 of the Civil Code, the Lessee shall still be bound to keep the leased premises fitted with furnishings, the value of which is sufficient to cover at least 6 months’ rent.

The Lessor reserves the right, at any time, including after early termination of the lease, to request securities that are sufficient to cover the rent if the Lessee does not furnish the premises sufficiently.

 

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Article 17: Assignment and subletting

The Lessee may only assign this lease agreement or sublet the premises, either in full or in part, after notifying the Lessor in writing, it being understood that the latter may refuse to authorize the assignment of the lease or the proposed subletting, providing there are justifiable reasons for doing so.

In the event that the Lessor approves the assignment or subletting, the Lessee, the sub-lessee, the assigner and the assignee shall be jointly and severally liable with regard to the Lessor for all obligations arising from this lease and the co-ownership regulations. The Lessee agrees to ensure that the sub-lessee or the assignee expressly commits to such obligations with regard to the Lessor. Failing this, the assignment or subletting cannot take place, even if the Lessor had given its prior written consent, except if, in that consent, it had expressly waived the need for such a commitment.

The term of the sublet shall, under no circumstances, exceed the term of this lease agreement.

Upon conclusion of the assignment or sublet agreement, providing it has been authorized, the Lessee shall provide the Lessor with a registered copy of the agreement.

Article 18: Hold harmless provision - Insurance

A. Hold harmless provision

 

1. The Lessee hereby holds the Lessor harmless from any inconvenience and tangible and intangible damage that it might incur as a result of adverse events, such as fire, water damage or accidents. This includes, in particular, accidental damage and disruptions to water, gas, electricity, heating and bell ringing systems or any other technical systems within the building.

This provision shall apply to the Lessor, the companies within its group and their staff.

 

2. The Lessee agrees to ensure that the sub-lessees, occupants and their representatives make the same written declaration with regard to the Lessor.

 

3. In return, the Lessor shall, for the duration of the lease, hold the Lessee, the sub-lessees, occupants and their representatives, harmless from any damage covered by the fire insurance policy stipulated in point B 1 below.

 

4. The aforementioned hold harmless provisions shall, however, be null and void when the person benefiting from them under normal circumstances intentionally caused the damage.

 

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B. Insurance

 

1. The Lessor shall take out, through the building’s co-ownership structure, and maintain, throughout the term of the lease, an insurance policy covering the leased premises. This insurance policy shall contain a hold harmless clause, as mentioned in point A.3. of this article; it shall, at all times, provide the broadest possible coverage, as deemed judicious by the Lessor and, in any case, shall cover damage caused as a result of strikes and riots: it shall also cover the Lessee, as the insured, for damage other than bodily harm caused to third parties by fire, explosion and water when the insurance loss accident originates on the leased premises.

 

2. The Lessee shall take out, within one month of receiving the keys, as stipulated in article 26 of this lease agreement, and maintain, throughout the term of the lease, an insurance policy covering the contents of the leased premises. This policy shall contain a holds harmless clause, as mentioned in point A.l. of this article.

 

3. The Lessor and the Lessee may, at any time, request proof of the existence of the insurance policies mentioned in 1 and 2 above and of the coverage they provide.

 

4. The Lessee shall contribute to the cost of the insurance in accordance with the terms set out in article 7B of this lease. If an insurance loss is attributable to the Lessee, it shall be invoiced for the excess in the following quarterly bill for charges.

 

5. Should the activities of the Lessee or of those accountable to the latter lead to increased insurance premiums for the Lessor and other tenants in the building, the cost of this increase shall be borne solely by the Lessee.

Article 19: Waiver of liability for the Lessor and its beneficiaries

The Lessee shall guard and effectively protect the premises it is leasing. It expressly and fully waives the liability of the Lessor and its beneficiaries in the event of theft at the leased premises.

In the event that administrative or judicial proceedings were filed against the Lessor due to the activity or presence of the Lessee on the leased premises, the Lessee agrees to hold the Lessor harmless and to bear the consequences of any resulting prosecution.

Article 20: Insolvency - Merger – Division

In the event that the Lessee is declared bankrupt or in receivership, the Lessor shall be entitled to terminate the lease without notice. The Lessee shall be obliged to notify the Lessor of any bankruptcy or receivership proceedings. The Lessor shall provide notice of its decision by registered mail within three months of receiving notification of the event justifying termination.

In such cases, the Lessee shall be liable to pay a basic, irreducible compensation equal to 6 months’ rent (which cannot be cumulated with the compensation foreseen in article 21), plus charges and its share of taxes, in addition to the rent, charges and taxes for the current quarter, and this without prejudice to the application of all articles in this lease, in particular articles 12, 13 and 14.

 

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The Lessee shall notify the Lessor of any merger, absorption or break-up, without this being deemed grounds for the Lessor to terminate this contract.

Article 21: Judicial rescission

In the event of the judicial rescission of this lease due to the fault of the Lessee, the latter shall be liable to pay a basic, irreducible compensation equal to 6 months’ rent, plus charges and its share of taxes, in addition to the rent, charges and taxes for the current quarter and in addition to all other expenses that the Lessor is entitled to claim from the Lessee, and this without prejudice to the application of article 12 above.

This provision may, under no circumstances, be invoked by the Lessee in order to relieve itself of its obligations under this lease agreement.

The Lessee acknowledges that it has been apprised of and accepts the fact that any breach of the obligations under articles 3, 5, 7, 8, 13, 16, 17 and 18 shall be deemed sufficiently serious to justify the Lessor instigating proceedings to obtain rescission of this lease through the fault of the Lessee.

Article 22: Expropriation

In the event of expropriation for reasons of public interest, the lease shall expire on the date at which the expropriating public, private or general interest authority is to take ownership of the premises.

Under no circumstances may the compensation that the Lessee is entitled to demand from the expropriating authority lead to the reduction of the amount of the compensation payable to the Lessor by the expropriating authority. The Lessee shall not be entitled to any compensation from the Lessor and shall assert its rights with regard to the expropriating authority under separate proceedings.

The Lessor shall notify the Lessee, at the earliest opportunity, of any expropriation procedure and update it on the status of said procedure. In the event of expropriation, the Lessee shall not be bound to restore the leased premises to a state in which they could be leased out again, as stipulated in article 12.

Article 23: Access to the premises

The Lessee shall, at all times, allow access to the leased premises for the Lessor and its representatives, subject to at least two working days’ notice, in order to enable them to conduct inspections and, where applicable, perform any necessary repairs and maintenance.

During the six months preceding the end of the lease, as well as in the event of the sale of the building, the Lessee shall allow notices and advertising boards

 

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mentioning the name and telephone numbers of the real estate agent(s) and the characteristics of the premises to be displayed in visible parts of the building, where they cause no significant inconvenience for the Lessee, for the purpose of advertising the lease or sale of the building, and shall allow persons accompanied by a representative of the Lessor to visit the leased premises at all times between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. from Monday to Friday.

Article 24: Registration and lease fees

This lease shall be registered by and in the name of the Lessee.

Regarding the collection of the registration fees, the parties estimate that the fees to be borne by the Lessee for this lease amount to 10% of the annual rent.

Article 25: Address for service

The Lessee declares that its address for service shall be the leased premises both during the term of the lease and any renewals, unless, after leaving the premises, it notified the Lessor of a new address for service, which must be in Belgium.

The Lessor’s address for service shall be its head office, as indicated above. The Lessee shall not be authorized to keep its head office at the leased premises subsequent to the expiry of the lease and agrees to have its address for service transferred at the latest one month after expiry of the lease.

Article 26: Key handover

The keys shall be provided to the Lessee, who shall only enjoy the premises after an agreement is reached on the designation of one or two experts responsible for the start-of-lease inventory and after all the conditions under this lease have been met by the tenant (including, but not restricted to, lodging a bank guarantee, taking out an insurance policy, paying the rent and charges, etc.).

Article 27: Comprehensive nature of the agreement

This lease constitutes a comprehensive agreement encompassing all of the agreements reached by the parties relating to its object.

This lease may only be modified through a mutual, signed agreement between both parties.

The following documents are an integral part of the lease agreement:

 

  Appendix 1: Specifications for Axisparc Technology

 

  Appendix 2: Architect’s plan

 

  Appendix 3: Scope of work

 

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Article 28: Applicable law

This contract shall be governed by Belgian law.

Article 29: Validity of the articles

The validity of this agreement shall not be affected by the annulment of one of the above articles or a part thereof.

In such an event, the article or the part thereof shall be deemed unwritten.

Article 30: Conditions precedent

 

1. The entry into force of this contract is subject to the conditions precedent that the Lessor obtains the permits needed to build the leased premises and that the construction work is completed within nine months of signature of this contract. Thereafter, the parties shall be relieved of their respective obligations, without prejudice to the Lessee’s entitlement to claim for the losses and damages incurred.

 

2. As of the date of signature of this contract, the Lessee is awaiting a substantial increase in its equity capital. If this increase is not finalized by 01/31/2008, the Lessee shall be entitled to withdraw from the contract, subject to written notice sent by registered mail and received by the Lessor at the latest by 02/04/2008, as well as payment of a flat-rate compensation covering the actual costs incurred (for example: building permit application, architect’s fees, working drawings drawn up by the manufacturer of the pre-fabricated materials), which shall not exceed 40,000 € and which is payable within 30 days of the mailing date of the registered letter.

Done in Mont St Guibert, on October 31, 2007, in triplicate, one copy of which is intended for registration purposes.

 

The Lessee, The Lessor,
LOGO LOGO

 

LOGO

 

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Appendices: mentioned.

[Translator note: Some of the handwritten elements of the stamp of the lease registration office (see below) are illegible or very difficult to read. The lease was registered on December 13, 2007. The rest of the stamp provides details of its entry in the registry and the amount paid (25€) for the registration.]


LEASE AMENDMENT 12/1//09

AXISPARC

Office building located at

12 rue Edouard Belin, 1435 Mont St Guibcrt

AMENDMENT No. 15 TO THE LEASE AGREEMENT OF 10/31/07

 

BETWEEN: Immobilière Belin 12 SA, with head office at 1, rue Edouard Belin, 1435, Mont St Guibert,
represented by Mr. Henri Fischgrund, Chief Executive Officer,
Hereinafter the Lessor,
AND: Cardio3 Biosciences, with head office at 12, Rue Edouard Belin, Axis Parc,
1435 Mont-Saint-Guibert, represented by Mr. Christian Homsy, Chief Executive Officer
Hereinafter the Lessee,

It is hereby agreed as follows:

Following a request from the Lessee, the Lessor agrees to have level -1 of the building located at 12 rue Edouard Belin, Mont St Guibert, withdrawn from the lease agreement of 10/31/07 and inserted into a separate contract between SA Biological Manufacturing Services and SA Immobilière Belin 12 (Lessor), which was signed on December 1, 2009 and took effect on January 1, 2010.

Consequently, the following amendments shall be made to the lease.

 

    Article 1.3 :

Leased premises’ share of the building’s surface area: 66.64 %

 

    Article 2.a : Leased premises

 

    Ground floor: 560 m 2

 

    2 nd floor: 560 m 2

[Translator note: page initialed in the bottom right-hand corner]

 

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LEASE AMENDMENT 12/1//09

 

    Article 7: Communal and individual charges relating to the building

The Lessee’s electricity consumption shall be determined by two meters housed in the basement of the building. The Lessee shall pay the basement tenant a quarterly advance of 1,000€ for its electricity consumption. The Lessee agrees to settle the electricity bills within 15 days of receipt of the bills.

 

    Article 5 : Annual rent

 

- Basic rent

+ 215,024.00 €   

- Rent for level – 1

- 67,000.00 €   

- Lease amendment of 11/27/07

+ 5,310.00 €   

- Lease amendment No. 3

+ 3,464.57 €   

- Lease amendment No. 4

+ 16,678.72 €   
  

 

 

 
  173,477.29 €   

 

    Article 16 : Guarantee

The new amount of the guarantee is equal to 86,738.65 €

Moreover, the limited company Cardio3 Biosciences shall be liable for all the commitments entered into by SA Biological Manufacturing Services under the lease signed on December 1, 2009, which it acknowledges it has read, and this for the entire term of the rental contract.

All other provisions shall remain unchanged.

Done in Mont St Guibert, on December 1, 2009, in triplicate, one copy of which is intended for registration purposes.

 

[Signature of the Lessee] [Signature of the Lessor]
The Lessee The Lessor

 

2


Axisparc Technology

in MONT-SAINT GUIBERT

Axisparc Technology

SPECIFICATIONS

Article 1: INTENT AND APPLICABILITY

These specifications contain requirements and obligations applicable to owners and any who have real and/or personal rights with regard to buildings located within the boundaries of Axisparc Technology, as defined in the plan prepared by the architectural firm DE SMET & WHALLEY on May 22, 2003, which is appended hereto (Appendix 1). These specifications are also intended to define the method for calculation and distribution of the costs for the proper functioning and maintenance of Axisparc Technology.

Article 2: INTENDED PURPOSE OF AXISPARC TECHNOLOGY

Axisparc Technology is intended to accommodate companies conducting industrial and/or research and/or services activities.

Priority will be given to any company conducting research, operating laboratories, and creating jobs.

Article 3: AREAS AND DEFINITIONS (see Appendix)

The Axisparc includes the following areas:

3.1 Office area ( Axisparc New Tech )

Theoretically designated for large companies, with the understanding that this guideline can be waived as long as the peaceful and harmonious use of the site is not negatively affected.

3.2 High tech area ( Axisparc High Tech)

Theoretically designated for small and medium-sized companies, with the understanding that this guideline can be waived as long as the peaceful and harmonious use of the site is not negatively affected.

3.3 Public green space

An area that currently belongs to the Developer. This area is intended to accommodate a recreational park, provided that necessary administrative authorizations are issued to the Developer. Ultimately, this area will be transferred at no cost to the municipality or to the entire group of Axisparc Technology co-owners. This area is to be completed as soon as more than 50% of Axisparc Technology is occupied.

3.4 Buildings

Private buildings demarcated by external façades.

 

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Axiparc Technology in MONT-SAINT-GUIBERT


3.5 Public roads

These roads currently belong to the Developer and will ultimately be transferred at no cost to the municipality, along with the underground utility infrastructure.

3.6 Semiprivate roads

Although they are the private property of property owners, these roads are easements for vehicles.

3.7 Private roads

Privately owned roads and parking areas that are managed jointly.

3.8 Private green spaces

Privately owned green spaces that are managed jointly.

Article 4: PROPORTIONS

Regarding the rules for calculating and distributing the costs for the proper functioning and maintenance of Axisparc Technology , the costs will be determined for each property owner on the basis of shares and calculated as follows:

 

    1 m 2 of land in the high tech area = 1 unit

 

    1 m 2 of land in the new tech area = 2 units

Land areas used will be those specified in the deeds.

Article 5: ROADS AND UNDERGROUND UTILITY INFRASTRUCTURE

5.1

The Developer will complete:

 

    Public roads and drainage systems in accordance with the building permit issued on May 22, 2002.

 

    Underground utility infrastructure (water – gas – electricity) will be installed along these roads up to the entrance of each building. Available capacity will be adequate for the specific needs of each building, as stipulated in the “Technical Description” for each building.

5.2

Owners must comply with legislation and regulations applicable to urban development and the environment and, more specifically, but not limited to, soil contamination and disposal of wastewater and gaseous, liquid, or solid materials into public drainage systems.

In the event that a building has greater utility infrastructure needs than initially expected, owners must inform the management, which will contact the appropriate authorities to define the impact of, and budget necessary for the work the owners requested.

Undertaking the work for such a purpose will be submitted to owners for their approval and they will be solely responsible for the cost.

 

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Article 6: JOINT MANAGEMENT

Shared structures and spaces that are jointly managed include the following:

 

    high-voltage cabinets that provide service to multiple users and are not under outside control;

 

    utility infrastructure (water, gas, electricity, telephone) up to building entrances;

 

    external fire protection;

 

    public roads and lighting (until transferred to the municipality);

 

    semi-private roads and lighting

 

    greenery in public and private green spaces.

It is specified that, as soon as public roads are transferred to the municipality, they and the associated utility infrastructure, fire protection, and public lighting, will be managed by public authorities.

Article 7: MANAGEMENT COMPANY

In the broadest sense of these two terms, administration and management of common and private areas, as specified in Article 6 and subject to joint management by Axisparc Technology, are to be entrusted to a management company that may or may not be a (joint) owner.

Management will include:

 

    Property management: accounting, preparation of statements and inventories, personnel supervision and management, and relations with public services;

 

    Management, maintenance, preservation, organization, and police services.

This list is not comprehensive.

The management company must submit accounting statements at least once per year to all of the joint owners at a plenary meeting. These accounting statements must indicate the joint and private charges for which each joint owner and/or lessee is responsible.

The Developer will serve as property manager until at least 75% of the joint ownership shares have been allocated.

Article 8: MAINTENANCE FUNCTIONS AND SERVICES UNDER JOINT MANAGEMENT

 

    Maintenance of roads and exterior lighting

 

    Maintenance of high voltage cabinet(s) and utility infrastructure systems

 

    Maintenance of greenery, including in private areas

 

    Garbage container (purchase, repair, and removal)

 

    User signage (name, logo)

 

    Insurance for common areas

 

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Axiparc Technology in MONT-SAINT-GUIBERT


As soon as public roads are transferred to the Municipality, maintenance and applicable costs for said roads, including utility infrastructure, fire protection, and lighting, will be the responsibility of public authorities.

Owners may entrust other maintenance work and services to the management company (for example, cleaning of building facades, monitoring of the site by security guards, etc.).

Article 9: SHARED CHARGES

 

9.1 All maintenance work and services for the following areas:

 

  3.4 Buildings

 

  3.7 Private roads

3.8 Private green spaces

Will be billed directly to owners of buildings concerned at 100%.

 

9.2 All maintenance work and services for the following areas:

 

  3.3 Public green spaces

3.5 Public roads (until transferred to the municipality)

 

  3.6 Semi-private roads

Will be billed to owners according to the shares defined by Article 4.

As long as Axisparc Technology is not fully occupied, the manager will calculate charges to be distributed prorata temporis based on sales of land.

Article 10: EXTERIOR LIGHTING FOR BUILDINGS

All exterior lighting systems for buildings will have twilight switches and timers.

The management will define the schedule for exterior lighting.

For safety reasons, it is imperative that the entire site be properly lit during the same hours.

Costs for electricity used for this exterior lighting remain the responsibility of the users.

Article 11: ROADS—PARKING AREA

Everyone (user, visitor) must comply with the rules of the Traffic Code.

Parking outside of parking spaces is prohibited.

Any items other than vehicles in operating order cannot be left on roads or in parking areas, including those that are private.

The management company reserves the right to have any unauthorized items or vehicles removed at the expense of the responsible parties.

 

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Axiparc Technology in MONT-SAINT-GUIBERT


Article 12: LAND

 

    At no time shall the property be used as a dumpsite or for storage of items of any kind, except for purposes of construction. The property cannot be used for camping or caravanning.

 

    Temporary structures are prohibited, except for purposes of construction.

 

    In the event of violation of these provisions, the manager reserves the right to have any undesirable items disassembled and removed at the violator’s expense.

Article 13: GREENERY

The Developer will provide quality landscaping around each property unit to be incorporated into an architectural design created by a landscape architect.

With the aim of preserving a unified appearance, maintenance of jointly owned and private greenery will be entrusted to the same landscaping company, as specified in prior articles.

If a property owner wishes to remove greenery, the property owner must submit a request to the manager beforehand.

If the landscape architect agrees, the building occupant must submit a detailed proposal to the property owner.

Article 14: EASEMENTS

The different easements belonging to “ Axisparc Technology” are specified in the Appendix.

These easements provide right of way:

 

    For any vehicle traveling on semi-private and public roads;

 

    For any utility infrastructure and drainage systems on semi-private and public roads;

 

    By electrical power systems in private green spaces.

Article 15: ADVERTISING

Advertising permitted on the site is limited to company names, logos, and activities.

In an effort to maintain consistent esthetic quality and harmonious use of the site, the Developer will prepare uniform standards defining the media (size, materials, etc.) upon which companies can display their names, logos, and activities.

During construction, temporary advertising for various construction companies is authorized.

 

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Axiparc Technology in MONT-SAINT-GUIBERT


Article 16: SIGNAGE

At its own expense, the Developer will provide signage with the names of companies occupying the premises at the intersections of public and municipal roads.

In contrast, costs for signage (name – logo – symbol, etc.) located at building entrances or on buildings are the responsibility of each user.

Nevertheless, users must submit proposals in advance to the Management Company, which, along with the architect, will determine whether a given proposal can be included in the general construction framework.

Justification will be provided for any denials.

Article 17: MEASURES CONCERNING OCCUPATION OF THE PREMISES

Users must occupy the premises with appropriate respect, and must also ensure that their subordinates and visitors do the same.

Causing disturbances to neighbors, such as abnormal noise or unpleasant odors, will not be tolerated on the site.

Moving in or out, or any construction work undertaken by users must not disturb other users.

Article 18: LEASING, RESELLING

The owner agrees to ensure that subsequent buyers and future occupants of a given building comply with the provisions of these specifications by including a stipulation for this purpose within any agreements pertaining to a transfer or declaration of rights with regard to the building.

Article 19: AMENDING THESE REGULATIONS

Any internal amendments to these regulations must be approved by a plenary meeting, which has decision-making power if at least 50% of the joint owners’ quorum is present or represented, and with at least a  3 4 majority of votes.

 

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Axiparc Technology in MONT-SAINT-GUIBERT


LOGO


LOGO


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Appendix 3

Succinct technical description

(See attached DSW plan)

 

  1. Earth work

 

    Removal of topsoil

 

    Soil consolidation with addition of lime: possible (according to soil testing)

 

    Adjustment of level with 20 cm of rock fill

 

  2. Foundations

Reinforced concrete foundation bases possibly upon false pits or drilled pilings depending on soil study

 

  3. Floor Slab

 

    0.2 mm, Visqueen

 

    Polyurethane insulation: 2.5 cm

 

    Reinforced concrete slab: 15cm

 

    Mechanical levelling + sawing joints

 

  4. Structure

 

    Reinforced or prestressed concrete

 

    Prestressed concrete slabs (300 kg/m 2 overload)

5. Facades

 

    Silex-coated panels of heavy reinforced concrete on outer face

 

    Curtain walls, super-insulating windows, K = 1.1

 

    Aluminum frame with thermal breaks

 

    Burglarproof windows on Levels 0 and -1

 

  6. Roof

 

    Galvanized corrugated steel sheeting

 

    10 cm glass wool insulation

 

    Multi-layer weatherproofing

 

  7. Walls-Partitions

 

    Concrete wall for elevator and freight elevator shafts

 

    15 cm YTONG blocks according to plans and for apron walls

 

    Gyproc inner walls + 5 cm glass wool insulation in the office area

 

  8. Drainage

Two separate systems (storm water – sewage)

 

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  9. Inner Stairway

Solid bluestone (thickness= 18 cm)

 

  10. False Floor

50 x 50 cm compressed wood tiles placed on levelers throughout all office areas

 

  11. False Ceiling

60 x 120 cm acoustic mineral fiber tiles upon visible lattice for offices

Metal laminate sheets in bathrooms

 

  12. Electrical System

 

    Electrical power connection to the utility grid

 

    Low voltage distribution to building floors

 

    ± 500 lux lighting to be provided by units fitted into the false ceiling

 

    4 sockets per floor box (every 25 m 2 ) within the false floor

 

    + sockets along periphery for low drive force

 

    Exterior lighting on the building

 

    Visible (400 lux) fluorescent lighting in labs

 

    Data + telephone service + intrusion: optional.

 

  13. Air-Conditioning (only for office areas)

General Principles

 

    System allowing:

 

    Heating to +20 o C from -10 o C.

 

    Cooling with D T = 8 o C

 

    Air diffusers every 3 m with individual adjustment (in open-plan areas: 1 adjustment per zone)

 

    Fresh air entry by means of special grids within window casements

 

    Air removal in corridors

 

    Centralized control by PC

 

  14. Heating System (Only in the lab area)

Installation under lessee’s responsibility

 

  15. Plumbing and Fire Protection System

 

    Water connection to the utility grid

 

    Toilets, sinks, and drains according to plans

 

  Two hydrants and 30 m hose reels on each floor.

 

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16. Elevator -Freight Elevator

Single compartment – 630 kg – all finishing included

Freight elevator: 300 kg (as an option)

 

  17. Indoor Finishing

 

    T4 wall-to-wall carpet upon false floor

 

    MDF cabinets for supplies

 

    Stratified post-formed windowsills

 

    Tiles in indoor areas

 

    Ceramic wall tiling in bathrooms

 

  18. Access Areas—Roads

 

    Parking spaces and brick sidewalks

 

    Asphalt roads (2 layers)

 

    Turfing + greenery

Exhibit 10.3

SERVICES AGREEMENT

 

BETWEEN: 1. Cardio3 BioSciences SA , with head office at 9 Boulevard de France, 1420 Braine l’Alleud, and registered with the The Crossroads Bank for Enterprises under number 0891 118 115,
represented by Christian Homsy, in his capacity as Chief Executive Officer,
hereinafter “the Company”;
AND: 2. Patrick Jeanmart SPRL, a consulting company , with head office at 14 Rue Théodore Baron, 5000 Namur, represented by Patrick Jeanmart,
hereinafter “the Consultant”;
The Company and the Consultant are hereinafter jointly “the Parties” or individually “a Party”

THE FOLLOWING IS HEREBY AGREED :

The corporate purpose of the Company is as follows: the development of new medical technologies and particularly the research and development, manufacture and commercialization of elements and systems all directly or indirectly related to biotechnology and particularly cellular therapies and the various scientific, operational, legal and financial matters directly or indirectly related thereto;

The Consultant has extensive experience in financial management, namely, the management of a company financial department, the maintenance and reading of its accounts, the management of its cash and treasury, financial reports, balance sheets, cash flow and profit and loss statements, the methods of funding and evaluation of businesses, budget planning and forecasting, as well as the primary related tax and VAT aspects.

The Company has expressed the desire to entrust to the Consultant a paid service position essentially acting as Chief Financial Officer and the Consultant has agreed to undertake this role;

The Parties therefore desire to further define the terms and conditions of their contractual collaboration pursuant to this agreement (hereinafter “ the Agreement ”).


THE FOLLOWING IS THEREFORE AGREED :

 

Article 1 Purpose of the Agreement

 

1.1 The Consultant agrees to provide all the services necessary or useful to undertaking the following role: Chief Financial Officer , in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations as well as the provisions of the Agreement and, more specifically, to carry out the following services on behalf of the Company (hereinafter, collectively, “the Services” ):

 

  1. Provide strong financial leadership, ensuring the finance function is effectively managed, integrated & developed to meet growth plans.

 

  2. Effectively manage cash & treasury issues, full responsibility on Profit & Loss account.

 

  3. Participate actively to fund-raising process, investment planning and strategic business development.

 

  4. Prepare the company for Series B private placement and for Series C private or public placement by establishing links and working relationships with Major Venture Capitalists and Merchant Banks.

 

  5. Run the Finance and Operations department including coordination of full general ledger accounting, payroll, customer billing, accounts payables and receivables, VAT and Tax.

 

  6. Lead the planning and budgeting / forecasting exercise, provide management and Board members with monthly financial and operational dashboards as well as Key Performance Indicators.

 

  7. Comply with established company policies and procedures, and prepare company for compliance with IAS/IFRS/US GAAP accounting standards.

 

  8. Enhance professional growth and development through participation in educational programs, current literature, in-service meetings and workshops.

 

  9. Perform other duties as may be assigned.

 

1.2 In order to be able to represent and have the power to commit the Company for purposes of performing the Services, the Parties agree to grant a special power of attorney, free and for an unlimited period of time to the Consultant. The special power of attorney shall be published in accordance with applicable law.

 

Article 2 Terms and Conditions for Execution of the Agreement

 

2.1 The Consultant shall perform the Services, and the Company accepts that the Consultant shall put its best efforts towards performing those Services. The Consultant shall ensure that the Services are provided continuously throughout the calendar year and, additionally, the Consultant shall autonomously and independently manage the time spent on the Services. The Consultant shall provide the Services autonomously and independently, while being guided in the execution of this agreement by the guidelines and the strategic decisions established by the board of directors of the Company, that is, Christian HOMSY, Chief Executive Officer, and Michael LUSSIER, Chairman of the Board.

 

2


The Parties expressly agree that the Company and its representatives, agents, associates, shareholders, employees or laborers do not have any management rights with regard to the Consultant. The Parties acknowledge, in this regard, that the execution of the Agreement and the resulting business relationships do not constitute any employment relationship between the Company and the agents of the Consultant.

 

2.2 The Company shall give the Consultant access to all information required for the proper execution of the Agreement. For the proper execution of the Services and within that limit, the Consultant shall have access to all files, documents, magnetic tapes and other computer media related to the activities of the Company or containing information relating to the Company.

 

2.3 The Company shall also make available to the Consultant, in Braine l’Alleud, all of the financial, technical and human resources required or useful for such activities and for the proper execution of the Agreement, such as furnished premises, a secretarial service and any telecommunications services.

 

Article 3 Fees and expenses

 

3.1 Fixed fee

The Consultant shall receive, as compensation for the performance of the Services and based on 220 annual working days, an annual fixed gross fee of 120,000.00, payable in twelve equal monthly payments.

The fee shall be paid on a monthly basis, at the end of each calendar month.

 

3.2 Variable fee

The Consultant may also be entitled to a variable fee, provided that certain objectives are met. The conditions for granting the variable fee and the definition of the objectives shall be set forth in an attachment to the Agreement.

Based upon the fixed fee established in Article 3.1, the Consultant may also be entitled to a maximum variable fee of 20%, or the maximum amount of 24,000 euros.

 

3.3 Reimbursement of expenses

All the expenses reasonably justified by the Consultant for the performance of the Services shall be reimbursed by the Company upon the production of adequate supporting documents, including travel expenses, accommodation and meals, in Belgium or abroad.

 

3.4 Payment methods

The fixed and variable fees, reimbursement of the expenses and other amounts owed to the Consultant shall be paid upon presentation of the fee invoices or expense vouchers.

The amounts due shall be paid to the Consultant’s account No.  363-0271580-20 .

 

3


All amounts due are payable no later than ten days following the date of the invoice. They bear interest at the legal interest rate in force in Belgium, with no prior notice.

 

3.5 Appeal

The fixed fee shall be indexed annually pursuant to the health index on the anniversary date of the entry into force of the Agreement. The parties agree to review each year beginning on January 1, 2009, the amount of the fee based upon the progress of the mission and the objectives given to the Consultant.

 

Article 4 Specific obligations of the Consultant

 

4.1 Confidentiality obligation

Without prejudice to Article 9.2 below, the Consultant agrees, both during the term of the Agreement and after it ends for any reason whatsoever, for a term of two years, not to disclose or use – without the express written authorization of the Company – directly or indirectly, for its own benefit or for that of third parties, any confidential information, of any kind, or any business secrets relating to the Company and its activities or that result from its knowledge due to, or during the performance of the Agreement.

The Parties expressly agree that any information relating to the Company is deemed confidential information, unless the Consultant demonstrates that such information is public or has been made public by the Company.

The Consultant also agrees to return, at the initial request of the Company and, in any case, no later than the date of the end of the Agreement, all the confidential information, in any form, that it may have come into contact with due to or during the performance of the Agreement.

 

4.2 Non-exclusiveness and non-competition

During the performance of the Agreement, the Consultant:

 

  (i) may carry out, directly or indirectly, any other unrelated activity that does not compete with the activities of the Company, provided that such other activity does not affect the good faith execution of the Agreement;

 

  (ii) agrees to not compete directly or indirectly with the Company by carrying out similar activities, whether on its own behalf, or by acting in any capacity or position whether through the intermediary of another person or legal entity of any nature whatsoever;

 

  (iii) also agrees not to make preparations for any competing activity during the execution of the Agreement.

 

4


4.3 Obligation to return Company property

All equipment, data and information, in any form, whether written, verbal or computerized, sent to the Consultant or in its possession, remain the property of the Company.

The Consultant agrees to return the goods mentioned in the paragraph above at the initial request of the Company and no later than the date of the end of the Agreement.

The Consultant agrees not to keep copies or portions of the aforementioned materials, data or information, in any form.

 

4.4 Tax and social security obligations

The Consultant agrees vis-à-vis the Company to be in good legal standing, specifically, with regard to its tax and social security obligations arising from the execution of the Agreement. The Company may not, under any circumstances, be held responsible for the Consultant’s breach of its related obligations.

 

Article 5 Responsibilities of the Consultant

 

5.1 With regard to the Company, the Consultant is responsible for following the rules of common law.

However, the Company, at its own expense, shall obtain specific insurance coverage for directors and officers, known as “D&O” insurance, to cover the actions taken by the Consultant as a legal representative of the Company.

 

Article 6 Suspension of the execution of the Agreement and termination in the event of interruption of the Services

 

6.1 If the Consultant is unable to perform the Services, for whatever reason, for a continuous period of two (2) months, the Company shall be entitled to suspend the payment of the fee as of the first day of the following month, until the Consultant is once again able to fully perform the Services.

 

6.2 Without prejudice to the provisions of Article 7 below, if the Consultant is unable to perform the Services, for whatever reason, for a continuous or discontinuous period of four (4) months in the same financial year, the Company is entitled to terminate the Agreement as of the first day of the following financial year.

 

Article 7 Term and termination of the Agreement

 

7.1 The Agreement is entered into for an indefinite period and is deemed to enter into effect on January 1, 2008.

 

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7.2 During the first two (2) months of the execution of the agreement, without prejudice to Articles 7.6 and 7.7, the Consultant may, at any time, terminate this agreement with prior notice of fifteen (15) days. The prior notice shall be provided by registered letter and will be effective as of the date following the mailing date. During this same period, the Company may also terminate the agreement with prior notice of fifteen (15) days.

 

7.3 Without prejudice to Articles 7.6 and 7.7, and following that period, the Consultant may terminate, at any time, this Agreement, with prior notice of six (6) months. The prior notice shall be provided by registered letter and shall become effective as of the date following its mailing date.

 

7.4 During the first year of its execution and after the first period of two (2) months described in Article 7.2 of this Agreement, the Company may terminate this Agreement with prior notice of three (3) months. The term of the prior notice shall, thereafter, be increased by one month each year on the date of the anniversary of the signature of this Agreement up to a maximum of six (6) months. The prior notice shall be provided by means of a registered letter and shall become effective as of the date following its mailing date.

 

7.5 The Party who terminates this agreement without complying with the prior notice described in Articles 7.2 and 7.3 above shall be liable to the other party for a lump sum equivalent to the fee that would have been due throughout the prior notice period. The lump sum amount shall be calculated based upon the fixed fee due as of the moment of termination.

 

7.6 Either Party may terminate this Agreement effective immediately in the event of the serious breach of the other Party of its fundamental obligations.

Specifically, the following are, without this list being considered exhaustive, deemed a serious breach by the Parties of their fundamental obligations:

 

  (i) the Company paying all or part of the agreed-upon fees with a significant or consistent delay in violation of Article 3, without correcting the matter within fifteen days of a formal notice.

 

  (ii) a repeated breach by the Consultant of its obligations under Article 4, which is not corrected within fifteen days of a formal notice.

If the Consultant terminates the Agreement due to a serious breach by the Company of its obligations, the former shall be entitled to a lump sum payment of the fee under Article 3.1 and covering a period of three (3) months.

Either Party may terminate the Agreement effective immediately and without prior notice in any of the following events:

 

  (i) in the event of the death of the Consultant;

 

  (ii) in the event of the bankruptcy or the liquidation of the Company.

 

6


Article 8 Assignment of rights and obligations arising from the Agreement

Neither Party may assign to a third party all or part of the rights and obligations arising from the Agreement without the express written agreement of the other Party in advance.

 

Article 9 Various

 

9.1 Notices

All notices given based upon or in relation to the Agreement shall be sent by registered letter to the following addresses:

 

For the Consultant: Patrick Jeanmart SPRL, 14 Rue Théodore Baron, 5000 Namur
For the Company: Christian Homsy, Chief Executive Officer, 9 Boulevard de France, 1420 Braine l’Alleud, Belgique
Fax: +32 2 790 35 35

The notices shall be deemed validly given as of the tenth business day following the date of their transmission.

The Parties may notify the other Party of a change of address pursuant to this Article 9.1.

In the event of a legitimate emergency, the Parties may send a notification via fax, with confirmation by registered letter with return receipt. In such an event and except as provided for above, the notification shall be deemed validly given as of the first business day following the date indicated on the fax confirmation of receipt.

 

9.2 Confidentiality

Except in cases required by law and/or regulations, each of the Parties agrees to not disclose to any third party whatsoever the purpose and the content of the Agreement without the prior written consent of the other Party, in which case the latter shall be informed in advance of the time and nature of the disclosure. This obligation remains in force for a period of [two] years as of the date of the end of the Agreement.

 

9.3 Titles

The descriptions and titles of the various articles and paragraphs of this Agreement have been included solely for purposes of clarity of the text and may not in any way be considered an integral part of the Agreement or as being able to define, limit or circumscribe in any way the scope of the application or the purpose of the article or of the specific paragraph to which they refer.

 

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9.4 Waivers

None of the Parties shall be assumed to have waived any right as a result of the Agreement or of a fault or violation committed by the other Party, unless the first Party has expressly made such a waiver in writing pursuant to Article 9.1.

The waiver of any remedy or right which might be made by one of the Parties pursuant to the preceding paragraph does not imply that that Party waives any other right that may result from the Agreement or from a violation or fault of the other Party, even if that right or remedy is comparable to the one waived.

 

9.5 Partial invalidity

Any clause of the Agreement that might be declared contrary to mandatory laws or public policy shall only be ineffective based upon such invalidity and shall not, under any circumstances, affect the validity of the rest of that clause or provision, or of the other clauses or provisions of the Agreement.

The Parties agree to negotiate in good faith a valid clause whose scope and financial effects shall be as close as possible to the clause deemed invalid.

 

9.6 Prior statements and changes of the Agreement

The Agreement is the entire text of the agreement between the Parties. It replaces any other agreements, proposals, offers or declarations of intent previously prepared by one or the other of the Parties, as well as any other communication between the Parties relating to the content of the Agreement.

No adaptation or modification of the Agreement shall be mandatory for the Parties, unless said adaptation or modification was made in writing and said adaptation or modification was approved by each Party.

 

9.7 Calculation of the time limits

All the time limits set forth in the Agreement are calculated in business days in Belgium; if a deadline falls on a Saturday, a Sunday or a legal holiday in Belgium, the deadline is moved to the first following business day.

 

Article 10 Applicable law and jurisdiction

 

10.1 The Agreement is solely governed by the law of Belgium.

 

10.2 Only courts and tribunals in the judicial district of Brussels have jurisdiction over litigation relating to the Agreement.

 

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Done in Braine l’Alleud on January 7, 2008 in two copies, each of the Parties acknowledging receipt of its copy.

 

For the Company:
[Signature]
CHRISTIAN HOMSY, CEO

The Consultant:

 

[hw:] P. JEANMART

[Signature]

[hw:] Representative Patrick Jeanmart SPRL

 

9

Exhibit 10.4

 

LOGO

OPEN-ENDED EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT

Between the undersigned

Cardio3 BioSciences SA

Whose head office is located at Axisparc Business Center, 12 Rue Edouard Belin, 1435 Mont-Saint-Guibert, represented by Christian HOMSY, Chief Executive Officer, hereinafter “the Employer” and

Mr. George Rawadi, residing at 151 Rue du Temple, 75003 Paris, France, hereinafter “the Employee”,

The following has been agreed:

Article 1: Date of Employment and Responsibilities

This contract has been concluded for an open-ended period and shall enter into force at the latest on July 4, on the understanding that the Employee undertakes to do his utmost to join Cardio3 BioSciences as of May 5, 2014.

The Employee has been recruited as Vice President Business Development and a member of the Executive Management Team, and shall report to the Chief Executive Officer, Christian Homsy,

The Employer reserves the right to modify the Employee’s responsibilities, providing this is in line with his skills and expertise. Application of this article shall take into account the economic interests of the Employer and the personal interests of the Employee. Any change to the Employee’s responsibilities shall not constitute a unilateral modification of his working conditions.

Article 2: Basic salary

The Employee’s salary shall comprise a fixed component and a variable component. The fixed component shall comprise an annual gross salary of 130,000€, spread over 13.92 months, which equates to a monthly gross salary of 9,340€.


The variable component relates to the Incentive Plan established by the company, which accounts for up to 50% of the annual gross salary. The variable component shall be determined at the end of each calendar year and prorated at the end of the first calendar year based on the number of months spent at the company. It shall take into account the Employee’s achievement of the targets defined jointly in advance with his manager, as well as the operational and economic performance of the company.

The number of monthly salaries disbursed and the “supplementary” salaries, such as the thirteenth month salary and the holiday bonus, shall be determined in accordance with the conditions laid down by Joint Commission 207.

Article 3: Review

The Employee’s performance shall be reviewed each year, with the first review taking place at the earliest on January 1 of the year following the year in which the Employee was recruited.

Article 4: Meal vouchers and other perks

The Employee shall receive meal vouchers within the limits of and in accordance with the relevant statutory provisions. The “gross” value of the meal vouchers, prior to deduction of the statutory amounts, is 7€ per voucher per day worked.

The Employee shall also be entitled to monthly hospitality expenses amounting to 300€.

The Employee shall receive a company car in accordance with the Company’s Car Policy. The vehicle shall be supplied by the Employer, along with a fuel card, maintenance, insurance and any related taxes. The car must have a diesel engine. The Employer shall deduct from the Employee’s salary the statutory taxes and levies applicable to this type of perk. The Employer also reserves the right to withdraw entitlement to a company car in the event that the Employee is unable to demonstrate that the vehicle is mainly used for work purposes and that he has shown conscientiousness in keeping the vehicle in a good state of repair.

Article 5: Insurance Plan

As of the date on which the Employee commences his duties, he shall be covered for hospital and outpatient care with the company DKV. The Employee shall also be covered, as of the date on which he commences his duties, by a non-statutory “Group Insurance Policy” (life insurance, sickness/invalidity insurance, pension fund) held by the company.

 

Page 2 of 9


Article 6: Stock Option Plan

When the Company issues stock options, the Employee may receive stock options in accordance with the distribution plan adopted by the Company’s Compensation Committee. The Employee shall not, however, be guaranteed any stock options, which shall be distributed at the sole discretion of the Compensation Committee.

Article 7: Place of Work

The usual place of work shall be: Axisparc Business Center, 12 Rue Edouard Belin, Mont-Saint-Guibert (1435). The Employer and the Employee have agreed that the Employee may perform his duties at his home in Paris for 20% of his working time during the first year of employment. Telecommuting shall be performed with due respect for the smooth operation of the company and the timetable of meetings and shall be reviewed at the end of the first calendar year.

The Employer reserves the right to change its usual place of work for legitimate operational reasons.

The Employee agrees to travel to various regions and countries if this proves necessary for the purpose of the Company’s affairs or performance of his duties.

Article 8: Annual vacation

The Employee shall be entitled to the number of statutory days of vacation established under the relevant Belgian law and as laid down by Joint Committee 207, based on the number of working hours, as defined in article 8a, i.e., 32 days in total at the end of the first full year of work.

Insofar as possible and providing the remaining vacation entitlement so allows, the Employee shall be required to take at least 10 days’ vacation between July 1 and August 31. The dates of the Employee’s annual vacation shall be decided by mutual agreement with the Employer. The Employee shall also be entitled to the statutory public holidays in Belgium. The vacation time shall be decided at least two weeks in advance and shall be subject to the agreement of the Managing Director or any other authorized representative in the event of the latter’s absence.

 

Page 3 of 9


Article 8a: Working time

The Employee’s working time shall be 40 hours per week. It is expected that the Employee shall start work between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. and finish between 5:30 and 6:00 p.m., depending on the company’s work schedule.

Article 9: Exclusivity

The Employee acknowledges and agrees that the nature of the Company’s activities, his duties and responsibilities, as well as his salary, imply that he shall devote all of his working time and abilities to the affairs of the Company.

The Employee shall require the prior consent of the Company before undertaking any other professional activity. The Company may refuse to give its consent without justification. It may also attach certain conditions to its consent.

The Company’s consent shall be required for any professional activity, remunerated or otherwise:

 

  1. which the Employee performs directly as a self-employed worker or as an employee or representative of another company; or

 

  2. which is performed by another company under the direction of the Employee.

Article 10: Confidential Information

During performance of this contract, the Employee must refrain from:

 

    disclosing any Confidential Information to any person;

 

    using any Confidential Information for his own benefit (with or without the prospect of financial gain) or for the benefit of any other person (with or without the prospect of financial gain).

Subsequent to the end of this contract, the Employee shall:

 

    refrain from disclosing Confidential Information to any person;

 

    refrain from using Confidential Information for his own benefit (with or without the prospect of financial gain) or for the benefit of any other person (with or without the prospect of financial gain);

 

    of his own volition, or at the latest when first requested by the Company, return to the Company all Confidential Information, whatever the medium used to retain or store this Confidential Information;

 

    notify his new employer or his new clients of his obligations under this article.

 

Page 4 of 9


Should the Employee infringe any of these provisions, the Company or the Group may claim damages from the Employee. These damages shall be set at a fixed sum of 25,000 EUR per infringement, without prejudice to the Company obtaining compensation for the damage actually incurred.

The Employee’s attention is also drawn to the fact that the infringement of trade secrets is punishable by a prison sentence of between three months and three years pursuant to article 309 of the Penal Code.

In light of the nature of its activities and the crucial nature of the Confidential Information disseminated within the Company, the latter shall make every effort to ensure enforcement of its rights and ensure that the Employee is penalized if he were found to be in breach of this article .

Article 11: Intellectual property

§1. All intellectual property rights and other rights, such as rights over know how (hereinafter referred to collectively as “Intellectual Property Rights”), the results of research and development, documentation, databases, reports, analyses, technologies, trade secrets, methods, processes, discoveries, improvements and any other work, created, designed, developed or produced wholly or partially by the Employee, either alone or in conjunction with others, whether or not the Company’s installations, equipment or appliances were used, during the term, or during execution of the employment contract, or upon instructions from the Company, or which relate to or may, in any way, relate to areas of activity that constitute or could become an activity of the Company, or which are or could be the focus of any research conducted by the Company (hereinafter referred to collectively as “Work”), shall remain the exclusive property of the Company as soon they come into being or upon signature of this contract in the case of rights accruing prior to signature of this contract and which are covered by this article.

§2. The medium or media on which Work is contained, as well as all the documents that have been exchanged by the Company and the Employee, shall also be the exclusive property of the Company.

§3. The Employee agrees to disclose in full to the Company, at its earliest request, the existence of any Work that he has, either alone or in conjunction with others, created, produced or developed. The Employee agrees to disclose immediately and in full, subsequent to its creation, performance or production, all information and know-how relating to the Work. The Employee also agrees to communicate and provide all documentation relating to the Work.

 

Page 5 of 9


§4. The Employee agrees to refrain from any act that would constitute an infringement of the Company’s rights. The Employee agrees not to request or claim (himself or through a third party) the granting of a patent or any other intellectual property right relating to the Work, unless he has first received the express written consent of the Company.

§5. The Employee agrees that, upon signature of the employment contract, the Company shall act as the sole representative of the Employee with regard to the exercise of his moral rights over the Work, such as the right of disclosure or authorship rights in relation to the Work. The Employee acknowledges that the Company (and/or its partners and clients) shall alone determine whether, when and how the Work will be exploited, it being understood that the non-exploited Work shall also remain the exclusive property of the Company. The Employee waives the right, with regard to the Company (and/or its partners and clients), to exercise his moral rights with regard to the integrity of the Works and shall thus not oppose any adaptation or modification of the Work providing this does not undermine his honor or reputation. The Employee shall authorize the Company (and/or its partners and clients) to exploit the Work without mentioning the name of the Employee and to affix to it a distinctive label of its choosing.

Article 12: Non-competition clause

After leaving the company, the Employee shall refrain from performing similar activities, either through his own company, or by working for a competitor, insofar as this could damage his former company if he uses, for his own benefit or for the benefit of a competitor, the knowledge specific to the company and which he acquired while working there.

This non-competition clause shall apply for 12 months as of the day on which the employment relationship was terminated. This clause shall apply in all countries where the trademarks of Cardio3 BioSciences, i.e., C-Cure and C-Cath or any other trademark owned by the Company on the date on which the Employee left the company, have been registered. This clause shall apply upon termination of all contracts, except in cases where the contract was terminated due to serious misconduct on the part of the Employer.

The Company may waive its right to apply this clause within fifteen days of termination of the Employee’s employment contract. If the Company does not waive this right, it shall pay the Employee compensation equal to fifty per cent (50%) of the worker’s gross salary for the duration of effective application of this clause.

 

Page 6 of 9


If the Employee fails to comply with this clause, he shall repay the aforementioned fixed rate of compensation and shall also pay the Company the same amount again in compensation, without prejudice to the Company claiming greater damages, subject to its proving the extent of those damages.

Article 13: Commissions and gifts

The Employee shall not accept, directly or indirectly, any commission, gifts, reduction or gratuity, in cash or in kind, from any person that is or could be in a business relationship with the Company or any of the Group’s other companies, without the prior express consent of the Company.

Article 14: Serious misconduct

The Company may terminate this contract with immediate effect, without notice and without severance pay if the Employee is found guilty of serious misconduct, i.e., of any behavior that makes it immediately and permanently impossible for the parties to pursue their professional relationship.

The following shall constitute examples of serious misconduct, which could give rise to the immediate termination of the employment contract should the Company so choose:

 

  1. any breach by the Employee of his general obligations, as established in this contract;

 

  2. any breach of the confidentiality obligation established in article 13 of this contract;

 

  3. any breach of the obligation not to accept gifts or gratuities, as established in this contract;

 

  4. any act of fraud or falsification of documents;

 

  5. any misuse of the Company’s credit card or the Company’s funds;

 

  6. any criminal infractions that could permanently undermine the trust between the parties or that could damage the Company’s reputation or public image;

 

  7. any unjustified absence of three consecutive days;

 

  8. any public announcement that could damage the reputation or public image of the Company or any of the Group’s companies;

 

  9. any infringement of third party intellectual property rights by the Employee;

 

  10. any violent behavior, psychological or sexual harassment at the workplace.

This list is not exhaustive.

 

Page 7 of 9


Article 15: Contract termination clause

If this contract is terminated before the end of the first anniversary (as of the date of signature), the Employee shall receive three months’ severance pay. This severance pay shall be increased to 4, 5 and 6 months respectively after completion of the 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd complete years of service.

Should the statutory severance pay be higher than the severance pay foreseen in the first paragraph, the statutory severance pay shall be paid in lieu of this contractual severance pay. Under no circumstances shall the contractual severance pay be added to the statutory severance pay.

When this contract ends, for whatever reason, the Employee shall immediately:

 

    return to the Company all the business cards given to him by the Company or by any of the Group’s other companies;

 

    return to the Company, without retaining a copy thereof, all the documents in his possession relating to the Company or any other of the Group’s companies, the keys to the Company’s premises, the company car and any property, materials and equipment in his possession which belong to the Company or to any of the Group’s other companies.

Any arrangement or agreement between the parties relating to the termination of this contract shall be regarded as Confidential Information and shall be subject to the confidentiality provisions of this contract.

Article 16: Unfair competition

Without prejudice to his obligations under article 10 of this contract, the Employee acknowledges that he may not partake in, or be a party to, any act of unfair competition against the Company. The following are instances of unfair competition (non-exhaustive list):

 

  (1) using Confidential Information for his own interests or the interests of any other business;

 

  (2) using the Company’s name or logo or the name or logo of any other of the Group’s companies for his own interests or the interests of any other business;

 

  (3) any act that would create confusion in the minds of clients or partners of the Company with regard to the Company or the business activities in which the Employee is involved;

 

  (4) any attempt to encourage an employee of the Company or of another of the Group’s companies to leave the Company or to leave another of the Group’s companies.

 

Page 8 of 9


Should the Employee engage in unfair competition, the Company may claim damages as compensation for the loss or damage that it has incurred or could incur.

Article 17: Work Regulations

The Employee agrees to read and comply with the work regulations as soon as he commences his duties within the company.

Article 18: Applicable legislation

This employment contract shall be governed by, and shall enter into force in accordance with Belgian legislation. Any dispute arising from this contract that cannot be settled out of court shall be the exclusive competence of the Courts of Belgium.

Article 19: Miscellaneous

This contract shall constitute the full agreement between the Employee and the Company and shall supersede any previous contract or earlier correspondence having the same purpose.

Done in duplicate in Mont-Saint-Guibert on April 2, 2014.

Each of the parties acknowledges that it has received an original copy of the contract.

 

LOGO
The Employer The Employee

Cardio3 BioSciences SA

Christian Homsy

Chief Executive Officer

 

Page 9 of 9

Execution copy

E XHIBIT 10.5

EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

THIS AGREEMENT is made as of September 16, 2014, between Cardio3 Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Corporation”), and Warren Sherman, M.D. (the “Employee”).

Introduction

The Corporation is engaged in research and development of biological pharmaceutical products or medical devices, solely or in combination (the “Business”).

The Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cardio3 Biosciences SA, publicly listed company on Euronext Brussels and Euronext Paris, with registered offices in Mont-Saint-Guibert, Rue Edouard Belin 12, Belgium (“Cardio3”);

Cardio3 and its subsidiaries and affiliates, including the Corporation, comprise the Cardio3 Group;

The Corporation wishes to retain the services of Employee as the Chief Medical Officer of the Cardio3 Group and the Employee wishes to be employed by the Corporation and to perform services to Cardio3 Group as Chief Medical Officer.

NOW, THEREFORE, for good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties agree as follows:

1. Employment . As of the Employment Date, defined below, the Employee will be employed by the Corporation and the Employee hereby accepts his employment upon the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth.

2. Term . Employee’s employment shall commence on October 1, 2014 or as soon thereafter as possible consistent with Employee’s notice requirements to his current employer (“Employment Date”). The employment shall continue until terminated pursuant to Paragraph 14.

3. Duties . Employee shall serve as Chief Medical Officer for the Corporation and Cardio3 Group reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer of the Cardio3 Group or its designee, in which capacity he shall be responsible for strategic medical oversight of all Cardio3 Group activities, including but not limited to providing guidance to management and the Board of the Cardio3 Group on new business opportunities, supporting the clinical operations with medical oversight, communicating with the medical community and promoting the products and developments of Cardio3 Group, establishing advisory boards and evaluating clinical trial results and such other duties as may be assigned from time to time by the Chief Executive Officer (the “Services”).

 

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4. Compensation.

(a) For all services rendered by Employee pursuant to this Agreement, the Corporation shall pay Employee a salary at the annual rate of $325,000 (“Base Salary”). The Base Salary may be adjusted from time to time by the Board of Directors of Cardio3 (the “Board”) in its sole discretion, but shall not be reduced below $325,000 (assuming a full time employment). Payments hereunder shall be made at the same frequency as payments made to other executives of the Corporation, but not less frequently than monthly. In exercising such discretion, the Board of Directors shall, not less than once each year, assess the Employee’s performance against performance criteria and communicate its assessment to the Employee promptly.

(b) The Employee will be eligible for an annual bonus equal to twenty percent (20%) of the Base Salary if Employee achieves mutually agreed upon performance milestones. Employee and Corporation will negotiate the performance milestones at the beginning of each fiscal year and confirm such performance milestones in writing.

(c) The Employee shall be eligible to participate in the Cardio3’s stock option plans in effect from time to time. For the avoidance of doubt, Employee understands that under Belgium law, stock option plans are proposed by the Board and approved by an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Corporation’s shareholders and the amount of stock options allocated to employees under an approved stock option plan is determined exclusively by the Remuneration and Compensation Committee of the Board. Under the current stock option plan, Employee is eligible to be awarded 7,500 stock options annually vesting over three years. The Chief Executive Officer of Cardio3 Group will recommend to the Board of Cardio3 and its Remuneration and Compensation Committee that it award 7,500 stock options to Employee at the earliest possible time under the current stock option plan and, if approved by the Board, take all reasonable efforts to support such Board recommendation at the Extraordinary General Meeting of the Corporation’s shareholders.

(d) Employee agrees that the terms of his compensation shall be considered Confidential Information, as defined below, and that he will not disclose such information to any other party, except to effectuate the Services or with the approval of the Chief Executive Officer of Cardio3. This subparagraph (d) shall not apply to disclosures of such compensation information to Employee’s spouse or significant other, attorneys, financial or tax consultants, and as required pursuant to a subpoena, court order or other judicial process.

(e) Cardio3 will provide a furnished apartment in Belgium for Employee’s exclusive use, the location, condition and furnishings of which shall be to Employee’s reasonable satisfaction.

5. Performance of Services . During the term of this Agreement, Employee shall use his best efforts to promote the interests of the Cardio3 Group and shall devote his full time and efforts to its Business and affairs in an honest and ethical manner in compliance with this Agreement and all applicable laws, rules and regulations, promulgated from time to time, applicable to the Business, including the federal, state and municipal non-discrimination laws in the United States, rules and regulations. The Employee shall not engage in any other activity that could reasonably be expected to interfere with the performance of his duties, responsibilities and services hereunder subject to Paragraph 8 below.

 

2


6. Employee Representations . Employee represents and warrants to the Cardio3 Group that he is qualified to perform the services under this Agreement and that neither his execution of the Agreement, nor his performance of such services is limited or prohibited by, and will not cause a conflict of interest or breach of3 any law, regulation, agreement, understanding, order, judgment, decree or other instrument, contract or document to which Employee is a party or subject.

7. Conflicts of Interest . Employee confirms that he has advised Cardio3 Group in writing prior to the date of signing this Agreement of any current relationship with third parties, including competitors of Cardio3 Group. The Chief Executive Officer of Cardio3 and Employee will review each of those relationships and determine together which ones need to be terminated due to a conflict of interest, or prohibition of Employee carrying out the terms of this Agreement, or which would present a significant risk of disclosure of Confidential Information.

8. Exclusivity . For the duration of this Agreement, Employee shall provide services exclusively to Cardio3 Group and Employee shall not seek, accept or perform any consulting or other services (whether or not for compensation) without the specific and written approval of the Chief Executive Officer of Cardio3, or its designee.

9. Expenses . Employee is authorized to incur reasonable expenses for promoting the business of the Cardio3 Group, including expenses for entertainment, travel and similar items utilizing a company-issued corporate card. For expenses incurred in which the corporate card was not utilized, the Corporation will reimburse the Employee for appropriate expenses upon the Employee’s presentation of an itemized account of such expenditures in accordance with the expense policy of Cardio3 Group. Cardio3 or the Corporation shall at all times retain access to the records maintained by Employee relative to reimbursable expenses. Employee will be reimbursed for up to $5,000 of his actual costs in the event that Cardio3 Group requires that he relocate from his current primary residence in New York, New York.

10. Restrictive Covenants .

(a) During the term of this Agreement and for a period of one (1) year after the termination of Employee’s employment by the Corporation pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, regardless of the reason for such termination, Employee will not, directly or indirectly, whether as an officer, director, employee, consultant or contractor, equity owner or agent of or otherwise advise or participate in the ownership or operation of any regenerative medicine business in the United States. This restriction shall not apply to any consulting or other relationship approve pursuant to Paragraph 8. Nothing in this Paragraph 10(a) shall be deemed to prohibit Employee from investing in any company engaged in such business, the stock of which is available in a public securities market; provided, however, that Employee shall not own in excess of five percent (5%) of the total issued and outstanding stock of such company.

(b) During the term of this Agreement and for a period of one (1) year after the termination of such employment, regardless of the reason for such termination, Employee

 

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will not, directly or indirectly, solicit, recruit or endeavor to entice away from the Cardio3 Group, hire or attempt to hire, or otherwise materially interfere with the business relationship of the Cardio3 Group with any person who is, or was employed by the Cardio3 Group within the twelve month period immediately prior to the termination of Employee’s employment with the Cardio3.

(c) During the term of this Agreement and for a period of one (1) year after the termination of such employment, regardless of the reason for such termination, Employee will not, directly or indirectly, recruit, or endeavor to entice away from the Cardio3 Group, or materially interfere with the business relationship of Cardio3 Group with, any person or entity who is or was within the twelve (12) month period immediately prior to such termination, a customer, client or supplier to the Cardlo3 Group.

11. Confidentiality of Information . Employee recognizes and acknowledges that the trade secrets of Cardio3 Group and all other confidential and proprietary information of a business, financial, personal or other nature, including without limitation, scientific and technical information and improvements thereon, data from or results of clinical trials, patient information, lists of Cardio3 Group’s actual and prospective customers, financial information and business and marketing plans, as they exist from time to time (collectively, the “Confidential Information”), are a valuable and unique asset of the Cardio3 Group and therefore agrees that he will not, either during or after the term of his employment, disclose any Confidential information concerning any entity in the Cardio3 Group, to any person, firm, corporation, association or other entity, for any reason whatsoever, unless previously authorized in writing to do so by the Chief Executive Officer of the Cardio3 Group. The term “Confidential Information” shall not include any information that (i) was known to Employee prior to receiving Confidential Information from Cardio3 Group; (ii) is or becomes publicly available through no direct or indirect action of the Employee; or (iii) as required to be disclosed by a court of competent jurisdiction or pursuant to any arbitration. For the avoidance of doubt, the definition of Confidential Information in the Non-Disclosure Agreement between Employee and Cardio3 dated July 9, 2014 (“NDA”), a copy of which is attached as Exhibit 1, is incorporated into this Agreement. Employee shall not make any use whatsoever, directly or indirectly, of Confidential Information, except as required in connection with the performance of Services. Nothing contained in this Paragraph 11 shall prohibit Employee from disclosing Confidential Information pursuant to a valid subpoena, or order of a court or governmental agency or body after first giving notice and providing a copy of such subpoena or order to Cardio3 Group. For the purpose of enforcing this provision, the Corporation may resort to any remedy available to it under the law. The NDA shall continue in full force and effect as to any Confidential Information disclosed to Employee between July 9, 2014 and the Effective Date of this Agreement.

12. Injunctive Relief . Employee acknowledges that a breach of any of the provisions contained in Paragraphs 10 or 11 would result in irreparable injury to the Cardio3 Group for which there may be no adequate remedy at law and that, in the event of an actual or threatened breach by the Employee of the provisions of Paragraphs 10 or 11 Cardio3 or the Corporation, as appropriate, shall be entitled to pursue and obtain injunctive relief from a court of competent jurisdiction restraining Employee from doing any act prohibited thereunder. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as prohibiting Cardio3 Group or the Corporation, as appropriate, from pursuing any other remedies available to it for such breach or threatened breach, including the

 

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recovery of any monetary damages to which it would be entitled under the law. In the event that any provision of Paragraph 10 is held to be unenforceable as a result of it being too broad, including in terms of time or geographical extent, Employee agrees that the court can adapt and limit this Paragraph 10 so as to make the provisions hereof enforceable to the fullest extent permissible.

13. Medical, Vacation and Other Benefits . Employee shall be entitled to receive all benefits applicable to executives of Cardio3 Group, including medical, disability and life insurance in accordance with the terms of such plans in effect from time to time. Employee shall receive twenty-one (21) days of vacation, annually in addition to legal holidays, both paid at the expense of the Corporation. It is the intent of the parties that Employee shall be eligible for group medical benefits on the first day of the month following his first day of employment, as well as the Corporation’s 40l(k) plan.

14. Termination .

(a) Corporation shall have the right, on ninety (90) days written notice to Employee, to terminate Employee’s employment without Cause, or to terminate Employee’s employment for Cause immediately upon notice. For purposes of this Agreement, “Cause” shall mean (i) conviction or entering a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to any felony, or a crime involving dishonesty or moral turpitude; (ii) a final judicial or arbitral determination of willfully engaging in conduct materially injurious to the Cardio3 Group, or (iii) the material breach of this Agreement by Employee; or (iv) Employee’s willful misconduct or gross negligence, or willful and deliberate failure to perform his duties, or (v) Employee’s failure to adhere to or comply with any material written policies or procedures of the Cardio3 Group, including but not limited to those pertaining to expense reimbursement, harassment, discrimination or retaliation. Before a termination for Cause under (iii) - (v) above, the Corporation shall provide Employee with written notice and thirty (30) days from the delivery of such notice to cure the conduct, breach or violation.

(b) In the event of termination of employment by Corporation pursuant to this Paragraph 14 without Cause, or if this Agreement is terminated by Employee for Good Reason (as defined below), the Corporation shall for period of three (3) months after termination of the Employee (the “Severance Period”) pay the Employee his then Base Salary and provide the benefits described in Paragraph 13 above (the “Severance Payments”). For the avoidance of doubt, in the event of a termination under this Paragraph 14(b), Employee shall receive both three (3) months notice (or pay in lieu of such notice) and the Severance Payments, For the purposes of this Agreement, “Good Reason” shall mean the material reduction or diminution of Employee’s duties, including changing his title, or the requirement by the Corporation, without Employee’s consent,, that he relocate his primary place of business more than 30 miles from New York, New York.

(c) In the event of termination of this Agreement for Cause, death or voluntary termination for other than Good Reason, the Corporation shall pay to Employee the following: (i) Employee’s Base Salary accrued up to and including the date of termination, death or resignation, (ii) any accrued but unused vacation pay, and (iii) any un-reimbursed expenses (the “Accrued Obligations”). In the event of Employee’s death, the Accrued Obligations shall be

 

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paid as soon as practicable in compliance with applicable law and any testamentary instruments. The Corporation also shall cooperate with Employee’s lawful heirs, executors or representatives to obtain any death benefits provided under the terms of any plan, program or arrangement as may be applicable to Employee at the time of death.

(d) This Agreement may be terminated due to Employee’s Disability. In the event of termination of this Agreement due to Employee’s Disability, the Corporation shall pay Employee the following: (i) the Accrued Obligations; and (ii) the Pro Rated Bonus. Corporation also shall cooperate with Employee or his lawfully appointed representative(s) to obtain any disability benefits that are provided under the terms of any plan, program or arrangement referred to in Paragraph 13 applicable to Employee at the time of his Disability. “Disability” shall mean a physical or mental impairment that substantially prevents Employee from performing his duties hereunder and that has continued for either (i) 180 consecutive days or (ii) any 180 days within a consecutive 360 day period. Any dispute as to whether or not Employee is disabled within the meaning of the preceding sentence shall be resolved by a physician reasonably satisfactory to Employee and the Corporation, and the determination of such physician shall be final and binding upon both Employee and the Corporation. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Paragraph, the inability of Employee to perform the Services, with or without a reasonable accommodation, upon completion of a medical leave of absence of 180 consecutive days shall constitute Employee’s Disability.

15. Mitigation . Employee shall not be required to mitigate the amount of any payment provided for in Paragraph 14 by seeking other employment or otherwise, nor shall the amount of any payment or benefit provided for in Paragraph 14 be reduced by any compensation earned by Employee as the result of employment by another employer, by retirement benefits, by offset against any amount claimed to be owed by Employee to Cardio3 Group, the Corporation or otherwise.

16. Effective Date . This Agreement shall become effective as of the date first written above.

17. Enforceability; Severability . This Agreement shall be interpreted in such a manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any provision hereof shall be prohibited or invalid under any such law, such provision shall be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or invalidity, without invalidating or nullifying the remainder of such provision or any other provisions of this Agreement. If any one or more of the provisions contained in this Agreement shall for any reason be held to be excessively broad as to duration, geographical scope, activity or subject, such provisions shall be construed by limiting and reducing it or them so as to be enforceable to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.

18. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of Delaware without giving effect to principles of conflicts of laws.

19. Arbitration . Any and all claims or controversies arising from or relating to, this Agreement, its interpretation, or its alleged breach or enforcement, shall be resolved by binding arbitration before the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) according to the Commercial

 

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Arbitration Rules of the AAA then in effect (the “AAA Rules”). The arbitration shall occur in New York, New York and the parties waive any objection to this choice of alternative dispute resolution, procedures or venue, The parties shall agree upon the arbitrator or, if no agreement can be reached within fourteen (14) days after the AAA provides the list of names from its National Roster, the AAA shall appoint the arbitrator according to the AAA Rules then in effect. Any arbitration hereunder shall be completed within one hundred eighty (180) days after appointment of an arbitrator. The arbitrator shall be authorized to award reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs to the prevailing party in the arbitration, and to include such sum in the final arbitration award. The arbitration award may be confirmed as a judgment in any court having jurisdiction of the subject matter and parties.

20. Notices . Any notice or other communication given pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be personally delivered, sent by overnight courier or express mail, or mailed by first class certified or registered mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested to the parties at their respective addresses set forth on the signature page hereof, or to such other address as the parties shall have designated by notice to the other parties.

21. Amendment: Waiver . No provision of this Agreement may be amended, modified, waived or discharged unless such amendment, modification, waiver or discharge is agreed to in writing and signed by the patties. No waiver by either party hereto at any time of any breach by the other party hereto of, or compliance with, any condition or provision of this Agreement to be performed by such other party shall be deemed a waiver of similar or dissimilar provisions or conditions at the same or at any prior or subsequent time.

22. Successors and Assigns . This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Corporation, its successors and assigns, and the Employee, his heirs and legal representatives, Employee acknowledges that the Services are personal and that he may not assign this Agreement.

23. Entire Agreement . This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supercedes any and all prior agreements, arrangements and understandings, written or oral, relating to the same subjects covered by this Agreement, with the exception of the NDA.

24. Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in multiple counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same agreement. The facsimile or electronic signature of either party to this Agreement for purposes of execution or otherwise, is to be considered as an original signature, and the document transmitted is to be considered to have the same binding effect as an original signature on an original document.

[Signature page follows]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first above written.

 

CARDIO3 INC.
By:

/s/ Christian Homsy

Title:

Chief Executive Officer

Address :
c/o Christian Homsy, M.D.
Cardio3 Biosciences S.A.
Axisparc Business Center
Rue Edouard Belin, 12
B-1435 Mont-Saint-Guibert
Belgium
Employee

/s/ Warren Sherman

Warren Sherman
Address:
585 West End Avenue, Apt. 16H
New York, New York 10024

E XHIBIT 10.6

MANAGEMENT SERVICES AGREEMENT

 

BETWEEN: 1. Cardio 3 Biosciences S.A., a company established under the laws of Belgium, with registered office at B-1420 Braine l’Alleud, Boulevard de France 9 (Belgium) and registered with the legal entity Register of Nivelles under number 0891.118.115,
represented by Michel Lussier and William Wijns, directors
hereinafter referred to as the “ Company ”;
AND: 2. Mr. HOMSY Christian, residing at 1150 Bruxelles, Avenue des Sittelles 99 (Belgium),
hereinafter referred to as the “ Management Services Provider ”;

The Company and the Management Services Provider are collectively referred to as the “ Parties ” and individually as a “ P arty ”.

WHEREAS :

The Company’s business is to develop new medical technologies including cellular therapies.

The Management Services Provider provides consulting, trading and management services in the same field.

The Management Services Provider was appointed as Director of the Company on 24 July 2007 by a decision of the extraordinary general shareholders’ meeting. The office of Director is not remunerated.

At the same date, the Management Services Provider was also appointed as Managing Director, entrusted with the Company’s daily management.

By this agreement (the “ Agreement ”), the Parties wish to determine their rights and the obligations with regards to the performance of the Services, as defined hereinafter under Article 2.1.

IT HAS BEEN AGREED THEREFORE WHAT FOLLOWS:

Article 1 - Definitions

In the Agreement, the following terms shall have the following meanings (unless the context requires otherwise):

Board : the board of directors of the Company;


Capacity : as agent, manager, director, employee, owner, partner, shareholder or in any other capacity;

Competing Business : a business which is similar to or in any way competes with the business of the Company;

Confidential Information : information (whether or not recorded in documentary form, or stored on any magnetic or optical disk or memory) relating to the business, products, affairs and finances of the Company for the time being confidential to the Company and trade secrets including, without limitation, technical data and know-how relating to the business of the Company or any of its business contacts;

Parent : the ultimate mother company consolidating the Company;

Termination Date : the date of termination of the Agreement howsoever arising.

Article 2 - Services to be provided by the Management Services Provider

 

2.1 The Management Services Provider will, within the financial limitations imposed by the Board (hereinafter collectively referred to as the “ Services ”):

 

  (a) ensure the daily management of the Company in accordance with the Company’s Articles of Incorporation and the applicable legal provisions;

 

  (b) collaborate to and implement the Board’s decisions and provide information on a regular basis to the Board about the financial accounting and commercial situation of the Company;

 

  (c) implement the global strategy of the Company as decided by the Board, by adopting measures to ensure the financing of the Companies’ activities and the development, promotion, organisation, logistic support, control and assessment of the Company’s projects and activities;

 

  (d) hire and dismiss the Company’s staff;

 

  (e) prospect new markets and products for the Company;

 

  (f) promptly give to the Board all such information and reports as it may reasonably require in connection with matters relating to the provision of the Services or the business of the Company;

 

  (h) in general, do whatever is necessary or useful and use its best endeavors to promote the interests of the Company.

 

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2.2 The Management Services Provider shall comply with all reasonable standards of safety and comply with the Company’s health and safety procedures from time to time in force at the premises where the Services are provided.

 

2.3 The Parties hereby agree that the Services will be rendered and performed by the Management Services Provider. In case of death of the Management Services Provider, the Agreement shall automatically terminate pursuant to the provisions of Article 10.2. hereafter. If the Management Services Provider is unable to perform the Services described in point 2.1. for more than 3 consecutive months for any reason whatsoever (such as incapacity) other than death (hereinafter the “ Default ”), the Company may automatically terminate pursuant to the provision of Article 10.2. hereafter.

 

2.4 The Company shall put at the disposal of the Management Services Provider, at the registered office of the Company, all financial and technical means and the human resources necessary for the performance of the Services, such as (this list not being exhaustive) furnished premises, secretarial staff or telecommunication means, within a budget approved beforehand by the Board.

 

2.5 The Company shall give the Management Services Provider access to all information needed for the proper performance of the Services. The Management Services Provider shall have, among others, access to all files, documents, materials, records, correspondence, papers and information (on whatever media and wherever located) relating to the business or affairs of the Company or its business contacts. It is however agreed by the Parties that all material, records or information, on whatever media, which shall be at the disposal of the Management Services Provider, shall remain the ownership of the Company. On Termination Date, the Management Services Provider shall comply with the provisions of Article 11 hereafter.

Article 3 - Non-exclusivity

Nothing in the Agreement shall prevent the Management Services Provider from being involved or having any financial interest in any Capacity in any other business, trade, profession or occupation during the Agreement provided that such activity:

 

  (a) does not cause a breach of any of the Management Services Provider’s obligations under the Agreement;

 

  (b) is not detrimental to the proper performance of the Agreement; and

 

  (c) is not related to a Competing Business, it being understood that this prohibition shall also extend to a period of six months after Termination Date.

Article 4 - Fees, bonus, expenses, invoicing and payment terms

 

4.1 In consideration of the provision of the Services, the Company shall pay to the Management Services Provider a yearly compensation of EUR 220,000, corresponding to a monthly gross fee of EUR 16,167 and a lump pension plan premium of EUR 26,000. The monthly fee is payable by bank transfer to the account designated by the Management Services Provider (hereinafter the “ Fee ”) no later than 10 days after the month end.

 

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4.2 In addition to the Fee, the Management Services Provider will also be entitled to a yearly bonus, do be determined (if any) in full discretion by the Board on the basis of the Management Services Provider’s personal performances and of the Company’s overall performances (hereinafter the “ Bonus ”). The bonus may be paid in warrants issued by the Company.

 

4.3 The Company shall reimburse (or procure the reimbursement of) all reasonable expenses, including phone costs, properly and necessarily incurred by the Management Services Provider in the course of the performance of the Agreement and evidenced by receipts or settled invoices or evidence otherwise approved by the Company as appropriate.

 

4.4 The Bonus, if any, will be considered as due to the Management Services Provider 30 days following the approval of its amount by the Board and will be paid to the Management Services Provider at the latest within 10 days after the month end following the moment the relevant Bonus is considered to be due.

Article 5 - Confidential Information

 

5.1 The Management Services Provider shall not (except in the proper course of its duties) either during the Agreement or at any time after the Termination Date for a period of 5 years, use or disclose Confidential Information to any third party and shall use its best endeavours to prevent the publication or disclosure of any Confidential Information. This restriction does not apply to:

 

  (a) any use or disclosure authorised by the Company or required by law or by court order; or

 

  (b) any information which is already in, or comes into, the public domain otherwise than through the Management Services Provider’s unauthorized disclosure.

 

5.2 A Party shall not at any time either during the Agreement or at any time after the Termination Date for a period of 5 years, disclose the subject and contents of the Agreement without the prior written consent of the other Party, unless disclosure is required by law or y court order and in such case the other Party shall be informed in advance of the contents and timing of such disclosure’

Article 6 - Non-solicitation of customers and employees

The Management Services Provider agrees that during the Agreement and for a period of twelve months immediately after Termination Date, the Management Services Provider will not, directly or indirectly, for itself or on behalf of any other person, partnership, company or corporation:

 

  (a) divert or attempt to divert any customers, suppliers or accounts from the Company to a Competing Business; or

 

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  (b) call upon any customer or customers of the Company for the purpose of soliciting and/or selling to any such customers, any product or service competing with products or services sold or provided by the Company; or

 

  (c) induce or attempt to induce any employees of the Company to terminate their employment for the purpose of employment with a Competing Business.

Article 7 - Data protection

 

7.1 The Management Services Provider consents to the Company holding and processing data relating to it for legal, personnel, administrative and management purposes, pursuant to the Belgian Data Protection Act of 8 December 1992.

 

7.2 The Management Services Provider consents to the Company making such information available to any company of its group, third parties providing products or services to the Company (such as advisers), regulatory authorities, governmental organisations and potential purchasers of the shares of the Company or any part of its business.

 

7.3 The Management Services Provider consents to the transfer of such information to the Company’s business contacts outside the European Economic Area in order to further develop its business interests.

Article 8 - Assignability

Neither the Agreement, nor any rights or benefits hereunder, may be assigned, transferred or contributed without the written consent of both Parties hereto, and any such assignment, transfer or contribution without the consent of the other Party shall be null and void.

Article 9 - Administrative formalities and liability of the Management Services Provider

 

9.1 The Management Services Provider will comply at all times with all applicable legal provisions and more in particular with social security and tax obligations. The Management Services Provider shall be fully liable for its own income tax, social security contributions and any other levies or charges arising from the performance of the Services and the payment of the Fee and the Bonus.

 

9.2 The Company shall hold the Management Service Provider harmless for any wrongful performance of his obligations under the Agreement, except for gross negligence or fraud and shall indemnify him for any damages suffered as a result of an action brought against the Company and/or himself by a third party resulting from a wrongful performance of his obligations, excluding any liability resulting from the Management Service Provider’s own gross negligence or fraud.

Article 10 - Duration of the Agreement and termination

 

10.1 The Agreement is deemed to come into force on July 24, 2007 and shall be for an unlimited duration, unless terminated at an earlier time in accordance with the provisions of Articles 2.3., 10.2, 10.3 and 10.4.

 

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10.2 The Agreement shall automatically terminate with immediate effect and without payment of any indemnity in accordance with the provisions of Article 2.3.

In such case, the Management Services Provider shall be entitled to (i) any Bonus relating to the previous completed financial year (if any and if not yet paid) and (ii) any Bonus (if any) of the financial year during which the Agreement was terminated pro rata temporis the period during which the Agreement remained in force.

 

10.3 The Agreement shall automatically terminate with immediate effect upon dismissal, for whatever reason, of the Management Services Provider as general manager of the Company. The Termination Date shall be deemed to be the date of the decision of the Board dismissing the Management Services Provider.

In such case and except to the extent the Company gave a notice period to be deducted from any of the indemnities provided for hereunder, the Company shall pay the Management Services Provider the following indemnities, which shall be deemed to cover any damage suffered as a result of such termination:

 

    In case of dismissal for cause (to be construed as any dismissal resulting from a violation of the Agreement or gross negligence), no Fee;

 

    In case of dismissal without cause (to be construed as a dismissal for any other cause) the Fee multiplied by twelve, such amount to be paid to the Management Services Provider within 30 days from the Termination Date, as well as, for the financial year during which the termination occurred, a Bonus equal to the average of the Bonuses already paid to the Management Services Provider in respect of the previous financial years. Should the termination occur during the first financial year, the Company shall pay a Bonus determined by the Board (if any) in its full discretion.

 

10.4 The Agreement shall automatically terminate with immediate effect upon resignation of the Management Services Provider from its mandate as general manager of the Company, for whatever reason. The Termination Date shall be deemed to be the date upon which its resignation shall take effect.

In such case, and except to the extent the Management Services Provider gave a notice period to be deducted from any indemnity, the Management Services Provider shall pay the Company an indemnity equal to six months of Fee, within 30 days from the Termination Date.

 

10.5 The Parties acknowledge that the Agreement shall not be terminated by the termination of the mandate of the Management Services Provider as director of the Company, no matter the time, the reason and the way (resignation, dismissal or otherwise) this mandate is terminated.

 

10.6 Notwithstanding any termination of the Agreement, the obligations under Article 3 c), 5 and 6 shall remain in force for the duration provided for in said clauses.

 

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Article 11 - Obligations upon termination

On Termination Date, the Management Services Provider shall:

 

  (a) immediately deliver to the Company all documents, books, materials, records, correspondence, papers and information (on whatever media and wherever located) relating to the business or affairs of the Company or its business contacts, any keys, and any other property of the Company, which is in its possession or under its control;

 

  (b) irretrievably delete any information relating to the business of the Company stored on any magnetic or optical disk or memory and all matter derived from such sources which is in its possession or under its control outside the premises of the Company; and

 

  (c) provide a signed statement that it has complied fully with its obligations under this Article 11.

Article 12 - Notices and computation of delays

 

12.1 All notices or other communications required or permitted under the Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if (i) delivered personally, (ii) addressed by registered letter.

 

12.2 Any such notice or communication shall be deemed to have been received:

 

  (a) if delivered personally at the date of delivery as indicated on the receipt of delivery;

 

  (b) in the case of registered post, 3 calendar days after the date of posting; and

 

  (c) in the case of fax, at the date of confirmation of its transmission.

 

12.3 All notice periods and delays described in the Agreement are calculated in calendar days. If the last day of a notice period is a Saturday, a Sunday or a legal holiday in Belgium, the notice period or delay expires on the next business day.

Article 13 - Headers

The descriptive headings of the Agreement are for the sake of convenience only and shall not control or affect the meaning, construction or interpretation of any provision of the Agreement.

Article 14 - Invalidity of a provision

If any provision of the Agreement shall be declared by any court of competent jurisdiction to be illegal, void or unenforceable, all other provisions of the Agreement shall not be affected and shall remain in full force and effect, and Parties shall negotiate in good faith to replace such illegal, void or unenforceable provision with a provision that corresponds as closely as possible to the intentions of the Parties as expressed in such illegal, void or unenforceable provision.

 

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Article 15 - Entire agreement and previous contracts

Each Party acknowledges and agrees with the other Party that this Agreement together with any documents referred to in it constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between the Management Services Provider and the Company and supersedes any previous agreement between them relating to the Agreement (which shall be deemed to have been terminated by mutual consent).

Article 16 - Variation

No variation of the Agreement or of any of the documents referred to in it shall be valid unless it is in writing and signed by or on behalf of each of the Parties.

Article 17 - Governing law and jurisdiction

 

17.1 This Agreement shall be exclusively governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Belgium.

 

17.2 Any dispute arising out or in connection with the Agreement shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Brussels, Belgium.

Executed in two originals in Braine l’Alleud, on February 22, 2008.

 

The Company: The Management Services Provider:

/s/ Michel Lussier

/s/ Christian Homsy

Mr Michel Lussier and Mr William Wijns Mr Christian Homsy
Directors

 

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E XHIBIT 10.7

SERVICES AGREEMENT

 

BETWEEN: 1. Cardio3 Biosciences S.A., a company established under the laws of Belgium, with registered office at B-1435 Mont-Saint-Guibert, Rue Edouard Belin 12 (Belgium) and registered with the legal entity Register of Nivelles under number 0891.118.115,
represented by Christian Homsy, CEO
hereinafter referred to as the Company ;
AND: 2. Advanced Therapies Consulting Limited, a company established under the laws of the United Kingdom, with a branch office in Belgium registered at B-9080 Lochristi, Nerenhoek 18 (Belgium) (hereinafter referred to as “ ATC ”).
Represented by Peter de Waele, Managing Director
hereinafter referred to as the “ Services Provider ”;

The Company and the Services Provider are collectively referred to as the “ Parties ” and individually as a “ Party ”.

WHEREAS :

The Company’s business is to develop stem cell-based therapies for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

The Services Provider provides consulting and management services in the same field.

The Services Provider was appointed as Vice President Research and Development on 15 October 2010, by a decision of the Board of Directors, entrusted with the Company’s Research and Development daily management.

By this agreement (the “ Agreement ”), the Parties wish to determine their rights and the obligations with regards to the performance of the Services, as defined hereinafter under Article 2.1.

IT HAS BEEN AGREED THEREFORE WHAT FOLLOWS :

Article 1 - Definitions

In the Agreement, the following terms shall have the following meanings (unless the context requires otherwise):

Board: the board of directors of the Company;


Capacity: as agent, manager, director, employee, owner, partner, shareholder or in any other capacity;

Competing Business: a business which is similar to or in any way competes with the business of the Company;

Confidential Information: information (whether or not recorded in documentary form, or stored on any magnetic or optical disk or memory) relating to the business, products, affairs and finances of the Company for the time being confidential to the Company and trade secrets including, without limitation, technical data and know-how relating to the business of the Company or any of its business contacts;

Parent: the ultimate mother company consolidating the Company;

Termination Date: the date of termination of the Agreement howsoever arising.

Article 2 - Services to be provided by the Services Provider

 

2.1. The Services Provider will (hereinafter collectively referred to as the “ Services ”):

 

    Ensure the daily management of the Company’ Research and Development activities and project;

 

    Collaborate to and implement the Board’s decisions and provide information on a regular basis to the Board about the research and development activities and projects of the Company;

 

    Implement the global strategy of the Company as decided by the Board, by adopting measures to ensure the development of the Company’s projects and research and development activities;

 

    Participate to the definition of the R&D strategy and long term plan;

 

    Manage the R&D department budget and resources;

 

    Manage of the Scientific Advisory Board;

 

    In general, do whatever is necessary or useful and use its best endeavors to promote the interests of the Company.

 

2.2. The Services Provider will perform the Services part time, corresponding to 10 days per month.

 

2.3. The Services Provider shall comply with all reasonable standards of safety and comply with the Company’s health and safety procedures from time to time in force at the premises where the Services are provided.

 

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2.4. The Parties hereby agree that the Services will be rendered and performed by the Services Provider. In case of death of the Services Provider, the Agreement shall automatically terminate pursuant to the provisions of Article 10.2. hereafter. If the Services Provider is unable to perform the Services described in point 2.1. for more than 3 consecutive months for any reason whatsoever (such as incapacity) other than death (hereinafter the “ Default ”), the Company may automatically terminate pursuant to the provision of Article 10.2. hereafter.

 

2.5. The Company shall put at the disposal of the Services Provider, at the registered office of the Company, all financial and technical means and the human resources necessary for the performance of the Services, such as (this list not being exhaustive) furnished premises, administrative and scientific staff or telecommunication means, within a budget approved beforehand by the Board.

 

2.6. The Company shall give the Services Provider access to all information needed for the proper performance of the Services. It is however agreed by the Parties that all material, records or information, on whatever media, which shall be at the disposal of the Services Provider, shall remain the ownership of the Company. On Termination Date, the Services Provider shall comply with the provisions of Article 11 hereafter.

Article 3 - Non-exclusivity

Nothing in the Agreement shall prevent the Services Provider from being involved or having any financial interest in any Capacity in any other business, trade, profession or occupation during the Agreement provided that such activity:

 

  (a) does not cause a breach of any of the Services Provider’s obligations under the Agreement;

 

  (b) is not detrimental to the proper performance of the Agreement; and

 

  (c) is not related to a Competing Business, it being understood that this prohibition shall also extend to a period of six months after Termination Date.

Article 4 - Fees, bonus, expenses, invoicing and payment terms

 

4.1. In consideration of the provision of the Services, the Company shall pay to the Services Provider a daily compensation as set out in Schedule A. The monthly fee is payable by bank transfer to the account designated by the Services Provider (hereinafter the “ Fee ”) no later than 15 days after the month end.

 

4.2. In addition to the Fee, the Services Provider will also be entitled to a yearly bonus, corresponding (if any) to a maximum of 10% of the yearly compensation in full discretion by the Board based on recommendation made by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. The bonus if determined on the basis of the Services Provider’s personal performances and of the Company’s overall performances (hereinafter the “ Bonus ”).

 

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4.3. The Company shall reimburse (or procure the reimbursement of) all reasonable expenses, properly and necessarily incurred by the Services Provider in the course of the performance of the Agreement and evidenced by receipts or settled invoices or evidence otherwise approved by the Company as appropriate.

 

4.4. The Bonus, if any, will be considered as due to the Services Provider 30 days following the approval of its amount by the Board and will be paid to the Services Provider at the latest within 15 days after the month end following the moment the relevant Bonus is considered to be due.

Article 5 - Confidential Information

 

5.1. The Services Provider shall not (except in the proper course of its duties) either during the Agreement or at any time after the Termination Date for a period of 5 years, use or disclose Confidential Information to any third party and shall use its best endeavours to prevent the publication or disclosure of any Confidential Information. This restriction does not apply to:

 

  (a) any use or disclosure authorised by the Company or required by law or by court order; or

 

  (b) any information which is already in, or comes into, the public domain otherwise than through the Services Provider’s unauthorized disclosure.

 

5.2. A Party shall not at any time either during the Agreement or at any time after the Termination Date for a period of 5 years, disclose the subject and contents of the Agreement without the prior written consent of the other Party, unless disclosure is required by law or y court order and in such case the other Party shall be informed in advance of the contents and timing of such disclosure

Article 6 - Non-solicitation of customers and employees

The Services Provider agrees that during the Agreement and for a period of twelve months immediately after Termination Date, the Services Provider will not, directly or indirectly, for itself or on behalf of any other person, partnership, company or corporation:

 

  (a) divert or attempt to divert any customers, suppliers or accounts from the Company to a Competing Business; or

 

  (b) call upon any customer or customers of the Company for the purpose of soliciting and/or selling to any such customers, any product or service competing with products or services sold or provided by the Company; or

 

  (c) induce or attempt to induce any employees of the Company to terminate their employment for the purpose of employment with a Competing Business.

 

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Article 7 - Intellectual Property

 

7.1. All intellectual and industrial property (including, without limitation, patentable inventions and copyrights) conceived or generated by the Service Provider in performance of its Services shall be assigned to and will be fully owned by the Company and may be used by the Company in connection with its activities and for any other purpose, including commercial exploitation in any manner.

 

7.2. In the event that, according to the applicable law, the Service Provider has made a patentable contribution to any invention made during the performance of his Services, then he shall be named as co-author in any patent application or publication thereon.

 

7.3. The Service Provider agrees that he will take all necessary steps to ascertain that any copyright or other right to any ideas, information and know-how, drawings, instruction sheets, slides, charts or any other creative works developed by him in the framework of the performance of the Services and which relate specifically to the Company or its business, be vested in or transferred to the Company or any other person or company indicated by the Company.

Article 8 - Assignability

Neither the Agreement, nor any rights or benefits hereunder, may be assigned, transferred or contributed without the written consent of both Parties hereto, and any such assignment, transfer or contribution without the consent of the other Party shall be null and void.

Article 9 - Administrative formalities and liability of the Services Provider

 

9.1. The Services Provider will comply at all times with all applicable legal provisions and more in particular with social security and tax obligations. The Services Provider shall be fully liable for its own income tax, social security contributions and any other levies or charges arising from the performance of the Services and the payment of the Fee and the Bonus.

 

9.2. The Company shall hold the Service Provider harmless for any wrongful performance of his obligations under the Agreement, except for gross negligence or fraud and shall indemnify him for any damages suffered as a result of an action brought against the Company and/or himself by a third party resulting from a wrongful performance of his obligations, excluding any liability resulting from the Service Provider’s own gross negligence or fraud.

Article 10 - Duration of the Agreement and termination

 

10.1. The Agreement is deemed to come into force on [EFFECTIVE DATE] and shall be for an unlimited duration, unless terminated at an earlier time in accordance with the provisions of Articles 2.3., 10.2, 10.3 and 10.4.

 

10.2. The Agreement shall automatically terminate with immediate effect and without payment of any indemnity in accordance with the provisions of Article 2.3.

 

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10.3. The Agreement shall automatically terminate with immediate effect upon dismissal, for whatever reason, of the Services Provider as Chief Scientific Officer of the Company. The Termination Date shall be deemed to be the date of the decision of the Board dismissing the Services Provider.

In such case, the notice period, to the extent the Company gave a notice period, will correspond to 3 months of services.

 

10.4. The Agreement shall automatically terminate with immediate effect upon resignation of the Services Provider from its position as Chief Scientific Officer of the Company, for whatever reason. The Termination Date shall be deemed to be the date upon which its resignation shall take effect.

In such case, the notice period, to the extent the Company wish to have a notice period, will correspond to 3 months of services.

 

10.5. Notwithstanding any termination of the Agreement, the obligations under Article 3 c, Article 5 and Article 6 shall remain in force for the duration provided for in said clauses.

Article 11 - Obligations upon termination

On Termination Date, the Services Provider shall:

 

  (a) immediately deliver to the Company all documents, books, materials, records, correspondence, papers and information (on whatever media and wherever located) relating to the business or affairs of the Company or its business contacts, any keys, and any other property of the Company, which is in its possession or under its control;

 

  (b) irretrievably delete any information relating to the business of the Company stored on any magnetic or optical disk or memory and all matter derived from such sources which is in its possession or under its control outside the premises of the Company; and

 

  (c) provide a signed statement that it has complied fully with its obligations under this Article 11.

Article 12 - Notices and computation of delays

 

12.1. All notices or other communications required or permitted under the Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if (i) delivered personally, (ii) addressed by registered letter.

 

12.2. Any such notice or communication shall be deemed to have been received:

 

  (a) if delivered personally at the date of delivery as indicated on the receipt of delivery;

 

  (b) in the case of registered post, 3 calendar days after the date of posting.

 

12.3. All notice periods and delays described in the Agreement are calculated in calendar months.

 

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Article 13 - Headers

The descriptive headings of the Agreement are for the sake of convenience only and shall not control or affect the meaning, construction or interpretation of any provision of the Agreement.

Article 14 - Invalidity of a provision

If any provision of the Agreement shall be declared by any court of competent jurisdiction to be illegal, void or unenforceable, all other provisions of the Agreement shall not be affected and shall remain in full force and effect, and Parties shall negotiate in good faith to replace such illegal, void or unenforceable provision with a provision that corresponds as closely as possible to the intentions of the Parties as expressed in such illegal, void or unenforceable provision.

Article 15 - Entire agreement and previous contracts

Each Party acknowledges and agrees with the other Party that this Agreement together with any documents referred to in it constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between the Services Provider and the Company and supersedes any previous agreement between them relating to the Agreement (which shall be deemed to have been terminated by mutual consent).

Article 16 - Variation

No variation of the Agreement or of any of the documents referred to in it shall be valid unless it is in writing and signed by or on behalf of each of the Parties.

Article 17 - Governing law and jurisdiction

 

17.1. This Agreement shall be exclusively governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Belgium.

 

17.2. Any dispute arising out or in connection with the Agreement shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Brussels, Belgium.

 

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Executed in two originals in Mont-Saint-Guibert, on November 2, 2010.

 

The Company: The Services Provider:

/s/ Christian Homsy

/s/ Peter De Waele

Mr Christian Homsy Mr Peter De Waele
Chief Executive Officer Managing Director

 

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SCHEDULE A

Fees:

 

  Service Provider will provide Services at daily compensation of 1.100 € (one thousand and one hundred Euro) per day; to be increased with travelling costs ( vide infra ).

 

  Daily compensation will be increased automatically on an annual basis with a minimum of 4%, reflecting the annual increase of the cost of living (COL), at the start of each calendar year;

 

  Fees will be invoiced on a monthly basis; if payment is not received within defined period, a surcharge of 15% per year will be charged as from the first day following the 15 days payment period, augmented with a fixed amount of 50 € per invoice.

Expenses:

 

  Travel:

 

    € 0,43 per km by car within Belgium, starting from the ATC office located Nerenhoek 18, 9080 Lochristi, Belgium, and € 0,62 per km outside of Belgium, augmented with eventual toll fees for highways, bridges, tunnels, parking expenses etc.;

 

    Payments for car per km will be increased automatically on an annual basis with 4%, reflecting the annual increase of the cost of living (COL), at the start of each calendar year;

 

    train, plane, taxi and any other (public) transportation: prepaid by Company or reimbursed at cost in compliance with Company travel policy;

 

    hotel accommodation or equivalent, out of pocket expenses (meals, drinks, tolls, parking tickets) and any other related expenses: against invoice or equivalent (VISA credit note or equivalent).

 

  Congress or workshop participation:

Any charges for participation at congresses, workshops or alike, in consent with Company, will be charged at cost.

 

  Telephone:

National and international telephone calls and faxes will be charged at cost, including costs for mobile phone calls.

 

  ICT etc.:

Additional costs for local printing can be charged at 0,06€/page.

If particular access to paid databases is required, additional costs will be charged.

If particular software and/or hardware is required, expenses will be charged at cost.

 

  VAT:

Amounts listed for Fees and Expenses are excluding VAT.

All payments to be made in Euro (€).

 

  The invoice will be paid in Euro (€) on the account at Fortis Bank (Belgium), account number 001-5149092-20, IBAN: BE28 0015 1490 9220; BIC: GEBABEBB, of Advanced Therapies Consulting Limited; VAT: BE 0887.889.302; the account may be changed as notified to Company.

 

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E XHIBIT 10.8

SERVICE AGREEMENT

This service agreement (the “Agreement”), made and entered into as of 28 December 2014 (the “Effective Date”), by and between:

Cardio3 Biosciences SA, with its principal place of business at Rue Edouard Belin 12, B-1435 Mon-Saint-Guibert, Belgium (“C3BS”), duly represented by Mr Patrick Jeanmart, Chief Finance Officer,

and

ViaNova SPRL, with its principal place of business at 1380 Lasne, Rue du Chêne au Corbeau 54, represented by Vincent Brichard, Managing Director (“CONSULTANT”),

Each a “Party”, and collectively the “Parties”.

The Agreement shall enter into force on the Effective Date.

WHEREAS

C3BS is developing novel cell therapies in cardiovascular and oncology fields. Within the scope of the research and development programs, C3BS shall select suitable consultant which will help C3BS developing its product pipeline towards commercialization.

C3BS desires to retain the services of CONSULTANT from the Effective Date of this Agreement.

The CONSULTANT holds expertise in the field of oncology in research and development, regulatory, medical affairs and central commercial programs.

The CONSULTANT is willing to be retained by C3BS on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement.

Now therefore, the Parties agree as follows:

Article 1 Services

 

1.1 Description of Services.

As of the Effective Date, and as requested by C3BS, CONSULTANT shall perform the services as set forth on Schedule 1 (the “Services”) within the Territory (as that term is defined in Section 2.2 below).

 

1.2 Performance of Services.

All Services shall be performed by CONSULTANT as per the Effective date.

 

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Article 2 Definitions

 

2.1 Confidential Information.

Confidential Information is all information related to any aspect of the business of C3BS which Is either information not known by actual or potential competitors of C3BS or is proprietary information of C3BS, whether of a technical nature or otherwise. Confidential Information includes, without limitation, any inventions, disclosures, processes, systems, methods, formulae, devices, patents, patent applications, trademarks, intellectual properties, instruments, materials, products, patterns, compilations, programs, techniques, sequences, designs, research or development activities and plans, specifications, computer programs, source codes, mask works, costs of production, prices or other financial data, volume of sales, promotional methods, marketing plans, lists of names or classes of customers or personnel, lists of suppliers, business plans, business opportunities, or financial statements.

 

2.2 Territory.

Territory means worldwide.

Article 3 Term, termination and stepdown

 

3.1 Term/Termination.

The term of this Agreement shall commence on the Effective Date and shall continue until twelve (12) months from the Effective Date (the “Expiry Date”). It is provided however, that either CONSULTANT or C3BS may terminate this Agreement by written notice to the other party, in accordance with Section 3.2, 3.3 or 3.4 below. After the Expiry Date, the parties may renew this Agreement by written mutual consent.

 

3.2 Termination by C3BS.

C3BS is entitled to terminate this Agreement at any time before the Expiry Date with three (3) months notice. C3BS is entitled to terminate this Agreement at any time before the Expiry Date without notice for any of the following reasons:

 

(i) a fault, negligence or breach of contract by CONSULTANT and which CONSULTANT has not cured within fifteen (15) days of the notice sent by C3BS asking CONSULTANT to cure it,

 

(ii) the inability of CONSULTANT to provide the Services for two (2) subsequent months no matter for what reason and including if this is due to a force majeure event, or

 

(iii) in case of conflict of interest as described under article 5.1 hereunder.

 

3.3 Termination by CONSULTANT.

In the event CONSULTANT elects to terminate this Agreement prior to the Expiry Date, C3BS may request that CONSULTANT continue to provide the Services of the Designated Consultant for a one (1)-month period following CONSULTANT’S notice of its election to terminate this Agreement. If C3BS fails to request such a continuation of the Agreement, this Agreement shall terminate as of C3BS’s receipt of CONSULTANT’s written notice of termination, and C3BS’s obligations to pay CONSULTANT for further Services shall cease as of the time of termination.

 

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3.4 Remaining Payments.

Within thirty (30) days after termination of this Agreement for any reason, CONSULTANT shall submit to C3BS an itemized invoice for any fees or expenses incurred in accordance with SCHEDULE 2 hereof and C3BS shall make payment to CONSULTANT within thirty (30) days after receipt of such itemized invoice, subject to verification by C3BS that such fees and expenses were reasonably incurred in furtherance of this Agreement.

 

3.5 Termination’s effect.

Upon termination of this Agreement for whatsoever cause, CONSULTANT and Its employees shall immediately stop providing the Services unless otherwise requested by C3BS, and they shall deliver to C3BS or any person designated by this latter all materials, documents, data or anything else which was provided by C3BS in connection with and for the purpose of the provision of the Services or which was developed by CONSULTANT and its employees in the performance of the Services.

Article 4 Compensation

 

4.1 Fees.

In consideration of the Services actually performed by CONSULTANT, CONSULTANT shall be entitled to compensation as more fully described on SCHEDULE 2 hereto. The same principle will apply for expenses supported by CONSULTANT on behalf of C3BS, Fees and expenses will be reported by consultants to C3BS based on timesheets and expenses notes on a monthly basis. Once approved, services and expenses will be paid with thirty (30) working days.

 

4.2 Taxes.

CONSULTANT acknowledges and agrees that any amount received under this Agreement is gross of any taxes/fees and levies of any nature whatsoever which may be Imposed by any authority with jurisdiction over any amounts received by CONSULTANT under this Agreement with the exception of Value Added Tax (VAT) “Taxe sur la Valeur Ajoutée (TVA)/ Belasting op Toegevoegde Waarde (BTW)” as required under Belgian legislation. CONSULTANT shall be solely responsible for the payment of any and all such other taxes, fees and levies.

Article 5 Independent contractor and other matters

 

5.1 Independent Contractor.

It is understood that CONSULTANT is being retained and has contracted with C3BS only for the purposes and to the extent set forth In this Agreement, and its relationship to C3BS and any of its subsidiary companies shall, during the period of the retainer and service, be that of an independent contractor, and CONSULTANT shall be free to render services to such other persons, firms, or corporations as CONSULTANT deems advisable so long as such services do not create a conflict of interest between C3BS and such other persons, firms, or corporations.

 

5.2 Conflicts.

In the event that a possible conflict of interest for the defined scope of SERVICES arises at any time during the term of the Agreement between the interests of C3BS and those of other clients of CONSULTANT, CONSULTANT agrees to notify C3BS thereof promptly. C3BS will have the right to decide whether CONSULTANT can or not be in such situation of conflict of interests, in

 

Page 3 of 10


case C3BS agrees CONSULTANT to be in such situation, C3BS’s decision will remain valid until the end of the current agreement. In case C3BS refuses CONSULTANT to be in such situation of conflict of interests, then C3BS will inform CONSULTANT and CONSULTANT will have a ten (10) working days period to take appropriate measures, after which C3BS will have the right to terminate the agreement with immediate effect and without liability nor payment of the Termination Compensation The fact that CONSULTANT has informal contacts with a third party that could result in a conflict of interest situation will not be taken Into account. However it is CONSULTANT’S responsibility to inform C3BS of any such tangible discussion.

 

5.3 CONSULTANT’s Employees and partners.

No person providing Services on behalf of CONSULTANT hereunder shall be considered under the provisions of this Agreement or otherwise, as having status as an employee of C3BS, nor shall they be entitled hereafter to participate in any plans, arrangements, or distributions by C3BS relating to any pension, deferred compensation, bonds, stock bonus, stock option, hospitalization, insurance, or other benefits extended to its employees since such individuals are employees of CONSULTANT, except as specifically provided for in this Agreement.

 

5.4 Labor law and insurance.

CONSULTANT shall at its sole cost and expenses take out and maintain insurance with an insurance company as will provide full and adequate protection against all claims of CONSULTANT’S personnel including those concerning on or off-the-job death, injuries or disabilities.

Article 6 Confidentiality and intellectual property

 

6.1 Confidentiality.

CONSULTANT, and all of its employees, shall, both during and subsequent to providing Services as described herein, keep all Confidential Information in confidence, including knowledge of C3BS’s projects and general activities and any information not publicly disclosed relating to C3BS’s business which CONSULTANT, its employees or subcontractors may acquire through Its consulting activities or otherwise, either before or during the term of this Agreement. CONSULTANT, its employees or its subcontractors, will not disclose such information in any manner without the express written permission of C3BS; title to all property Involved shall remain exclusively in C3BS. It is understood that this Agreement will not be deemed breached if disclosure occurs inadvertently during a collaborative scientific effort but CONSULTANT and any of its employees will use their best efforts to avoid such disclosure. Upon termination of Services, or upon request at any time, CONSULTANT shall account for and return to C3BS all papers containing any such Confidential Information/In addition, CONSULTANT and its employees shall not disclose or otherwise transfer to C3BS any confidential information of third party, which they may have acquired as a result of any previous or future employment or consulting relationship.

CONSULTANT represents on behalf of itself and each of its employees who will be rendering Services pursuant hereto, that its and their performance of all the terms of this Agreement and its retention as a consultant by C3BS does not and will not breach any agreement to keep In confidence confidential information acquired by CONSULTANT or such employees in confidence or in trust prior to its retention as a consultant by C3BS.

 

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6.2 Ownership.

All materials, reports, data submitted to or developed for C3BS during the term of this Agreement and paid for by C3BS, will be our C3BS’s sole property. Therefore, C3BS shall have the right, without further payment over and above that set forth in SCHEDULE 2 ‘Fees’, forever to use and dispose fully any and all information disclosed or developed by CONSULTANT in the performance of the Services for C3BS. Any use of such materials, reports or data by CONSULTANT for any other purpose than the Services performance must then be approved in writing by C3BS in advance.

 

6.3 Inventions and discovery.

All rights to any discovery or invention conceived or conceived and reduced to practice in the direct performance of the Services conducted under the Agreement shall belong to C3BS. CONSULTANT and its employees agree to assign to C3BS, at Its request, the sole and exclusive ownership thereto, upon the payment of costs by C3BS, If any, incurred by CONSULTANT and its employees in the filing, prosecution, or maintenance of any patent application or patent issuing thereon. Such application, if any, shall be filed and prosecuted by C3BS. CONSULTANT and its employees shall promptly disclose to C3BS any invention or discovery arising under the Agreement.

Article 7 Conflict of interest and exclusivity

CONSULTANT confirms that he has advised C3BS in writing prior to the date of signing this Agreement of any relationship with third parties, including competitors of C3BS, which would present a conflict of interest with the rendering of the SERVICES, or which would prevent CONSULTANT from carrying out the terms of this Agreement or which would present a significant opportunity for the disclosure of confidential information. CONSULTANT will advise C3BS of any such relationships that arise during the term of this Agreement. C3BS will then have the option either to terminate this Agreement without further liability to CONSULTANT, except to pay for SERVICES actually rendered or to prevent CONSULTANT to enter is such relationship.

Article 8 Non Exclusivity and Exclusion of Advice for competing assets owned by third parties.

It is agreed that CONSULTANT, for the duration of this agreement, put his services not exclusively at the disposal of C3BS. This means that during the term of this Agreement, CONSULTANT can seek, accept or perform any services without the specific and written approval of C3BS. However, any consulting or other services or relationship with third parties for which the support of CONSULTANT is required and that would present conflict of interest with the rendering SERVICES for C3BS, should be reported to C3BS and will be handled as described in Article 7 ‘Conflict of interest’.

Article 9 Miscellaneous

 

9.1 Force Majeure.

No party shall not be liable to the other party for any failure or delay caused by events beyond control, including, without limitation, the other party’s failure to furnish necessary information; sabotage, failure, or delays in transportation or communication; failures or substitutions of equipment; labour disputes; accidents; fuel, raw materials, or equipment; or technical failures.

 

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9.2 Governing Law.

This Agreement shall be governed and construed in all respects in accordance with the laws of Belgium as they apply to a contract entered into and performed in that Belgium.

 

9.3 Arbitration.

Any dispute or litigation relating to the existence, conclusion, validity, interpretation or performance of this Agreement shall be finally settled in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules of Belgium then in effect, by one or more arbitrators appointed in accordance with these rules. The place of arbitration shall be Brussels, Belgium, and the language of the proceeding shall be French.

 

9.4 Waiver and Survival.

The waiver of the breach of any provision of this Agreement shall not operate or be construed as a waiver of any subsequent breach of the same or other provision hereof. The provisions of Article 6 of this Agreement shall survive any termination of this Agreement for a period of one (1) year following the termination date.

 

9.5 Notices.

All notices and other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing. Unless and until CONSULTANT is notified in writing to the contrary, all notices, communications and documents directed to C3BS and related to the Agreement, if not delivered by hand, shall be mailed and addressed as follows:

ViaNova SPRL

Rue du Chêne au Corbeau 54

B-1380 Lasne

Unless and until CONSULTANT is notified in writing to the contrary, all notices, communications and documents intended for CONSULTANT and related to this Agreement, if not delivered by hand, shall be mailed and addressed as follows:

Cardio3 Biosciences SA

Rue Edouard Belin 12

B-1435 Mont Saint Guibert

Attention: Christian HOMSY

Notices and communications shall be mailed by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid. Email with acknowledgment of receipt will be accepted by both parties. All notices related to this Agreement shall be deemed received upon delivery or, If mailed, within three (3) days after mailing in accordance with this section 9.5.

 

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9.6 Name.

The term, C3BS, as used herein, shall include any subsidiary or affiliate or branch of C3BS. In performing its duties, CONSULTANT may request from C3BS the ability to utilize any trade names, trademarks or other branding marks or information of C3BS that might be helpful in completing the Services described in the schedule 1.

 

9.7 Assignment.

This Agreement shall be binding upon CONSULTANT, its successors and assigns, and shall inure to the benefit of C3BS, its successors and assigns.

 

9.8 Attorneys Fees.

If any party seeks to enforce its rights under this Agreement by legal proceedings or otherwise, the non-prevailing party shall pay all costs and expenses of the prevailing party,

 

9.9 Counterparts.

This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same Agreement.

 

9.10 Sole Agreement and Enforcement.

This Agreement including all its Schedules, which are an integral part thereof, embodies the entire undertaking of the parties and there are no promises, terms, conditions or obligations oral or written other than those contained in this Agreement. If any provision of this Agreement shall be declared invalid, illegal or unenforceable, such portion shall be severed and all remaining portions shall continue in full force and effect.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF,

The parties have caused this Agreement to be executed by their duly authorized representatives.

 

Cardio3 Biosciences SA ViaNova SPRL
By:

/s/ Christian Homsy

By:

 

Christian Homsy, Chief Executive Officer
Date:

30/01/2015

Date:

 

 

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SCHEDULE 1

DESCRIPTION OF THE SERVICES

The role of the CONSULTANT Is the one of a “Vice-President Immuno-Oncology” aimed at helping the CEO and the Board on the constructive challenge on both the projects content and the organizational aspects and the general performance to optimize the value of the assets. It is understood that the primary operational responsibilities will remain with the department heads, the CONSULTANT acting mostly as an advisor.

The Job description includes developing proposals in strategy, the development of entrepreneurial leadership, the scrutiny of performance in meeting agreed goals and objectives and the monitoring of the performance reports, assessing the integrity of information.

The scope of activities includes preclinical activities, clinical development plans, communication planning and preliminary commercial assessment of the assets.

The ultimate objective is to maximize the value of the company on a financial risk-based evaluation of the various assets in the field of immuno-oncology developed by C3BS, namely CAR T-cells expressing NKG2D or NKp30 or B7H6 target, or the T3 allogeneic program.

Note: the title may change as a transition to the Board of Directors may be contemplated with a scope of activities encompassing a broader view on all projects at C3BS.

 

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SCHEDULE 2

FEES

 

  1. CONSULTANT will invoice C3BS on a monthly basis. The invoice will be supported by a detailed timesheet and CONSULTANT will only invoice the time spent on the project.

 

  2. Services rendered by CONSULTANT will be charged at a daily rate of 2.000 € or an hourly rate of 250€.

 

  3. These fees are valid through the Term of the agreement. At the beginning of each year thereafter, fees could be subject to adjustment by up to 3%, based on the rate of inflation.

 

  4. At signature of the Agreement, the CONSULTANT will be entitled to 10.000 warrants of C3BS, at the conditions set by the Board of Directors. A third of these warrants will be vested at the end of the first, second and third year of services initiation.

 

  5. Incentives: an incentive scheme, reflecting the optimization of the valuation of the assets will be determined by the CONSULTANT and C3BS within the month following the start of this agreement.

 

  6. Travel Expense Guidelines done exclusively for the related SERVICES:

 

  a. For flights, travel guidelines are to use flexible economy airfare rates (economy!) in Europe, and business rates to travel to the US or Asia. For train transportation, business fares will apply.

 

  b. Use of Consultant vehicle will be compensated at €0,3461 per kilometre. This does not apply to Belgium, where the use of CONSULTANT vehicle will not be compensated.

 

  7. CONSULTANT will provide C3BS, not later than ten (10) working days after month end, with an invoice, including actual monthly fees calculation and actual variable expenses incurred during the previous month. All variable expenses will be supported by appropriate invoices or receipts, as appropriate. C3BS shall initiate payment immediately upon receipt of physical invoice and in all cases not later than thirty (30) working days. C3BS can withhold the total payment of the invoice in the case a part of the invoice is unclear or needs further investigation. C3BS shall notify CONSULTANT not later than 5 days upon receipt of an unclear invoice by e-mail to Director Finance giving details of the information requiring clarification.

 

  8. All expenses higher than 500€ (Five hundred Euro) are subject to prior approval by the head of department concerned within C3BS.

 

  9. In addition to the amounts described above, C3BS shall reimburse CONSULTANT for its actual direct and documented costs in carrying out its obligations pursuant to this Agreement.

 

Page 10 of 10

Exhibit 10.9

CELDARA MEDICAL - DARTMOUTH EXCLUSIVE LICENSE AGREEMENT

This Agreement, effective this 30th day of April 2010, between

TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE, a non-profit educational and research institution existing under the laws of the State of New Hampshire, and being located at Hanover, New Hampshire 03755, hereinafter called Dartmouth,

and

CELDARA MEDICAL, LLC., a company of the State of Delaware, with a principal place of business at 16 Cavendish Court, Centerra Resource Park, DRTC, Lebanon, NH 03766; hereinafter called Company.

WHEREAS, Dartmouth, under the direction of principal investigator Charles Sentman, Ph.D. has developed chimeric NKG2D receptor-based T cell therapies including TCR-less T cells expressing targeting receptor(s) known as the Art; and

WHEREAS, Dartmouth represents that it has the right to grant licenses granted in this agreement; and

WHEREAS, Company wishes to obtain a license under the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth, and to use its expertise and resources to practice and market the technology;

NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the faithful performance of the covenants herein contained, IT IS AGREED:

ARTICLE I. Definitions

Section 1.01 Dartmouth Know-How. “Dartmouth Know-How” shall mean the ideas, methods, characterization and techniques developed by Dr. Sentman at Dartmouth before the Effective Date, which are necessary for practicing Dartmouth Patent Rights.

Section 1.02 Dartmouth Patent Rights. “Dartmouth Patent Rights” shall mean United States Patent Application Serial No.: 11/575,878, filed April 19, 2007, United States Patent Application Serial No.: 12/407,440, filed March 19, 2009, and United States Provisional Application Serial No.: 61/255,980, filed October 29, 2009, and any applications which claim benefit of priority to said Patent Applications, and any United States or Foreign Patents issuing therefrom, and any continuations, continuations-in-part, divisions, reissues, reexaminations or extensions thereof. Dartmouth shall be the assignee and owner of all such Patents and Patent Applications.

 

pg. 1


Section 1.03 Licensed Products. “Licensed Products” shall mean any products or processes covered by or made, in whole or in part, by the use of Dartmouth Patent Rights or by the use of Dartmouth Know-How.

Section 1.04 Field. The “Field” of this Agreement shall mean the Art.

Section 1.05 Territory. The “Territory” shall mean worldwide.

Section 1.06 Subsidiary. “Subsidiary” shall mean a legal entity at least 50% of the voting stock of which is owned directly or indirectly by Company.

Section 1.07 Agreement. “Agreement” shall mean this License Agreement.

Section 1.08 Net Sales. “Net Sales” shall mean the gross billing price Company, its subsidiaries and sublicensees charge to their customers for Licensed Products, less sales, use, occupation and excise taxes, and transportation, discounts, returns and allowances in lieu of returns.

Section 1.09 Effective Date. “Effective Date” shall mean the date first written above and shall be the Effective Date of this Agreement.

Section 1.10 License Year. The “First License Year” shall mean the period commencing on the Effective Date and ending December 31, 2010. The second and all subsequent “License Years” shall commence on January 1 and end on December 31 of each year.

Section 1.11 Calendar Quarter. “Calendar Quarter” shall mean the periods ending on March 31, June 30, September 30 and December 31 of each year.

ARTICLE II. Grant

Section 2.01 License Grant. Dartmouth hereby grants to Company and its Subsidiaries an exclusive, royalty-bearing license under Dartmouth Know-How and Dartmouth Patent Rights to make, have made, use, and/or sell Licensed Products in the Field in the Territory. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Dartmouth expressly reserves a non-transferable royalty-free right to use the Dartmouth Patent Rights and Dartmouth Know-How in the Field itself, including use by its faculty, staff and researchers, for educational and research purposes only. Company agrees during the period of exclusivity of this license in the United States that any Licensed Product produced for sale in the United States will be manufactured substantially in the United States.

 

pg. 2


Section 2.02 Sublicenses. Company shall have the right to grant sublicenses to third parties under Dartmouth Know-How and Patent Rights to make, have made, use and sell the Licensed Products with the consent of Dartmouth, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, except that such sublicenses shall be in writing and expressly subject to the terms of this Agreement. Company agrees to be responsible for the performance hereunder by its sublicensees. Dartmouth shall have the right to review such sublicenses to assure conformity with this Section. Upon termination of this Agreement, any such sublicenses will revert directly to Dartmouth.

Section 2.03 Patents. Company shall reimburse Dartmouth for all expenses ($32,820.28) Dartmouth has incurred for the preparation, filing, prosecution and maintenance of Dartmouth Patent Rights as of the Effective Date within thirty (30) days of Company’s receipt of a detailed invoice. Company shall engage patent attorney(s) acceptable to Dartmouth (“Firm”). Company shall be responsible for future expenses in connection with preparation, filing, prosecution and maintenance of Dartmouth Patent Rights.

Dartmouth, Company and the Firm shall interact as described in the Client and Billing Agreement (Attachment A). If Company chooses to discontinue prosecution or maintenance of any United States Patent or Patent Application, which is a subject of Dartmouth Patent Rights, it will so inform Dartmouth within a reasonable time before implementation of such decision. Dartmouth then shall have the right to prosecute or maintain such Patent or Patent Application on its own and at its own expense, in which case the license to Company under such Patent or Patent Application will terminate. COMPANY shall notify Dartmouth by at least three (3) months before a National Phase deadline whether it will support the filing of patent applications in particular foreign territories. If COMPANY decides not to support the filing or maintaining foreign applications, Dartmouth reserves the right to file or maintain such applications on its own, in which case the license to COMPANY in the particular territory will terminate.

ARTICLE III.

Disclosure of Invention, Confidentiality and Representations

Section 3.01 Disclosure of Invention. Dartmouth agrees promptly after the Effective Date of this Agreement to deliver and to disclose to duly authorized representatives of Company, all proprietary technical data, methods, processes, including the technology, and other information and specifications relating to Dartmouth Know-How.

 

pg. 3


Section 3.02 Mutual Confidentiality. Company and Dartmouth realize that some information received by one party from the other pursuant to this Agreement shall be confidential. It is therefore agreed that any information received by one party from the other, and clearly designated in writing as “ CONFIDENTIAL ” at the time of transfer, shall not be disclosed by either party to any third party and shall not be used by either party for purposes other than those contemplated by this Agreement for a period of three (3) years from the termination of the Agreement, unless or until —

(a) said information shall become known to third parties not under any obligation of confidentiality to the disclosing party, or shall become publicly known through no fault of the receiving party, or

(b) said information was already in the receiving party’s possession prior to the disclosure of said information to the receiving party, except in cases when the information has been covered by a preexisting Confidentiality Agreement, or

(c) said information shall be subsequently disclosed to the receiving party by a third party not under any obligation of confidentiality to the disclosing party, or

(d) said information is approved for disclosure by prior written consent of the disclosing party, or

(e) said information is required to be disclosed by court order or governmental law or regulation, provided that the receiving party gives the disclosing party prompt notice of any such requirement and cooperates with the disclosing party in attempting to limit such disclosure.

Section 3.03 Corporate Action. Dartmouth and Company each represent and warrant to the other party that they have full power and authority to enter into this Agreement and carry out the transactions contemplated hereby, and that all necessary corporate action had been duly taken in this regard.

ARTICLE IV. Due Diligence

Section 4.01 Milestones. Company has represented to Dartmouth, to induce Dartmouth to issue this license, that it will commit itself to a diligent program of exploiting the Licensed Products so that public utilization will result therefrom. As evidence thereof, Company shall adhere to the following milestones:

 

Filing of IND

2 years from the Effective Date

Enrollment of first patient into Phase I clinical trial

8 months after IND filing

Enrollment of first patient into Phase II clinical trial

2 years from start of Phase I

Enrollment of first patient into Phase III clinical trial

2 years from start of Phase II

Filing NDA

1 year after the end of Phase III

FDA approval

2 years from NDA filing

 

pg. 4


Section 4.02 Minimum Net Sales. After fourteen (14) years from the Effective Date of this Agreement, Dartmouth shall have the right, upon thirty (30) days written notice, to terminate the license, if Company fails, either by itself or through its Subsidiaries or Sublicensees, to market sufficient quantities of Licensed Products to provide, in each of the following years, a total minimum Net Sales of at least:

(a) $10,000,000 during the first year of Sales;

(b) $40,000,000 during the second year of Sales;

(c) $100,000,000 during the third year of Sales and every year of sales thereafter.

Section 4.03 Minimum Royalty. If Company has failed to meet the minimum Net Sales amounts set forth in Section 4.02 of the Agreement in any one year and Dartmouth has provided thirty (30) days notice to Company that it intends to terminate the license granted hereunder, Company shall have the right to maintain the license by paying Dartmouth within such thirty (30) day period the royalty it would otherwise be obligated to pay under this Agreement if it had met the Minimum Net Sales amount.

ARTICLE V. Payments, Records and Reports

Section 5.01 Payments. For the rights and privileges granted under this license, Company shall pay to Dartmouth

(a) an earned royalty of 3% based on the value of Net Sales of the Licensed Products; and

(b) annual license maintenance fee of $20,000 due upon each anniversary of the Agreement; and

(c) following percentages of any consideration, received from an infringement settlement, less litigation expenditures, as described in Section 8.01, and from each sublicense, except earned royalty on the sale of Licensed Products (e.g., license issue fees, license maintenance fees, etc.) received from each sublicensee of Company for the grant of a sublicense:

50% if sublicense is granted during the preclinical stage of the product development up to the filing of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application;

40% if sublicense is granted after the filing of an IND and prior to completion of Phase I Clinical Trial;

30% if sublicense is granted after the completion of Phase I and before completion of Phase II Clinical Trial;

 

pg. 5


20% if the sublicense is granted after the completion of Phase II Clinical Trial and thereafter.

Dartmouth acknowledges that Company’s business model includes the spin-off of companies, specifically including the formation of a new legal entity and the transfer of some portion of Company’s assets to the new entity, which may include a sublicense, in which case this provision will not apply.

(e) non-refundable, non-creditable milestone as follows:

 

Filing of IND

$ 25,000   

Enrollment of first patient into Phase I clinical trial

$ 75,000   

Enrollment of first patient into Phase II clinical trial

$ 250,000   

Enrollment of first patient into Phase III clinical trial

$ 250,000   

Filing NDA

$ 400,000   

FDA approval

$ 500,000   

It is acknowledged that if the above milestones are not accomplished by the dates specified in Section 4.01, the licenses may be terminated unless payments in the above amounts are made to Dartmouth within thirty (30) days of the dates specified in Section 4.01.

Section 5.02 Reports. Company shall render to Dartmouth upon request:

(a) within thirty (30) days after the end of each Calendar Quarter a written account of all quantities of Licensed Products subject to royalty hereunder sold by Company, any Subsidiary, and any sublicensee during such Calendar Quarter, the calculation of royalty thereon, and sufficient data for Dartmouth to verify the calculation, including gross sales and allowable deductions to derive to Net Sales figures, and shall simultaneously pay in United States dollars to Dartmouth the royalty due with respect to such sales. Conversion of foreign currency to U.S. dollars shall be made at the conversion rate existing in the United States on the date of royalty payments by Company. Such report shall be certified as correct by an officer of Company. If no Licensed Products subject to royalty hereunder have been sold by Company, its Subsidiaries and its sublicensees during any such quarter, Company shall so report in writing to Dartmouth within thirty (30) days after the end of said quarter. If royalties for any License Year do not equal or exceed the minimum royalties established in Section 4.03, Company shall include the balance of the minimum royalty with the payment for the Calendar Quarter ending December 31. Late payments shall be subject to an interest charge of one and one half percent (11/2%) per month.

(b) within sixty (60) days after the close of each License Year written annual reports which shall include but not limited to: reports of progress on research and development, regulatory approvals, manufacturing, sublicensing, marketing and sales during preceding twelve (12) months as well as plans for coming year. Company shall also provide any reasonable additional data Dartmouth requires to evaluate Company’s performance.

 

pg. 6


(c) within thirty (30) days of occurrence report of the date of first sale of Licensed Products in each country.

Section 5.03 Books of Accounts. Company, its Subsidiaries and sublicensees shall keep full, true and accurate books of accounts and other records containing all particulars which may be necessary for the purpose of ascertaining and verifying the royalties payable to Dartmouth by Company hereunder. Upon Dartmouth’s request, Company, its Subsidiaries and sublicensees shall permit an independent Certified Accountant selected by Dartmouth (except one to whom Company has some reasonable objection), to periodically have access during ordinary business hours to such records of Company, its Subsidiaries and sublicensees as may be necessary to determine, for any quarter ending not more than three (3) years prior to the date of such request, the correctness of any report and/or payment made under this Agreement. In the event that any such inspection shows an underreporting and underpayment in excess of five percent (5%) for any twelve (12) month period, then Company shall pay the cost of such examination.

ARTICLE VI. Technical Assistance and Commercial Development

Section 6.01 Technical Assistance. Throughout the term of the Agreement, Dartmouth agrees to permit Company and its designees to consult with its employees and agents regarding developments and enhancements made subsequent to the Effective Date relating to the Licensed Products, at such times and places as may be mutually agreed upon; provided that Company agrees to make suitable arrangements with, and to compensate the Dartmouth employees and agents for such consultation.

Section 6.02 Commercial Development. During the term of this Agreement, Company agrees to use commercially reasonable efforts to effectively market Licensed Products. Such efforts may include sublicensing, development of promotional literature, mailings, and journal advertisements.

Section 6.03 Name. Neither party shall use nor permit to be used by any other person or entity the name of the other party nor any adaptation thereof, or the name of either party’s employees not named in this agreement, in any advertising, promotional or sales literature, or for any other purpose without prior written permission of the other party, except that Company may state that it is licensed by Dartmouth under Dartmouth Know-How and Patent Rights, and Dartmouth may state that it has licensed to Celdara Medical.

 

pg. 7


ARTICLE VII. Indemnity, Insurance, Disclaimers

Section 7.01 Indemnity. Company shall defend and indemnify and hold Dartmouth and its trustees, officers, agents and employees (the “Indemnitees”) harmless from any judgements and other liabilities based upon claims or causes of action against Dartmouth or its employees which arise out of alleged negligence in the development, manufacture or sale of Licensed Products by Company, its Subsidiaries, and sublicensees, or from the use by the end users of Licensed Products, except to the extent that such judgements or liabilities arise in whole or in part from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of Dartmouth or its employees, provided that Dartmouth promptly notifies Company of any such claim coming to its attention and that it cooperates with Company in the defense of such claim. If any such claims or causes of action are made, Dartmouth shall be defended by counsel to Company, subject to Dartmouth’s approval, which shall not be unreasonably withheld. Dartmouth reserves the right to be represented by its own counsel at its own expense.

Section 7.02 Insurance. At such time as any product, process, service relating to, or developed pursuant to, this Agreement is being commercially distributed or sold (other than for the purpose of obtaining regulatory approvals) by Company or by a sublicensee, Subsidiary or agent of Company, Company shall at its sole cost and expense, procure and maintain comprehensive general liability insurance in amounts not less than $2,000,000 per incident and naming the Indemnitees as additional insureds. Such comprehensive general liability insurance shall provide (i) product liability coverage and (ii) broad form contractual liability coverage for Company’s indemnification under this Agreement. If Company elects to self-insure all or part of the limits described above (including deductibles or retentions which are in excess of $250,000 annual aggregate) such self-insurance program must be acceptable to Dartmouth and Dartmouth Risk Manager. Such insurance will be considered primary as to any other valid and collectible insurance, but only as to acts of the named insured. The minimum amounts of insurance coverage required shall not be construed to create a limit of Company’s liability with respect to its indemnification under this Agreement.

Company shall provide Dartmouth with written evidence of such insurance upon request of Dartmouth. Company shall provide Dartmouth with written notice at least fifteen (15) days prior to the cancellation, non-renewal or material change in such insurance; if Company does not obtain replacement insurance providing comparable coverage within such fifteen (15) day period, Dartmouth shall have the right to terminate this Agreement effective at the end of such fifteen (15) day period without notice or any additional waiting periods.

 

pg. 8


Company shall maintain such comprehensive general liability insurance beyond the expiration or termination of this Agreement during (I) the period that any product, process, or service, relating to, or developed pursuant to, this Agreement is being commercially distributed or sold by Company or by a sublicensee, Subsidiary or agent of Company and (ii) a reasonable period after the period referred to in (i) above which in no event shall be less than fifteen (15) years.

Section 7.03 Disclaimer. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be construed as:

(a) a warranty or representation by Dartmouth as to the validity or scope of any Patent Rights;

(b) a warranty or representation that any Licensed Products manufactured, used or sold will be free from infringement of patents, copyrights, or rights of third parties, except that Dartmouth represents that it has no knowledge of any existing issued patents or copyrights which might be infringed;

(c) except as provided in Section 7.01, an agreement to defend against actions or suits of any nature brought by any third parties.

DARTMOUTH MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO THE

MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OF

LICENSED PRODUCTS

ARTICLE VIII. Infringement Matters

Section 8.01 Infringement by Third Parties. Company shall give Dartmouth prompt notice of any incident of infringement of Dartmouth Patent Rights coming to its attention. The parties shall thereupon confer together as to what steps are to be taken to stop or prevent such infringement. Dartmouth agrees to use reasonable efforts to stop any such infringement, but shall not be obliged to commence proceedings against the infringer. If Dartmouth decides to commence proceedings however, Dartmouth shall be responsible for any legal costs incurred and will be entitled to retain any damages recovered. Should Dartmouth decide not to commence proceedings, Company shall be entitled to do so in its own name against the infringer, in which event Company shall be responsible for all legal costs incurred, without recourse to Dartmouth. Financial recoveries from any such litigation will first be applied to reimburse Company for its litigation expenditures with additional recoveries being paid to Company, subject to payments due Dartmouth per Sections 5.01 (a) and (c). In any action to enforce Dartmouth Patent Rights, either party, at the request and expense of the other party shall cooperate to the fullest extent reasonably possible.

 

pg. 9


ARTICLE IX. Duration and Termination

Section 9.01 Term. This Agreement shall become effective upon the date first written above, and unless sooner terminated in accordance with any of the provisions herein, shall remain in full force during the life of the last to expire patents under Dartmouth Patent Rights contemplated by this agreement in the last to expire territory. If mutually desired, the parties may negotiate for an extension of this License. Upon the termination of the Agreement Company shall have the right to sell the remainder of the Licensed Product on hand, provided the sales will be subject to the royalty payments of this Agreement.

Section 9.02 Termination - Breach. In the event that either party defaults or breaches any of the provisions of this Agreement, the other party shall have the right to terminate this Agreement by giving written notice to the defaulting party, provided, however, that if the said defaulting party cures said default within thirty (30) days after said notice shall have been given, this Agreement shall continue in full force and effect. The failure on the part of either of the parties hereto to exercise or enforce any right conferred upon it hereunder shall not be deemed to be a waiver of any such right nor operate to bar the exercise or enforcement thereof at any time or times thereafter.

Section 9.03 Insolvency. In the event that Company shall become insolvent, shall make an assignment for the benefit of creditors, or shall have a petition in bankruptcy filed for or against it, the Agreement shall terminate.

Section 9.04 Prior Obligations and Survivability. Termination of this Agreement for any reason shall not release either party from any obligation theretofore accrued. Sections 3.02, 5.01 – 5.03, 7.01 – 7.03, 10.01 – 10.09 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

ARTICLE X. Miscellaneous

Section 10.01 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be construed, governed, interpreted and enforced according to the laws of the State of New Hampshire.

Section 10.02 Notices. Any notice or communication required or permitted to be given by either party hereunder, shall be deemed sufficiently given, if mailed by certified mail, return receipt requested, and addressed to the party to whom notice is given as follows:

 

If to Company, to:

Jake Reder

CEO

Celdara Medical, LLC.

16 Cavendish Ct., Centerra Resource Park, DRTC

Lebanon, NH 03766

 

pg. 10


If to Dartmouth, to:

Alla Kan

Director

Technology Transfer Office

Dartmouth College

11 Rope Ferry Road

Hanover, NH 03755

Section 10.03. Assignment. Dartmouth acknowledges that Company’s business model includes the spin-off of companies, specifically including the formation of a new legal entity and the transfer of some portion of Company’s assets to the new entity which may include Assignment of this Agreement. Beyond this exception, neither party shall assign or transfer this Agreement without the express prior written consent of the other, which shall not be unreasonably withheld. For purposes of this Agreement, an assignment or transfer of this Agreement by COMPANY shall be deemed to occur in connection with (a) an express assignment or transfer, (b) a general assignment for the benefit of creditors or in connection with any bankruptcy or other debtor relief law, (c) any merger or consolidation to which COMPANY is a party, regardless of whether COMPANY is the surviving corporation, or (d) any other transaction pursuant to which a change would occur in the “ultimate parent entity” of COMPANY, applying the rules in effect from time to time under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended.

Section 10.04 Entire Agreement. This Agreement represents the entire Agreement between the parties as of the effective date hereof, and may only be subsequently altered or modified by an instrument in writing. This agreement cancels and supersedes any and all prior oral or written agreements between the parties which relate to the subject matter of this Agreement.

Section 10.05 Mediation and Arbitration. Both parties agree that they shall attempt to resolve any dispute arising from this Agreement through mediation. Both parties agree that at least one employee, capable of negotiating an agreement on behalf of his employer, shall, within three weeks of receipt of written notification of a dispute, meet with at least one employee of the other party who is also capable of negotiating an agreement on behalf of his employer. If no agreement can be reached, both parties agree to meet again within a four week period after the initial meeting to negotiate in good faith to resolve the dispute. If no agreement can be reached after this second meeting, both parties agree to submit the dispute to binding arbitration under the Rules of the American Arbitration Association before a single arbitrator.

 

pg. 11


Section 10.06 Waiver. A failure by one of the parties to this Agreement to assert its rights for or upon any breach or default of this Agreement shall not be deemed a waiver of such rights nor shall any such waiver be implied from acceptance of any payment. No such failure or waiver in writing by any one of the parties hereto with respect to any rights, shall extend to or affect any subsequent breach or impair any right consequent thereon.

Section 10.07 Severability. The parties agree that it is the intention of neither party to violate any public policy, statutory or common laws, and governmental or supranational regulations; that if any sentence, paragraph, clause or combination of the same is in violation of any applicable law or regulation, or is unenforceable or void for any reason whatsoever, such sentence, paragraph, clause or combinations of the same shall be inoperative and the remainder of the Agreement shall remain binding upon the parties.

Section 10.08 Marking. Company agrees to mark the Licensed Products with all applicable trademarks, and patent numbers.

Section 10.09 Headings. The headings of the paragraphs of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and shall not constitute a part hereof.

 

pg. 12


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement, in duplicate originals, by their respective officers hereunto duly authorized, the day and year herein written.

 

THE TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
        By /s/ Alla Kan
        Date May 5, 2010
        Name Alla Kan, Director
        Title Technology Transfer Office
CELDARA MEDICAL, LLC
        By /s/ Jake Reder
        Date April 30, 2010
        Name Jake Reder
        Title CEO

 

pg. 13


Attachment A: Client and Billing Agreement

Reference Doc: Procedures to be Followed by Hunton & Williams LLP in Regard to Licensed Dartmouth Patent Rights

 

pg. 14


FIRST AMENDMENT TO

CELDARA - DARTMOUTH EXCLUSIVE LICENSE AGREEMENT

THIS FIRST AMENDMENT (“Amendment”) is effective as of February 20, 2012, by and between the TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE , a non-profit educational and research institution existing under the laws of the State of New Hampshire (hereinafter “Dartmouth”) and Celdara Medical, LLC having its principal place of business at 16 Cavendish Court, Centerra Resource Park, DRTC, Lebanon, NH 03766 (hereinafter “Celdara”).

WHEREAS , the parties previously entered into an Exclusive License Agreement, dated April 30, 2010 (the “Agreement”); and

WHEREAS , the parties desire to amend said Agreement as set forth herein;

NOW, THEREFORE , in consideration of the premises and the covenants herein contained, the parties hereby agree to amend the Agreement as follows:

Following language shall be added to Section 1.02 Dartmouth Patent Rights: “Dartmouth Patent Rights” shall also include Dartmouth’s Rights under Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61/529,410 filed August 31, 2011 and Dartmouth’s rights, under any applications which claim benefit of priority to said Provisional Patent Application, and any United States or Foreign Patents issuing therefrom, and any continuations, continuations-in-part, divisions, reissues, reexaminations or extensions thereof.

All other terms and conditions of the Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the parties have duly executed this Amendment in duplicate originals, by their respective officers hereunto duly authorized, as of the date herein written.

 

CELDARA MEDICAL, LLC TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
By: /s/ Jake Reder By: /s/ Alla Kan
Name: Jake Reder Name: Alla Kan, Director
Title: CEO Title: Technology Transfer Office
Date: Mar 23, 12 Date: 2/21/12

 


SECOND AMENDMENT TO

CELDARA - DARTMOUTH EXCLUSIVE LICENSE AGREEMENT

THIS SECOND AMENDMENT (“Amendment”) is effective as of July 26, 2013, by and between the TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE , a non-profit educational and research institution existing under the laws of the State of New Hampshire (hereinafter “Dartmouth”) and Celdara Medical, LLC having its principal place of business at 16 Cavendish Court, Centerra Resource Park, DRTC, Lebanon, NH 03766 (hereinafter “Celdara”).

WHEREAS , the parties previously entered into an Exclusive License Agreement, dated April 30, 2010, amended on February 20, 2012 (the “Agreement”); and

WHEREAS , the parties desire to amend said Agreement as set forth herein;

NOW, THEREFORE , in consideration of the premises and the covenants herein contained, the parties hereby agree to amend the Agreement as follows:

Delete Section 10.03 in its entirety and substitute with the following:

“Section 10.03. Assignment. Dartmouth acknowledges that Company’s business model includes the spin-off of companies, specifically including the formation of a new legal entity and the transfer of some portion of Company’s assets to the new entity which may include Assignment of this Agreement. Beyond this exception, Dartmouth shall have the right to review a transaction involving assignment or transfer of this Agreement. Parties agree to abide by the terms of this Agreement, as they pertain to such transaction. For purposes of this Agreement, an assignment or transfer of this Agreement by COMPANY shall be deemed to occur in connection with (a) an express assignment or transfer, (b) a general assignment for the benefit of creditors or in connection with any bankruptcy or other debtor relief law, (c) any merger or consolidation to which COMPANY is a party, regardless of whether COMPANY is the surviving corporation, or (d) any other transaction pursuant to which a change would occur in the “ultimate parent entity” of COMPANY, applying the rules in effect from time to time under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended.”

All other terms and conditions of the Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the parties have duly executed this Amendment in duplicate originals, by their respective officers hereunto duly authorized, as of the date herein written.

 

CELDARA MEDICAL, LLC TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
By:

/s/ Jake Reder

By:

/s/ Alla Kan

Name: Jake Reder Name: Alla Kan, Director
Title: CEO Title: Technology Transfer Office
Date: Aug 14, 13 Date: 7/26/13

 


THIRD AMENDMENT TO

CELDARA - DARTMOUTH EXCLUSIVE LICENSE AGREEMENT

THIS THIRD AMENDMENT (the “Third Amendment”) is effective as of January 4, 2015, by and between the TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE , a non-profit educational and research institution existing under the laws of the State of New Hampshire (hereinafter “Dartmouth”) and Celdara Medical, LLC having its principal place of business at 16 Cavendish Court, Centerra Resource Park, DRTC, Lebanon, NH 03766 (hereinafter “Celdara”).

WHEREAS , the parties previously entered into an Exclusive License Agreement, dated April 30, 2010 amended on February 20, 2012 and amended again on July 26, 2013 the “Agreement”) (capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined in this Third Amendment shall have the meanings given such terms in the Agreement);

WHEREAS , the parties wish to amend the Agreement in the manner set forth in this Third Amendment and otherwise to provide for certain agreements by the parties as set forth herein;

NOW, THEREFORE , in consideration of the premises and the covenants herein contained, the parties hereby agree to amend the Agreement as follows:

1. Section 1.03 is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as follows:

“Section 1.03 Licensed Products . “Licensed Products” shall mean any product or process, the manufacture, use or sale of which, in whole or in part, is covered by the Dartmouth Patent Rights.”

2. Section 1.04 is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as follows:

“Section 1.04 Field . The “Field” of this Agreement shall mean human therapeutics.”

3. Section 5.01(a) is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as follows:

“(a) an earned royalty of 2% based on the value of Net Sales of the Licensed Products; and”

4. Section 5.01(c) is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as follows:

“(c) following percentages of any consideration received by the Company from an infringement settlement, less litigation expenditures, as described in Section 8.01, or received by the Company from each sublicensee of the Company for the grant of a sublicense hereunder with respect to any Licensed Products (e.g. license issue fees, license maintenance fees, etc.), except earned royalty on the sale of any Licensed Products:

 

1


(i) 15% if such sublicense is granted by the Company during the preclinical development stage of such Licensed Product up to administration of the first dose in a Phase I clinical trial for such Licensed Product;

(ii) 10% if such sublicense is granted by the Company after the administration of the first dose in a Phase I clinical trial for such Licensed Product and prior to completion of a Phase II clinical trial for such Licensed Product; or

(iii) 5% if such sublicense is granted by the Company after the completion of a Phase II clinical trial for such Licensed Product and thereafter.”

5. Section 6.02 is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as follows:

“Section 6.02 Commercial Development . During the term of this Agreement, the Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to achieve the milestone targets set forth herein. These efforts will include use of commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize Licensed Products. Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain or cause to be maintained by the Company a bona fide, fully funded, fully staffed ongoing and active research, development, manufacturing, regulatory, business development, marketing and sales effort to make the Licensed Products commercially available as soon as commercially practicable.”

6. Except as specifically amended by this Third Amendment, the terms and conditions of the Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.

7. This Third Amendment shall be construed, governed, interpreted and enforced according to the laws of the State of New Hampshire.

8. This Third Amendment may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page to this Third Amendment by facsimile or by email of a scanned copy will be effective as delivery of an original executed counterpart of this Third Amendment.

 

2


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have duly executed this Third Amendment in duplicate originals, by their respective officers hereunto duly authorized, as of the date herein written.

 

CELDARA MEDICAL, LLC TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
By:

/s/ Jake Reder

By:

/s/ Glennis Gold

Name: Jake Reder, Ph.D. Name: Glennis Gold, Interim Director
Title: CEO Title: Technology Transfer Office

 

3

Exhibit 10.10

COMPANY - DARTMOUTH EXCLUSIVE LICENSE AGREEMENT

This Agreement, effective this 27th day of June 2014, between

TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE, a non-profit educational and research institution existing under the laws of the State of New Hampshire, and being located at Hanover, New Hampshire 03755, hereinafter called Dartmouth,

and

CELDARA MEDICAL, LLC., a company of the State of Delaware, with a principal place of business at 16 Cavendish Court, Centerra Resource Park, DRTC, Lebanon, NH 03766; hereinafter called Company.

WHEREAS, Dartmouth, under the direction of principal investigator Charles Sentman, Ph.D. has developed new anti-B7-H6 Immunotherapies; and

WHEREAS, Dartmouth represents that it has the right to grant licenses granted in this agreement; and

WHEREAS, Company wishes to obtain a license under the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth, and to use its expertise and resources to manufacture and market the technology;

NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the faithful performance of the covenants herein contained, IT IS AGREED:

ARTICLE I. Definitions

Section 1.01 Dartmouth Know-How. “Dartmouth Know-How” shall mean the ideas, methods, characterization and techniques developed by Dr. Sentman at Dartmouth before the Effective Date, which are necessary for practicing Dartmouth Patent Rights.

Section 1.02 Dartmouth Patent Rights. “Dartmouth Patent Rights” shall mean Patent Cooperation Treaty Application Serial No. PCT/US2013/039812, and any United States or Foreign Patents issuing therefrom, and any continuations, continuations-in-part, divisions, reissues, reexaminations or extensions thereof Dartmouth shall be the assignee and owner of all such Patents and Patent Applications.

Section 1.03 Licensed Products. “Licensed Products” shall mean any products or processes covered by or made, in whole or in part, by the use of Dartmouth Patent Rights or by the use of Dartmouth Know-How.

Section 1.04 Field. The “Field” of this Agreement shall mean Human Therapeutics.

Section 1.05 Territory. The “Territory” shall mean worldwide.

 

pg. 1


Section 1.06 Subsidiary. “Subsidiary” shall mean any other entity or person that, directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such person or entity, including but not limited to a legal entity at least 50% of the voting stock of which is owned by Company.

Section 1.07 Agreement. “Agreement” shall mean this License Agreement.

Section 1.08 Net Sales. “Net Sales” shall mean the gross billing price Company, its subsidiaries and sublicensees charge to their customers for Licensed Products, less sales, use, occupation and excise taxes, and transportation, discounts, returns and allowances in lieu of returns.

Section 1.09 Effective Date. “Effective Date” shall mean the date first written above and shall be the Effective Date of this Agreement.

Section 1.10 License Year. The “First License Year” shall mean the period commencing on the Effective Date and ending December 31, 2014. The second and all subsequent “License Years” shall commence on January 1 and end on December 31 of each year.

Section 1.11 Calendar Quarter. “Calendar Quarter” shall mean the periods ending on March 31, June 30, September 30 and December 31 of each year.

ARTICLE II. Grant

Section 2.01 License Grant. Dartmouth hereby grants to Company and its Subsidiaries an exclusive , royalty-bearing license under Dartmouth Know-How and Dartmouth Patent Rights to make, have made, use, modify, exploit, distribute, and/or sell Licensed Products in the Field in the Territory subject to any rights which may be required to be granted to the Government of the United States of America pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §§200-211. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Dartmouth expressly reserves a non-transferable royalty-free right to use the Dartmouth Patent Rights and Dartmouth Know-How in the Field itself, including use by its faculty, staff and researchers, for educational and research purposes only. Company agrees that, during the period of exclusivity of this license in the United States, any Licensed Product produced for sale in the United States will be manufactured substantially in the United States.

Section 2.02 Sublicenses. Company shall have the right to grant sublicenses to third parties under Dartmouth Know-How and Patent Rights to make, have made, use, modify, exploit, distribute, and sell the Licensed Products with the consent of Dartmouth, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, except that such sublicenses shall be in writing and expressly subject to the terms of this Agreement. Company agrees to be responsible for the performance hereunder by its sublicensees. Dartmouth shall have the right to review such sublicenses to assure conformity with this Section. Upon termination of this Agreement, any such sublicenses will revert directly to Dartmouth.

 

pg. 2


Section 2.03 Patents. Company shall reimburse Dartmouth for all expenses Dartmouth has incurred for the preparation, filing, prosecution and maintenance of Dartmouth Patent Rights as of the Effective Date ($18,375.20) in four quarterly installments beginning within thirty (30) days of Company’s receipt of a detailed invoice. Company shall engage patent attorney(s) acceptable to Dartmouth (“Firm”). Company shall be responsible for future expenses in connection with preparation, filing, prosecution and maintenance of Dartmouth Patent Rights.

Dartmouth, Company and the Firm shall interact as described in the Client and Billing Agreement (Attachment A). If Company chooses to discontinue prosecution or maintenance of any United States Patent or Patent Application, which is a subject of Dartmouth Patent Rights, it will so inform Dartmouth within a reasonable time before implementation of such decision. Dartmouth then shall have the right to prosecute or maintain such Patent or Patent Application on its own and at its own expense, in which case the license to Company under such Patent or Patent Application will terminate. COMPANY shall notify Dartmouth by at least three (3) months before a National Phase deadline whether it will support the filing of patent applications in particular foreign territories. If COMPANY decides not to support the filing or maintaining foreign applications, Dartmouth reserves the right to file or maintain such applications on its own, in which case the license to COMPANY in the particular territory will terminate.

ARTICLE III.

Disclosure of Invention, Confidentiality and Representations

Section 3.01 Disclosure of Invention. Dartmouth agrees promptly after the Effective Date of this Agreement to deliver and to disclose to duly authorized representatives of Company, all proprietary technical data, methods, processes, including the technology, and other information and specifications relating to Dartmouth Know-How.

Section 3.02 Mutual Confidentiality. Company and Dartmouth realize that some information received by one party from the other pursuant to this Agreement shall be confidential. It is therefore agreed that any information received by one party from the other, and clearly designated in writing as “CONFIDENTIAL” at the time of transfer, shall not be disclosed by either party to any third party and shall not be used by either party for purposes other than those contemplated by this Agreement for a period of three (3) years from the termination of the Agreement, unless or until —

(a) said information shall become known to third parties not under any obligation of confidentiality to the disclosing party, or shall become publicly known through no fault of the receiving party, or

 

pg. 3


(b) said information was already in the receiving party’s possession prior to the disclosure of said information to the receiving party, except in cases when the information has been covered by a preexisting Confidentiality Agreement, or

(c) said information shall be subsequently disclosed to the receiving party by a third party not under any obligation of confidentiality to the disclosing party, or

(d) said information is approved for disclosure by prior written consent of the disclosing party, or

(e) said information is required to be disclosed by court order or governmental law or regulation, provided that the receiving party gives the disclosing party prompt notice of any such requirement and cooperates with the disclosing party in attempting to limit such disclosure.

Section 3.03 Corporate Action. Dartmouth and Company each represent and warrant to the other party that they have full power and authority to enter into this Agreement and carry out the transactions contemplated hereby, and that all necessary corporate action had been duly taken in this regard.

ARTICLE IV. Due Diligence

Section 4.01 Milestones. Company has represented to Dartmouth, to induce Dartmouth to issue this license, that it will commit itself to a diligent program of exploiting the Licensed Products so that public utilization will result therefrom. As evidence thereof, Company shall make commercially reasonable efforts to meet the following milestones:

 

Filing of IND 3 years from the Effective Date

Enrollment of first patient into Phase I clinical trial

8 months after IND filing

Enrollment of first patient into Phase II clinical trial

2 years from start of Phase I

Enrollment of first patient into Phase III clinical trial

1 year after the end of Phase II

Filing NDA

1 year after the end of Phase III

FDA approval

2 years from NDA filing

Section 4.02 Minimum Royalty. Dartmouth shall have the right, upon thirty (30) days written notice, to terminate the license, if Company fails to pay Dartmouth a minimum royalty payment of at least:

(a) $200,000 after the completion of the first full calendar year of sales;

(b) $800,000 after the completion of the second full calendar year of sales;

(c) $2,000,000 after the completion of the third full calendar year of sales and after the completion of each full calendar of sales thereafter.

 

pg. 4


Company shall have the right to maintain the license by paying Dartmouth within such thirty (30) day period a cash payment equivalent to the Minimum Royalty.

ARTICLE V. Payments, Records and Report s

Section 5.01 Payments. For the rights and privileges granted under this license, Company shall pay to Dartmouth

(a) an earned royalty of 2% based on the value of Net Sales of the Licensed Products; and

(b) non-refundable, non-creditable annual license maintenance fees of $10,000 due upon first anniversary of the Effective Date and $20,000 on the second anniversary of the Effective Date and on each anniversary thereafter; and

(c) following percentages of any consideration, received from an infringement settlement, less litigation expenditures, as described in Section 8.01, and from each sublicense, except earned royalty on the sale of Licensed Products and verifiable funding to support research and development activities (e.g., license issue fees, license maintenance fees, lump sum payments in lieu of royalty payments, stocks, etc.) received from each sublicensee of Company for the grant of a sublicense:

 

Sublicense agreement executed prior to the 1 st anniversary of the Effective Date

30%

Sublicense agreement executed before filing an IND

20%

Following the first dosing of a patient in a Phase I Clinical Trial and prior to the first dosing of a patient in a Phase II Clinical Trial

15%

Following the first dosing of a patient in a Phase II Clinical Trial and prior to the first dosing of a patient in a Phase III Clinical Trial

10%

Following the first dosing of a patient in a Phase III Clinical Trial and prior to the issuance by the FDA (or foreign equivalent) of approval for marketing of a Licensed Product

10%

After the issuance by the FDA (or foreign equivalent) of approval for marketing of a Licensed Product

7.5%

 

pg. 5


Dartmouth acknowledges that Company’s business model includes the spin-off of companies, specifically including the formation of a new legal entity and the transfer of some portion of Company’s assets to the new entity, which may include a sublicense, in which case this provision will not apply.

(d) non-refundable, non-creditable milestone payments upon achievement of the following events:

 

IND filing

$ 50,000   

Phase I Clinical Trial initiation

$ 75,000   

Phase II Clinical Trial initiation

$ 175,000   

Phase III Clinical Trial initiation

$ 300,000   

NDA filing

$ 400,000   

FDA approval

$ 600,000   

It is acknowledged that if the milestones are not accomplished by the dates specified in Section 4.01, and Company does not cure such breach within thirty (30) days of receipt of written notice from Dartmouth, Dartmouth may terminate the license unless payments in the above amounts are made to Dartmouth within thirty (30) days of the dates specified in Section 4.01.

Section 5.02 Reports. Company shall render to Dartmouth:

(a) within thirty (30) days after the end of each Calendar Quarter a written account of all quantities of Licensed Products subject to royalty hereunder sold by Company, any Subsidiary, and any sublicensee during such Calendar Quarter, the calculation of royalty thereon, and sufficient data for Dartmouth to verify the calculation, including gross sales and allowable deductions to derive to Net Sales figures, and shall simultaneously pay in United States dollars to Dartmouth the royalty due with respect to such sales. Conversion of foreign currency to U.S. dollars shall be made at the conversion rate existing in the United States on the date of royalty payments by Company. Such report shall be certified as correct by an officer of Company. If no Licensed Products subject to royalty hereunder have been sold by Company, its Subsidiaries and its sublicensees during any such quarter, Company shall so report in writing to Dartmouth within thirty (30) days after the end of said quarter. If royalties for any License Year do not equal or exceed the minimum royalties established in Section 4.02, Company shall include the balance of the minimum royalty with the payment for the Calendar Quarter ending December 31. Late payments shall be subject to an interest charge of one and one half percent (11/2%) per month.

(b) within sixty (60) days after the close of each License Year written annual reports which shall include but not limited to: reports of progress on research and development, regulatory approvals, manufacturing, sublicensing, marketing and sales during preceding twelve (12) months as well as plans for coming year. Company shall also provide any reasonable additional data Dartmouth requires to evaluate Company’s performance.

(c) within thirty (30) days of occurrence report of the date of first sale of Licensed Products in each country.

 

pg. 6


Section 5.03 Books of Accounts. Company, its Subsidiaries and sublicensees shall keep full, true and accurate books of accounts and other records containing all particulars which may be necessary for the purpose of ascertaining and verifying the royalties payable to Dartmouth by Company hereunder. Upon Dartmouth’s request, Company, its Subsidiaries and sublicensees shall permit an independent Certified Accountant selected by Dartmouth (except one to whom Company has some reasonable objection), to periodically have access during ordinary business hours to such records of Company, its Subsidiaries and sublicensees as may be necessary to determine, for any quarter ending not more than three (3) years prior to the date of such request, the correctness of any report and/or payment made under this Agreement. In the event that any such inspection shows an underreporting and underpayment in excess of five percent (5%) for any twelve (12) month period, then Company shall pay the cost of such examination.

ARTICLE VI. Technical Assistance and Commercial Development

Section 6.01 Technical Assistance. Throughout the term of the Agreement, Dartmouth agrees to permit Company and its designees to consult with its employees and agents regarding developments and enhancements made subsequent to the Effective Date relating to the Licensed Products, at such times and places as may be mutually agreed upon; provided that Company agrees to make suitable arrangements with, and to compensate the Dartmouth employees and agents for such consultation.

Section 6.02 Commercial Development. During the term of this Agreement, Company agrees to use commercially reasonable efforts to effectively manufacture and market Licensed Products. Such efforts may include sublicensing, development of promotional literature, mailings, and journal advertisements.

Section 6.03 Name. Neither party shall use nor permit to be used by any other person or entity the name of the other party nor any adaptation thereof, or the name of either party’s employees not named in this agreement, in any advertising, promotional or sales literature, or for any other purpose without prior written permission of the other party, except that Company may state that it is licensed by Dartmouth under Dartmouth Know-How and Patent Rights, and Dartmouth may state that it has licensed to Celdara Medical.

 

pg. 7


ARTICLE VII. Indemnity, Insurance, Disclaimers

Section 7.01 Indemnity. Company shall defend and indemnify and hold Dartmouth and its trustees, officers, agents and employees (the “Indemnitees”) harmless from any judgements and other liabilities based upon claims or causes of action against Dartmouth or its employees which arise out of alleged negligence in the development, manufacture or sale of Licensed Products by Company, its Subsidiaries, and sublicensees, or from the use by the end users of Licensed Products, except to the extent that such judgements or liabilities arise in whole or in part from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of Dartmouth or its employees, provided that Dartmouth promptly notifies Company of any such claim coming to its attention and that it cooperates with Company in the defense of such claim. If any such claims or causes of action are made, Dartmouth shall be defended by counsel to Company, subject to Dartmouth’s approval which shall not be unreasonably withheld. Dartmouth reserves the right to be represented by its own counsel at its own expense.

Section 7.02 Insurance. At such time as any product, process, service relating to, or developed pursuant to, this Agreement is being commercially distributed or sold (other than for the purpose of obtaining regulatory approvals) by Company or by a sublicensee, Subsidiary or agent of Company, Company shall at its sole cost and expense, procure and maintain comprehensive general liability insurance in amounts not less than $2,000,000 per incident and naming the Indemnitees as additional insureds. Such comprehensive general liability insurance shall provide (i) product liability coverage and (ii) broad form contractual liability coverage for Company’s indemnification under this Agreement. If Company elects to self-insure all or part of the limits described above (including deductibles or retentions which are in excess of $250,000 annual aggregate) such self-insurance program must be acceptable to Dartmouth and Dartmouth Risk Manager. Such insurance will be considered primary as to any other valid and collectible insurance, but only as to acts of the named insured. The minimum amounts of insurance coverage required shall not be construed to create a limit of Company’s liability with respect to its indemnification under this Agreement.

Company shall provide Dartmouth with written evidence of such insurance upon request of Dartmouth. Company shall provide Dartmouth with written notice at least fifteen (15) days prior to the cancellation, non-renewal or material change in such insurance; if Company does not obtain replacement insurance providing comparable coverage within such fifteen (15) day period, Dartmouth shall have the right to terminate this Agreement effective at the end of such fifteen (15) day period without notice or any additional waiting periods.

Company shall maintain such comprehensive general liability insurance beyond the expiration or termination of this Agreement during (i) the period that any product, process, or service, relating to, or developed pursuant to, this Agreement is being commercially distributed or sold by Company or by a sublicensee, Subsidiary or agent of Company and (ii) a reasonable period after the period referred to in (i) above which in no event shall be less than fifteen (15) years.

 

pg. 8


Section 7.03 Disclaimer. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be construed as:

(a) a warranty or representation by Dartmouth as to the validity or scope of any Patent Rights;

(b) a warranty or representation that any Licensed Products manufactured, used or sold will be free from infringement of patents, copyrights, or rights of third parties, except that Dartmouth represents that it has no knowledge of any existing issued patents or copyrights which might be infringed;

(c) except as provided in Section 7.01, an agreement to defend against actions or suits of any nature brought by any third parties.

DARTMOUTH MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO THE

MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OF

LICENSED PRODUCTS

ARTICLE VIII. Infringement Matters

Section 8.01 Infringement by Third Parties. Company shall give Dartmouth prompt notice of any incident of infringement of Dartmouth Patent Rights coming to its attention. The parties shall thereupon confer together as to what steps are to be taken to stop or prevent such infringement. Dartmouth agrees to use reasonable efforts to stop any such infringement, but shall not be obliged to commence proceedings against the infringer. If Dartmouth decides to commence proceedings however, Dartmouth shall be responsible for any legal costs incurred and will be entitled to retain any damages recovered. Should Dartmouth decide not to commence proceedings, Company shall be entitled to do so in its own name against the infringer, in which event Company shall be responsible for all legal costs incurred, without recourse to Dartmouth. Financial recoveries from any such litigation will first be applied to reimburse Company for its litigation expenditures with additional recoveries being paid to Company, subject to payments due Dartmouth per Sections 5.01(a) and (c). In any action to enforce Dartmouth Patent Rights, either party, at the request and expense of the other party shall cooperate to the fullest extent reasonably possible.

ARTICLE IX. Duration and Termination

Section 9.01 Term. This Agreement shall become effective upon the date first written above, and unless sooner terminated in accordance with any of the provisions herein, shall remain in full force during the life of the last to expire patents under Dartmouth Patent Rights contemplated by this agreement in the last to expire territory. If mutually desired, the parties may negotiate for an extension of this License. Upon the termination of the Agreement Company shall have the right to sell the remainder of the Licensed Product on hand, provided the sales will be subject to the royalty payments of this Agreement.

 

pg. 9


Section 9.02 Termination - Breach. In the event that either party defaults or breaches any of the provisions of this Agreement, the other party shall have the right to terminate this Agreement by giving written notice to the defaulting party, provided, however, that if the said defaulting party cures said default within thirty (30) days after said notice shall have been given, this Agreement shall continue in full force and effect. The failure on the part of either of the parties hereto to exercise or enforce any right conferred upon it hereunder shall not be deemed to be a waiver of any such right nor operate to bar the exercise or enforcement thereof at any time or times thereafter.

Section 9.03 Termination at Will. Company shall have the right to terminate this Agreement by giving three (3) months advance written notice to Dartmouth to that effect and paying atermination fee of $2,500. Upon termination, a final report shall be submitted and royalty and other payments due under Article V, as well as unreimbursed patent expenses due Dartmouth become immediately payable. Upon receipt of the termination notice, Dartmouth shall be free to start negotiations with a Third Party for the rights granted herein.

Section 9.04 Insolvency. In the event that Company shall become insolvent, shall make an assignment for the benefit of creditors, or shall have a petition in bankruptcy filed for or against it, the Agreement shall terminate.

Section 9.05 Prior Obligations and Survivability. Termination of this Agreement for any reason shall not release either party from any obligation theretofore accrued. Sections 3.02, 5.01 – 5.03, 7.01 – 7.03, 9.03, 10.01 – 10.09 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

ARTICLE X. Miscellaneous

Section 10.01 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be construed, governed, interpreted and enforced according to the laws of the State of New Hampshire.

Section 10.02 Notices. Any notice or communication required or permitted to be given by either party hereunder, shall be deemed sufficiently given, if mailed by certified mail, return receipt requested, and addressed to the party to whom notice is given as follows:

 

If to Company, to:
Jake Reder
CEO
Celdara Medical, LLC.
16 Cavendish Ct., Centerra Resource Park, DRTC
Lebanon, NH 03766
If to Dartmouth, to:
Alla Kan
Director
Technology Transfer Office
Dartmouth College
11 Rope Ferry Road
Hanover, NH 03755

 

pg. 10


Section 10.03. Assignment. Dartmouth acknowledges that Company’s business model includes the spin-off of companies, specifically including the formation of a new legal entity and the transfer of some portion of Company’s assets to the new entity which may include Assignment of this Agreement. Beyond this exception, neither party shall assign or transfer this Agreement without the express prior written consent of the other, which shall not be unreasonably withheld. For purposes of this Agreement, an assignment or transfer of this Agreement by COMPANY shall be deemed to occur in connection with (a) an express assignment or transfer, (b) a general assignment for the benefit of creditors or in connection with any bankruptcy or other debtor relief law, (c) any merger or consolidation to which COMPANY is a party, regardless of whether COMPANY is the surviving corporation, or (d) any other transaction pursuant to which a change would occur in the “ultimate parent entity” of COMPANY, applying the rules in effect from time to time under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended.

Section 10.04 Entire Agreement. This Agreement represents the entire Agreement between the parties as of the effective date hereof, and may only be subsequently altered or modified by an instrument in writing. This agreement cancels and supersedes any and all prior oral or written agreements between the parties which relate to the subject matter of this Agreement.

Section 10.05 Mediation and Arbitration. Both parties agree that they shall attempt to resolve any dispute arising from this Agreement through mediation. Both parties agree that at least one employee, capable of negotiating an agreement on behalf of his employer, shall, within three weeks of receipt of written notification of a dispute, meet with at least one employee of the other party who is also capable of negotiating an agreement on behalf of his employer. If no agreement can be reached, both parties agree to meet again within a four week period after the initial meeting to negotiate in good faith to resolve the dispute. If no agreement can be reached after this second meeting, both parties agree to submit the dispute to binding arbitration under the Rules of the American Arbitration Association before a single arbitrator.

Section 10.06 Waiver. A failure by one of the parties to this Agreement to assert its rights for or upon any breach or default of this Agreement shall not be deemed a waiver of such rights nor shall any such waiver be implied from acceptance of any payment. No such failure or waiver in writing by any one of the parties hereto with respect to any rights, shall extend to or affect any subsequent breach or impair any right consequent thereon.

 

pg. 11


Section 10.07 Severability. The parties agree that it is the intention of neither party to violate any public policy, statutory or common laws, and governmental or supranational regulations; that if any sentence, paragraph, clause or combination of the same is in violation of any applicable law or regulation, or is unenforceable or void for any reason whatsoever, such sentence, paragraph, clause or combinations of the same shall be inoperative and the remainder of the Agreement shall remain binding upon the parties.

Section 10.08 Marking. Company agrees to mark the Licensed Products with all applicable trademarks, and patent numbers.

Section 10.09 Headings. The headings of the paragraphs of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and shall not constitute a part hereof.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement, in duplicate originals, by their respective officers hereunto duly authorized, the day and year herein written.

 

THE TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
By

/s/ Alla Kan

Date June 27, 2014
Name Alla Kan, Director
Title Technology Transfer Office
CELDARA MEDICAL, LLC
By:

/s/ Jake Reder

Date Jul 8, 14
Name Jake Reder
Title CEO

 

pg. 12


Attachment A: Client and Billing Agreement

Reference Doc: Procedures to be Followed by LeclairRyan in Regard to Licensed Dartmouth Patent Rights

 

pg. 13


FIRST AMENDMENT TO

CELDARA - DARTMOUTH EXCLUSIVE LICENSE AGREEMENT

THIS FIRST AMENDMENT (the “First Amendment”) is effective as of January 4, 2015, by and between the TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE, a non-profit educational and research institution existing under the laws of the State of New Hampshire (hereinafter “Dartmouth”) and Celdara Medical, LLC having its principal place of business at 16 Cavendish Court, Centerra Resource Park, DRTC, Lebanon, NH 03766 (hereinafter “Celdara”).

WHEREAS , the parties previously entered into an Exclusive License Agreement, dated June 27 th , 2014 (the “Agreement”) (capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined in this First Amendment shall have the meanings given such terms in the Agreement);

WHEREAS , the parties wish to amend the Agreement in the manner set forth in this First Amendment and otherwise to provide for certain agreements by the parties as set forth herein;

NOW, THEREFORE , in consideration of the premises and the covenants herein contained, the parties hereby agree to amend the Agreement as follows:

1. Section 1.03 is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as follows:

“Section 1.03 Licensed Products , “Licensed Products” shall mean any product or process, the manufacture, use or sale of which, in whole or in part, is covered by the Dartmouth Patent Rights.”

2. Section 5.01(c) is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as follows:

“(c) following percentages of any consideration received by the Company from an infringement settlement, less litigation expenditures, as described in Section 8.01, or received by the Company from each sublicensee of the Company for the grant of a sublicense hereunder with respect to any Licensed Products (e.g. license issue fees, license maintenance fees, etc.), except earned royalty on the sale of any Licensed Products:

(i) 15% if such sublicense is granted by the Company during the preclinical development stage of such Licensed Product up to administration of the first dose in a Phase I clinical trial for such Licensed Product;

(ii) 10% if such sublicense is granted by the Company after the administration of the first dose in a Phase I clinical trial for such Licensed Product and prior to completion of a Phase II clinical trial for such Licensed Product; or

(iii) 5% if such sublicense is granted by the Company after the completion of a Phase II clinical trial for such Licensed Product and thereafter.”

 

1


3. Section 6.02 is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as follows::

“Section 6.02 Commercial Development . During the term of this Agreement, the Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to achieve the milestone targets set forth herein. These efforts will include use of commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize Licensed Products. Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain or cause to be maintained by the Company a bona fide, fully funded, fully staffed ongoing and active research, development, manufacturing, regulatory, business development, marketing and sales effort to make the Licensed Products commercially available as soon as commercially practicable.”

6. Except as specifically amended by this First Amendment, the terms and conditions of the Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.

7. This First Amendment shall be construed, governed, interpreted and enforced according to the laws of the State of New Hampshire.

8. This First Amendment may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page to this First Amendment by facsimile or by email of a scanned copy will be effective as delivery of an original executed counterpart of this First Amendment.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the parties have duly executed this First Amendment in duplicate originals, by their respective officers hereunto duly authorized, as of the date herein written.

 

CELDARA MEDICAL, LLC TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
By:

/s/ Jake Reder

By:

/s/ Glennis Gold

Name: Jake Reder, Ph.D. Name: Glennis Gold, Interim Director
Title: CEO Title: Technology Transfer Office

 

2

Exhibit 10.11

MAYO FOUNDATION FOR MEDICAL EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

TECHNOLOGY LICENSE CONTRACT

Article 1.00 - Preliminary Provisions.

1.01 EFFECTIVE DATE. The effective date of this contract is June 4, 2007

1.02 PARTIES. There are two parties to this contract (together called “the Parties” or individually “a Party”). They are:

 

(a) MAYO FOUNDATION FOR MEDICAL EDUCATION AND RESEARCH, a Minnesota charitable corporation, located at 200 First Street SW, Rochester, Minnesota 55905-0001 (called “MAYO” in this contract), and

 

(b)

Cardio 3 BioSciences, a Belgian company in the process of being created, located at Boulevard de France 9, 1420 Braine l’Alleud, Belgium (called the “COMPANY” in this contract).

1.03 PURPOSE OF CONTRACT. Certain inventions have been made in connection with MAYO’s research, patient care, and education programs. By assignment of the inventions from the inventors, MAYO owns certain patent-rights, and know-how. MAYO intends to grant licenses to use its patent rights, and know-how for the development of products, processes, and methods for public use and benefit. The COMPANY intends to develop marketable products, processes, and methods for public use and benefit within the Territory described in this contract, by using the Licensed Invention and Licensed Know-How. Both parties acknowledge that MAYO has carefully selected the COMPANY because of the COMPANY’s best suited characteristics which make the COMPANY especially suitable as a licensee of the invention. The COMPANY enters this licensing contract with MAYO for use of the Licensed Invention, patent rights, and Know-How on an exclusive basis, subject only: (a) to MAYO’s right to make, have made, and use the Licensed Invention and Know-How on a royalty-free basis within its and its Affiliates’ own programs; and (b) to the rights, if any, of the United States government.

Article 2.00 - Definitions.

2.01 LICENSED INVENTION means Cardiogenic Cocktail for Production of Cardiac Cells (MAYO reference number MMV# 2004-182). If not patented, then the Licensed Invention is MAYO’s trade secret. This definition also includes licensed patent rights under pending PCT Patent Application Serial No. US2005/026800, filed July 29, 2005, and any divisions, continuations, and continuations-in-part based thereon, and any patents which may issue therefrom, and any reissues or extensions thereof.

2.02 AFFILIATE for Mayo shall mean, any corporation or other entity within the same “controlled group of corporations” as Mayo or its parent, Mayo Clinic. For purposes of this definition, the term “controlled group of corporations” will have the same definition as section 1563 of the Internal Revenue Code as of November 10, 1998, but will include corporations or other entities which if not a stock corporation, more than 50% of the board of directors or other governing body of such corporation or other entity is controlled by a corporation within the controlled group of corporations of MAYO or Mayo Clinic. Mayo’s Affiliates include, but are not limited to: Mayo Clinic; Mayo Collaborative Services, Inc.; Rochester Methodist Hospital; Saint Marys Hospital; Mayo Clinic Rochester; Mayo Clinic Jacksonville; St. Luke’s Hospital Association; Mayo Clinic Arizona; and its Mayo Health System entities.

2.03 FIELD OF USE means treatment of embryonic and autologus mesenchymal stem cells to guide development into cardiomyocytes for the treatment of myocardial infarction, ischemic heart disease, ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathy.

 

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2.03 FIELD OF USE means treatment of embryonic and autologus mesenchymal stem cells to guide development into cardiomyocytes for the treatment of myocardial infarction, ischemic heart disease, ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathy.

2.04 QUARTER begins on the date in Section 1.01 of this contract, and thereafter begins on the first day of each January, April, July, and October during the term of this contract.

2.05 YEAR begins on the date in Section 1.01 of this contract, and thereafter begins on the first day of each January during the term of this contract.

2.06 LICENSED KNOW-HOW means trade secrets including technical information, whether or not patentable, including but not limited to engineering, scientific, and practical information and formulas; information about qualities, uses, and sales methods and procedures; information about materials and sources; blueprints, drawings, specifications, and other relevant writings used in the design, manufacture, and sale of products, processes, and methods in connection with the Licensed Invention.

2.07 MAYO INFORMATION means all information embodied in the Licensed Invention, and Licensed Know-How, or expressly marked, labeled, referenced in writing, which is disclosed to the COMPANY by MAYO, relating in any way to MAYO’s markets, customers, patents, inventions, products, procedures, designs, plans, organization, employees, or business in general, but not including:

 

(a) information which, before disclosure becomes part of the public domain through no action or fault of the COMPANY; or

 

(b) information which the COMPANY can show was in its possession before disclosure by MAYO to the COMPANY and was not acquired, directly or indirectly, from MAYO; or

 

(c) information which was received by the COMPANY from a third party having a legal right to transmit such information.

2.08 TERMINATION of this contract means the ending, expiration, rescission, or any other discontinuation of this contract for any reason whatsoever.

2.09 TERRITORY means the world.

Article 3.00 - Grant of Rights.

3.01 GRANT. Subject only to the exceptions described in Section 1.03 of this contract, MAYO grants to the COMPANY an exclusive license to make, have made, use, modify, enhance, promote, market and/or sell the Licensed Invention whether or not patented, and a non-exclusive right to use the Licensed Know-How, in the Territory within the Field of Use, according to the terms of this contract. The Licensed Invention and Know-How, if not patented, are trade secrets of MAYO.

3.02 PURCHASE AT COST. MAYO may, at its sole option, purchase the Licensed Invention in any quantity at cost from the COMPANY, and use the Licensed Know-How without cost to MAYO, exclusively within MAYO’s and its Affiliates’ own programs provided such programs are only for internal (research or clinical) use and do not include any allocation of right to any third party neither any sale or marketing of products derrivated from the Licensed Invention. No Royalty will be due to MAYO for these sales to MAYO.

3.03 DISCLOSURE OF KNOW-HOW. Within one month after execution of this contract, MAYO shall make available to the COMPANY the Licensed Know-How. MAYO, however, owns the materials in which the Licensed Know-How is embodied, including, but not limited to, prototypes, blueprints, and plans. The COMPANY shall have the right to confer with the inventors (so long as they are employees of MAYO or its Affiliates) for a reasonable period and at such times that are mutually convenient.

 

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3.04 Confidential Information’’ means any and all information, data, results, Inventions, trade secrets, techniques, material, or compositions of matter of any type or kind, including without limitation all know-how and all other scientific, pre-clinical, clinical, regulatory, manufacturing, marketing, personnel, financial, legal and commercial information or data, whether communicated in writing, orally or by any other method, that a Party treats or identifies as confidential and, in each case, is disclosed by one Party to the other Party with respect to such disclosing Party’s rights or obligations under this contract.

3.04.01 Nondisclosure Obligation

(a) Confidential Information. All Confidential Information shall be maintained in confidence by the receiving Party and shall not be disclosed to any non-Party (N.B. subcontractor free lance associates are not covered - see D) or used for any purpose except to exercise its rights and perform its obligations under this contract without the prior written consent of the disclosing Party, except to the extent that the receiving Party can demonstrate by competent written evidence that such Confidential Information:

(i) is known by the receiving Party at the time of its receipt and, not through a prior disclosure by the disclosing Party, as documented by the receiving Party’s business records;

(ii) is in the public domain other than as a result of any breach of this Agreement by the receiving Party;

(iii) is subsequently disclosed to the receiving Party on a non-confidential basis by a third party who may lawfully do so; or

(iv) is independently discovered or developed by the receiving Party without the use of Confidential Information provided by the disclosing Party, as documented by the receiving Party’s records.

(b) Return of Confidential Information Upon Expiration or Termination of contract. Within thirty (30) days after any expiration or termination of this contract, each Party shall destroy (and certify to the other Party such destruction) or return (as requested by the other Party) all Confidential Information provided by the other Party except as otherwise set forth in this contract, and except that each Party may retain a single copy of the Confidential Information in its confidential legal files for the sole purpose of ascertaining its ongoing rights and responsibilities regarding the Confidential Information.

3.04.02 Permitted Disclosures

(a) Permitted Disclosure. Each Party may disclose Confidential Information provided by the other Party to the extent such disclosure is reasonably necessary in the following instances:

(i) disclosure to governmental or other regulatory agencies in order to obtain patents, or to gain or maintain approval to conduct clinical trials or to market Licensed Invention (in each case to the extent permitted by this contract), but such disclosure may be only to the extent reasonably necessary to obtain patents or authorizations;

 

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(ii) complying with applicable court orders or governmental regulations, including without limitation rules or regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or by rules of the National Association of Securities Dealers, any securities exchange or NASDAQ; provided, however, that the receiving Party shall first have given notice to the other Party hereto in order to allow such Party the opportunity to seek confidential treatment of the Confidential Information;

(iii) disclosure to consultants, agents or other third parties solely to the extent required to accomplish the purposes of this contract or in connection with due diligence or similar investigations by such third parties, and disclosure to potential third party investors in confidential financing documents, in each case on the condition that such third parties agree to be bound by confidentiality and non-use obligations at least equivalent in scope to those contained in this contract or for the purposes of such financing; provided the term of confidentiality for such third parties shall expire no less than three (3) years after the expiry or earlier termination of this contract.

(b) Written Agreements. Each Party shall have in effect a policy requiring or obtain written agreements from each of its employees, consultants and contractors who perform work on the Sponsored Research Program, which agreements shall obligate such persons to similar obligations of confidentiality and to assign to such Party all know-how, information and Inventions conceived, made or reduced to practice by such persons during the course of performing the Sponsored Research Program. Each Party will notify the other Party promptly upon discovery of any unauthorized use or disclosure of the Confidential Information of the other Party.

(c) Required Disclosure. If a Party is required by judicial or administrative process to disclose Confidential Information that is subject to the non-disclosure provisions of Section 3.04.1, such Party shall promptly inform the other Party of the disclosure that is being sought in order to provide the other Party an opportunity to challenge or limit the disclosure obligations. Each Party shall provide reasonable cooperation to the other Party in any such process. Confidential Information that is disclosed by judicial or administrative process shall remain otherwise subject to the confidentiality and non-use provisions of this article 3.04, and the Party disclosing Confidential Information pursuant to law or court order shall take all reasonable steps necessary, including without limitation obtaining an order of confidentiality, to ensure the continued confidential treatment of such Confidential Information.

3.04.03 Publication. If a Party, its employees or consultants wishes to make a written publication or oral presentation related to a Licensed Invention, that Party shall deliver to the non-publishing Party a copy of the proposed written publication or an outline of an oral disclosure at least thirty (30) days prior to submission for publication or presentation. The non-publishing Party shall have the right to review and propose modifications to the publication or presentation for patent reasons, trade secret reasons or business reasons or (b) to request a reasonable delay in publication or presentation in order to protect patentable information. If the non-publishing Party requests modifications to the publication or presentation, the Party wishing to make such written publication or oral presentation shall edit such publication or presentation to prevent disclosure of trade secret or proprietary business information of the non-publishing Party prior to submission of the publication or presentation, and/or delay such publication or presentation.

3.04.04 Publicity/Use of Names

(a) General . Either Party shall be free to disclose, without the other Party’s prior written consent, the existence of this contract, the identity of the other Party and those terms of the contract which have already been publicly disclosed in accordance herewith.

(b) Trademarks. Except as set forth in Section 3.04.04(a), or as expressly permitted by this contract, neither Party shall use the name, trademark, trade name or logo of the other Party or its employees, including in any publicity, news release or disclosure relating to this contract or its subject matter, without the prior express written permission of the other Party.

 

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(b) Protection of Interests. The Parties will use commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that the content of any oral statement or written disclosure or publication will comply with applicable laws and regulations and will not adversely affect the Parties’ commercial interests.

Article 4.00 - Consideration and Royalties.

4.01 CONSIDERATION . The license Grant under this contract will be remunerated with an initial royalty, which is nonrefundable and amounts to € 9,500,000.00. No other royalties will be due

4.02 TAXES. Unless in case of purchase at cost (see section 3.02 hereabove) the COMPANY is responsible for all taxes (other than net income taxes), duties, import deposits, assessments, and other governmental charges, however designated, which are now or hereafter will be imposed by any authority in or for the Territory, (a) by reason of the performance by MAYO of its obligations under this contract, or the payment of any amounts by the COMPANY to MAYO under this contract; (b) based on the Licensed Invention or use of the Licensed Invention; or (c) which relate to the import of the Licensed Invention into the Territory.

4.03 NO DEDUCTIONS. All payments to be made by the COMPANY to MAYO under this contract represent net amounts MAYO is entitled to receive, and shall not be subject to any deductions or offsets for any reason whatsoever. If such payments become subject to taxes, duties, assessments, or fees of any kind levied in the Territory, such payments from the COMPANY shall be increased to the extent that MAYO actually receives the net amounts due under this contract.

4.04 U.S. CURRENCY. All payments to MAYO under this contract shall be made by draft drawn on a United States bank, and payable in United States dollars

Article 5.00 Research

5.01 RESEARCH FUNDING Beginning in 2008, and for a total of three years. COMPANY will contribute to research funding at MAYO in the amount of $ 742.500 per year. The research projects hereto related will be documented in advance with a project plan and budget which will be proposed by MAYO mutually agreed after discussion out of good faith among the parties. These projects plans shall include specific aims and deliverables to be reasonably acceptable to the Company. In this context, payments will be made in four equal quarterly installments of $ 185,625 payable at the beginning of each relevant quarter. Any improvement developed in the course of work under any of these projects plans will fall under the license Grant in this contract. MAYO will report any research findings under this Section 5.01 to the COMPANY on a quarterly basis (hereinafter “the Sponsored Research”).

5.02 COMPANY DIRECTED RESEARCH In addition to the research under Section 5.01, MAYO and COMPANY will develop a budget, timeline and list of specific deliverables for any research that the COMPANY and MAYO desire to perform.

5.03 PURCHASE OF EQUIPMENT COMPANY will pay MAYO $337,000 to be used to purchase equipment to be used for the Sponsored Research described in Sections 5.01 and 5.02. This equipment may be used for other research at MAYO but preference will be given to any project funded by COMPANY. This payment is due no later than March 15, 2008

 

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Article 6.00 - Warranties and Indemnification.

6.01 Mayo represents and warrants to COMPANY that to the best of Mayo’s internal patent counsel’s knowledge, no third party has sent written notice to Mayo that practice of the Licensed Invention infringes on any third party’s intellectual property rights.

6.02 USE OF NAME AND LOGO. The COMPANY shall not use publicly for publicity, promotion, or otherwise, any logo, name, trade name, service mark, or trademark of MAYO or its Affiliates, including, but not limited to, the terms “Mayo ® ,” “Mayo Clinic ® ,” or any simulation, abbreviation, or adaptation of the same, or the name of any MAYO employee or agent, without MAYO’s prior, written, express consent. MAYO may withhold such consent in MAYO’s absolute discretion.

 

6.03 MAYO PATENTS. Except as expressly provided in this contract, nothing shall be construed

 

(a) a warranty or representation by MAYO as to the validity or scope of any patents contained in the Licensed Invention;

 

(b) an obligation to bring or to prosecute actions against third parties for infringement of patent

 

(c) conferring by implication, estoppel, or otherwise any patents of MAYO.

6.04 WARRANTIES. MAYO HAS NOT MADE AND PRESENTLY MAKES NO PROMISES, GUARANTEES, REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY NATURE, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING THE MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, SUITABILITY, DURABILITY, CONDITION, QUALITY, OR ANY OTHER CHARACTERISTIC OF THE LICENSED INVENTION. THE COMPANY TAKES THE LICENSED INVENTION “AS IS,” “WITH ALL EVENTUAL TECHNICAL FAULTS,” AND “WITH ALL EVENTUAL DEFECTS,”.

6.05 INDEMNIFICATION. the COMPANY will defend, indemnify, and hold harmless MAYO and MAYO’s Affiliates from any and all third party claims, actions, demands, judgments, losses, costs, expenses, damages and liabilities (including but not limited to reasonable attorneys fees and other expenses of litigation), regardless of the legal theory asserted, arising out of or connected with:

 

(a) use by the COMPANY of Patent Rights or information furnished or licensed under this Agreement;

 

(b) design, manufacture, distribution, use, sale, or other disposition of Products, including Licensed Products, by the COMPANY or its transferees; and

 

(c) any obligation of COMPANY hereunder.

As used in Sections 6.04 and 6.05, MAYO and its Affiliates include the trustees, officers, agents, and employees of MAYO and its Affiliates. The parties agree that the indemnity stated in this Section 5.04 should be construed and applied in favor of indemnification. COMPANY will, during the Term, carry insurance at a level commensurate with their obligation to indemnify MAYO. In any case, prior to any use in humans, COMPANY will carry occurrence-based liability insurance, including products liability and contractual liability, in an amount and for a time period sufficient to cover the liability assumed by COMPANY hereunder, such amount being at least one million US dollars ($ 1,000,000). Notwithstanding the foregoing, COMPANY shall not, without MAYO’s prior written consent, settle or compromise any Claim in a manner that would require MAYO to admit liability or incur financial obligation. MAYO may be represented by counsel of its own choosing, at its own expense.

 

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6.06 ADDITIONAL WAIVERS. THE COMPANY AGREES THAT MAYO SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE CAUSED BY DELAY IN FURNISHING PRODUCTS OR SERVICES, OR ANY OTHER PERFORMANCE UNDER THIS CONTRACT, UNLESS RESULTING FROM MAYO’S NEGLIGENCE OR WILLFULL AND WANTON MISCONDUCT.

IN NO EVENT SHALL PARTIES’ LIABILITY OF ANY KIND INCLUDE ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL LOSSES OR DAMAGES, EVEN IF THE BREACHING PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. IN NO CASE SHALL PARTIES LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES OF ANY TYPE EXCEED THE DOUBLE OF TOTAL ROYALTIES WHICH HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN PAID TO MAYO BY THE COMPANY AS OF THE DATE OF FILING OF THE ACTION AGAINST MAYO WHICH RESULTS IN THE SETTLEMENT OR AWARD OF DAMAGES.

Article 7.00 - Term and Termination.

7.01 TERM. The term of this contract is for the longer of 10 years, or for the life of the last of any patents that may be related to the Licensed Invention.

7.02 TERMINATION.

 

a) If the COMPANY defaults in the payment of any fees, or payment, or in the making of any report; or makes a false report MAYO may, at its sole option, terminate this contract upon written notice to the COMPANY, Termination being effective upon thirty (30) days after mailing or personal delivery unless such default or other breach is first cured.

 

b) MAYO may terminate this license at any time after January 2011 if MAYO, has reasonable evidence that the COMPANY does not intend to develop the Licensed Invention commercially. MAYO and the COMPANY will first try to resolve the disagreements in good faith. Should the disagreements remain, MAYO and the COMPANY agree to binding arbitration as to the validity of the evidence.

7.03 CHALLENGE BY OR INSOLVENCY OF COMPANY. MAYO may terminate this contract immediately upon written notice to the Company if the Company ceases conducting business in the normal course, becomes insolvent or bankrupt, makes a general assignment for the benefit of creditors, admits in writing its inability to pay its debts as they are due, permits the appointment of a receiver for its business or assets, or avails itself of or becomes subject to any proceeding under any statute of any governing authority relating to insolvency or the protection of rights of creditors.

 

7.04 INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS.

MAYO should upon first demand of COMPANY execute a specific license agreed with said third party in order to safeguard COMPANY’s use of the Licensed Invention under this contract. MAYO should bear all costs hereto related.

7.05 SURVIVAL. The following obligations survive the Termination of this contract:

 

(a) the COMPANY’s obligation to supply reports covering the time period up to the date of Termination;

 

(b) MAYO’s right to receive payments, fees, and royalties (including minimum royalties) accrued or accruable from payment at the time of any Termination;

 

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(c) the COMPANY’s obligation to maintain records, and MAYO’s right to have those records inspected;

 

(d) any cause of action or claim of MAYO, accrued or to accrue, because of any action or omission by the COMPANY;

 

(e) the COMPANY’s obligations stated in Sections 3.04, 6.02 and 6.05 of this contract; and

 

(f) unless if terminated pursuant to section 7.02, the COMPANY’s obligation to return all materials given to it by MAYO, including inventory.

Article 8.00 - Best Efforts.

8.01 REPRESENTATIONS OF THE COMPANY. The COMPANY has represented to MAYO, to induce MAYO to enter into this contract, that the COMPANY is experienced in the development, production, quality control, service, manufacture, marketing, and sales of products similar to the Licensed Invention, and that it will commit itself to a thorough, vigorous, and diligent program of marketing the Licensed Invention. COMPANY also represents to MAYO that all product sold in the United States will be manufactured substantially in the United States.

8.02 COMPANY EFFORTS. If at any time during the term of this contract, the COMPANY is not exercising, or is presently unable to exercise, its best efforts in the development, production, quality control, service, manufacture, marketing, or sales of the Licensed Invention, then MAYO may terminate the exclusivity of this contract immediately upon written notice to the COMPANY. The criteria MAYO may use in reaching such a conclusion include, but are not limited to, the loss for any reason of key personnel from the COMPANY, and the present or projected financial status of the COMPANY.

8.03 MAYO EFFORTS If at any time during the term of this contract, MAYO is clearly not exercising, or is presently unable to exercise, reasonable efforts in the execution of this contract, COMPANY will promptly notify MAYO of any specific actions or inactions that indicate such lack of effort. If Mayo does not reasonably cure within 120 days, COMPANY will no longer be obliged to pay any outstanding research funding upon written notice to MAYO.

Article 9.00 - Patents.

9.01 PATENT NUMBERS. The COMPANY shall mark all Licensed Invention units sold in the United States with any applicable United States patent numbers, and all Licensed Invention units sold in countries other than the United States with any applicable patent numbers of the country of sale. All Licensed Invention units shipped to or sold in other countries in the Territory shall be marked in such a manner as to conform with the patent laws and other laws of the country of manufacture or sale.

9.02 INFRINGEMENT BY THIRD PARTY. Notwithstanding anything else in this contract, if at any time a third party shall infringe any unexpired licensed patent right licensed in this contract, and if such infringement shall come to the attention of either MAYO or the COMPANY, that party shall promptly give notice in writing to the other party of the existence of such infringement, and the parties to this contract shall, upon mutual agreement, decide on an appropriate course of action to take against the infringer in view of all of the circumstances then existing. MAYO shall not unreasonably withhold such agreement.

9.03 PATENTS. The COMPANY shall pursue patent coverage and maintain patents for the Licensed Invention at its own expense. Any patents resulting from the Licensed Invention or based upon the Licensed Invention shall be applied-for on behalf of MAYO if invented by MAYO, assigned to the COMPANY if invented by the COMPANY and jointly assigned if jointly invented.

 

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Article 10.00 - General Provisions.

10.01 ASSIGNMENT AND SUBCONTRACT. The COMPANY is strictly prohibited from assigning or subcontracting any of its obligations or rights under this contract without MAYO’s prior, express, written consent, which consent may not be unreasonably withheld.

10.02 WAIVER. No part of this contract may be waived except by the further written agreement of the parties. Forbearance in any form from demanding the performance of a duty owed under this contract is not a waiver of that duty. Until complete performance of a duty owed under this contract is accomplished, the party to which that duty is owed may invoke any remedy under this contract or under law, despite its past forbearance in demanding performance of that duty.

10.03 GOVERNING LAW AND JURISDICTION. This contract is made and performed in Minnesota. It is governed by Minnesota law, but specifically not including Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code as enacted in Minnesota. This is not a contract for the sale of goods. In addition, no Minnesota conflicts-of-law or choice-of-laws provisions apply to this contract. To the extent the substantive and procedural law of the United States would apply to this contract, it supersedes the application of Minnesota law. [The exclusive fora for actions between the parties in connection with this contract are the State District Court sitting in Olmsted County, Minnesota, or the United States Court for the District of Minnesota.]

10.04 HEADINGS. The headings of articles and sections used in this document are for convenience of reference only, and are not a part of this contract.

10.05 NOTICES. Any notice required to be given under this contract is properly provided if in writing and either personally delivered, or sent by express or certified mail, postage prepaid, to the parties at the following addresses, unless other addresses are provided consistent with this Section 10.5:

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

200 First Street SW

Rochester, Minnesota 55905-0001

Attn: Office of Technology Commercialization, Mayo Medical Ventures

Cardio 3 BioSciences (in the process of being created)

Boulevard de France 9

1420 Braine l’Alleud

Unless otherwise expressly specified in this contract, notices sent by mail are considered effective upon the earlier of: the fifth (5th) day after dispatch (or the tenth (10th) day after dispatch if dispatched by air mail other than in the United States) or the day of actual receipt. Notices personally delivered are considered effective upon the date of delivery. It is the responsibility of the party giving notice to obtain a receipt for delivery of the notice, if that party considers such a receipt advisable.

10.06 LIMITATION OF RIGHTS CREATED. This contract is intended only to benefit the two parties to it. They have no intention to create any interests for any other party. Specifically, no interests are intended to be created for any customer, patient, research subjects, or other persons (or their relatives, heirs, dependents, or personal representatives) by or upon whom the Licensed Invention may be used.

 

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10.07 INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS. In the performance of their respective duties under this contract, the parties are independent contractors of each other. Neither is the agent, employee, or servant of the other. Each is responsible only for its own conduct

10.08 ENTIRE CONTRACT. This document states the entire contract between the parties about its subject matter. All past and contemporaneous discussions, agreements, proposals, promises, warranties, representations, guarantees, correspondence, and understandings, whether oral or written, formal or informal, are entirely superseded by this contract.

10.09 UNENFORCEABLE PROVISION. The unenforceability of any part of this contract will not affect any other part. This contract will be construed as if the unenforceable parts had been omitted.

10.10 CHANGES TO CONTRACT. No part of this contract, including this Section 10.10, may be changed except in writing, through another document signed by both parties.

10.11 CONSTRUCTION. Both parties agree to all of the terms of this contract. Both parties execute this contract only after reviewing it thoroughly. This contract, and any changes to it, will be interpreted on the basis that both parties contributed equally to the drafting of each of its parts.

 

MAYO FOUNDATION FOR MEDICAL EDUCATION AND RESEARCH:
Signed:   /s/ [Illegible]
Printed Name:   [Illegible]
Title:   Vice Pres
Date:   6-4-07
COMPANY:
Signed:   /s/ Christian Homsy
Printed Name:   Christian Homsy
Title:   CEO
Date:   6-4-07

 

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MAYO FOUNDATION FOR MEDICAL EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

FIRST AMENDED TECHNOLOGY LICENSE CONTRACT

Article 1.00 - Preliminary Provisions.

 

1.01 EFFECTIVE DATE. The effective date of this contract is July 1, 2008.

 

1.02 PARTIES. There are two parties to this contract (together called “the Parties” or individually “a Party”). They are:

 

(a) MAYO FOUNDATION FOR MEDICAL EDUCATION AND RESEARCH, a Minnesota charitable corporation, located at 200 First Street SW, Rochester, Minnesota 55905-0001 (called “MAYO” in this contract), and

 

(b)

Cardio 3 BioSciences S.A., a Belgian company, located at Boulevard de France 9, 1420 Braine l’Alleud, Belgium (called the “COMPANY” in this contract).

1.03 PURPOSE OF CONTRACT. This is the first amended version of the Technology License Contract between the parties originally signed June 4, 2007. Certain inventions have been made in connection with MAYO’s research, patient care and education programs. By assignment of the inventions from the inventors, MAYO owns certain patent-rights, and know-how. MAYO intends to grant licenses to use its patent rights, and know-how for the development of products, processes and methods for public use and benefit. The COMPANY intends to develop marketable products, processes and methods for public use and benefit within the Territory described in this contract, by using the Licensed Invention and Licensed Know-How. Both parties acknowledge that MAYO has carefully selected the COMPANY because of the COMPANY’s best suited characteristics which make the COMPANY especially suitable as a licensee of the invention. The COMPANY enters this licensing contract with MAYO for use of the Licensed Invention, patent rights, and KNOW-HOW on an exclusive basis, subject only: (a) to MAYO’s right to make and use the Licensed Invention and Know-How on a royalty-free basis within its Affiliates’ own programs; and (b) to the rights, if any, of the United States government.

Article 2.00 - Definitions.

LICENSED INVENTION means Cardiogenic Cocktail for Production of Cardiac Cells (MAYO reference number MMV# 2004-182) methods for the preparation of the cardiogenic cocktail, methods of the preparation of the cardiac cells using the cardiogenic cocktail and cardiac cells obtained in such methods, and use of the cardiogenic cocktail and/or cardiac cells in methods for treating cardiovascular tissue. If not patented, then the Licensed Invention is MAYO’s trade secret. This definition also includes licensed patent rights under pending PCT Patent Application Serial No. WO2006/05127, filed July 29, 2005; US20080019944, filed February 13, 2007 and Patent Application titled, “METHODS AND MATERIALS FOR USING CELLS TO TREAT HEART TISSUE” filed on May 27, 2008, and any divisions, continuations, and continuations-in-part based thereon, and any patents which may issue therefrom, and any reissues or extensions thereof.


Mayo Clinic/Cardio3 BioSciences S.A.

July 3, 2008

 

2.01 AFFILIATE for Mayo shall mean, any corporation or other entity within the same “controlled group of corporations” as Mayo or its parent, Mayo Clinic. For purposes of this definition, the term “controlled group of corporations” will have the same definition as section 1563 of the Internal Revenue Code as of November 10, 1998, but will include corporations or other entities which if not a stock corporation, more than 50% of the board of directors or other governing body of such corporation or other entity is controlled by a corporation within the controlled group of corporations of MAYO or Mayo Clinic. Mayo’s Affiliates include, but are not limited to: Mayo Clinic; Mayo Collaborative Services, Inc.; Rochester Methodist Hospital; Saint Marys Hospital; Mayo Clinic Rochester; Mayo Clinic Jacksonville; St. Luke’s Hospital Association; Mayo Clinic Arizona; and its Mayo Health System entities.

2.02 FIELD OF USE means treatment of embryonic and autologous mesenchymal stem cells to guide development into cardiomyocytes for the treatment of myocardial infarction, ischemic heart disease, ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathy.

2.04 QUARTER begins on the date in Section 1.01 of this contract, and thereafter begins on the first day of each January, April, July, and October during the term of this contract.

2.05 YEAR begins on the date in Section 1.01 of this contract, and thereafter begins on the first day of each January during the term of this contract.

2.06 LICENSED KNOW-HOW means trade secrets including technical information, whether or not patentable, including but not limited to engineering, scientific, and practical information and formulas; information about qualities, uses, and sales methods and procedures; information about materials and sources; blueprints, drawings, specifications, and other relevant writings used in the design, manufacture, and sale of products, processes, and methods in connection with the Licensed Invention.

2.07 MAYO INFORMATION means all information embodied in the Licensed Invention, and Licensed Know-How, or, expressly marked, labeled, referenced in writing, which is disclosed to the COMPANY by MAYO, relating in any way to MAYO’s markets, customers, patents, inventions products, procedures, designs, plans, organization, employees, or business in general, but not including:

 

(a) information which, before disclosure becomes part of the public domain through no action or fault of the COMPANY; or

 

(b) information which the COMPANY can show was in its possession before disclosure by MAYO to the COMPANY and was not acquired, directly or indirectly, from MAYO; or

 

(c) information which was received by the COMPANY from a third party having a legal right to transmit such information.

2.08 TERMINATION of this contract means the ending, expiration, rescission, or any other discontinuation of this contract for any reason whatsoever.

 

2.09 TERRITORY means the world.

 

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Article 3.0 - Grant of Rights.

3.01 GRANT. Subject only to the exceptions described in Section 1.03 of this contract, MAYO grants to the COMPANY an exclusive license to make, have made, use, modify, enhance, promote, market and/or sell the Licensed Invention whether or not patented, and a non-exclusive right to use the Licensed Know-How, in the Territory within the Field of Use, according to the terms of this contract. The Licensed Invention and Know-How, if not patented, are trade secrets of MAYO.

3.02 PURCHASE AT COST. MAYO may, at its sole option, purchase the Licensed Invention in any quantity at cost from the COMPANY, and use the Licensed Know-How without cost to MAYO, exclusively within MAYO’s and its Affiliates’ own programs provided such programs are only for internal (research or clinical) use and do not include any allocation of right to any third party neither any sale of marketing of products derrivated from the Licensed Inventior. No Royalty will be due to MAYO for these sales to MAYO.

3.03 DISCLOSURE OF KNOW-HOW. Company acknowledges that MAYO has successfully transferred the know-how to the COMPANY. MAYO, however, owns the materials in which the Licensed Know-How is embodied, including, but not limited to, prototypes, lab notebooks and copies of lab notebooks, blueprints, and plans. The COMPANY shall have the right to confer with the inventors (so long as they are employees of MAYO or its Affiliates) for a reasonable period and at such times that are mutually convenient.

3.04 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION means any and all information, data, results, Inventions, trade secrets, techniques, material, or compositions of matter of any type or kind, including without imitation all know-how and all other scientific, pre-clinical, clinical, regulatory, manufacturing, marketing, personnel, financial, legal and commercial information or data, whether communicated in writing, orally or by any other method, that a Party treats or identifies as confidential and, in each case, is disclosed by one Party to the other Party with respect to such disclosing Party’s rights or obligations under this contract.

 

3.05.01 Disclosure Obligation

 

(a) Confidential Information. All Confidential Information shall be maintained in confidence by the receiving Party and shall not be disclosed to any non-Party (N.B. subcontractor free lance associates are not covered - see D) or used for any purpose except to exercise its rights and perform its obligations under this contract without the prior written consent of the disclosing Party, except to the extent that the receiving Party can demonstrate by competent written evidence that such Confidential Information:

(i) is known by the receiving Party at the time of its receipt and, not through a prior disclosure by the disclosing Party, as documented by the receiving Party’s business records;

(ii) is in the public domain other than as a result of any breach of this Agreement by the rcceiving Party;

 

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(iii) is subsequently disclosed to the receiving Party on a non-confidential basis by a third party who may lawfully do so; or

(iv) is independently discovered or developed by the receiving Party without the use of Confidential Information provided by the disclosing Party, as documented by the receiving Party’s records.

 

(b) Return of Confidential Information Upon Expiration or Termination of contract. Within thirty (30) days after any expiration or termination of this contract, each Party shall destroy (and certify to the other Party such destruction) or return (as requested by the other Party) all Confidential Information provided by the other Party except as otherwise set forth in this contract, and except that each Party may retain a single copy of the Confidential Information in its confidential legal files for the sole purpose of ascertaining its ongoing rights and responsibilities regarding the Confidential Information.

3.05.02 Permitted Disclosures

 

(c) Permitted Disclosure. Each Party may disclose Confidential Information provided by the other Party to the extent such disclosure is reasonably necessary in the following instances:

 

  (i) disclosure to governmental or other regulatory agencies in order to obtain patents, or to gain or maintain approval to conduct clinical trials or to market Licensed Invention (in each case to the extent permitted by this contract), but such disclosure may be only to the extent reasonably necessary to obtain patents or authorizations;

 

  (ii) complying with applicable court orders or governmental regulations, including without limitation rules or regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or by rules of the National Association of Securities Dealers, any securities exchange or NASDAQ; provided, however, that the receiving Party shall first have given notice to the other Party hereto in order to allow such Party the opportunity to seek confidential treatment of the Confidential Information;

 

  (iii) disclosure to consultants, agents or other third parties solely to the extent required to accomplish the purposes of this contract or in connection with due diligence or similar investigations by such third parties, and disclosure to potential third party investors in confidential financing documents, in each case on the condition that such third parties agree to be bound by confidentiality and non-use obligations at least equivalent in scope to those contained in this contract or for the purposes of such financing; provided the term of confidentiality for such third parties shall expire no less than three (3) years after the expiry or earlier termination of this contract.

 

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(d) Written Agreements. Each Party shall have in effect a policy requiring or obtaining written agreements from each of its employees, consultants and contractors who perform work on the Sponsored Research Program, which agreements shall obligate such persons to similar obligations of confidentiality and to assign to such Party all know-how, information and Inventions conceived, made or reduced to practice by such persons during the course of performing the Sponsored Research Program. Each Party will notify the other Party promptly upon discovery of any unauthorized use or disclosure of the Confidential Information of the other Party.

 

(c) Required Disclosure. If a Party is required by judicial or administrative process to disclose Confidential Information that is subject to the non-disclosure provisions of Section 3.04.1, such Party shall promptly inform the other Party of the disclosure that is being sought in order to provide the other Party an opportunity to challenge or limit the disclosure obligations. Each Party shall provide reasonable cooperation to the other Party in any such process. Confidential Information that is disclosed by judicial or administrative process shall remain otherwise subject to the confidentiality and non-use provisions of this article 3.04, and the Party disclosing Confidential Information pursuant to law or court order shall take all reasonable steps necessary, including without limitation obtaining an order of confidentiality, to ensure the continued confidential treatment of such Confidential Information.

3.05.03 Publication. If a Party, its employees or consultants wishes to make a written publication or oral presentation related to a Licensed Invention, that Party shall deliver to the non-publishing Party a copy of the proposed written publication or an outline of an oral disclosure at least thirty (30) days prior to submission for publication or presentation. The non-publishing Party shall have the right to review and propose modifications to the publication or presentation for patent reasons, trade secret reasons or business reasons or (b) to request a reasonable delay in publication or presentation in order to protect patentable information. If the non-publishing Party requests modifications to the publication or presentation, the Party wishing to make such written publication or oral presentation shall edit such publication or presentation to prevent disclosure or trade secret or proprietary business information of the non-publishing Party prior to submission of the publication or presentation, and/or delay such publication or presentation.

3.05.04 Publicity/Use of Names

 

(f) General. Either Party shall be free to disclose, without the other Party’s prior written consent, the existence of this contract, the identity of the other Party and those terms of the contract which have already been publicly disclosed in accordance herewith.

 

(g) Trademarks. Except as set forth in Section 3.04.4(a), or as expressly permitted by this contract, neither Party shall use the name, trademark, trade name or logo of the other Party or its employees, including in any publicity, news release or disclosure relating to this contract or its subject matter, without the prior express written permission of the other Party.

 

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(h) Protection of Interests. The Parties will use commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that the content of any oral statement or written disclosure or publication will comply with applicable laws and regulations and will not adversely affect the Parties’ commercial interests.

Article 4.00 - Consideration and Royalties.

4.01 CONSIDERATION . The license Grant under this contract will be remunerated with an initial royalty, which is non-refundable and amounts to € 9,500,000.00. No other royalties will be due.

4.02 TAXES. Unless in case of purchase at cost (see section 3.03 here above) the COMPANY is responsible for all taxes (other than net income taxes), duties, import deposits, assessments, and other governmental charges, however designated, which are now or hereafter will be imposed by any authority in or for the Territory, (a) by reason of the performance by MAYO of its obligations under this contract, or the payment of any amounts by the COMPANY to MAYO under this contract; (b) based on the Licensed Invention or use of the Licensed Invention; or (c) which relate to the import of the Licensed Invention into the Territory.

4.03 NO DEDUCTIONS. All payments to be made by the COMPANY to MAYO under this contract represent net amounts MAYO is entitled to receive, and shall not be subject to any deductions or offsets for any reason whatsoever. If such payments become subject to taxes, duties, assessments, or fees of any kind levied in the Territory, such payments from the COMPANY shall be increased to the extent that MAYO actually receives the net amounts due under this contract

4.04 U.S. CURRENCY. All payments to MAYO under this contract shall be made by draft drawn on a United States bank, and payable in United States dollars.

Article 5.00 - Research

5.01 RESEARCH FUNDING. Beginning in 2008, and for a total of three years COMPANY will contribute to research funding at MAYO in the amount of $742,500.00 per year. The research projects hereto related will be documented in advance with a project plan and budget which will be proposed by MAYO mutually agreed after discussion out of good faith among the parties. These projects plans shall include specific aims and deliverables to be reasonably acceptable to the Company. In this context, payments will be made in four equal quarterly installments of $ 185,625.00 payable at the beginning of each relevant quarter. Any improvements developed in the course of work under any of these projects plans will fall under the license Grant in this contract. MAYO will report any research findings under this Section 5.01 to the COMPANY in writing on a quarterly basis (hereinafter “the Sponsored Research”).

5.02 COMPANY DIRECTED RESEARCH In addition to the research under Section 5.01, MAYO and COMPANY will develop a budget, timeline and list of specific deliverables for any research that the COMPANY and MAYO desire to perform.

 

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5.03 PURCHASE OF EQUIPMENT. COMPANY will pay MAYO $337,000.00 to be used to purchase equipment to be used for the Sponsored Research described in Sections 5.01 and 5.02. This equipment may be used for other research at MAYO but preference will be given to any project funded by COMPANY. This payment is due no later than September 30, 2008.

Article 6.00 - Warranties and Indemnification.

6.01 Mayo represents and warrants to COMPANY that to the best of Mayo’s internal patent counsel’s knowledge, no third party has sent written notice to Mayo that practice of the Licensed Invention infringes on any third party’s intellectual property rights.

6.02 USE OF NAME AND LOGO. The COMPANY shall not use publicly for publicity, promotion, or otherwise, any logo, name, trade name, service mark, or trademark of MAYO or its Affiliates, including, but not limited to, the terms “MAYO ® ”, “Mayo Clinic ® ,” or any simulation, abbreviation, or adaptation of the same, or the name of any MAYO employee or agent, without MAYO’s prior, written, express consent. MAYO may withhold such consent and will process such requests within 5 business days.

6.03 MAYO PATENTS. Except as expressly provided in this contract, nothing shall be construed

 

(a) a warranty or representation by MAYO as to the validity or scope of any patents contained in the Licensed Invention;

 

(b) an obligation to bring or to prosecute actions against third parties for infringement of patent

 

(c) conferring by implication, estoppel, or otherwise any patents of MAYO.

6.04 WARRANTIES. MAYO HAS NOT MADE AND PRESENTLY MAKES NO PROMISES, GUARANTEES, REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY NATURE, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING THE MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, SUITABILITY, DURABILITY, CONDITION, QUALITY, OR ANY OTHER CHARACTERISTIC OF THE LICENSED INVENTION. THE COMPANY TAKES THE LICENSED INVENTION “AS IS,” “WITH ALL EVENTUAL TECHNICAL FAULTS,” AND “WITH ALL EVENTUAL

DEFECTS.”

6.05 INDEMNIFICATION. The COMPANY will defend, indemnify, and hold harmless MAYO and MAYO’s Affiliates from any and all third party claims, actions, demands, judgments, losses, costs, expenses, damages and liabilities (including but not limited to reasonable attorneys fees and other expenses of litigation), regardless of the legal theory asserted, arising out of or connected with:

 

(a) use by the COMPANY of Patent Rights or information furnished or licensed under this Agreement;

 

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(b) design, manufacture, distribution, use, sale, or other disposition of Products, including Licensed Products, by the COMPANY or its transferees; and

 

(c) any obligation of COMPANY hereunder.

As used in Sections 6.04 and 6.05, MAYO and its Affiliates include the trustees, officers, agents, and employees of MAYO and its Affiliates. The parties agree that the indemnity stated in this Section 6.04 should be construed and applied in favor of indemnification. COMPANY will, during the Term, carry insurance at a level commensurate with their obligation to indemnify MAYO In any case, prior to any use in humans, COMPANY will carry occurrence-base liability insurance, including products liability and contractual liability, in an amount and for a time period sufficient to cover the liability assumed by COMPANY hereunder, such amount being at least one million U.S. dollars ($1,000,000.00). Notwithstanding the foregoing, COMPANY shall not, without MAYO’s prior written consent, settle or compromise any Claim in a manner that would require MAYO to admit liability or incur financial obligation. MAYO may be represented by counsel of its own choosing, at its own expense.

6.06 ADDITIONAL WAIVERS. THE COMPANY AGREES THAT MAYO SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE CAUSED BY DELAY IN FURNISHING PRODUCTS OR SERVICES, OR ANY OTHER PERFORMANCE UNDER THIS CONTRACT, UNLESS RESULTING FROM MAYO’S NEGLIGENCE OR WILLFULL AND WANTON MISCONDUCT.

IN NO EVENT SHALL PARTIES’ LIABILITY OF ANY KIND INCLUDE ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL LOSSES OR DAMAGES, EVEN IF THE BREACHING PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. IN NO CASE SHALL PARTIES’ LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES OF ANY TYPE EXCEED THE DOUBLE OF TOTAL ROYALTIES WHICH HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN PAID TO MAYO BY THE COMPANY AS OF THE DATE OF FILING OF THE ACTION AGAINST MAYO WHICH RESULTS IN THE SETTLEMENT OR AWARD OF DAMAGES.

Article 7.00 - Term and Termination.

7.01 TERM, The term of this contract is for the longer of ten (10) years, or for the life of the last of any patents that may be related to the Licensed Invention.

 

7.02 TERMINATION.

a) This Agreement may be terminated only to the extent provided in this Agreement or by mutual written agreement between the Parties. Early termination of this Agreement by mutual written agreement as provided for in Section 7.02 (a) shall not relieve the Parties of any obligation accruing prior to such termination.

b) COMPANY may terminate the Agreement on at least 90 days prior written notice to MAYO if in COMPANY’s reasonable opinion the licensed Invention is no longer scientifically, regulatory, clinically or economically potentially valuable to the Company including manufacturing cost and cost - benefit ratio consideration.

 

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c) If the COMPANY defaults in the payment of any fees, or payment, or in the making of any report; or makes a false report MAYO may, at its sole option, terminate this contract upon written notice to the COMPANY. Termination being effective upon one hundred and twenty (120) days after mailing or personal delivery unless such default or other breach is first cured.

d) MAYO may terminate this license at any time after January 2011 if MAYO, has reasonable evidence that the COMPANY does not intend to develop the Licensed Invention commercially. MAYO and the COMPANY will first try to resolve the disagreements in good faith. Should the disagreements remain, MAYO and the COMPANY agree to binding arbitration as to the validity of the evidence

7.03 CHALLENGE BY OR INSOLVENCY OF COMPANY. MAYO may terminate this contract immediately upon written notice to the COMPANY if the COMPANY ceases conducting business in the normal course, becomes insolvent or bankrupt, makes a general assignment for the benefit of creditors, admits in writing its inability to pay its debts as they are due, permits the appointment of a receiver for its business or assets, or avails itself of or becomes subject to any proceeding under any statute of any governing authority relating to insolvency or the protection of rights of creditors.

7.04 SURVIVAL. The following obligations survive the Termination of this contract:

 

a) the COMPANY’s obligation to supply reports covering the time period up to the date of Termination;

 

b) MAYO’s obligation pursuant to Section 5 to supply reports covering the time period up to the date of Termination;

 

c) MAYO’s right to receive payments, fees, and royalties (including minimum royalties) accrued or accruable from payment at the time of any Termination;

 

d) the COMPANY’s obligation to maintain records, and MAYO’s right to have those records inspected;

 

e) any cause of action or claim of MAYO, accrued or to accrue, because of any action or omission by the COMPANY;

 

f) the COMPANY’s obligations stated in Sections 3.04, 6.02 and 6.05 of this contract; and

 

g) unless if terminated pursuant to section 7.02, the COMPANY’s obligation to return all materials given to it by MAYO, including inventory.

Article 8.00 - Best Efforts.

8.01 REPRESENTATIONS OF THE COMPANY. The COMPANY has represented to MAYO, to induce MAYO to enter into this contract, that the COMPANY is experienced in the development, production, quality control, service, manufacture, marketing, and sales of products similar to the Licensed Invention, and that it will commit itself to a thorough, vigorous, and diligent program of marketing the Licensed Invention. COMPANY also represents to MAYO that all product sold in the United States will be manufactured substantially in the United States.

 

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8.02 COMPANY EFFORTS. If at any time during the term of this contract, the COMPANY is not exercising, or is presently unable to exercise, its best efforts in the development, production, quality control, service, manufacture, marketing, or sales of the Licensed Invention, then MAYO may terminate the exclusivity of this contract if COMPANY does not cure within 120 days of written notice to the COMPANY. The criteria MAYO may use in reaching such a conclusion include, but are not limited to, the loss for any reason of key personnel from the COMPANY, and the present or projected financial status of the COMPANY.

8.03 MAYO EFFORTS. If at any time during the term of this contract, MAYO is clearly not exercising, or is presently unable to exercise, reasonable efforts in the execution of this contract, COMPANY will promptly notify MAYO of any specific actions or inactions that indicate such lack of effort. If MAYO does not reasonably cure within 120 days, COMPANY will no longer be obliged to pay any outstanding research funding upon written notice to MAYO.

Article 9.00 - Patents

9.01 PATENT NUMBERS. The COMPANY shall mark all Licensed Invention units sold in the United States with any applicable United States patent numbers, and all Licensed Invention units sold in countries other than the United States with any applicable patent numbers of the country of sale. All Licensed Invention units shipped to or sold in other countries in the Territory shall be marked in such a manner as to conform with the patent laws and other laws of the country of manufacture or sale.

9.02 INFRINGEMENT BY THIRD PARTY. Notwithstanding anything else in this contract, if at any time a third party shall infringe any unexpired licensed patent right licensed in this contract, and if such infringement shall come to the attention of either MAYO or the COMPANY, that party shall promptly give notice in writing to the other party of the existence of such infringement, and the parties to this contract shall, upon mutual agreement, decide on an appropriate course of action to take against the infringer in view of all of the circumstances then existing. MAYO shall not unreasonably withhold such agreement.

9.03 PATENTS. The COMPANY, at its own discretion, shall pursue patent coverage and maintain patents for the Licensed Invention at its own expense. Any patents resulting from the Licensed Invention or based upon the Licensed Invention shall be owned and applied for on behalf of MAYO if invented by MAYO, assigned to COMPANY if invented by COMPANY and jointly assigned of jointly invented. When the COMPANY decides not to seek patent protection for (certain parts) of the Licensed Invention, it shall offer MAYO the right to seek protection for such parts of the Licensed Invention, such patents to be owned solely by MAYO and COMPANY will have no rights.

MAYO shall do, execute and perform and shall procure to be done, executed and performed all such further acts, deeds, documents and things as COMPANY may reasonably require from time to time effectively to pursue the patents.

 

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Article 10.00 - General Provision

10.01 ASSIGNMENT AND SUBCONTRACT. The COMPANY and MAYO are strictly prohibited from assigning or subcontracting any of their obligations or rights under this contract without the other party’s prior, express, written consent, which consent may not be unreasonably withheld.

10.02 WAIVER. No part of this contract may be waived except by the further written agreement of the parties. Forbearance in any form from demanding the performance of a duty owed under this contract is not a waiver of that duty. Until complete performance of a duty owed under this contract is accomplished, the party to which that duty is owed may invoke any remedy under this contract or under law, despite its past forbearance in demanding performance of that duty.

10.03 GOVERNING LAW AND JURISDICTION. This contract is made and performed in Minnesota. It is governed by Minnesota law, but specifically not including Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code as enacted in Minnesota. This is not a contract for the sale of goods. In addition, no Minnesota conflicts-of-law or choice-of-laws provisions apply to this contract, it supersedes the application of Minnesota law. [The exclusive fora for actions between the parties in connection with this contract are the State District Court sitting in Olmsted County, Minnesota, or the United States Court for the District of Minnesota.]

10.04 HEADINGS. The headings of articles and sections used in this document are for convenience of reference only, and arc not a part of this contract.

10.05 NOTICES. Any notice required to be given under this contract is properly provided if in writing and either personally delivered, or sent by express or certified mail, postage prepaid, to the parties at the following addresses, unless other addresses are provided consistent with this Section 10.5:

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

200 First Street SW

Rochester, Minnesota 55905-0001

Attn: Office of Intellectual Property, Mayo Clinic

Cardio 3 BioSciences

Boulevard de France 9

1420 Braine l’Alleud

Unless otherwise expressly specified in this contract in this contract, notices sent by mail are considered effective upon the earlier of: the fifth (5th) day after dispatch (or the tenth (10th) day after dispatch if dispatched by air mail other than in the United States) or the day of actual receipt. Notices personally delivered are considered effective upon the date of delivery. It is the responsibility of the party giving notice to obtain a receipt for delivery of the notice, if that party considers such a receipt advisable.

 

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10.06 LIMITED OF RIGHTS CREATED. This contract is intended only to benefit the two parties to it. They have no intention to create any interests for any other party. Specifically, no interests are intended to be created for any customer, patient, research subjects, or other persons (or their relatives, heirs, dependents, or personal representatives) by or upon whom the Licensed Invention may be used.

10.07 INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS. In the performance of their respective duties under this contract, the parties are independent contractors of each other. Neither is the agent, employee, or servant of the other. Each is responsible only for its own conduct.

10.08 ENTIRE CONTRACT. This document states the entire contract between the parties about its subject matter. All past and contemporaneous discussions, agreements, proposals, promises, warranties, representations, guarantees, correspondence, and understandings, whether oral or written, formal or informal, are entirely superseded by this contract.

10.09 UNENFORCEABLE PROVISION. The unenforceability of any part of this contract will not affect any other part. This contract will be construed as if the unenforceable parts had been omitted.

10.10 CHANGES TO CONTRACT. No part of this contract, including this Section 10.10, may be changed except in writing, through another document signed by both parties.

10.11 CONSTRUCTION. Both parties agree to all of the terms of this contract. Both parties execute this contract only after reviewing it thoroughly. This contract, and any changes to it, will be interpreted on the basis that both parties contributed equally to the drafting of each of its parts.

(Remainder of this page intentionally left blank)

 

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MAYO FOUNDATION FOR MEDICAL EDUCATION AND RESEARCH:
Signed:  

/s/ Steven P. VanNurden

Printed Name:   Steven P. VanNurden
Title:   Assistant Treasurer
Date:   July 3, 2008
COMPANY:
Signed:  

/s/ Michel Lussier

Printed Name:   Michel Lussier
Title:   Chairman
Date:   July 4, 2008

 

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Execution copy

 

Amendment Number 2

To the Technology License Contract between

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

And

Cardio3 BioSciences SA

Whereas the parties signed a Technology License Agreement effective June 4, 2007.

Whereas the parties signed a first amendment to that Technology License Contract on July 1, 2008 (the Technology License Contract, as amended, being referred to as the “ License Agreement ”).

Whereas the parties wish to re-consolidate and enhance the strategic alignment between Mayo and the Company and to reinforce the global relationship between Mayo and the Company to their mutual benefit.

Whereas the parties wish to confirm their global strategic relationship in the field of regenerative or protective therapies for cardiovascular applications; whereas the parties also wish to create certainty regarding the Company’s protein (non-cellular) and allogeneic programs.

Whereas the Parties wish to expand and amend the terms of the License Agreement as set forth below in this Second Amendment of the License Agreement (the “ Second Amendment ”) dated, and effective as of, 18 October 2010.

1. Delete the fifth and sixth sentences of Section 1.03

2. Article 2.00 (“Definitions”), paragraph “Licensed Inventions” shall be replaced with:

2 . 00 LICENSED INVENTIONS means “Cardiogenic Cocktail for the production of Cardiac Cells” (Mayo Reference number MMV#2004-182) and “Stem Cell Based Therapy for Non-ischemic Cardiomyopathic Heart Failure” (Mayo Reference number MMV#2007-121). If not patented, then the Licensed Inventions are MAYO’s trade secret. To Mayo’s knowledge, the two inventions explicitly listed encompass Mayo’s inventions and intellectual property on guided cardiopoiesis as of the date of execution of the Second Amendment. Licensed Inventions also includes the following patent applications, and all divisionals, continuations and continuations in part based thereon, and any patents which may issue therefrom, and any reissues or extensions thereof (together, the “Licensed Patents”) and know-how.

Licensed Inventions includes those patents listed below:

2007-121, Stem Cell Based Therapy for Non-ischemic Cardiomyopathic Heart Failure,

 

1


Execution copy

 

2004-182 Derivation of a Cardiopoetic Cellular Phenotype from a Stem Cell Source.

And the related Patents and Patent Applications;

06/592,871 Stem Cells and treatment of Vascular Tissue

06/680,775 Treating Cardiovascular Tissue

06/832,845 Methods and Materials for providing Cardiac Cells

PCT/US2005/026800 Treating Cardiovascular Tissue

PCT/US2008/064895 Methods and Materials for using Cells to treat Heart Tissue

PCT/US2009/044714 Compositions and Methods for Using Cells to treat Heart Tissue

PCT/US2009/044751 Methods for determining the Cardio Generative Potential of Mammalian Cells

3. Paragraph 2.02 is replaced with the following;

2.02 FIELD OF USE means cardiovascular regeneration or protection.

4. Delete definition “Mayo Information”. Delete Section 3.05.02(c) (“Required Disclosure”).

5. Add Paragraph 2.10

2.10 SUBLICENSE . Company has the right to sublicense, without Mayo consent, but under the following terms and conditions. Any sublicense by Company shall be to a Sublicensee that agrees in writing to be bound by (at least) substantially the same terms and conditions as Company herein, excluding the financial terms and conditions, or such sublicense shall be null and void. Sublicenses granted hereunder shall not be transferable, including by further sublicensing, delegatable or assignable (except among affiliates of the sublicensees or in the context of distribution agreements or the intervention of commercial sales organizations) without the prior written approval of Mayo, which shall not unreasonably be withheld, delayed or conditioned. Company will provide Mayo with a copy of each sublicense agreement promptly after execution. Company is responsible for the performance of all sublicensees as if such performance were carried out by Company itself, including the payment of any royalties or other payments provided for hereunder triggered by sublicensee, regardless of whether the terms of any sublicense require that sublicensee pay such amounts (such as in a fully paid-up license), or that such amounts be paid by the sublicensee directly to Mayo. Each sublicense agreement shall name Mayo as a third party beneficiary. Unless Mayo has provided written consent, the rights of the sublicensee shall terminate when Company’s rights terminate. However, Mayo shall not withhold its consent unreasonably, in cases where the relevant sublicensees have up to that time substantially complied with their obligations under the sublicense agreement.

6. Add Paragraph 3.06

3.6 “NET COMMERCIAL SALES”: the amount invoiced by Company or Sublicensee for the commercial transfer of a Licensed Product to a non-sublicensee or non-affiliated third party less the sum of the following documented items: (a) sales, excise or use taxes or other taxes, tariffs, customs duties, excise or other duties or governmental charges shown on the face of the invoice; (b) repayments or credits for defective, rejected,

 

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recalled or returned Licensed Products actually given; (c) trade and discount allowances, price reductions, rebates and adjustments given (including if imposed by governmental authorities, or if granted to drug wholesalers or their customers in cases where there are not direct shipments to such customers); (d) transportation, importation, exportation, shipping, insurance and other handling expenses chargeable to the royalty-bearing sale of the Licensed Product; and (e) accounts receivable that are not collected within 4 months from their due date. Net Commercial Sales will not include any reimbursement received or revenue in respect of the use of a Licensed Product as part of a clinical trial or otherwise prior to the receipt of marketing authorization. Net Commercial Sales on Licensed Products transferred as part of a non-cash exchange shall be calculated at the then-current customary commercial sales price invoiced to third parties or fair market value if there are no current invoices to third parties.

7. Add a second clause to Paragraph 4.01

“The entry into the Second Amendment (including the additional license grant) will be remunerated with an upfront fee amounting to $3,193,125.”

8. Amend Section 4.03 as follows: add “(other than net income taxes)” after “taxes”.

9. Add Paragraph 4.05

4.05 EARNED ROYALTIES . Company will make nonrefundable and noncreditable earned royalty payments to Mayo of 2% of Net Commercial Sales which absent the amended License Agreement would infringe a valid claim of a Licensed Patent (the “ Licensed Product ”) (“ Earned Royalties ”). Earned Royalties will be due, on a Licensed Product-by-Licensed Product basis, during a royalty period beginning on the date of the first commercial sale of the relevant Licensed Product and extending until the earlier of (i) termination of this agreement; (ii) the 15 year anniversary of the first commercial sale of such Licensed Product; (iii) the date on which such Licensed product is no longer covered by a valid claim of a Licensed Patent in the territories in which it is sold Upon expiry of the royalty period, the license becomes perpetual and fully paid up for the relevant Licensed Product, with the right to sublicense pursuant to Section 2.10 of this amendment. Royalties paid under this section 4.05 may be reduced by the amounts paid to a third party if COMPANY obtains a license to a third party right that is necessary to develop/commercialize a Licensed Product, without, however, the effective royalty rate paid to Mayo falling below 1.5%. The Earned Royalties are payable as described in Section 4.06. Licensed Products sold or transferred to Mayo or its Affiliates are not considered transfers for purposes of determining Net Commercial Sales or for calculating Earned Royalties. No Earned Royalties are due to Mayo on transfers to Mayo or Mayo Affiliates.

10. Add Paragraph 4.06

4.06 REPORTS AND PAYMENT. Company will deliver to Mayo on or before the following dates: 1 March, 1 June, 1 September, and 1 December, payment of Earned Royalties (paid in US Dollars, converted from the currency in which the sales were made at the rate published in the Wall Street Journal on the business day prior to the date that the payment is made) along with a written report setting forth a full accounting showing

 

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how any amounts due to Mayo for the preceding calendar quarter have been calculated as provided in this Agreement, including an accounting of total Net Commercial Sales with a reporting of any applicable foreign exchange rates, deductions, allowances, and charges, and any payments received from Sublicensees. If no qualified Licensed Product transfers have occurred and no Earned Royalties are due to Mayo, Company will submit a report so stating. Each such report will be accompanied by the payment of all amounts due for such calendar quarter. Items to be deducted as per the definition of Net Commercial Sales, can be deducted (or should be repaid) in subsequent quarters.

11. Change Section 5.01 to:

5.01 RESEARCH FUNDING. In 2010, COMPANY will be entitled to $185,625 worth in directed research by Mayo without additional consideration, other than the acceptance of the royalty provisions under this Second Amendment. In 2011, COMPANY will be entitled to $750,000 worth in directed research by Mayo without additional consideration, other than the acceptance of the royalty provisions under this Second Amendment. MAYO and COMPANY will work together and negotiate in good faith to find projects of mutual interest in the Field of Use and to develop a specific research agreement spelling out, amongst other things, a budget, deliverables and a timeline. Any results of this research will automatically fall under the license grant in the Technology License Contract and constitute Licensed Inventions (even if not covered by “Licensed Inventions” as initially defined in the Second Amendment). Any amounts not actually spent in any given calendar year will be transferred to the following calendar year and so on. Mayo will report any research findings to the Company in writing on a quarterly basis. Also, COMPANY will be entitled to the conduct, by Mayo, without additional consideration, other than the acceptance of the royalty provisions under this Second Amendment, of a dose finding study worth $250,000.

12. Add a new Section 5.04

5.04 CONTRIBUTION INTO THE CAPITAL OF COMPANY. Mayo hereby agrees to convert the following outstanding invoices in capital of the Company at the occasion of the upcoming Series C funding of the Company for a total amount of $4,181,250, in consideration for Class B Shares at a price of EUR 44.20 per share: (i) unpaid Research Funding 2009 under the First Amended License Agreement, invoice reference 2004182101210 ($186,250); (ii) unpaid Research Funding 2010 (i.e., the portion of $742,500 already consumed for 2010 on the date of this Second Amendment, more specifically $556,875) under the First Amended Technology License Contract, invoice reference 2004182101210; (iii) unpaid delivery of 70 liters Platelet Lysate (under the Material Transfer Agreement dated 1 July 2010), invoice reference 2004182101210 ($245,000); and (iv) the upfront fee under the second paragraph of section 4.01 of the Second Amendment, invoice reference 2004182101210 ($3,193,125). For the capital increase, the USD/EUR conversion rate on 30 September 2010 will be applied. The contribution in kind is subject to approval by the Company’s corporate bodies.

 

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13. Add Section 5.01.01

5.01.01 CONTINGENT RESEARCH FUNDING. COMPANY will fund further research at Mayo in the amount of $1,000,000 per year for 4 years. This research will be in the area of regeneration or protection for cardiovascular applications. These grants will begin in or after 2015, as soon as COMPANY has both had a first commercial sale of a Licensed Product and has had a positive cash flow from operations in the previous financial year. Specific budgets, timelines and deliverables will be part of the research agreement executed at the time of the grant.

Company will have an exclusive right of first negotiation to acquire an exclusive license to any inventions that are the direct result of work carried out under these grants and that are not already defined as Licensed Inventions (including under sections 5.01 or 5.02). When the research is sufficiently mature to allow the Company to make an informed decision regarding a license under appropriate terms, Mayo or Company will notify the other party thereof in writing. Company will have 60 days to exercise its option to negotiate as of the date that Mayo has provided Company with all relevant information and documentation with respect to the invention at issue; if no such interest is shown, then Mayo can license out to a third party. If Company has exercised its option to negotiate, parties during 120 days will expeditiously seek to negotiate in good faith and execute a reasonable license agreement. This time can be extended in 30 day increments by mutual agreement or in case material new data become available. If parties do not reach agreement within such term, then Mayo, during the following 9 month period can not enter into a license agreement with respect to the invention with any third party.

14. Change paragraph 5.02

5.02 COMPANY DIRECTED RESEARCH. In addition to the research under sections 5.01 and 5.01.01, MAYO will reasonably assist the Company with research as needed for COMPANY, for example to move towards commercialization and/or to (further) develop existing or new products. In these cases, COMPANY and MAYO will develop a budget and timeline and a list of specific deliverables. The parties stipulate that this funding will be in the amount of $500,000 per year in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Any amounts not actually spent in any given calendar year will be transferred to the following calendar year and so on. Any results of this research will automatically fall under the license grant in the Technology License Contract and constitute Licensed Inventions (even if not covered by “Licensed Inventions” as initially defined in the Second Amendment).

15. Section 6.01 is restated as effective as of the date of this second amendment.

16. Amend Section 6.02 as follows: add “Except in the circumstances described in Section 3.05.02(c) (“Permitted Disclosures”)(i), (ii) and (iii), [...]”.

17. Replace section 7.01

7.01 TERM. The term of this contract is for the longer of ten (10) years, or as long as Mayo has any rights to any part of the Licensed Inventions.

18. Replace Sections 7.02(c) and 7.02(d) with the following

 

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7.02(c) If the Company defaults in making payment when due and payable or in the making of any report or if the Company makes a report in which Company made false statements in any material respect (which failure to pay or to report is not remedied within 120 days of receipt of written notice by Mayo, respectively which false statements are not rectified in a new report within 120 days of receipt of written notice by Mayo) or if the Company makes a report in which Company deliberately made false statements in any material respect, then Mayo (a) on a product-by-product basis (if the breach relates to a specific product under development or being commercialized) or (b) on a Licensed Invention-by-Licensed Invention basis (if the breach relates to a specific Licensed Invention, but unless the breach relates to a specific product under development or being commercialized)) may terminate this license.

7.02(d) Mayo may notify the Company of its intent to terminate this license, if the Company at any time after January 2011 has breached its obligation to exercise best efforts as described in Section 8.01. Mayo and the Company will first try to resolve the disagreements in good faith. Should the disagreements remain, Mayo and the Company agree to binding arbitration as to the existence of the breach of Section 8.01 and Mayo’s right to terminate this license on that basis. In case of arbitration, any termination of this license will only be effective upon the final decision to that effect of the arbitral tribunal (and then as of the date of such final decision, irrespective of any contractual remedy period that would then still run). Any Arbitration will be carried out pursuant to Section 10.03bis

19. Add section 7.05

7.05 DISPUTE RESOLUTION: Parties agree that resolution of any disputes will be negotiated in good faith for a period of 90 days. If the dispute has not been resolved, the Director of Office of Intellectual Property at Mayo and the CEO of the Company will negotiate for 45 days; the Parties will then attempt non-binding mediation before either can seek relief in court.

20. Replace Sections 8.01 and 8.02 with the following

8.01 DILIGENCE. The Company commits to use its best efforts, taking into account all circumstances, to pursue a thorough, vigorous and diligent program of developing (and ultimately commercializing) one or more products making use of a Licensed Invention. Company also represents to Mayo that all product sold in the United States will be manufactured substantially in the United States.

8.02 DILIGENCE. If the Company at any time during the term of this contract is not exercising its best efforts as described in Section 8.01, then Mayo may notify the Company of its intent to terminate the exclusivity of this contract if Company does not within 120 days of receipt of written notice by Mayo present a plan to Mayo on the basis of which it can be reasonably assumed that the Company will cure its breach of Section 8.01 within a reasonable timeframe. If there is a disagreement regarding whether the Company has breached Section 8.01 or regarding the plan presented by the Company, then Mayo and the Company will first try to resolve the disagreements in good faith.

 

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Should the disagreements remain, Mayo and the Company agree to binding arbitration as to the existence of the breach of Section 8.01 and Mayo’s right to terminate the exclusivity on that basis. In case of arbitration, any termination of exclusivity will only be effective upon the final decision to that effect of the arbitral tribunal. Any Arbitration will be carried out pursuant to Section 10.03bis.

21. Replace paragraph 9.02

9.02 ENFORCEMENT Company shall have the first right, but not the obligation, to defend or enforce the Licensed Patents so long as Mayo is kept informed and given the right and opportunity to advise and comment, provided that such advise and comment is given within a reasonable timeframe under the circumstances and that Company shall ultimately decide on the course of action. Mayo shall reasonably cooperate in any such action at Company’s expense (reimbursement of pre-approved out-of-pocket expenses only) but shall not be required to join such action unless it has agreed to do so. Any recoveries or damages shall accrue to the Company. Company shall pay to Mayo 2% of any recovery or damages, net of all costs and expenses associated with each suit or settlement.

22. Replace Section 10.01

10.01 ASSIGNMENT AND TRANSFER. With the specific exception of a sale of all or substantially all of a party’s assets (or assets relating to a business line), each party is strictly prohibited from assigning, delegating or otherwise transferring any of its obligations or rights under this Agreement without the other party’s prior, express and written consent, which consent may not be unreasonably be withheld. Any assignment, delegation or transfer in contravention hereof is null and void.

23. Add “Article 3bis - Option”

3bis.01 OPTION. Subject to pre-existing obligations and for a period of five years from the effective date of this Second Amendment, Company will have an exclusive right of negotiation to acquire an exclusive license to any guided cardiopoiesis technology (and the intellectual property rights related thereto) which is either: (i) developed by Andre Terzic M.D.; or (ii) developed or co-developed by Atta Behfar M.D., and that are not already defined as Licensed Inventions (including under sections 5.01 or 5.02). If, during this option period, any technology is sufficiently mature to allow the Company to make an informed decision regarding a license under appropriate terms, Mayo will notify the Company in writing. Company will have 60 days to exercise its option to negotiate as of the date that Mayo has provided Company with all reasonable available, relevant information and documentation with respect to the invention at issue; if no such interest is shown, then Mayo can license out to a third party. If Company has exercised its option to negotiate, parties during 120 days will expeditiously seek to negotiate in good faith and execute a reasonable license agreement. This time can be extended in 30 day increments by mutual agreement or in case material new data become available. If parties do not reach agreement within such term, then Mayo, during the following nine month period cannot enter into a license agreement with respect to the invention with any third party.

 

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24. Add Section 10.03bis and delete the final sentence of Section 10.03.

10.03bis. ARBITRATION.

Any dispute arising out of or in connection with this contract, including any question regarding its termination or any right to terminate, shall be referred to and finally resolved by arbitration under the auspices of the London Court Of Arbitration in accordance with designated arbitral Rules or Procedures to the extent those Procedures are not inconsistent with the provisions of this paragraph. The parties agree to arbitrate between themselves only; this clause does not permit, and the parties explicitly reject, class arbitration. Any attempt to involve other parties, whether similarly situated or not, in any arbitration under this contract is a violation of this contract and shall not be permitted. The number of arbitrators shall be three, one independent and neutral. Within 15 days after commencement of the arbitration, each party shall select one person to act as arbitrator and the two selected shall select a third arbitrator within 15 days of their appointment. The third arbitrator shall chair the proceedings. The seat, or legal place, of arbitration shall be London, England. The language to be used in the arbitral proceedings shall be English. Within 30 days following the appointment of the arbitrators, each party shall provide to the other party copies of all documents relevant to the issues raised by any claim or counterclaim. Within 30 days following the date upon which documents are exchanged, the parties may take up to three depositions of up to three hours each. Discovery disputes shall be resolved upon application to the chair of the arbitration panel; the chair’s resolution shall be final. To the extent not inconsistent with this paragraph, the International Bar Association Rules on the Taking of Evidence in International Commercial Arbitrations shall be applied. Hearings shall be held on four contiguous dates within 150 days after the arbitrators are appointed, and the Award shall be issued within 200 days after the arbitrators are appointed. It is the intent of the parties that these time limits be strictly enforced, but they may be extended by agreement of the parties, and failure to adhere to them shall not constitute a basis for challenging the award. The arbitrators shall agree to comply with this paragraph before accepting appointment.

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MAYO FOUNDATION FOR MEDICAL EDUCATION AND RESEARCH:
Signed:  

/s/ Steven P. VanNurden

Name:   Steven P. VanNurden
Title:   Assistant Treasurer
Date: 18 October 2010
CARDIO3 BIOSCIENCES SA:
Signed:  

/s/ Christian Homsy

Name:   Christian Homsy
Title:   CEO and Special Proxyholder
Date: 18 October 2010

 

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Exhibit 10.14

- strictly confidential -

SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT

by and between

Cardio3 BioSciences SA, as Purchaser

and

Didier de Canniere and Serge Elkiner, acting as representatives of the Sellers

dated November 5, 2014

 

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SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT

This share purchase agreement (the “ Agreement ”), dated as of October 31, 2014, is entered into by and between Cardio3 BioSciences SA, a Belgian company having its registered office at Rue Edouard Belin 12, B-1435 Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium (the “ Purchaser ”) and Didier de Canniere and Serge Elkiner (the “ Sellers ”).

Capitalized terms used in this Agreement and not defined herein are defined in Article 1.1 below.

RECITALS

WHEREAS :

(A) Corquest Medical Inc is a Delaware corporation, having its registered office at 20900 NE 30th Avenue, Suite 832, Aventura, Florida (the “ Company ”).

(B) The Company has 20,000,000 authorized shares of Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), of which 6,000,000 shares (the “ Shares ”) are issued and outstanding. The Shares are all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company on a “fully diluted basis”. The Shares are owned by Didier de Canniere, Serge Elkiner, owner of respectively 4,569,600 shares and 1,142,400 shares, and their respective associates as listed in Exhibit 2.1.

(E) The purpose of this Agreement is to set forth the terms and conditions of the purchase and sale of the Shares, as well as to organize or refer to, with a view to offer a global perspective on the transaction described supra, the other steps and actions needed to finalize said transaction.

NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

ARTICLE I

INTERPRETATION

1.1 Certain Definitions . In addition to such terms as are defined elsewhere in this Agreement, in this Agreement:

Accounting Principles ” shall mean US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, as currently in effect;

Accounts ” shall have the meaning specified in Article 3.4 ;

Agents ” shall have the meaning specified in Article 4.4(b) ;

Agreement ” shall have the meaning specified in the Introductory Clause ;

Available Documents ” shall mean the documents listed on Exhibit 1.1 , which the Company has disclosed in the course of its due diligence;

 

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Business Day ” shall mean any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday in Paris, France or Miami, Florida, or any other day on which commercial banking institutions in Paris, France or Miami, Florida are required to close;

Closing ” shall have the meaning specified in Article 2.3(a) ;

Closing Date ” shall have the meaning specified in Article 2.3(a) ;

Closing Payment ” shall have the meaning specified in Article 2.3(c)(i) ;

Company ” shall have the meaning specified in the Recitals ;

Confidentiality Agreement ” shall have the meaning specified in Article 6.3 ;

Contract ” shall mean any currently in force contract, agreement, obligation, promise, commitment or other undertaking set forth in writing;

Disagreement ” shall have the meaning specified in Article 2.4(b) ;

“Earn-Out” shall mean the Net Revenue generated by Purchaser from the selling or divesting, in all or in part, of Proprietary Intellectual Property Rights of the Company to a third party. Any other revenues generated by the Purchaser from exploiting the Proprietary Intellectual Property Rights of the Company, such as, but not limited, revenues generated from commercial products sale or collaboration with third party, are not considered as Earn-Out .

Employees ” shall have the meaning specified in Article 3.14(a) ;

Encumbrance ” shall mean, with respect to any right, security, asset or property, as the case may be, any contractual pledge, mortgage, reserve title or title retention device, lien, ownership right or other security or other third party claim or right, other than restrictions on transferability of the Shares under federal, state or foreign securities laws and liens, encumbrances or other third party claims or rights imposed by or at the direction of the Purchaser or any of its affiliates;

Entity ” shall mean any company, partnership (limited or general), joint venture, trust, association, economic interest group or other organization, enterprise or entity;

Governmental Authority ” shall mean any domestic, foreign or supranational court or other judicial authority or governmental, administrative or regulatory body (including securities exchange), department, agency, commission or authority;

Governmental Authorization ” shall mean any approval, consent, permit, accreditation, ruling, waiver, exemption or other authorization (including the lapse, without objection, of a prescribed time under a statute or regulation that states that a transaction may be implemented if a prescribed time lapses following the giving of notice without an objection being made) issued, granted, given or otherwise made available by or under the authority of any Governmental Authority or pursuant to any Law;

Indemnifiable Losses ” shall have the meaning specified in Article 5.1(a) ;

 

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Judgment ” shall mean any award, decision, injunction, judgment, order or ruling entered, issued, made or rendered by any court, administrative agency or other Governmental Authority or by any arbitrator;

Law ” shall mean any law, statute, regulation, rule, ordinance, order or decree of any Governmental Authority (including any judicial or administrative interpretation thereof and, when applicable, administrative doctrine and guidance published from time to time) in force, fully implemented and enforceable as of the date hereof;

“Material Adverse Change” means any new event or change that has or can be reasonably expected to have a net material and adverse effect on the business, financial condition or results of operations of the Company, taken as a whole, except any event or change that arises from (i) any change in the U.S., foreign or global economy, (ii) any change in conditions generally affecting the industries in which the Company conducts business, (iii) this Share Purchase Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby, (iv) any natural disaster, hostilities, act of terrorism or war (whether or not threatened, pending or declared) or (v) any matter of which the Purchaser is aware on the date hereof; provided that any event or change that has or can be reasonably expected to have a net adverse effect below EUR 50,000 in the aggregate shall not be deemed material for such purposes;

Material Contracts ” shall have the meaning specified in Article 3.12 ;

“Net Revenue” shall mean all cash and non-cash consideration (e.g., securities) from the sale or divesting, in all or in part, of Proprietary Intellectual Property Rights of the Company to a third party less the following items: (a) sales, value added, use and other taxes and government charges actually paid, excluding income taxes; (b) sale or divesting transaction fees; (c) insurance charges actually paid or allowed; and (e) R&D expenses supported bt the Purchaser for the period from the Closing Date up to the sale or divesting date;

Notice ” shall have the meaning specified in Article 5.3(a) ;

Notice of Disagreement ” shall have the meaning specified in Article 2.4(b) ;

Organizational Documents ” shall mean when used with respect to (x) any company or other incorporated Entity, the memorandum and articles of association, charter or similar constitutive document of such company or other incorporated Entity, as filed, if need to be, with the relevant commercial registry, company registrar or other Governmental Authority, as the same may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, or (y) any partnership or other unincorporated Entity, its certificate of formation, partnership agreement, governing agreement or similar constitutive document, as the same may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time;

Person ” shall mean a natural person, Entity, or Governmental Authority;

Proceeding ” shall mean any litigation or arbitration conducted or heard before any Governmental Authority or arbitrator;

 

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‘‘ Proprietary Intellectual Property Rights ” shall have the meaning specified in Article 3.19 ;

Purchaser ” shall have the meaning specified in the Introductory Clause ;

Seller(s) ” shall have the meaning specified in the Introductory Clause ;

Shares ” shall have the meaning specified in the Recitals ;

Third Party Claim ” shall have the meaning specified in Article 5.3(a) ;

Transfer ” shall means, with respect to a Purchaser’s share, directly or indirectly, conditionally or unconditionally:

(a) sell, exchange, pledge, assign by way of security, grant any other right “in rem” (droit réel), deliver or offer or market, a Purchaser’s share whether for consideration or for free;

(b) enter into any option or any future (whether or not settled in cash) or otherwise dispose of or agree to dispose (whether conditionally or unconditionally, now or in the future) of any Purchaser’s share; or

(c) enter into any swap, any arrangement, any derivative transaction (whether or not settled in cash) or issue any instruments that transfer (conditionally or unconditionally, now or in the future) to a third party all or part of the economic risk, benefits, rights or ownership of a Purchaser’s share; and

a “Transfer” and “Transferring” shall be construed accordingly;

1.2 Principles of Interpretation . In this Agreement:

(a) The following rules of interpretation shall apply unless the context shall require otherwise:

(i) Definitions used in this Agreement shall apply equally to both the singular and plural forms of the terms defined.

(ii) Whenever used in this Agreement:

(A) the words “ include ”, “ includes ” and “ including ” shall be deemed to be followed by the phrase “ without limitation ”; and

(B) the words “ hereof ”, “ herein ” and similar words shall be construed as references to this Agreement.

(iii) A reference to any party to this Agreement or any other agreement or document includes such party’s successors and permitted assigns.

(iv) A provision in this Agreement will not be construed against a party merely because that party was responsible for the preparation of that provision or because it may have been inserted for that party’s benefit.

 

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(v) Except when used with the word “ either ”, the word “ or ” shall have a disjunctive and not alternative meaning (i.e., where two items or qualities are separated by the word “ or ”, the existence of one item or quality shall not be deemed to be exclusive of the existence of the other and the word “ or ” shall be deemed to include the word “ and ”)

(vi) Where any statement is qualified by the expression “ so far as the Sellers are aware ” or “ to the Sellers’ Knowledge ” or any similar expression, it is agreed that such statement is made by the Sellers on the basis of the facts of which the Sellers have or should reasonably have knowledge.

ARTICLE II

PURCHASE AND SALE OF THE SHARES

2.1 Agreement to Purchase and to Sell . Upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement, at the Closing, the Purchaser shall purchase from each of the Sellers, and each of the Sellers shall sell to the Purchaser, the number of Shares owned by such Seller as set forth in Recital (B) above, free and clear of all Encumbrances, together with all rights and benefits now and hereafter attaching thereto, including the right to receive any dividends that could be declared or paid out in the future. The sales and purchase from each Seller must be conducted simultaneously.

2.2 Purchase Price .

(a) The aggregate consideration to be paid by the Purchaser to the Sellers for the Shares shall be EUR 1.5 million, to be paid by the Purchaser for the entire amount of EUR 1.5 million in cash (the “ Purchase Price ”).

The Sellers will be entitled to an Earn-Out payment based on the Net Revenues generated by the Purchaser, if any, provided that none of the Sellers is in breach of any undertakings or covenants under this Agreement, including but not limited to the non-competition undertaking set out in Article 8.1. below. The Earn-Out ranges are further defined in Exhibit 2.2.

2.3 Closing.

(a) Provided that (x) the conditions precedent set forth in Article VII have been satisfied (and all documents evidencing the satisfaction of each condition precedent have been submitted) or waived in writing, and (y) this Agreement has not been previously terminated pursuant to Article 9.1 , the consummation of the sale and purchase of the Shares (the “ Closing ”) shall be held remotely via the exchange of signed documents at 9 a.m. The date on which the Closing shall take place is referred to herein as the “ Closing Date ”.

(b) At Closing, the Sellers shall deliver to the Purchaser:

(i) transfer forms duly signed by each of the Sellers in favor of the Purchaser in respect of all the Shares set forth opposite each such Seller’s name in the table appearing on Exhibit 2(1) ;

(ii) the register and shareholder accounts of the Company and the shareholders minute books of the Company, all of which will be up to date on that date, including with any recording needed as a result of the transfers of all the Shares, subject matter hereof; and

 

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(iii) the resignation letters (substantially in the form set forth on Exhibit 2.3(b)(iv)) of all directors and officers of the Company, without indemnification or compensation for such resignation;

(iv) a letter signed by the Sellers confirming that the representations and warranties made in Article III are still materially true and correct as at the Closing Date.

(c) At Closing, the Purchaser shall:

(i) pay to the Sellers, in accordance with Clause 2.2(a) the full amount of the Purchase Price in cash by electronic funds transfer of immediately available funds to their respective bank accounts as set out in Exhibit 2.3(c) ;

(ii) deliver a letter confirming that the representations and warranties made in Articles IV are still materially true and correct as at the Closing Date;

(iii) enter into an exclusive consultancy agreement with Mr. Didier De Canniere in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 2.3.

(d) All matters at the Closing will be considered to take place simultaneously, and no delivery of any document or payment will be deemed complete until all transactions and deliveries of documents required hereunder are completed, and title to the Shares shall not be transferred and the Purchaser shall have no property rights or interest in the Shares, while conversely the Purchaser shall be under no obligation to remit any part or all of the Purchase Price or any of its components or subdivisions as set forth in Article 2.3(c) supra, unless and until the Closing actually takes place.

(e) Sellers and Purchaser expressly agree that the transfer of ownership of all the Shares will take place on Closing, upon remittance of the documents provided in Article 2.3(b)(iii) .

2.4 Allocation among the Sellers . Any payment made to the Sellers hereunder, including with regards to any of the agreements referred to hereunder, shall be allocated among the Sellers as set forth in Exhibit 2.1 . The Sellers confirm for the avoidance of doubt that they are solely responsible for such allocations and that they hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waive and renounce to any claim against Purchaser in relation thereto.

2.5 Waiver . For the avoidance of doubt, each of the Sellers hereby irrevocably consents to the sale of the Shares and therefore waives any contractual or legal right he may have arising from that sale to acquire all or part of the Shares, whether pursuant to the Shareholders’ Agreement or otherwise. Each of the Sellers hereby declares, in this respect, that all its rights have been fully satisfied.

 

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ARTICLE III

REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

OF THE SELLERS

Subject to the provisions of Article 4.4 below and the information disclosed to the Purchaser in the Agreement and its Exhibits (the Exhibits will be numbered according to the paragraphs contained in this Article III, it being understood that any exception revealed in a specific Exhibit which would be an exception to any other representation shall be deemed an exception to such other representations provided that the description given in the relevant Exhibit is apparent enough that a reasonable person can conclude from the description that it is intended to qualify such other representations) or contained in the Available Documents (to the extent such information is reasonably apparent from the content of the relevant Available Document):

(a) each Seller hereby individually represents and warrants that, as to itself (and as to itself only notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein), the information of Article 3.1 is, as at the date hereof, and will be as of the date of Closing, true and correct in every respect;

(b) each Seller represents and warrants that the information of Articles 3.2 to 3.22 is, as at the date hereof, and will be as of the date of Closing, true and correct in every respect; and

(c) each sellers representations and warranties according to Articles 3.2 to 3.22, but not Article 3.1, shall terminate twenty four (24) months from the Closing Date.

3.1 Ownership; Seller’s Organization and Due Authorization .

(a) Each Seller is the lawful owner of the Shares listed opposite its name in the table appearing on Exhibit 2.1 , free and clear of all Encumbrances other than pursuant to the Shareholders’ Agreement, and all Encumbrances will disappear upon the Closing Date in accordance with Article 2.7 above.

(b) Each Seller has the full capacity, power, authority and right to enter into this Agreement, to perform his obligations hereunder and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby.

(c) The entering into of this Agreement and the performance of the Sellers’ obligations hereunder have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate, partnership, matrimonial, or similar action and proceedings on the part of each Seller. This Agreement has been duly signed by each Seller and constitutes the valid and binding obligation of each Seller, enforceable against each Seller in accordance with its terms, except as limited by bankruptcy, insolvency and similar laws and except as equitable remedies may be limited.

(d) Neither the entering into of this Agreement, nor the performance by the Sellers of its obligations hereunder, nor the consummation of the transactions provided for hereby does or will:

(i) violate, conflict with or result in the breach or termination of, or constitute a default or event of default (or an event which with notice, lapse of time, or both, would constitute a default or event of default), under the terms of, any Contracts or Governmental Authorizations to which any Seller is a party or by which it is bound; or

 

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(ii) constitute a violation by any Seller of any Laws or judgments and none of the Sellers is engaged in any litigation or arbitration proceedings, which might have an effect on its capacity or ability to perform its obligations under this Agreement and no such legal or arbitration proceedings have been threatened against any of them;

except, in the case of (i) and (ii) above, for any such matters as would not, either individually or in the aggregate, have an adverse effect on the ability of any Seller to perform his obligations under this Agreement.

3.2 Company .

(a) The Company has been duly incorporated, and is validly existing, and in good standing under the State of Delaware, USA. The Company has carried out its business activities in accordance with the purpose set forth in its Organizational Documents and in material compliance with all applicable Laws, applicable to its legal form as well as to its activities. Any decision of its corporate bodies was resolved in material compliance with its Organizational Documents and all applicable Laws. Any publication and registration requirements were materially complied with. To the Sellers’ Knowledge, no circumstance, prior to Closing Date, will allow any third party to validly request the annulment, dissolution or winding up of the Company. To the Sellers’ Knowledge, the Company, or any of its executives, is not subject to any ongoing criminal procedures or investigation and no event or circumstance, prior to Closing Date, could lay a valid foundation to such criminal procedure or investigation.

(b) The Shares, which represent all the share capital of the Company (on a fully diluted basis), have been validly issued and are fully paid up. Exhibit 2.1 represents the current holding of the Shares by the Sellers. It represents the actual ownership by the stock holders listed therein. Any and all prior transfers, issues, redemption, or any other transaction or operation on the stock of the Company complied with the then applicable laws and regulations and were completed in a way that cannot be contested by anyone nor give anyone any right to indemnification, to the Shares or more generally any claim on the foundation of said transfers or operations.

(c) The Company has not issued any securities or others rights entitling their holders to acquire, immediately or at a future date, in any manner whatsoever, including without being limited to conversion, exchange, repayment, exercise, a fraction of the Company’s share capital, any right to the Company’s financial results, profits or liquidation surplus, or any voting rights in its shareholder’s meetings.

3.3 Absence of Bankruptcy Proceeding . The Company is not insolvent or actually or potentially subject to an action for insolvency or bankruptcy, or any other similar bankruptcy procedure, and no written petition has been presented and no meeting has been convened for the purpose of winding up the Company. The Company is not a party to a conciliatory proceeding or has requested the designation of a court appointed ad hoc administrator.

3.4 Accounts . Attached hereto as Exhibit 3.5 are the Company’s unaudited financial statements as of December 31, 2013 (the “ Accounts ”).

 

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The Accounts of the Company have been prepared in accordance with U.S. Accounting Principles and fairly present the financial position and results of operations of the Company, at the date thereof and for the period then ended.

The Accounts reflect the consistent application of such Accounting Principles throughout the periods since the Company was incorporated in 2012 and except as expressly disclosed, there were no unusual, exceptional, non-recurring or extraordinary items which materially affected such Accounts.

The presentation of the Accounts, as well as the accounting methods for amortizing and valuating the assets and liabilities of the Company have not been modified since the Company was incorporated in 2012. All inventory, trade receivables, financial debt and trade payables of the Company are accounted for in the Accounts in accordance with the Accounting Principles.

3.5 Absence of Certain Changes and Events . Except as specified in Exhibit 3.6 , to the Sellers’ Knowledge, the Company has not taken any material action or made any material decision since December 31, 2013 that would result in a Material Adverse Change.

Except as specified in Exhibit 3.6 and except as contemplated hereby , since December 31, 2013, the Company has conducted its businesses only in the ordinary course of business and it has not conducted any of the following actions:

(a) acquisition of, merger with, consolidation with, purchase of stock or material assets (other than in the ordinary course of business) of or otherwise, any Entity or business;

(b) sales (other than sales of inventory in the ordinary course of business), lease, or other disposition of any material asset, or mortgage, pledge, or imposition of any Encumbrance on any material asset, or any disposition of any of the Intellectual Property Rights;

(c) declaring, setting aside, paying any dividend or other distribution in respect of their share capital (in cash or otherwise), or purchasing or redeeming any shares in their share capital;

(d) issuing or selling any shares in their share capital or any options, warrants or other rights to purchase any such shares or any securities convertible into or exchangeable for such shares;

(e) incurring any off balance sheet engagements, any indebtedness for borrowed money (including through the issuance of debt securities) or varying in any material manner, the terms of any material existing indebtedness;

(f) making any change in their accounting procedures, methods or practices unless mandated by Accounting Principles;

(g) amending the Organizational Documents;

(h) amending any salaries, bonuses or any other compensation to any director, officer or employee, except in relation to compliance with a statutory requirement or a collective bargaining agreement, or in the normal course of business and in conformity with past practices;

 

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(i) entering into any employment with any director, officer or employee;

(j) entering into, or terminating, any Material Contracts other than this Share Purchase Agreement and agreements pursuant hereto;

(k) committing to take any of the actions set forth in the foregoing subsections (a) through (j).

3.6 Business – Products and Services

Except as set forth in Exhibit 3.6 :

(a) In the context of their activities, the Company is in compliance in all material respects, with all applicable Laws, be they general or specific to certain products or services or certain activities.

(b) Since December 31, 2013, no Material Adverse Change has happened in the activity of the Company or its relationship with its suppliers, bankers and other service providers or partners, or in the type of products and services offered, or with regards to regulations, standards, or obligations imposed on the Company.

(c) There is, as of Closing Date, no written notice brought to the Company’s attention of a liability claim on the basis of non-compliant or defective products and services offered by the Company.

3.7 Assets

Except as set forth in Exhibit 3.7:

(a) The Company owns and/or possesses all the assets, which are necessary to conduct its activity and operations consistent with past practice.

3.8 Debts, Loans . Except as specified in Exhibit 3.8 , the Company does not have any Debt as of the date hereof. The Company has not issued any loan or lent any money to any individual or Entity.

3.9 Guarantees, Securities and Warranties . Except as specified in Exhibit 3.9 , the Company has not granted or promised to grant any guarantee, security, warranty or, more generally, any Encumbrance on any of its assets, or contracted off balance sheet liabilities and, in particular, has not issued or promised to issue any guarantee in relation to the performance of third parties’ obligations or commitments.

3.10 No Undisclosed Liabilities . The Company has no unaccounted liabilities or obligations of any nature (whether absolute, contingent, or otherwise) that would need to be accounted for in their respective Accounts in accordance with the Accounting Principles.

 

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3.11 Contracts . With respect to Contracts involving (i) the grant of the license to use third-party intellectual property rights to the Company, (ii) the grant of exclusive license to use the Intellectual Property Rights to any third party, or (iii) annual payments by, or generating annual revenues to, the Company, of more than EUR 50,000 per Contract, (iv) any agreement, which performance from the Company extends beyond two years (it being specified that license agreements granted to third parties are excluded from this subsection (iv)) and (v) any fixed-term agreement, which non-renewal 1 cannot be notified less than six months prior or which carries a non-renewal penalty greater than EUR 10,000 per Contract (the “ Material Contracts, ” which are exhaustively listed in Exhibit 3.11 ):

(a) they are in full force and effect, and will neither automatically terminate nor give the right to terminate in relation to the sales contemplated hereunder by way of a change of control clause or others);

(b) the Company has not received written notice from any third-party regarding the violation of any provision of a Material Contract; and

(c) the Company has not received written notice from any third-party terminating a Material Contract and are not aware of any litigation or dispute regarding Material Contracts.

(d) Except as specified in Exhibit 3.11 . with regards to Contracts, entered into by the Company, other than Material Contracts:

(i) To Sellers’ Knowledge, there is no ground for the invalidity of any Contract, nor of any grounds for termination, avoidance or repudiation of any Contract. No party with whom the Company have entered into a Contract has given written notice of its intent to terminate, or has sought to repudiate or disclaim, such Contract;

(ii) To Sellers’ Knowledge, (a) no party with whom the Company has entered into a Contract is in material breach thereof and (b) the Company is not itself in material breach of any Contract.

(iii) To Sellers’ Knowledge, no event has occurred, is subsisting or is likely to arise which will constitute or result in a default or the acceleration of any obligation of the Company under any Contract.

(e) None of the Contracts, entered into by the Company:

(i) were entered into otherwise than in the ordinary and usual course of conducting the Business; or

(ii) contain a change of control clause that would be triggered by the transactions described in this Agreement; or

 

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(iii) were of an unusual or abnormal nature, or not on an arm’s length basis.

(iv) Either said Contracts include a provision expressly stipulating the obligation for the client to apply for and obtain, at its costs, all such required authorizations; or

(v) Absent such stipulation in said Contracts, the Company has always applied for and obtained all such required authorizations.

3.12 Employment .

(a) Exhibit 3.12(a) contains a complete and accurate list of the employees of the Company at the date hereof (the “ Employees ”). No other person may claim, by reason of fact or event, which origin or source is prior to Closing, the quality of employee of any of the Company.

(b) Employment agreements between the Company and its Employees are in material compliance with applicable Laws as well as with the applied or applicable collective bargaining agreement. Except as set forth in Exhibit 3.12(b) , such employment agreements, as entered into and performed, allow, in accordance with public policy Laws, transfer of ownership of employees’ inventions and copyrights over software, if any, to the Company.

(c) Further, except as set forth in Exhibit 3.12(d) , the Company materially comply with the provisions of applicable labor and employment Laws. The Company have at all times materially complied with (i) working time regulations, including monitoring of working time, absence of work above the daily and weekly legal limits, payment of all overtime worked, (ii) definition and payment of fix salary according to legal and conventional minima, definition and payment of variable remuneration complying to Law, definition of all remuneration elements complying with non-discriminatory regulations (iii) health and safety obligations, including implementation of effective measures and proceedings against harassment, stress and accident at-work.

(d) Except as set forth in Exhibit 3.12(e) , the Company have only entered into any non-competition, severance or other similar contracts and pension or retirement benefits, bonus, profit sharing, stock purchase or stock option plans, company saving plans or employee funds, in effect as of the date hereof, when required by Laws or mandatory obligations and have not granted any such rights or benefits over and beyond what is mandatory on the Company.

(e) The Company has materially complied with applicable Laws about individual and collective terminations of employment agreements, including obligations towards staff or unions representative bodies and towards labor administration as well as post-terminations obligations.

3.13 Governmental Authorizations/Legal Compliance . The Company hold all governmental or regulatory permits and licenses (including the administrative and marketing authorizations) and have complied with all notifications to Governmental Authorities, required for the conduct of their respective business as they are currently conducted, in particular, but not limited to, any Governmental Authorizations in relation to the biological materials and genetically modified materials held and used by the Company for any purpose and all of such permits and licenses are in full force and effect. Exhibit 3.13 contains a complete and accurate list of each Governmental Authorization that is held by the Company

 

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or otherwise relates to the business of, or to any of the assets owned or used by the Company. The Company have not received any written notice that any such permits or licenses are to be revoked, modified or cancelled and have taken all necessary steps to renew or update them when needed. No Governmental Authorization held by the Company requires notification, filing, approval, license or permit in relation to completion of the sales of the Shares contemplated hereunder.

3.14 Insurance . The Company have entered into the insurance policies listed in Exhibit 3.14 in order to materially cover (i) their liability (legal or contractual) towards third parties (ii) their assets and business risks and (iii) any of the risks usually covered in the Company’ field of activity.

3.15 Litigation .

(a) Except as set forth in Exhibit 3.15 , there is currently no judicial, administrative or arbitration proceeding against the Company.

(b) Except as set forth in Exhibit 3.15 , further, there is currently no threat in writing of any judicial, administrative or arbitration proceeding against the Company.

3.16 Tax, Social Security and Customs .

(a) The Company have duly filled out and filed when due with all appropriate Governmental Authorities all tax returns and tax reports required to be filed prior to the date hereof and have paid all related taxes on their due date or, when not yet due, have adequately provided in the Accounts for any and all taxes and social contributions to be due or contemplated to be due, all in full compliance with all applicable Laws. Any and all elements and figures inserted in any tax and social returns are accurate and in line with the Company’ businesses. When applicable, the Company has also complied with all necessary filing or communication of any ancillary documentation or supporting evidence to these tax, social or customs filing and compliance obligations.

(b) To the Sellers’ Knowledge, no tax or social security reassessment, information request, claim, opposition, investigation or audit is currently pending or for which the Company could still be liable toward the tax administration, or threatened against the Company. The Company has all supporting documentation and information in their files and archives so as to legitimate and justify their tax positions as well as any tax, social security or custom benefits they may have enjoyed or used.

3.17 Real Property .

(a) The Company does not own any real property.

(b) Exhibit 3.17 contains an accurate list of the real property used or occupied by the Company (the “ Facilities ”). The lease agreements for the Facilities are in full force and effect, have been fully complied with and will neither automatically terminate nor give the right to terminate in relation to the sales contemplated hereunder. The Company has complied with the terms and conditions of these lease agreements. The Company has not received any notice or correspondence regarding the termination or violation of such leases.

 

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(c) The Company is not involved in any procedure initiated by a third party (including the lessors) for failure to comply with the leases or with any legal and regulatory provisions applicable to the leases or the Facilities. Inter alia, the Company is in material compliance with all applicable Laws and has obtained all necessary permits or authorizations for operating the business on the Facilities. None of the Company is subject or has been subject to an administrative investigation or has been notified regarding a breach of or non-compliance with any applicable health and safety Laws.

(d) The Company has not contracted any commitment or obligation to acquire any real property, to enter into any other leasing or lease agreement.

3.18 Environment . The Company has been in full compliance with applicable environmental Laws in material aspects. There has been no actual or threatened order, notice, claim, investigation, inquiry or other communication from any Governmental Authority or other Person acting in the public interest, or the current or prior owner or operator of the Facilities, of any actual or potential violation of any environmental Laws. There has been no actual or threatened claim from any Person asserting any actual or potential violation of environmental Laws by the Company. The Company has never operated a site classified for environmental protection and the Company has never been subject to accidental pollution.

3.19 Intellectual Property . The Company has the right to use the intellectual property rights, know-how, patents, trademarks, copyrights, software, database, business names and domain names owned and used by the Company.

The Company owns the intellectual property rights, such as designs and models, know-how, patents, applications for registration, database rights, copyrights and software listed in or a copy of which is in Exhibit 3.19 (a)  (the “ Proprietary Intellectual Property Rights ”). The Company is the sole legal and beneficial owner of or applicant for and may freely use and dispose of such Proprietary Intellectual Property Rights and all the Proprietary Intellectual Property Rights are owned solely by the Company free of any Encumbrance.

When applicable, all annuities or sums due to protect the Proprietary Intellectual Property Rights owned by the Company have been regularly paid in due time to the relevant organizations.

Except as set forth in Exhibit 3.19(b) , the Company (i) has not received any written notice regarding the violation by the Company of third-party intellectual property rights and (ii) has not given to third parties written notice regarding the violation of the Proprietary Intellectual Property Rights of the Company. To the Sellers’ Knowledge, no activities of the Company infringe or are likely to infringe any intellectual property rights of any third party and no claim has been made against the Company in respect of such infringement.

The Sellers are not aware of any unauthorised use by any person of any Proprietary Intellectual Property Rights or confidential information of the Company.

 

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The Company has ensured, in writing, the full assignment to it of all intellectual property rights generated (i) by its employees or management in the course or in connection with their employment and (ii) by external consultants or related service providers in the course or in connection with their supply of services as commissioned by the Company.

Proprietary Intellectual Property Rights are all the intellectual property rights that the Company needs to operate their respective business, in accordance with past practice.

3.20 Brokers or Finders . The Company has no obligation or liability, contingent or otherwise, for brokerage or finders’ fees or agents’ commissions or other similar payment in connection with this Agreement.

ARTICLE IV

REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

OF THE PURCHASER

The Purchaser hereby represents and warrants to each of the Sellers that the information of Article IV is, as at the date hereof, and will be as of the date of Closing, true and correct in every respect.

4.1 Purchaser’s Organization and Due Authorization .

(a) The Purchaser is a company duly organized and validly existing and in good standing under the Laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation. The Purchaser has the corporate capacity and right to enter into this Agreement, to perform its obligations hereunder and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby.

(b) The entering into of this Agreement and the performance of the Purchaser’s obligations hereunder have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and proceedings on the part of the Purchaser [subject to the approval of the issue of new shares of the Purchaser by the board of directors of the Purchaser and the issue of a report by the Purchaser’s auditor on the assets to be contributed to the Purchaser’s capital]. This Agreement has been duly signed by the Purchaser and constitutes a valid and binding obligation of the Purchaser, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms.

(c) Neither the entering into of this Agreement, nor the performance by the Purchaser of its obligations hereunder, nor the consummation of the transactions provided for hereby does or will:

(i) conflict with or violate any provision of the Organizational Documents of the Purchaser;

(ii) violate, conflict with or result in the breach or termination of, or constitute a default or event of default (or an event which with notice, lapse of time, or both, would constitute a default or event of default), under the terms of, any Contracts or Governmental Authorizations to which the Purchaser is a party or by which the Purchaser is bound; or

 

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(iii) constitute a violation by the Purchaser of any Laws or Judgments, except, in the case of (ii) and (iii) above, for any such matters as would not, either individually or in the aggregate, have an adverse effect on the ability of the Purchaser to perform its obligations under this Agreement.

4.2 Governmental Authorizations . No Governmental Authorization is required to be made or obtained by the Purchaser prior to the Closing in connection with: (a) the entering into of this Agreement by the Purchaser, (b) the performance by the Purchaser of its obligations hereunder, or (c) the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. This representation is made on the assumption that the Sellers’ representations and warranties under Articles 3.1 are true and correct.

4.3 Financing of the transactions contemplated under this Agreement . The financing of the acquisition by the Purchaser of the Shares (including, without limitation, equity contributions, shareholders’ loans or external financing) does not come from drug trafficking nor organized criminal activities and the Purchaser is in compliance with all applicable Laws relating to anti-money laundering.

4.4 Purchaser’s Inquiry .

(a) The Purchaser acknowledges that it (together with its advisors) has reviewed to its reasonable satisfaction the Available Documents, and has been afforded the opportunity to discuss the same with senior management of the Company and has taken the same into account in the terms and conditions of its offer to acquire the Shares. In entering into this Agreement, the Purchaser has relied upon its own review and analysis of the Available Documents and upon the representations and warranties of the Sellers expressly set forth in this Agreement (and in respect of which the Purchaser represents that it has no knowledge of any breach that would entitle it to make today a Claim on the basis of the representations and warranties of the Sellers, for consequences already known, materialized and quantified).

Thus, the terms and conditions for the Shares and the representations and warranties of the Sellers were negotiated after completion of such reviews. Inter alia, save as provided in the introductory paragraph of Article III , the terms and conditions of such representations and warranties as well as the indemnification of Purchaser will hence under no circumstances be impacted, weakened or lessened because said reviews were made or of their conclusions.

(b) The Purchaser further acknowledges that the representations and warranties of the Sellers set forth in this Agreement supersede any and all earlier representations, warranties or statements made by any directors, officers, employees, agents, representatives or advisors of the Sellers (collectively, the “ Agents ”) regarding the Shares, the Company or any other matter referenced in Article III , and that the Sellers and the Agents shall have no liability in respect of any such earlier representations, warranties or statements. Except as expressly set forth in this Agreement, none of the Sellers nor any of the Agents makes any representation or warranty, either express or implied, of any kind whatsoever with respect to the Shares, the Company or any of the transactions contemplated hereby (including as to the accuracy or completeness of any information provided to the Purchaser or its representatives).

(c) The Purchaser further acknowledges that none of the Sellers or any of the Agents makes any representation or warranty with respect to any financial projections, business plans, budgets or forecasts (collectively, the “ Projections ”) relating to the Company. The Purchaser acknowledges that it is taking full responsibility for making its own evaluation of the adequacy and accuracy of all Projections furnished to it, and shall not have any claim against any of the Sellers or any of the Agents with respect thereto.

 

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ARTICLE V

INDEMNIFICATION

5.1 Scope of Indemnification .

(a) Principles of Indemnification .

(i) Each Seller agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Purchaser for all damages (including reasonable attorney’s fees) (collectively, “ Indemnifiable Losses ”) suffered by the Purchaser as a result of:

(A) a breach of the representations made by such Seller in Article III of the Agreement;

(B) a breach by such Seller of any of its covenant or obligations in this Agreement.

5.2 Exclusions; Limitations .

(a) Cap . In any case, the total amount of the indemnification payable by the Sellers under this warranty shall not exceed EUR six hundred fifty thousands (650,000€) for the first twelve months following the Closing Date or EUR three hundred seventy five thousands (375,000€) for the second twelve months following the Closing Date. This cap does not apply to a breach of 3.1(a) (Ownership).

(b) Basket . The Sellers shall only be liable for indemnification hereunder if and to the extent the indemnifiable amounts exceed EUR 50,000.

(c) Exclusions .

(i) The Sellers shall not be liable for any damages incurred by the Company resulting from facts or events having occurred after the Closing Date (including as a result of a change by the Purchaser in the manner of conducting the activities of the Company or a change in the Accounting Principles), it being understood that facts or events that triggered damages after the Closing Date while founded on a source or origin prior to Closing, provided that they fall within the scope of Sellers’ representations and warranties, will be indemnified.

(ii) Damages aggravated by the negligence or wrongdoing of the Purchaser, of any Person under its control or of any individual under their authority shall not be indemnifiable to the extent of such aggravation.

(iii)

 

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5.3 Claim Management .

(a) Notice . The Purchaser shall notify the relevant Seller of any event likely to result in the breach of any of the warranty provisions hereunder (a “ Notice ”) within ninety (90) days of the date (15 days in the event of a Third Party Claim related to tax or social securities matters) that Purchaser became aware of such event. Each Notice shall mention:

(i) where this event includes a third-party claim against the Company (a “ Third Party Claim ”), a copy of such claim;

(ii) a precise description of the nature of the related request for indemnification, including, if it is ascertainable, the amount of the relevant claim.

If the Purchaser fails to notify the relevant Seller, in accordance with this Article 5.3(a) , within the period set forth herein, the relevant Seller shall not be released of any indemnification duty to the Purchaser on account of such event, but any damage suffered therefrom by the relevant Seller will be taken into account, to the benefit of the relevant Seller, for the final calculation of any indemnification due by the relevant Seller to Purchaser for that Indemnifiable Loss.

(b) Cooperation . The Sellers and their counsels shall have reasonable access to the relevant books and files of the Company relating to any indemnification request made by the Purchaser to the Sellers or to any of them under this warranty, upon reasonable advance notice and during normal business hours at the Company’s premises or as otherwise mutually agreed. The Company’s staff shall provide reasonable assistance to the Sellers and their counsel.

5.4 Date of Payment . Indemnification under this Article V shall be payable with respect to any claim concerning an Indemnifiable Loss upon the earlier of (a) the resolution of such claim by mutual agreement between the Sellers and the Purchaser, (b) the issuance of a final non appealable judgment, award, order or other ruling (which is not subject to appeal or with respect to which the time for appeal has elapsed) by a court or arbitral tribunal having jurisdiction over the parties to and the subject matter of such claim or to which such claim was submitted for resolution by joint agreement between the Sellers and the Purchaser or, (c) on the date, on which the Company would be liable for paying any sum pursuant to a final settlement of a Third-Party Claim pursuant to mutual authorization by the relevant Seller(s) and the Purchaser.

5.5 Survival . The representations, warranties, covenants and obligations in this Agreement will survive the Closing. The representations and warranties (and corresponding indemnity), set forth in Article III, IV and V shall expire:

(a) With regard to any claim relating to Article 3.19 , within three (3) years of the Closing Date,

(b) With regard to all other matters, within one (1) years of the Closing Date,

5.6 Reduction in Purchase Price . Any payment made by the Sellers in relation with an Indemnifiable Loss shall be deemed to be a reduction of the Purchase Price.

 

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5.7 Covenants of the Purchaser . Where the Purchaser has made a claim, the Purchaser shall use, and shall cause the Company to use all commercially reasonable endeavors to recover any amounts due from any third party (including any insurer) and any such recoveries shall reduce the amount by which the Sellers are required to indemnify the Purchaser hereunder.

5.8 Remedy . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, to the extent that any Indemnifiable Losses is capable of remedy, the Sellers will have a reasonable opportunity to remedy such Indemnifiable Losses within thirty (30) days from the Notice. The Purchaser agrees that in the event of any Indemnifiable Losses, the Purchaser shall take, and cause the Company to take, or shall cooperate with the Sellers, if so requested by the Sellers, in order to take all reasonable measures to mitigate the consequences of such Indemnifiable Losses.

ARTICLE VI

PRE-CLOSING COVENANTS

6.1 Satisfaction of Conditions Precedent . Between the date of this Agreement and the Closing Date, Sellers shall use their reasonable best efforts to cause all conditions in Article 7.1 to be satisfied, and Purchaser shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause all conditions in Article 7.2 to be satisfied.

6.2 Ordinary Course of Business . During the period from the date of this Agreement to the Closing, except as may be, (x) required by applicable mandatory Law or in connection with this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby; or (y) consented to in writing by the Purchaser (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed or conditioned, having due consideration for the interests of the Company):

(a) the Sellers will use their respective reasonable best efforts, in their capacity as shareholders of the Company, to ensure that the Company carries on its business only in the ordinary course in the same manner as heretofore conducted; and

(b) the Sellers will use their respective best efforts, in their capacity as shareholders of the Company, to prevent the Company from:

(i) acquiring, merging with, consolidating with, purchasing stock or material assets (other than in the ordinary course of business) or otherwise, any Entity or business;

(ii) pursuing and proceeding with any sales of any material asset, or mortgage, pledge, or imposition of any Encumbrance on any material asset, or any disposition of any of the Intellectual Property Rights;

(iii) issuing or selling any shares in their share capital or any options, warrants or other rights to purchase any such shares or any securities convertible into or exchangeable for such shares and, more generally, proceeding with or approving any transactions on the stock or equity of any of the Company;

 

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(iv) granting any Encumbrance, incurring any off balance sheet engagements, any indebtedness for borrowed money (including through the issuance of debt securities) or varying in any material manner, other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, the terms of any material existing indebtedness;

(v) incurring any new material liability [toward Sellers / for the Company];

(vi) incurring any new liability whether actual or contingent in respect of any obligation of, anyone whatsoever, individuals or entities;

(vii) making any change in their accounting procedures or practices unless mandated by Accounting Principles;

(viii) amending the Organizational Documents;

(ix) amending any salaries, bonuses or any other compensation (including benefits), any terms of employment of any director, officer or employee, entering into any employment with any director, officer or employee, except in relation to compliance with a statutory requirement or a collective bargaining agreement, or in the normal course of business and in conformity with past practices;

(x) entering into, or terminating, any Material Contracts;

(xi) entering into any new contract or arrangement other than on arm’s length terms;

(xii) filing, settling or agreeing to settle any legal proceedings relating to their business, except debt collection in the normal course of business;

(xiii) granting, modifying, agreeing to terminate or permitting the lapse of any Proprietary Intellectual Property Rights or enter into any new agreement relating to any such rights;

(xiv) changing any accounting methods; or

(xv) committing to take any of the actions set forth in the foregoing subsections (i) through (xv).]

For the purposes of granting any consents which may be requested by any Seller pursuant to this Article 6.2 , the Purchaser hereby designates [     o     ] with immediate effect and represents and warrants to, and agrees with, the Sellers that [     o     ] shall have full capacity and right to give any such consents on behalf of the Purchaser during the term of this Agreement. Within fifteen (15) Business Days of receipt of any request for consent by any Seller, the Purchaser shall have the right to notify the relevant Seller that it objects to the proposed action (which notice of objection shall indicate its reasons for so objecting). If the Purchaser shall not have notified the relevant Seller of its objection to a proposed action within such period of fifteen (15) Business Days, the Purchaser shall be deemed to have objected to such proposed action.

 

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6.3 Public Announcements . During the period from the date of this Agreement to the Closing, neither any of the Sellers, nor the Purchaser shall, or shall permit any of its representatives or advisors to, issue or cause the publication of any press release or other public announcement or disclosure with respect to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby without the prior written consent of both the Sellers and the Purchaser, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, except for the press release attached as Exhibit 6.4 hereto or as may be required by applicable Law. In the event any such press release, public announcement or other disclosure is required by Law to be made by the party proposing to issue the same, such party, if allowed to do so, shall notify the other parties prior to the issuance or making of any such press release, public announcement or other disclosure and shall use its commercially reasonable endeavors to consult in good faith with the other parties and to take into account the reasonable requirements of such parties as to the timing, contents and manner of making any such press release, public announcement or other disclosure. Except to the extent that a Seller or Purchaser is required by applicable Law to make any such communication, the Sellers and the Purchaser shall consult with each other concerning the means by which the Company’ employees, customers and suppliers and others having dealings with the Company will be informed of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

6.4 Notification . Between the date of this Agreement and the Closing Date, each Seller will promptly notify the Purchaser in writing if such Seller becomes aware of any fact or condition that causes or constitutes a breach of any of its own representations and warranties as of the date of this Agreement, or if such Seller becomes aware of the occurrence after the date of this Agreement of any fact or condition that would cause or constitute a breach of any such representation or warranty had such representation or warranty been made as of the time of occurrence or discovery of such fact or condition.

ARTICLE VII

CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO CLOSING

7.1 Conditions Precedent to Purchaser’s Obligation to Close . Purchaser’s obligation to purchase the Shares and to take the actions required to be taken by it at the Closing is subject to the prior satisfaction of each and all of the following conditions precedent (any of which may be waived solely by the Purchaser):

(a) Written confirmation by the Sellers that each of Sellers’ representations and warranties in this Agreement must have been accurate as of the date of this Agreement, and as of Closing Date as if made on the Closing Date;

(b) Confirmation by the Sellers that all of Sellers’ covenants and obligations that Sellers are required to perform or comply with in accordance with this Agreement prior to the Closing, must have been duly performed and complied with in every material respect;

(c) Each of the consents identified in Exhibit 3.12 regarding the transaction contemplated in this Agreement must have been obtained and must be in full force and effect;

7.2 Conditions Precedent to Sellers’ Obligation to Close. Sellers’ obligation to sell the Shares and to take other actions required to be taken by it at the Closing is subject to the prior satisfaction of each and all of the following conditions precedent (any of which may be jointly waived by the mutual agreement of the Sellers):

 

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(a) Each of Purchaser’s representations and warranties in this Agreement must have been accurate as of the date of this Agreement, and as of Closing Date as if made on the Closing Date;

(b) All of Purchaser’s covenants and obligations that Purchaser is required to perform or comply with in accordance with this Agreement prior to the Closing, must have been duly performed and complied with; and

(c) The Purchaser shall have duly executed and delivered to Dr. Didier de Canniere the exclusive consultancy agreement set forth in Exhibit 2.3.

ARTICLE VIII

POST-CLOSING COVENANTS

8.1 Non-Compete . From the date of Closing and until five (5) years after the Closing, Mr Didier de Canniere undertakes, on a geographical territory covering the whole world:

(a) not to, directly or through the intermediary of any individual or entity, hold, without the prior written consent of Purchaser, any share, unit or interest under any shape, form or nature whatsoever, in any firm or civil or commercial company, or any other Entity, which has a business activity competing to that of the Company (it being specified that the Company’ business means, in this context, the business of development and commercialization of tools used for internal research purposes, including basic research (outside of plant field) and drug discovery research up to and including preclinical toxicological studies or equivalents thereof (the “ Field ”);

(b) not to take part, without the prior written consent of Purchaser, directly or indirectly, in any activity in the Field which would directly or indirectly compete with those of the Company;

(c) not to encourage to quit, or attempt to encourage to quit any director or officer, executive or employee of any of the Company; or

(d) not to solicit suppliers or clients of the Company, including clients of any distributors in a contractual relationship with the Company (distributors buyers/sellers, agents, commissioners), to end their commercial relationship with the Company or to change the terms and conditions thereof to the detriment of the Company.

8.2 Liability . In case of breach by Mr Didier de Canniere of one of the obligations described hereabove, Mr Didier de Canniere undertakes, upon first request from Purchaser and/or any of the Company, to immediately cease and/or cause to cease any such breach, without prejudice to any other action or remedy of the Purchaser.

 

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ARTICLE IX

TERMINATION

9.1 Termination . This Agreement may be terminated, and the transactions contemplated hereby may be abandoned, at any time prior to the Closing:

(a) by the written agreement of the Purchaser and the Sellers;

(b) by the Purchaser if (x) any of the Sellers breaches any representation, covenant or obligation in a material aspect that would constitute a Material Adverse Change, which is not cured within fifteen (15) days of said breach, (y) the conditions set forth in Article 7.1 shall not have been satisfied or waived within [ninety (90) days] of the date hereof; or

(c) any of the Sellers if (x) the Purchaser breaches any representation, covenant or obligation in a material aspect, which is not cured within fifteen (15) days of said breach, (y) the condition set forth in Article 7.2 shall not have been satisfied within [ninety (90) days] of the date hereof.

9.2 Effect of Termination . Upon any termination of this Agreement pursuant to Article 9.1, all further obligations of the parties hereunder, other than pursuant to Articles 10.4 through 10.11 and as provided in the Confidentiality Agreement, shall terminate, except that nothing herein shall relieve any party from liability for any breach of this Agreement.

ARTICLE X

MISCELLANEOUS

10.1 Retention of Records . During the period from the Closing Date through the three (3) anniversary of the Closing Date, the Purchaser shall not, and shall not permit any of the Company to, destroy or otherwise dispose of any of the books and records of the Company existing as of the Closing Date except with the prior written consent of the Sellers, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. The Purchaser shall, and shall cause each of the Company to, make available to the Sellers and their respective representatives and agents all such books and records, and permit the Sellers and their respective representatives and agents to examine, make extracts from and, at their expense, copy such books and records at any time upon prior written consent of the Purchaser (not to be unreasonably withheld or relayed) for the purpose law suits or litigation, during normal business hours for any reasonable purpose and as long as the scope, duration or more generally the circumstances and conditions of the review does not disturb the Company’ operations.

10.2 Further Actions . Subject to the terms and conditions herein provided, each of the parties shall use its commercially reasonable endeavors to take, or cause to be taken, all actions and to do, or cause to be done, all things necessary, proper or advisable under all applicable Laws to consummate and make effective the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

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10.3 Costs and Expenses . Whether or not the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are consummated, except as may otherwise be expressly provided herein, each of the Sellers, on the one hand, and the Purchaser, on the other hand, shall bear its own expenses incurred in connection with the negotiation, preparation and signing of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein.

10.4 Notices . All notices and other communications required or permitted to be given or made pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be: (x) delivered by hand against an acknowledgement of delivery dated and signed by the recipient; (y) sent by an overnight courier service of recognized international standing (all charges paid); or (z) sent by facsimile transmission and confirmed by registered mail (postage prepaid, return receipt requested) posted no later than the following Business Day (with any such facsimile transmission to be deemed received at the time indicated on the corresponding activity report, a copy of which shall be included in the confirmation by mail) (provided that any notice or communication which is received after 6 p.m. (local time in the place of receipt) on a Business Day or on any day which is not a Business Day shall be deemed received only at 9 a.m. (local time in the place of receipt) on the next Business Day) to the relevant party at its address set forth below:

 

- if to the Purchaser, to : Patrick Jeanmart
Chief Financial Officer
Rue Edouard Belin 12
B-1435 Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium
pjeanmart@c3bs.com
- if to any Seller, to : such Seller’s address as set forth in Exhibit 10.5 ;

or to such other Persons or at such other addresses as hereafter may be furnished by the Purchaser or any of the Sellers by like notice to the other. Any such notice or other communication shall be effective only upon actual receipt thereof by its intended recipient.

10.5 Entire Agreement . This Agreement (together with the Confidentiality Agreement) represents the entire agreement and understanding of the parties with reference to the transactions set forth herein and no representations or warranties have been made in connection with this Agreement other than those expressly set forth herein. This Agreement supersedes all prior negotiations, discussions, correspondence, communications, understandings and agreements between the parties relating to the subject matter of this Agreement and all prior drafts of this Agreement, all of which are merged into this Agreement. No prior drafts of this Agreement may be used to show the intent of the parties in connection with this Agreement or shall otherwise be admissible into evidence in any Proceeding or other legal action involving this Agreement.

10.6 No Third party Rights; Assignment . Except as expressly provided herein, this Agreement shall inure to the benefit of, and be binding upon, the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns; provided , however , that none of the parties shall assign any of its rights or delegate any of its obligations created under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other parties. Nothing expressed or referred to in this Agreement

 

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will be construed to give any Person other than the parties to this Agreement any right, remedy or claim under or with respect to this Agreement or any provision of this Agreement. This Agreement and all of its provisions and conditions are for the sole and exclusive benefit of the parties to this Agreement and their successors and permitted assigns.

10.7 Severability . This Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or of any other term or provision hereof. Furthermore, in lieu of any such invalid or unenforceable term or provision, the parties hereto intend that there shall be added as a part of this Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible and be valid and enforceable.

10.8 Amendments and Waivers . No modification of or amendment to this Agreement shall be valid unless in a writing signed by the parties hereto referring specifically to this Agreement and stating the parties’ intention to modify or amend the same. Any waiver of any term or condition of this Agreement must be in a writing signed by the party sought to be charged with such waiver referring specifically to the term or condition to be waived, and no such waiver shall be deemed to constitute the waiver of any other breach of the same or of any other term or condition of this Agreement.

10.9 Transfer Taxes . Any transfer or stamp taxes or similar levies that may become payable as a result of the signing of this Agreement or the transfer of the Shares pursuant hereto shall be borne by the Purchaser and shall be paid on a timely basis in compliance with all statutory requirements. The Purchaser shall provide the Sellers with evidence of the payment of any such taxes or levies promptly upon the written request of the Sellers.

10.10 Governing Law and Submission to Jurisdiction . This Agreement shall be governed by, and interpreted and enforced in accordance with, the laws of Belgium (without giving effect to the conflicts-of-law principles thereof), and the parties irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Brussels Commercial Court ( tribunal de commerce de Bruxelles, chambres francophones ) for the purposes of hearing and determining any disputes arising hereunder.

 

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Made in Mont-Saint-Guibert on 5 November, 2014,

in three original copies.

 

/s/ Christian Homsy

/s/ Mr Didier de Canniere

Cardio3 BioSciences SA Mr Didier de Canniere
Represented by Christian Homsy, CEO

 

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Table of Exhibits

 

Exhibit 1.1 List of Available Documents
Exhibit 2.1 Current Holding of the Shares by the Sellers
Exhibit 2.2 Earn-Out ranges
Exhibit 2.3(c) Bank account references of the Sellers for payment of the Purchase Price
Exhibit 2.3(b)(iv) Form of resignation letter
Exhibit 3.5 Accounts
Exhibit 3.5 Material Adverse Change since December 31, 2013
Exhibit 3.7 Assets necessary to conduct the Company’ activity and operations which are not owned or possessed by the Company
Exhibit 3.8 Debts and Loans of the Company
Exhibit 3.9 Guarantees, Securities and Warranties granted by the Company
Exhibit 3.11 Material Contracts
Exhibit 3.12(a) Complete and accurate list of the employees of the Company
Exhibit 3.12 (b) Employment agreements not allowing transfer of ownership of employees’ inventions and copyright protecting software, if any, to the Company
Exhibit 3.12 (d) Non-compliance by the Company with applicable labour and employment Laws
Exhibit 3.12 (e) Complementary non-competition, severance or other similar contracts and pension or retirement benefits, bonus, profit sharing, stock purchase or stock option plans, company saving plans or employee funds entered into between any of the Company and any of its employees
Exhibit 3.13 Complete and accurate list of each Governmental Authorization
Exhibit 3.14 Insurance policies
Exhibit 3.15 Pending judicial, administrative or arbitration proceeding initiated or threatened in writing against any of the Company
Exhibit 3.17 Accurate list of the real property used or occupied by the Company

 

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Exhibit 3.19(a) Proprietary Intellectual Property Rights
Exhibit 3.19(b) Written notices relating to infringements of third party’s intellectual property rights by the Company
Exhibit 6.4 Press release
Exhibit 10.5 Sellers’ addresses

 

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Exhibit 10.15

 

BMS-C3BS Final Agreement    1 /10

AGREEMENT FOR THE PROVISION OF SERVICES FOR PRODUCTION OF CARDIAC CELLS

BETWEEN

Biological Manufacturing Services, a public limited liability company incorporated under Belgian Law

Axisparc

Rue Edouard Belin, 12

1435 Mont-Saint-Guibert

BELGIUM

Intra-Community VAT Identification No.: BE0885.826.566

Represented by Mr. Yves Joinau, Director, and Mr. Patrick Jeanmart, duly empowered for the purposes hereof.

Hereinafter designated as “BMS”

AND

CARDI03 BIOSCIENCES, a public limited liability company incorporated under Belgian Law

Axisparc

Rue Edouard Belin 12

1435 Mont-Saint-Guibert

BELGIUM

Intra-Community VAT Identification No.: BE0891.118.115

Represented by Mr. Christian Homsy, Delegate Director, duly empowered for the purposes hereof.

Hereinafter designated as “C3BS”

Hereinafter collectively designated as “the Parties” and individually as “the Party”

HAVING ALREADY ESTABLISHED THE FOLLOWING:

BMS is a service provider in the biotechnology sector and operates clean rooms on its site located at Axisparc Business Centre, rue Edouard Belin, 12 to 1435 in Mont-Saint-Guibert,

BMS has the ability to directly provide services for third parties, or may limit itself to make available to third Party, all or part of its assets, for the production of clinical or commercial lots in compliance with applicable pharmaceutical standards in force in the European Union.

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BMS-C38S Final Agreement    2 /10

 

C3BS is a biotechnology company active in the cell therapy field. C3BS developed an autologous therapy for regenerating the heart muscle based on its proprietary technology platform.

C3BS wishes to enter into an Agreement with BMS in order to have access to its laboratory surfaces for the production of clinical batch in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) applicable in the European Union.

THE FOLLOWING HAS BEEN AGREED AND DECIDED UPON:

ARTICLE 1 - OBJECT

The present agreement defines the conditions and terms whereby:

BMS shall provide to C3BS support, services and provision of assets for the production of advanced pharmaceutical therapy products in compliance with the GMP in force in the European Union (the “Services”),

C3BS shall pay the services provided by BMS based on fixed and variable fees as defined in Article 4,

C3BS shall use the Services and clean rooms made available to it, to prepare, store, produce release and distribute cellular products.

ARTICLE 2 - DEFINITION OF SERVICES

Services are limited in numbers as follows. Any request for additional services shall be subject to a specific agreement as an addendum to this present Agreement between BMS and C3BS.

1. BMS shall make available to C3BS:

Cleanrooms for exclusive use of C3BS as described in Appendix I. BMS guarantees that said rooms shall be certified to be compliant with GMP with regards to Installation Qualification (IQ) and Operational Qualification (OQ). Said rooms shall be used by C3BS in compliance with the usage described in Article 1.

Use of common areas shared between the different beneficiaries of BMS services, including reception areas, loading, unloading and storage areas, technical areas, areas dedicated to movement of materials and people, more fully described in Appendix 1, and compliant with applicable GMP.

Parking spaces more fully described in Appendix 1.

The equipment present in the cleanrooms for exclusive use, and in the shared spaces more fully described in Appendix 2. It is agreed that any specific equipment necessary to the activities of C3BS is not included in the equipment made available by BMS.

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BMS-C3BS Final Agreement    3 /10

 

2. BMS shall ensure in a continuous manner :

Preventive and curative services necessary to maintain the clean rooms and shared spaces made available to C3BS in compliance with applicable GMP.

Coverage of the installation and their contents (but excluding specific equipment belonging to C3BS) by a “full coverage” type insurance, designating C3BS as additional beneficiary and providing for a waiver. It is understood that C3BS will ensure its own property with a waiver against BMS.

The following preventive and curative operations:

 

  * Security and access control services. BMS shall provide administrative management of all access requirements to the facilities. BMS shall also ensure provision, implementation and annual revalidation of secure badges for C3BS staff and temporary workers working for C3BS, access management of all deliveries, and management of all access rights.

 

  * Strict compliance with legal provisions in force at the time of signature of this Agreement with regards of GMP IQ and OQ provisions relating to cleanrooms and public areas. It is expressly agreed that BMS’ obligations do not extend to PQ type of services, which are under the sole responsibility of C3BS.

 

  * Processing of common and regulated waste. BMS shall employ authorized providers to handle collection, storage and disposal of industrial and biological waste originating from the installation, based on the following daily and weekly schedule.

In its capacity as producer of waste, C3BS undertakes to:

 

   

Ensure initial sorting of waste produced in its cleanrooms,

 

   

Proceed to its initial qualification,

 

   

Perform suitable packaging of organic waste and,

 

   

In a general way, implement any and all actions requested by BMS to ensure full traceability of waste until its processing by the BMS’s authorized service provider.

BMS ensures processing traceability of the waste and shall deliver to C3BS its copy of the Industrial waste tracking document.

 

  * Cleaning and maintenance in a good state of maintenance of the shared use areas (but allowing for normal wear resulting of usage of said areas).

 

  * Maintenance. Major maintenance and renewal of equipment, more fully described in Appendix 2, based on a schedule that shall be defined by BMS and communicated to C3BS at the latest at the date of entry into force of this present Agreement.

The establishment of traffic rules applicable to both people and materials, and permanent control of their respect. This responsibility shall require the establishment of mandatory transit flows of materials and people and the implementation of airlocks and corridors in order to ensure C3BS exclusive areas remain an aseptic zone.


BMS-C3BS Final Agreement    4 /10

 

ARTICLE 3 - WASTE AND SUPPLIES MANAGEMENT

BMS commits to supply the following services, without interruption, to C3BS:

 

  * Electricity. BMS also provides for the operation and preventive and corrective maintenance of the building’s electric distribution network and of electric terminals defined in Schedule 2. Said services include regulatory controls of devices, and review of concerned connected terminals,

 

* Water. BMS also provides for the operation and preventive and corrective maintenance of the building’s water distribution network.

 

  * Heating/HVAC. BMS also provides for the operation and preventive and corrective maintenance of the building’s HVAC production and distribution networks, and HVAC related terminals. Said services include regulatory controls of devices, and review of concerned connected terminals.

Regulatory controls and maintenance work on the HVAC systems shall be performed during facilities off time.

BMS shall be free to select its suppliers, understanding however that said selection will need to take into account a balance between both economic and environmental requirements.

BMS shall supply containers to C3BS for evacuation of waste. It is understood that the incurred costs of evacuation of said waste shall be included in the variable fees defined in Article 4.

C3BS and BMS undertake to cooperate in order to obtain authorizations and more generally to conclude any ancillary acts required for the provision of services or to facilitate their execution.

ARTICLE 4 - DURATION

The present Agreement is concluded for a period of three years starting January 1, 2010 and ending December 31, 2012. At said date, this present Agreement shall automatically be renewed for successive periods of three years, unless termination of the Agreement by one of the Parties by written notice with acknowledgement of receipt, made no later than 6 months prior to the next scheduled end date,

ARTICLE 5 - FINANCIAL TERMS

5.1 Fixed part of support services fees

The supply and provision of services described in Article 2 are agreed for a daily flat rate of EUR 500 excluding tax, corresponding to an annual amount that shall not exceed EUR 180,000.00.

5.2. Indexing

The fixed part shall be corrected every year on January 1, and for the first time on January 1, 2011, based on changes of Consumer Index Prices. The initial reference index shall be the Consumer index prices of December 2009, the new index being the one corresponding to the month of December preceding the correction of the fixed part.


BMS-C3BS Final Agreement    5 /10

 

Any increase in the reference index shall result in a proportional increase of the fixed part based on the following formula:

 

Updated fixed part x new index      = Corrected fixed part   
December 2009 index        

Correction of the annual fixed part shall be signified by BMS.

If ever the index were to be no longer available, the amount of the fixed part would be related to any system replacing said index and serving as wage calculation basis for state employees.

5.3 Variable Part of Fees - Consumables and Waste (“Consumables”)

Consumables shall be paid based on the full cost of the activities and according to the relative power of the groups that power the areas occupied by the various parties. Relative power of C3BS will be determined after execution of the improvements requested by C3BS.

Consumables shall be billed by BMS to C3BS with a 5% surcharge to compensate for administrative and management costs.

5.4 Revision of financial terms

If as a result of a new municipal, regional, national, or European regulation, BMS would be required to perform important renovation works of the areas defined in Appendix 1, the Parties agree jointly and in good faith to review the financial terms defined in paragraph 5.1 and 5.3 of this Article.

ARTICLE 6 - BILLING AND PAYMENT CONDITIONS

 

6.1 Amounts owed by C3BS as defined above, shall result in the establishment, for the relevant year, of twelve invoices, each issued at the beginning of each month and sent to C3BS, for their amount including any due taxes.

 

6.2 Payment by C3BS of amounts due for services subject of this present Agreement, shall be made within 15 days of receipt of the corresponding invoices, by bank transfer to the account No. 0363-00B1230-B1, established in the name of BMS. Any late payment shall bear a late payment penalty at the applicable legal rate in effect, plus 3%.

 

6.3 C3BS will be given the ability, through BMS, to control all elements relating to consumables. BMS commits to ensuring C3BS has access to any and all documents required to verify cost and price determination elements for each consumable.

ARTICLE 7 - TAXATION

Services, object of this Agreement are subject to the value added tax, and the amounts are increased by the corresponding amount of said tax, at the rate in effect at the time of the event giving rise to said tax.


BMS-C3BS Final Agreement    6 /10

 

ARTICLE 8 - LIABILITY AND INSURANCES

8.1 Liability

Both parties are liable, under the provisions of common law, of any type of damages that they may generate whilst executing this Agreement or while performing their activities.

8.2 Insurances

Each Party shall subscribe to, and maintain valid, civil liability insurance policies of a sufficient amount to cover the Party’s responsibility to the other Party, in compliance with the provisions of Article 8.1 above. Each Party commits to make available to the other Party, a copy of the insurance policies subscribed in the scope of this present Agreement.

The Parties undertake to maintain the warranty conditions corresponding to this cover. In case of termination or modification of their insurance policies, each Party shall inform the other Party.

ARTICLE 9 - MANAGEMENT OF SERVICES

BMS shall, every year, produce and deliver a report to C3BS that will assess the level of human, material and financial resources used in the scope of this Agreement, the state of the partnership between the parties, the state of BMS’s relationships with its service providers, and evolution and/or improvement proposals for the services. This report and its eventual financial impact on the fixed part shall be discussed between the parties. Any agreed changes of contractual relations resulting from said discussions shall be defined in an addendum to this Agreement.

ARTICLE 10 - INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Each Party retains full ownership of his own knowledge whether new or existing, and shall determine the protective measures to be implemented for its new knowledge.

ARTICLE 11 - PERSONNEL AND RESPONSIBILITY

C3BS employees or employees acting under the responsibility of C3BS are required to comply with the rules and regulations of the institution. All necessary instructions shall be communicated to C3BS at the latest at the date of effective entry into force of this Agreement.

C3BS employees shall nonetheless remain under hierarchical authority of their employer. Each Party continues to be responsible for its employees, as employer, of all civil, insurance, social, and tax related obligations, to ensure coverage with regards to occupational accidents and occupational diseases, and to apply, to said personnel, all powers applicable to administrative and human resources management. To this end, each Party shall manage, by all applicable manners; its own personnel evaluations.


BMS-C3BS Final Agreement    7 /10

 

ARTICLE 12 - CONFIDENTIALITY

12.1. Each Party, provided it is authorized to do so, shall send to the other Party all information necessary to the execution of this present Agreement.

No provision present in this Agreement shall be interpreted as forcing one of the Parties to disclose information to the other Party, apart from those necessary to the execution of this Agreement.

12.2. All information and reproduction thereof, transmitted by one Party to another, shall remain the property of that Party and shall be, upon request, immediately returned or destroyed. The destruction of the information shall be confirmed in writing to the Party who transmitted said information.

12.3. The Party who receives confidential information commits, for the duration of this Agreement, and for a period of five (5) years following termination or end of this present Agreement, that the information received from the disclosing Party:

 

   

Be protected and kept as strictly confidential and be treated with the same degree of precaution and protection it warrants to its own information of equal importance;

 

   

Be disclosed internally only on a need to know basis and only to members of its staff willing to comply with the provisions of this Article;

 

   

Not be used, wholly or in part, without prior written consent of the Party having disclosed said information, for any purpose other than the one defined in this Agreement;

 

   

Not be disclosed, or be likely to be disclosed, directly or indirectly, to any third Party or any person other than the employees mentioned above, without prior authorization of the Party who communicated the information. With the clarification that in case of agreement, the Party receiving the information undertakes to have said third Party sign a non-disclosure agreement of similar nature and scope as this article;

 

   

Not be copied or reproduced or duplicated in whole or in part, when such copies, reproductions or duplications were not expressly authorized, in written, by the Party from which they originate.

12.4. The Party receiving confidential information shall be under no obligation and will not be subject to any restrictions with regard to any information it can prove:

 

   

To have entered the public domain prior to the disclosure or thereafter in the absence of any fault attributable to it; or

 

   

To have been lawfully received from a third Party without disclosure restrictions or violation of this Agreement; or

 

   

To be already known to it before being received under the scope of this Agreement, and that said knowledge can be demonstrated by the existence of relevant documents in its records; or

 

   

That their use or communication has been authorized in writing by the Party from which they originate; or

 

   

That disclosure was required by a court order or by an Administrative Authority, provided that the Party communicating the information has taken all necessary measures to inform the Party owner of said information.


BMS-C3BS Final Agreement    8 /10

 

ARTICLE 13 - NULLITY - AMENDMENT - SCOPE OF THE AGREEMENT

13.1. If one or more provisions of this Agreement are deemed to be invalid under any statute, regulation or following a court ruling that became final, the other provisions will remain in full force and effect, provided that the Agreement continues to reflect the will of the parties. In such case, the Parties shall seek, as soon as reasonably possible, to substitute the invalid provisions by provisions of similar scope reflecting their common intention.

13.2. Any amendments that may be required to this Agreement and to its Appendixes shall be decided by mutual agreement between the Parties and shall result in a written addendum to this Agreement, signed by both Parties.

13.3. This agreement is concluded intuitu personae . Therefore, no Party may assign, in any manner whatsoever, its rights or obligations arising from this Agreement, without prior written consent of the other Party.

13.4. C3BS may not, in any way whatsoever, make available or sublet, to a third Party, all or part of the laboratory spaces defined in Appendix 1.

ARTICLE 14 - NOTICES

Any notice related to the execution of this Agreement shall be sent to the following addresses:

For BMS: Mr. Patrick Jeanmart, Chief Financial Officer, rue Edouard Belin 12, 1435 Mont Saint Guibert

For C3BS: Mr. Christian Homsy, Delegate Director, rue Edouard Belin 12, 1435 Mont Saint Guibert

ARTICLE 15: SITE INVENTORY AND RESTITUTION

An inventory of the exclusive use area shall be established contradictorily between the Parties prior to entry into possession. It is understood that said inventory will be established before any development work to be carried out by C3BS. The inventory will be conducted by an independent expert chosen by mutual agreement, and whose cost shall be borne by C3BS.

C3BS shall, at the end of the Agreement, return the exclusive use area in the same state as defined in the inventory report, subject to normal wear or lack of maintenance by BMS.

If the tenant does not comply with its obligation to restitute and restore the premises to its original state, it shall be liable, without prejudice to its obligation to restore the premises, to pay a compensation for unavailability of the premises.

The unavailability period will be determined by mutual agreement between the parties or, failing that, by an expert. The minimum period is set to be of three months.

In case the Parties do not agree, at the end of the Agreement, on the amount of any potential damage and on the period of unavailability, these will be sovereignty and without recourse, fixed by an expert appointed by mutual agreement between the parties. In case the Parties do not agree on the selection of an expert, one will be appointed upon request of the earliest applying Party, by the Commercial Court of Nivelles.


Convention BMS-C3BS Final    9 /10

 

ARTICLE 16: CHANGES TO THE PREMISES

C3BS is not entitled to make any changes or perform any transformation in the exclusive use area unless prior written agreement by BMS.

Works shall be performed in accordance with standard practices, at the sole expense and risk of C3BS. C3BS shall communicate the plans to BMS for prior approval, without said approval being deemed to have any detrimental effect to the legal interests of BMS.

C3BS shall be responsible to both BMS and third parties for any changes it may have performed. It commits to cover BMS whenever the responsibility of the latter is challenged by a third Party for damage related, directly or indirectly, to the changes and improvements made in the premises.

ARTICLE 17: MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR

C3BS shall accept, without compensation, or reduction of the fixed part, the execution of all major repairs that might prove to be necessary during this Agreement.

As stated in Article 2 of this Agreement, BMS will subscribe civil liability coverage in respect of third parties for any damage or injury. C3BS agrees to do the same for an amount of € 1 million in combined hardware and physical damage.

ARTICLE 18: SECURITY

As security for the proper performance of its obligations and its control of the Services at 1 January 2010, C3BS will be to the benefit of BMS, within 15 days of signature of this present Agreement, a security corresponding to an amount of € 100,000.

C3BS may provide as security the amount in Euros, or the several and irrevocable guarantee of a Belgian bank. The Parties agree that the return of said guarantee shall only be made after exit inventory of the premises, less the costs of any rehabilitation works that may be incurred by BMS and cost of unsettled consumables on the date of exit.

ARTICLE 19 - SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES

The Parties shall endeavor to resolve amicably all disputes relating to the interpretation or performance of the Agreement.

In case of persistent difficulties relating to the interpretation or performance of the Agreement, the Parties may have recourse to an expert, prior to any legal proceedings.

To this end, the more diligent Party shall give notice to the other in writing of the object of the difficulty, and propose the name of an expert and the terms of distribution of fees of expertise costs.


BMS-C3BS Final Agreement    10 /10

 

The other Party shall, within a period of 15 (fifteen) days, inform the other Party if it accepts or not said expert. In case of refusal, it shall make a counter proposition to which a reply will have to be given within 15 (fifteen) days of its notification.

If the Parties fail to agree, the expert will be appointed upon request by the earliest applicant Party by the President of the Commercial Court of Nivelles, adopted in the manner of summary proceedings which shall also fix the sharing terms of expertise costs and fees.

The so chosen or appointed expert shall have full authority to receive any documents of whatever nature and to solicit all explanations it deems necessary from the Parties in order to determine the nature and causes of the dispute.

Within a one-month period from the day he was elected or appointed, the expert shall establish a report in which he will analyze the dispute, assess the amount of suffered damage, determine its causes and propose objective and comprehensive legal solutions, and shall notify the parties by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt.

If the Parties fail to negotiate an agreement based on the solutions proposed by the expert, and in case of dispute regarding the interpretation or performance of the provisions of this Agreement, the dispute shall be referred to the Commercial Court of Nivelles.

Issued on April 11, 2011, in 2 (two) original copies.

 

For BMS

Patrick Jeanmart

CFO

  

For BMS

Yves Joinau

Director

Signature: [SIGNATURE]

  

 

Signature:

For Cardio3 BioSciences

Christian Homsy

Delegate-Director

Signature: [SIGNATURE]


Schedule 1

  (1/2)

 

LOGO


(2/2)

 

LOGO


Schedule 2

Biological Manufacturing Services

 

Description

   Brand    Type    Power   Location    Usage    Quantity      GE      VP  

HVAC

                      

Air-conditioning EG

   Airwell    Auqualogique    40kw   Exterior    Frozen water            1   

Air-conditioning EG

   Airwell    Auqualogique    60kw   Exterior    Frozen water            1   

Buffer Tank

                   1         1         1   

Main Drive Group

   CDZ       4000m 3 /h           1         1         1   

Speed Controller GP

                   1         1         0   

Extraction Group

         4000m 3 /h           1         1         1   

Speed Controller GP

                   1         1         0   

Main GP/GE Board

                   1         1         1   

Drive Group of Main Terminal

   Lemmens       2000m 3 /h           16         1         1   

GE Terminals Board

                   9         
Option                       

Generator

   SMDO       16Kva   Exterior         1         1         1   

Generator

   SMDO       11Kva   Exterior         1         1         1   
Various Equipment                       

Particle Counter

   Lightouse                 10         

Lockers

   Labonorm                 6         

Fiochetti Refrigerators

   H&C Tech                 6         

HT Booth

   Nizet                 1         

Zone Table

   Fabrinox                 14         

Various Equipment

   Caddie                 /             

LAF Plexi

   ManuPlex                 5         

SAUTER Monitoring

   H&C Tech                 1         

Fire Detection System

   BEMAC                 1         

Exhibit 10.16

2014 WARRANTS PLAN

ISSUANCE AND EXERCISE CONDITIONS

Maximum offer of 100,000 subscription rights (“Warrants”)

reserved for the Beneficiaries of the Company Warrants Plan

Acceptances of this Warrants Offer must be returned to the Company in adherence to Section 4.1

 

1


Definitions

 

Beneficiaries certain employees, directors and members of the management of the Company as identified by the Board of Directors of the Company;
Remuneration Committee the nominating and remuneration committee of the Company established within the Board of Directors;
Board of Directors the board of directors of the Company;
Offer Date the date of the written communication of the Offer to the Beneficiaries;
Warrant Holder the person registered in the warrants ledger of the Company as holding one or more Warrants;
Offer the offer of the Warrants;
Exercise period the exercise period during which the Warrant Holder can exercise the received Warrants (as described in Article 4.5) in order to acquire shares of the Company;
Warrants Plan this plan relative to the Warrants established by the Company;
Company Cardio3 BioSciences SA;
Warrants the maximum of 100,000 subscription rights offered freely to the Beneficiaries of the Offer under the law dated March 26, 1999;

 

1. Decision by the Board of Directors and special report by the Board of Directors

On May 16, 2014, the Board of Directors indicated its agreement to create and issue 100.000 Warrants, which are to be distributed to the future beneficiaries, in the context of the authorized capital and in accordance with Article 7 of the bylaws.

This document, entitled “ISSUANCE AND EXERCISE CONDITIONS,” is attached as Appendix 1 to the special report prepared by the Board of Directors pursuant to Article 583 of the Companies Code.

 

2


On May 16, 2014, the Board of Directors approved the issuance of 100,000 Warrants with cancellation of the preferential subscription rights of the existing shareholders and warrant holders, primarily in favor of the members of the Company’s staff and, secondarily, the people specified in the special report prepared on May 16, 2014 by the Board of Directors, and granted a mandate to the Remuneration Committee to identify the Beneficiaries of the Warrants, as well as the number of Warrants assigned to each of them.

On May 5, 2014, the General Shareholders’ Meeting approved the principle of the proposal by the Board of Directors to issue a maximum of 100,000 Warrants under the Warrant Plan (as part of the authorized capital), in accordance with the provisions of Article 7.13 of the Belgian Corporate Governance Code. This approval is an approval in principle of the issuance of these Warrants, and not a decision on the issuance itself (decision which will be made by the Board of Directors).

The Board of Directors also tasked the Remuneration Committee with taking all necessary or useful measures to implement this Warrant Plan.

 

2. Information on the Offer of the Warrants

4.1 Identification of the Beneficiaries of the Offer

The Offer is reserved for the Beneficiaries within the limits of and based on the distribution determined by the Board of Directors of the Company.

The following may be considered to be a “Beneficiary”:

 

    any person who, on the Offer Date, is under an open-ended employment contract with the Company;

 

    any Director of the Company;

 

    any person providing products or services to the Company independently but regularly, if applicable, upon the intervention of a management or service company;

Each Beneficiary may be offered a certain number of Warrants based on a distribution decided upon by the Remuneration Committee established within the Board of Directors, which shall decide on a special agent appointed by the Board of Directors, with the understanding that the Board of Directors has all powers to define that distribution. The granting of Warrants to the non-executive directors is subject to approval by the General Shareholders’ Meeting.

The participation in the Warrant Plan does not grant any additional rights to workers in terms of labor laws and, in particular, does not create any limitation or additional condition for the employer to end the employment relationship with one of its collaborators, in accordance with the laws in force.

 

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The Beneficiaries are asked to return the completed acceptance form to the Company, to the attention of Mr. Patrick Jeanmart, such that it is received by the Company no later than the date indicated to them as part of the Offer. This Offer Date will appear on the acceptance form that will be given to each Beneficiary.

The acceptance form will indicate whether the Beneficiary accepts or declines the allocation of the Warrants. If the completed acceptance form is not received within the time frame indicated above, the Beneficiary will be considered to have REFUSED the allocation of the Warrants.

4.2. Total number of Warrants

The total Offer pertains to a maximum number of 100,000 Warrants. Each Warrant entitles its holder to subscribe for one ordinary share of the Company.

4.3. Exercise periods for the Warrants

Warrants definitively acquired may be exercised, in whole or in part, the first month of each quarter beginning on January 1, 2018, until the tenth anniversary of the issuance of the Warrants, i.e., May 15, 2024, for employees, and until the fifth anniversary of the issuance of the Warrants, i.e., May 15, 2019, for non-employees. Each fiscal year period ends on the last business day of the month in question. The month of May 2024 represents the last exercise period of this Warrant Plan, which will begin on April 1, 2024 and will end on May 15, 2024.

Warrants not exercised at the end of the last exercise period will become null and void.

By way of derogation from the previous paragraphs, in case of public acquisition offer over the Company shares, the Warrants may also be exercised for fifteen days from the announcement of the public offer by the FSMA.

4.4. Issue price of the Warrants

The Warrants will be issued free of charge and offered to the Beneficiaries. The Warrants will be subject to the law dated March 26, 1999 (inasmuch as the Beneficiary is subject to that law).

4.5. Exercise price of the Warrants

The exercise price of the Warrants will be the lower of the (i) mean closing price of the share for the 30 days preceding the Offer Date, and the (ii) last closing price before the Offer Date, with the understanding that the exercise price of the Warrants allocated to the Beneficiaries who are not members of the staff cannot be lower than the mean share price for the 30 days preceding the start date of the issuance.

 

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4.6. Exercise terms of the Warrants

A Warrant that may be exercised will only be considered to have been exercised upon receipt by the Company of:

 

(i) a written notice in the form determined by the Company, stating that a Warrant or a certain number of Warrants is being exercised;

 

(ii) the full payment of the exercise price of those exercised Warrants in euros, by bank wire transfer, and the number of which will be communicated to each Beneficiary by the Company;

 

(iii) in the event the Warrants are exercised by a person or persons other than the Warrant Holder, appropriate proof that that person or those persons are entitled to exercise that Warrant;

and

 

(iv) declarations and documents that the Board of Directors or the delegated Company director deem necessary or desirable in order to comply with the applicable legal and regulatory stipulations, and which the Board of Directors or the delegated director have requested to see.

All of the above must be in the Company’s possession no later than the last day of the exercise period in question.

4.7. Characteristics of the shares that will be issued following the exercise of the Warrants

4.7.1 General characteristics

The new shares that will be issued within a reasonable time frame after the expiration of an exercise period of the Warrants will be of the same type and will benefit from the same rights as the shares existing on the Offer Date (without prejudice of that set forth in Section 4.9 below). Taking into account what is specified in Section 4.9, if several share categories exist, the shares issued following the exercise of the Warrants will belong to the ordinary share category.

 

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4.7.2. Enjoyment

When the Warrants are exercised, the shares issued during that exercise shall bear the same enjoyment as the other Company shares (without prejudice to that set forth in Section 4.9 below).

 

4.7.3. Availability

Within a reasonable time frame after closing of the exercise period in the registered or dematerialized form by registration in the account, as chosen by the Beneficiary.

 

4.7.4. Transferability

The shares that come from the Warrants are transferable subject to the same legal and/or statutory conditions as the other Company shares, without prejudice to that stated in Section 4.9.2 below.

 

4.7.5. Costs related to the delivery of the shares

If the subscribed shares are delivered to a securities account, they will be delivered free of charge inasmuch as the account is held with a financial institution in Belgium.

4.8 Form and delivery of the Warrants - Non-transferability

At the registered office of the Company, a register of Warrant Holders will be kept that will contain the precise name of each Warrant Holder and the indication of the number of Warrants held.

The Warrants are non-transferable between living persons.

4.9 Modification of the structure of the Company’s capital

 

4.9.1 By derogation to what is set out in Article 501 C. Soc., and without prejudice to the exceptions set out by the law, the Company reserves the right to adopt any decision it deems necessary relative to its capital, Bylaws or administration. Such decisions may include, inter alia : a capital decrease, with or without reimbursement to shareholders; a capital increase by incorporating reserves, whether or not it is combined with the creation of new shares; a capital increase in kind; a capital increase in cash with or without limitation or cancellation of the preferential subscription rights of the shareholders; an issue of beneficiary shares, convertible bonds, preferential shares, bond with warrant, or ordinary or warrant bonds; a change in the provisions of the Bylaws regarding distributions of the profits or (net) proceeds from liquidation or other rights attached to the ordinary shares; splitting of the shares; dividend distribution in shares; dissolution of the Company; a legal merger; a legal split or a contribution or transfer of assets or an activity branch, irrespective of whether it is combined with the exchange of shares. The Company may adopt such decisions even if they meant or could mean that the profits are given to the Warrant holder through the issue and exercise conditions of the Warrants or the law, unless such a reduction is obviously the sole purpose of such a decision.

 

6


However, in case or a merger or split, the Board of Directors has an obligation of means to ensure that the Warrants not exercised on the date of such operations will be modified in accordance with the conversion parity applied to the existing Company shares.

Furthermore, in case of a capital reduction operation or similar operation causing a decrease in the Company’s equity following a decision by the shareholders made in a general shareholders’ meeting, the exercise price of the Warrants may be modified by decision by the Board of Directors notified to the Beneficiaries so as to compensate the loss of value resulting from the reduction in equity. Any change will be applicable as of notification to the Beneficiaries and without the latter needing to accept it formally.

Lastly, the number of shares corresponding to the Warrants will be adjusted so as to reflect and account for any increase or decrease in the number of Company shares following a division or grouping, depending on the case.

 

4.9.2 In the event the Company performs a capital increase by cash contributions before the final date set out to exercise the Warrants, the Warrant Holders will have the option of exercising them immediately and participating in the new issue, inasmuch as the former shareholders have that right.

In that case, this exercise and the payment of the exercise price must take place, in accordance with the terms defined in Section 4.6. above, no later than three business days before the opening of the subscription period relative to that capital increase.

In case of early exercise of the Warrants in that scenario, the subscribed shares will remain registered and non-transferable; at the end of the expiration dates set under Section 4.3. above, they will become transferable for the quantities equivalent to the number of Warrants that can be exercised on those deadlines and may (if the Company already has dematerialized shares at the time of the exercise) be converted into dematerialized shares.

if an event occurs, during that non-transferability period, that would normally have caused the Beneficiary to lose the right to exercise all or part of its Warrants (see Section 4.10 below), the Company will benefit from the option of buying back the shares obtained by the early exercise of those Warrants, for a price corresponding to the exercise price of those Warrants (as long as the legal conditions to buy back its own shares are met).

 

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4.10 Situation in case of departure

 

4.10.1. If the Warrant Holder loses the capacity of Beneficiary within the meaning of Article 4.1 above following (i) dismissal or revocation (except for gross negligence attributable to the Beneficiary), (ii) voluntary resignation, or (iii) cessation of belonging to the Company:

 

    none of the Warrants that have been assigned to it may be exercised if it loses the capacity of Beneficiary before the first anniversary of the Offer Date;

 

    the Warrants not yet exercised remain acquired by the Beneficiary, and may be exercised in accordance with Section 4.3., in the amount of:

 

    33% of the Warrants that have been assigned to it if it loses the capacity of Beneficiary before the second anniversary of the Offer Date;

 

    66% of the Warrants that have been assigned to it if it loses the capacity of Beneficiary before the third anniversary of the Offer Date;

with the understanding that the other Warrants may not be exercised;

 

    100% of the Warrants that have been assigned to it if it loses the capacity of Beneficiary after the third anniversary of the Offer Date.

The Warrants that can no longer be exercised by the Beneficiaries will automatically become irrelevant and void for them, and will be subject to automatic cancellation.

The Warrants that can be exercised under this Section 4.10.1 will have to be exercised during the next exercise period set out in Article 4.3. If this is not done, the Warrants that have not been exercised by the Beneficiaries at the end of that next exercise period will automatically become irrelevant and void for them, and will be subject to automatic cancellation.

 

4.10.2. If the Warrant Holder loses the capacity of Beneficiary within the meaning of Section 4.1 following dismissal or revocation for gross negligence (attributable to the Warrant Holder), all of the Warrants not exercised on the date on which he/she loses the capacity of Beneficiary will automatically become irrelevant and void and will be subject to automatic cancellation.

 

4.10.3. In case of death of the Beneficiary, the assignees may exercise the Warrants at the time and according to the terms set forth in Section 4.10.1 (mutatis mutandis).

 

8


4.10.4 If the Beneficiary loses the capacity of Beneficiary following legal retirement or at the end of his/her career, the Warrants may be exercised at the time and under the terms set by these issue conditions (see Section 4.3).

 

4.10.4 With respect to people having the capacity of Beneficiary due to the fact they are a director or provide products or services to the Company independently but regularly (if applicable with the intervention of a management or service company), the terms “dismissal or revocation” and “voluntary resignation” designate the various scenarios in which the contractual relationship under which those products or services are provided is definitively ended, either by the Company or by the Beneficiary or the management or service company. The term “gross negligence” refers to the scenario where that break is based on a serious breach by the Beneficiary or the management or service company of its contractual obligations. An interruption of more than six months in the supply of the products or services is considered to be a definitive break.

 

4.11 In case of suspension of the employment contract

In case of suspension of the employment contract for a total duration of more than six months, the consequence of that suspension on the rights related to the Warrants allocated by the Company will be determined for each case in particular by the Company.

 

4.12 Applicable Law

This Warrant Offer is subject to Belgian law. The courts and tribunals of the registered office of the Company have sole jurisdiction for any dispute relative to the Offer, issuance or exercise of the Warrants

 

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APPENDIX I - ISSUANCE AND EXERCISE CONDITIONS

Maximum offer of 140,000 subscription rights (“Warrants”)

reserved for the Beneficiaries of the Company Warrants Plan

Acceptances under this Warrants Offer may be filed, as indicated in Section 4.1 below, with the Company

The Beneficiaries of the Offer are advised to read the tax code as it is described in Section 4.14 of this document carefully.

 

1


C ARDIO 3 B IO S CIENCES SA

E XHIBIT 3 TO THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE B OARD OF D IRECTORS OF 16 J ANUARY 2013

Definitions

 

Beneficiaries Certain employees, directors and members of the management of the Company as identified by the Board of Directors of the Company.
Offer Date the date of the written communication of the Offer to the Beneficiaries.
Warrant holder the person registered in the warrants ledger of the Company as holding one or more warrants
Liquidity Event (i) a transfer of all or nearly all of: (a) the Company’s property; or (b) the Company’s shares; (ii) a merger, split or other Restructuring of the company (excluding a capital increase by cash contribution but including a capital increase by contribution in kind), following which the holders of the majority of the votes in the Company (immediately before that restructuring) no longer hold, as a group, the majority of the votes of the surviving/receiving entities; (iii) any other sale of that Company; or (iv) a liquidation of the Company;
Offer the offer of the Warrants;
Exercise period the exercise period during which the warrant holder can exercise the received Warrants (as described in Article 4.5) in order to acquire shares of the Company;
Warrants Plan this plan relative to the Warrants established by the Company
Company Cardio3 BioSciences SA
Warrants the maximum of 140,000 subscription rights offered freely to the Beneficiaries of the Offer under the law dated March 26, 1999

 

1. Decision by the Board of Directors

On January 16, 2013, the board of directors indicated its agreement to propose the creation of 140,000 warrants to the Extraordinary General Shareholders’ Meeting of the Company, to be distributed to the future beneficiaries.

 

2


2. Special report by the Board of Directors

This document, entitled “ISSUANCE AND EXERCISE CONDITIONS,” is attached as Appendix 1 to the special report prepared on January 16, 2013 by the Board of Directors pursuant to Article 583 of the Companies Code.

 

3. Decision by the General Shareholders’ Meeting

The General Shareholders’ Meeting was held on January 31, 2013. It approved the principle decision, with unanimous waiver of the preferential subscription right, regarding the issue of 140,000 Warrants and granted a mandate to the Board of Directors in order to identify the beneficiaries of the Warrants, as well as the number of Warrants allocated to each of them. The Warrants offered to the Company CEO and CFO (or their permanent representatives, if applicable) will be referred to as “Management Warrants.”

The issuance of the Warrants accepted by the Beneficiaries will be done by a notarial deed (in accordance with Article 589 of the Companies Code) after the expiration of the acceptance period.

It also tasked the Board of Directors with taking all necessary or useful measures to implement this Warrant Plan.

 

4. Information on the Offer of the Warrants

4.1 Identification of the Beneficiaries of the Offer

The Offer is reserved for the Beneficiaries within the limits of and based on the distribution determined by the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”).

The following may be considered to be a “Beneficiary”:

 

    any person who is a member of the management of the Company and who, on the Offer Date, is under an open-ended employment contract;

 

    any Director of the Company;

 

    any person providing products or services to the Company independently but regularly, if applicable, upon the intervention of a management or service company;

Each Beneficiary may be offered a certain number of Warrants based on a distribution decided upon by the Remuneration Committee established within the Board, which shall decide as a special agent appointed by the General Shareholders’ Meeting, with the understanding that the Board has all powers to define that distribution.

 

3


The participation in the Warrant Plan does not grant any additional rights to workers in terms of labor laws and, in particular, does not create any limitation or additional condition for the employer to end the employment relationship with one of its collaborators, in accordance with the laws in force.

The Beneficiaries are asked to return the completed acceptance form to the Company, to the attention of Mr. Patrick Jeanmart, such that it is received by the Company no later than the date indicated as part of the Offer (or 60 days after the Offer Date). This Offer Date will appear on the acceptance form that will be given to each Beneficiary.

The acceptance form will indicate whether the Beneficiary accepts or declines the allocation of the Warrants. If the completed acceptance form is not received within the time frame indicated above, the Beneficiary will be considered to have REFUSED the allocation of the Warrants.

4.2. Total number of Warrants

The total Offer pertains to a maximum number of 140,000 Warrants. Each Warrant entitles its holder to subscribe for one ordinary share (i.e., on that date, a class A share) of the Company.

4.3. Definitive acquisition of the “Management Warrants”

In accordance with the other exercise conditions, the Management Warrants will only be definitively acquired (and consequently able to be exercised during the exercise periods) if the conditions set out below are met:

All of the Management Warrants will be definitively acquired on December 31, 2013, inasmuch as the Company Has secured funding (in dilutive or non-dilutive form) for a minimum amount of EUR 25 million no later than December 31, 2013. If all of part of that funding is done in a dilutive form for the other shareholders, the definitive acquisition of the Management Warrants is also subject to the pre-money valuation of the company used to issue new shares (other than those resulting from the conversion of the E, F, G and H convertible loans contracted by the Company). This pre-money valuation cannot be less than EUR 45 million for all of the funding, representing a maximum dilution of 35% for the shareholders of the Company after conversion of the E, F, G and H convertible loans. If the minimum funding of EUR 25 million is done on a partially dilutive basis, the management warrants will be definitively acquired only inasmuch as the total dilution of the shareholders resulting from all of the minimum funding of EUR 25 million does not exceed 35%.

 

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The minimum funding of EUR 25 million accounts for the amounts gathered as part of the convertible H loan (“Loan H Agreement”).

4.4. Extinction of the warrants

If the conditions defined in Article 4.3 are not met on December 31, 2013, the Management Warrants will have no value and will be void.

4.5. Exercise periods for the Warrants

As stipulated in Articles 4.3, 4.4 and 4.10, the warrants definitively acquired may be exercised, in whole or in part, the first month of each quarter beginning on January 1, 2014, and until the tenth anniversary of the issuance of the plan, i.e., January 31, 2023. The month of January 2023 represents the last exercise period of this warrants plan. Each fiscal year period ends on the last business day of the month in question.

Warrants not exercised at the end of the last exercise period will become null and void.

By way of derogation from the previous paragraphs, in case of a Liquidity Event, the Warrants may also be exercised during the fifteen days before the anticipated closing date of the Liquidity Event. Warrants not exercised at the end of that exceptional exercise period will automatically be canceled and without value, unless otherwise decided by the board of directors.

4.6. Issue price of the Warrants

The Warrants will be issued free of charge and offered to the Beneficiaries. The Warrants will be subject to the law dated March 26, 1999 (inasmuch as the Beneficiary is subject to that law).

4.7. Exercise price of the Warrants

The exercise price of the Warrants allocated under the 2012 Warrant Offer is EUR 4.52. The Board has determined, based on a certified opinion from the auditor of the Company, in accordance with Article 43 of the law dated March 26, 1999, that this price is equal to the value of the share to which the Warrants pertain.

4.8. Exercise terms of the Warrants

A Warrant that may be exercised will only be considered to have been exercised upon receipt by the Company of:

 

(i) a written notice in the form determined by the Company, stating that a Warrant or a certain number of Warrants is being exercised;

 

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(ii) full payment of the exercise price of the Warrants exercised in euros, by bank wire transfer to an account specially opened as part of the Plan at the time of acceptance of the Warrants and the number of which will be provided to each Beneficiary by the Company;

 

(iii) in the event the Warrants are exercised by a person or persons other than the Warrant holder, appropriate proof that that person or those persons are entitled to exercise that Warrant;

and

 

(iv) declarations and documents that the Board or the delegated Company director deem necessary or desirable in order to comply with the applicable legal and regulatory stipulations, and which the Board or the delegated director have requested to see.

All of the above must be in the Company’s possession no later than the last day of the exercise period in question.

4.9. Characteristics of the shares that will be issued following the exercise of the Warrants

4.7.1 General characteristics

The new shares that will be issued within a reasonable time frame after the expiration of an exercise period of the Warrants will be of the same type and will benefit from the same rights as the shares existing on the Offer Date (without prejudice of that set forth in Section 4.9 below). Taking into account what is specified in Section 4.9, if several share categories exist, the shares issued following the exercise of the Warrants will belong to the ordinary share category (i.e., at this time, the “Class A Shares”).

 

4.7.2. Enjoyment

When the Warrants are exercised, the shares issued during that exercise shall bear the same enjoyment as the other Company shares (without prejudice to that set forth in Section 4.9 below).

 

4.7.3. Availability

Within a reasonable time frame after closing of the exercise period in the registered or (if the Company already has dematerialized shares at the time of the exercise) dematerialized form by registration in the account, as chosen by the Beneficiary.

 

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4.7.4. Transferability

The assignment of the shares that come from the Warrants are transferable subject to the same legal and/or statutory conditions as the other Company shares, without prejudice to that set forth in Section 4.9.2 below.

 

4.7.5. Costs related to the delivery of the shares

If the subscribed shares are delivered to a securities account, they will be delivered free of charge inasmuch as the account is held with a financial institution in Belgium.

4.8 Form and delivery of the Warrants - Non-transferability

The Warrants are and will remain blocked until they have expired or been exercised in a register of Warrant Holders that will be kept at the registered office of the Company, and that will contain the precise name of each Warrant holder and the indication of the number of Warrants held.

The Warrants are non-transferable between living persons.

4.9 Modification of the structure of the Company’s capital

 

4.9.1. By derogation to what is set out in Article 501 C. Soc., and without prejudice to the exceptions set out by the law, the Company reserves the right to adopt any decision it deems necessary relative to its capital, Bylaws or administration. Such decisions may include, inter alia : a capital decrease, with or without reimbursement to shareholders; a capital increase by incorporating reserves, whether or not it is combined with the creation of new shares; a capital increase in kind; a capital increase in cash with or without limitation or cancellation of the preferential subscription rights of the shareholders; an issue of beneficiary shares, convertible bonds, preferential shares, bond with warrant, or ordinary or warrant bonds; a change in the provisions of the Bylaws regarding distributions of the profits or (net) proceeds from liquidation or other rights attached to the ordinary shares (i.e., the “Class A shares”); splitting of the shares; dividend distribution in shares; dissolution of the Company; a legal merger; a legal split or a contribution or transfer of assets or a line of business, irrespective of whether it is combined with the exchange of shares. The Company may adopt such decisions even if they meant or could mean that the profits are given to the warrant holder through the issue and exercise conditions of the Warrants or the law, unless such a reduction is obviously the sole purpose of such a decision.

 

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However, in case or merger or split, the Board has an obligation of means to ensure that the Warrants not exercised on the date of such operations will be modified in accordance with the conversion parity applied to the existing Company shares.

Furthermore, in case of a capital reduction operation, a capital reimbursement operation, an operation to buy back its own shares and cancellation or those shares or similar operation causing a decrease in the Company’s equity following a decision by the shareholders made in a general shareholders’ meeting, the exercise price of the Warrants may be modified by decision by the Board of Directors notified to the Beneficiaries so as to compensate the loss of value resulting from the reduction in equity. Any change will be applicable as of notification to the Beneficiaries and without the latter needing to accept it formally.

Lastly, the number of shares corresponding to the Warrants will be adjusted so as to reflect and account for any increase or decrease in the number of Company shares following a division or grouping, depending on the case.

 

4.10 Situation in case of departure

 

4.10.1. If the Warrant holder loses the capacity of Beneficiary within the meaning of Article 4.1 above following (i) dismissal or revocation (except for gross negligence attributable to the Beneficiary), (ii) voluntary resignation, or (iii) cessation of belonging to the Company:

 

    none of the Warrants that have been assigned to it may be exercised if it loses the capacity of Beneficiary before the first anniversary of the Offer Date;

 

    the Warrants (other than the Management Warrants) not yet exercised remain acquired by the Beneficiary, and may be exercised in accordance with section 4.3., in the amount of:

 

    25% of the Warrants that have been assigned to it if it loses the capacity of Beneficiary before the second anniversary of the Offer Date;
    50% of the Warrants that have been assigned to it if it loses the capacity of Beneficiary before the third anniversary of the Offer Date;
    75% of the Warrants that have been assigned to it if it loses the capacity of Beneficiary before the fourth anniversary of the Offer Date.

with the understanding that the other Warrants may not be exercised;

 

    100% of the Warrants that have been assigned to it if it loses the capacity of Beneficiary after the fourth anniversary of the Offer Date.

 

    Any Management Warrants (definitively acquired within the meaning of Article 4.3) not exercised on the date when the beneficiary loses the status of beneficiary as described in article 4.1 will remain able to be exercised.

 

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The Warrants that can no longer be exercised by the Beneficiaries will automatically become irrelevant and void for them, and will be subject to automatic cancellation.

The Warrants that can be exercised will have to be exercised during the next exercise period set out in Article 4.4. If this is not done, the Warrants that have not been exercised by the Beneficiaries at the end of that exercise period will automatically become irrelevant and void for them and will be subject to cancellation.

 

4.10.2. If the Warrant holder loses the capacity of Beneficiary within the meaning of Section 4.1 following dismissal or revocation for gross negligence (attributable to the Warrant holder), all of the Warrants not exercised on the date on which he/she loses the capacity of Beneficiary will automatically become irrelevant and void and will be subject to cancellation.

 

4.10.3. In case of death of the Beneficiary, the assignees may exercise the Warrants at the time and according to the terms set forth in Section 4.10.1 (mutatis mutandis).

 

4.10.4. If the Beneficiary loses the capacity of Beneficiary following legal retirement or at the end of the his/her career, the Warrants may be exercised at the time and under the terms set by these issue conditions (see Section 4.3).

 

4.10.5 With respect to people having the capacity of Beneficiary due to the fact they are a director or provide products or services to the Company independently but regularly (if applicable with the intervention of a management or service company), the terms “dismissal or revocation” and “voluntary resignation” designate the various scenarios in which the contractual relationship under which those products or services are provided is definitively ended, either by the Company or by the Beneficiary or the management or service company. The term “gross negligence” refers to the scenario where that break is based on a serious breach by the Beneficiary or the management or service company of its contractual obligations. An interruption of more than six months in the supply of the products or services is considered to be a definitive break.

 

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4.11 In case of suspension of the employment contract

In case of suspension of the employment contract for a total duration of more than six months, the consequence of that suspension on the rights related to the Warrants allocated by the Company will be determined for each case in particular by the Company.

 

4.12 Applicable Law

This Warrant Offer is subject to Belgian law. The courts and tribunals of the registered office of the Company have sole jurisdiction for any dispute relative to the Offer, issuance or exercise of the Warrants

 

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ISSUANCE AND EXERCISE CONDITIONS

Maximum offer of 266,241 subscription rights (“Warrants”)

reserved for the Beneficiaries of the Company Warrants Plan

Acceptances of this Warrants Offer must be returned to the Company in adherence to Section 4.1

 

1


Definitions

 

Beneficiaries certain employees, directors and members of the management of the Company as identified by the Board of Directors of the Company.
Remuneration Committee the remuneration committee of the Company established within the Board of Directors;
Board of Directors the board of directors of the Company
Offer Date the date of the written communication of the Offer to the Beneficiaries.
Warrant Holder the person registered in the warrants ledger of the Company as holding one or more Warrants
Liquidity Event (i) a transfer of all or nearly all of: (a) the Company’s property; or (b) the Company’s shares; (ii) a merger, split or other Restructuring of the company (excluding a capital increase by cash contribution but including a capital increase by contribution in kind), following which the holders of the majority of the votes in the Company (immediately before that restructuring) no longer hold, as a group, the majority of the votes of the surviving/receiving entities; (iii) any other sale of that Company; or (iv) a liquidation of the Company;
Offer the offer of the Warrants;
Exercise period the exercise period during which the Warrant Holder can exercise the received Warrants (as described in Article 4.5) in order to acquire shares of the Company;
Warrants Plan this plan relative to the Warrants established by the Company
Company Cardio3 BioSciences SA
Warrants the maximum of 266,241 subscription rights offered freely to the Beneficiaries of the Offer under the law dated March 26, 1999

 

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1. Decision by the Board of Directors

On April 19, 2013, the Board of Directors indicated its agreement to propose the creation of 266,241 Warrants to the Extraordinary General Shareholders’ Meeting of the Company, to be distributed to the future beneficiaries.

 

2. Special report by the Board of Directors

This document, entitled “ISSUANCE AND EXERCISE CONDITIONS,” is attached as Appendix 1 to the special report prepared on April 19, 2013 by the Board of Directors pursuant to Article 583 of the Companies Code.

 

3. Decision by the General Shareholders’ Meeting

The General Shareholders’ Meeting was held on May 6, 2013. It approved, with cancellation of the preferential subscription rights of the existing shareholders and warrant holders in favor of the members of the Company’s staff and the people specified in the special report prepared on April 19, 2013 by the Board of Directors, the principle decision regarding the issuance of a maximum of 266,241 Warrants and granted a mandate to the Remuneration Committee in order to identify the Beneficiaries of the Warrants as well as the number of Warrants allocated to each of them.

The issuance of the Warrants accepted by the Beneficiaries will be done by a notarial deed (in accordance with Article 589 of the Companies Code) after the expiration of the acceptance period.

It also appointed the Remuneration Committee to take all necessary or useful measures for the implementation of this Warrant Plan.

 

4. Information on the Offer of the Warrants

4.1 Identification of the Beneficiaries of the Offer

The Offer is reserved for the Beneficiaries within the limits of and based on the distribution determined by the Board of Directors of the Company.

The following may be considered to be a “Beneficiary”:

 

    any person who, on the Offer Date, is under an open-ended employment contract with the Company;

 

    any Director of the Company;

 

    any person providing products or services to the Company independently but regularly, if applicable, upon the intervention of a management or service company;

 

3


Each Beneficiary may be offered a certain number of Warrants based on a distribution decided upon by the Remuneration Committee established within the Board of Directors, which shall decide as a special agent appointed by the General Shareholders’ Meeting, with the understanding that the Board of Directors has all powers to define that distribution.

The participation in the Warrant Plan does not grant any additional rights to workers in terms of labor laws and, in particular, does not create any limitation or additional condition for the employer to end the employment relationship with one of its collaborators, in accordance with the laws in force.

The Beneficiaries are asked to return the completed acceptance form to the Company, to the attention of Mr. Patrick Jeanmart, such that it is received by the Company no later than the date indicated to them as part of the Offer. This Offer Date will appear on the acceptance form that will be given to each Beneficiary.

The acceptance form will indicate whether the Beneficiary accepts or declines the allocation of the Warrants. If the completed acceptance form is not received within the time frame indicated above, the Beneficiary will be considered to have REFUSED the allocation of the Warrants.

4.2. Total number of Warrants

The total Offer pertains to a maximum number of 266,241 Warrants. Each Warrant entitles its holder to subscribe for one ordinary share (i.e., on that date, a class A share) of the Company.

4.3. Exercise periods for the Warrants

Warrants definitively acquired may be exercised, in whole or in part, the first month of each quarter beginning on January 1, 2017, until the tenth anniversary of the issuance of the Warrants, i.e., May 6, 2023. Each fiscal year period ends on the last business day of the month in question. The month of May 2023 represents the last exercise period of this Warrant Plan, which will begin on April 1, 2023 and will end on May 6, 2023.

Warrants not exercised at the end of the last exercise period will become null and void.

By way of derogation from the previous paragraphs, in case of a Liquidity Event, the Warrants may also be exercised during the fifteen days before the anticipated closing date of the Liquidity Event. Warrants not exercised at the end of that exceptional exercise period will automatically be canceled and without value, unless otherwise decided by the Board of Directors.

 

4


4.4. Issue price of the Warrants

The Warrants will be issued free of charge and offered to the Beneficiaries. The Warrants will be subject to the law dated March 26, 1999 (inasmuch as the Beneficiary is subject to that law).

4.5. Exercise price of the Warrants

The exercise price of the Warrants allocated under the 2013 Warrant Offer is EUR 2.64. The Board of Directors has determined, based on a certified opinion from the auditor of the Company, in accordance with Article 43 of the law dated March 26, 1999, that this price is equal to the value of the share to which the Warrants pertain.

4.6. Exercise terms of the Warrants

A Warrant that may be exercised will only be considered to have been exercised upon receipt by the Company of:

 

(i) a written notice in the form determined by the Company, stating that a Warrant or a certain number of Warrants is being exercised;

 

(ii) full payment of the exercise price of the Warrants exercised in euros, by bank wire transfer to an account specially opened as part of the Warrant Plan at the time of acceptance of the Warrants, and the number of which will be provided to each Beneficiary by the Company;

 

(iii) in the event the Warrants are exercised by a person or persons other than the Warrant Holder, appropriate proof that that person or those persons are entitled to exercise that Warrant;

and

 

(iv) declarations and documents that the Board of Directors or the delegated Company director deem necessary or desirable in order to comply with the applicable legal and regulatory stipulations, and which the Board of Directors or the delegated director have requested to see.

All of the above must be in the Company’s possession no later than the last day of the exercise period in question.

 

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4.7. Characteristics of the shares that will be issued following the exercise of the Warrants

4.7.1 General characteristics

The new shares that will be issued within a reasonable time frame after the expiration of an exercise period of the Warrants will be of the same type and will benefit from the same rights as the shares existing on the Offer Date (without prejudice of that set forth in Section 4.9 below). Taking into account what is specified in Section 4.9, if several share categories exist, the shares issued following the exercise of the Warrants will belong to the ordinary share category (i.e., at this time, class A shares).

 

4.7.2. Enjoyment

When the Warrants are exercised, the shares issued during that exercise shall bear the same enjoyment as the other Company shares (without prejudice to that set forth in Section 4.9 below).

 

4.7.3. Availability

Within a reasonable time frame after closing of the exercise period in the registered or (if the Company already has dematerialized shares at the time of the exercise) dematerialized form by registration in the account, as chosen by the Beneficiary.

 

4.7.4. Transferability

The shares that come from the Warrants are transferable subject to the same legal and/or statutory conditions as the other Company shares, without prejudice to that stated in Section 4.9.2 below.

 

4.7.5. Costs related to the delivery of the shares

If the subscribed shares are delivered to a securities account, they will be delivered free of charge inasmuch as the account is held with a financial institution in Belgium.

4.8 Form and delivery of the Warrants - Non-transferability

At the registered office of the Company, a register of Warrant Holders will be kept that will contain the precise name of each Warrant Holder and an indication of the number of Warrants held.

The Warrants are non-transferable between living persons.

 

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4.9 Modification of the structure of the Company’s capital

 

4.9.1 By derogation to what is set out in Article 501 C. Soc., and without prejudice to the exceptions set out by the law, the Company reserves the right to adopt any decision it deems necessary relative to its capital, Bylaws or administration. Such decisions may include, inter alia : a capital decrease, with or without reimbursement to shareholders; a capital increase by incorporating reserves, whether or not it is combined with the creation of new shares; a capital increase in kind; a capital increase in cash with or without limitation or cancellation of the preferential subscription rights of the shareholders; an issue of beneficiary shares, convertible bonds, preferential shares, bond with warrant, or ordinary or warrant bonds; a change in the provisions of the Bylaws regarding distributions of the profits or (net) proceeds from liquidation or other rights attached to the ordinary shares (i.e., the Class A shares); splitting of the shares; dividend distribution in shares; dissolution of the Company; a legal merger; a legal split or a contribution or transfer of assets or a line of business irrespective of whether it is combined with the exchange of shares. The Company may adopt such decisions even if they meant or could mean that the profits are given to the Warrant holder through the issue and exercise conditions of the Warrants or the law, unless such a reduction is obviously the sole purpose of such a decision.

However, in case or a merger or split, the Board of Directors has an obligation of means to ensure that the Warrants not exercised on the date of such operations will be modified in accordance with the conversion parity applied to the existing Company shares.

Furthermore, in case of a capital reduction operation, a capital reimbursement operation, an operation to buy back its own shares and cancellation or those shares or similar operation causing a decrease in the Company’s equity following a decision by the shareholders made in a general shareholders’ meeting, the exercise price of the Warrants may be modified by decision by the Board of Directors notified to the Beneficiaries so as to compensate the loss of value resulting from the reduction in equity. Any change will be applicable as of notification to the Beneficiaries and without the latter needing to accept it formally.

Lastly, the number of shares corresponding to the Warrants will be adjusted so as to reflect and account for any increase or decrease in the number of Company shares following a division or grouping, depending on the case.

 

4.9.2 In the event the Company performs a capital increase by cash contributions before the final date set out to exercise the Warrants, the Warrant Holders will have the option of exercising them immediately and participating in the new issue, inasmuch as the former shareholders have that right.

 

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In that case, this exercise and the payment of the exercise price must take place, in accordance with the terms defined in Section 4.6. above, no later than three business days before the opening of the subscription period relative to that capital increase.

In case of early exercise of the Warrants in that scenario, the subscribed shares will remain registered and non-transferable; at the end of the expiration dates set under Section 4.3. above, they will become transferable for the quantities equivalent to the number of Warrants that can be exercised on those deadlines and may (if the Company already has dematerialized shares at the time of the exercise) be converted into dematerialized shares.

if an event occurs, during that non-transferability period, that would normally have caused the Beneficiary to lose the right to exercise all or part of its Warrants (see Section 4.10 below), the Company will benefit from the option of buying back the shares obtained by the early exercise of those Warrants, for a price corresponding to the exercise price of those Warrants (as long as the legal conditions to buy back its own shares are met).

 

4.10 Situation in case of departure

 

4.10.1. If the Warrant Holder loses the capacity of Beneficiary within the meaning of Article 4.1 above following (i) dismissal or revocation (except for gross negligence attributable to the Beneficiary), (ii) voluntary resignation, or (iii) cessation of belonging to the Company:

 

    none of the Warrants that have been assigned to it may be exercised if it loses the capacity of Beneficiary before the first anniversary of the Offer Date;

 

    the Warrants not yet exercised remain acquired by the Beneficiary, and may be exercised in accordance with Section 4.3., in the amount of:

 

    33% of the Warrants that have been assigned to it if it loses the capacity of Beneficiary before the second anniversary of the Offer Date;

 

    66% of the Warrants that have been assigned to it if it loses the capacity of Beneficiary before the third anniversary of the Offer Date;

with the understanding that the other Warrants may not be exercised;

 

    100% of the Warrants that have been assigned to it if it loses the capacity of Beneficiary after the third anniversary of the Offer Date.

The Warrants that can no longer be exercised by the Beneficiaries will automatically become irrelevant and void for them, and will be subject to automatic cancellation.

 

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The Warrants that can be exercised under this Section 4.10.1 will have to be exercised during the next exercise period set out in Article 4.3. If this is not done, the Warrants that have not been exercised by the Beneficiaries at the end of that next exercise period will automatically become irrelevant and void for them, and will be subject to automatic cancellation.

 

4.10.2. If the Warrant Holder loses the capacity of Beneficiary within the meaning of Section 4.1 following dismissal or revocation for gross negligence (attributable to the Warrant Holder), all of the Warrants not exercised on the date on which he/she loses the capacity of Beneficiary will automatically become irrelevant and void and will be subject to automatic cancellation.

 

4.10.3. In case of death of the Beneficiary, the assignees may exercise the Warrants at the time and according to the terms set forth in Section 4.10.1 (mutatis mutandis).

 

4.10.4 If the Beneficiary loses the capacity of Beneficiary following legal retirement or at the end of his/her career, the Warrants may be exercised at the time and under the terms set by these issue conditions (see Section 4.3).

 

4.10.4 With respect to people having the capacity of Beneficiary due to the fact they are a director or provide products or services to the Company independently but regularly (if applicable with the intervention of a management or service company), the terms “dismissal or revocation” and “voluntary resignation” designate the various scenarios in which the contractual relationship under which those products or services are provided is definitively ended, either by the Company or by the Beneficiary or the management or service company. The term “gross negligence” refers to the scenario where that break is based on a serious breach by the Beneficiary or the management or service company of its contractual obligations. An interruption of more than six months in the supply of the products or services is considered to be a definitive break.

 

4.11 In case of suspension of the employment contract

In case of suspension of the employment contract for a total duration of more than six months, the consequence of that suspension on the rights related to the Warrants allocated by the Company will be determined for each case in particular by the Company.

 

4.12 Applicable Law

This Warrant Offer is subject to Belgian law. The courts and tribunals of the registered office of the Company have sole jurisdiction for any dispute relative to the Offer, issuance or exercise of the Warrants

 

9


CARDIO3 BIOSCIENCES S.A.

Business Corporation [ société anonyme ]

having its registered office at

B-1435 Mont Saint Guibert, Rue Edouard Belin 12

R.P.M. Nivelles 891 118 115

Maximum offer of 79,500 subscription rights (“Warrants”)

reserved for the Beneficiaries of the Company Warrants Plan

Acceptances under this Warrants Offer may be filed, as indicated in Section 4.1 below, with the Company

The Beneficiaries of the Offer are advised to read the tax code as it is described in Section 4.14 of this document carefully.


Definitions

 

Beneficiaries Certain employees and members of the management of the Company as identified by the Remuneration Committee established within the Board of Directors of the Company.
Offer Date the date of the written communication of the Offer to the Beneficiaries.
Liquidity Event (i) a transfer of all or nearly all of: (a) the Company’s property; or (b) the Company’s shares; (ii) a merger, split or other Restructuring of the company (excluding a capital increase by cash contribution but including a capital increase by contribution in kind), following which the holders of the majority of the votes in the Company (immediately before that restructuring) no longer hold, as a group, the majority of the votes of the surviving/receiving entities; (iii) any other sale of that Company; or (iv) a liquidation of the Company;
Offer the offer of the Warrants
Warrants Plan this plan relative to the Warrants established by the Company
Company Cardio3 BioSciences SA
Warrants the maximum of 79,500 subscription rights offered freely to the Beneficiaries of the Offer under the law dated March 26, 1999

 

1. Decision by the Board of Directors

On October 15, 2010, the board of directors indicated its agreement to propose the creation of 79,500 Warrants to the General Shareholders’ Meeting of the Company, to be distributed to the future beneficiaries.

 

2. Special report by the Board of Directors

The copy of the special report prepared on October 15, 2010 by the Board of Directors pursuant to Articles 583 of the Companies Code is in Appendix 1.

 

3. Decision by the General Shareholders’ Meeting

The General Shareholders’ Meeting was held on October 28, 2010. It approved the principle decision, with unanimous waiver of the preferential subscription right, regarding the issue of 79,500 Warrants and granted a mandate to the Board of Directors in order to identify the beneficiaries of the Warrants, as well as the number of Warrants allocated to each of them.

 

- 2 -


The issuance of the Warrants accepted by the Beneficiaries will be done by a notarial deed (in accordance with Article 589 of the Companies Code) after the expiration of the acceptance period.

It also tasked the Board of Directors with taking all necessary or useful measures to implement this share Warrant Plan.

 

4. Information on the Offer of the Warrants

4.1 Identification of the Beneficiaries of the Offer

The Offer is reserved for the Beneficiaries within the limits of and based on the distribution determined by the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Committee).

The following may be considered to be a “Beneficiary”:

 

    any person who is a member of the senior management of the Company and who, on the Offer Date, is under an open-ended employment contract;

 

    any person providing products or services to the Company independently but regularly, if applicable the intervention of a management or service company;

Each Beneficiary may be offered a certain number of Warrants based on a distribution decided on by the Committee, with the understanding that the Committee has all powers to define that distribution.

The participation in the Warrant Plan does not grant any additional rights to workers in terms of labor laws and, in particular, does not create any limitation or additional condition for the employer to end the employment relationship with one of its collaborators, in accordance with the laws in force.

The Beneficiaries are asked to return the completed acceptance form to the Company, to the attention of Mr. Patrick Jeanmart, such that it is received by the Company no later than the date indicated as part of the Offer (or 60 days after the Offer Date, or no later than December 28, 2010). This Offer Date will appear on the acceptance form that will be given to each Beneficiary.

The acceptance form will indicate whether the Beneficiary accepts or declines the allocation of the Warrants. If the completed acceptance form is not received within the time frame indicated above, the Beneficiary will be considered to have REFUSED the allocation of the Warrants.

4.2. Total number of Warrants

The total Offer pertains to a maximum number of 79,500 Warrants. Each Warrant entitles its holder to subscribe for one share of the Company.

 

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4.3. Exercise periods for the Warrants

The Beneficiaries of Warrants may not exercise their Warrants before December 31, 2013. After that date, the Warrants may be exercised until December 31, 2020.

The Warrants may be exercised in whole or in part by each Beneficiary during the first month of each quarter beginning January 1, 2014 and until December 31, 2020.

By way of derogation from the previous paragraphs, in case of a Liquidity Event, the Warrants may also be exercised during the fifteen days before the anticipated closing date of the Liquidity Event. Warrants not exercised at the end of that exceptional exercise period will automatically be canceled and without value, unless otherwise decided by the board of directors.

4.4. Issue price of the Warrants

The Warrants will be issued free of charge and offered to the Beneficiaries. The Warrants will be subject to the law dated March 26, 1999 (inasmuch as the Beneficiary is subject to that law).

4.5. Exercise price of the Warrants

The exercise price of the Warrants allocated under the 2010 Warrant Offer is EUR 35.36. The Board has determined, based on a certified opinion from the auditor of the Company, in accordance with Article 43 of the law dated March 26, 1999, that this price is equal to the value of the share to which the Warrants pertain.

4.6. Exercise terms of the Warrants

A Warrant that may be exercised will only be considered to have been exercised upon receipt by the Company of:

 

(i) a written notice in the form determined by the Company, stating that a Warrant or a certain number of Warrants is being exercised;

 

(ii) full payment of the exercise price of the Warrants exercised in euros, by bank wire transfer to an account specially opened as part of the Plan at the time of acceptance of the Warrants and the number of which will be provided to each Beneficiary by the Company;

 

(iii) in the event the Warrants are exercised by a person or persons other than the Warrant holder, appropriate proof that that person or those persons are entitled to exercise that Warrant;

and

 

(iv) declarations and documents that the Board or the delegated Company director deem necessary or desirable in order to comply with the applicable legal and regulatory stipulations, and which the Board or the delegated director have requested to see.

All of the above must be in the Company’s possession no later than the last day of the exercise period in question.

 

- 4 -


4.7. Characteristics of the shares that will be issued following the exercise of the Warrants

4.7.1 General characteristics

The new shares that will be issued within a reasonable time frame after the expiration of an exercise period of the Warrants will be of the same type and will benefit from the same rights as the shares existing on the Offer Date (without prejudice to that set forth in Section 4.9 below). Taking into account what is specified in Section 4.9, if several share categories exist, the shares issued following the exercise of the Warrants will belong to the ordinary share category (i.e., non-preferential).

 

4.7.2. Enjoyment

When the Warrants are exercised, the shares issued during that exercise shall bear the same enjoyment as the other Company shares (without prejudice to that set forth in Section 4.9 below).

 

4.7.3. Availability

Within a reasonable time frame after closing of the exercise period in the registered or (if the Company already has dematerialized shares at the time of the exercise) dematerialized form by registration in the account, as chosen by the Beneficiary.

 

4.7.4. Transferability

The assignment of the shares that come from the Warrants are transferable subject to the same legal and/or statutory conditions as the other Company shares, without prejudice to that set forth in Section 4.9.2 below.

 

4.7.5. Costs related to the delivery of the shares

If the subscribed shares are delivered to a securities account, they will be delivered free of charge inasmuch as the account is held with a financial institution in Belgium.

4.8 Form and delivery of the Warrants - Non-transferability

The Warrants are and will remain blocked until they have expired or been exercised in a register of Warrant Holders that will be kept at the registered office of the Company, and that will contain the precise name of each Warrant holder and the indication of the number of Warrants held.

The Warrants are non-transferable between living persons.

4.9 Modification of the structure of the Company’s capital

 

4.9.1.

As a derogation from the stipulations of Article 501 of the Companies Code, the Company expressly reserves the right to perform all operations (capital increase with or without creation of new shares, capital reduction, issuance of convertible bonds or

 

- 5 -


  subscription rights, amortization of the capital, buying back its own shares, mergers, splits, etc.) it deems necessary in the context of its capital, bylaws or management, even if those decisions cause a decrease in the benefits granted to the Warrant holders.

The Company in particular notifies the Beneficiaries, who, by accepting this Offer, also accept that the Company is, on the Offer Date, in negotiations regarding a new capital increase of the Company. The Company expressly reserves the right to increase the capital of the Company and modify the bylaws as part of the capital increase. The Beneficiaries are thus notified that preferential rights (including a preferential right to receive any surplus assets on liquidation) will be introduced into the bylaws at the time of the capital increase in favor of some or all of the shares, excluding the shares to which the Warrants relate.

However, in case or merger or split, the Board has an obligation of means to ensure that the Warrants not exercised on the date of such operations will be modified in accordance with the conversion parity applied to the existing Company shares.

Furthermore, in case of a capital reduction operation, a capital reimbursement operation, an operation to buy back its own shares and cancellation or those shares or similar operation causing a decrease in the Company’s equity following a decision by the shareholders made in a general shareholders’ meeting, the exercise price of the Warrants may be modified by decision by the Board of Directors notified to the Beneficiaries so as to compensate the loss of value resulting from the reduction in equity. Any change will be applicable as of notification to the Beneficiaries and without the latter needing to accept it formally.

Lastly, the number of shares corresponding to the Warrants will be adjusted so as to reflect and account for any increase or decrease in the number of Company shares following a division or grouping, depending on the case.

 

4.9.2. In the event the Company performs a capital increase by cash contributions before the final date set out to exercise the Warrants, the Warrant holders will have the option of exercising them immediately and participating in the new issue, inasmuch as the former shareholders have that right.

In that case, this exercise and the payment of the exercise price must take place, in accordance with the terms defined in Section 4.6. above, no later than three business days before the opening of the subscription period relative to that capital increase.

In case of early exercise of the Warrants in that scenario, the subscribed shares will remain registered and non-transferable; at the end of the expiration dates set under Section 4.3. above, they will become transferable for the quantities equivalent to the number of Warrants that can be exercised on those deadlines and may (if the Company already has dematerialized shares at the time of the exercise) be converted into dematerialized shares.

If an event occurs, during that non-transferability period, that would normally have caused the Beneficiary to lose the right to exercise all or part of its Warrants (see Section 4.10 below), the Company will benefit from the option of buying back the

 

- 6 -


shares obtained by the early exercise of those Warrants, for a price corresponding to the exercise price of those Warrants (as long as the legal conditions to buy back its own shares are met).

 

4.10 Situation in case of departure

 

4.10.1. If the Warrant holder loses the capacity of Beneficiary within the meaning of Article 4.1 above following (i) dismissal or revocation (except for gross negligence attributable to the Beneficiary), (ii) voluntary resignation, or (iii) cessation of belonging to the Company:

 

    none of the Warrants that have been assigned to it may be exercised if it loses the capacity of Beneficiary before the first anniversary of the Offer Date;

 

    the Warrants not yet exercised remain acquired by the Beneficiary, and may be exercised in accordance with Section 4.3., in the amount of:

 

    33% of the Warrants that have been assigned to it if it loses the capacity of Beneficiary before the second anniversary of the Offer Date;

 

    66% of the Warrants that have been assigned to it if it loses the capacity of Beneficiary before the third anniversary of the Offer Date;

with the understanding that the other Warrants may not be exercised;

 

    100% of the Warrants that have been assigned to it if it loses the capacity of Beneficiary after the third anniversary of the Offer Date;

The Warrants that can no longer be exercised by the Beneficiaries will automatically become irrelevant and void for them, and will be subject to automatic cancellation.

The Warrants that can be exercised will have to be exercised during the next exercise period set out in Article 4.3. If this is not done, the Warrants that have not been exercised by the Beneficiaries at the end of that exercise period will automatically become irrelevant and void for them and will be subject to cancellation.

 

4.10.2. If the Warrant holder loses the capacity of Beneficiary within the meaning of Section 4.1 following dismissal or revocation for gross negligence (attributable to the Warrant holder), all of the Warrants not exercised on the date on which he/she loses the capacity of Beneficiary will automatically become irrelevant and void and will be subject to cancellation.

 

4.10.3. In case of death of the Beneficiary, the assignees may exercise the Warrants at the time and according to the terms set forth in Section 4.10.1 (mutatis mutandis).

 

4.10.4. If the Beneficiary loses the capacity of Beneficiary following legal retirement or at the end of the his/her career, the Warrants may be exercised at the time and under the terms set by these issue conditions (see Section 4.3).

 

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4.10.5 With respect to people having the capacity of Beneficiary due to the fact they are a director or provide products or services to the Company independently but regularly (if applicable with the intervention of a management or service company), the terms “dismissal or revocation” and “voluntary resignation” designate the various scenarios in which the contractual relationship under which those products or services are provided is definitively ended, either by the Company or by the Beneficiary or the management or service company. The term “gross negligence” refers to the scenario where that break is based on a serious breach by the Beneficiary or the management or service company of its contractual obligations. An interruption of more than six months in the supply of the products or services is considered to be a definitive break.

 

4.11 In case of suspension of the employment contract

In case of suspension of the employment contract for a total duration of more than six months, the consequence of that suspension on the rights related to the Warrants allocated by the Company will be determined for each case in particular by the Company.

4.12 Applicable Law

This Warrant Offer is subject to Belgian law. The courts and tribunals of the registered office of the Company have sole jurisdiction for any dispute relative to the Offer, issuance or exercise of the Warrants

4.13 Tax Regime (Belgian nationals residing in Belgium)

Under Article 42 et seq. of the law dated March 26, 1999 relative to the 1998 Belgian action plan for employment and pertaining to various provisions, benefits of all kinds obtained due to or on the occasion of the exercise of the professional activity, in the form of a free allocation of share options, are taxable as Remuneration.

Inasmuch as it is possible to demonstrate that, as in the case at hand, the offer of any benefit arises from the performance of a professional activity by the beneficiary, the benefit of any nature will be taxed as remuneration in Belgium.

In light of the preceding, the offer of the Warrants must be qualified as a benefit of any nature for the Beneficiaries of the Warrants who are Belgian nationals residing in Belgium.

Depending on the characteristics of the Warrants and the legal formula, the benefit will be valued at 10% of the exercise price of the Warrants.

Regarding the Beneficiaries under employment contracts, the Company will withdraw at the payroll tax due for the benefit of any kind, thus calculated from the salary of the Beneficiaries in the second month following the Offer Date. The Company will mention the amount of the benefit on tax forms No. 281.10 (for employees), No. 281.20 (for directors) and No. 281.50 (for independent contractors), prepared in the name of the Beneficiaries of the Warrants for the tax year during which the Warrants were definitively granted.

 

- 8 -


Under current Belgian tax laws, the appreciation following the subsequent assignment of shares acquired by exercising the Warrants is exempt from taxation for natural persons in Belgium. Depreciation is not deductible.

Dividends on shares

The dividends paid to the Beneficiaries following the acquisition of shares of the Company are in principle subject to the Belgian withholding taxation of 25%. This tax is reduced to 15% when the dividend coupon is present at the same time as the corresponding VVPR STRIP coupon. The withholding tax is withheld at the source by the Company, except in case of exemption set out by Belgian tax law. The withholding tax being, in the current state of Belgian tax law, a “release” in Belgium, Beneficiaries domiciled in Belgium are therefore not required to declare it in their annual tax return for natural persons.

 

- 9 -


CARDIO3 BIOSCIENCES S.A.

Business Corporation [ société anonyme ]

having its registered office at

B-1435 Mont Saint Guibert, Rue Edouard Belin 12

R.P.M. Nivelles 891 118 115

Maximum offer of 50,000 subscription rights (“warrants”)

reserved for the Beneficiaries of the Company Warrants Plan

Acceptances under this Warrants Offer may be filed, as indicated in Section 4.1 below, with the Company

The Beneficiaries of the Offer are advised to read the tax code as it is described in Section 4.14 of this document carefully.


Definitions

 

Beneficiaries Certain employees and members of the management of the Company as identified by the Remuneration Committee established within the Board of Directors of the Company.
Offer Date the date of the written communication of the Offer to the Beneficiaries.
Liquidity Event (i) a transfer of all or nearly all of: (a) the Company’s property; or (b) the Company’s shares; (ii) a merger, split or other Restructuring of the company (excluding a capital increase by cash contribution but including a capital increase by contribution in kind), following which the holders of the majority of the votes in the Company (immediately before that restructuring) no longer hold, as a group, the majority of the votes of the surviving/receiving entities; (iii) any other sale of that Company; or (iv) a liquidation of the Company;
Offer the offer of the Warrants
Warrants Plan this plan relative to the Warrants established by the Company
Company Cardio3 BioSciences SA
Warrants the maximum of 50,000 subscription rights offered freely to the Beneficiaries of the Offer under the law dated March 26, 1999

 

1. Decision by the Board of Directors

On March 23, 2010, the board of directors indicated its agreement to propose the creation of 50,000 Warrants to the ordinary shareholders’ meeting of the Company, to be distributed to the future beneficiaries. These 50,000 warrants are divided into three groups:

 

  A. A. 15,000 A warrants that will be distributed to the subscribers of the convertible loan contracted by the Company on December 21, 2009.

 

  B. B. 5,000 B warrants that will be distributed to the shareholders of the company Biological Manufacturing Services.

 

  C. C. 30,000 C warrants that will be distributed to the members of the staff and management of the Company (the “ Warrants ”).

 

2. Special report by the Board of Directors

The copy of the special report prepared on March 23, 2010 by the Board of Directors pursuant to Articles 583 of the Companies Code is in Appendix 1.

 

- 2 -


3. Decision by the General Shareholders’ Meeting

The General Shareholders’ Meeting was held on May 5, 2010. It approved the principle decision, with unanimous waiver of the preferential subscription right, regarding the issue of 50,000 Warrants and granted a mandate to the Board of Directors in order to identify the beneficiaries of the Warrants as well as the number of Warrants allocated to each of them.

The issuance of the Warrants accepted by the Beneficiaries will be done by a notarial deed (in accordance with Article 589 of the Companies Code) after the expiration of the acceptance period.

It also tasked the Board of Directors with taking all necessary or useful measures to implement this share Warrant Plan.

 

4. Information on the Offer of the Warrants

4.1 Identification of the Beneficiaries of the Offer

The Offer is reserved for the Beneficiaries within the limits of and based on the distribution determined by the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Committee).

The following may be considered to be a “Beneficiary”:

 

    any person who is a member of the senior management of the Company and who, on the Offer Date, is under an open-ended employment contract;

 

    any person providing products or services to the Company independently but regularly, if applicable the intervention of a management or service company;

Each Beneficiary may be offered a certain number of Warrants based on a distribution decided on by the Committee, with the understanding that the Committee has all powers to define that distribution.

The participation in the Warrant Plan does not grant any additional rights to workers in terms of labor laws and, in particular, does not create any limitation or additional condition for the employer to end the employment relationship with one of its collaborators, in accordance with the laws in force.

The Beneficiaries are asked to return the completed acceptance form to the Company, to the attention of Mr. Patrick Jeanmart, such that it is received by the Company no later than the date indicated as part of the Offer (or 60 days after the Offer Date, or no later than August 15, 2010). This Offer Date will appear on the acceptance form that will be given to each Beneficiary.

The acceptance form will indicate whether the Beneficiary accepts or declines the allocation of the Warrants. If the completed acceptance form is not received within the time frame indicated above, the Beneficiary will be considered to have REFUSED the allocation of the Warrants.

 

- 3 -


4.2. Total number of Warrants

The total Offer pertains to a maximum number of 50,000 Warrants. Each Warrant entitles its holder to subscribe for one share of the Company.

4.3. Exercise periods for the Warrants

The Beneficiaries of Warrants may not exercise their Warrants before December 31, 2011. After that date, the Warrants may be exercised until December 31, 2016.

The Warrants may be exercised in whole or in part by each Beneficiary during the first month of each quarter, beginning with the dates provided above and until December 31, 2016.

By way of derogation from the previous paragraphs, in case of a Liquidity Event, the Warrants may also be exercised during the fifteen days before the anticipated closing date of the Liquidity Event. Warrants not exercised at the end of that exceptional exercise period will automatically be canceled and without value, unless otherwise decided by the board of directors.

4.4. Issue price of the Warrants

The Warrants will be issued free of charge and offered to the Beneficiaries. The Warrants will be subject to the law dated March 26, 1999 (inasmuch as the Beneficiary is subject to that law).

4.5. Exercise price of the Warrants

The exercise price of the Warrants allocated under the 2010 Warrant Offer is EUR 22.44. The Board has determined, based on a certified opinion from the auditor of the Company, in accordance with Article 43 of the law dated March 26, 1999, that this price is equal to the value of the share to which the Warrants pertain.

4.6. Exercise terms of the Warrants

A Warrant that may be exercised will only be considered to have been exercised upon receipt by the Company of:

 

(i) a written notice in the form determined by the Company, stating that a Warrant or a certain number of Warrants is being exercised;

 

(ii) full payment of the exercise price of the Warrants exercised in euros, by bank wire transfer to an account specially opened as part of the Plan at the time of acceptance of the Warrants and the number of which will be provided to each Beneficiary by the Company;

 

(iii) in the event the Warrants are exercised by a person or persons other than the Warrant holder, appropriate proof that that person or those persons are entitled to exercise that Warrant;

 

- 4 -


and

 

(iv) declarations and documents that the Board or the delegated Company director deem necessary or desirable in order to comply with the applicable legal and regulatory stipulations, and which the Board or the delegated director have requested to see.

All of the above must be in the Company’s possession no later than the last day of the exercise period in question.

4.7. Characteristics of the shares that will be issued following the exercise of the Warrants

4.7.1 General characteristics

The new shares that will be issued within a reasonable time frame after the expiration of an exercise period of the Warrants will be of the same type and will benefit from the same rights as the shares existing on the Offer Date (without prejudice to that set forth in Section 4.9 below). Taking into account what is specified in Section 4.9, if several share categories exist, the shares issued following the exercise of the Warrants will belong to the ordinary share category (i.e., non-preferential).

 

4.7.2. Enjoyment

When the Warrants are exercised, the shares issued during that exercise shall bear the same enjoyment as the other Company shares (without prejudice to that set forth in Section 4.9 below).

 

4.7.3. Availability

Within a reasonable time frame after closing of the exercise period in the registered or (if the Company already has dematerialized shares at the time of the exercise) dematerialized form by registration in the account, as chosen by the Beneficiary.

 

4.7.4. Transferability

The assignment of the shares that come from the Warrants are transferable subject to the same legal and/or statutory conditions as the other Company shares, without prejudice to that set forth in Section 4.9.2 below.

 

4.7.5. Costs related to the delivery of the shares

If the subscribed shares are delivered to a securities account, they will be delivered free of charge inasmuch as the account is held with a financial institution in Belgium.

4.8 Form and delivery of the Warrants - Non-transferability

The Warrants are and will remain blocked until they have expired or been exercised in a register of Warrant Holders that will be kept at the registered office of the Company, and that will contain the precise name of each Warrant holder and the indication of the number of Warrants held.

 

- 5 -


The Warrants are non-transferable between living persons.

4.9 Modification of the structure of the Company’s capital

 

4.9.1. As a derogation from the stipulations of Article 501 of the Companies Code, the Company expressly reserves the right to perform all operations (capital increase with or without creation of new shares, capital reduction, issuance of convertible bonds or subscription rights, amortization of the capital, buying back its own shares, mergers, splits, etc.) it deems necessary in the context of its capital, bylaws or management, even if those decisions cause a decrease in the benefits granted to the Warrant holders.

The Company in particular notifies the Beneficiaries, who, by accepting this Offer, also accept that the Company is, on the Offer Date, in negotiations regarding a new capital increase of the Company. The Company expressly reserves the right to increase the capital of the Company and modify the bylaws as part of the capital increase. The Beneficiaries are thus notified that preferential rights (including a preferential right to receive any surplus assets on liquidation) will be introduced into the bylaws at the time of the capital increase in favor of some or all of the shares, excluding the shares to which the Warrants relate.

However, in case or merger or split, the Board has an obligation of means to ensure that the Warrants not exercised on the date of such operations will be modified in accordance with the conversion parity applied to the existing Company shares.

Furthermore, in case of a capital reduction operation, a capital reimbursement operation, an operation to buy back its own shares and cancellation or those shares or similar operation causing a decrease in the Company’s equity following a decision by the shareholders made in a general shareholders’ meeting, the exercise price of the Warrants may be modified by decision by the Board of Directors notified to the Beneficiaries so as to compensate the loss of value resulting from the reduction in equity. Any change will be applicable as of notification to the Beneficiaries and without the latter needing to accept it formally.

Lastly, the number of shares corresponding to the Warrants will be adjusted so as to reflect and account for any increase or decrease in the number of Company shares following a division or grouping, depending on the case.

 

4.9.2. In the event the Company performs a capital increase by cash contributions before the final date set out to exercise the Warrants, the Warrant holders will have the option of exercising them immediately and participating in the new issue, inasmuch as the former shareholders have that right.

In that case, this exercise and the payment of the exercise price must take place, in accordance with the terms defined in Section 4.6. above, no later than three business days before the opening of the subscription period relative to that capital increase.

 

- 6 -


In case of early exercise of the Warrants in that scenario, the subscribed shares will remain registered and non-transferable; at the end of the expiration dates set under Section 4.3. above, they will become transferable for the quantities equivalent to the number of Warrants that can be exercised on those deadlines and may (if the Company already has dematerialized shares at the time of the exercise) be converted into dematerialized shares.

if an event occurs, during that non-transferability period, that would normally have caused the Beneficiary to lose the right to exercise all or part of its Warrants (see Section 4.10 below), the Company will benefit from the option of buying back the shares obtained by the early exercise of those Warrants, for a price corresponding to the exercise price of those Warrants (as long as the legal conditions to buy back its own shares are met).

 

4.10 Situation in case of departure

 

4.10.1. If the Warrant holder loses the capacity of Beneficiary within the meaning of Article 4.1 above following (i) dismissal or revocation (except for gross negligence attributable to the Beneficiary), (ii) voluntary resignation, or (iii) cessation of belonging to the Company:

 

    none of the Warrants that have been assigned to it may be exercised if it loses the capacity of Beneficiary before the first anniversary of the Offer Date;

 

    the Warrants not yet exercised remain acquired by the Beneficiary, and may be exercised in accordance with Section 4.3., in the amount of:

 

    33% of the Warrants that have been assigned to it if it loses the capacity of Beneficiary before the second anniversary of the Offer Date;

 

    66% of the Warrants that have been assigned to it if it loses the capacity of Beneficiary before the third anniversary of the Offer Date;

with the understanding that the other Warrants may not be exercised;

 

    100% of the Warrants that have been assigned to it if it loses the capacity of Beneficiary after the third anniversary of the Offer Date;

The Warrants that can no longer be exercised by the Beneficiaries will automatically become irrelevant and void for them, and will be subject to automatic cancellation.

The Warrants that can be exercised will have to be exercised during the next exercise period set out in Article 4.3. If this is not done, the Warrants that have not been exercised by the Beneficiaries at the end of that exercise period will automatically become irrelevant and void for them and will be subject to cancellation.

 

- 7 -


4.10.2. If the Warrant holder loses the capacity of Beneficiary within the meaning of Section 4.1 following dismissal or revocation for gross negligence (attributable to the Warrant holder), all of the Warrants not exercised on the date on which he/she loses the capacity of Beneficiary will automatically become irrelevant and void and will be subject to cancellation.

 

4.10.3. In case of death of the Beneficiary, the assignees may exercise the Warrants at the time and according to the terms set forth in Section 4.10.1 (mutatis mutandis).

 

4.10.4. If the Beneficiary loses the capacity of Beneficiary following legal retirement or at the end of his/her career, the Warrants may be exercised at the time and under the terms set by these issue conditions (see Section 4.3).

 

4.10.5 With respect to people having the capacity of Beneficiary due to the fact they are a director or provide products or services to the Company independently but regularly (if applicable with the intervention of a management or service company), the terms “dismissal or revocation” and “voluntary resignation” designate the various scenarios in which the contractual relationship under which those products or services are provided is definitively ended, either by the Company or by the Beneficiary or the management or service company. The term “gross negligence” refers to the scenario where that break is based on a serious breach by the Beneficiary or the management or service company of its contractual obligations. An interruption of more than six months in the supply of the products or services is considered to be a definitive break.

 

4.11 In case of suspension of the employment contract

In case of suspension of the employment contract for a total duration of more than six months, the consequence of that suspension on the rights related to the Warrants allocated by the Company will be determined for each case in particular by the Company.

 

4.12 Applicable Law

This Warrant Offer is subject to Belgian law. The courts and tribunals of the registered office of the Company have sole jurisdiction for any dispute relative to the Offer, issuance or exercise of the Warrants

 

4.13 Tax Regime (Belgian nationals residing in Belgium)

Under Article 42 et seq. of the law dated March 26, 1999 relative to the 1998 Belgian action plan for employment and pertaining to various provisions, benefits of all kinds obtained due to or on the occasion of the exercise of the professional activity, in the form of a free allocation of share options, are taxable as Remuneration.

Inasmuch as it is possible to demonstrate that, as in the case at hand, the offer of any benefit arises from the performance of a professional activity by the beneficiary, the benefit of any nature will be taxed as remuneration in Belgium.

In light of the preceding, the offer of the Warrants must be qualified as a benefit of any nature for the Beneficiaries of the Warrants who are Belgian nationals residing in Belgium.

 

- 8 -


Depending on the characteristics of the Warrants and the legal formula, the benefit will be valued at 8.5% of the exercise price of the Warrants.

Regarding the Beneficiaries under employment contracts, the Company will withdraw at the payroll tax due for the benefit of any kind, thus calculated from the salary of the Beneficiaries in the second month following the Offer Date. The Company will mention the amount of the benefit on tax forms No. 281.10 (for employees), No. 281.20 (for directors) and No. 281.50 (for independent contractors), prepared in the name of the Beneficiaries of the Warrants for the tax year during which the Warrants were definitively granted.

Under current Belgian tax laws, the appreciation following the subsequent assignment of shares acquired by exercising the Warrants is exempt from taxation for natural persons in Belgium. Depreciation is not deductible.

Dividends on shares

The dividends paid to the Beneficiaries following the acquisition of shares of the Company are in principle subject to the Belgian withholding taxation of 25%. This tax is reduced to 15% when the dividend coupon is present at the same time as the corresponding VVPR STRIP coupon. The withholding tax is withheld at the source by the Company, except in case of exemption set out by Belgian tax law. The withholding tax being, in the current state of Belgian tax law, a “release” in Belgium, Beneficiaries domiciled in Belgium are therefore not required to declare it in their annual tax return for natural persons.

 

- 9 -


CARDIO3 BIOSCIENCES S.A.

Business Corporation [ société anonyme ]

having its registered office at

B-1435 Mont Saint Guibert, Rue Edouard Belin 12

R.P.M. Nivelles 891 118 115

Maximum offer of 90,000 subscription rights (“Warrants”)

reserved for the Beneficiaries of the Company Warrants Plan

Acceptances under this Warrants Offer may be filed, as indicated in Section 4.1 below, with the Company

The Beneficiaries of the Offer are advised to read the tax code as it is described in Section 4.14 of this document carefully.


Definitions

 

Beneficiaries Certain employees, members of the management and the board of directors of the Company as identified by the Remuneration Committee established within the Board of Directors of the Company.
Offer Date the date of the written communication of the Offer to the Beneficiaries.
Liquidity Event (i) a transfer of all or nearly all of: (a) the Company’s property; or (b) the Company’s shares; (ii) a merger, split or other Restructuring of the company (excluding a capital increase by cash contribution but including a capital increase by contribution in kind), following which the holders of the majority of the votes in the Company (immediately before that restructuring) no longer hold, as a group, the majority of the votes of the surviving/receiving entities; (iii) any other sale of that Company; or (iv) a liquidation of the Company;
Offer the offer of the Warrants
Warrants Plan this plan relative to the Warrants established by the Company
Company Cardio3 BioSciences SA
Warrants the maximum of 90,000 subscription rights offered freely to the Beneficiaries of the Offer under the law dated March 26, 1999

 

1. Decision by the Board of Directors

On February 21, 2008, the board of directors indicated its agreement to propose the creation of 90,000 Warrants to the ordinary shareholders’ meeting of the Company, to be distributed to the future beneficiaries in 2 tranches. The first section pertains to 50,000 warrants to be distributed in October or November 2008, and the second tranche relates to 40,000 warrants to be distributed in mid-2009.

A proposal to allocate the first tranche of 50,000 warrants was proposed and accepted by the Board during its meeting on September 23, 2008. The allocation of the warrants was, however, subject to recruitment of the first patient for the C-Cure clinical study.

 

2. Special report by the Board of Directors

The copy of the special report prepared on September 23, 2008 by the Board of Directors pursuant to Articles 583, 596 and 598 of the Companies Code is in Appendix 1.

 

- 2 -


3. Decision by the General Shareholders’ Meeting

The General Shareholders’ Meeting met on September 26, 2008. It approved the principle decision, with unanimous waiver of the preferential subscription right, regarding the issue of 90,000 Warrants and granted a mandate to the Remuneration Committee established within the Board in order to identify the beneficiaries of the Warrants as well as the number of Warrants allocated to each of them, in the following proportions:

 

    Maximum offer: 50,000 Warrants between October 15 and November 15, 2008.

 

    Maximum offer: 40,000 Warrants in June, July or August 2009.

The issuance of the Warrants accepted by the Beneficiaries will be done by a notarial deed (in accordance with Article 589 of the Companies Code) after the expiration of the acceptance period.

It also tasked the Board of Directors with taking all necessary or useful measures to implement this share Warrant Plan.

 

4. Information on the Offer of the Warrants

4.1 Identification of the Beneficiaries of the Offer

The Offer is reserved for the Beneficiaries within the limits of and based on the distribution determined by the Remuneration Committee established within the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Committee”).

The following may be considered to be a “Beneficiary”:

 

    any person who is a member of the senior management of the Company and who, on the Offer Date, is under an open-ended employment contract;

 

    any Director of the Company;

 

    any person providing products or services to the Company independently but regularly, if applicable on the intervention of a management or service company.

Each Beneficiary may be offered a certain number of Warrants based on a distribution decided on by the Committee, with the understanding that the Committee has all powers to define that distribution.

The participation in the Warrant Plan does not grant any additional rights to workers in terms of labor laws and, in particular, does not create any limitation or additional condition for the employer to end the employment relationship with one of its collaborators, in accordance with the laws in force.

The Beneficiaries are asked to return the completed acceptance form to the Company, to the attention of Mr. Patrick Jeanmart, such that it is received by the Company no later than the date indicated as part of the Offer (or 60 days after the Offer Date, or no later than January 15, 2009). This Offer Date will appear on the acceptance form that will be given to each Beneficiary.

The acceptance form will indicate whether the Beneficiary accepts or declines the allocation of the Warrants. If the completed acceptance form is not received within the time frame indicated above, the Beneficiary will be considered to have REFUSED the allocation of the Warrants.

 

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4.2. Total number of Warrants

The total Offer pertains to a maximum number of 50,000 Warrants. Each Warrant entitles its holder to subscribe for one share of the Company.

4.3. Exercise periods for the Warrants

The Beneficiaries may not exercise their Warrants before a period of three full calendar years has expired, i.e., December 31, 2011.

After that date, the Warrants may be exercised until the end of the sixth calendar year following the Offer Date, i.e., until November 15, 2014.

The Warrants may be exercised in whole or in part by each Beneficiary during the first month of each quarter beginning January 1, 2012 and until November 15, 2014.

By way of derogation from the previous paragraphs, in case of a Liquidity Event, the Warrants may also be exercised during the fifteen days before the anticipated closing date of the Liquidity Event. Warrants not exercised at the end of that exceptional exercise period will automatically be canceled and without value, unless otherwise decided by the board of directors.

4.4. Issue price of the Warrants

The Warrants will be issued free of charge and offered to the Beneficiaries. The Warrants will be subject to the law dated March 26, 1999 (inasmuch as the Beneficiary is subject to that law).

4.5. Exercise price of the Warrants

The exercise price of the Warrants allocated under the 2008 Warrant Offer is EUR 22.44. The Board has determined, based on a certified opinion from the auditor of the Company, in accordance with Article 43 of the law dated March 26, 1999, that this price is equal to the value of the share to which the Warrants pertain.

4.6. Exercise terms of the Warrants

A Warrant that may be exercised will only be considered to have been exercised upon receipt by the Company of:

 

(i) a written notice in the form determined by the Company, stating that a Warrant or a certain number of Warrants is being exercised;

 

(ii) full payment of the exercise price of the Warrants exercised in euros, by bank wire transfer to an account specially opened as part of the Plan at the time of acceptance of the Warrants and the number of which will be provided to each Beneficiary by the Company;

 

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(iii) in the event the Warrants are exercised by a person or persons other than the Warrant holder, appropriate proof that that person or those persons are entitled to exercise that Warrant;

and

 

(iv) declarations and documents that the Board or the delegated Company director deem necessary or desirable in order to comply with the applicable legal and regulatory stipulations, and which the Board or the delegated director have requested to see.

All of the above must be in the Company’s possession no later than the last day of the exercise period in question.

4.7. Characteristics of the shares that will be issued following the exercise of the Warrants

4.7.1 General characteristics

The new shares that will be issued within a reasonable time frame after the expiration of an exercise period of the Warrants will be of the same type and will benefit from the same rights as the shares existing on the Offer Date (without prejudice to that set forth in Section 4.9 below). In consideration of that specified in Section 4.9, if several share categories exist, the shares issued following the exercise of the Warrants will belong to the ordinary share category (i.e., non-preferential).

 

4.7.2. Enjoyment

When the Warrants are exercised, the shares issued during that exercise shall bear the same enjoyment as the other Company shares (without prejudice to that set forth in Section 4.9 below).

 

4.7.3. Availability

Within a reasonable time frame after closing of the exercise period in the registered or (if the Company already has dematerialized shares at the time of the exercise) dematerialized form by registration in the account, as chosen by the Beneficiary.

 

4.7.4. Transferability

The assignment of the shares that come from the Warrants are transferable subject to the same legal and/or statutory conditions as the other Company shares, without prejudice to that set forth in Section 4.9.2 below.

 

4.7.5. Costs related to the delivery of the shares

If the subscribed shares are delivered to a securities account, they will be delivered free of charge inasmuch as the account is held with a financial institution in Belgium.

 

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4.8 Form and delivery of the Warrants - Non-transferability

The Warrants are and will remain blocked until they have expired or been exercised in a register of Warrant Holders that will be kept at the registered office of the Company, and that will contain the precise name of each Warrant holder and the indication of the number of Warrants held.

The Warrants are non-transferable between living persons.

4.9 Modification of the structure of the Company’s capital

 

4.9.1. As a derogation from the stipulations of Article 501 of the Companies Code, the Company expressly reserves the right to perform all operations (capital increase with or without creation of new shares, capital reduction, issuance of convertible bonds or subscription rights, amortization of the capital, buying back its own shares, mergers, splits, etc.) it deems necessary in the context of its capital, bylaws or management, even if those decisions cause a decrease in the benefits granted to the Warrant holders.

The Company in particular notifies the Beneficiaries, who, by accepting this Offer, also accept the following that the Company is, on the Offer Date, in negotiations regarding a new capital increase of the Company. The Company expressly reserves the right to increase the capital of the Company and modify the bylaws as part of the capital increase. The Beneficiaries are thus notified that preferential rights (including a preferential right to receive any surplus assets on liquidation) will be introduced into the bylaws at the time of the capital increase in favor of some or all of the shares, excluding the shares to which the Warrants relate.

However, in case or merger or split, the Board has an obligation of means to ensure that the Warrants not exercised on the date of such operations will be modified in accordance with the conversion parity applied to the existing Company shares.

Furthermore, in case of a capital reduction operation, a capital reimbursement operation, an operation to buy back its own shares and cancellation or those shares or similar operation causing a decrease in the Company’s equity following a decision by the shareholders made in a general shareholders’ meeting, the exercise price of the Warrants may be modified by decision by the Board of Directors notified to the Beneficiaries so as to compensate the loss of value resulting from the reduction in equity. Any change will be applicable as of notification to the Beneficiaries and without the latter needing to accept it formally.

Lastly, the number of shares corresponding to the Warrants will be adjusted so as to reflect and account for any increase or decrease in the number of Company shares following a division or grouping, depending on the case.

 

4.9.2. In the event the Company performs a capital increase by cash contributions before the final date set out to exercise the Warrants, the Warrant holders will have the option of exercising them immediately and participating in the new issue, inasmuch as the former shareholders have that right.

 

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In that case, this exercise and the payment of the exercise price must take place, in accordance with the terms defined in Section 4.6. above, no later than three business days before the opening of the subscription period relative to that capital increase.

In case of early exercise of the Warrants in that scenario, the subscribed shares will remain registered and non-transferable; at the end of the expiration dates set under Section 4.3. above, they will become transferable for the quantities equivalent to the number of Warrants that can be exercised on those deadlines and may (if the Company already has dematerialized shares at the time of the exercise) be converted into dematerialized shares.

if an event occurs, during that non-transferability period, that would normally have caused the Beneficiary to lose the right to exercise all or part of its Warrants (see Section 4.10 below), the Company will benefit from the option of buying back the shares obtained by the early exercise of those Warrants, for a price corresponding to the exercise price of those Warrants (as long as the legal conditions to buy back its own shares are met).

 

4.10 Situation in case of departure

 

4.10.1. If the Warrant holder loses the capacity of Beneficiary within the meaning of Article 4.1 above following (i) dismissal or revocation (except for gross negligence attributable to the Beneficiary), (ii) voluntary resignation, or (iii) cessation of belonging to the Company:

 

    none of the Warrants that have been assigned to it may be exercised if it loses the capacity of Beneficiary before the first anniversary of the Offer Date;

 

    the Warrants not yet exercised remain acquired by the Beneficiary, and may be exercised in accordance with Section 4.3., in the amount of:

 

    33% of the Warrants that have been assigned to it if it loses the capacity of Beneficiary before the second anniversary of the Offer Date;

 

    66% of the Warrants that have been assigned to it if it loses the capacity of Beneficiary before the third anniversary of the Offer Date;

with the understanding that the other Warrants may not be exercised;

 

    100% of the Warrants that have been assigned to it if it loses the capacity of Beneficiary after the third anniversary of the Offer Date;

The Warrants that can no longer be exercised by the Beneficiaries will automatically become irrelevant and void for them, and will be subject to automatic cancellation.

The Warrants that can be exercised will have to be exercised during the next exercise period set out in Article 4.3. If this is not done, the Warrants that have not been exercised by the Beneficiaries at the end of that exercise period will automatically become irrelevant and void for them and will be subject to cancellation.

 

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4.10.2. If the Warrant holder loses the capacity of Beneficiary within the meaning of Section 4.1 following dismissal or revocation for gross negligence (attributable to the Warrant holder), all of the Warrants not exercised on the date on which he/she loses the capacity of Beneficiary will automatically become irrelevant and void and will be subject to cancellation.

 

4.10.3. In case of death of the Beneficiary, the assignees may exercise the Warrants at the time and according to the terms set forth in Section 4.10.1 (mutatis mutandis).

 

4.10.4. If the Beneficiary loses the capacity of Beneficiary following legal retirement or at the end of the his/her career, the Warrants may be exercised at the time and under the terms set by these issue conditions (see Section 4.3).

 

4.10.5 With respect to people who have the capacity of Beneficiary because they are a director or provide products or services, independently but regularly, to the Company (if applicable through a management or service company), the terms “dismissal or revocation” and “voluntary resignation” designate various scenarios in which the contractual relationship under which those products or services are provided is definitively ended either by the Company or by the Beneficiary or the management or service company. The term “gross negligence” refers to the scenario where that break is based on a serious breach by the Beneficiary or the management or service company of its contractual obligations. An interruption of more than six months in the supply of the products or services is considered to be a definitive break.

 

4.11 In case of suspension of the employment contract

In case of suspension of the employment contract for a total duration of more than six months, the consequence of that suspension on the rights related to the Warrants allocated by the Company will be determined for each case in particular by the Company.

 

4.12 Termination Clause

The Warrants will be automatically canceled and without value if the Company has not enrolled the first patient by December 31, 2008.

 

4.13 Applicable Law

This Warrant Offer is subject to Belgian law. The courts and tribunals of the registered office of the Company have sole jurisdiction for any dispute relative to the Offer, issuance or exercise of the Warrants

 

4.14 Tax Regime (Belgian nationals residing in Belgium)

Under Article 42 et seq. of the law dated March 26, 1999 relative to the 1998 Belgian action plan for employment and pertaining to various provisions, benefits of all kinds obtained due to or on the occasion of the exercise of the professional activity, in the form of a free allocation of share options, are taxable as Remuneration.

Inasmuch as it is possible to demonstrate that, as in the case at hand, the offer of any benefit arises from the performance of a professional activity by the beneficiary, the benefit of any nature will be taxed as remuneration in Belgium.

 

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In light of the preceding, the offer of the Warrants must be qualified as a benefit of any nature for the Beneficiaries of the Warrants who are Belgian nationals residing in Belgium.

Depending on the characteristics of the Warrants and the legal formula, the benefit will be valued at 8% of the exercise price of the Warrants.

Regarding the Beneficiaries under employment contracts, the Company will withdraw at the payroll tax due for the benefit of any kind, thus calculated from the salary of the Beneficiaries in the second month following the Offer Date. The Company will mention the amount of the benefit on tax forms No. 281.10 (for employees), No. 281.20 (for directors) and No. 281.50 (for independent contractors), prepared in the name of the Beneficiaries of the Warrants for the tax year during which the Warrants were definitively granted.

Under current Belgian tax laws, the appreciation following the subsequent assignment of shares acquired by exercising the Warrants is exempt from taxation for natural persons in Belgium. Depreciation is not deductible.

Dividends on shares

The dividends paid to the Beneficiaries following the acquisition of shares of the Company are in principle subject to the Belgian withholding taxation of 25%. This tax is reduced to 15% when the dividend coupon is present at the same time as the corresponding VVPR STRIP coupon. The withholding tax is withheld at the source by the Company, except in case of exemption set out by Belgian tax law. The withholding tax being, in the current state of Belgian tax law, a “release” in Belgium, Beneficiaries domiciled in Belgium are therefore not required to declare it in their annual tax return for natural persons.

 

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Exhibit 16.1

 

LOGO

Ernst & Young

Réviseurs d’Entreprises

Bedrijfsrevisoren

De Kleetlaan 2

B - 1831 Diegem

Tel: +32 (0) 2 774 91 11

Fax: +32 (0) 2 774 90 90

ey.com

 

Securities and Exchange Commission

100 F Street, N.E.

Washington, DC 20549

United States

March 27, 2015

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We have read the section titled “Change Certifying Auditor” in the Registration Statement Form F-1, which we understand will be submitted on March 30, 2015, of Cardio3Biosciences SA and are in agreement with the statements contained in the first, second, third and last paragraphs therein. We have no basis to agree or disagree with other statements contained therein.

We have not been asked to provide consent on the financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2013 and were not advised of the restatement of the financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2013 prior and beyond what is included in the press release of Cardio3Biosciences SA dated March 26, 2015.

Sincerely,

 

/s/ Ernst & Young Bedrijfsrevisoren SCCRL

Represented by

LOGO
Eric Golenvaux

Partner

Société civile ayant emprunté la forme d’une société coopérative à responsabilité limitée

Burgerlijke vennootschap die de rechtsvorm van een coöperatieve vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid heeft aangenomen

RPM Bruxelles - RPR Brussel - T.V.A. - B.T.W. BE 0446.334.711

Banque BNP Paribas Fortis Bank 210-0905900-69

A member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited

Exhibit 21.1

Subsidiaries of Celyad SA

 

Name of Subsidiary

  

Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization

Cardio3 Inc.    United States
CorQuest Medical, Inc.    United States
Cardio3 BioSciences Asia Ltd. 1    Hong-Kong

 

1   Cardio3 BioSciences Asia Ltd. is a joint venture of which Celyad SA has 40% of the ownership interests.

Exhibit 23.1

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

We hereby consent to the use in this Registration Statement on Form F-1 of Celyad S.A. of our report dated March 31, 2015 relating to the consolidated financial statements of Celyad S.A., formerly known as Cardio3 Biosciences S.A., which appears in such Registration Statement. We also consent to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in such Registration Statement.

PricewaterhouseCoopers Reviseurs d’Entreprises sccrl

Liège, Belgium

May 18, 2015

/s/ Patrick Mortroux

Exhibit 23.2

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS

We hereby consent to the use in this Registration Statement on Form F-1 of Celyad S.A. of our report dated February 26, 2015 relating to the financial statements of OnCyte Clinical Trials Program (the carved-out operations of certain activities of Celdara Medical, LLC), which appears in such Registration Statement. We also consent to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in such Registration Statement.

/s/ Gallagher, Flynn & Company, LLP

Gallagher, Flynn & Company, LLP

South Burlington, Vermont

May 18, 2015