UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 6-K
REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16 UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the month of February, 2017
____________________
Commission File Number: 001-36582
Auris Medical Holding AG
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Bahnhofstrasse 21
6300 Zug, Switzerland
(Address of principal executive office)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F:
| Form 20-F |
X |
Form 40-F |
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1):
| Yes | No |
X |
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7):
| Yes | No |
X |
On February 15, 2017, Auris Medical Holding AG (the “Company”) entered into an underwriting agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with Roth Capital Partners LLC (the “Underwriter”), relating to the issuance and sale (the “Offering”) of 10,000,000 of the Company’s common shares, nominal value CHF 0.40 per share, and 10,000,000 warrants, each warrant entitling its holder to purchase 0.70 of a common share. The common shares and warrants are being sold in the Offering in units comprised of one common share and one warrant. The common shares and warrants will be mandatorily separable upon issuance. The warrants will not be listed on the NASDAQ Global Market or any other securities exchange.
The price to the public in the Offering is $1.00 per unit, and the Underwriter has agreed to purchase the units from the Company pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement at a price of $0.94 per unit. The net proceeds to the Company from the Offering are expected to be approximately $9.1 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and other estimated offering expenses payable by the Company. The Underwriter has a 30-day option to purchase up to 1,500,000 additional common shares and/or 1,500,000 additional warrants. All of the common shares and warrants in the Offering are being sold by the Company.
On February 15, 2017, the Underwriter partially exercised its 30-day option to purchase additional common shares and/or warrants in the amount of 1,350,000 warrants.
The Offering is being made pursuant to the Company’s effective registration statement on Form F-3 (Registration Statement No. 333-206710) previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and a prospectus supplement thereunder.
The Underwriting Agreement contains customary representations, warranties and agreements by the Company, customary conditions to closing, indemnification obligations of the Company and the Underwriter, including for liabilities under the Securities Act, other obligations of the parties and termination provisions. The representations, warranties and covenants contained in the Underwriting Agreement were made only for purposes of such agreement and as of specific dates, were solely for the benefit of the parties to such agreement and may be subject to limitations agreed upon by the contracting parties. In addition, pursuant to the terms of the Underwriting Agreement and related “lock-up” agreements, the Company and each director and executive officer of the Company has agreed, subject to certain exceptions, not to sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of securities of the Company during the 60-day period following the date of the Underwriting Agreement.
The Underwriting Agreement is filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this report, and the description of the terms of the Underwriting Agreement is qualified in its entirety by reference to such exhibit.
The warrants will be issued as individual warrant agreements to investors. The warrants are exercisable beginning on the date of issuance, and at any time up to five years from the date of issuance. Each warrant represents the right to purchase 0.70 of a common share at an exercise price equal to $1.20 per share. The exercise price is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events; provided that in no event will the exercise price per share be lower than the nominal value of a common share at the time of exercise.
The form of warrant is filed as Exhibit 4.1 to this report, and the description of the terms of the warrants is qualified in its entirety by reference to such exhibit.
A copy of the opinion of Walder Wyss, Swiss counsel for the Company, relating to the validity of the common shares issued and sold in the Offering and the common shares underlying the warrants sold in the Offering is attached as Exhibit 5.1 hereto. A copy of the opinion of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, U.S. counsel for the Company, relating to the validity of the warrants sold in the Offering is attached as Exhibit 5.2 hereto.
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
This Report on Form 6-K shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into the registration statement on Form F-3 (Registration Number 333-206710) of Auris Medical Holding AG and to be a part thereof from the date on which this report is filed, to the extent not superseded by documents or reports subsequently filed or furnished.
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
Auris Medical Holding AG
| |||||
| By: | /s/ Anne Sabine Zoller | ||||
| Name: | Anne Sabine Zoller | ||||
| Title: | General Counsel | ||||
Date: February 21, 2017
EXHIBIT INDEX
| Exhibit Number | Description |
| 1.1 | Underwriting Agreement, dated February 15, 2017, between Auris Medical Holding AG and Roth Capital Partners, LLC |
| 4.1 | Form of Warrant |
| 5.1 | Opinion of Walder Wyss |
| 5.2 | Opinion of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP |
| 23.1 | Consent of Walder Wyss (included in Exhibit 5.1) |
| 23.2 | Consent of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP (included in Exhibit 5.2) |
Execution Version
10,000,000 Shares and Warrants to Purchase 7,000,000 Shares
Auris Medical Holding AG
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
February 15, 2017
Roth Capital Partners, LLC
As the Representative of the several underwriters, if any, named in Schedule I hereto
888 San Clemente Drive, Suite 400
Newport Beach, CA 92660
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Introductory. Auris Medical Holding AG, a company established in Switzerland (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to Roth Capital Partners, LLC, as the representative (the “Representative”) of the several underwriters, if any, named in Schedule I hereto (each an “Underwriter” and collectively, the “Underwriters”) an aggregate of 10,000,000 common shares, nominal value CHF 0.40 per share (the “Shares”), and 10,000,000 Common Share Purchase Warrants (“Warrants”), each Warrant entitling its holder to purchase 0.7 of a Share. The 10,000,000 Shares to be sold by the Company are called the “Firm Shares” and the 10,000,000 Warrants to be sold by the Company are called the “Firm Warrants”. The Firm Shares and the Firm Warrants to be sold by the Company are collectively called the “Firm Securities.” In addition, the Company has granted to the Underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional 1,500,000 Shares (“Option Shares”) and/or 1,500,000 Warrants (“Option Warrants”), each Option Warrant entitling its holder to purchase 0.7 of a Share, as provided in Section 2. The Option Shares and/or Option Warrants to be sold by the Company pursuant to such option are, collectively called the “Optional Securities.” The Shares underlying the Firm Warrants and the Option Warrants are collectively called the “Warrant Shares.” The Firm Securities and, if and to the extent such option is exercised, the Optional Securities are collectively called the “Offered Securities.”
The Company has prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a shelf registration statement on Form F-3, File No. 333-206710, including a base prospectus (the “Base Prospectus”) to be used in connection with the public offering and sale of the Offered Securities. Such registration statement, as amended, including the financial statements, exhibits and schedules thereto, in the form in which it became effective under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (collectively, the “Securities Act”), including all documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein and any information deemed to be a part thereof at the time of effectiveness pursuant to Rule 430A or 430B under the Securities Act, is called the “Registration Statement.” Any registration statement filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act in connection with the offer and sale of the Offered Securities is called the “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement,” and from and after the date and time of filing of any such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement the term “Registration Statement” shall include the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement. The preliminary prospectus supplement dated February 14, 2017 describing the Offered Securities and the offering thereof (the “Preliminary Prospectus Supplement”), together with the Base Prospectus, is called the “Preliminary Prospectus,” and the Preliminary Prospectus and any other prospectus supplement to the Base Prospectus in preliminary form that describes the Offered Securities and the offering thereof and is used prior to the filing of the
Prospectus (as defined below), together with the Base Prospectus, is called a “preliminary prospectus.” As used herein, the term “Prospectus” shall mean the final prospectus supplement to the Base Prospectus that describes the Offered Securities and the offering thereof (the “Final Prospectus Supplement”), together with the Base Prospectus, in the form first used by the Underwriters to confirm sales of the Offered Securities or in the form first made available to the Underwriters by the Company to meet requests of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the Securities Act. References herein to the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus shall refer to both the prospectus supplement and the Base Prospectus components of such prospectus. As used herein, “Applicable Time” is 8:00 a.m. (New York City time) on February 15, 2017. As used herein, “free writing prospectus” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, and “Time of Sale Prospectus” means the Preliminary Prospectus, as amended or supplemented immediately prior to the Applicable Time, together with the free writing prospectuses, if any, identified in Schedule A hereto and the pricing information identified on Schedule B hereto. As used herein, “Road Show” means a “road show” (as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act) relating to the offering of the Offered Securities contemplated hereby that is a “written communication” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act).
All references in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus, the Base Prospectus and the Prospectus shall include the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein. All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information which are “contained,” “included” or “stated” in, or “part of” the Registration Statement, the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus, the Base Prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, and all other references of like import, shall be deemed to mean and include all such financial statements and schedules and other information which is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus, the Base Prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be. All references in this Agreement to amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus, the Base Prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to mean and include the filing of any document under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (collectively, the “Exchange Act”) that is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus, the Base Prospectus, or the Prospectus, as the case may be. All references in this Agreement to (i) the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus, the Base Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendments or supplements to any of the foregoing, or any free writing prospectus, shall include any copy thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System (“EDGAR”) and (ii) the Prospectus shall be deemed to include any “electronic Prospectus” provided for use in connection with the offering of the Offered Securities as contemplated by Section 5(m) of this Agreement.
The Company hereby confirms its agreements with the Underwriters as follows:
Section 1. Representations and Warranties of the Company.
The Company hereby represents, warrants and covenants to the Underwriters, as of the date of this Agreement, as of the First Closing Date (as hereinafter defined) and as of each Option Closing Date (as hereinafter defined), if any, as follows:
(a) Compliance with Registration Requirements. The Registration Statement has become effective under the Securities Act. The Company has complied, to the Commission’s satisfaction with all requests of the Commission for additional or supplemental information, if any. No stop order suspending
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the effectiveness of the Registration Statement is in effect and, to the knowledge of the Company, no proceedings for such purpose have been instituted or are pending or are contemplated or threatened by the Commission. At the time the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2015 (the “Annual Report”) was filed with the Commission, or, if later, at the time the Registration Statement was originally filed with the Commission, the Company met the then-applicable requirements for use of Form F-3 under the Securities Act and it meets as of the date hereof the transaction requirements set forth in General Instruction I.B.1 of form F-3. The documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, at the time they were or hereafter are filed with the Commission, or became effective under the Exchange Act, as the case may be, complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act.
(b) Disclosure. Each preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus when filed complied in all material respects with the Securities Act and, if filed by electronic transmission pursuant to EDGAR, was identical (except as may be permitted by Regulation S-T under the Securities Act) to the copy thereof delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with the offer and sale of the Offered Securities. Each of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the time it became or becomes effective, complied and will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. As of the Applicable Time, the Time of Sale Prospectus (including any preliminary prospectus wrapper) did not, and at the First Closing Date (as defined in Section 2) and at each applicable Option Closing Date (as defined in Section 2), will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The Prospectus (including any Prospectus wrapper), as of its date, did not, and at the First Closing Date and at each applicable Option Closing Date, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The representations and warranties set forth in the three immediately preceding sentences do not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, or the Prospectus or the Time of Sale Prospectus, or any amendments or supplements thereto, made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information relating to the Underwriters furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information consists of the information described in Section 11(b) below. There are no contracts or other documents required to be described in the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus or to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement which have not been described or filed as required.
(c) Free Writing Prospectuses; Road Show. As of the determination date referenced in Rule 164(h) under the Securities Act, the Company was not, is not or will not be (as applicable) an “ineligible issuer” in connection with the offering of the Offered Securities pursuant to Rules 164, 405 and 433 under the Securities Act. Each free writing prospectus that the Company is required to file pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act has been, or will be, filed with the Commission in accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act. Each free writing prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act or that was prepared by or on behalf of or used or referred to by the Company complies or will comply in all material respects with the requirements of Rule 433 under the Securities Act, including timely filing with the Commission or retention where required and legending, and each such free writing prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the public offer and sale of the Offered Securities did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any preliminary prospectus and not superseded or modified. Except for the
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free writing prospectuses, if any, identified in Schedule A, and electronic road shows, if any, furnished to you before first use, the Company has not prepared, used or referred to, and will not, without your prior written consent, prepare, use or refer to, any free writing prospectus. Each Road Show, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, did not, as of the Applicable Time, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(d) Distribution of Offering Material By the Company. Prior to the later of (i) the expiration or termination of the option granted to the Underwriters in Section 2 and (ii) the completion of the Underwriters’ distribution of the Offered Securities, the Company has not distributed and will not distribute any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Offered Securities other than the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus or any free writing prospectus reviewed and consented to by the Underwriters, the free writing prospectuses, if any, identified on Schedule A.
(e) The Underwriting Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(f) Authorization of the Offered Securities. The Offered Securities have been duly authorized for issuance and sale pursuant to this Agreement or the Warrants and, when issued and delivered by the Company against payment therefor pursuant to this Agreement or the Warrants, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, and the issuance and sale of the Offered Securities is not subject to any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights to subscribe for or purchase the Offered Securities which have not been duly withdrawn waived or satisfied. Upon the sale and delivery to the Representative of the Offered Securities, and payment therefor, the Representative will acquire good, marketable and valid title to such Offered Securities, free and clear of all pledges, liens, security interests, charges, claims or encumbrances.
(g) No Applicable Registration or Other Similar Rights. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, there are no persons with registration or other similar rights to have any equity or debt securities registered for sale under the Registration Statement or included in the offering contemplated by this Agreement, except for such rights as have been duly withdrawn or waived.
(h) No Material Adverse Change. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus: (i) there has been no material adverse change, or any development that could be expected to result in a material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business, properties, operations, assets, liabilities or prospects, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, of the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one entity (any such change being referred to herein as a “Material Adverse Change”); (ii) the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one entity, have not incurred any material liability or obligation, indirect, direct or contingent, including without limitation any losses or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood, earthquakes, accident or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any strike, labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, that are material, individually or in the aggregate, to the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one entity, or have entered into any transactions not in the ordinary course of business; and (iii) there has not been any material decrease in the capital stock or any material increase in any short-term or long-term indebtedness of the Company or its subsidiaries and there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company or, except for dividends
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paid to the Company or other subsidiaries, by any of the Company’s subsidiaries on any class of capital stock, or any repurchase or redemption by the Company or any of its subsidiaries of any class of capital stock.
(i) No Overindebtedness. Except for Auris Medical AG, whose overindebtedness is covered by subordination of claims of the Company, neither the Company nor its Swiss subsidiaries are overindebted or suffering from capital loss within the meaning of article 725 CO.
(j) Independent Accountants. Deloitte AG and KPMG AG, which have expressed their respective opinions with respect to the financial statements (which term as used in this Agreement includes the related notes thereto) filed with the Commission as a part of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, are each (i) an independent registered public accounting firm as required by the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and the rules of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”), (ii) in compliance with the applicable requirements relating to the qualification of accountants under Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X under the Securities Act, (iii) a registered public accounting firm as defined by the PCAOB whose registration has not been suspended or revoked and who has not requested such registration to be withdrawn and (iv) an independent qualified public accountant qualified under the applicable provisions of the Swiss Code of Obligations (the “CO”), the Swiss Audit Supervision Act (Revisionsaufsichtsgesetz) and any ordinances promulgated thereunder..
(k) Financial Statements. The financial statements filed with the Commission as a part of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the Company and its subsidiaries as of the dates indicated and the results of their operations, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the periods specified. Such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (the “IASB”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved, except as may be expressly stated in the related notes thereto or as otherwise disclosed therein, and, in the case of interim financial statements, subject to normal year-end audit adjustments and the exclusion of certain footnotes. No other financial statements or supporting schedules are required to be included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus. The financial data set forth in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus under the captions “Selected Financial Data” and “Capitalization” present fairly, in all material respects, the information set forth therein on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus. To the Company’s knowledge, no person who has been suspended or barred from being associated with a registered public accounting firm, or who has failed to comply with any sanction pursuant to Rule 5300 promulgated by the PCAOB, has participated in or otherwise aided the preparation of, or audited, the financial statements, supporting schedules or other financial data filed with the Commission as a part of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.
(l) Company’s Accounting System. The Company and each of its subsidiaries make and keep accurate books and records and maintain a system of internal accounting controls designed to provide reasonable assurance that: (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with IFRS as issued by IASB and to maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.
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(m) Disclosure Controls and Procedures; Deficiencies in or Changes to Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. The Company has established and maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act), which are designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and its principal financial officer by others within those entities and are effective in all material respects to perform the functions for which they were established. Since the end of the Company’s most recent audited fiscal year, there has been no material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. The Company is not aware of any change in its internal control over financial reporting that has occurred that has materially and adversely affected, or is reasonably likely to materially and adversely affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
(n) Incorporation of the Company. The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing under the laws of Switzerland and has the corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement. The Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business.
(o) Subsidiaries. Each of the Company’s “subsidiaries” (for purposes of this Agreement, as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) has been duly incorporated or organized, as the case may be, and is validly existing as a corporation, partnership or limited liability company, as applicable, in good standing (where such concept exists) under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization and has the power and authority (corporate or other) to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus. Each of the Company’s subsidiaries is duly qualified as a foreign corporation, partnership or limited liability company, as applicable, to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing (where such concept exists) would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect. All of the issued and outstanding capital stock or other equity or ownership interests of each of the Company’s subsidiaries have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and nonassessable and are owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance or adverse claim. The Company does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or other entity other than the subsidiaries listed in Exhibit 21 incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.
(p) Capitalization and Other Capital Stock Matters. The authorized, issued and outstanding share capital of the Company is as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus under the caption “Capitalization” (other than for subsequent issuances, if any, pursuant to employee benefit plans, or upon the exercise of outstanding options or conversion rights, in each case described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus). The share capital of the Company, including the Offered Securities, conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Time of Sale Prospectus. All of the issued and outstanding Shares have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and nonassessable and have been issued in compliance with all applicable securities laws. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, none of the outstanding Shares was issued in violation of any
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preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities of the Company. The Shares conform to the law of the jurisdiction of the Company’s incorporation and to any requirements of the Company’s organizational documents. There are no authorized or outstanding options, warrants, preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other rights to purchase, or equity or debt securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, any capital stock of the Company or any of its subsidiaries other than those described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus. The descriptions of the Company’s stock option, stock bonus and other stock plans or arrangements, and the options or other rights granted thereunder, set forth in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus accurately and fairly presents the information required to be shown with respect to such plans, arrangements, options and rights.
(q) Stock Exchange Listing. The Firm Shares and the Option Shares have been approved for listing on The NASDAQ Global Market (the “NASDAQ”).
(r) Non-Contravention of Existing Instruments; No Further Authorizations or Approvals Required. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of its articles of association or operating agreement or similar organizational documents, as applicable, or is in default (or, with the giving of notice or lapse of time, would be in default) (“Default”) under any indenture, loan, credit agreement, note, lease, license agreement, contract, franchise or other instrument (including, without limitation, any pledge agreement, security agreement, mortgage or other instrument or agreement evidencing, guaranteeing, securing or relating to indebtedness) to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any of them may be bound, or to which any of their respective properties or assets are subject (each, an “Existing Instrument”), except for such Defaults as would not be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or other), earnings, business, properties, operations, assets, liabilities or prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one entity (a “Material Adverse Effect”). The Company’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and the issuance and sale of the Offered Securities (including the use of proceeds from the sale of the Offered Securities as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds”) (i) have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and will not result in any violation of the provisions of the articles of association or operating agreement or similar organizational documents, as applicable, of the Company or any subsidiary (ii) will not conflict with or constitute a breach of, or Default or a Debt Repayment Triggering Event (as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to, or require the consent of any other party to, any Existing Instrument and (iii) will not result in any violation of any law, administrative regulation or administrative or court decree applicable to the Company or any of its subsidiaries except, as to clauses (ii) and (iii), as would not be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect. No consent, approval, authorization or other order of, or registration or filing with, any court or other governmental or regulatory authority or agency, is required for the Company’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, except such as have been obtained or made by the Company and are in full force and effect under the Securities Act and such as may be required under applicable state securities or blue sky laws, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) or the NASDAQ. As used herein, a “Debt Repayment Triggering Event” means any event or condition which gives, or with the giving of notice or lapse of time would give, the holder of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or any of its subsidiaries.
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(s) Compliance with Laws. The Company and its subsidiaries have been and are in compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations, except where failure to be so in compliance would not be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(t) No Material Actions or Proceedings. There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation brought by or before any governmental entity now pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, against or affecting the Company or any of its subsidiaries, which would be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect or materially and adversely affect the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder; and the aggregate of all pending legal or governmental proceedings to which the Company or any such subsidiary is a party or of which any of their respective properties or assets is the subject, including ordinary routine litigation incidental to the business, if determined adversely to the Company, would not be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. No material labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is threatened or imminent.
(u) Intellectual Property Rights. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company, to the best of its knowledge, owns or has valid, binding and enforceable licenses or other enforceable rights under the patents and patent applications, copyrights, trademarks, trademark registrations, service marks, service mark registrations, trade names, service names and know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures) as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and used in the conduct, or the proposed conduct, of the business of the Company in the manner described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus (collectively, the “Company Intellectual Property”); except as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, to the knowledge of the Company, the patents, trademarks, and copyrights included within the Company Intellectual Property are valid, enforceable, and subsisting, and there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the validity, enforceability or scope of any Company Intellectual Property; other than as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, (i) the Company has not received any notice of any claim of infringement, misappropriation or conflict with any asserted rights of others with respect to any of the Company’s products, proposed products or processes, (ii) to the knowledge of the Company, neither the sale nor use of any of products, proposed products or processes of the Company referred to in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus do or will, to the knowledge of the Company, infringe, any valid patent claim of any third party or violate any valid right of any third party, and (iii) to the knowledge of the Company, no third party has any ownership right in or to any Company Intellectual Property that is owned by the Company, other than any co-owner of any patent or pending patent application constituting Company Intellectual Property who is listed on the records of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (the “USPTO”) , and, to the knowledge of the Company, no third party has any ownership right in or to any Company Intellectual Property in any field of use that is exclusively licensed to the Company, other than any licensor to the Company of such Company Intellectual Property; except as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, none of the technology employed by the Company has been obtained or is being used by the Company in violation of any contractual obligation binding on the Company except as would not be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect, or, to the Company’s knowledge, upon any of its officers, directors or employees; except as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, to the knowledge of the Company all patents and patent applications owned by and licensed to the Company or under which the Company has rights have been duly and properly filed and maintained; to the knowledge of the Company, the parties prosecuting such applications have complied with their duty of
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candor and disclosure to the USPTO in connection with such applications; and the Company is not aware of any facts required to be disclosed to the USPTO that were not disclosed to the USPTO and which would preclude the grant of a patent in connection with any such application or could form the basis of a finding of invalidity with respect to any patents that have issued with respect to such applications.
(v) All Necessary Permits, etc. The Company and its subsidiaries possess such valid and current certificates, authorizations, exemptions, approvals, clearances or permits required by state, federal or foreign regulatory agencies or bodies to conduct their respective businesses as currently conducted and as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus (“Permits”). Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of, or in default under, any of the Permits or has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of, or non-compliance with, any such certificate, authorization or permit except where such revocation or modification would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(w) Title to Properties. The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all of the real and personal property and other assets reflected as owned in the financial statements referred to in Section 1(k) above (or elsewhere in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus), in each case free and clear of any security interests, mortgages, liens, encumbrances, equities, adverse claims and other defects, except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus or as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The real property, improvements, equipment and personal property held under lease by the Company or any of its subsidiaries are held under valid and enforceable leases, with such exceptions as are not material and do not materially interfere with the use made or proposed to be made of such real property, improvements, equipment or personal property by the Company or such subsidiary.
(x) Tax Law Compliance. Except where the failure to do so would not constitute a Material Adverse Effect, (a) all tax returns (including tax refund requests) required to be filed pursuant to applicable law by or with respect to the Company and any of its subsidiaries have been timely filed, or proper request of extension thereof has been filed, and (b) all tax returns filed are complete and correct, and all taxes, fines or penalties due including any interest and penalties, except tax deficiencies that the Company or any of its subsidiaries are contesting in good faith subject to applicable reserves, have been timely paid and fully reserved against in the applicable financial statements referred to in Section 1(k). Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, no stamp or other issuance or transfer taxes or duties and no capital gains, income, withholding, value added, capital or other taxes (but excluding any income tax, capital gains tax or similar resulting from the sale of the Offered Securities and any tax on or determined by reference to the income of the Underwriters that is subject to tax on a net income basis) are payable by or on behalf of the Underwriters to any Swiss tax authorities or any political subdivisions or taxing authority thereof or therein in connection with (i) the issuance of the Offered Securities, (ii) the execution and delivery of this Agreement or any other document to be furnished hereunder, and (iii) the sale, delivery and resale of the Offered Securities in the manner contemplated in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus and this Agreement.
(y) Insurance. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, each of the Company and its subsidiaries are insured with policies in such amounts and with such deductibles and covering such risks as the Company believes are adequate and customary for their businesses including, but not limited to, policies covering real and personal property owned or leased by the Company and its subsidiaries against theft, damage, destruction, acts of vandalism and earthquakes and policies covering the Company and its subsidiaries for product liability claims and clinical trial liability claims. The Company has no reason to believe that it or any of its subsidiaries will not be able (i) to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such policies expire or (ii) to obtain
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comparable coverage from similar institutions as may be necessary or appropriate to conduct its business as now conducted and at a cost that would not be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has been denied any insurance coverage which it has sought or for which it has applied.
(z) Compliance with Environmental Laws. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and except as would not be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect: (i) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any federal, state, local or foreign statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance, code, policy or rule of common law or any judicial or administrative interpretation thereof, including any judicial or administrative order, consent, decree or judgment, relating to pollution or protection of human health, the environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata) or wildlife, including, without limitation, laws and regulations relating to the release or threatened release of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous substances, petroleum or petroleum products (collectively, “Hazardous Materials”) or to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials (collectively, “Environmental Laws”); (ii) the Company and its subsidiaries have all permits, authorizations and approvals required under any applicable Environmental Laws and are each in compliance with their requirements; (iii) there are no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened administrative, regulatory or judicial actions, suits, demands, demand letters, claims, liens, notices of noncompliance or violation, investigation or proceedings relating to any Environmental Law against the Company or any of its subsidiaries; and (iv) to the Company’s knowledge there are no events or circumstances that might reasonably be expected to form the basis of an order for clean-up or remediation, or an action, suit or proceeding by any private party or governmental body or agency, against or affecting the Company or any of its subsidiaries relating to Hazardous Materials or any Environmental Laws.
(aa) ERISA Compliance. The “employee benefit plans” (as defined under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (collectively, “ERISA”)) sponsored or maintained by the Company or its subsidiaries are operated in compliance in all material respects with ERISA to the extent applicable, except where the failure to be in compliance would not be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. “ERISA Affiliate” means, with respect to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, any entity that is treated as a single employer with the Company or any of its subsidiaries under Sections 414(b), (c), (m) or (o) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (the “Code”). Neither the Company, its subsidiaries nor any of their ERISA Affiliates has incurred or reasonably expects to incur any liability under (i) Title IV of ERISA with respect to termination of, or withdrawal from, any “employee benefit plan” or (ii) Sections 412, 4971, 4975 or 4980B of the Code that would reasonably be expected to be a material liability of the Company. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries (i) sponsors or maintains any plan that is subject to Title IV of ERISA or is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code or (ii) reasonably expects to incur any material liability under Title IV of ERISA.
(bb) Company Not an “Investment Company” The Company is not, and will not be, either after receipt of payment for the Offered Securities or after the application of the proceeds therefrom as described under “Use of Proceeds” in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, required to register as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”).
(cc) No Price Stabilization or Manipulation; Compliance with Regulation M. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has taken, directly or indirectly (without giving any effect to the
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activities of the Underwriters), any action designed to or that might cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Shares or of any “reference security” (as defined in Rule 100 of Regulation M under the Exchange Act (“Regulation M”)) with respect to the Shares, whether to facilitate the sale or resale of the Offered Securities or otherwise, and has taken no action which would directly or indirectly violate Regulation M.
(dd) Related-Party Transactions. There are no business relationships or related-party transactions involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any other person required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus that have not been described as required.
(ee) FINRA Matters. All of the information provided to the Representative or to counsel for the Representative by the Company, its counsel, its officers and directors and, to the Company’s knowledge, the holders of any securities (debt or equity) or options to acquire any securities of the Company in connection with the offering of the Offered Securities is true, complete, correct and compliant with FINRA’s rules in all material respects and any letters, filings or other supplemental information provided to FINRA pursuant to FINRA Rules or NASD Conduct Rules is true, complete and correct in all material respects.
(ff) Parties to Lock-Up Agreements. The Company has furnished to the Representative a letter agreement in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A (the “Lock-up Agreement”) from each of the persons listed on Exhibit B. Such Exhibit B lists under an appropriate caption the directors and officers of the Company. If any additional persons shall become directors or officers of the Company prior to the end of the Company Lock-up Period (as defined below), the Company shall cause each such person, prior to or contemporaneously with their appointment or election as a director or officer of the Company, to execute and deliver to the Representative a Lock-up Agreement.
(gg) Statistical and Market-Related Data. All statistical, demographic and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes, to be reliable and accurate in all material respects. To the extent required, the Company has obtained the written consent to the use of such data from such sources.
(hh) No Unlawful Contributions or Other Payments. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any employee or agent of the Company or any subsidiary, has made any contribution or other payment to any official of, or candidate for, any federal, state or foreign office in violation of any law or of the character required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus.
(ii) Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has, in the course of its actions for, or on behalf of, the Company or any of its subsidiaries (i) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expenses relating to political activity; (ii) made any direct or indirect unlawful payment to any domestic government official, “foreign official” (as defined in the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “FCPA”) or employee from corporate funds; (iii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the FCPA or any applicable non-U.S. anti-bribery statute or regulation; or (iv) made any unlawful bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment to any domestic government official, such foreign official or employee; and the Company and its subsidiaries and, to the knowledge of the Company, the Company’s affiliates have conducted their respective businesses in compliance with the FCPA and
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have instituted policies and procedures designed to ensure, and which are reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith.
(jj) Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are, and have been conducted at all times, in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all applicable jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar applicable rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(kk) OFAC. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“OFAC”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of this offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, or any joint venture partner or other person or entity, for the purpose of financing the activities of or business with any person, or impermissibly in any country or territory, that currently is the subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC or in any other manner that will result in a violation by any person (including any person participating in the transaction whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise) of U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC.
(ll) Brokers. Except pursuant to this Agreement, there is no broker, finder or other party that is entitled to receive from the Company any brokerage or finder’s fee or other fee or commission as a result of any transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(mm) Submission to Jurisdiction. The Company has the power to submit, and pursuant to Section 21 of this Agreement, has legally, validly, effectively and irrevocably submitted, to the personal jurisdiction of each United States federal court and New York state court located in the Borough of Manhattan, in the City of New York, New York, U.S.A. (each, a “New York Court”), and the Company has the power to designate, appoint and authorize, and pursuant to Section 21 of this Agreement, has legally, validly, effectively and irrevocably designated, appointed and authorized an agent for service of process in any action arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the Offered Securities in any New York Court, and service of process effected on such authorized agent will be effective to confer valid personal jurisdiction over the Company as provided in Section 21 hereof.
(nn) No Rights of Immunity. Except as provided by laws or statutes generally applicable to transactions of the type described in this Agreement, neither the Company nor any of its respective properties, assets or revenues has any right of immunity under Swiss, New York or United States law, from any legal action, suit or proceeding, from the giving of any relief in any such legal action, suit or proceeding, from set-off or counterclaim, from the jurisdiction of any Swiss, New York or United States federal court, from service of process, attachment upon or prior judgment, or attachment in aid of execution of judgment, or from execution of a judgment, or other legal process or proceeding for the giving of any relief or for the enforcement of a judgment, in any such court, with respect to its obligations, liabilities or any other matter under or arising out of or in connection with this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement. To the extent that the Company or any of its respective properties, assets or revenues may have or may hereafter become entitled to any such right of immunity in any such court in which proceedings may at any time be commenced, the Company waives or will waive such right to the extent
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permitted by law and has consented to such relief and enforcement as provided in Section 21 of this Agreement.
(oo) Forward-Looking Statements. Each financial or operational projection or other “forward-looking statement” (as defined by Section 27A of the Securities Act or Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus (i) was so included by the Company in good faith and with reasonable basis after due consideration by the Company of the underlying assumptions, estimates and other applicable facts and circumstances and (ii) is accompanied by meaningful cautionary statements identifying those factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statement. No such statement was made with the knowledge of an executive officer or director of the Company that is was false or misleading.
(pp) Foreign Private Issuer. The Company is a “foreign private issuer” within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
(qq) Clinical Data and Regulatory Compliance. The preclinical tests and clinical trials conducted by the Company, and to the knowledge of the Company, the preclinical tests and clinical trials conducted on behalf of or sponsored by the Company, that are described in, or the results of which are referred to in, the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus were and, if still pending, are being conducted in all material respects in accordance with the protocols, procedures and controls designed and approved for such studies and with standard medical and scientific research procedures and all applicable laws and regulations, including, without limitation, 21 C.F.R. Parts 50, 54, 56, 58, and 312; each description of the results of such studies is accurate and complete in all material respects and fairly presents the data derived from such studies, and the Company and its subsidiaries have no knowledge of any other studies the results of which are inconsistent with, or otherwise call into question, the results described or referred to in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectuses or the Prospectus; the Company and its subsidiaries have made all such filings and obtained all such Permits as may be required by the Food and Drug Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or any committee thereof or from any other U.S. or foreign government or drug or medical device regulatory agency, or health care facility Institutional Review Board (collectively, the “Regulatory Agencies”) for the operation of the Company’s business as currently conducted, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of, or correspondence from, any Regulatory Agency requiring the termination, suspension or modification of any clinical trials that are described or referred to in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus; and the Company and its subsidiaries have each operated and currently are in compliance in all material respects with all applicable rules and regulations of the Regulatory Agencies except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(rr) Compliance with Health Care Laws. Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, each of the Company and its subsidiaries is, and at all times has been, in compliance with all applicable Health Care Laws, and has not engaged in activities which are, as applicable, cause for false claims liability, civil penalties, or mandatory or permissive exclusion from Medicare, Medicaid, or any other state health care program or federal health care program. For purposes of this Agreement, “Health Care Laws” means: (i) the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder; (ii) all applicable federal, state, local and all applicable foreign health care related fraud and abuse laws, including, without limitation, the U.S. Anti-Kickback Statute (42 U.S.C. Section 1320a-7b(b)), the Anti-Inducement Law (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7a(a)(5)), the U.S. Physician Payment Sunshine Act (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7h), the U.S. Civil False Claims Act (31 U.S.C. Section 3729 et seq.), the criminal False Claims Law (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(a)), all
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criminal laws relating to health care fraud and abuse, including but not limited to 18 U.S.C. Sections 286 and 287, and the health care fraud criminal provisions under the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) (42 U.S.C. Section 1320d et seq.), the exclusion laws (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7), the civil monetary penalties law (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7a), HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (42 U.S.C. Section 17921 et seq.), and the regulations promulgated pursuant to such statutes; (iii) Medicare (Title XVIII of the Social Security Act); (iv) Medicaid (Title XIX of the Social Security Act); and (v) any and all other applicable health care laws and regulations. Neither the Company nor, to the knowledge of the Company, its subsidiary has received written notice of any claim, action, suit, proceeding, hearing, enforcement, investigation, arbitration or other action from any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority or third party alleging that any product operation or activity is in material violation of any Health Care Laws, and, to the Company’s knowledge, no such claim, action, suit, proceeding, hearing, enforcement, investigation, arbitration or other action is threatened. Neither the Company nor, to the knowledge of the Company, its subsidiary is a party to or has any ongoing reporting obligations pursuant to any corporate integrity agreements, deferred prosecution agreements, monitoring agreements, consent decrees, settlement orders, plans of correction or similar agreements with or imposed by any governmental or regulatory authority. Additionally, neither the Company, its subsidiaries nor any of its respective employees, officers or directors has been excluded, suspended or debarred from participation in any U.S. federal health care program or human clinical research or, to the knowledge of the Company, is subject to a governmental inquiry, investigation, proceeding, or other similar action that could reasonably be expected to result in debarment, suspension, or exclusion.
(ss) No Contract Terminations. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sent or received any communication regarding termination of, or intent not to renew, any of the contracts or agreements referred to or described in any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or any free writing prospectus, or referred to or described in, or filed as an exhibit to, the Registration Statement, or any document incorporated by reference therein, and no such termination or non-renewal has been threatened by the Company or any of its subsidiaries or, to the Company’s knowledge, any other party to any such contract or agreement, which threat of termination or non-renewal has not been rescinded as of the date hereof, except where such termination or non-renewal would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(tt) Dividend Restrictions. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, no subsidiary of the Company is prohibited or restricted, directly or indirectly, from paying dividends to the Company, or from making any other distribution with respect to such subsidiary’s equity securities or from repaying to the Company or any other subsidiary of the Company any amounts that may from time to time become due under any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any property or assets to the Company or to any other subsidiary.
(uu) Loans. There are no outstanding loans, advances (except normal advances for business expenses in the ordinary course of business) or guarantees of indebtedness by the Company to or for the benefit of any of the officers or directors of the Company or any of their respective family members, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement or the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus. All transactions by the Company with office holders or control persons of the Company have been duly approved by the board of directors of the Company, or duly appointed committees or officers thereof, if and to the extent required under U.S. federal law.
(vv) Suppliers, Customers, Distributors and Sales Agents. No supplier, customer, distributor or sales agent of the Company has notified the Company that it intends to discontinue or decrease the rate
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of business done with the Company, except where such decrease is not reasonably likely to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries and delivered to the Representative or to counsel for the Representative in connection with the offering, or the purchase and sale, of the Offered Securities shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to the Representative as to the matters covered thereby.
The Company has a reasonable basis for making each of the representations set forth in this Section 1. The Company acknowledges that the Representative and, for purposes of the opinions to be delivered pursuant to Section 8 hereof, counsel to the Company and counsel to the Representative, will rely upon the accuracy and truthfulness of the foregoing representations and hereby consents to such reliance.
Section 2. Purchase, Sale and Delivery of the Offered Securities.
(a) The Firm Securities. On the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements herein contained, and upon the terms but subject to the conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell to the Representative an aggregate of 10,000,000 Shares and 10,000,000 Warrants. The combined issuance/purchase price per unit of one Share and one Warrant to be paid by the Representative to the Company shall be $0.94, which shall be allocated as $0.939 per Share (“Share Purchase Price”) and $0.001 per Warrant (“Warrant Purchase Price”). For the avoidance of doubt, the Representative will deduct the U.S. dollar equivalent of the Firm Capital Increase Amount (as defined in Section 3(b)(ii)), calculated using the same currency exchange rate used by the Representative to procure the Firm Capital Increase Amount, from the aggregate purchase price for the Firm Securities payable by the Representative to the Company.
(b) The First Closing Date. Delivery of the Firm Securities to be purchased by the Representative and payment therefor shall be made at the offices of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. (or such other place as may be agreed to by the Company and the Representative) at 8:00 a.m. New York City time, on February 21, 2017, or such other time and date not later than 12:00 p.m. New York City time, on February 21, 2017 as the Representative shall designate by notice to the Company (the time and date of such closing are called the “First Closing Date”). The Company hereby acknowledges that circumstances under which the Representative may provide notice to postpone the First Closing Date as originally scheduled include, but are not limited to, any determination by the Company or the Representative to recirculate to the public copies of an amended or supplemented Prospectus.
(c) The Optional Securities; Option Closing Date. In addition, on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements herein contained, and upon the terms but subject to the conditions herein set forth, the Company hereby grants an option to the Representative to subscribe/purchase up to an aggregate of 1,500,000 Option Shares and/or 1,500,000 Option Warrants from the Company, which Optional Securities may be subscribed/purchased in any combination of Option Shares and Option Warrants at the Share Purchase Price and/or Warrant Purchase Price, respectively. For the avoidance of doubt, the Representative will deduct the U.S. dollar equivalent of the Over-Allotment Capital Increase Amount (as defined in Section 4(a)(ii)), calculated using the same currency exchange rate used by the Representative to procure the Over-Allotment Capital Increase Amount, from the aggregate purchase price for any Applicable Optional Securities (as defined in Section 4(a)(i)) payable by the Representative to the Company. The option granted hereunder may be exercised at any time and from time to time in whole or in part upon notice by the Representative to the Company, which notice may be given at any time within 30 days from the date of this Agreement (the date of any such exercise, an “Option
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Exercise Date”). Such notice shall set forth (i) the aggregate number of Option Shares and/or Option Warrants, as applicable, as to which the Representative is exercising the option and (ii) the time, date and place at which the Optional Securities will be delivered (which time and date may be simultaneous with, but not earlier than, the First Closing Date; and in the event that such time and date are simultaneous with the First Closing Date, the term “First Closing Date” shall refer to the time and date of delivery of the Firm Securities and such Optional Securities). Any such time and date of delivery, if subsequent to the First Closing Date, is called an “Option Closing Date,” shall be determined by the Representative and shall not be earlier than three or later than five full business days after delivery of such notice of exercise. The Representative may cancel the option at any time prior to its expiration by giving written notice of such cancellation to the Company.
(d) Public Offering of the Offered Securities. The Representative hereby advises the Company that it intends to offer for sale to the public, initially on the terms set forth in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Offered Securities as soon after this Agreement has been executed as the Representative, in its sole judgment, has determined is advisable and practicable.
(e) Payment for the Offered Securities. Payment for the Offered Securities shall be made at the First Closing Date (and, if applicable, at each Option Closing Date) by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the order of the Company.
(f) Delivery of the Offered Securities. The Company shall deliver, or cause to be delivered to the Representative the Firm Securities at the First Closing Date, against release of a wire transfer of immediately available funds for the amount of the purchase price therefor. The Company shall also deliver, or cause to be delivered to the Representative, the Option Shares and/or Option Warrants, as applicable, the Representative has agreed to purchase at the First Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be, against the release of a wire transfer of immediately available funds for the amount of the purchase price therefor. The Offered Securities shall be registered in such names and denominations as the Representative shall have requested at least two full business days prior to the First Closing Date (or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be). Time shall be of the essence, and delivery at the time and place specified in this Agreement is a further condition to the obligations of the Representative.
Section 3. Capital Increase and Initial Subscription.
(a) Shareholder’s Resolution on Capital Increase. The Company confirms that:
(i) pursuant to the articles of association, the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) may effect an increase of the Company’s share capital in a maximum amount of CHF 6,860,000 by issuing up to 17,150,000 Shares out of the Company’s authorized share capital, such authorization having been granted by resolution of the shareholders meeting of April 8, 2016 (Ermächtigungsbeschluss); and
(ii) all statutory pre-emptive rights to which the existing shareholders of the Company are entitled under Swiss law with respect to the capital increase described in Section 3(a)(i) have been or will be validly set aside or waived.
(b) Capital Increase Accounts. The Company confirms that:
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(i) it opened with [*******], bank clearing no.[*******] (the “Capital Increase Bank”), a blocked account for the capital increase (Kapitaleinzahlungskonto), IBAN [*******] made out to “AURIS MEDICAL HOLDING AG KAPITALERHÖHUNG” (the “Firm Capital Increase Account”), and such Firm Capital Increase Account remains open until the completion of the Firm Capital Increase or this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 14 and the Firm Capital Increase Amount is released in full to the Representative; and
(ii) in the event the Representative exercises the option granted to it under Section 2(c) of this Agreement, the Company will open with the Capital Increase Bank, a blocked account for the over-allotment capital increase (Kapitaleinzahlungskonto), made out to “AURIS MEDICAL HOLDING AG KAPITALERHÖHUNG-OVER-ALLOTMENT” (the “Over-Allotment Capital Increase Account”), will provide the relevant IBAN number to the Representative and will ensure that such Over-Allotment Capital Increase Account remains open until the completion of the Over-Allotment Capital Increase or this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 14 and the Over-Allotment Capital Increase Amount is released in full to the Representative.
(c) Subscription of Firm Capital Increase. The Representative agrees, on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements herein contained, to:
(i) subscribe, on or by 12:00 p.m. (CEST) three business days prior to the First Closing Date, or such other time and date as agreed between the Company and the Representative, for all of the Firm Shares at the issue price (Ausgabebetrag) of CHF 0.40 per Firm Share corresponding to the nominal value for each Firm Share and to deliver the corresponding subscription form (Zeichnungsschein) to the Company in the form of Exhibit C; and
(ii) deposit or cause to be deposited, not later than 1:30 p.m. (CEST) two business days prior to the First Closing Date, or such other time and date as agreed between the Company and the Representative, same-day funds for value in the amount of CHF 0.40 (corresponding to the aggregate nominal value of the Firm Shares) (the “Firm Capital Increase Amount”) with the Capital Increase Bank on the Firm Capital Increase Account, and shall, and the Company shall, take all actions reasonably necessary to cause the Capital Increase Bank to issue and deliver a written confirmation of payment of the Firm Capital Increase Amount to the Company no later than 6:00 p.m. (CEST) two business days prior to the First Closing Date (or such other time and date as agreed between the Company and the Representative).
(d) Board Resolution and Registration of Firm Capital Increase. Upon receipt of the documents referred to in Section 3(b) and before 8:30 a.m. (CEST) on the business day prior to the First Closing Date, or such other time and date as agreed between the Company and the Representative, the Board (or a committee or a Board member duly authorized by the Board) will:
(i) pass a capital increase resolution (Erhöhungsbeschluss) regarding the issuance of the Firm Shares subscribed for pursuant to Section 3(b)(i) (the “Firm Capital Increase”);
(ii) adopt a report on the Firm Capital Increase (Kapitalerhöhungsbericht) and, after having caused the special auditor to issue the auditors' report (Prüfungsbestätigung), take note of the auditors’ report (Prüfungsbestätigung), all in accordance with Swiss statutory law;
(iii) resolve on the Firm Capital Increase and making all amendments to the articles of association of the Company necessary in connection with the Firm Capital Increase (Feststellungs- und Statutenänderungsbeschluss); and
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(iv) promptly thereafter, no later than 9:30 a.m. (CEST) on the business day prior to the First Closing Date, file the documents necessary for the registration of the Firm Capital Increase with the Commercial Register of the Canton of Zug;
provided, however, that if this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 14 prior to the Company filing the relevant resolutions with the Commercial Register of the Canton of Zug, (A) the Company undertakes not to resolve on the Firm Capital Increase (if it has not already done so) or not to file the relevant resolutions with the Commercial Register of the Canton of Zug, and (B) the Company shall immediately cause the Capital Increase Bank to release the Firm Capital Increase Amount in full to the Representative as soon as practicable; and the Representative understands that the Capital Increase Bank may require confirmation, including from the Representative, to release the Firm Capital Increase Amount and the Representative agrees to deliver such confirmation. Any fees payable to the Capital Increase Bank for any transfer of the funds deposited in the Firm Capital Increase Account pursuant to this Section 3(c) shall be payable immediately and directly to the Capital Increase Bank by the Company.
(e) Issue of Firm Shares. Immediately after the registration of the Firm Capital Increase in the Commercial Register of the Canton of Zug pursuant to Section 3(c), but in no event later than 5:00 p.m. (CEST) on the business day prior to the First Closing Date, the Company will:
(i) deliver to the Representative and the Capital Increase Bank, (A) a copy of the certified excerpt of the journal entry (Tagebuch) or a copy of the certified excerpt from the Commercial Register of the Canton of Zug evidencing the Firm Capital Increase, (B) a copy of the certified updated articles of association of the Company evidencing the Firm Capital Increase, (C) a copy of the Company's book of uncertificated securities (Wertrechtebuch) evidencing the Representative as first holder of the Firm Shares, and (D) a copy of the share register (Aktienbuch) of the Company evidencing the Representative as shareholder with respect to the Firm Shares; and
(ii) take all steps necessary to ensure that the Firm Shares will be (A) duly recorded in an account of the Representative at the Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) on the First Closing Date; and (B) freely transferable (subject to any applicable restrictions set forth in the articles of association of the Company) on the First Closing Date.
(f) Use of Firm Capital Increase Amount. The funds deposited in the Firm Capital Increase Account shall, upon registration of the Firm Capital Increase pursuant to Section 3(c) and upon request by the Representative, be transferred to a separate account of the Company with [*******], New York Branch and shall, in such case, remain so deposited for the account of the Company and shall not be used in any way whatsoever until the earlier of:
(i) the delivery of the Firm Shares to the Representative as set forth in Section 2(b) on the First Closing Date; and
(ii) the date of receipt by the Representative of the proceeds of (A) the sale of the Firm Shares as set forth in Sections 15(b), 15(c) or 15(e) or (B) the Capital Reduction as set forth in Section 15(d), as the case may be.
Any fees payable to the Capital Increase Bank for any transfer of the funds deposited in the Firm Capital Increase Account pursuant to this Section 3(e) shall be payable directly to the Capital Increase Bank by the Company.
Section 4. Subscription and Issuance of Option Shares.
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(a) Subscription of Over-Allotment Capital Increase. If the Representative exercises the option granted to it under Section 2(c) of this Agreement, the Representative agrees, on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements herein contained, and subject to the conditions stated below and to this Agreement having not been terminated, to:
(i) subscribe for the number of Option Shares if any, for which the option to purchase has been exercised pursuant to Section 2(c) (the “Applicable Optional Shares”) at the issue price (Ausgabebetrag) of CHF 0.40 for each Applicable Option Share corresponding to the nominal value of each Applicable Optional Share, and to deliver the corresponding subscription form (Zeichnungsschein) in the form of Exhibit C to the Company by not later than 12:00 p.m. (CEST) two business days prior to the Option Closing Date (or such other date set forth in the relevant option exercise notice delivered by the Representative pursuant to Section 2(c)); and
(ii) deposit or cause to be deposited, not later than 1:30 p.m. (CEST) two business days prior to the Option Closing Date (or such other date set forth in the relevant option exercise notice delivered by the Representative pursuant to Section 2(c)), same day funds for value on such date, in the amount of CHF 0.40 multiplied by the number of Applicable Option Shares (the “Over-Allotment Capital Increase Amount”) with the Capital Increase Bank, in the Over-Allotment Capital Increase Account and shall, and the Company shall, take all actions reasonably necessary to cause the Capital Increase Bank to issue and deliver a written confirmation of payment of the Over-Allotment Capital Increase Amount to the Company no later than 6:00 p.m. (CEST) two business days prior to the Option Closing Date (or at a later date, as set forth in the option exercise notice delivered by the Representative pursuant to Section 2(c)).
(b) Board Resolution and Registration of Over-Allotment Capital Increase. Upon receipt of the documents referred to under Section 4(a) in relation to any Applicable Optional Shares and before 8:30 a.m. (CEST) on the business day prior to the Option Closing Date (or at a later date, as set forth in the relevant option exercise notice delivered by the Representative pursuant to Section 2(c)), the Board (or a committee or Board member duly authorized by the Board) will:
(i) pass a capital increase resolution (Erhöhungsbeschluss) regarding the issuance of the Applicable Optional Shares subscribed for pursuant to Section 4(a)(i) (the “Over-Allotment Capital Increase”);
(ii) adopt a report on the Over-Allotment Capital Increase (Kapitalerhöhungsbericht) and after having caused the special auditor to issue the auditors' report (Prüfungsbestätigung), take note of the auditors' report (Prüfungsbestätigung), all in accordance with Swiss statutory law;
(iii) resolve on the Over-Allotment Capital Increase and making all amendments to the articles of association of the Company necessary in connection with the Over-Allotment Capital Increase (Feststellungs- und Statutenänderungsbeschluss); and
(iv) promptly thereafter, no later than 9:30 a.m. (CEST) on the business day prior to the Option Closing Date (or at a later date, as set forth in the relevant option exercise notice delivered by the Representative pursuant to Section 2(c)) file the documents necessary for the registration of the Over-Allotment Capital Increase with the Commercial Register of the Canton of Zug
provided, however, that if this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 14 prior to the Company filing the relevant resolutions with the Commercial Register of the Canton of Zug, (A) the Company undertakes not to resolve on the Over-Allotment Capital Increase (if it has not already done so) or to file the relevant
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resolutions with the Commercial Register of the Canton of Zug, and (B) the Company shall immediately cause the Capital Increase Bank to release the Over-Allotment Capital Increase Amount in full to the Representative as soon as practicable; and the Representative understands that the Capital Increase Bank may require confirmation, including from the Representative, to release the Firm Capital Increase Amount and the Representative agrees to deliver such confirmation. Any fees payable to the Capital Increase Bank for any transfer of the funds deposited in the Over-Allotment Capital Increase Account pursuant to this Section 4(b) shall be payable immediately and directly to the Capital Increase Bank by the Company.
(c) Issue of Applicable Optional Shares. Immediately after the registration of the Over-Allotment Capital Increase in the Commercial Register of the Canton of Zug pursuant to Section 4(b) in relation to any Applicable Optional Shares, but in no event later than 3:00 p.m. (CEST) on the business day prior to the Option Closing Date (or such other date set forth in the relevant option exercise notice delivered by the Representative pursuant to Section 2(c)), the Company will:
(i) deliver to the Representative, the Capital Increase Bank and the share registrar of the Company, (A) a copy of the certified excerpt of the journal entry (Tagebuch) or a copy of the certified excerpt from the Commercial Register of the Canton of Zug evidencing the Over-Allotment Capital Increase, (B) a copy of the certified updated articles of association of the Company evidencing the Over-Allotment Capital Increase, (C) a copy of the Company’s book of uncertificated securities (Wertrechtebuch) evidencing the Representative as first holder of the Applicable Optional Shares, and (D) a copy of the share register (Aktienbuch) of the Company evidencing the Representative as shareholder with respect to the Applicable Optional Shares; and
(ii) take all steps necessary to ensure that the Applicable Optional Shares will be (A) issued to the Representative, (B) duly recorded in an account of the Representative at DTC on the relevant Option Closing Date, and (C) freely transferable (subject to any applicable restrictions set forth in the articles of association of the Company) on the relevant Option Closing Date.
(d) Use of Over-Allotment Capital Increase Amount. The funds deposited in the Over-Allotment Capital Increase Account shall, upon registration of the Over-Allotment Capital Increase pursuant to Section 4(b) and upon request by the Representative, be transferred to a separate account of the Company with [*******] and shall, in such case, remain so deposited for the account of the Company and shall not be used in any way whatsoever until the earlier of:
(i) the delivery of the Applicable Optional Shares to the Representative as set forth in Section 2(c) on the relevant Option Closing Date; and
(ii) the date of receipt by the Representative of the proceeds of (A) the sale of the Applicable Optional Shares as set forth in Sections 15(b), or 15(c) or 15(e) or (B) the Capital Reduction as set forth in Section 15(d), as the case may be.
Any fees payable to the Capital Increase Bank for any transfer of the funds deposited in the Over-Allotment Capital Increase Account pursuant to this Section 4(d) shall be payable directly to the Capital Increase Bank by the Company.
Section 5. Additional Covenants of the Company.
The Company further covenants and agrees with the Representative as follows:
(a) Delivery of Registration Statement, Time of Sale Prospectus and Prospectus. The Company shall furnish to you in New York City, without charge, prior to 10:00 a.m. New York City time
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on the business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement and during the period when a prospectus relating to the Offered Securities is required by the Securities Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule) in connection with sales of the Offered Securities, as many copies of the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus and any supplements and amendments thereto or to the Registration Statement as you may reasonably request.
(b) Underwriters’ Review of Proposed Amendments and Supplements. During the period when a prospectus relating to the Offered Securities is required by the Securities Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule), the Company (i) will furnish to the Underwriters for review, a reasonable period of time prior to the proposed time of filing of any proposed amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, a copy of each such amendment or supplement and (ii) will not amend or supplement the Registration Statement (including any amendment or supplement through incorporation of any report filed under the Exchange Act) without the Underwriters’ prior written consent, which shall not be unreasonably withheld. Prior to amending or supplementing any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus (including any amendment or supplement through incorporation of any report filed under the Exchange Act), the Company shall furnish to the Underwriters for review, a reasonable amount of time prior to the time of filing or use of the proposed amendment or supplement, a copy of each such proposed amendment or supplement. The Company shall not file or use any such proposed amendment or supplement without the Underwriters’ prior written consent, which shall not be unreasonably withheld. The Company shall file with the Commission within the applicable period specified in Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act any prospectus required to be filed pursuant to such Rule.
(c) Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company shall furnish to the Underwriters for review, a reasonable amount of time prior to the proposed time of filing or use thereof, a copy of each proposed free writing prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company, and the Company shall not file, use or refer to any proposed free writing prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto without the Underwriters’ prior written consent, which shall not be unreasonably withheld. The Company shall furnish to the Underwriters, without charge, as many copies of any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of, used by or referred to by the Company as the Underwriters may reasonably request. If at any time when a prospectus is required by the Securities Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule) in connection with sales of the Offered Securities (but in any event if at any time through and including the First Closing Date) there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company conflicted or would conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances prevailing at such time, not misleading, the Company shall promptly amend or supplement such free writing prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict so that the statements in such free writing prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances prevailing at such time, not misleading, as the case may be; provided, however, that prior to amending or supplementing any such free writing prospectus, the Company shall furnish to the Underwriters for review, a reasonable amount of time prior to the proposed time of filing or use thereof, a copy of such proposed amended or supplemented free writing prospectus, and the Company shall not file, use or refer to any such amended or supplemented free writing prospectus without the Underwriters’ prior written consent, which shall not be unreasonably withheld.
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(d) Filing of Underwriters Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company shall not take any action that would result in the Underwriters or the Company being required to file with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of the Underwriters that the Underwriters otherwise would not have been required to file thereunder.
(e) Amendments and Supplements to Time of Sale Prospectus. If the Time of Sale Prospectus is being used to solicit offers to buy the Offered Securities at a time when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers, and any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Prospectus so that the Time of Sale Prospectus does not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when delivered to a prospective purchaser, not misleading, or if any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which the Time of Sale Prospectus conflicts with the information contained in the Registration Statement, or if, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Prospectus to comply with applicable law, the Company shall (subject to Section 5(b) and Section 5(c) hereof) promptly prepare, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to any dealer upon request, either amendments or supplements to the Time of Sale Prospectus so that the statements in the Time of Sale Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when delivered to a prospective purchaser, not misleading or so that the Time of Sale Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will no longer conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, or so that the Time of Sale Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law.
(f) Certain Notifications and Required Actions. After the date of this Agreement, the Company shall promptly advise the Underwriters in writing of: (i) the receipt of any comments of, or requests for additional or supplemental information from, the Commission; (ii) the time and date of any filing of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any free writing prospectus or the Prospectus; (iii) the time and date that any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement becomes effective; and (iv) the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto or any amendment or supplement to any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any free writing prospectus or the Prospectus, or of any proceedings to remove, suspend or terminate from listing or quotation the Shares from any securities exchange upon which they are listed for trading or included or designated for quotation, or, to the Company’s knowledge, of the threatening or initiation of any proceedings for any of such purposes. If the Commission shall enter any such stop order at any time, the Company will use its best efforts to obtain the lifting of such order at the earliest possible moment. Additionally, the Company agrees that it shall comply with all applicable provisions of Rule 424(b), Rule 433 and Rule 430B under the Securities Act and will use its reasonable efforts to confirm that any filings made by the Company under Rule 424(b) or Rule 433 were received in a timely manner by the Commission.
(g) Amendments and Supplements to the Prospectus and Other Securities Act Matters. If any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus so that the Prospectus does not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus is delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule) to a purchaser, not misleading, or if in the opinion of the Underwriters or counsel for the Underwriters it is otherwise necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with
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applicable law, the Company agrees (subject to Section 5(b) and Section 5(c)) hereof to promptly prepare, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to any dealer upon request, amendments or supplements to the Prospectus so that the statements in the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus is delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule) to a purchaser, not misleading or so that the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law. Neither the Underwriters’ consent to, nor delivery of, any such amendment or supplement shall constitute a waiver of any of the Company’s obligations under Section 5(b) or Section 5(c).
(h) Blue Sky Compliance. The Company shall cooperate with the Underwriters and counsel for the Underwriters to qualify or register the Offered Securities for sale under (or obtain exemptions from the application of) the state securities or blue sky laws or Canadian provincial securities laws (or other foreign laws) of those jurisdictions reasonably designated by the Underwriters, shall comply with such laws and shall continue such qualifications, registrations and exemptions in effect so long as required for the distribution of the Offered Securities. The Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to take any action that would subject it to general service of process in any such jurisdiction where it is not presently qualified or where it would be subject to taxation as a foreign corporation. The Company will advise the Underwriters promptly of the suspension of the qualification or registration of (or any such exemption relating to) the Offered Securities for offering, sale or trading in any jurisdiction or any initiation or threat of any proceeding for any such purpose, and in the event of the issuance of any order suspending such qualification, registration or exemption, the Company shall use its best efforts to obtain the withdrawal thereof at the earliest possible moment.
(i) Use of Proceeds. The Company shall apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Offered Securities sold by it in all material respects as described under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.
(j) Earnings Statement. The Company will make generally available to its security holders and to the Underwriters as soon as practicable an earnings statement (which need not be audited) covering a period of at least twelve months beginning with the first fiscal quarter of the Company commencing after the date of this Agreement that will satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
(k) Continued Compliance with Securities Laws. The Company will comply with the Securities Act and the Exchange Act so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Offered Securities as contemplated by this Agreement, the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company will, during the period when a prospectus relating to the Offered Securities is required by the Securities Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule), file on a timely basis with the Commission and the NASDAQ all reports and documents required to be filed under the Exchange Act.
(l) Listing. The Company will use its best efforts to list the Firm Shares, the Warrant Shares upon exercise of the Warrants and the Option Shares on the NASDAQ.
(m) Company to Provide Copy of the Prospectus in Form That May be Downloaded from the Internet. If requested by the Underwriters, the Company shall cause to be prepared and delivered, at its expense, within two business days from the effective date of this Agreement, to the Underwriters an
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“electronic Prospectus” to be used by the Underwriters in connection with the offering and sale of the Offered Securities. As used herein, the term “electronic Prospectus” means a form of Time of Sale Prospectus, and any amendment or supplement thereto, that meets each of the following conditions: (i) it shall be encoded in an electronic format, reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters, that may be transmitted electronically by the Underwriters to offerees and purchasers of the Offered Securities; (ii) it shall disclose the same information as the paper Time of Sale Prospectus, except to the extent that graphic and image material cannot be disseminated electronically, in which case such graphic and image material shall be replaced in the electronic Prospectus with a fair and accurate narrative description or tabular representation of such material, as appropriate; and (iii) it shall be in or convertible into a paper format or an electronic format, reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters, that will allow investors to store and have continuously ready access to the Time of Sale Prospectus at any future time, without charge to investors (other than any fee charged for subscription to the Internet as a whole and for on-line time). The Company hereby confirms that it has included or will include in the Prospectus filed pursuant to EDGAR or otherwise with the Commission and in the Registration Statement at the time it was declared effective an undertaking that, upon receipt of a request by an investor or his or her representative, the Company shall transmit or cause to be transmitted promptly, without charge, a paper copy of the Time of Sale Prospectus.
(n) Agreement Not to Offer or Sell Additional Shares. During the period commencing on and including the date hereof and continuing through and including the 60th day following the date of the Prospectus (such period being referred to herein as the “Lock-up Period”), the Company will not, without the prior written consent of the Representative (which consent may be withheld in its sole discretion), directly or indirectly: (i) sell, offer to sell, contract to sell or lend any Shares or Related Securities (as defined below); (ii) effect any short sale, or establish or increase any “put equivalent position” (as defined in Rule 16a-1(h) under the Exchange Act) or liquidate or decrease any “call equivalent position” (as defined in Rule 16a-1(b) under the Exchange Act) of any Shares or Related Securities; (iii) pledge, hypothecate or grant any security interest in any Shares or Related Securities; (iv) in any other way transfer or dispose of any Shares or Related Securities; (v) enter into any swap, hedge or similar arrangement or agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, the economic risk of ownership of any Shares or Related Securities, regardless of whether any such transaction is to be settled in securities, in cash or otherwise; (vi) announce the offering of any Shares or Related Securities; (vii) file any registration statement under the Securities Act in respect of any Shares or Related Securities (other than as contemplated by this Agreement with respect to the Offered Securities); or (viii) publicly announce the intention to do any of the foregoing; provided, however, that the Company may (A) effect the transactions contemplated hereby (B) issue Shares, rights to receive Shares, phantom equity settleable into Shares or options to purchase Shares, or issue Shares upon settlement of phantom equity or vesting of rights to receive Shares or exercise of options, pursuant to any stock option, stock bonus or other stock plan or arrangement described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus or any compensatory equity plan, but only if the holders of such Shares, phantom equity, rights to receive Shares or options agree in writing with the Representative not to sell, offer, dispose of or otherwise transfer any such Shares, rights to receive Shares, phantom equity or options during such Lock-up Period without the prior written consent of the Representative (which consent may be withheld in its sole discretion), except as allowed pursuant to the form of Lock-up Agreement on Exhibit A, (C) file any registration statement on Form S-8 or a successor form thereto, (D) file any registration statement that the Company is required to file pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement dated as of August 11, 2014, among the Company and the Shareholders party thereto and the Warrant Agreement, dated as of July 19, 2016, between Auris Medical Holding AG and Hercules Capital, Inc. and (E) issue Shares or other securities issued in connection with a transaction that includes a commercial relationship (including joint ventures, marketing or distribution arrangements, collaboration agreements or intellectual property license agreements) or any acquisition of assets or not less than a majority or controlling portion of the equity of
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another entity, provided that (x) the aggregate number of shares issued pursuant to this clause (E) shall not exceed 5.0% of the total number of outstanding Shares immediately following the issuance and sale of the Offered Securities pursuant hereto and (y) the recipient of any such Shares and securities issued pursuant to this clause (E) during the 60th-day restricted period described above shall enter into an agreement in writing with the Representative not to sell, offer, dispose of or otherwise transfer any such Shares or securities during such Lock-up Period without the prior written consent of the Representative (which consent may be withheld in its sole discretion). For purposes of the foregoing, “Related Securities” shall mean any options or warrants or other rights to acquire Shares or any securities exchangeable or exercisable for or convertible into Shares, or to acquire other securities or rights ultimately exchangeable or exercisable for, or convertible into, Shares.
(o) Future Reports to the Representative. During the period of two years hereafter, the Company will furnish to the Representative, Roth Capital Partners, LLC, 800 San Clemente Drive, Suite 400, Newport Beach, CA 92660, telecopy number: (949) 720-7227, Attention: Managing Director, with a copy to Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., 666 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, telecopy number: (212) 983-3115, Attention: Ivan K. Blumenthal: (i) as soon as practicable after the end of each fiscal year, copies of the Annual Report of the Company containing the consolidated statement of financial position of the Company as of the close of such fiscal year and consolidated statements of profit or loss and other comprehensive income, changes in equity and cash flows for the year then ended and the opinion thereon of the Company’s independent public or certified public accountants; (ii) as soon as practicable after the filing thereof, copies of each Annual Report on Form 20-F, Report on Form 6-K or other report filed by the Company with the Commission or any securities exchange; and (iii) as soon as available, copies of any report or communication of the Company furnished or made available generally to holders of its capital stock; provided, however, that the requirements of this Section 5(o) shall be satisfied to the extent that such reports, statement, communications, financial statements or other documents are available on EDGAR.
(p) Investment Limitation. The Company shall not invest or otherwise use the proceeds received by the Company from its sale of the Offered Securities in such a manner as would require the Company or any of its subsidiaries to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.
(q) No Stabilization or Manipulation; Compliance with Regulation M. The Company will not take, and will ensure that no affiliate of the Company will take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that might cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Shares or any reference security with respect to the Shares, whether to facilitate the sale or resale of the Offered Securities or otherwise, and the Company will, and shall cause each of its affiliates to, comply with all applicable provisions of Regulation M (it being understood that the Company makes no statement as to the activities of the Underwriters in connection with the offering).
(r) Enforce Lock-Up Agreements. During the Lock-up Period, the Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to enforce all agreements between the Company and any of its security holders that restrict or prohibit, expressly or in operation, the offer, sale or transfer of Shares or Related Securities or any of the other actions restricted or prohibited under the terms of the form of Lock-up Agreement. In addition, the Company will direct the transfer agent to place stop transfer restrictions upon any such securities of the Company that are bound by such “lock-up” agreements for the duration of the periods contemplated in such agreements, including, without limitation, “lock-up” agreements entered into by the Company’s officers and directors pursuant to Section 8(k) hereof.
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(s) Company to Provide Interim Financial Statements. Prior to the First Closing Date and each applicable Option Closing Date, the Company will furnish the Representative, as soon as practicable after they have been prepared by or are available to the Company, a copy of any unaudited interim quarterly financial statements of the Company for any period subsequent to the period covered by the most recent financial statements appearing in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus; provided, however, that the requirements of this Section 5(s) shall be satisfied to the extent that such financial statements are available on EDGAR.
(t) Tax Indemnity. The Company will indemnify and hold harmless the Underwriters against all issue, transfer and other stamp taxes, in connection with the issuance and sale of the Offered Securities to the Underwriters, but excluding any brokerage and resale fee or security transfer tax including, without limitation, any Swiss Federal stamp duty on the transfer of securities (Umsatzabgabe) — should any Underwriter be a Swiss security dealer in the meaning of the Swiss law on stamp duty — and any income tax, capital gains tax or similar resulting from the sale of the Offered Securities and any tax on or determined by reference to the income of the Underwriters that is subject to tax on a net income basis.
(u) Transfer Agent. The Company agrees to maintain a transfer agent and, if necessary under the jurisdiction of incorporation of the Company, a registrar for the Shares.
(v) Warrant Shares. If all or any portion of a Warrant is exercised at a time when there is an effective registration statement to cover the issuance of the Warrant Shares, the Warrant Shares issued pursuant to any such exercise shall be issued free of all restrictive legends. If at any time following the date hereof the Registration Statement is not effective or is not otherwise available for the sale of the Warrant Shares, the Company shall immediately notify the holders of the Warrants in writing that such registration statement is not then effective and thereafter shall promptly notify such holders when the registration statement is effective again and available for the sale of the Warrant Shares (it being understood and agreed that the foregoing shall not limit the ability of the Company to issue, or any holder thereof to sell, any of the Warrant Shares in compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws).
Section 6. Payment of Expenses. The Company agrees to pay all costs, fees and expenses incurred in connection with the performance of its obligations hereunder and in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, including without limitation (i) all expenses incident to the issuance and delivery of the Offered Securities (including all printing and engraving costs), (ii) all fees and expenses of the registrar and transfer agent of the Shares, (iii) all issue, transfer and other stamp taxes in connection with the issuance and sale of the Offered Securities to the Underwriter, (iv) all fees and expenses of the Company’s counsel, independent public or certified public accountants and other advisors, (v) all costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation, printing, filing, shipping and distribution of the Registration Statement (including financial statements, exhibits, schedules, consents and certificates of experts), the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, each free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company, and each preliminary prospectus and all amendments and supplements thereto, and this Agreement, (vi) all cost and expenses incurred in connection with the settlement processing and clearing of the Offered Securities, (vii) all filing fees, attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred by the Company in connection with qualifying or registering (or obtaining exemptions from the qualification or registration of) all or any part of the Offered Securities for offer and sale under the state securities or blue sky laws, (viii) up to US$75,000 for out of pocket and legal expenses incurred by the Underwriters in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby (including the fees and expenses of U.S. and Swiss counsel for the Underwriter), (ix) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any “road show” undertaken in connection with the offering of the Offered Securities, including, without limitation, expenses associated with the preparation or dissemination of any electronic road show, expenses associated with the production of road show slides
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and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations with the prior approval of the Company, and travel and lodging expenses of the representatives, employees and officers of the Company and any such consultants, (x) the fees and expenses associated with listing the Offered Securities on the NASDAQ and (xi) all other fees, costs and expenses of the nature referred to in Item 13 of Part II of the Registration Statement. Except as provided in this Section 6 or in Section 9, Section 11 or Section 12 hereof, the Underwriters shall pay their own expenses, including the fees and disbursements of its counsel, stock transfer taxes payable on the sale and delivery by the Underwriters of the Offered Securities to the initial purchasers thereof, including, without limitation, any Swiss federal stamp duty on the issuance of securities (Emissionsabgabe) and Swiss federal stamp duty on the transfer of securities (Umsatzabgabe), any advertising expenses connected with any offers they may make and the travel expenses of their own representatives in connection with any road show presentation to potential investors. Further, the Underwriters and the Company will each pay 50% of the costs of any jointly used chartered aircraft in the road show.
Section 7. Covenant of the Representative. The Representative covenants with the Company not to take any action that would result in the Company being required to file with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of the Representative that otherwise would not, but for such actions, be required to be filed by the Company under Rule 433(d).
Section 8. Conditions of the Obligations of the Underwriters. The obligations of the Underwriters hereunder to purchase and pay for the Offered Securities as provided herein on the First Closing Date and, with respect to the Optional Securities, each Option Closing Date, shall be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company set forth in Section 1 hereof as of the date hereof and as of the First Closing Date as though then made and, with respect to the Optional Securities, as of each Option Closing Date as though then made, to the timely performance by the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder, and to each of the following additional conditions:
(a) Comfort Letter of Deloitte AG. On the date hereof, the Representative shall have received from Deloitte AG, independent registered public accountants for the Company, a letter dated the date hereof addressed to the Representative in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountant’s “comfort letters” to underwriters, delivered according to Statement of Auditing Standards No. 72 (or any successor bulletin), with respect to the audited and unaudited financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus, and each free writing prospectus, if any.
(b) Compliance with Registration Requirements; No Stop Order; No Objection from FINRA.
(i) The Company shall have filed the Prospectus with the Commission (including the information previously omitted from the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430B under the Securities Act) in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act; or the Company shall have filed a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement containing the information previously omitted from the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430B, and such post-effective amendment shall have become effective.
(ii) No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement shall be in effect, and, to the knowledge of the Company, no proceedings for such purpose shall have been instituted or threatened by the Commission.
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(iii) FINRA shall have raised no objection to the fairness and reasonableness of the underwriting terms and arrangements.
(c) No Material Adverse Change or Ratings Agency Change. For the period from and after the date of this Agreement and through and including the First Closing Date and, with respect to any Optional Securities purchased after the First Closing Date, each Option Closing Date:
(i) in the judgment of the Representative there shall not have occurred any Material Adverse Change; and
(ii) there shall not have occurred any downgrading, nor shall any notice have been given of any intended or potential downgrading or of any review for a possible change that does not indicate the direction of the possible change, in the rating accorded any securities of the Company or any of its subsidiaries by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” as that term is used in Rule 15c3-1(c)(2)(vi)(F) under the Exchange Act.
(d) Opinion of U.S. Counsel for the Company. On each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date the Representative shall have received the opinion and 10b-5 statement of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, U.S. counsel for the Company, dated as of such date, in the form and substance previously agreed to by, and satisfactory to, the Representative.
(e) Opinion of Swiss Counsel for the Company. On each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, the Representative shall have received the opinion of Walder Wyss, counsel for the Company with respect to the laws of Switzerland, dated as of such date, in the form and substance previously agreed to by, and satisfactory to, the Representative.
(f) Opinion of Cooley LLP. On each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, the Representative shall have received the opinion of Cooley LLP, counsel for the Company with respect to intellectual property matters, dated as of such date, in the form and substance previously agreed to by, and satisfactory to, the Representative.
(g) Opinion of U.S. Counsel for the Underwriters. On each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date the Representative shall have received the opinion and 10b-5 statement of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., counsel for the Underwriters in connection with the offer and sale of the Offered Shares, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, dated as of such date with executed copies for each of the other Underwriters named on the Prospectus cover page.
(h) Officers’ Certificate. On each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, the Representative shall have received a certificate, on behalf of the Company, executed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Company and the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, dated as of such date, to the effect set forth in Section 8(b)(ii) and further to the effect that:
(i) for the period from and including the date of this Agreement through and including such date, there has not occurred any Material Adverse Change;
(ii) the representations, warranties and covenants of the Company set forth in Section 1 of this Agreement are true and correct with the same force and effect as though expressly made on and as of such date; and
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(iii) the Company has complied, in all material respects, with all the agreements hereunder and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to such date.
(i) Bring-down Comfort Letter of Deloitte AG. On each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, the Representative shall have received from Deloitte AG, independent registered public accountants for the Company, a letter dated such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative, which letter shall: (i) reaffirm the statements made in the letter furnished by them pursuant to Section 8(a), except that the specified date referred to therein for the carrying out of procedures shall be no more than three business days prior to the First Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be; and (ii) cover certain financial information contained in the Prospectus.
(j) Lock-Up Agreements. On or prior to the date hereof, the Company shall have furnished to the Representative an agreement in the form of Exhibit A hereto from each of the persons listed on Exhibit B hereto, and each such agreement shall be in full force and effect on each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date.
(k) Rule 462(b) Registration Statement. In the event that a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement is filed in connection with the offering contemplated by this Agreement, such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement shall have been filed with the Commission on the date of this Agreement and shall have become effective automatically upon such filing.
(l) Approval of Listing. At the First Closing Date, the Firm Shares shall have been approved for listing on the NASDAQ, subject only to official notice of issuance.
(m) Warrants. On or before each of the First Closing Date and each Option Date, the Representative shall have received copies of the Firm Warrants and Optional Warrants, as applicable, executed by the Company.
(n) Additional Documents. On or before each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, the Representative and counsel for the Representative shall have received such information, documents and opinions as they may reasonably request for the purposes of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Offered Securities as contemplated herein, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations and warranties, or the satisfaction of any of the conditions or agreements, herein contained; and all proceedings taken by the Company in connection with the issuance and sale of the Offered Securities as contemplated herein and in connection with the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement shall be reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Representative and counsel for the Representative.
If any condition specified in this Section 8 is not satisfied when and as required to be satisfied, this Agreement may be terminated by the Representative by notice from the Representative to the Company at any time on or prior to the First Closing Date and, with respect to the Optional Securities, at any time on or prior to the applicable Option Closing Date, which termination shall be without liability on the part of any party to any other party, except that Section 6, Section 9, Section 11 and Section 12 shall at all times be effective and shall survive such termination.
Section 9. Reimbursement of Representative’s Expenses. If this Agreement is terminated by the Representative pursuant to Section 8 or Section 14, or if the sale to the Representative of the Offered Securities on the First Closing Date is not consummated because of any refusal, inability or failure on the part of the Company to perform any agreement herein or to comply with any provision
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hereof, the Company agrees to reimburse the Representative upon demand for all documented out-of-pocket expenses that shall have been reasonably incurred by the Representative in connection with the proposed purchase and the offering and sale of the Offered Securities, including, but not limited to, fees and disbursements of counsel, printing expenses, travel expenses, postage, facsimile and telephone charges.
Section 10. Effectiveness of this Agreement. This Agreement shall become effective upon the execution and delivery hereof by the parties hereto.
Section 11. Indemnification.
(a) Indemnification of the Underwriters. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underwriters, their affiliates, directors, officers, employees and agents, and each person, if any, who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense, as incurred, to which the Underwriters or such affiliate, director, officer, employee, agent or controlling person may become subject, under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, other federal or state statutory law or regulation, or the laws or regulations of foreign jurisdictions where Offered Securities have been offered or sold or at common law or otherwise (including in settlement of any litigation, if such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company), insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense (or actions in respect thereof as contemplated below) arises out of or is based upon (A) (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, or any amendment thereto, or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; or (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any free writing prospectus that the Company has used, referred to or filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) of the Securities Act, any Marketing Material or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement to the foregoing), or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact necessary in order to make the statements, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; or (iii) any act or failure to act or any alleged act or failure to act by the Underwriters in connection with, or relating in any manner to, the Shares or the offering contemplated hereby, and which is included as part of or referred to in any loss, claim, damage, liability or action arising out of or based upon any matter covered by clause (i) or (ii) above, or (B) the violation of any laws or regulations of foreign jurisdictions where Offered Securities have been offered or sold; and to reimburse the Underwriters and each such affiliate, director, officer, employee, agent and controlling person for any and all reasonable expenses (including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel) as such expenses are incurred by the Underwriters or such affiliate, director, officer, employee, agent or controlling person in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action; provided, however, that the foregoing indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense to the extent, but only to the extent, arising out of or based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to the Underwriters furnished to the Company by the Underwriters or its counsel in writing expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any such free writing prospectus, any Marketing Material or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), it being understood and agreed that the only such information consists of the information described in Section 11(b) below. The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section 11(a) shall be in addition to any liabilities that the Company may otherwise have.
(b) Indemnification of the Company, its Directors and Officers. The Underwriters agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors, each of its officers who signed the
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Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense, as incurred, to which the Company, or any such director, officer or controlling person may become subject, under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, or other federal or state statutory law or regulation, or at common law or otherwise (including in settlement of any litigation, if such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Underwriters), insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense (or actions in respect thereof as contemplated below) arises out of or is based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, or any amendment thereto, or any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any free writing prospectus that the Company has used, referred to or filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433 of the Securities Act or the Prospectus (or any such amendment or supplement) or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact necessary in order to make the statements, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the Registration Statement, such preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, such free writing prospectus or the Prospectus (or any such amendment or supplement), in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to the Underwriters furnished to the Company by the Underwriters or their counsel in writing expressly for use therein; and to reimburse the Company, or any such director, officer or controlling person for any and all expenses (including the fees and disbursements of counsel) as such expenses are incurred by the Company, or any such director, officer or controlling person in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action. The Company hereby acknowledges that the only information that the Underwriters or their counsel have furnished to the Company expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any free writing prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) of the Securities Act or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement to the foregoing) are the statements regarding delivery of the Shares and Warrants by the Underwriters set forth on the cover page, the concession figure appearing under the sub-caption “Commissions and Discounts” under the caption “Underwriting,” the information regarding stabilizing transactions and passive market making contained under the sub-caption “Price Stabilization and Short Positions” under the caption “Underwriting” and the information regarding internet distribution contained under the sub-caption “Electronic Distribution” under the caption “Underwriting,” each in the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement and the Final Prospectus Supplement. The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section 11(b) shall be in addition to any liabilities that each Underwriter may otherwise have.
(c) Notifications and Other Indemnification Procedures. Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 11 of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against an indemnifying party under this Section 11, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof, but the omission so to notify the indemnifying party will not relieve the indemnifying party from any liability which it may have to any indemnified party to the extent the indemnifying party is not materially prejudiced as a proximate result of such failure and shall not in any event relieve the indemnifying party from any liability that it may have otherwise than on account of this indemnity agreement. In case any such action is brought against any indemnified party and such indemnified party seeks or intends to seek indemnity from an indemnifying party, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate in, and, to the extent that it shall elect, jointly with all other indemnifying parties similarly notified, by written notice delivered to the indemnified party promptly after receiving the aforesaid notice from such indemnified party, to assume the defense thereof with counsel reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party; provided, however, that if the defendants in any such action include both the indemnified party and the indemnifying party and the indemnified party
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shall have reasonably concluded that a conflict may arise between the positions of the indemnifying party and the indemnified party in conducting the defense of any such action or that there may be legal defenses available to it and/or other indemnified parties which are different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party, the indemnified party or parties shall have the right to select separate counsel to assume such legal defenses and to otherwise participate in the defense of such action on behalf of such indemnified party or parties. Upon receipt of notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of such indemnifying party’s election so to assume the defense of such action and approval by the indemnified party of counsel, the indemnifying party will not be liable to such indemnified party under this Section 11 for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by such indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof unless (i) the indemnified party shall have employed separate counsel in accordance with the proviso to the preceding sentence (it being understood, however, that the indemnifying party shall not be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one separate counsel (together with local counsel), representing the indemnified parties who are parties to such action), which counsel (together with any local counsel) for the indemnified parties shall be selected by the Underwriters (in the case of counsel for the indemnified parties referred to in Section 11(a) above) or by the Company (in the case of counsel for the indemnified parties referred to in Section 11(b) above)) or (ii) the indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party within a reasonable time after notice of commencement of the action or (iii) the indemnifying party has authorized in writing the employment of counsel for the indemnified party at the expense of the indemnifying party, in each of which cases the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel shall be at the expense of the indemnifying party and shall be paid as they are incurred upon receipt from the indemnified party of a written request for payment thereof accompanied by a written statement with reasonable supporting detail of such reasonable fees and expenses.
(d) Settlements. The indemnifying party under this Section 11 shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for reasonable fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by Section 11(c) hereof, the indemnifying party shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request and (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement, compromise or consent to the entry of judgment in any pending or threatened action, suit or proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity was or could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such action, suit or proceeding and does not include an admission of fault or culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of such indemnified party.
Section 12. Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in Section 11 is for any reason held to be unavailable to or otherwise insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount paid or payable by such indemnified party, as incurred, as a result of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses referred to therein (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, from the offering of the Offered Securities pursuant to this Agreement or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as
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is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the offering of the Offered Securities pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total proceeds from the offering of the Offered Securities pursuant to this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company, and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth on the front cover page of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate initial public offering price of the Offered Securities as set forth on such cover. The relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any such untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company, on the one hand, or the Underwriters, on the other hand, and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.
The amount paid or payable by a party as a result of the losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses referred to above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth in Section 11(c), any legal or other fees or expenses reasonably incurred by such party in connection with investigating or defending any action or claim. The provisions set forth in Section 11(c) with respect to notice of commencement of any action shall apply if a claim for contribution is to be made under this Section 12; provided, however, that no additional notice shall be required with respect to any action for which notice has been given under Section 11(c) for purposes of indemnification.
The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 12 were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in this Section 12.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 12, the Underwriters shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the underwriting discounts and commissions received by it in connection with the Offered Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 12, each affiliate, director, officer, employee and agent of the Underwriters and each person, if any, who controls the Underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Underwriters, and each director of the Company, each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company.
Section 13. [Reserved]
Section 14. Termination of this Agreement. Prior to the purchase of the Firm Securities by the Underwriters on the First Closing Date, this Agreement may be terminated by the Representative by notice given to the Company if at any time: (i) trading or quotation in any of the Company’s securities shall have been suspended or limited by the Commission or by the NASDAQ, or trading in securities generally on either the NASDAQ or the New York Stock Exchange shall have been suspended or limited, or minimum or maximum prices shall have been generally established on any of such stock exchanges; (ii) a general banking moratorium shall have been declared by any of federal, New York or Swiss authorities; (iii) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of national or
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international hostilities or any crisis or calamity, or any change in the United States or international financial markets, or any substantial change or development involving a prospective substantial change in United States’ or international political, financial or economic conditions, as in the judgment of the Underwriters is material and adverse and makes it impracticable to market the Offered Securities in the manner and on the terms described in the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus or to enforce contracts for the sale of securities; (iv) in the judgment of the Representative there shall have occurred any Material Adverse Change; or (v) the Company shall have sustained a loss by strike, fire, flood, earthquake, accident or other calamity of such character as in the judgment of the Representative may interfere materially with the conduct of the business and operations of the Company regardless of whether or not such loss shall have been insured. Any termination pursuant to this Section 14 shall be without liability on the part of (a) the Company to the Underwriters, except that the Company shall be obligated to reimburse the expenses of the Representative pursuant to Section 6 or Section 9 hereof or (b) the Underwriters to the Company; provided, however, that the provisions of Section 11 and Section 12 shall at all times be effective and shall survive such termination.
Section 15. Effects of Termination on Offered Securities.
(a) If, after application and registration of the Firm Capital Increase and/or any Over-Allotment Capital Increase with the Commercial Register of the Canton of Zug pursuant to Section 3(c) or Section 4(b), prior to the First Closing Date or the relevant Option Closing Date, as the case may be, this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 14, or if the delivery of the Firm Securities or Applicable Optional Securities to the Representative is not completed on the First Closing Date or the relevant Option Closing Date, as the case may be (each, an “Event of Non-Completion”), and unless the Company and the Representative otherwise agree within ten calendar days after the Event of Non-Completion, then:
(i) the Company shall have a call option against the Representative pursuant to Section 15(b);
(ii) if the call option is not exercised, the Representative shall have a put option against the Company pursuant to Section 15(c);
(iii) if the put option is not possible for legal reasons or insufficient to dispose of the Firm Shares or Applicable Optional Shares, as applicable, or if such put option is not exercised within the deadline set forth in Section 15(c), the Company shall effect a Capital Reduction pursuant to Section 15(d); and
(iv) if the Capital Reduction is not effected in accordance with Section 15(d), the Underwriters may sell the Firm Shares or Applicable Optional Shares, as applicable, in the market as provided in Section 15(e).
(b) Call Option.
(i) The Company, acting on its own behalf or on behalf of third parties, shall have the right (the “Call Option”) to request in writing that the Representative deliver the Firm Shares or Applicable Optional Shares, as applicable, to an account specified by the Company against payment of an amount representing the aggregate nominal value of the respective Firm Shares or Applicable Optional Shares, as applicable, plus expenses of the Representative as set out in Section 15(f). The Call Option shall expire on the tenth calendar day after the Event of Non-Completion.
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(ii) An acquisition of the Firm Shares or Applicable Optional Shares, as applicable, by the Company for its own account shall only be permitted if the Company has delivered evidence to the Representative reasonably satisfactory to the Representative that the Company has sufficient freely available reserves to acquire the Firm Shares or Applicable Optional Shares, as applicable, under this Section 15(b) or, alternatively, that the Company has entered into arrangements with a third party other than any of the Company’s subsidiaries ensuring for the immediate re-sale of the Firm Shares or Applicable Optional Shares, as applicable, to such third party, at no less than their nominal value, on the date of acquisition of the Firm Shares or Applicable Optional Shares, as applicable, by the Company.
(c) Put Option.
(i) Following the expiry of the Call Option pursuant to Section 15(b), the Representative shall have an option (the “Put Option”) to require the Company, subject to article 659 CO, to purchase all Firm Shares or Applicable Optional Shares, as applicable, entered in the Commercial Register of the Canton of Zug at their nominal value, plus expenses of the Representative as set out in Section 15(f), within ten calendar days after receipt of a notice in writing addressed to the Company from the Representative, stating that the Representative exercises the Put Option. The Put Option shall expire on the twentieth calendar day after the Event of Non-Completion.
(ii) The notice in which the Representative exercises the Put Option shall specify the date on which the Representative will deliver the Firm Shares or Applicable Optional Shares, as applicable, to the Company against direct payment therefore, and shall contain detailed instructions regarding payment, delivery of the Firm Shares or Applicable Optional Shares, as applicable, and amount payable (including satisfactory details regarding the costs claimed according to Section 15(f)).
(d) Capital Reduction.
(i) If the Put Option is not exercised within the deadline set forth in Section 15(c) or it is not possible for legal reasons or insufficient to dispose of the Firm Shares or Applicable Optional Shares, as applicable, including due to non-availability of sufficient freely disposable reserves, the Company shall immediately call a shareholders’ meeting and table the reduction of the share capital. Such shareholders’ meeting shall take place no later than fifty days after the Event of Non-Completion. The Representative will vote in favor of a reduction of the issued and outstanding share capital of the Company (the “Capital Reduction”) by cancellation of the Firm Shares or Applicable Optional Shares, as applicable, entered in the Commercial Register of the Canton of Zug against repayment of the aggregate nominal value of such securities to the Representative. Prior to such shareholders’ meeting, the Company shall use its best efforts to cause its auditors to confirm in writing, pursuant to article 732 para. 2 CO, that the claims of the Company’s creditors are fully covered notwithstanding the Capital Reduction, provided that if such confirmation is not made by the auditors prior to such meeting, the meeting shall be cancelled. The Company shall use its best efforts to cause its shareholders to vote in favor of the Capital Reduction.
(ii) At the earliest possible date, and subject to statutory law, the Capital Reduction shall be consummated by registration in the Commercial Register of the Canton of Zug. The proceeds of the Capital Reduction, being an amount representing the aggregate nominal value of the Firm Shares or Applicable Optional Shares, as applicable, shall be paid (for value on the date of the entry in the Commercial Register of the Canton of Zug) in cash to the Representative.
(iii) Upon consummation of the Capital Reduction, the Company shall deregister the Firm Shares or Applicable Optional Shares, as applicable, in its book of uncertificated securities
35
(Wertrechtebuch) to reflect the number of Shares registered with the Commercial Register of the Canton of Zug.
(e) Sale of Firm Shares or Applicable Optional Shares. In addition, if an Event of Non-Completion occurs and,
(i) the Company fails to acquire or cause a third party to acquire the Firm Shares or Applicable Optional Shares, as applicable, in accordance with Section 15(b) within ten calendar days after the Event of Non-Completion; and
(ii) in the event and to the extent the Put Option is not possible for legal reasons or insufficient to dispose of the Firm Shares or Applicable Optional Shares, as applicable, including due to insufficient freely disposable reserves, or if the Put Option is not exercised within the deadline set forth in Section 15(c); and
(iii) the Capital Reduction has not been resolved by the shareholders' meeting of the Company within sixty days after the Event of Non-Completion,
the Representative is entitled to sell any or all Firm Shares or Applicable Optional Shares on terms which the Representative deems fit under the circumstances. The difference between the proceeds of such sale and the nominal amount of such Firm Shares or Applicable Optional Shares, as applicable, sold, less the costs and expenses pursuant to Section 15(f) reasonably incurred by the Representative in connection with the sale, if any, shall be transferred to the Company.
(f) Costs; Indemnity.
(i) The Company shall bear (a) all costs directly incidental to the Capital Reduction, including but not limited to notarization costs, costs of the Commercial Register and costs of publication of the Capital Reduction and (b) the costs of the Representative reasonably incurred in connection with the Call Option, the Put Option or the Capital Reduction, as applicable (including but not limited to (x) taxes, (y) interest at a rate of the 3-month CHF LIBOR, calculated on a 30/360 basis, following the Event of Non-Completion until the payment of proceeds to the Representative and (z) reasonable out of pocket expenses of the Representative and its counsel).
(ii) The Company further undertakes to indemnify the Representative for, and to hold the Representative harmless from, any reasonable costs, expenses, third party claims and liabilities, actual or contingent, that may be incurred by or made against the Representative in connection with the Capital Reduction.
Section 16. No Advisory or Fiduciary Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (a) the purchase and sale of the Offered Securities pursuant to this Agreement, including the determination of the public offering price of the Offered Securities and any related discounts and commissions, is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, (b) in connection with the offering contemplated hereby and the process leading to such transaction, the Underwriters are and have been acting solely as a principal and are not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, or its stockholders, creditors, employees or any other party, (c) the Underwriters have not assumed or will not assume an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether the Underwriters have advised or are currently advising the Company on other matters) and the Underwriters have no obligation to the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby except
36
the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement, (d) the Underwriters and their affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the Company, and (e) the Underwriters have not provided any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to the offering contemplated hereby and the Company has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate.
Section 17. Representations and Indemnities to Survive Delivery. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company, of its officers and of the Underwriters set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Underwriters or the Company or any of its or their partners, officers or directors or any controlling person, as the case may be, and, anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, will survive delivery of and payment for the Offered Securities sold hereunder and any termination of this Agreement.
Section 18. Notices. All communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be mailed, hand delivered or telecopied and confirmed to the parties hereto as follows:
| If to the Underwriter: | Roth Capital Partners, LLC |
| 800 San Clemente Drive, Suite 400 | |
| Newport Beach, CA 92660 | |
| Facsimile: (949) 720-7227 | |
| Attention: Managing Director | |
| with a copy to: | Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. |
| 666 Third Avenue | |
| New York, NY 10017 | |
| Facsimile: (212) 983-3115 | |
| Attention: Ivan K. Blumenthal, Esq. | |
| If to the Company: | Auris Medical Holding AG |
| Bahnhofstrasse 21 | |
| 6300 Zug | |
| Switzerland | |
| Facsimile: +41 61 201 13 51 | |
| Attention: Thomas Meyer | |
| with a copy to: | Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP |
| 450 Lexington Avenue | |
| New York, NY 10017 | |
| Facsimile: (212) 701-5762 | |
| Attention: Sophia Hudson |
Any party hereto may change the address for receipt of communications by giving written notice to the others.
Section 19. Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and to the benefit of the affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents and controlling persons referred to in Section 11 and Section 12, and in each case their respective successors,
37
and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder. The term “successors” shall not include any purchaser of the Offered Securities as such from the Underwriters merely by reason of such purchase.
Section 20. Partial Unenforceability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other section, paragraph or provision hereof. If any section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement is for any reason determined to be invalid or unenforceable, there shall be deemed to be made such minor changes (and only such minor changes) as are necessary to make it valid and enforceable.
Section 21. Governing Law Provisions; Currency Provisions. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be performed in such state. Any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby (“Related Proceedings”) may be instituted in the federal courts of the United States of America located in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York or the courts of the State of New York in each case located in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York (collectively, the “Specified Courts”), and each party irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction (except for proceedings instituted in regard to the enforcement of a judgment of any such court (a “Related Judgment”), as to which such jurisdiction is non-exclusive) of such courts in any such suit, action or proceeding. Service of any process, summons, notice or document by mail to such party’s address set forth above shall be effective service of process for any suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court. The parties irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or other proceeding in the Specified Courts and irrevocably and unconditionally waive and agree not to plead or claim in any such court that any such suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum. The Company and each other party not located in the United States has irrevocably appointed Auris Medical Inc., which currently maintains an office at 500 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 600, Chicago Illinois 60611, United States of America, as its agent to receive service of process or other legal summons for purposes of any such suit, action or proceeding that may be instituted in any state or federal court in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York, United States of America.
With respect to any Related Proceeding, each party irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, all immunity (whether on the basis of sovereignty or otherwise) from jurisdiction, service of process, attachment (both before and after judgment) and execution to which it might otherwise be entitled in the Specified Courts, and with respect to any Related Judgment, each party waives any such immunity in the Specified Courts or any other court of competent jurisdiction, and will not raise or claim or cause to be pleaded any such immunity at or in respect of any such Related Proceeding or Related Judgment, including, without limitation, any immunity pursuant to the United States Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976, as amended.
The obligations of the Company pursuant to this Agreement in respect of any sum due to the Underwriters shall, notwithstanding any judgment in a currency other than United States dollars, not be discharged until the first business day, following receipt by the Underwriters of any sum adjudged to be so due in such other currency, on which the Underwriters may in accordance with normal banking procedures purchase United States dollars with such other currency. If the United States dollars so purchased are less than the sum originally due to the Underwriters in United States dollars hereunder, the Company agrees as a separate obligation and notwithstanding any such judgment, to indemnify the Underwriters against such loss. If the United States dollars so purchased are greater than the sum originally due to the Underwriters hereunder, the Underwriters agree to pay to the Company an amount equal to the excess of the dollars so purchased over the sum originally due to the Underwriters hereunder.
38
All payments made by the Company under this Agreement, if any, will be made without withholding or deduction for or on account of any present or future taxes, duties, assessments or governmental charges of whatever nature (other than taxes on net income) imposed or levied by or on behalf of Switzerland, any other jurisdiction from or through which payment is made, or, in each case, any political subdivision or any taxing authority thereof or therein unless the Company is or becomes required by law to withhold or deduct such taxes, duties, assessments or other governmental charges. In such event, the Company will pay such additional amounts as will result, after such withholding or deduction, in the receipt by the Underwriters and each person controlling the Underwriters, as the case may be, of the amounts that would otherwise have been receivable in respect thereof.
Section 22. General Provisions. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the parties to this Agreement and supersedes all prior written or oral and all contemporaneous oral agreements, understandings and negotiations with respect to the subject matter hereof. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each one of which shall be an original, and delivered by electronic means, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument. This Agreement may not be amended or modified unless in writing by all of the parties hereto, and no condition herein (express or implied) may be waived unless waived in writing by each party whom the condition is meant to benefit. The section headings herein are for the convenience of the parties only and shall not affect the construction or interpretation of this Agreement.
Each of the parties hereto acknowledges that it is a sophisticated business person who was adequately represented by counsel during negotiations regarding the provisions hereof, including, without limitation, the indemnification provisions of Section 11 and the contribution provisions of Section 12, and is fully informed regarding said provisions. Each of the parties hereto further acknowledges that the provisions of Section 11 and Section 12 hereof fairly allocate the risks in light of the ability of the parties to investigate the Company, its affairs and its business in order to assure that adequate disclosure has been made in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, each free writing prospectus and the Prospectus (and any amendments and supplements to the foregoing), as contemplated by the Securities Act and the Exchange Act.
39
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, kindly sign and return to the Company the enclosed copies hereof, whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts hereof, shall become a binding agreement in accordance with its terms.
| Very truly yours, | |||
| AURIS MEDICAL HOLDING AG | |||
| By: | /s/ Anne Sabine Zoller | ||
| Name: | Anne Sabine Zoller | ||
| Title: | General Counsel | ||
The foregoing Underwriting Agreement is hereby confirmed and accepted by the Representative in New York, New York as of the date first above written.
ROTH CAPITAL PARTNERS,
LLC
as the Representative of the several
Underwriters listed on Schedule I
| By: | /s/ Aaron Gurewitz | ||
| Name: | Aaron Gurewitz | ||
| Title: | Head of Equity Capital Markets | ||
Schedule I
| Number of Shares | Number of Warrants | |||||||
| Roth Capital Partners, LLC | 10,000,000 | 10,000,000 | ||||||
| Total | 10,000,000 | 10,000,000 | ||||||
Schedule A
Free Writing Prospectuses Included in the Time of Sale Prospectus
None.
Schedule B
Pricing Information
Price to public: $1.00 per unit, consisting of one Share and one Warrant
Firm Securities: 10,000,000 Firm Shares and 10,000,000 Firm Warrants
Optional Securities: 1,500,000 Option Shares and/or 1,500,000 Option Warrants
Warrant Shares: 0.7 Shares per Warrant
Warrant Exercise Price: $1.20 per Share
Term of the Warrant: Five years
Exhibit A
Form of Lock-up Agreement
_________, 2017
Roth Capital Partners, LLC
888 San Clemente Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660
As Representative of the Several Underwriters
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The undersigned is an owner of common shares (“Common Shares”), nominal value CHF 0.40 per common share, of Auris Medical Holding AG, a stock corporation organized under the laws of Switzerland (the “Company”). This Lock-Up Agreement is being delivered to you in connection with the proposed Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) to be entered into by and between the Company and Roth Capital Partners, LLC, as representative (the “Representative”) of the underwriters named in Schedule A to the Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriters,” or each, an “Underwriter”), with respect to the proposed public offering (the “Offering”), of securities of the Company including Common Shares. Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings given them in the Underwriting Agreement.
In order to induce you to enter into the Underwriting Agreement, the undersigned agrees that, for a period (the “Lock-Up Period”) beginning on the date hereof and ending on, and including, the date that is 60 days after the date of the final prospectus supplement relating to the Offering, the undersigned will not, without the prior written consent of the Representative, (i) sell, offer to sell, contract or agree to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of or agree to dispose of, directly or indirectly, or file (or participate in the filing of) a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) in respect of, or establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder (the “Exchange Act”) with respect to, any Common Shares or Related Securities (as defined below), (ii) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of Common Shares or any Related Securities, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of Common Shares or such Related Securities, in cash or otherwise or (iii) publicly announce an intention to effect any transaction specified in clause (i) or (ii).
“Related Securities” shall mean any other securities of the Company that are substantially similar to Common Shares, or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, or any warrants or other rights to purchase, Common Shares.
The foregoing paragraph shall not apply to (a) the registration of the offer and sale of securities of the Company including Common Shares as contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement and the sale of securities of the Company including Common Shares to the several Underwriters in the Offering, (b) any Common Shares and Related Securities acquired by the undersigned in the Offering, (c) bona fide gifts, provided that the recipient thereof agrees in writing with the Representative to be bound by the terms of this Lock-Up Agreement (d) dispositions to any trust for the direct or indirect benefit of the undersigned and/or the immediate family of the undersigned, provided that such trust agrees in writing with the Representative to be bound by the terms of this Lock-Up Agreement, (e) transfers of Common Shares or Related Securities on death by will or intestacy, (f) sales or transfers of Common Shares or Related Securities pursuant to a trading plan entered into prior to the date hereof pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act, a copy of which has been provided to the Representative, (g) the inclusion of
2
securities issued or issuable to the undersigned in a registration statement on Form S-8, (h) distributions of Common Shares or Related Securities to members or stockholders of the undersigned or to any corporation, partnership or other person or entity that is a direct or indirect affiliate of the undersigned (provided that any person or entity that receives Common Shares or Related Securities pursuant to a distribution agrees in writing to be bound by the terms hereof), (i) any Common Shares or Related Securities issued under the Company’s equity-based compensation plans that are used for the primary purpose of satisfying any withholding tax or other governmental withholding or payment obligation or any exercise price, through cashless surrender or otherwise, or (j) the transfer of the undersigned’s Common Shares or Related Securities to the Company pursuant to any contractual arrangement in effect on the date of this letter agreement that provides for the repurchase of the undersigned’s Common Shares or Related Securities by the Company or in connection with the termination of the undersigned’s employment with the Company or the undersigned’s failure to meet certain conditions set out upon receipt of such Common Shares or Related Securities (provided that any person or entity that receives Common Shares or Related Securities pursuant to any contractual arrangement in effect on the date of this letter agreement agrees in writing to be bound by the terms hereof). No provision in this Lock-Up Agreement shall be deemed to restrict or prohibit the exercise by the undersigned of any option, warrant and/or conversion of convertible securities to acquired shares of Common Shares (or securities exercisable for or convertible into Common Shares), including but not limited to pursuant to the existing Company’s equity incentive plans; provided that you do not transfer the Common Shares or other securities acquired on such exercise or conversion during the Lock-Up Period, except to the extent necessary to satisfy withholding taxes or unless otherwise permitted pursuant to the terms of this Lock-Up Agreement. In addition, the restrictions sets forth herein shall not prevent the undersigned from entering into a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act after the date hereof, provided that (i) a copy of such plan is provided to the Representative promptly upon entering into the same and (ii) no sales or transfers may be made under such plan until the Lock-Up Period ends or this Lock-Up Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms. For purposes of this paragraph, “immediate family” shall mean any child, stepchild, parent, stepparent, spouse, sibling, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law of such security holder, and any person (other than a tenant or employee) sharing the household of such security holder.
In addition, the undersigned hereby waives any rights the undersigned may have to require registration of Common Shares in connection with the Offering. The undersigned further agrees that, for the Lock-Up Period, the undersigned will not, without the prior written consent of the Representative, make any demand for, or exercise any right with respect to, the registration of Common Shares or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Shares, or warrants or other rights to purchase Common Shares or any such securities.
In the event that any percentage of the Common Shares or Related Securities held by any person or entity other than the undersigned that is subject to a lock-up agreement related to the Offering similar in form to this agreement, is released from any restrictions set forth in such lock-up agreement, the same percentage of the Common Shares or Related Securities held by the undersigned shall be immediately and fully released from any remaining restrictions on transfer set forth in this agreement concurrently therewith; provided, however, that the Representative will not be obligated to release the undersigned from the restrictions on transfer set forth in this agreement in connection with any release described in this paragraph unless and until the Representative has first released from such restrictions Common Shares or Related Securities belonging to such person or entity valued at more than $250,000. In the event that the undersigned is released from any of its obligations under this agreement or, by virtue of this agreement, becomes entitled to offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, or otherwise transfer or dispose of any Common Shares or Related Securities prior to the end of the Lock-Up Period, the Representative shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to notify the undersigned within three business days; provided that the failure to give such notice shall not give rise to any claim or liability against the Representative.
The undersigned hereby confirms that the undersigned has not, directly or indirectly, taken, and hereby covenants that the undersigned will not, directly or indirectly, take, any action designed, or which has constituted or will constitute or might reasonably be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of shares of Common Shares.
If (i) the Underwriting Agreement does not become effective on or before February 17, 2017, (ii) for any reason the Underwriting Agreement shall be terminated pursuant to its terms, or (iii) the Representative, on the one
3
hand, or the Company, on the other hand, informs the other, prior to the execution of the Underwriting Agreement, that it has determined not to proceed with the Offering, this Lock-Up Agreement shall be terminated and the undersigned shall be released from its obligations hereunder.
This Lock-Up Agreement shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York without regard to the principles of conflict of laws.
[Signature page follows]
4
| Very truly yours, | |
| (Name - Please Print) | |
| (Signature) | |
| (Name of Signatory, in the case of entities - Please Print) | |
| (Title of Signatory, in the case of entities - Please Print) |
| Address: | ||
A-1
Exhibit B
Directors, Officers and Others
Signing Lock-up Agreement
Directors:
Thomas Meyer
James I. Healy
Armando Anido
Wolfgang Arnold
Oliver Kubli
Berndt A. Modig
Antoine Papiernik
Calvin W. Roberts
Officers:
Thomas Meyer
Anne Sabine Zoller
Herman Levett
Thomas Jung
Andrea Braun-Scherhag
Others:
Sofinnova Venture Partners VIII, L.P.
Sofinnova Capital VII FCPR
A-2
Exhibit C
Zeichnungsschein
Subscription Form
_____________________________________________________________________
Die Unterzeichnende
The undersigned
[Company Name Subscriber], [address/seat]
handelnd im eigenen Namen sowie im Namen und auf Rechnung von
[name/company name], [address/seat],
acting in its own name and in the name and for the account of [name/company name], [address/seat],
hat Kenntnis genommen:
takes note of:
(i) vom Emissionsprospekts vom [Datum] 2016, (ii) von den Statuten von Auris Medical Holding AG, Zug (die Gesellschaft) vom 8. April 2016, (iii) vom Generalversammlungsbeschluss der Gesellschaft vom 8. April 2016 betreffend die Ermächtigung des Verwaltungsrates der Gesellschaft, das Aktienkapital jederzeit bis zum 8. April 2018 im Maximalbetrag von CHF 6‘860‘000.00 durch Ausgabe von höchstens 17‘150‘000 vollständig zu liberierenden Namenaktien mit einem Nennwert von je CHF 0.40 zu erhöhen, und (iv) vom Beschluss des Verwaltungsrates der Gesellschaft vom [Datum] 2016, wonach gestützt auf Artikel 3a der Statuten über das genehmigte Kapital beschlossen wurde, das Aktienkapital in einem oder mehreren Schritten von CHF 13‘721‘556.40 um maximal CHF 6‘860‘000.00 auf maximal CHF 20‘581‘556.40 durch Ausgabe von maximal 17‘150‘000 neuen Aktien mit einem Nominalwert von CHF 0.40 pro Aktie zu erhöhen, zu einem Ausgabebetrag von CHF 0.40 pro Aktie, d.h. insgesamt um maximal CHF 6‘860‘000.00;
(i) the offering prospectus dated [date], 2016, (ii) the articles of association of Auris Medical Holding AG, Zug (the Company), dated April 8, 2016, (iii) the resolution of the general meeting of shareholders of the Company, dated April 8, 2016, authorizing the Board of Directors of the Company to increase, at any time until April 8, 2018, by a maximum amount of CHF 6,860,000.00 by issuing a maximum of 17,150,000 fully paid-up shares with a par value of CHF 0.40 each, and (iv) the resolution of the Board of Directors of the Company, dated [date], 2016, pursuant to which the share capital is to be increased, in one or in more steps, from CHF 13,721,556.40 by a maximum amount of CHF 6,860,000.00 to a maximum amount of CHF 20,581,556.40 through the issuance of a maximum amount of 17,150,000 new shares with a par value of CHF 0.40 each, at the issue amount of CHF 0.40 per share, i.e., for an aggregate issue amount of up to CHF 6,860,000.00;
C-1
und / and
| 1 | zeichnet hiermit ● neue Namenaktien zum Nominalwert von je CHF 0.40; und |
hereby subscribes for ● new registered shares with a par value of CHF 0.40 each; and
| 2 | verpflichtet sich hiermit bedingungslos, auf jede gezeichnete Aktie eine Einlage von CHF 0.40, insgesamt somit CHF ●,
zu leisten auf das Kapitaleinzahlungskonto bei der [*******], Rubrik Auris Medical
Holding AG, Zug. herewith unconditionally undertakes to pay-in the contribution of CHF 0.40 for each subscribed share, thus in total CHF ●, to the capital increase account with [*******], Reference Auris Medical Holding AG, Zug. |
Dieser Zeichnungsschein ist gültig bis zum [31. Dezember 2017].
This subscription form is valid until [December 31, 2017].
[Place], [date] 2017
[Company Name Subscriber]
| [first name] [last name] | [first name] [last name] |
C-2
Exhibit 4.1
COMMON SHARE PURCHASE WARRANT
AURIS MEDICAL holding ag
| Warrant Shares: [_______] | Initial Exercise Date: February 21, 2017 Issue Date: February 21, 2017
|
THIS COMMON SHARE PURCHASE WARRANT (the “Warrant”) certifies that, for value received, [_____________] or its assigns (the “Holder”) is entitled, upon the terms and subject to the limitations on exercise and the conditions hereinafter set forth, at any time on or after the date hereof (the “Initial Exercise Date”) and on or prior to the close of business on the five (5) year anniversary of the Initial Exercise Date (the “Termination Date”) but not thereafter, to subscribe for and purchase from Auris Medical Holding AG, a company established in Switzerland (the “Company”), up to [______] (as subject to adjustment hereunder, the “Warrant Shares”) of registered common shares, nominal value CHF 0.40 per share (each, a “Common Share”). The purchase price of one Common Share under this Warrant shall be equal to the Exercise Price, as defined in Section 2(b).
Section 1. Definitions. The following terms, as used herein, have the following meanings:
“Accredited Investor” has the meaning set forth in Rule 501 of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act.
“Affiliate” means any Person that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls or is controlled by or is under common control with a Person, as such terms are used in and construed under Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
“Business Day” means any day except any Saturday, any Sunday, any day which is a federal legal holiday in the United States or Switzerland or any day on which banking institutions in the State of New York or Switzerland are authorized or required by law or other governmental action to close.
“Commission” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Market Price” of a Common Share on any date shall mean the arithmetic mean of the VWAP on each of the five (5) consecutive Trading Days immediately preceding such date. The Market Price shall be appropriately adjusted for any stock dividend, stock split, stock combination or other similar transaction during such period.
1
“Person” means an individual or corporation, partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated association, joint venture, limited liability company, joint stock company, government (or an agency or subdivision thereof) or other entity of any kind.
“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Trading Day” means a day on which the Common Stock is traded on a Trading Market.
“Trading Market” means any of the following markets or exchanges on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted for trading on the date in question: the NYSE MKT, the Nasdaq Capital Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the New York Stock Exchange or the OTC Bulletin Board (or any successors to any of the foregoing).
“Transfer Agent” means the transfer agent for the Company’s Common Shares.
“VWAP” means, for any date, the price determined by the first of the following clauses that applies: (a) if the Common Shares are then listed or quoted on a Trading Market, the daily volume weighted average price per share of the Common Shares for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on the Trading Market on which the Common Shares are then listed or quoted as reported by Bloomberg L.P. (based on a Trading Day from 9:30 a.m. (New York City time) to 4:02 p.m. (New York City time)). If VWAP cannot be calculated on such date on any of the foregoing bases, the VWAP on such date shall be the fair market value per share of the Common Shares as mutually determined by the Company and the Holder.
Section 2. Exercise.
a) Exercise of Warrant. Exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant may be made, in whole or in part, at any time or times on or after the Initial Exercise Date and on or before the Termination Date by (i) delivery to the Company (or such other office, agency or bank of the Company as it may designate by notice in writing to the registered Holder at the address of the Holder appearing on the books of the Company) of the duly executed original of the Notice of Exercise in the form annexed as Exhibit A hereto and (ii) no later than one (1) Trading Day following the date said Notice of Exercise is delivered to the Company or, if the Notice of Exercise is held in escrow by the Company, the date that the relevant instruction to complete the Notice of Exercise is sent via email to the Company, payment of the aggregate Exercise Price for the Common Shares specified in such Notice of Exercise in cash by wire transfer to a bank account in Switzerland specified by the Company (the “Bank Account”); provided, that any single exercise shall be for Common Shares with an aggregate Exercise Price of no less than $25,000 (or if the Holder’s purchase rights hereunder shall then be for Common Shares with an aggregate Exercise Price of less than $25,000, such exercise shall be for all Common Shares then subject to purchase hereunder). At the Holder’s election, such Holder may deposit an executed Notice of Exercise in escrow with the Company and may thereafter provide irrevocable instructions to the Company with information necessary to complete such Notice of Exercise via email sent to [************]. The Company will complete such Notice of Exercise with such information and thereafter
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release such Notice of Exercise from escrow such that the Notice of Exercise shall be delivered to the Company. No medallion guarantee (or other type of guarantee or notarization) of any Notice of Exercise form shall be required. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Holder shall not be required to physically surrender this Warrant to the Company until the Holder has purchased all of the Warrant Shares available hereunder and the Warrant has been exercised in full, in which case, the Holder shall surrender this Warrant to the Company for cancellation within three (3) Trading Days of the date the final Notice of Exercise is delivered to the Company. Partial exercises of this Warrant resulting in purchases of a portion of the total number of Warrant Shares available hereunder shall have the effect of lowering the outstanding number of Warrant Shares purchasable hereunder in an amount equal to the applicable number of Warrant Shares purchased. The Holder and the Company shall maintain records showing the number of Warrant Shares purchased and the date of such purchases. The Company shall deliver any objection to any Notice of Exercise within one (1) Business Day of receipt of such notice. If there is no effective registration statement under the Securities Act permitting the issuance of Warrant Shares upon exercise of this Warrant, a Holder may not exercise the purchase rights represented by this Warrant unless such Holder, at the time of such exercise, is an Accredited Investor and such Holder, at the Company’s request, represents the same to the Company in writing. The Holder and any assignee, by acceptance of this Warrant, acknowledge and agree that, by reason of the provisions of this paragraph, following the purchase of a portion of the Warrant Shares hereunder, the number of Warrant Shares available for purchase hereunder at any given time may be less than the amount stated on the face hereof.
b) Exercise Price. The exercise price per Common Share under this Warrant shall be $1.20, subject to adjustment hereunder (the “Exercise Price”). In no event shall the Exercise Price be adjusted below the nominal value (or U.S. dollar equivalent) of the Common Shares, which is CHF 0.40 as of the Initial Exercise Date.
c) If an executed Notice of Exercise is delivered to the Company in accordance with the provisions of Section 2(a) at a time when there is no effective registration statement registering, or the prospectus contained therein is not available for the issuance of the Warrant Shares to the Holder (“Registration Unavailability Period”), then, (i) the Company shall pay to the Holder, in cash, an amount equal to the product of (A-B) and (X) and (ii) the number of Warrant Shares available for purchase hereunder shall be decreased by an amount equal to (X), where:
| (A) = | the last VWAP immediately preceding the time of delivery of the executed Notice of Exercise during the Registration Unavailability Period (to clarify, the “last VWAP” will be the last VWAP as calculated over an entire Trading Day such that, in the event the Notice of Exercise is delivered at a time that the Trading Market is open, the prior Trading Day’s VWAP shall be used in this calculation); | |
| (B) = | the Exercise Price of this Warrant, as adjusted hereunder; and |
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(X) = the number of Warrant Shares that would be issuable upon exercise of this Warrant pursuant to the executed Notice of Exercise delivered during the Registration Unavailability Period.
d) Mechanics of Exercise.
i. Delivery of Warrant Shares Upon Exercise. The Company shall cause the Warrant Shares purchased hereunder to be transmitted by the Transfer Agent to the Holder by crediting the account of the Holder’s or its designee’s balance account with The Depository Trust Company through its Deposit or Withdrawal at Custodian system (“DWAC”) if the Company is then a participant in such system and there is an effective registration statement under the Securities Act permitting the issuance of the Warrant Shares to or resale of the Warrant Shares by Holder, and otherwise by physical delivery of a certificate, registered in the Company’s share register in the name of the Holder or its designee, for the number of Warrant Shares to which the Holder is entitled pursuant to such exercise to the address specified by the Holder in the Notice of Exercise by the date that is the earlier of (i) two (2) Trading Days and (ii) the number of Trading Days comprising the Standard Settlement Period (as defined herein) following the date that the Company receives the latter of the executed Notice of Exercise and the applicable Exercise Price (such date, the “Warrant Share Delivery Date”). With respect to a Holder that elects to deposit an executed Notice of Exercise with the Company, such Holder shall be deemed, for purposes of Regulation SHO, to have become a holder of the Warrant Shares with respect to which this Warrant has been exercised upon the email delivery of the relevant instruction necessary to complete the Notice of Exercise to the Company. If the Company fails for any reason to deliver to the Holder the Warrant Shares subject to a Notice of Exercise by the Warrant Share Delivery Date, the Company shall pay to the Holder, in cash, as liquidated damages and not as a penalty, for each $1,000 of Warrant Shares subject to such exercise (based on the VWAP of the Common Shares on the date of the applicable Notice of Exercise), $5 per Trading Day (increasing to $10 per Trading Day on the fifth Trading Day after such liquidated damages begin to accrue) for each Trading Day after such Warrant Share Delivery Date until such Warrant Shares are delivered. The Company agrees to maintain a transfer agent that is a participant in the FAST program so long as this Warrant remains outstanding and exercisable. As used herein, “Standard Settlement Period” means the standard settlement period, expressed in a number of Trading Days, on the Company’s primary Trading Market with respect to the Common Shares as in effect on the date of delivery of the Notice of Exercise.
ii. Delivery of New Warrants Upon Exercise. If this Warrant shall have been exercised in part, the Company shall, at the request of a Holder and upon surrender of this Warrant, at the time of delivery of the
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Warrant Shares, deliver to the Holder a new Warrant evidencing the rights of the Holder to purchase the unpurchased Warrant Shares called for by this Warrant, which new Warrant shall in all other respects be identical with this Warrant.
iii. [Reserved].
iv. Compensation for Buy-In on Failure to Timely Deliver Warrant Shares Upon Exercise. In addition to any other rights available to the Holder, if the Company fails to cause the Transfer Agent to transmit to the Holder the Warrant Shares in accordance with the provisions of Section 2(d)(i) above pursuant to an exercise on or before the Warrant Share Delivery Date, and if after such date the Holder is required by its broker to purchase (in an open market transaction or otherwise) or the Holder’s brokerage firm otherwise purchases, Common Shares to deliver in satisfaction of a sale by the Holder of the Warrant Shares which the Holder anticipated receiving upon such exercise (a “Buy-In”), then the Company shall (A) pay in cash to the Holder the amount, if any, by which (x) the Holder’s total purchase price (including brokerage commissions, if any) for the Common Shares so purchased exceeds (y) the amount obtained by multiplying (1) the number of Warrant Shares that the Company was required to deliver to the Holder in connection with the exercise at issue times (2) the price at which the sell order giving rise to such purchase obligation was executed (without deducting brokerage commissions, if any), and (B) at the option of the Holder, either reinstate the portion of the Warrant and equivalent number of Warrant Shares for which such exercise was not honored (in which case such exercise shall be deemed rescinded) or deliver to the Holder the number of Common Shares that would have been issued had the Company timely complied with its exercise and delivery obligations hereunder. For example, if the Holder purchases Common Shares having a total purchase price of $11,000 to cover a Buy-In with respect to an attempted exercise of Common Shares with an aggregate sale price giving rise to such purchase obligation of $10,000, under clause (A) of the immediately preceding sentence the Company shall be required to pay the Holder $1,000. The Holder shall provide the Company written notice indicating the amounts payable to the Holder in respect of the Buy-In and, upon request of the Company, evidence of the amount of such loss. Nothing herein shall limit a Holder’s right to pursue any other remedies available to it hereunder, at law or in equity including, without limitation, a decree of specific performance and/or injunctive relief with respect to the Company’s failure to timely deliver Common Shares upon exercise of the Warrant as required pursuant to the terms hereof.
v. No Fractional Shares or Scrip. No fractional shares or scrip representing fractional shares shall be issued upon the exercise of this Warrant. As to any fraction of a share which the Holder would otherwise
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be entitled to purchase upon such exercise, the Company shall, at its election, either pay a cash adjustment in respect of such final fraction in an amount equal to such fraction multiplied by the Exercise Price or round up to the next whole share.
vi. Charges, Taxes and Expenses. Issuance of Warrant Shares shall be made without charge to the Holder for any issue or transfer tax or other incidental expense in respect of the issuance of such Warrant Shares, all of which taxes and expenses shall be paid by the Company, and such Warrant Shares shall be issued in the name of the Holder or in such name or names as may be directed by the Holder; provided, however, that in the event that Warrant Shares are to be issued in a name other than the name of the Holder, this Warrant when surrendered for exercise shall be accompanied by the Assignment Form attached hereto as Exhibit B duly executed by the Holder and the Company may require, as a condition thereto, the payment of a sum sufficient to reimburse it for any transfer tax incidental thereto. The Company shall pay all Transfer Agent fees required for same-day processing of any Notice of Exercise and all fees to the Depository Trust Company (or another established clearing corporation performing similar functions) required for same-day electronic delivery of the Warrant Shares.
vii. Closing of Books. The Company will not close its shareholder books or records in any manner which prevents the timely exercise of this Warrant, pursuant to the terms hereof.
e) Holder’s Exercise Limitations. The Company shall not effect any exercise of this Warrant, and a Holder shall not have the right to exercise any portion of this Warrant, pursuant to Section 2 or otherwise, to the extent that after giving effect to such issuance after exercise as set forth on the applicable Notice of Exercise, the Holder (together with the Holder’s Affiliates, and any other Persons acting as a group together with the Holder or any of the Holder’s Affiliates (such Persons, “Attribution Parties”)), would beneficially own in excess of the Beneficial Ownership Limitation (as defined below), provided that this restriction shall not apply with respect to exercises of this Warrant by a Holder to the extent such Holder together with its Affiliates and Attribution Parties beneficially owned in excess of the Beneficial Ownership Limitation prior to the Initial Exercise Date. For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the number of Common Shares beneficially owned by the Holder and its Affiliates and Attribution Parties shall include the number of Common Shares issuable upon exercise of this Warrant with respect to which such determination is being made, but shall exclude the number of Common Shares which would be issuable upon (i) exercise of the remaining, nonexercised portion of this Warrant beneficially owned by the Holder or any of its Affiliates or Attribution Parties and (ii) exercise or conversion of the unexercised or nonconverted portion of any other securities of the Company (including, without limitation, any other Common Share Equivalents) subject to a limitation on conversion or exercise analogous to the limitation contained herein beneficially owned by the Holder or any of its Affiliates or Attribution Parties. Except as set forth in the preceding
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sentence, for purposes of this Section 2(e), beneficial ownership shall be calculated in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, it being acknowledged by the Holder that the Company is not representing to the Holder that such calculation is in compliance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the Holder is solely responsible for any schedules required to be filed in accordance therewith. To the extent that the limitation contained in this Section 2(e) applies, the determination of whether this Warrant is exercisable (in relation to other securities owned by the Holder together with any Affiliates and Attribution Parties) and of which portion of this Warrant is exercisable shall be in the sole discretion of the Holder, and the submission of a Notice of Exercise shall be deemed to be the Holder’s determination of whether this Warrant is exercisable (in relation to other securities owned by the Holder together with any Affiliates and Attribution Parties) and of which portion of this Warrant is exercisable, in each case subject to the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, and the Company shall have no obligation to verify or confirm the accuracy of such determination. In addition, a determination as to any group status as contemplated above shall be determined in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. For purposes of this Section 2(e), in determining the number of outstanding Common Shares, a Holder may rely on the number of outstanding Common Shares as reflected in (A) the Company’s most recent annual report filed with the Commission, (B) a more recent public announcement by the Company or (C) a more recent written notice by the Company or the Transfer Agent setting forth the number of Common Shares outstanding. Upon the written or oral request of a Holder, the Company shall within two Trading Days confirm orally and in writing to the Holder the number of Common Shares then outstanding. In any case, the number of outstanding Common Shares shall be determined after giving effect to the conversion or exercise of securities of the Company, including this Warrant, by the Holder or its Affiliates or Attribution Parties since the date as of which such number of outstanding Common Shares was reported. The “Beneficial Ownership Limitation” shall be 4.99% of the number of Common Shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to the issuance of Common Shares issuable upon exercise of this Warrant. The Holder, upon notice to the Company, may increase or decrease the Beneficial Ownership Limitation provisions of this Section 2(e), provided that the Beneficial Ownership Limitation in no event exceeds 9.99% of the number of Common Shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to the issuance of Common Shares upon exercise of this Warrant held by the Holder and the provisions of this Section 2(e) shall continue to apply. Any increase in the Beneficial Ownership Limitation will not be effective until the 61st day after such notice is delivered to the Company. The provisions of this paragraph shall be construed and implemented in a manner otherwise than in strict conformity with the terms of this Section 2(e) to correct this paragraph (or any portion hereof) which may be defective or inconsistent with the intended Beneficial Ownership Limitation herein contained or to make changes or supplements necessary or desirable to properly give effect to such limitation. The limitations contained in this paragraph shall apply to a successor holder of this Warrant.
Section 3. Certain Adjustments.
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a) Share Dividends and Splits. If the Company, at any time while this Warrant is outstanding: (i) pays a share dividend or otherwise makes a distribution or distributions on Common Shares or any other equity or equity equivalent securities payable in Common Shares (which, for avoidance of doubt, shall not include any Common Shares issued by the Company upon exercise of this Warrant), (ii) subdivides outstanding Common Shares into a larger number of shares, (iii) combines (including by way of reverse share split) outstanding Common Shares into a smaller number of shares, or (iv) issues by reclassification of the Common Shares any shares of capital share of the Company, then in each case the Exercise Price shall be multiplied by a fraction of which the numerator shall be the number of Common Shares (excluding treasury shares, if any) outstanding immediately before such event and of which the denominator shall be the number of Common Shares outstanding immediately after such event, and the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of this Warrant shall be proportionately adjusted such that the aggregate Exercise Price of this Warrant shall remain unchanged. Any adjustment made pursuant to this Section 3(a) shall become effective immediately after the record date for the determination of shareholders entitled to receive such dividend or distribution and shall become effective immediately after the effective date in the case of a subdivision, combination or re-classification.
b) [Reserved].
c) Cash Dividends. During such time as this Warrant is outstanding, if the Company shall declare or make any cash dividend or other cash distribution to holders of Common Shares (a “Cash Dividend”), at any time after the issuance of this Warrant, then, then (i) any Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to the close of business on the record date fixed for the determination of holders of Common Shares entitled to receive the Cash Dividend shall be reduced, effective as of the close of business on such record date, to a price determined by multiplying such Exercise Price by a fraction of which (A) the numerator shall be the Market Price of the Common Shares on the Trading Day immediately preceding such record date minus the amount of the Cash Dividend applicable to one Common Share, and (B) the denominator shall be the Market Price of the Common Shares on the Trading Day immediately preceding such record date; and (ii) the number of Warrant Shares shall be increased to a number of Common Shares equal to the number of shares of Common Stock obtainable immediately prior to the close of business on the record date fixed for the determination of holders of shares of Common Stock entitled to receive the Cash Dividend multiplied by the reciprocal of the fraction set forth in the immediately preceding clause (i).
d) Fundamental Transaction. If, at any time while this Warrant is outstanding, (i) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions effects any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another Person, (ii) the Company, directly or indirectly, effects any sale, lease, license, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of its assets in one or a series of related transactions, (iii) any, direct or indirect, purchase offer, tender offer or exchange offer (whether by the Company or another Person) is completed pursuant to which holders of Common Shares are permitted to sell, tender or exchange their shares for other securities, cash or property and has been accepted by the holders of 50% or more of the
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outstanding Common Shares, (iv) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions effects any reclassification, reorganization or recapitalization of the Common Shares or any compulsory share exchange pursuant to which the Common Shares are effectively converted into or exchanged for other securities, cash or property, or (v) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions consummates a share or share purchase agreement or other business combination (including, without limitation, a reorganization, recapitalization, spin-off or scheme of arrangement) with another Person or group of Persons whereby such other Person or group acquires more than 50% of the outstanding Common Shares (not including any Common Shares held by the other Person or other Persons making or party to, or associated or affiliated with the other Persons making or party to, such share or share purchase agreement or other business combination) (each a “Fundamental Transaction”), then, upon any subsequent exercise of this Warrant, the Holder shall have the right to receive, for each Warrant Share that would have been issuable upon such exercise immediately prior to the occurrence of such Fundamental Transaction, at the option of the Holder (without regard to any limitation in Section 2(e) on the exercise of this Warrant), the number of Common Shares of the successor or acquiring corporation or of the Company, if it is the surviving corporation, and any additional consideration (the “Alternate Consideration”) receivable as a result of such Fundamental Transaction by a holder of the number of Common Shares for which this Warrant is exercisable immediately prior to such Fundamental Transaction (without regard to any limitation in Section 2(e) on the exercise of this Warrant). For purposes of any such exercise, the determination of the Exercise Price shall be appropriately adjusted to apply to such Alternate Consideration based on the amount of Alternate Consideration issuable in respect of one Common Share in such Fundamental Transaction, and the Company shall apportion the Exercise Price among the Alternate Consideration in a reasonable manner reflecting the relative value of any different components of the Alternate Consideration. If holders of Common Shares are given any choice as to the securities, cash or property to be received in a Fundamental Transaction, then the Holder shall be given the same choice as to the Alternate Consideration it receives upon any exercise of this Warrant following such Fundamental Transaction. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, in the event of a Fundamental Transaction, the Company or any Successor Entity (as defined below) shall, at the Holder’s option, exercisable at any time concurrently with, or within 30 days after, the consummation of the Fundamental Transaction, purchase this Warrant from the Holder by paying to the Holder an amount of cash equal to the Black Scholes Value of the remaining unexercised portion of this Warrant on the date of the consummation of such Fundamental Transaction. “Black Scholes Value” means the value of this Warrant based on the Black and Scholes Option Pricing Model obtained from the “OV” function on Bloomberg, L.P. (“Bloomberg”) determined as of the day of consummation of the applicable Fundamental Transaction for pricing purposes and reflecting (A) a risk-free interest rate corresponding to the U.S. Treasury rate for a period equal to the time between the date of the public announcement of the applicable Fundamental Transaction and the Termination Date, (B) an expected volatility equal to the greater of 100% and the 100 day volatility obtained from the HVT function on Bloomberg as of the Trading Day immediately following the public announcement of the applicable Fundamental Transaction, (C) the underlying price per share used in such calculation shall be the sum
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of the price per share being offered in cash, if any, plus the value of any non-cash consideration, if any, being offered in such Fundamental Transaction and (D) a remaining option time equal to the time between the date of the public announcement of the applicable Fundamental Transaction and the Termination Date. The payment of the Black Scholes Value will be made by wire transfer of immediately available funds within five Business Days of the Holder’s election (or, if later, on the effective date of the Fundamental Transaction). The Company shall cause any successor entity in a Fundamental Transaction in which the Company is not the survivor (the “Successor Entity”) to assume in writing all of the obligations of the Company under this Warrant in accordance with the provisions of this Section 3(e) pursuant to written agreements prior to such Fundamental Transaction and shall, at the option of the Holder, deliver to the Holder in exchange for this Warrant a security of the Successor Entity evidenced by a written instrument substantially similar in form and substance to this Warrant which is exercisable for a corresponding number of shares in the share capital of such Successor Entity (or its parent entity) equivalent to the Common Shares acquirable and receivable upon exercise of this Warrant (without regard to any limitations on the exercise of this Warrant) prior to such Fundamental Transaction, and with an exercise price which applies the exercise price hereunder to such shares (but taking into account the relative value of the Common Shares pursuant to such Fundamental Transaction and the value of such shares, such number of shares and such exercise price being for the purpose of protecting the economic value of this Warrant immediately prior to the consummation of such Fundamental Transaction). Upon the occurrence of any such Fundamental Transaction, the Successor Entity shall succeed to, and be substituted for (so that from and after the date of such Fundamental Transaction, the provisions of this Warrant referring to the “Company” shall refer instead to the Successor Entity), and may exercise every right and power of the Company and shall assume all of the obligations of the Company under this Warrant with the same effect as if such Successor Entity had been named as the Company herein.
e) Calculations. All calculations under this Section 3 shall be made to the nearest cent or the nearest 1/100th of a share, as the case may be. For purposes of this Section 3, the number of Common Shares deemed to be issued and outstanding as of a given date shall be the sum of the number of Common Shares (excluding treasury shares, if any) issued and outstanding.
f) Notice to Holder.
i. Adjustment to Exercise Price. Whenever the Exercise Price is adjusted pursuant to any provision of this Section 3, the Company shall promptly publish on its website at www.aurismedical.com a notice setting forth the Exercise Price after such adjustment and any resulting adjustment to the number of Warrant Shares and setting forth a brief statement of the facts requiring such adjustment.
ii. Notice to Allow Exercise by Holder. If (A) the Company shall declare a dividend (or any other distribution in whatever form) on the Common Shares, (B) the Company shall declare a special nonrecurring
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cash dividend on or a redemption of the Common Shares, (C) the Company shall authorize the granting to all holders of the Common Shares rights or warrants to subscribe for or purchase any shares of any class or of any rights, (D) the approval of any shareholders of the Company shall be required in connection with any reclassification of the Common Shares, any consolidation or merger to which the Company is a party, any sale or transfer of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, or any compulsory share exchange whereby the Common Shares is converted into other securities, cash or property, or (E) the Company shall authorize the voluntary or involuntary dissolution, liquidation or winding up of the affairs of the Company, then, in each case, the Company shall cause to be published on its website at www.aurismedical.com, at least 20 calendar days prior to the applicable record or effective date hereinafter specified, a notice stating (x) the date on which a record is to be taken for the purpose of such dividend, distribution, redemption, rights or warrants, or if a record is not to be taken, the date as of which the holders of the Common Shares of record to be entitled to such dividend, distributions, redemption, rights or warrants are to be determined or (y) the date on which such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, transfer or share exchange is expected to become effective or close, and the date as of which it is expected that holders of the Common Shares of record shall be entitled to exchange their Common Shares for securities, cash or other property deliverable upon such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, transfer or share exchange; provided that the failure to deliver such notice or any defect therein or in the delivery thereof shall not affect the validity of the corporate action required to be specified in such notice. To the extent that any notice required by this Warrant constitutes, or contains, material, non-public information regarding the Company, the Company shall simultaneously file such notice with the Commission pursuant to a Report on Form 6-K. The Holder shall remain entitled to exercise this Warrant during the period commencing on the date of such notice to the effective date of the event triggering such notice except as may otherwise be expressly set forth herein.
g) Applicability of article 653d para. 2 Swiss Code Obligations. For the avoidance of doubt, the parties hereto acknowledge and agree that article 653d para. 2 Swiss Code Obligations shall apply.
Section 4. Transfer of Warrant.
a) Transferability. This Warrant and all rights hereunder (including, without limitation, any registration rights) are transferable, in whole or in part, upon surrender of this Warrant at the principal office of the Company or its designated agent, together with a written assignment of this Warrant substantially in the form attached hereto duly executed by the Holder or its agent or attorney and funds sufficient to pay any transfer taxes payable upon the making of such transfer. Upon such surrender and, if required, such payment, the Company shall execute and deliver a new Warrant or Warrants in the
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name of the assignee or assignees, as applicable, and in the denomination or denominations specified in such instrument of assignment, and shall issue to the assignor a new Warrant evidencing the portion of this Warrant not so assigned, and this Warrant shall promptly be cancelled. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Holder shall not be required to physically surrender this Warrant to the Company unless the Holder has assigned this Warrant in full, in which case, the Holder shall surrender this Warrant to the Company within three (3) Trading Days of the date the Holder delivers an assignment form to the Company assigning this Warrant full. The Warrant, if properly assigned in accordance herewith, may be exercised by a new holder for the purchase of Warrant Shares without having a new Warrant issued.
b) New Warrants. This Warrant may be divided or combined with other Warrants upon presentation hereof at the aforesaid office of the Company, together with a written notice specifying the names and denominations in which new Warrants are to be issued, signed by the Holder or its agent or attorney. Subject to compliance with Section 4(a), as to any transfer which may be involved in such division or combination, the Company shall execute and deliver a new Warrant or Warrants in exchange for the Warrant or Warrants to be divided or combined in accordance with such notice. All Warrants issued on transfers or exchanges shall be dated the initial issuance date of this Warrant and shall be identical with this Warrant except as to the number of Warrant Shares issuable pursuant thereto.
c) Warrant Register. The Company shall register this Warrant, upon records to be maintained by the Company for that purpose (the “Warrant Register”), in the name of the record Holder hereof from time to time. The Company may deem and treat the registered Holder of this Warrant as the absolute owner hereof for the purpose of any exercise hereof or any distribution to the Holder, and for all other purposes, absent actual notice to the contrary.
Section 5. Miscellaneous.
a) No Rights as Shareholder Until Exercise. This Warrant does not entitle the Holder to any voting rights, dividends or other rights as a shareholder of the Company. Upon receipt by the Company of a Notice of Exercise executed by a Holder and the applicable Exercise Price, such Holder shall be entitled to the voting rights, dividends and other rights as a shareholder of the Company with respect to the Common Shares specified in such Notice of Exercise.
b) Loss, Theft, Destruction or Mutilation of Warrant. The Company covenants that upon receipt by the Company of evidence reasonably satisfactory to it of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of this Warrant or any share certificate relating to the Warrant Shares, and in case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity or security reasonably satisfactory to it (which, in the case of the Warrant, shall not include the posting of any bond), and upon surrender and cancellation of such Warrant or share certificate, if mutilated, the Company will make and deliver a new Warrant or share certificate of like tenor and dated as of such cancellation, in lieu of such Warrant or share certificate.
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c) Saturdays, Sundays, Holidays, etc. If the last or appointed day for the taking of any action or the expiration of any right required or granted herein shall not be a Business Day, then, such action may be taken or such right may be exercised on the next succeeding Business Day.
d) Conditional Capital.
During the term of this Warrant, the Company will at all times have authorized and reserved a sufficient number of its Common Shares as contingent capital (bedingtes Kapital) to provide for the exercise of the rights to purchase Common Shares as provided for herein. The Company acknowledges that compensation for damages may not be sufficient remedy for the Holder in case of the Company’s failure to comply with its obligations under this paragraph and therefore expressly confirms that the Holder may in such case request specific performance (Realerfüllung) upon due exercise of its purchase rights pursuant to Section 2 hereof from time to time by obligating the Company to deliver such number of shares as would have been issued to the Holder in connection with such exercise of its purchase rights from time to time.
The Company will take all such reasonable action as may be necessary to assure that such Warrant Shares may be issued as provided herein without violation of any applicable law or regulation, including by maintaining an effective registration statement under the Securities Act permitting the issuance of Warrant Shares upon exercise of this Warrant from the Initial Exercise Date until the Termination Date, or of any requirements of the Trading Market upon which the Common Shares may be listed. The Company covenants that all Warrant Shares which may be issued upon the exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant will, upon exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant and payment for such Warrant Shares in accordance herewith, be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and free from all taxes, liens and charges created by the Company in respect of the issue thereof (other than taxes in respect of any transfer occurring contemporaneously with such issue).
Except and to the extent as waived or consented to by the Holder, the Company shall not by any action, including, without limitation, amending its articles of incorporation or through any reorganization, transfer of assets, consolidation, merger, dissolution, issue or sale of securities or any other voluntary action, avoid or seek to avoid the observance or performance of any of the terms of this Warrant, but will at all times in good faith assist in the carrying out of all such terms and in the taking of all such actions as may be necessary or appropriate to protect the rights of Holder as set forth in this Warrant against impairment. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company will (i) not increase the nominal value of any Warrant Shares above the amount payable therefor upon such exercise immediately prior to such increase in nominal value, (ii) take all such action as may be necessary or appropriate in order that the Company may validly and legally issue fully paid and
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nonassessable Warrant Shares upon the exercise of this Warrant and payment for such Warrant Shares and (iii) use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain all such authorizations, exemptions or consents from any public regulatory body having jurisdiction thereof, as may be, necessary to enable the Company to perform its obligations under this Warrant.
Before taking any action which would result in an adjustment in the number of Warrant Shares for which this Warrant is exercisable or in the Exercise Price, the Company shall obtain all such authorizations or exemptions thereof, or consents thereto, as may be necessary from any public regulatory body or bodies having jurisdiction thereof.
e) Governing Law. This Warrant shall be governed by, and construed and enforced in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York, excluding conflict of laws principles that would cause the application of laws of any other jurisdiction. For the avoidance of doubt, matters involving the rights of shareholders, issuance of Common Shares and the validity of Common Shares shall be governed by the laws of Switzerland.
f) Restrictions. The Holder acknowledges that the Warrant Shares acquired upon the exercise of this Warrant, if not registered, will have restrictions upon resale imposed by state and federal securities laws.
g) Nonwaiver and Expenses. No course of dealing or any delay or failure to exercise any right hereunder on the part of Holder shall operate as a waiver of such right or otherwise prejudice the Holder’s rights, powers or remedies. Without limiting any other provision of this Warrant, if the Company willfully and knowingly fails to comply with any provision of this Warrant, which results in any material damages to the Holder, the Company shall pay to the Holder such amounts as shall be sufficient to cover any costs and expenses including, but not limited to, reasonable attorneys’ fees, including those of appellate proceedings, incurred by the Holder in collecting any amounts due pursuant hereto or in otherwise enforcing any of its rights, powers or remedies hereunder.
h) Notices. Any notice, request or other document required or permitted to be given or delivered to the Holder by the Company shall be delivered to the address of the Holder set forth in the Warrant Register.
i) Limitation of Liability. No provision hereof, in the absence of any affirmative action by the Holder to exercise this Warrant to purchase Warrant Shares, and no enumeration herein of the rights or privileges of the Holder, shall give rise to any liability of the Holder for the purchase price of any Common Share or as a shareholder of the Company, whether such liability is asserted by the Company or by creditors of the Company.
j) Remedies. The Holder, in addition to being entitled to exercise all rights granted by law, including recovery of damages, will be entitled to specific performance of its rights under this Warrant. The Company agrees that monetary damages would not be adequate compensation for any loss incurred by reason of a breach by it of the
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provisions of this Warrant and hereby agrees to waive and not to assert the defense in any action for specific performance that a remedy at law would be adequate.
k) Successors and Assigns. Subject to applicable securities laws, this Warrant and the rights and obligations evidenced hereby shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the successors and permitted assigns of the Company and the successors and permitted assigns of Holder. The provisions of this Warrant are intended to be for the benefit of any Holder from time to time of this Warrant and shall be enforceable by the Holder or holder of Warrant Shares.
l) Amendment. This Warrant may be modified or amended or the provisions hereof waived with the written consent of the Company and the Holder.
m) Severability. Wherever possible, each provision of this Warrant shall be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any provision of this Warrant shall be prohibited by or invalid under applicable law, such provision shall be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or invalidity, without invalidating the remainder of such provisions or the remaining provisions of this Warrant.
n) Headings. The headings used in this Warrant are for the convenience of reference only and shall not, for any purpose, be deemed a part of this Warrant.
********************
(Signature Page Follows)
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Warrant to be executed by its officer thereunto duly authorized as of the date first above indicated.
| auris medical holding ag | |||
| By: | |||
| Name: | |||
| Title: | |||
16
EXHIBIT A
NOTICE OF EXERCISE
To: Auris medical holding ag
(1) Reference is made to (i) article 3b of the articles of association of Auris Medical Holding AG, Zug, and (ii) the offering prospectus dated February 15, 2017 whereby (i)-(ii) are known to the undersigned.
(2) The undersigned hereby unconditionally and irreversibly exercises the Warrant pursuant to the terms of the attached Warrant to take up ___________ common shares in Auris Medical Holding AG, Zug, with a nominal value of CHF 0.40 each at the issue price of US$ 1.20 per share, US$_________________ [amount] in total.
(3) Payment shall be made in lawful money of the United States to the following account of Auris Medical Holding AG:
| Bank name: | [*******] |
| Beneficiary: | Auris Medical Holding AG |
| Account number: | [*********] |
| b/c code (SWIFT): | [*********] |
| IBAN number: | [*********] |
| Local clearing: | [*******] |
(4) Please issue said Warrant Shares in the name of the undersigned or in such other name as is specified below:
| _______________________________ | |
The Warrant Shares shall be delivered to the following DWAC Account Number:
| _______________________________ | |
| _______________________________ | |
| _______________________________ |
[SIGNATURE OF HOLDER]
| Name of Investing Entity: |
| Signature of Authorized Signatory of Investing Entity: |
| Name of Authorized Signatory: |
| Title of Authorized Signatory: |
| Date: |
EXHIBIT B
ASSIGNMENT FORM
(To assign the foregoing Warrant, execute this form and supply required information. Do not use this form to purchase shares.)
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the foregoing Warrant and all rights evidenced thereby are hereby assigned to
| Name: | ||
| (Please Print) | ||
| Address: | ||
| (Please Print) | ||
| Phone Number: | ||
|
Email Address: |
| Dated: _______________ __, ______ | |
| Holder’s Signature: | |
| Holder’s Address: |
Exhibit 5.1
 |
Walder Wyss Ltd. Seefeldstrasse 123 P.O. Box 8034 Zurich Switzerland
Telephone +41 58 658 58 58 Fax +41 58 658 59 59 www.walderwyss.com |
To:
Auris Medical Holding AG
Bahnhofstrasse 21
6300 Zug
Switzerland
Zurich, 21 February 2017
ANI / MPF / SSU / 6531475v1
Auris Medical Holding AG – Swiss Legal Opinion
We have acted as Swiss counsel to Auris Medical Holding AG (the Company) in connection with the (i) filing of a registration statement on Form F-3 (Registration No. 333-206710) which includes the prospectus dated 10 September 2015 (the Registration Statement) and the documents incorporated by reference therein by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933 and (ii) the prospectus supplement dated 15 February 2017 (the Prospectus Supplement) of the Company filed with the Commission relating to the issuance by the Company of 10,000,000 common shares of CHF 0.40 par value each (the Shares) and 10,000,000 warrants to purchase common shares of CHF 0.40 par value each of the Company (the Warrants; the common shares of CHF 0.40 par value issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, the Warrant Shares) in accordance with a certain underwriting agreement dated as of 15 February 2017 between the Company and Roth Capital Partners (the Underwriter) (the Agreement) (the Offering), and additionally up to 1,500,000 shares of the Company with a nominal value of CHF 0.40 and up to 1,500,000 warrants to purchase common shares of CHF 0.40 par value each, if and to the extent a certain over-allotment option granted by the Company to the Underwriter under the Agreement is exercised in accordance with the Agreement. The term Warrants includes the additional 1,350,000 Warrants sold pursuant
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to a partial exercise of such option and the term Warrant Shares includes the common shares of CHF 0.40 par value issuable upon exercise of such additional warrants.
As such counsel, we have been requested to render an opinion as to certain matters of Swiss law.
| 1. | Scope and Limitation of Opinion |
Our opinion is strictly confined to matters of Swiss law as in force at the date hereof and as it is presently applied by the Swiss courts. Such law and its interpretation are subject to change. In the absence of explicit statutory law or established case law, we base our opinion solely on our independent professional judgment.
Our opinion is strictly limited to the Documents (as defined below) and the matters stated herein and is not to be read as extending, by implication or otherwise, to any agreement or document referred to in any of the Documents or any other matter.
For purposes of this opinion, we have not conducted any due diligence or similar investigation or verification as to any matters stated herein.
In this opinion, Swiss legal concepts are expressed in English terms and not in their original language. These concepts may not be identical to the concepts described by the same English language terms as they exist under the laws of other jurisdictions.
| 2. | Documents |
For purposes of rendering the opinion expressed herein, we have received the following documents (the Documents):
| (a) | a .pdf copy of the Registration Statement; |
| (b) | a .pdf copy of the Prospectus Supplement; |
| (c) | a .pdf copy of the Agreement; |
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| (d) | a .pdf copy of the common share purchase warrant relating to the Warrants (the Warrant Document); |
| (e) | a .pdf copy of the certified articles of incorporation of the Company in their version of 8 April 2016 (the Articles); |
| (f) | a .pdf copy of the organizational regulations (Organisationsreglement) of the board of directors of the Company in their version of 1 May 2016 (the Organizational Regulations); |
| (g) | a .pdf copy of the resolution of the Company’s shareholders’ meeting, dated 8 April 2016 approving, among others, the amendments to the authorized share capital of the Company under its articles of association (the AGM Resolution); |
| (h) | a .pdf copy of a circular resolution of the Company's board of directors dated 12 December 2016 approving, among others, the execution of the Agreement, such Agreement to reflect the pricing terms and conditions as approved by a special pricing committee of the Company’s board of directors, and the offering and sale of the Shares as contemplated in the Agreement (the Board Resolution 1); |
| (i) | a .pdf copy of a circular resolution of the Company’s board of directors dated 30 January 2017 resolving, among others, the withdrawal and allocation of pre-emptive rights and appointing certain members of the board of directors to take certain actions and pass certain resolutions for the execution of the capital increase (the Authorization Board Resolution); |
| (j) | a .pdf of the resolution of the Company’s pricing committee dated 15 February 2017 approving the pricing terms and conditions relating to the Offering (the Pricing Committee Resolution); |
| (k) | a .pdf copy of the report of the board of directors of the Company dated 17 February 2017 regarding the increase of the Company’s share capital by the amount of CHF 4,000,000 through the issuance of 10,000,000 Shares of a nominal value of CHF 0.40 each (the Capital Increase) (Kapitalerhöhungsbericht) (the Board Report); |
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| (l) | a .pdf copy of the subscription form (Zeichnungsschein) dated on or around 15 February 2017 and signed by the Underwriter (the Subscription Form); |
| (m) | a .pdf copy of the notarized resolutions of the board of directors of the Company regarding the execution of the Capital Increase based on the resolution of the shareholders’ meeting of the Company dated 8 April 2016 regarding the authorization of the board of directors to increase the share capital and the Articles (Feststellungsbeschluss) dated 17 February 2017 (the Capital Increase Board Resolution and together with the Board Resolution 1 and the Authorization Board Resolution, the Board Resolutions); |
| (n) | a .pdf copy of certain declarations of the Company vis-à-vis the Commercial Register of the Canton of Zug (Lex Friedrich- und Stampa-Erklärungen), dated 17 February 2017 (the Declarations); |
| (o) | a .pdf copy of the capital payment confirmation from UBS Switzerland AG (Kapitaleinzahlungsbestätigung) regarding the transfer of CHF 4,000,000 to a blocked bank account dated 17 February 2017 (the Bank Confirmation); |
| (p) | a .pdf copy of the audit confirmation by Deloitte AG on the Board Report (Prüfungsbestätigung), dated 17 February 2017 (the Audit Confirmation); |
| (q) | a .pdf copy of the Company's uncertificated securities book dated 20 February 2017 (Wertrechtebuch) confirming the creation of 10,000,000 uncertificated securities of the Company (the Securities Book); and |
| (r) | a .pdf copy of a certified excerpt from the daily registry (Tagebuchauszug) of the Commercial Register of the Canton of Zug dated 20 February 2017 relating to issuance of 10,000,000 Shares (the Excerpt). |
No documents have been reviewed by us in connection with this opinion other than the Documents listed in this Section 2 (Documents).
All terms used in this opinion in uppercase form shall have the meaning ascribed to them in the Registration Statement, unless otherwise defined herein.
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| 3. | Assumptions |
In rendering the opinion below, we have assumed:
| (a) | the conformity to the Documents of all documents produced to us as copies, fax copies or via e-mail, and that the original was executed in the manner appearing on the copy of the draft; |
| (b) | the genuineness and authenticity of the signatures on all copies of the original Documents thereof which we have examined, and the accuracy of all factual information contained in, or material statements given in connection with, the Documents; |
| (c) | the AGM Resolution has been duly resolved in a meeting duly convened and has not been rescinded or amended and is in full force and effect; |
| (d) | the Board Resolutions have been duly resolved in meetings duly convened, or, respectively, in duly executed circular resolutions and have not been rescinded or amended and are in full force and effect; |
| (e) | the Board Report, the Declarations and the Audit Confirmation have not been rescinded or amended and are in full force and effect, and the Bank Confirmation is correct as of the date hereof; |
| (f) | the Registration Statement has been duly filed by the Company; |
| (g) | the Articles, the Organizational Regulations, the Excerpt and the Securities Book are unchanged and correct as of the date hereof and no changes have been made which should have been or should be reflected in the Articles, the Organizational Regulations, the Excerpt or the Securities Book as of the date hereof; |
| (h) | the Capital Increase will be published in the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce; |
| (i) | the Subscription Form is within the capacity and power of, and has been validly authorized and executed by and is binding on the Underwriter; |
| (j) | all parties to the Agreement have performed (and if not yet performed, will perform) all obligations by which they are bound in accordance with the respective terms; |
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| (k) | the Offering has been conducted in the manner as described in the Prospectus Supplement; |
| (l) | to the extent relevant for purposes of this opinion, all factual information contained in, or material statements given in connection with, the Documents are true, complete and accurate; |
| (m) | the sections of the Warrant Document expressed to be governed by the law of the State of New York are and will be valid, binding and enforceable under the law of the State of New York, and the choice of the law of the State of New York provided in the Warrant Document is valid under the law of the State of New York; |
| (n) | that all parties to the Warrant Document (other than the Company) have the capacity, power, authority and legal right to enter into, deliver and perform their respective rights and obligations under, the Warrant Document under all relevant laws and regulations; |
| (o) | that neither the execution and delivery of the Warrant Document nor the transactions contemplated by the Warrant Document will be illegal or contrary to the laws of any relevant jurisdiction (other than Switzerland); |
| (p) | the exercise notice with respect to the Warrant Shares to be issued out of the conditional share capital of the Company will be duly delivered in accordance with the Prospectus Supplement and the Warrant Document; |
| (q) | the payment of the exercise price in connection with an exercise notice relating to Warrant Shares will be made in accordance with the Prospectus Supplement and the Warrant Document; and |
| (r) | upon due delivery of the exercise notice and due payment of the exercise price with respect to Warrant Shares issued out of the conditional share capital of the Company, the Company will register the Warrant Shares issued out of the conditional share capital in the Company’s uncertificated securities book. |
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| 4. | Opinion |
Based upon the foregoing and subject to the qualifications set out below, we are of the following opinion:
| 1. | The Shares have been validly issued, fully paid-in (up to their nominal amount) and are non-assessable. |
| 2. | The Warrant Shares that may be issued out of the conditional share capital of the Company in connection with the Warrant Document, if and when such Warrant Shares are issued pursuant to the Warrant Document, and after at least the exercise price as provided under the Warrant Document (being in no case below the nominal value of the Warrant Share) has been paid-in in cash, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. |
| 5. | Qualifications |
The above opinions are subject to the following qualifications:
| (a) | The lawyers of our firm are members of the Swiss bar and do not hold themselves to be experts in any laws other than the laws of Switzerland. Accordingly, we are opining herein as to Swiss law only and we express no opinion with respect to the applicability thereto, or the effect thereon, of the laws of any other jurisdiction. |
| (b) | This opinion is based on the current provisions of the laws of Switzerland and the regulations thereunder in effect on the date hereof and only as currently interpreted in Switzerland. Such laws and their interpretation are subject to change. |
| (c) | We express no opinion as regards the withdrawal of shareholders’ pre-emptive rights (Bezugsrechte) in connection with the Offering. |
| (d) | We express no opinion as regards the withdrawal of shareholders’ preferential subscription rights (Vorwegzeichnungsrechte) in connection with the Warrants and the issuance of Warrant Shares. |
| (e) | When used in this opinion, the term “non-assessable” means that no further contributions have to be made by the relevant holder of the Shares or Warrant Shares. |
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| (f) | The issuance of any Warrant Shares out of conditional share capital requires sufficient conditional share capital at the time the holder of the Warrants submits the exercise notice and pays the exercise price as provided under the Warrant Document. We express no opinion as to the future availability of conditional share capital. |
| (g) | Any issuance of the Warrant Shares out of conditional share capital must be confirmed by the auditor of the Company, and amended articles of association of the Company reflecting the issuance of Warrant Shares out of the conditional share capital, together with ascertainments by the Company's board of directors in a public deed and said confirmation by the Company's auditor, must be filed with the competent commercial register no later than three months after the end of the Company's fiscal year. |
| (h) | We express no opinion as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus Supplement. |
| (i) | We express no opinion as to any commercial, calculating, auditing or other non-legal matters. Further, we express no opinion as to tax law. |
| 6. | Miscellaneous |
| (a) | We do not assume any obligation to advise you of any changes in applicable law or any other matter that may come to our attention after the date hereof that may affect our opinion expressed herein. |
| (b) | We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s Report on Form 6-K filed on the date hereof and to the incorporation by reference of this opinion in the Registration Statement, and to the reference to our firm under the caption ”Legal Matters” in the Prospectus Supplement. In giving this consent, we do not admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act. |
| (c) | This opinion is governed by and shall be construed in accordance with the substantive laws of Switzerland, the ordinary Courts of Zurich having exclusive jurisdiction. |
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| Yours faithfully, | |
| /s/ Alex Nikitine | /s/ Theodor Härtsch |
| Alex Nikitine | Theodor Härtsch |
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Exhibit 5.2
| New York Menlo Park Washington DC São Paulo London |
Paris Madrid Tokyo Beijing Hong Kong | ||
 | |||
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Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP 450 Lexington Avenue
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212 450 4000 tel 212 701 5800 fax
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||
February 21, 2017
Auris Medical Holding AG
Bahnhofstrasse 21
6300 Zug, Switzerland
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Auris Medical Holding AG, a corporation organized under the laws of Switzerland (the “Company”), has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission a Registration Statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-206710) (the “Registration Statement”) for the purpose of registering under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), certain securities, including the 11,350,000 warrants, each entitling its holder to purchase 0.70 of the Company’s common shares, par value CHF 0.40 per share (the “Warrants”), to be sold pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement dated February 15, 2017 (the “Underwriting Agreement”) between the Company and Roth Capital Partners LLC (the “Underwriter”). The Warrants include 1,350,000 warrants to be purchased by the Underwriter pursuant to the option to purchase additional warrants set forth in the Underwriting Agreement.
We, as your counsel, have examined originals or copies of such documents, corporate records, certificates of public officials and other instruments as we have deemed necessary or advisable for the purpose of rendering this opinion.
In rendering the opinion expressed herein, we have, without independent inquiry or investigation, assumed that (i) all documents submitted to us as originals are authentic and complete, (ii) all documents submitted to us as copies conform to authentic, complete originals, (iii) all signatures on all documents that we reviewed are genuine, (iv) all natural persons executing documents had and have the legal capacity to do so, (v) all statements in certificates of public officials and officers of the Company that we reviewed were and are accurate and (vi) all representations made by the Company as to matters of fact in the documents that we reviewed were and are accurate.
Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the additional assumptions and qualifications set forth below, we advise you that, assuming that the Warrants have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company insofar as Swiss law is concerned, the Warrants, when the Warrants are executed and authenticated in accordance with their terms and delivered to and paid for by the Underwriter pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, will be valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency and similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, concepts of reasonableness and equitable principles of general applicability, provided that we express no opinion as to the validity, legally binding effect or enforceability of any provision in the Warrants that requires or
relates to adjustments to the exercise price at a price or in an amount that a court would determine in the circumstances under applicable law to be commercially unreasonable or a penalty or forfeiture.
In connection with the opinion expressed above, we have assumed that each party to the Warrants has been duly incorporated and is validly existing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization. In addition, we have assumed that the execution, delivery and performance by each party thereto of the Warrants (a) are within its corporate powers, (b) do not contravene, or constitute a default under, the certificate of incorporation or bylaws or other constitutive documents of such party, (c) require no action by or in respect of, or filing with, any governmental body, agency or official and (d) do not contravene, or constitute a default under, any provision of applicable law or regulation or any judgment, injunction, order or decree or any agreement or other instrument binding upon such party, provided that we make no such assumption to the extent that we have specifically opined as to such matters with respect to the Company.
We are members of the Bar of the State of New York and the foregoing opinion is limited to the laws of the State of New York.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to a report on Form 6-K to be filed by the Company on the date hereof and its incorporation by reference into the Registration Statement and further consent to the reference to our name under the caption “Legal Matters” in the prospectus supplement, which is a part of the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP