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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 24, 2018
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
AGENUS INC.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 06-1562417 | |
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
3 Forbes Road
Lexington, MA 02421
(781) 674-4400
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of Registrant’s principal executive offices)
Garo H. Armen
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board
Agenus Inc.
3 Forbes Road
Lexington, MA 02421
(781) 674-4400
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copy to:
Zachary Blume
Ropes & Gray LLP
Prudential Tower
800 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02199-3600
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after this registration statement becomes effective.
If the only securities being registered on this form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. ☐
If any of the securities being registered on this form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box. ☒
If this form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, please check the following box. ☐
If this form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
| Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☒ | |||
| Non-accelerated filer | ☐ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) | Smaller reporting company | ☐ | |||
| Emerging growth company | ☐ | |||||
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
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| Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered |
Amount to be Registered(1) |
Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Share(2) |
Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price |
Amount of Registration Fee | ||||
| Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share |
10,000,000 | $3.925 | $39,250,000.00 | $4,886.63 | ||||
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| (1) | The Registrant is hereby registering for resale from time to time by the selling stockholder up to 10,000,000 shares of its common stock that were initially issued pursuant to the Stock Purchase Agreement dated as of February 14, 2017, by and between the Registrant and Incyte Corporation. Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act, this Registration Statement also covers such additional number of shares of common stock that may be issued as a result of stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions. |
| (2) | Estimated solely for purposes of determining the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(c) under the Securities Act, based on the average high and low prices per share of the common stock as reported on the Nasdaq Capital Market on January 19, 2018. |
The Registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act or until this registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to Section 8(a) of the Securities Act, may determine.
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The information contained in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. The selling stockholder named in this prospectus may not sell these securities until the registration statement becomes effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities, and the selling stockholder named in this prospectus is not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer for sale is not permitted.
Subject To Completion, Dated January 24, 2018
PROSPECTUS
10,000,000 SHARES OF COMMON STOCK
This prospectus relates to the disposition from time to time of up to 10,000,000 shares of our common stock, which are held by the selling stockholder named in this prospectus. We issued the common stock to the selling stockholder pursuant to a Stock Purchase Agreement, dated February 14, 2017 (the “Stock Purchase Agreement”).
The selling stockholder may resell or dispose of the shares of our common stock, or interests therein, at fixed prices, at prevailing market prices at the time of sale or at prices negotiated with purchasers, to or through underwriters, broker-dealers, agents, or through any other means described in this prospectus under “Plan of Distribution.” The selling stockholder will bear all commissions and discounts, if any, attributable to the sale or disposition of the shares, or interests therein. We will bear all costs, expenses and fees in connection with the registration of the shares. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of these shares of our common stock by the selling stockholder. We provide more information about how the selling stockholder may sell its shares of common stock in the section entitled “Plan of Distribution” beginning on page 10 of this prospectus.
Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market and trades under the symbol “AGEN.” On January 23, 2018, the last sale price of our common stock as reported on the Nasdaq Capital Market was $4.08 per share. You are urged to obtain current market quotations for our common stock.
Investing in our securities involves risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 4 of this prospectus.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission, nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is , 2018.
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You should read this prospectus, including all documents incorporated herein by reference, together with additional information described under “Where You Can Find More Information.”
You may obtain the information incorporated by reference without charge by following the instructions under “Where You Can Find More Information.”
We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information different from that contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. The selling stockholder may offer to sell, and seek offers to buy, shares of our common stock only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The information contained in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or of any sale of common stock.
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The following is a summary of selected information contained elsewhere or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. It does not contain all of the information that you should consider before investing in our securities. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, especially the section entitled “Risk Factors” and the consolidated financial statements and the notes to the consolidated financial statements incorporated in this prospectus by reference. As used in this prospectus, “Agenus,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Agenus Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.
Our Business
We are a clinical-stage immuno-oncology (“I-O”) company focused on the discovery and development of therapies that engage the body’s immune system to fight cancer. Our approach to cancer immunotherapy involves a diverse portfolio consisting of antibody-based therapeutics, adjuvants and cancer vaccine platforms. We, in collaboration with our partners, are developing a number of immuno-modulatory antibodies against important nodes of immune regulation. These include antibodies targeting CTLA-4, GITR, OX40, and PD-1 that are in clinical development. Our discovery pipeline includes a number of proprietary checkpoint modulating (“CPM”) antibodies against innovative targets such as TIGIT and CD-137. We believe that tailored combination therapies are essential to combat some of the most resistant cancers. Accordingly, our immune education strategy focuses on pursuing antibodies as well as vaccine candidates in conjunction with adjuvants.
We are developing a comprehensive I-O portfolio driven by the following platforms and programs, which we intend to utilize individually and in combination:
| • | our antibody discovery platforms, including our Retrocyte Display™, SECANT® yeast display, and phage display technologies designed to produce quality human antibodies; |
| • | our antibody candidate programs, including our CPM programs; |
| • | our vaccine programs, including Prophage™, AutoSynVax™ and PhosPhoSynVaxTM; and |
| • | our saponin-based vaccine adjuvants, principally our QS-21 Stimulon® adjuvant, or QS-21 Stimulon. |
We also have our own good manufacturing practices manufacturing facility with the capacity to support early phase clinical programs.
We assess development, commercialization and partnering strategies for each of our product candidates periodically based on several factors, including pre-clinical and clinical trial results, competitive positioning and funding requirements and resources. We have formed collaborations with companies such as Incyte Corporation (“Incyte”), Merck Sharpe & Dohme and Recepta Biopharma SA (“Recepta”). Through these alliances, as well as our own internal programs, we currently have more than a dozen antibody programs in preclinical or early phase development, including our anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1 antibody programs (both partnered with Recepta for certain South America territories) and anti-GITR and anti-OX40 antibody programs (both partnered with Incyte), all of which are in Phase 1 clinical trials. In February 2017, we amended our collaboration agreement with Incyte to, among other things, convert the GITR and OX40 programs from profit-share to royalty-bearing programs. We are now eligible to receive royalties on global net sales at a flat 15% rate for each of these programs. There are no longer any profit-share programs remaining under the collaboration, and we are eligible to receive up to a total of $510.0 million in future potential development, regulatory and commercial milestones across all programs in the collaboration. Pursuant to the amended agreement, we received accelerated milestone payments of $20.0 million from Incyte related to the clinical development of our antibodies targeting GITR and OX40. Concurrent with the execution of the amendment, we and Incyte also entered into the Stock Purchase Agreement whereby Incyte purchased an additional 10 million shares of our common stock at $6.00 per share, resulting in additional proceeds of $60.0 million to us. Those additional 10 million shares are being registered for resale pursuant to this registration statement.
In addition to our antibody platforms and CPM programs, we are also advancing a series of vaccine programs to treat cancer. In January 2017, we announced a clinical trial collaboration with the National Cancer Institute (“NCI”), which is a double-blind, randomized controlled Phase 2 trial that is evaluating the effect of our autologous vaccine candidate, Prophage, in combination with pembrolizumab (Keytruda®, Merck & Co., Inc. (“Merck”)) in patients with ndGBM. Under this collaboration, we are suppling Prophage, Merck is providing pembrolizumab and the NCI and Brain Tumor Trials Collaborative member sites are recruiting patients and conducting the trial. In April 2017, we also initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial for our neoantigen vaccine candidate, AutoSynVax (“ASV”), in patients with advanced cancer. ASV is being used in combination with our QS-21 Stimulon adjuvant.
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Our QS-21 Stimulon adjuvant is also partnered with GlaxoSmithKline (“GSK”) and is a key component in multiple GSK vaccine programs that target prophylactic or therapeutic impact in a variety of infectious diseases and cancer. These programs are in various stages, with the most advanced being GSK’s shingles program. In 2015, we monetized a portion of the future royalties we were contractually entitled to receive from GSK from sales of its shingles and malaria vaccines through a Note Purchase Agreement and received net proceeds of approximately $78 million. In October 2017, GSK’s shingles vaccine was approved in the United States by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and granted marketing authorization in Canada by Health Canada. In January 2018, we entered into a Royalty Purchase Agreement with Healthcare Royalty Partners III, L.P. and certain of its affiliates (together, “HCR”), pursuant to which HCR purchased 100% of our worldwide rights to receive royalties from GSK on GSK’s sales of vaccines containing our QS-21 Stimulon adjuvant. We used a portion of the upfront proceeds from HCR to redeem the notes issued pursuant to the Note Purchase Agreement, resulting in net proceeds to us of approximately $28 million at closing. We do not incur clinical development costs for products partnered with GSK.
Our business activities include product research and development, intellectual property prosecution, manufacturing, regulatory and clinical affairs, corporate finance and development activities, and support of our collaborations. Our product candidates require clinical trials and approvals from regulatory agencies, as well as acceptance in the marketplace. Part of our strategy is to develop and commercialize some of our product candidates by continuing our existing arrangements with academic and corporate collaborators and licensees and by entering into new collaborations.
We have incurred significant losses since our inception. As of September 30, 2017, we had an accumulated deficit of $991.4 million. Since our inception, we have successfully financed our operations through the sale of equity, notes, corporate partnerships, and interest income. Based on our current plans and activities, we believe that our cash resources of $70.1 million as of September 30, 2017 plus the net proceeds we received from HCR after redeeming the notes issued pursuant to the Note Purchase Agreement will be sufficient to satisfy our liquidity requirements into the third quarter of 2018. We also continue to monitor the likelihood of success of our key initiatives and can discontinue funding of such activities if they do not prove to be successful, restrict capital expenditures and/or reduce the scale of our operations if necessary. However, in spite of our ability to control our cash burn, in accordance with the requirements of Accounting Standards Update 2014-15, we are required to disclose the existence of a substantial doubt regarding our ability to continue as a going concern for twelve months from when the September 30, 2017 financial statements were issued.
You can find more information about us in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) referenced in the sections in this document titled “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference” beginning on pages 14 and 15, respectively.
Corporate Information
Our principal executive office is located at 3 Forbes Road, Lexington, MA, 02421, and our telephone number is (781) 674-4400. Our website address is www.agenusbio.com. Information contained on our website is not a part of this prospectus.
ASVTM, AutoSynVaxTM, Oncophage®, PSVTM, PhosphoSynVaxTM, ProphageTM, Retrocyte DisplayTM, SECANT® and Stimulon® are trademarks of Agenus Inc. and its subsidiaries. All rights reserved.
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The Offering
| Common Stock offered by the selling stockholder | 10,000,000 shares | |
| Use of Proceeds | We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares in this offering | |
| Risk Factors | An investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 4 for a discussion of certain factors that you should consider before making an investment in our stock. | |
| Nasdaq Capital Market Symbol | “AGEN” | |
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Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before purchasing our securities, you should carefully consider the risk factors relating to Agenus incorporated by reference in this prospectus from our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2017, as well as the risks, uncertainties and additional information set forth in our SEC reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K and in the other documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus. For a description of these reports and documents, and information about where you can find them, see “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Documents By Reference.” Additional risks not presently known or that we presently consider to be immaterial could subsequently materially and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, business and prospects.
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CAUTIONARY NOTE ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus, any prospectus supplement, and any information incorporated by reference into this prospectus or prospectus supplement may contain certain “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). You can identify these forward-looking statements by the fact they use words such as “could,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “target,” “may,” “project,” “guidance,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “will,” “potential,” “opportunity,” “future” and other words and terms of similar meaning and expression in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance. You can also identify forward-looking statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including factors that could delay, divert or change any of them, and could cause actual outcomes to differ materially from current expectations. These statements are likely to relate to, among other things, our business strategy, our research and development, our product development efforts, our ability to commercialize our product candidates, the activities of our licensees, our prospects for initiating partnerships or collaborations, the timing of the introduction of products, the effect of new accounting pronouncements, uncertainty regarding our future operating results and our profitability, anticipated sources of funds as well as our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions.
Although we believe we have been prudent in our plans and assumptions, no assurance can be given that any goal or plan set forth in forward-looking statements can be achieved and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements, which speak only as of the date made. We undertake no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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Agenus is authorized to issue up to 240,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, with 101,965,326 issued and outstanding as of January 23, 2018. Agenus is also authorized to issue up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share, with 31,620 shares of Series A-1 convertible preferred stock issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2017.
The material terms and provisions of our common stock, our preferred stock and each other class of our securities that qualifies or limits our common stock, are described in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed January 24, 2000, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus. For the complete terms of our common stock, preferred stock and preferred stock purchase rights, please refer to our certificate of incorporation and by-laws that we have filed with the SEC. The terms of these securities may also be affected by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.
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We are registering these shares pursuant to registration rights granted to the selling stockholder. We are not selling any securities under this prospectus and will not receive any proceeds from the sale or other disposition of the shares covered hereby. We have agreed to pay all costs, expenses and fees relating to registering the shares of our common stock referenced in this prospectus. The selling stockholder will pay any brokerage commissions and/or similar charges incurred in connection with the sale or other disposition by it of the shares covered hereby.
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We have prepared this prospectus to allow the selling stockholder or its pledgees, donees, transferees or other successors in interest, to sell or otherwise dispose of, from time to time, up to 10,000,000 shares of our common stock.
On February 14, 2017, we amended our License, Development and Commercialization Agreement among us, our wholly-owned subsidiary, Agenus Switzerland Inc. and Incyte (as amended, the “Collaboration Agreement”). In connection with the amendment to the Collaboration Agreement, we also entered into the Stock Purchase Agreement with the selling stockholder, pursuant to which the selling stockholder purchased 10,000,000 shares of our common stock at a purchase price of $6.00 per share.
In connection with certain registration rights we granted to the selling stockholder pursuant to the Stock Purchase Agreement, we filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-3, of which this prospectus forms a part, with respect to the resale or other disposition of the shares of common stock offered by this prospectus from time to time on the Nasdaq Capital Market, in privately negotiated transactions or otherwise. We have agreed to prepare and file amendments and supplements to the registration statement to the extent necessary to keep the registration statement effective for the period of time required under our agreement with the selling stockholder.
The issuance of the shares of our common stock in connection with the Stock Purchase Agreement was not registered under the Securities Act, in reliance upon exemptions from registration provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act, and Rule 506 of Regulation D promulgated thereunder, because the transactions did not involve any public offering.
The table below presents information regarding the selling stockholder and the shares of common stock that the selling stockholder may offer and sell from time to time under this prospectus. Neither the selling stockholder nor any of its affiliates, officers, directors or principal equity holders have held any position or office or had any other material relationship with us or our affiliates within the past three years.
The information in the table is based on 101,965,326 shares outstanding as of January 23, 2018 and was prepared based on information supplied to us by the selling stockholder. As used in this prospectus, the term “selling stockholder” includes the selling stockholder set forth below and any donees, pledgees, transferees or other successors-in-interest selling shares received after the date of this prospectus from the selling stockholder as a gift, pledge, or other non-sale related transfer. Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with Rule 13d-3(d) promulgated by the SEC under the Exchange Act, and includes shares of common stock with respect to which the selling stockholder has voting and investment power.
The number of shares in the column “Maximum Number of Shares of Common Stock that may be Offered Pursuant to this Prospectus” represents all of the shares of common stock that the selling stockholder may offer under this prospectus. The fourth column assumes the sale of all the shares offered by the selling stockholder pursuant to this prospectus and that the selling stockholder does not acquire any additional shares of common stock before the completion of this offering. However, because the selling stockholder may sell all or some of its shares under this prospectus from time to time, or in another permitted manner, we cannot assure you as to the actual number of shares that will be sold by the selling stockholder or that will be held by the selling stockholder after completion of any sales. The selling stockholder may sell some, all or none of their shares in this offering. We do not know how long the selling stockholder will hold the shares before selling them, and we currently have no agreements, arrangements or understandings with the selling stockholder regarding the sale of any of the shares.
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| Beneficial Ownership of Common Stock Prior to the Offering |
Beneficial Ownership of Common Stock After the Offering |
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| Name of Selling Stockholder |
Number of Shares |
Percent of Class (%) |
Maximum Number of Shares of Common Stock that May Be Offered Pursuant to This Prospectus |
Number of Shares(1) |
Percent of Class (%) |
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| Incyte Corporation |
17,763,968 | 17.4 | 10,000,000 | 7,763,968 | 7.6 | |||||||||||||||
| (1) | Assumes that all the shares of the selling stockholder covered by this prospectus are sold, and that the selling stockholder does not acquire any additional shares of common stock before the completion of this offering. However, because the selling stockholder can offer all, some, or none of its common stock, no definitive estimate can be given as to the number of shares that the selling stockholder will ultimately offer or sell under this prospectus. |
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The selling stockholder, including its pledgees, donees, transferees, distributees, beneficiaries or other successors in interest, may from time to time offer some or all of the shares of common stock covered by this prospectus. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the shares of common stock covered by this prospectus by the selling stockholder. We will bear all fees and expenses incident to our obligation to register the shares of our common stock covered by this prospectus.
The selling stockholder may sell all or a portion of the shares of common stock beneficially owned by it and offered hereby from time to time directly or through one or more underwriters, broker-dealers or agents. If the shares of common stock are sold through underwriters or broker-dealers, the selling stockholder will be responsible for underwriting discounts or commissions or agent’s commissions. The shares of common stock may be sold on any national securities exchange or quotation service on which the securities may be listed or quoted at the time of sale, in the over-the-counter market or in transactions otherwise than on these exchanges or systems or in the over-the-counter market and in one or more transactions at fixed prices, at prevailing market prices at the time of the sale, at varying prices determined at the time of sale, or at privately negotiated prices. These sales may be effected in transactions, which may involve crosses or block transactions.
The selling stockholder may use any one or more of the following methods when disposing of shares or interests therein:
| • | ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which the broker-dealer solicits purchasers; |
| • | block trades in which the broker-dealer will attempt to sell the shares as agent, but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction; |
| • | purchases by a broker-dealer as principal and resale by the broker-dealer for its account; |
| • | an over-the-counter distribution; |
| • | an exchange distribution in accordance with the rules of the applicable exchange; |
| • | privately negotiated transactions; |
| • | short sales effected after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part; |
| • | through the writing or settlement of options or other hedging transactions, whether through an options exchange or otherwise; |
| • | broker-dealers may agree with the selling stockholder to sell a specified number of such shares at a stipulated price per share; |
| • | a combination of any such methods of sale; or |
| • | any other method permitted pursuant to applicable law. |
The selling stockholder may, from time to time, pledge or grant a security interest in some or all of the shares of common stock owned by it and, if it defaults in the performance of its secured obligations, the pledgees or secured parties may offer and sell the shares of common stock, from time to time, under this prospectus, or under an amendment to this prospectus under Rule 424(b)(3) or other applicable provision of the Securities Act amending the list of the selling stockholder to include the pledgee, transferee, or other successors in interest as selling stockholder under this prospectus. The selling stockholder also may transfer the shares of common stock in other circumstances, in which case the transferees, pledgees or other successors in interest will be the selling beneficial owners for purposes of this prospectus.
In connection with the sale of shares of our common stock or interests therein, the selling stockholder may enter into hedging transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions, which may in turn engage in short sales of the common stock in the course of hedging the positions it assumes. The selling stockholder may also sell shares of our common stock short and deliver these securities to close out its short positions, or loan or pledge the common stock to broker-dealers that in turn may sell these securities. The selling stockholder may also enter into option or other transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions or the creation of one or more derivative securities which require the delivery to such broker-dealer or other financial institution of shares offered by this prospectus, which shares such broker-dealer or other financial institution may resell pursuant to this prospectus (as supplemented or amended to reflect such transaction).
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Broker-dealers engaged by the selling stockholder may arrange for other broker-dealers to participate in sales. If the selling stockholder effects certain transactions by selling shares of common stock to or through underwriters, broker-dealers or agents, such underwriters, broker-dealers or agents may receive commissions in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the selling stockholder or commissions from purchasers of the shares of common stock for whom they may act as agent or to whom they may sell as principal. Such commissions will be in amounts to be negotiated, but, except as set forth in a supplement to this prospectus, in the case of an agency transaction will not be in excess of a customary brokerage commission in compliance with applicable FINRA rules; and in the case of a principal transaction a markup or markdown in compliance with applicable FINRA rules.
The aggregate proceeds to the selling stockholder from the sale of the common stock offered by it will be the purchase price of the common stock less discounts or commissions, if any. The selling stockholder reserves the right to accept and, together with its agents from time to time, to reject, in whole or in part, any proposed purchase of common stock to be made directly or through agents. We will not receive any of the proceeds from this offering.
The selling stockholder also may resell all or a portion of the shares in open market transactions in reliance upon Rule 144 under the Securities Act, provided that it meets the criteria and conforms to the requirements of that rule.
The selling stockholder and any underwriters, broker-dealers or agents that participate in the sale of the common stock or interests therein may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of Section 2(11) of the Securities Act. Any discounts, commissions, concessions or profit they earn on any resale of the shares may be underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act. The selling stockholder is subject to the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act.
To the extent required pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, the shares of our common stock to be sold, the name of the selling stockholder, the purchase price and public offering price, the names of any agents, dealer or underwriter, and any applicable commissions or discounts with respect to a particular offer will be set forth in an accompanying prospectus supplement or, if appropriate, a post-effective amendment to the registration statement that includes this prospectus.
In order to comply with the securities laws of some states, if applicable, the common stock may be sold in these jurisdictions only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in some states the common stock may not be sold unless it has been registered or qualified for sale or an exemption from registration or qualification requirements is available and is complied with.
The selling stockholder and any other person participating in a sale of the common stock registered under this prospectus will be subject to applicable provisions of the Exchange Act, and the rules and regulations thereunder, including, without limitation, to the extent applicable, Regulation M of the Exchange Act, which may limit the timing of purchases and sales of any of the shares of common stock by the selling stockholder and any other participating person. All of the foregoing may affect the marketability of the shares of common stock and the ability of any person or entity to engage in market-making activities with respect to the shares of common stock. In addition, we will make copies of this prospectus (as it may be supplemented or amended from time to time) available to the selling stockholder for the purpose of satisfying the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act. The selling stockholder may indemnify any broker-dealer that participates in transactions involving the sale of the shares against certain liabilities, including liabilities arising under the Securities Act.
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The validity of the securities that may be offered hereby will be passed upon for us by Ropes & Gray LLP, Boston, Massachusetts.
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The consolidated financial statements of Agenus Inc. as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, and for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2016, and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2016 have been incorporated by reference herein and in the registration statement in reliance upon the reports of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. These documents are on file with the SEC under file number 000-29089. You may read and copy any document we file with the SEC at the SEC’s public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C., 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. In addition, we file many of our documents electronically with the SEC, and you may access those documents over the Internet. The SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. The address of the SEC’s website is http://www.sec.gov. Documents we have filed with the SEC are also available on our website at www.agenusbio.com. Information contained on our website does not constitute a part of this prospectus and is not incorporated by reference herein.
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INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” in this prospectus the information we file with the SEC. This helps us disclose certain important information to you by referring you to the documents we file. The information we incorporate by reference is an important part of this prospectus. Because we are incorporating by reference future filings with the SEC, this prospectus is continually updated and those future filings may modify or supersede some of the information included or incorporated in this prospectus. This means that you must look at all of the SEC filings that we incorporate by reference to determine if any of the statements in this prospectus or in any document previously incorporated by reference have been modified or superseded. We incorporate by reference each of the documents listed below.
| • | our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 (File No. 000-29089); |
| • | our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarterly periods ended March 31, 2017, June 30, 2017 and September 30, 2017 (File No. 000-29089); |
| • | our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on January 17, 2017, February 14, 2017, March 30, 2017, April 20, 2017, June 30, 2017, November 15, 2017, December 22, 2017, January 8, 2018 and January 22, 2018 (except, with respect to each of the foregoing, for portions of such reports which were deemed to be furnished and not filed) (File No. 000-29089); |
| • | our Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed with the SEC on May 8, 2017 (File No. 000-29089); and |
| • | the description of our common stock contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A filed under the Securities Exchange Act on January 24, 2000, including any amendment or reports filed for the purpose of updating such descriptions (File No. 000-29089). |
We also incorporate by reference into this prospectus additional documents that we may file with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the completion or termination of the offering, including all such documents we may file with the SEC after the date of the initial registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement, but excluding any information deemed furnished and not filed with the SEC. Any statements contained in a previously filed document incorporated by reference into this prospectus is deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus, or in a subsequently filed document also incorporated by reference herein, modifies or supersedes that statement.
This prospectus may contain information that updates, modifies or is contrary to information in one or more of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus. You should rely only on the information incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone else to provide you with different information. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date of this prospectus or the date of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus.
We will provide each person to whom this prospectus is delivered a copy of all of the information that has been incorporated by reference in this prospectus but not delivered with this prospectus. You may obtain copies of these filings, at no cost, through the “Investor” section of our website (www.agenusbio.com), and you may request copies of these filings, at no cost, by writing or telephoning us at:
Agenus Inc.
3 Forbes Road
Lexington, MA 02421
Attention: Legal Department
Telephone: (781) 674-4400
The information contained on our website is not a part of this prospectus.
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, 2018
PROSPECTUS
10,000,000 Shares of Common Stock
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PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
| Item 14. | Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution |
The following table sets forth the various expenses in connection with the registration of the securities offered hereby. Agenus Inc. will bear all of these expenses. All amounts are estimated except for the SEC registration fee:
| Item |
Amount | |||
| SEC registration fee |
$ | 4,886.63 | ||
| Legal fees and expenses |
15,000 | * | ||
| Accounting fees and expenses |
8,500 | * | ||
| Printing and related expenses |
5,500 | * | ||
| Miscellaneous |
1,000 | * | ||
| Total |
$ | 34,886.63 | * | |
|
|
|
|||
| * | Estimated |
| Item 15. | Indemnification of Directors and Officers |
Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law permits, in general, a Delaware corporation to indemnify any person who was or is a party to any proceeding (other than an action by, or in the right of, the corporation) by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a director or officer of the corporation, or served another business enterprise in any capacity at the request of the corporation, against liability incurred in connection with such proceeding, including the expenses (including attorney’s fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with such proceeding, if such person acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation and, in criminal actions or proceedings, additionally had no reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful. A Delaware corporation’s power to indemnify applies to actions brought by or in the right of the corporation as well, but only to the extent of expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of the action or suit, provided that no indemnification shall be provided in such actions in the event of any adjudication of negligence or misconduct in the performance of such person’s duties to the corporation, unless a court believes that in light of all the circumstances indemnification should apply. Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law also permits, in general, a Delaware corporation to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director or officer of the corporation, or served another entity in any capacity at the request of the corporation, against liability incurred by such person in such capacity, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability.
We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and certain executive officers and have obtained insurance covering our directors and officers against losses and insuring us against certain of our obligations to indemnify our directors and officers.
Our Fifth Amended and Restated By-Laws provide that we shall indemnify each of our directors and officers, to the maximum extent permitted from time to time by law, against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by reason of the fact that he or she is a director or officer.
This right of indemnification conferred in our Fifth Amended and Restated By-Laws is not exclusive of any other right.
In addition, as permitted by Section 102 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation includes a provision that eliminates the personal liability of our directors for monetary damages for breach of their fiduciary duty as directors except for liability (i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the Company or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or that involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit.
These indemnification provisions may be sufficiently broad to permit indemnification of our directors and officers for liabilities (including reimbursement of expenses incurred) arising under the Securities Act.
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| Item 16. | Exhibits |
The following Exhibits are incorporated herein by reference:
| * | Filed herewith. |
| Item 17. | Undertakings |
| (a) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes: |
| (1) | To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement: |
| (i) | To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933; |
| (ii) | To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; |
| (iii) | To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in this registration statement; |
Provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii) and (a)(1)(iii) of this section do not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-3 or Form F-3 and the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.
| (2) | That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
| (3) | To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. |
| (4) | That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser: |
| (i) | If the registrant is relying on Rule 430B: |
| (A) | Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and |
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| (B) | Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5) or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415 (a)(1)(i), (vii) or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.
| (5) | That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities: |
The undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:
| (i) | Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424; |
| (ii) | Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant; |
| (iii) | The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and |
| (iv) | Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser. |
| (b) | The undersigned registrant hereby further undertakes that, for the purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to section 13(a) or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
| (c) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to deliver or cause to be delivered with the prospectus, to each person to whom the prospectus is sent or given, the latest annual report to security holders that is incorporated by reference in the prospectus and furnished pursuant to and meeting the requirements of Rule 14a-3 or Rule 14c-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and, where interim financial information required to be presented by Article 3 of Regulation S-X is not set forth in the prospectus, to deliver, or cause to be delivered to each person to whom the prospectus is sent or given, the last quarterly report that is specifically incorporated by reference in the prospectus to provide such interim financial information. |
| (d) | Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. |
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Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the Town of Lexington, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on this 24th day of January, 2018.
| AGENUS INC. | ||
| By: |
/s/ Garo H. Armen | |
| Garo H. Armen | ||
| Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board | ||
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POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each individual whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints Garo H. Armen, Karen H. Valentine and Christine M. Klaskin, jointly and severally, his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents with full powers of substitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all supplements amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and all documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, or their or his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed below on the dates indicated by the following persons in the capacities indicated.
| SIGNATURE |
TITLE |
DATE | ||
| /s/ Garo H. Armen Garo H. Armen |
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors (Principal Executive Officer) | January 24, 2018 | ||
| /s/ Christine M. Klaskin Christine M. Klaskin |
Vice President, Finance (Principal Accounting Officer and Principal Financial Officer) | January 24, 2018 | ||
| /s/ Brian Corvese Brian Corvese |
Director | January 24, 2018 | ||
| /s/ Wadih Jordan Wadih Jordan |
Director | January 24, 2018 | ||
| /s/ Shalini Sharp Shalini Sharp |
Director | January 24, 2018 | ||
| /s/ Ulf Wiinberg Ulf Wiinberg |
Director | January 24, 2018 | ||
| /s/ Timothy R. Wright Timothy R. Wright |
Director | January 24, 2018 | ||