As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 12, 2014
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
(Translation of Registrants Name Into English)
The Republic of France | N/A | |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
Parc Club du Moulin A Vent
33, Avenue du Docteur Georges Levy
69693 Venissieux Cedex
France
+33 472 783 434
(Address and Telephone Number of Registrants Principal Executive Offices)
Phillandas T. Thompson, Esq.
Flamel Technologies S.A.
702 Spirit 40 Drive
Suite #108
Chesterfield, MO 63005
(636) 449-1840
(Name, Address and Telephone Number of Agent for Service)
Copies to
Patrick Macken, Esq.
Troutman Sanders LLP
600 Peachtree St. NE, Suite 5200
Atlanta, GA 30308
(404) 885-3136
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable 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: o
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, please check the following box: x
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. o
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. o
If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.C or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. o
If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.C filed to register additional securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. o
Title Of Each Class Of Securities To Be Registered | Amount To Be Registered(1)(2) | Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price |
Amount Of Registration Fee |
|||||||||
Ordinary Shares, €0.122 nominal value | 17,000,000 | $ | 159,800,000 | (3) | $ | 20,583 |
(1) | Ordinary shares may be in the form of American Depositary Shares. American Depositary Shares (ADSs) issuable on deposit of the ordinary shares registered hereby will be registered under a separate Registration Statement on Form F-6. Each ADS represents one ordinary share. |
(2) | Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act, the ordinary shares being registered hereunder include such indeterminate number of ordinary shares as may be issuable with respect to the Ordinary Shares being registered hereunder as a result of stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions. |
(3) | Calculated pursuant to Rule 457(c) promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. |
The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on the date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
We may offer and sell from time to time an aggregate of up to 17,000,000 ordinary shares of Flamel Technologies, S.A., or Flamel, which may be represented by American Depositary Shares, or ADSs. Each ADS represents one ordinary share or the right to receive one ordinary share.
We may offer the securities for sale in amounts, at prices, and on terms determined at the time of the offering. We may sell the securities directly to you, through agents we select or through underwriters and dealers we select. If we use agents, underwriters or dealers, we will name them and describe their compensation in a prospectus supplement. This prospectus describes some of the general terms that may apply to an offering of the securities. The specific terms of any offering will be described in a supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the offering. You should read this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement carefully before you invest.
ADSs, representing ordinary shares of Flamel, approximately €0.122 nominal value, referred to as ordinary shares, are traded under the symbol FLML on the NASDAQ Global Market. On February 11, 2014, the last reported sale price for our ADSs on the NASDAQ Global Market was $9.52 per ADS.
Investing in our securities involves risks that are described in the Risk Factors section beginning on page 4 of this prospectus and included in any prospectus supplement.
The date of this prospectus is , 2014
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.
i
In this prospectus, Flamel, the Company, we, us and our refer to Flamel Technologies, S.A. and its subsidiaries, on a consolidated bases, unless otherwise indicated, $, dollar and US dollar refer to the lawful currency of the United States, and euro or € refers to the currency established for participating member states of the European Union as of the beginning of stage three of the European Monetary Union.
This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form F-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, using the shelf registration process. Under this registration statement, we may from time to time, in one or more offerings, sell the ordinary shares, which may be represented by ADSs, as described in the prospectus. Each time we sell securities in primary offerings, we will provide a supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the terms of such offering. The supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. Before purchasing any securities, you should carefully read both this prospectus and any supplement, together with the additional information incorporated by reference into this prospectus or any supplement.
You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement. We have not authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We are not making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement, and the documents incorporated by reference is accurate only as of its respective date. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.
We may add, update, or change in a prospectus supplement any of the information contained in this prospectus or in documents we have incorporated by reference into this prospectus. To the extent that any statement that we make in a prospectus supplement is inconsistent with statements made in this prospectus, the statements made in this prospectus will be deemed modified or superseded by those made in a prospectus supplement.
You should carefully read this prospectus and any prospectus supplement, together with additional information referenced under the headings Where You Can Find More Information, Incorporation By Reference and Risk Factors before you invest in our securities.
This prospectus and any prospectus supplement are not being distributed in the context of a public offer in France within the meaning of Article L. 411-1 of the French Monetary and Financial Code (Code monétaire et financier), and thus this prospectus and any prospectus supplement have not been and will not be submitted to the Autorité des Marchés Financiers for approval in France nor that of any equivalent stock market authority of any member State of the European Economic Area.
The securities specified in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement are not intended for distribution in France except to (i) persons providing asset management services for the account of third parties and (ii) qualified investors (investisseurs qualifiés) to the exclusion of individuals all as defined in, and in accordance with, Articles L. 411-1, L. 411-2, D. 411-1 et seq. of the French Monetary and Financial Code (Code monétaire et financier). The prospectus and any prospectus supplement have not been and are not to be distributed or reproduced (in whole or in part) in France. This prospectus and any prospectus supplement have been distributed on the understanding that such recipients will only participate in the issue or sale of the ADSs for their own account and undertake not to transfer, directly or indirectly, the ADSs to the public in France, other than in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations and in particular with Articles L. 411-1 et seq. of the French Monetary and Financial Code (Code monétaire et financier).
1
This prospectus, any prospectus supplement, and the documents incorporated herein by reference, contain forward-looking statements. We may make additional written or oral forward-looking statements from time to time in filings with the SEC or otherwise. The words will, may, believe, expect, anticipate, estimate, project, and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statement is made. Such forward-looking statements are within the meaning of that term in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. Although we believe that our expectations are based on reasonable assumptions within the bounds of our knowledge of our business and operations, our business is subject to significant risks that may be beyond our control, and there can be no assurance that actual results of our development and manufacturing activities and our results of operations will not differ materially from our expectations.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ from expectations include, among others, those identified in Risk Factors in this prospectus and those in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2012, which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus, as well as the information contained in our other public filings with the SEC. Some of these risks are highlighted below:
| we depend on a few customers for the majority of our revenues, and the loss of any one of these customers could reduce our revenues significantly; |
| our revenues from our drug delivery technology business depend on pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies successfully developing products that incorporate our drug delivery technologies; |
| although products that incorporate our drug delivery technologies and development products acquired in connection with our acquisition of Éclat Pharmaceuticals, LLC (Éclat) may appear promising at their early stages of development and in clinical trials, none of these potential products may reach the commercial market for a number of reasons; |
| we must invest substantial sums in research and development in order to remain competitive, and we may not fully recover these investments; |
| we must comply with various covenants and obligations under our debt agreements, and our failure to do so could adversely affect our ability to operate our business, develop our product portfolio or pursue certain opportunities; |
| we depend upon a single site to manufacture our drug delivery products, and any interruption of operations could have a material adverse effect on our business; |
| we depend upon a limited number of suppliers for certain raw materials used in our products, and any failure to deliver sufficient supplies could interrupt our production process and could have a material adverse effect on our business; |
| if our competitors develop and market technologies or products that are more effective than ours, or obtain regulatory approval and market such technology or products before we do, our commercial opportunity will be diminished or eliminated; |
| if we cannot keep pace with the rapid technological change in our industry, we may lose business, and our drug delivery systems could become obsolete or noncompetitive; |
| if we cannot adequately protect our technology and proprietary information, we may be unable to sustain a competitive advantage; |
| even if we and our partners obtain necessary regulatory approvals, our products and technologies may not gain market acceptance; |
| our collaborative arrangements may give rise to disputes over commercial terms, contract interpretation and ownership of our intellectual property and may adversely affect the commercial success of our products; |
2
| third parties have claimed, and may claim in the future, that our technologies, or the products in which they are used, infringe on their rights and we may incur significant costs resolving these claims; |
| we can offer no assurance that any patents issued to us will provide us with competitive advantages or will not be infringed, challenged, invalidated or circumvented by others, or that the patents or proprietary rights of others will not have an adverse effect on our ability to do business; |
| if our third party collaborative partners face generic competition for their products, our revenues and royalties from such products may be adversely affected; |
| healthcare reform and restrictions on reimbursements may limit our financial returns; |
| fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates and the impact of the European sovereign debt crisis may cause fluctuations in our financial results; |
| products that incorporate our drug delivery technologies and development products acquired from Éclat are subject to regulatory approval. If our pharmaceutical and biotechnology company partners do not obtain such approvals, or if such approvals are delayed, our revenues may be adversely affected; |
| we are subject to federal and state laws prohibiting kickbacks and false claims that, if violated, could subject us to substantial penalties, and any challenges to or investigation into our practices under these laws could cause adverse publicity and be costly to respond to, and thus could harm our business; |
| companies to which we have licensed our technology are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA and other regulatory authorities. Their failure to meet strict regulatory requirements could adversely affect our business; |
| we may face product liability claims related to participation in clinical trials or the use or misuse of our products or third party products that incorporate our technologies; |
| if we use biological and hazardous materials in a manner that causes injury, we may be liable for significant damages; |
| we may fail to realize the anticipated benefits expected from the acquisition of Éclat and its portfolio of pipeline products; |
| if we choose to acquire new and complementary businesses, products or technologies, we may be unable to complete these acquisitions or to successfully integrate them in a cost effective and non-disruptive manner; |
| the price of our ADSs has been volatile and may continue to be volatile; |
| because we have had limited commercial sales, investors in our shares may have difficulty evaluating our prospects; |
| if we are not profitable in the future, the value of our shares may fall; |
| our operating results may fluctuate, which may adversely affect our share price; |
| we currently do not intend to pay dividends, and cannot assure shareholders that we will make dividend payments in the future; and |
| our largest shareholders own a significant percentage of the share capital and voting rights of the Company. |
Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by or underlying the forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update these forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.
3
We are a specialty pharmaceutical company with a business model focused on blending high-value internally developed products with our leading drug delivery capabilities. We have a proprietary pipeline of niche specialty pharmaceutical products, while our drug delivery platforms are being used to target safer, more efficacious formulations of pharmaceuticals to address unmet medical needs. Our partnered pipeline includes biological and chemical drugs formulated with our Medusa® and Micropump® proprietary drug delivery platforms. Several Medusa-based products have been successfully tested in clinical trials. We have developed products and manufacture Micropump-based microparticles under FDA-audited GMP guidelines. We have a collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (Coreg CR®, carvedilol phosphate) as well as other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies which have not yet been disclosed.
On May 31, 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the companys New Drug Application (NDA) for BloxiverzTM (neostigmine methylsulfate), a drug used intravenously in the operating room for the reversal of the effects of non-depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents after surgery. Our subsidiary, Éclat Pharmaceuticals is working to place product into the marketplace and informing clinical staff, hospital risk managers and Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs) to make them aware of availability of the first FDA-approved version of neostigmine sulfate.
On September 2013, FDA accepted for review our second new drug application (NDA). We have received a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date, the target date for the FDA to complete its review of the NDA, of April 28, 2014. For competitive reasons, we have decided not to identify the product at this time, but we intend to provide additional information at a later date.
As a part of our research and development program, we have completed preclinical studies with our proprietary extended release Medusa hGH XL product which utilizes our Medusa® technology applied to recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH). Our study data provided significant evidence to move this proprietary drug forward into a human clinical trial in 2014 with once weekly dosing.
We will continue to push forward on additional NDA filings out of the Éclat portfolio and on development of additional, innovative drugs that employ our proprietary platform of technologies. Greater research and development spending on these new product efforts is designed to build our near-term and mid-term pipeline and potential revenues. In addition, we continue to explore development, supply and licensing opportunities for our five drug delivery platforms with third parties, but will not rely completely on those partnerships to create revenue and profit opportunities.
Our principal executive offices are located at 33 Avenue du Docteur Georges Levy, 69693 Vénissieux Cedex, France, and our telephone number at that location is +33 472 783 434. In addition, we have operations in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, and manufacturing facilities in Pessac, France. For more information regarding our business, please refer to our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2012, which is incorporated herein by reference. Our website address is www.flamel.com. Information contained on our website is not part of this prospectus.
Investing in the ADSs involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider the risks, uncertainties, and assumptions discussed under Item 3. Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2012, which are incorporated herein by reference, and any risk factors that may be set forth in any applicable prospectus supplement, together with all of the other information contained or incorporated by reference into this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement. These risk factors may be amended, supplemented, or superseded from time to time by future reports that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus. The risks and uncertainties we have described are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our operations.
4
Unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of securities under this prospectus for general corporate purposes, including working capital and repayment of outstanding debt. We will include additional information about any indebtedness to be repaid with net proceeds from the sale of the shares in an applicable prospectus supplement. Accordingly, we will retain broad discretion over the use of the proceeds. Until we use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities for these purposes, we may place the net proceeds in temporary investments.
The following table sets forth the high, low and average exchange rates for the Euro against the U.S. dollar in each of the last five years and in each of the previous six months.
Year Ended December 31, Euro to U.S. Dollar: | High | Low | Average Rate* | |||||||||
2013 | 1.3814 | 1.2768 | 1.3282 | |||||||||
2012 | 1.3454 | 1.2089 | 1.2856 | |||||||||
2011 | 1.4882 | 1.2889 | 1.3917 | |||||||||
2010 | 1.4563 | 1.1942 | 1.3268 | |||||||||
2009 | 1.512 | 1.2555 | 1.3933 |
Previous Six Months, Euro to U.S. Dollar: | High | Low | Average Rate* | |||||||||
January 2014 | 1.3687 | 1.3526 | 1.3610 | |||||||||
December 2013 | 1.3814 | 1.3536 | 1.3704 | |||||||||
November 2013 | 1.3611 | 1.3365 | 1.3493 | |||||||||
October 2013 | 1.3805 | 1.3493 | 1.3635 | |||||||||
September 2013 | 1.3545 | 1.3117 | 1.3348 | |||||||||
August 2013 | 1.3392 | 1.3203 | 1.3310 |
* | Annual totals represent the average of the noon buying rates for Euros of each business day during the relevant period, according to the Banque de France. Monthly totals represent the average of the noon buying rates for Euros for each business day during the relevant month according to the Banque de France. |
The exchange rate for the Euro against the U.S. dollar as of February 11, 2014, was $1.3676 to €1.00. The Company makes no representation that Euro amounts have been, could have been or could be converted into U.S. dollars at any of the exchange rates referred to herein as of a given date.
5
The following table sets forth our unaudited consolidated indebtedness and capitalization as of September 30, 2013 in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The information in this table should be read in conjunction with and is qualified by reference to the financial statements and notes thereto and other financial information included in our Report of Foreign Private Issuer on Form 6-K filed on January 15, 2014 and incorporated by reference in this prospectus.
As of September 30, 2013 ($ in thousands) |
||||
(unaudited) | ||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 7,807 | ||
Liabilities: |
||||
Long-term debt, less current portion(1)(2) | $ | 65,398 | ||
Capital lease obligations, less current portion | 122 | |||
Deferred revenue, less current portion | 136 | |||
Deferred tax liabilities | 7,670 | |||
Other long-term liabilities(3) | 24,986 | |||
Total long-term liabilities | 98,313 | |||
Shareholders equity: |
||||
Ordinary shares at nominal value of 0.122 euro (34,329,690 shares authorized and 25,612,550 shares issued)(4) | 3,722 | |||
Additional paid-in capital | 211,002 | |||
Accumulated deficit | (240,668 | ) | ||
Accumulated other comprehensive income | 10,539 | |||
Total shareholders equity | (15,405 | ) | ||
Total capitalization | $ | 82,908 |
(1) | Long-term debt, less current portion includes: |
|||||||
Government loans for R&D projects | $ | 2,151 | ||||||
Acquisition liability contingent consideration | 34,418 | |||||||
Acquisition liability note | 8,531 | |||||||
Acquisition liability warrant consideration | 7,457 | |||||||
Deerfield Facility agreement | 9,322 | |||||||
Deerfield Royalty Agreement | 3,519 | |||||||
Total long-term debt, less current portion | $65,398 | |||||||
(2) |
Does not reflect $5.0 million outstanding under our new loan agreement entered into in December 2013. |
|||||||
(3) | Other long-term liabilities includes: |
|||||||
Funding from partner GSK long-term | $ | 5,979 | ||||||
Provision for retirement indemnity | 3,145 | |||||||
R&D tax credit financing long-term | 12,959 | |||||||
Employee service award provision long-term | 2,875 | |||||||
Other | 28 | |||||||
Total Other Long-term Liabilities | $24,986 | |||||||
(4) |
At an extraordinary shareholders meeting held on February 11, 2014, our shareholders approved resolutions authorizing the Board of Directors, subject to certain limitations, to increase in our authorized capital by up to an additional 17,000,000 ordinary shares. |
6
There is currently no public trading market for our ordinary shares. The ADSs have been traded on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol FLML since 1996. The following table shows the high and low sales prices of the ADSs on the NASDAQ Global Market for the periods indicated.
Per ADS | ||||||||
High | Low | |||||||
2014: |
||||||||
First Quarter (through February 11, 2014) | $ | 11.48 | $ | 7.95 | ||||
2013: |
||||||||
First Quarter | $ | 4.69 | $ | 2.99 | ||||
Second Quarter | $ | 6.40 | $ | 3.93 | ||||
Third Quarter | $ | 6.90 | $ | 5.55 | ||||
Fourth Quarter | $ | 8.21 | $ | 5.30 | ||||
2012: |
||||||||
First Quarter | $ | 7.70 | $ | 4.92 | ||||
Second Quarter | $ | 5.75 | $ | 3.96 | ||||
Third Quarter | $ | 5.62 | $ | 4.00 | ||||
Fourth Quarter | $ | 4.38 | $ | 2.85 |
We may sell the securities covered by this prospectus in any one of more of the following ways from time to time:
| to or through underwriters; |
| to or through dealers; |
| directly to one or more purchasers; |
| through agents; or |
| through a combination of any of the above. |
The prospectus supplement with respect to any offering of our securities will set forth the terms of the offering, including:
| the name or names of any underwriters, dealers or agents; |
| the purchase price of the securities and the proceeds to us from the sale; |
| any underwriting discounts and commissions or agency fees and other items constituting underwriters or agents compensation; and |
| any delayed delivery arrangements. |
These dispositions may be at fixed prices, at prevailing market prices at the time of sale, at prices related to the prevailing market price, at varying prices determined at the time of sale, or at negotiated prices.
If underwriters are used in the sale of any securities, the securities will be acquired by the underwriters for their own account and may be resold from time to time in one or more transactions described above. The securities may be either offered to the public through underwriting syndicates represented by managing underwriters, or directly by underwriters. Generally, the underwriters obligations to purchase the securities will be subject to conditions precedent and the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all of the securities if they purchase any of the securities. We may use underwriters with whom we have a material relationship. We will describe in the prospectus supplement, naming the underwriter, the nature of any such relationship.
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We may authorize underwriters, dealers or agents to solicit offers by certain purchasers to purchase the securities from us at the public offering price set forth in the prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. The contracts will be subject to conditions set forth in the prospectus supplement, and the prospectus supplement will set forth any commissions we pay for solicitation of these contracts.
Any public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers may be changed from time to time. Pursuant to a requirement by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, the maximum commission or discount to be received by any FINRA member or independent broker/dealer may not be greater than 8% of the gross proceeds received by us for the sale of any securities being registered pursuant to SEC Rule 415 under the Securities Act.
We may enter into derivative transactions with third parties, or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If the applicable prospectus supplement so indicates, in connection with those derivatives, the third parties may sell securities covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, including in short sale transactions. If so, the third party may use securities pledged by us or borrowed from us or others to settle those sales or to close out any related open borrowings of securities, and may use securities received from us in settlement of those derivatives to close out any related open borrowings of securities. The third party in such sale transactions will be an underwriter and will be identified in the applicable prospectus supplement or in a post-effective amendment.
Underwriters, dealers and agents may be entitled to indemnification by us against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribution with respect to payments made by the underwriters, dealers or agents, under agreements between us and the underwriters, dealers and agents.
We may grant underwriters who participate in the distribution of securities an option to purchase additional securities to cover over-allotments, if any, in connection with the distribution.
Underwriters, dealers or agents may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from us or our purchasers, as their agents in connection with the sale of securities. These underwriters, dealers or agents may be considered to be underwriters under the Securities Act. As a result, discounts, commissions or profits on resale received by the underwriters, dealers or agents may be treated as underwriting discounts and commissions. The prospectus supplement will identify any such underwriter, dealer or agent and describe any compensation received by them from us. Any initial public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or re-allowed or paid to dealers may be changed from time to time.
Any underwriter may engage in over-allotment transactions, stabilizing transactions, short-covering transactions and penalty bids in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Over-allotment involves sales in excess of the offering size, which create a short position. Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. Short covering transactions involve purchases of the securities in the open market after the distribution is completed to cover short positions. Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a dealer when the securities originally sold by the dealer are purchased in a covering transaction to cover short positions. Those activities may cause the price of the securities to be higher than it would otherwise be. If commenced, the underwriters may discontinue any of the activities at any time. We make no representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that such transactions may have on the price of the securities. For a description of these activities, see the information under the heading Underwriting or Plan of Distribution in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Underwriters, broker-dealers or agents who may become involved in the sale of the securities may engage in transactions with and perform other services for us in the ordinary course of their business for which they receive compensation.
8
Set forth below is certain information concerning our share capital. Related summary information is provided in Item 10 Additional Information of our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2012, which is incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
Our share capital consists of ordinary shares, nominal value 0.122 euros per share. We have authorized 51,329,690 ordinary shares, 25,612,550 of which were issued and outstanding as of February 11, 2014. All of the shares, including the shares to be sold in any subsequent offering, are or will be fully paid.
We do not hold any shares in our treasury.
At our Combined Ordinary and Extraordinary Meeting of Shareholders held on June 20, 2013, our shareholders authorized the Board of Directors to increase our share capital to, among other things, allocate stock options and free shares to employees. In addition, at a subsequent Extraordinary Meeting of Shareholders held on February 11, 2014, our shareholders authorized the Board of Directors to increase the share capital of the Company in connection with potential offerings by the Company that meet the criteria specified by the shareholders.
The following table shows all the current authorizations granted by the shareholders to the Board of Directors in respect of capital increases, and the usage made of these powers through February 11, 2014:
Nature of Authorized Operation | Valid Through |
Maximum Amount of Capital Increase (par value) (in euros) |
Use of delegation since June 20, 2013 | Balance | ||||||||||||
Authorization of the Issuance of 15,000,000 Ordinary Shares | August 11, 2015 | 1,829,400 | No | 1,829,400 | ||||||||||||
Authorization of the Issuance of 2,000,000 Ordinary Shares | August 11, 2015 | 243,920 | No | 243,920 | ||||||||||||
Authorization for the Issuance of 1,000,00 Stock Options | August 21, 2015 | 121,960 | Yes | 3,415 | ||||||||||||
Authorization for the Issuance of 200,000 shares at no cost (Free Shares) | August 21, 2015 | 24,392 | Yes | | ||||||||||||
Issuance of 2,200,000 stock warrants | March 13, 2018 | 268,312 | No | 268,312 | ||||||||||||
Issuance of 1,100,000 stock warrants | March 13, 2018 | 134,156 | No | 134,156 | ||||||||||||
Authorization for Issuance of 600,000 Stock Options | August 20, 2016 | 73,176 | No | 73,176 | ||||||||||||
Authorization for the Issuance of 200,000 Free Shares | August 20, 2016 | 24,392 | Yes | 10,556 | ||||||||||||
Authorization of 300,000 stock warrants | December 20, 2014 | 36,588 | Yes | 12,196 | ||||||||||||
Authorization for Issuance of 200,000 Ordinary Shares | December 20, 2014 | 24,392 | No | 24,392 | ||||||||||||
Authorization for Issuance of 3,000,000 Ordinary Shares | April 11, 2016 | 365,880 | No | 365,880 | ||||||||||||
Authorization for Issuance of 15,000,000 Ordinary Shares | August 11, 2015 | 1,829,400 | No | 1,829,400 | ||||||||||||
Authorization for Issuance of 2,000,000 Ordinary Shares | August 11, 2015 | 243,920 | No | 243,920 |
9
Number of Ordinary Shares as of the opening date of the fiscal year 2013 | 25,415,400 | |||
Issuance of Ordinary Shares on June 20, 2013 | 50,000 | |||
Issuance of Ordinary Shares on December 12, 2013 | 147,150 | |||
Number of Ordinary Shares as of December 31, 2013 | 25,612,550 |
Stock options outstanding at September 30, 2013, which expire from 2013 to 2023, had exercise prices ranging from €3.00 to €25.39. The weighted average remaining contractual life of all options is 3.81 years. As of September 30, 2013, there were 3,133,990 outstanding options at a weighted average exercise price of €10.41, of which 2,251,240 were exercisable at a weighted average price of €12.95.
The table below shows the evolution of our share capital over the last three fiscal years through February 11, 2014:
Date | Operation | Number of Shares Issued/Warrants Subscribed |
Par Value (0.122 euros nominal value per share issued) |
Premium (in euros) |
Value of Share Increase Capital (in euros) |
Cumulative number of shares outstanding |
||||||||||||||||||
July 2011 | Subscription for warrants by Directors |
300,000 |
|
141,000 |
141,000 |
24,645,650 |
||||||||||||||||||
September 2011 | Exercise of employee stock options |
30,000 |
3,659 |
28,951 |
32,610 |
24,675,650 |
||||||||||||||||||
December 2011 | Definitive acquisition of Free Shares |
272,400 |
33,222 |
|
|
24,948,050 |
||||||||||||||||||
December 2011 | Exercise of employee stock options |
14,200 |
1,732 |
37,673 |
39,405 |
24,962,250 |
||||||||||||||||||
March 2012 | Exercise of employee stock options |
195,000 |
23,782 |
430,568 |
454,350 |
25,157,250 |
||||||||||||||||||
December, 2012 | Definitive acquisition of Free Shares |
258,150 |
31,484 |
|
|
25,415,400 |
||||||||||||||||||
June, 2013 | Exercise of warrants |
50,000 | 6,098 | 218,902 | 225,000 | 25,465,400 | ||||||||||||||||||
August, 2013 | Subscription for warrants by Directors |
180,000 |
|
77,400 |
77,400 |
25,465,400 |
||||||||||||||||||
December 2013 | Definitive acquisition of Free Shares |
147,150 |
17,946 |
|
|
25,612,550 |
In this section, we summarize material provisions of applicable French law and our statuts. This description is not complete and is qualified, in its entirety, by reference to our statuts, an English translation of which was filed as an exhibit to our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2012, which is incorporated by reference into this prospectus. You may obtain copies of our statuts in French from the Registry of Commerce and Companies in Lyon, France, under registration number 379001530.
Our corporate affairs are governed by our statuts and applicable laws and regulations (in particular, Chapter V of Title II of the Second Book of the French Commercial Code).
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Article 3 of our statuts provides that the purposes of the Company, in France and abroad, are:
| design and realization of new materials for the chemical industry as well as other industries, in the fields of pharmacy, health, automotive, aerospace, telecommunications, turbines, and packing and conditioning, among others; |
| research and development of polymer and ceramic materials corresponding to identified needs; |
| filing, study, acquisition, operation and concession of patents, licenses, processes, trademarks and specialized knowledge related to the above mentioned technical fields; |
| production and sale of designed materials; |
| design, development, fabrication, distribution, import, export of medicines, pharmaceutical products and other health materials as well as the operation of pharmaceutical products, medicines and other health materials; and |
| more generally, any operations directly or indirectly related to the above. |
Transactions in which Directors are Materially Interested. Under French law, any agreement entered into (directly or through an intermediary) between Flamel and any one of the members of the Board of Directors that is not entered into (1) in the ordinary course of our business and (2) under normal conditions is subject to the prior authorization of the disinterested members of the Board of Directors. The same provision applies to agreements between Flamel and another company if one of the members of the Board of Directors is the Chief Executive Officer (directeur général), one of his delegates (directeurs généraux délégués), or one of the members of the Board of Directors (administrateurs) of the Company is the owner, general partner (associé indéfiniment responsable), manager (gérant), member of the Board of Directors, member of the Supervisory Board (membre du Conseil de surveillance) or, more generally, manager (dirigeant) of the other company. The same provision also applies to agreements in which one of the members of the Board of Directors has an indirect interest.
Compensation. The aggregate amount of attendance fees (jetons de présence) of the Board of Directors is determined by the shareholders at an ordinary general meeting. The Board of Directors then divides this aggregate amount among its members by a simple majority vote. In addition, the Board of Directors may grant exceptional compensation (rémunérations exceptionnelles) to individual directors on a case-by-case basis for special assignments following the procedures described above at Transactions in which Directors are Materially Interested. The Board of Directors may also authorize the reimbursement of travel and accommodation expenses, as well as other expenses incurred by Directors in the corporate interest.
Borrowing Power. Under French corporate law, the CEO (directeur général) has the power to represent the Company and execute any agreements on its behalf. The articles of association or decisions of the Board may limit this power by, for example, requiring prior authorization of the Board if borrowing exceeds a specified threshold. There are currently no limits imposed by the shareholders on the borrowing powers exercisable by the CEO (directeur général). However, there are limits on the Companys borrowing power under the Note Agreement executed in connection with the acquisition of Éclat.
Age Limits and Share Ownership Requirements. Our statuts provide that at no time may the number of Directors over the age of 70 exceed one-third of the total number of Directors in office. The statuts also require that each member of the Board of Directors must own at least one share during the whole term of his or her office as a Director.
Except as set forth below, our share capital may be increased only with the approval of the shareholders at an extraordinary general meeting. Increases in share capital may be effected either by the issuance of additional shares, by an increase in the nominal value of existing shares or by the creation of a new class of shares. Additional shares may be issued for cash, in satisfaction of indebtedness incurred by us by way of set-off, for
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assets contributed in kind, upon the conversion, exchange or redemption of debt securities previously issued by us, upon the exercise of stock options, warrants or other similar securities comprising rights to subscribe for shares, or by capitalization of reserves. Share dividends may be distributed in lieu of payment of cash dividends, as described under Dividend and Liquidation Rights.
French law requires that the net assets of a corporation as calculated under French statutory accounting (capitaux propres) be equal to at least one-half of its issued nominal capital (capital social). The board of directors of any such French corporation must, within four months from the approval by the shareholders of the audited accounts showing such a deficiency in the net asset position, convene an extraordinary meeting of shareholders in order to decide whether the corporation ought to be dissolved before its statutory term or whether to continue the business activity of the corporation. If the dissolution is not declared, the net asset position must then be restored at the latest at the end of the second fiscal year following the fiscal year during which the insufficient net asset position was legally established by the shareholders.
Unless previously waived or cancelled, holders of shares have preemptive rights to subscribe for additional shares issued by us on a pro rata basis. Shareholders may individually waive such preemptive subscription rights or cancel all of them at an extraordinary general meeting under certain circumstances. Preemptive subscription rights, if not previously cancelled by an extraordinary general meeting or individually waived by each shareholder, are transferable during the subscription period relating to a particular offering of shares, unless otherwise decided by the extraordinary general meeting.
In accordance with French law, there are two types of shareholders general meetings, ordinary and extraordinary. Ordinary general meetings of shareholders are required for matters such as the election of directors, the appointment of statutory auditors, the approval of the annual report prepared by the Board of Directors and the annual accounts and the declaration of dividends.
Extraordinary general meetings of shareholders are required for approval of matters such as amendments to our statuts, modification of shareholders rights, approval of mergers, increases or decreases in share capital, the creation of a new class of capital stock and the authorization of the issuance of securities convertible or exchangeable into shares. In particular, shareholder approval will be required for any and all mergers in which (1) we are not wholly owned by the absorbing company or (2) we do not wholly own the absorbed company.
The Board of Directors is required to convene an annual ordinary general meeting of shareholders, which must be held within six months of the end of our fiscal year, which is December 31. Under our statuts, all directors stand for re-election at each annual ordinary general meeting of shareholders. Other ordinary or extraordinary meetings may be convened at any time during the year. Meetings of shareholders may be convened by the Board of Directors or, if the Board of Directors fails to call such a meeting, by our designated statutory auditors, currently PricewaterhouseCoopers Audit, or by an agent appointed by the court. The court may be requested to appoint such an agent either by shareholder(s) holding at least 5% of our share capital, a shareholders association meeting the requirements of Article L.225-120 of the French Commercial Code, or in cases of urgency, by the works council or an interested party. Following a successful takeover bid or the acquisition of control of the Company, the new majority shareholders may call a shareholders ordinary or extraordinary general meeting, depending on matters to be considered in such meeting. The notice calling such meeting must state the matters to be considered.
French law provides that, at least 15 days before the date set for any general meeting on first notice, and at least ten days before the date set for any general meeting on second notice, notice of the meeting must be sent by mail to all holders of properly registered shares who have held such shares prior to the date of the notice. A preliminary written notice (avis de reunion) must be sent to each shareholder who has requested to be notified in writing before the date set for any ordinary or extraordinary general meeting. Shareholders holding a defined percentage of our share capital, which varies depending on the absolute amount of the share capital, may propose resolutions to be submitted for approval by the shareholders at the meeting. The defined percentage referred to in the preceding sentence will never be higher than five percent. Holders of ADSs will receive notice of shareholders
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meetings and other reports and communications that are made generally available to shareholders from the Depositary if we furnish sufficient copies of the documents and ask the Depositary to mail them to ADR holders. See Description of American Depositary Shares Voting of the Underlying Shares for the contents and time periods for notices of shareholder meetings to be given to the holders of ADSs.
Attendance and exercise of voting rights at ordinary general meetings and extraordinary general meetings of shareholders are subject to certain conditions. Pursuant to our statuts, holders of shares deciding to exercise their voting rights must have their Shares registered in their names in the shareholder registry maintained by or on behalf of Flamel one day prior to the meeting at the latest. Certain procedures to effect such requirements will apply to a holder of ADSs desiring to exercise the voting rights relating to the shares corresponding to such ADSs. See Description of American Depository Shares Voting of the Underlying Shares.
All shareholders who have properly registered their shares have the right to participate in general meetings, either in person, by proxy, or by mail, and to vote according to the number of shares they hold. Each share confers on the shareholder the right to one vote. Our statuts do not provide for cumulative voting rights. Under French law, shares held by entities controlled directly or indirectly by Flamel shall not be entitled to any voting rights. A proxy may be granted by a shareholder whose name is reflected on our share registry to his or her spouse, to his or her partner under civil partnership (pacte civil de solidarité), to another shareholder or to a legal representative, in the case of a legal entity, or by sending a proxy in blank to us without nominating any representative. In the latter case, the chairman of the meeting of shareholders will vote the Shares with respect to which such blank proxy has been given in favor of all resolutions proposed by the Board of Directors and against all others.
The presence in person or by proxy of shareholders holding not less than 20% (in the case of an ordinary meeting) or 25% (in the case of an extraordinary meeting) of the shares entitled to vote is necessary for a quorum. If a quorum is not present at an initial meeting, then the meeting must be adjourned. An adjourned meeting may be reconvened upon 10 days notice. Upon recommencement of an adjourned meeting, no quorum is required in the case of an ordinary general meeting but, in the case of an extraordinary meeting, the presence in person or by proxy of shareholders holding not less than 20% of the shares entitled to vote is required for a quorum.
At an ordinary meeting, a simple majority of the votes cast is required to pass a resolution. At an extraordinary general meeting, a two-thirds majority of the votes cast is required. However, a unanimous vote is required to increase liabilities of shareholders. Abstention by those present or represented by proxy is deemed a vote against the resolution submitted to a vote.
In addition to rights to certain information regarding Flamel, any shareholder may, during a period no more than 15 days preceding a shareholders meeting and no later than four business days preceding a shareholders meeting, submit written questions to the Board of Directors relating to the agenda for the meeting. The Board of Directors is required to respond to such questions during the meeting.
As set forth in the statuts, shareholders meetings are held at our registered office or at any other location specified in the written notice.
If the financial results show the existence of a distributable profit, our statuts permit a general shareholders meeting to allocate such profits to one or several reserve accounts, to carry the amount forward or to distribute it to shareholders. As provided under French law, net income in each fiscal year (after deduction for legal reserve), as increased or reduced, as the case may be, by any net income or loss of any French corporation carried forward from prior years, is available for distribution to the shareholders of such corporation as dividends, all as determined in accordance with French statutory accounting. Dividends may also be distributed from available reserves of any French corporation, subject to approval by the shareholders and certain limitations.
Under French law, a corporation is legally required to establish and maintain a legal reserve by making a minimum transfer of 5% of its net income in each year to such legal reserve as may be necessary to maintain it at a level equal to 10% of the aggregate nominal value of its share capital, as increased or reduced from time to time. The legal reserve is distributable only upon liquidation. The payment of dividends, if any, is fixed by the
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ordinary general meeting of shareholders at which the annual accounts are approved following recommendation of the Board of Directors. Dividends are payable pro rata to holders of shares outstanding on the date of the shareholder meeting approving the distribution of dividends or, in the case of interim dividends, on the date of the meeting of the Board of Directors approving the distribution of interim dividends. The actual dividend payment date is determined by the shareholders at the ordinary general meeting approving the declaration of the dividends or by the Board of Directors in the absence of such determination by the shareholders. The payment of the dividends must occur within nine months of the end of a French companys fiscal year. Dividends not claimed within five years of the date of payment revert to the French state. The statuts of the Company authorize the shareholders, in an ordinary general meeting, to authorize the grant to each shareholder of an option to receive all or part of any annual or interim dividends in either cash or shares.
If net income (as shown on an interim income statement certified by our statutory auditors) is sufficient, the Board of Directors has the authority, subject to French law and regulations, without the approval of shareholders, to distribute interim dividends.
In the event that we are liquidated, our assets remaining after payment of our debts, liquidation expenses and all of our remaining obligations will be distributed first to repay in full the capital of the shares, and the surplus, if any, will then be distributed pro rata among the holders of shares in proportion to the nominal value of their shareholdings and subject to any special rights granted to holders of priority or preference shares, if any. Shareholders are liable for corporate liabilities only up to the par value of the shares they hold and are not liable to further capital calls of the Company.
Pursuant to French law, we may not acquire our shares except in certain limited circumstances not presently applicable to it.
Form of Shares. Our statuts provide that shares may be held only in registered form.
Holding of Shares. Shares are registered in the name of the respective owners thereof in the registry maintained by or on behalf of Flamel. Stock certificates evidencing shares, in a manner comparable to that in the United States, are not issued by French companies, but we may issue or cause to be issued confirmations as to holdings of shares registered in such registry to the persons in whose name such shares are registered. Such confirmations do not constitute documents of title and are not negotiable instruments.
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Our ordinary shares are traded on the NASDAQ Global Market in the form of ADSs delivered by The Bank of New York Mellon pursuant to the Deposit Agreement dated as of June 6, 1996, as amended and restated as of August 10, 2001 and further amended and restated as of , 2014, among Flamel, The Bank of New York Mellon (formerly, The Bank of New York), as depositary (the Depositary), and all owners and holders from time to time of ADSs issued thereunder (the Deposit Agreement). The Depositarys principal executive office is located at One Wall Street, New York, New York 10286.
The following is a summary of the material provisions of the Deposit Agreement, which is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Deposit Agreement filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement on Form F-6 filed on February 12, 2014. Copies of the Deposit Agreement are available for inspection at the Corporate Trust Office of the Depositary, which is presently located at 101 Barclay Street, New York, New York 10286. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have meanings assigned to them in the Deposit Agreement.
Each American Depositary Receipt (ADR) is a certificate evidencing a specific number of ADSs. The Depositary will execute and deliver the ADRs. Each ADS represents one ordinary share (or a right to receive one ordinary share) deposited with the Depositary or the Paris office of CACEIS Bank, as custodian for the Depositary (the Custodian), presently located at 1-3, Place Valhubert, 75206 Paris Cedex 13, FRANCE. Each ADS will also represent any other securities, cash or other property that may be held by the Depositary.
You may hold ADSs either (A) directly (i) by having an ADR registered in your name, or (ii) by having ADSs registered in your name in the Direct Registration System or (B) indirectly through your broker or other financial institution. If you hold ADSs directly, you are a registered ADS holder. This description assumes you hold your ADSs directly. If you hold the ADSs indirectly, you must rely on the procedures of your broker or other financial institution to assert the rights of ADR holders described in this section. You should consult with your broker or financial institution to find out what those procedures are. As used herein, the term ADR holder shall mean a person holding ADSs directly.
The Direct Registration System, also referred to as DRS, is a system administered by The Depository Trust Company, also referred to as DTC, under which the Depositary may register the ownership of uncertificated ADSs, which ownership is confirmed by periodic statements sent by the Depositary to the registered holders of uncertificated ADSs.
As an ADR holder, we will not treat you as one of our shareholders, and you will not have shareholder rights. French law governs shareholder rights. The Depositary will be the holder of the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs. As a holder of ADRs, you will have ADR holder rights. The Deposit Agreement sets forth ADR holder rights as well as the rights and obligations of the Depositary. New York law governs the Deposit Agreement and the ADRs.
We refer to the ordinary shares that are at any time deposited or deemed deposited under the Deposit Agreement and any and all other securities, cash and property received by the Depositary or the Custodian in respect thereof and at such time held under the Deposit Agreement as Deposited Securities.
The Depositary has agreed to pay to you the cash dividends or other distributions it or the Custodian receives on the ordinary shares or other Deposited Securities, after deducting its fees and expenses. You will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of ordinary shares your ADSs represent.
Cash. The Depositary will convert any cash dividend or other cash distribution we pay on the shares into U.S. dollars, if it can do so on a reasonable basis and can transfer the U.S. dollars to the United States. If that is not possible or if any government approval is needed and cannot be obtained, the Deposit Agreement allows the Depositary to distribute the foreign currency only to those ADR holders to whom such distribution is possible. The Depositary will hold the foreign currency it cannot convert for the account of the ADR holders who have not been paid but will not invest the foreign currency and will not be liable for any interest.
Before making a distribution, the Depositary will deduct any withholding taxes that must be paid. The Depositary will distribute only whole U.S. dollars and cents and will round fractional cents to the nearest
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whole cent. If the exchange rates fluctuate during a time when the Depositary cannot convert the foreign currency, you may lose some or all of the value of the distribution.
Shares. The Depositary may distribute additional ADRs representing any shares we distribute as a dividend or free distribution. The Depositary will only distribute whole ADRs and will sell shares that would require it to deliver fractional ADRs and distribute the net proceeds in the same way that it does with cash. If the Depositary does not distribute additional ADRs, the outstanding ADRs will also represent the new shares.
Rights to purchase additional shares. If we offer holders of our securities any rights to subscribe for additional shares or any other rights, the Depositary may make these rights available to you. If the Depositary decides it is not legal and feasible to make the rights available but that it is feasible to sell the rights, the Depositary will use reasonable efforts to sell the rights and distribute the proceeds in the same way as it does with cash. The Depositary will allow rights that are not distributed or sold to lapse. In that case, you will receive no value for them.
If the Depositary makes rights available to ADR holders, it will exercise the rights and purchase the shares on your behalf. The Depositary will then deposit the shares and deliver ADRs to the persons entitled to them. It will only exercise rights if you pay it the exercise price and any other charges the rights require you to pay.
U.S. securities laws may restrict transfers and cancellation of the ADRs represented by shares purchased upon exercise of rights. For example, you may not be able to trade these ADRs freely in the United States. In this case, the Depositary may deliver restricted ADRs that have the same terms as the ADRs described in this section except for changes needed to put the necessary restrictions in place.
Other Distributions. The Depositary will send to you anything else we distribute on Deposited Securities by any means it believes are legal, fair and practical. If it cannot make the distribution in such a manner, the Depositary has a choice. It may decide to sell what we distributed and distribute the net proceeds, in the same way as it does with cash. Or it may decide to hold what we distributed, in which case ADSs will also represent the newly distributed property. However, the Depositary is not required to distribute any securities (other than ADSs) to you unless it receives satisfactory evidence from us that it is legal to make that distribution.
The Depositary is not responsible if it decides that it is unlawful or impractical to make a distribution available to any ADR holder. We have no obligation to register ADSs, shares, rights or other securities under the Securities Act. We also have no obligation to take any other action to permit the distribution of ADRs, ADSs, shares, rights or anything else to ADR holders. This means that you may not receive the distributions we make on our shares or any value for them if it is illegal or impractical for us to make them available to you.
The Depositary will deliver ADRs if you or your broker deposits shares or evidence of rights to receive shares with the Custodian. Upon payment of its fees and expenses and of any taxes or charges, such as stamp taxes or stock transfer taxes or fees, the Depositary will register the appropriate number of ADSs in the names you request and will deliver the ADRs to or upon the order of the person or persons that made the deposit.
You may surrender your ADRs at the Depositarys Corporate Trust Office. Upon payment of its fees and expenses and of any taxes or charges, such as stamp taxes or stock transfer taxes or fees, the Depositary will transfer the shares and any other Deposited Securities underlying the ADR to you, or a person you designate, at the office of the Custodian. Alternatively, at your request, risk and expense, the Depositary will deliver the Deposited Securities at its Corporate Trust Office, if feasible.
You may instruct the Depositary to vote the ordinary shares underlying your ADRs, but only if we ask the Depositary to ask for your instructions. Otherwise, you will not be able to exercise your right to vote unless you withdraw the shares. However, you may not know about the meeting enough in advance to withdraw the shares.
If we ask for your instructions, the Depositary will notify you of the upcoming vote and arrange to deliver our voting materials to you. The materials will (1) describe the matters to be voted on and (2) explain
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how you may instruct the Depositary to vote the ordinary shares or other deposited securities underlying your ADSs as you direct. For instructions to be valid, the Depositary must receive them on or before the date specified. The Depositary will try, as far as practical, subject to French law and the provisions of our statuts, to vote or to have its agents vote the shares or other deposited securities as you instruct.
If the Depositary does not receive voting instructions from you by the specified date, it will consider you to have authorized and directed it to vote the number of deposited securities represented by your ADSs in accordance with the recommendations of our management. However, the Depositary will not vote under the preceding sentence if we notify the Depositary that:
| we do not wish it to do so; |
| we think there is substantial shareholder opposition to the particular question; or |
| we think the particular question would have an adverse impact on our shareholders. |
The Depositary will only vote, or attempt to vote, as you instruct, or as described in this paragraph.
We cannot assure you that you will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that you can instruct the Depositary to vote your ordinary shares. In addition, the Depositary and its agents are not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions or for the manner of carrying out voting instructions. This means that you may not be able to exercise your right to vote and there may be nothing you can do if your shares are not voted as you requested.
Persons depositing shares or ADR holders must pay: | For: | |||
1. | $5.00 (or less) per 100 ADSs (or portion of 100 ADSs) | Issuance of ADRs, including issuances resulting from a distribution of shares or rights or other property Cancellation of ADRs for the purpose of withdrawal, including if the Deposit Agreement terminates | ||
2. | $0.05 (or less) per ADS | Any cash distribution to you | ||
3. | A fee equivalent to the fee that would be payable if securities distributed to you had been shares and the shares had been deposited for issuance of ADSs | Distribution of securities distributed to holders of deposited securities which are distributed by the Depositary to ADR holders | ||
4. | $1.50 or less per certificate | Registration or transfer of ADRs | ||
5. | $0.05 (or less) per ADS per calendar year | Depositary services | ||
6. | Registration or transfer fees | Transfer and registration of shares on our share register to or from the name of the Depositary or its agent when you deposit or withdraw shares | ||
7. | Expenses of the Depositary | Cable, telex and facsimile transmissions (when expressly provided in the Deposit Agreement) | ||
8. | Taxes and other governmental charges the Depositary or the Custodian has to pay on any ADR or share underlying an ADR, for example, stock transfer taxes, stamp duty or withholding taxes | As necessary | ||
9. | Expenses of the Depositary in converting foreign currency to U.S. dollars | As necessary | ||
10. | Any charges incurred by the Depositary or its agents for servicing the deposited securities. | As necessary |
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The Depositary collects its fees for delivery and surrender of ADSs directly from investors depositing shares or surrendering ADSs for the purpose of withdrawal or from intermediaries acting for them. The Depositary collects fees for making distributions to investors by deducting those fees from the amounts distributed or by selling a portion of distributable property to pay the fees. The Depositary may collect its annual fee for depositary services by deduction from cash distributions or by directly billing investors or by charging the book-entry system accounts of participants acting for them. The Depositary may generally refuse to provide fee-attracting services until its fees for those services are paid.
From time to time, the Depositary may make payments to us to reimburse and/or share revenue from the fees collected from ADS holders, or waive fees and expenses for services provided, generally relating to costs and expenses arising out of establishment and maintenance of the ADS program. In performing its duties under the deposit agreement, the Depositary may use brokers, dealers or other service providers that are affiliates of the Depositary and that may earn or share fees or commissions.
The Depositary may deduct the amount of any taxes owed from any payments to you and may also sell deposited securities, by public or private sale, to pay any taxes owed. You will remain liable if the proceeds of the sale are not enough to pay the taxes. If the Depositary sells deposited securities, it will, if appropriate, reduce the number of ADSs to reflect the sale and pay to you any proceeds, or send to you any property, remaining after it has paid the taxes.
If we (1) change the nominal value of our shares; (2) reclassify, split up or consolidate any of the Deposited Securities; (3) distribute securities on the shares that are not distributed to you; or (4) recapitalize, reorganize, merge, liquidate, sell all or substantially all of our assets, or take any similar action, then:
| the cash, shares or other securities received by the Depositary will become Deposited Securities, and each ADS will automatically represent its equal share of the new Deposited Securities; and |
| the Depositary may, and upon our request will, distribute some or all of the cash, shares or other securities it received. The Depositary may also distribute new ADSs representing new Deposited Securities or ask you to surrender your outstanding ADRs in exchange for new ADRs identifying the new Deposited Securities. |
The Depositary will make available for inspection by owners of ADRs at its Corporate Trust Office any reports and communications, including proxy solicitation materials, received from us which are both (1) received by the Depositary as the holder of the Deposited Securities and (2) made generally available by us to the holders of such Deposited Securities. The Depositary will also send to the owners of ADRs copies of Company notices of shareholder meetings or the adjournment thereof, actions related to any cash or other distributions and the offering of any rights and copies of annual reports, quarterly reports, summaries of notices of shareholders meetings and other communications made generally available to owners of Deposited Securities. If instructed in writing by us, the Depositary will arrange for copies of such reports and communications to be mailed to all owners of ADRs at our expense. Any such reports and communications, including any proxy solicitation materials, will be furnished to the Depositary in English.
We may agree with the Depositary to amend the Deposit Agreement and the ADRs without your consent for any reason. If an amendment adds or increases fees or charges, except for taxes and other governmental charges or expenses of the Depositary for registration fees, facsimile costs, delivery charges or similar items, or prejudices a substantial right of ADR holders, it will not become effective for outstanding ADRs until 60 days after the Depositary notifies ADR holders of the amendment. At the time an amendment becomes effective, you are considered, by continuing to hold your ADR, to agree to the amendment and to be bound by the ADRs and the Deposit Agreement as amended.
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The Depositary will terminate the Deposit Agreement if we ask it to do so. The Depositary may also terminate the Deposit Agreement if the Depositary has told us that it would like to resign and we have not appointed a successor Depositary within 90 days. In either case, the Depositary must notify you at least 90 days before termination.
After termination, the Depositary and its agents will do the following under the Deposit Agreement but nothing else: (1) advise you that the Deposit Agreement is terminated, (2) collect distributions on the Deposited Securities, (3) sell rights and other property and (4) deliver shares and other Deposited Securities upon cancellation of ADRs. One year after termination, the Depositary may sell any remaining Deposited Securities by public or private sale. After that, the Depositary will hold the money it received on the sale, as well as any other cash it is holding under the Deposit Agreement, for the pro rata benefit of the ADR holders that have not surrendered their ADRs. It will not invest the money and has no liability for interest. The Depositarys only obligations will be to account for the money and other cash. After termination, our only obligations will be to indemnify the Depositary and to pay fees and expenses of the Depositary that we have agreed to pay.
The Deposit Agreement expressly limits our obligations and the obligations of the Depositary. It also limits our liability and the liability of the Depositary. The Depositary and we:
| are only obligated to take the actions specifically set forth in the Deposit Agreement without negligence or bad faith; |
| are not liable if either of us is prevented or delayed by law or circumstances beyond our control from performing our obligations under the Deposit Agreement; |
| are not liable if either of us exercises discretion permitted under the Deposit Agreement; |
| have no obligation to become involved in a lawsuit or other proceeding related to the ADRs or the Deposit Agreement on your behalf or on behalf of any other party; and |
| may rely upon any documents we believe in good faith to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party. |
In the Deposit Agreement, we agree to indemnify the Depositary for acting as Depositary, except for losses caused by the Depositarys own negligence or bad faith.
Before the Depositary will deliver or register a transfer of an ADR, make a distribution on an ADR, or permit withdrawal of shares, the Depositary may require:
| payment of stock transfer or other taxes or other governmental charges and transfer or registration fees charged by third parties for the transfer of any shares or other deposited securities; |
| satisfactory proof of the identity and genuineness of any signature or other information it deems necessary; and |
| compliance with regulations it may establish, from time to time, consistent with the Deposit Agreement, including presentation of transfer documents. |
The Depositary may refuse to deliver ADRs or register transfers of ADRs generally when the transfer books of the Depositary or our transfer books are closed or at any time if the Depositary or we think it advisable.
You have the right to cancel your ADRs and withdraw the underlying shares at any time except:
| when temporary delays arise because (1) the Depositary has closed its transfer books or we have closed our transfer books, (2) the transfer of shares is blocked to permit voting at a shareholders meeting or (3) we are paying a dividend on our shares; |
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| when you or other ADR holders seeking to withdraw shares owe money to pay fees, taxes and similar charges; and |
| when it is necessary to prohibit withdrawals in order to comply with any laws or governmental regulations that apply to ADRs or to the withdrawal of shares or other deposited securities. |
This right of withdrawal may not be limited by any other provision of the Deposit Agreement.
The Deposit Agreement permits the Depositary to deliver ADRs before deposit of the underlying shares. This is called a pre-release of ADRs. The Depositary may also deliver shares upon cancellation of pre-released ADRs (even if the ADRs are canceled before the pre-release transaction has been closed out). A pre-release is closed out as soon as the underlying shares are delivered to the Depositary. The Depositary may receive ADRs instead of shares to close out a pre-release.
The Depositary may pre-release ADRs only under the following conditions:
| before or at the time of the pre-release, the person to whom the pre-release is being made represents to the Depositary in writing that it or its customer owns the shares or ADRs to be deposited; |
| the pre-release is fully collateralized with cash or other collateral that the Depositary considers appropriate; and |
| the Depositary must be able to close out the pre-release on not more than five business days notice. In addition, the Depositary will limit the number of ADSs that may be outstanding at any time as a result of pre-release to thirty percent (30%) of the Ordinary Shares deposited, although the Depositary may disregard the limit from time to time, if it thinks it is appropriate. |
In the Deposit Agreement, all parties to the Deposit Agreement acknowledge that the DRS and Profile Modification System, or Profile, will apply to uncertificated ADSs upon acceptance thereof to DRS by DTC. DRS is the system administered by DTC under which the Depositary may register the ownership of uncertificated ADSs, which ownership will be evidenced by periodic statements sent by the Depositary to the registered holders of uncertificated ADSs. Profile is a required feature of DRS that allows a DTC participant, claiming to act on behalf of a registered holder of ADSs, to direct the Depositary to register a transfer of those ADSs to DTC or its nominee and to deliver those ADSs to the DTC account of that DTC participant without receipt by the Depositary of prior authorization from the ADS holder to register that transfer.
In connection with and in accordance with the arrangements and procedures relating to DRS/Profile, the parties to the Deposit Agreement understand that the Depositary will not determine whether the DTC participant that is claiming to be acting on behalf of an ADS holder in requesting registration of transfer and delivery described in the paragraph above has the actual authority to act on behalf of the ADS holder (notwithstanding any requirements under the Uniform Commercial Code). In the Deposit Agreement, the parties agree that the Depositarys reliance on and compliance with instructions received by the Depositary through the DRS/Profile System and in accordance with the Deposit Agreement will not constitute negligence or bad faith on the part of the Depositary.
The Depositary will make available for your inspection at its office all communications that it receives from us as a holder of Deposited Securities that we make generally available to holders of Deposited Securities. The Depositary will send you copies of those communications if we ask it to. The Depositary will keep books for the registration and transfer of ADRs, which will be open for inspection by the owners of ADRs and the Company at all reasonable times, provided that such inspection shall be limited to business of the Company or a matter related to the Deposit Agreement or the ADRs and not for the purpose of communicating with ADR owners for another business. At any time and from time to time, the Depositary may close the transfer books in connection with the performance of its duties under the Deposit Agreement or upon the Companys request.
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We file reports and other information with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act). You may read and copy this registration statement and any other document we file at the SECs Public Reference Room located at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room can be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. We file information electronically with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available from the SECs Internet site at http://www.sec.gov, which contains reports and other information regarding issuers that file electronically. Additional information about Flamel may be obtained on our website at www.flamel.com. We are not incorporating the contents of our or the SECs websites or the website of any other person into this prospectus.
You should rely only on the information that we provide or incorporate by reference in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information, and you should not assume that the information in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date indicated in the relevant documents.
As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from some SEC reporting requirements, including proxy solicitation rules, short-swing insider profit disclosure rules of Section 16 of the Exchange Act with respect to our ordinary shares, and the rules regarding the furnishing of quarterly reports, among others.
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The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference certain information filed with or furnished to the SEC, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus, and information in documents that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede information in this prospectus. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below:
| our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012; |
| our Reports of Foreign Private Issuer on Form 6-K pursuant to Rules 13a-16 and 15d-16 filed with the Commission on February 12, 2013, March 1, 2013, April 2, 2013, May 16, 2013, May 28, 2013, June 7, 2013, July 15, 2013, August 2, 2013, September 19, 2013, December 6, 2013, December 10, 2013, January 15, 2014 and January 31, 2014; |
| all documents we subsequently file under Sections 13(a), 13(c) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of the initial registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part (and prior to effectiveness) and before the termination of the offerings using this prospectus, including Annual Reports on Form 20-F, provided, that with respect to any Report of Foreign Private Issuer on Form 6-K, we will only incorporate these documents to the extent that any report is specifically designated as being incorporated by reference into this prospectus; and |
| the description of our ordinary shares, and the American Depositary Shares representing the ordinary shares, contained in our Registration Statement on Form F-1 filed on April 19, 1996, as amended, pursuant to the Securities Act. |
All information appearing in this prospectus is qualified in its entirety by the information and financial statements, including the notes, contained in the documents that we incorporate by reference into this prospectus.
We will provide a copy of the documents we incorporate by reference, at no cost, to any person who receives this prospectus. To request a copy of any or all of these documents, you should write or telephone us at: Flamel Technologies, S.A., 33 Avenue du Docteur, Georges Levy, 69693 Venissieux Cedex, France, +33 472 783 434.
We will incur the following expenses in connection with the registration of the ordinary shares offered by the selling shareholder:
Legal Fees and Expenses | $ | 40,000 | ||
Accounting Fees and Expenses | $ | 35,000 | ||
SEC Registration Fee | $ | 20,583 | ||
Printing Expenses | $ | 5,000 | ||
Miscellaneous Expenses | $ | 5,000 | ||
TOTAL | $ | 105,583 |
All amounts shown are estimates, except for the amount of the SEC registration fee. Any selling commissions, brokerage fees, applicable transfer taxes, and fees and disbursements of counsel for the selling shareholder are payable by the selling shareholder.
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Fidal Law Firm, 12 boulevard du Général Leclerc 92200 Neuilly-sur-Seine France, will pass upon certain matters of French law for the Company, including the validity of the ordinary shares. Troutman Sanders LLP, will pass upon certain matters of U.S. laws for the Company.
The financial statements and managements assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting (which is included in Managements Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting) incorporated in this Prospectus by reference to the Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2012 have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers Audit, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
We are a limited liability company (société anonyme) organized under the laws of France, and many of our directors and officers reside outside the United States. In addition, a substantial portion of our assets are located in France. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States on such persons. It may also be difficult to enforce against them, either inside or outside the United States, judgments obtained against them in U.S. courts, or to enforce in U.S. courts, judgments obtained against them in courts in jurisdictions outside the United States, in any action based on civil liabilities under the U.S. federal securities laws. There is doubt as to the enforceability against such persons in France, whether in original actions or in actions to enforce judgments of U.S. courts, of liabilities based solely on the U.S. federal securities laws. Actions for enforcement of foreign judgments against such persons would require such persons who are of French nationality to waive their right under Article 15 of the French Civil Code to be sued only in France. We believe that no such French persons have waived such right with respect to actions predicated solely upon U.S. federal securities laws. In addition, actions in the United States under the U.S. federal securities laws could be affected under certain circumstances by the French law of July 26, 1968, as amended, which may preclude or restrict the obtaining of evidence in France or from French persons in connection with such actions. Additionally, awards of punitive damages in actions brought in the United States or elsewhere may be unenforceable in France.
Under French law, a company may purchase directors and officers insurance for all or part of the members of its management. A French corporation is responsible to third parties for the consequences of the decisions of its board of directors. However, if those decisions qualify as mismanagement under Article L. 225-251 of the French Commercial Code (Code de commerce), the relevant member of the board of directors may have to fully or partly indemnify the company. The Registrant maintains liability insurance for its directors and principal executive officers, including insurance against liabilities under the Securities Act.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, the registrant has been informed that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is therefore unenforceable.
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The Company maintains liability insurance for its directors and principal executive officers, including insurance against liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Exhibit Number | Description | |
1.1 | Form of Underwriting Agreement* | |
3.1 | Revised Statuts or bylaws of the Company (incorporated by reference to the Company Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2012, filed on April 30, 2013) | |
4.1 | Amended and Restated Deposit Agreement among Flamel, The Bank of New York, as Depositary, and holders from time to time of ADSs issued thereunder (incorporated by reference to the Companys registration statement on Form F-6 filed February 12, 2014) | |
4.2 | Form of American Depositary Shares, representing one Ordinary Shares of Flamel Technologies S.A. (see Exhibit 4.1) | |
4.3 | Registration Rights Agreement between Flamel Technologies S.A. and Éclat Holdings, LLC, dated March 13, 2012 (incorporated by reference to the Companys Current Report on Form 6-K, filed March 21, 2012) | |
5.1 | Opinion of Fidal Law Firm | |
23.1 | Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers Audit | |
23.2 | Consent of Fidal Law Firm (included in Exhibit 5.1) | |
24.1 | Powers of attorney (included in the signature pages herein) |
* | To be filed by amendment or as an exhibit to a report filed pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and incorporated by reference herein. |
(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 the 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 the 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
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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 this 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 therein, 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) To file a post-effective amendment to the registration statement to include any financial statements required by Item 8.A. of Form 20-F at the start of any delayed offering or throughout a continuous offering. Financial statements and information otherwise required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933 need not be furnished, provided, that the registrant includes in the prospectus, by means of a post-effective amendment, financial statements required pursuant to this paragraph (a)(4) and other information necessary to ensure that all other information in the prospectus is at least as current as the date of those financial statements. Notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to the registration statement on Form F-3, a post-effective amendment need not be filed to include financial statements and information required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933 or Rule 3-19 of Regulation S-X if such financial statements and information are contained in periodic 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 into the Form F-3.
(5) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:
(i) Each prospectus filed 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
(ii) 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.
(6) That for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of 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:
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(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 undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrants annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 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 into the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(c) 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 of 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.
(d) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:
(1) For purposes of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in the form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.
(2) For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
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Pursuant to requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all the requirements for filing on Form F-3 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Venissieux, France, on February 12, 2014.
FLAMEL TECHNOLOGIES, S.A. | ||
February 12, 2014 | By: /s/ Michael S. Anderson |
Each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Michael S. Anderson and Phillandas T. Thompson, or either of them, his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement and any Registration Statement relating to this Registration Statement under Rule 462 under the Securities Act of 1933, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and all other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission or any state, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent, and full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agent, or his substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
February 12, 2014 | By: /s/ Michael S. Anderson | |
February 12, 2014 | By: /s/ Siân Crouzet | |
February 12, 2014 | By: /s/ Catherine Bréchignac | |
February 12, 2014 | By: /s/ Guillaume Cerutti | |
February 12, 2014 | By: /s/ Francis JT Fildes | |
February 12, 2014 | By: /s/ Craig Stapleton | |
February 12, 2014 | By: /s/ Elie Vannier | |
February 12, 2014 | By: /s/ Stephen H. Willard |
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Pursuant to the Securities Act, as amended, the undersigned, being the duly authorized representative in the United States of Flamel Technologies, S.A., has signed this registration statement or amendment thereto in Chesterfield, Missouri, on February 12, 2014.
By: | /s/ Phillandas T. Thompson Name: Phillandas T. Thompson Title: Senior Vice President and General Counsel |
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Exhibit Number | Description | |
1.1 | Form of Underwriting Agreement* | |
3.1 | Revised Statuts or bylaws of the Company (incorporated by reference to the Company Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2012, filed on April 30, 2013) | |
4.1 | Amended and Restated Deposit Agreement among Flamel, The Bank of New York, as Depositary, and holders from time to time of ADSs issued thereunder (incorporated by reference to the Companys registration statement on Form F-6 filed February 12, 2014) | |
4.2 | Form of American Depositary Shares, representing one Ordinary Shares of Flamel Technologies S.A. (see Exhibit 4.1) | |
4.3 | Registration Rights Agreement between Flamel Technologies S.A. and Éclat Holdings, LLC, dated March 13, 2012 (incorporated by reference to the Companys Current Report on Form 6-K, filed March 21, 2012) | |
5.1 | Opinion of Fidal Law Firm | |
23.1 | Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers Audit | |
23.2 | Consent of Fidal Law Firm (included in Exhibit 5.1) | |
24.1 | Powers of attorney (included in the signature pages herein) |
* | To be filed by amendment or as an exhibit to a report filed pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and incorporated by reference herein. |
Exhibit 5.1
[FIDAL LETTERHEAD] | |
FLAMEL TECHNOLOGIES | |
Parc Club du Moulin à Vent | |
33, avenue du Docteur Georges Lévy | |
Venissieux (Rhône) | |
FRANCE | |
Neuilly/Seine, | On February 11, 2014 |
Re.: FLAMEL TECHNOLOGIES – Registration of 17.0 million Shares
Dear Sir/Madam,
1. We have acted as special French counsel to FLAMEL TECHNOLOGIES, a company organized under the laws of France as a société anonyme and listed on the US NASDAQ Stock Market (the "Issuer") in connection with the proposed issue and sale by the Issuer of the Shares.
“Shares” means the 17.0 million ordinary shares of the Issuer, each having a nominal value of €0.12196, the issuance of which has been authorized by the Extraordinary Shareholders Meeting of the Issuer held on February 11, 2014 (the “February Shareholders Meeting”) pursuant to three separate delegations of powers (delegations de competence) to the Issuer’s Board of Directors in accordance with the provisions of the French Commercial Code, in particular Article L 225-129-2 thereof, as follows:
(1) First delegation (first resolution of the February Shareholders Meeting): authorization to issue up to 3.0 million ordinary shares of the Company with preferential subscription rights for existing shareholders of the Company (the “First Delegation Shares”);
(2) Second delegation (second and third resolutions of the February Shareholders Meeting): authorization to issue up to 15.0 million ordinary shares of the Company with removal of the shareholders’ preferential subscription right and reserved for a defined category of persons (the “Second Delegation Shares”); and
(3) Third delegation (fifth and sixth resolutions of the February Shareholders Meeting): authorization to issue up to 2.0 million ordinary shares of the Company with removal of the shareholders’ preferential subscription right and reserved for a defined category of persons (the “Third Delegation Shares”)
; provided, however, that the maximum number of ordinary shares to be issued in connection with the delegations referred under (1) and (2) shall not exceed 15.0 million shares (fourth resolution of the February Shareholders Meeting).
The Shares may be offered to the public in the United States under a Registration Statement on Form F-3 (the “Registration Statement”) filed by the Company with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), pursuant to Rule 415 of Regulation C of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Shelf Registration”).
The US Law Firm, Troutman Sanders LLP, have acted as special US counsel to the Company in connection with the Shelf Registration, and are required, in this capacity, to deliver a legal opinion with respect to the securities being registered, which legal opinion will be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement filed by the Company with the SEC (the “US Legal Opinion”).
This opinion is being rendered to you at your request to serve as a basis to the US Legal Opinion.
2. For the purposes of this opinion, we have examined copies of the documents listed below, which are appended hereto for ease of reference:
(a) | a certified copy of the Statuts of the Issuer dated December 12, 2013 (the “Statuts”); |
(b) | an Extrait K-bis of the Issuer, dated December 9, 2013, issued by the Registre du Commerce et des Sociétés of Lyon (the “Extrait Kbis”); |
(c) | a certified copy of an extract of the minutes of the Board Meeting held on February 26, 2013; |
(d) | a certified copy of an extract of the minutes of the Board Meeting held on December 12, 2013; |
(e) | a Certificat de procédure collective, dated February 11, 2014, issued by the Registre du Commerce et des Sociétés of Lyon (the “Non-bankruptcy Certificate”); |
(f) | a certified copy of the minutes of the Board Meeting held on January 14, 2014; |
(g) | a certified copy of the Report by the Board of Directors to the February Shareholders Meeting (the “Board Report”); |
(h) | a certified copy of the minutes of the February Shareholders Meeting (the “EGM Minutes”). |
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For the purposes of this letter the documents referred to in clauses (d) through (f) are collectively referred to herein as the "Report and Minutes".
We have also reviewed such matters of laws and examined the original and copies (certified or otherwise) of such other documents, records, agreements and certificates as we have considered relevant. We have relied upon the statements as to factual matters contained in or made pursuant to each of the above-mentioned documents.
3. Except for the documents identified in paragraph 2 above, we have not (i) examined any contracts or other documents entered into by or affecting the Issuer or any corporate records of the Issuer and (ii) we have not made any other enquiries or searches concerning the Issuer.
4. | In giving this opinion we have assumed: |
(a) | the genuineness of all signatures on and the authenticity and completeness of all documents submitted to us as originals, and the conformity to authentic original documents of all documents submitted to us as copies; |
(b) | that the current share capital of the Company is fully paid up; |
(c) | that, since their respective dates, as mentioned under paragraph 2 above, none of the documents referred to under paragraph 2 have been in any way altered and there is not in force any decision, agreement or undertaking, whether oral or in writing, that has changed or affected or could change or affect their respective contents; |
(d) | that there are no provisions of the laws of any jurisdiction outside France which would be contravened by the execution of, or the performance of the obligations under, the Report and Minutes and that, insofar as any obligation under, or action to be taken under, the Report and Minutes is required to be performed or taken in any jurisdiction outside France, the performance of such obligation or taking of such action will not be illegal by virtue of the laws of that jurisdiction; |
(e) | that no registrations or filings, authorizations, consents, approvals, licenses or validations are required from any governmental or regulatory authority in any jurisdiction (other than France) in connection with the issue, offering, placement or sale of the Shares or that, to the extent that any such registrations or filings, authorizations, consents, approvals, license or validations are required in any jurisdiction (other than France), the same shall have been or will be duly and timely obtained; |
(f) | that the placement of the Shares will be limited to investors based in the US or, where investors outside the US are approached, it will be in full compliance with the provisions of the Directive 2003/71/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of November 4, 2003 on the prospectus to be published when securities are offered to the public or admitted to trading and the European domestic laws adopted for its application (including in France); |
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(g) | that all representations and warranties contained in any of the documents examined by us (other than those in respect of which we express a specific opinion below) were true and correct as at the date given and are true and correct as at the date hereof and the date when repeated (if so repeated) and no fact was omitted therefrom which would have made any of such representations or warranties incorrect or misleading; |
(h) | that the statutory auditors of the Company have issued the reports required from them under French law in connection with the cancellation of the shareholders preferential subscription rights provided for in the EGM Minutes in relation to the Second Delegation Shares and the Third Delegation Shares, and have not raised any objections in such reports (other than the standard assumptions and disclaimers customarily contained in reports of this sort); |
(i) | that the shareholders and board meetings of the Issuer referred to in paragraph 2 were duly convened and held, that all formalities required to be fulfilled prior to the convening of such meetings have been fulfilled, that the resolutions adopted at such meetings were duly adopted and that the minutes of such meetings accurately reflect the business carried out, and decisions made, at such meetings; |
(j) | that the English translation of the Reports and Minutes is fully consistent with the French version of the Reports and Minutes, or that, to the extent that there exists any such discrepancy, the same shall not render the opinion expressed in paragraph 6 incorrect or misleading. |
We have not independently established the validity of the foregoing assumptions.
5. For the purposes of this opinion, we do not purport to be experts on, or generally familiar with, any laws other than the laws of France. Accordingly, we express no opinion herein with regard to any system of law other than the laws of France as currently applied by the French courts. In particular, we express no opinion on European Community law or U.S law as they respectively affect any jurisdiction other than France. To the extent that the laws of other jurisdictions may be relevant, we have made no independent investigation thereof and our opinion is subject to the effect of such laws. This opinion is to be construed in accordance with French law as at the date of this opinion.
6. Based upon the foregoing and subject to any matters not disclosed to us, and subject to the qualifications set out below, we are of the opinion, under French law and regulations as in effect at the date hereof, that:
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(a) The Issuer is a société anonyme validly existing under the laws of France and is registered with the Registre du commerce et des sociétés of Lyon under number 379.001.530.
(b) The Shares have been duly and validly authorized by the February Shareholders Meeting of the Issuer.
(c) The shareholders of the Issuer have no preemptive or other rights to subscribe to the Second Delegation Shares and the Third Delegation Shares, other than preemptive subscription rights (droits préférentiels de souscription) arising pursuant to the French Code of Commerce which were validly waived in respect of the Second Delegation Shares and the Third Delegation Shares by the February Shareholders Meeting.
(d) Based exclusively upon our examination of the Statuts and company searches of the Issuer referred to in paragraph 2 hereof, we confirm that no steps taken pursuant to any procedure de sauvegarde, redressement judiciaire or liquidation judiciaire proceedings to appoint an administrateur judiciaire (bankruptcy administrator) or liquidator over the Issuer were recorded in the Company Trade Registry as at the date of the Non-bankruptcy Certificate.
7. This opinion is subject to the following qualifications, which should each be read without limiting the generality of each other qualification:
(a) Our opinion in paragraph 6(a) is based solely on a review of the Issuer's Statuts dated December 12, 2013 and the Extrait K-bis of the Issuer dated December 9, 2013.
(b) The Reports and Minutes were drafted in both the English and the French languages. Our opinion in paragraph 6 is based only on the French version of the Reports and Minutes, as appended hereto.
8. In this opinion, French legal concepts are expressed in English terms and not in their original French terms. The concepts concerned may not be identical to the concepts described by the same English terms as they exist under the laws of other jurisdictions. This opinion may, therefore, only be relied upon under the express condition that any issues of interpretation or liability arising thereunder will be governed by French law and will be brought before a court in France.
9. We express no opinion as to any agreement, instrument or other document other than as specified in this letter. This letter only applies to those facts and circumstances which exist at the date hereof and we assume no obligation or responsibility to update or supplement this letter to reflect any facts or circumstances which may thereafter come to our attention, any changes in laws which may hereafter occur, or to inform the addressees of any change in circumstances occurring after the date of this letter which would alter the opinions rendered herein.
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10. This opinion is addressed to you solely for your benefit in connection with the transactions referred to herein. It is not to be transmitted to anyone else nor is it to be relied upon by anyone else or for any other purpose or quoted or referred to in any public document or filed with anyone without our express consent. Notwithstanding the above, the US Law Firm, Troutman Sanders LLP, shall be authorized to be provided with, and rely upon, this opinion, for the sole purpose of rendering the US Legal Opinion. In connection therewith, we hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the SEC as an exhibit to the Registration Statement in accordance with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and to the use of our name therein and in the related prospectus and any prospectus supplement under the caption “Legal Matters.” In giving such consent, we do not hereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Yours faithfully,
/s/ Anne Fréchette-Kerbrat | |
Anne Fréchette-Kerbrat Avocat à la Cour |
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Appendices
Appendix 1: | Certified copy of the Statuts of the Issuer dated December 12, 2013. |
Appendix 2: | Copy of the Extrait K-bis of the Issuer, dated December 9, 2013, issued by the Registre du Commerce et des Sociétés of Lyon. |
Appendix 3: | Certified copy of an extract of the minutes of the Board Meeting held on February 26, 2013; |
Appendix 4: | Certified copy of an extract of the minutes of the Board Meeting held on December 12, 2013; |
Appendix 5: | Copy of the Certificat de procédure collective, dated February 11, 2014, issued by the Registre du Commerce et des Sociétés of Lyon. |
Appendix 6: | Certified copy of the minutes of the Board Meeting held on January 14, 2014. |
Appendix 7: | Certified copy of the Report by the Board of Directors to the February Shareholders Meeting. |
Appendix 8: | Certified copy of the minutes of the February Shareholders Meeting. |
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Exhibit 23.1
CONSENT OF
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form F-3 of our report dated April 30, 2013 relating to the financial statements, and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, which appears in Flamel Technologies 's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2012. We also consent to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in such Registration Statement.
Lyon, France, February 12, 2014
PricewaterhouseCoopers Audit
Represented by
/s/ Nicolas Brunetaud
Nicolas Brunetaud (signed)