Prospectus Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5) (424b5)

Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration No. 333-237187

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

(To Prospectus dated April 16, 2020)

LOGO

Up to $20,000,000 of Shares

Common Stock

We have entered into a sales agreement with BTIG, LLC, or BTIG, relating to shares of our common stock offered by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. In accordance with the terms of the sales agreement, we may offer and sell shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $20.0 million from time to time through BTIG acting as our agent.

Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “ZSAN.” On June 5, 2020, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market was $0.99 per share.

Sales of our common stock, if any, under this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus will be made in sales deemed to be “at-the-market” offerings as defined in Rule 415 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act. BTIG is not required to sell any specific amount of securities, but will act as our sales agent using commercially reasonable efforts, consistent with its normal trading and sales practices, on mutually agreed terms between BTIG and us. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in any escrow, trust or similar arrangement.

The compensation to BTIG for sales of common stock sold pursuant to the sales agreement will be an amount equal to 3% of the proceeds of any shares of common stock sold under the sales agreement. See “Plan of Distribution” on page S-13 for additional information regarding compensation to be paid to BTIG. In connection with the sale of our common stock on our behalf, BTIG will be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act and the compensation of BTIG will be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have also agreed to provide indemnification and contribution to BTIG with respect to certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

We are an “emerging growth company” as defined by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 and, as such, we have elected to comply with certain reduced public company reporting requirements for this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and future filings.

INVESTING IN OUR COMMON STOCK INVOLVES A HIGH DEGREE OF RISK. SEE THE “RISK FACTORS” SECTION BEGINNING ON PAGE S-5 OF THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT AND IN THE DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE IN THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT CONCERNING FACTORS YOU SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE INVESTING IN OUR COMMON STOCK.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus supplement is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

BTIG

The date of this prospectus supplement is June 8, 2020.

Table of Contents

Prospectus Supplement


	Page
About This Prospectus Supplement		S-1
Prospectus Supplement Summary		S-3
The Offering		S-4
Risk Factors		S-5
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements		S-8
Use of Proceeds		S-10
Dilution		S-11
Plan of Distribution		S-13
Legal Matters		S-15
Experts		S-15
Where You Can Find More Information		S-15
Information Incorporated By Reference		S-16

Prospectus


	Page
About This Prospectus		1
Where You Can Find More Information; Incorporation by Reference		2
The Company		4
Risk Factors		5
Use of Proceeds		6
Description of Capital Stock		7
Description of Debt Securities		11
Description of Warrants		19
Description of Units		21
Global Securities		22
Plan of Distribution		26
Legal Matters		28
Experts		28

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

This prospectus supplement is part of a registration statement that we have filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, utilizing a “shelf” registration process. By using a shelf registration statement, we may offer shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $20.0 million from time to time under this prospectus supplement at prices and on terms to be determined by market conditions at the time of offering.

We provide information to you about this offering of shares of our common stock in two separate documents that are bound together: (1) this prospectus supplement, which describes the specific details regarding this offering; and (2) the accompanying prospectus, which provides general information, some of which may not apply to this offering. Generally, when we refer to this “prospectus,” we are referring to both documents combined. If information in this sales agreement prospectus supplement is inconsistent with the accompanying prospectus, you should rely on this prospectus supplement. However, if any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in another document having a later date—for example, a document incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement—the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement as our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since the earlier dates.

You should rely only on the information contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus and in any free writing prospectus that we may authorize for use in connection with this offering. We have not, and BTIG has 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, and BTIG is not, making an offer to sell or soliciting an offer to buy our securities in any jurisdiction where an offer or solicitation is not authorized or in which the person making that offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so or to anyone to whom it is unlawful to make an offer or solicitation. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and in any free writing prospectus that we may authorize for use in connection with this offering, is accurate only as of the date of those respective documents. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates. You should read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize for use in connection with this offering, in their entirety before making an investment decision. You should also read and consider the information in the documents to which we have referred you in the section of this prospectus titled “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Information Incorporated By Reference.”

We are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, shares of common stock only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The distribution of this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the offering of the common stock in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the common stock and the distribution of this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus outside the United States. This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus does not constitute, and may not be used in connection with, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities offered by this prospectus by any person in any jurisdiction in which it is unlawful for such person to make such an offer or solicitation.

When we refer to “we,” “our,” “us” and the “Company” in this prospectus, we mean Zosano Pharma Corporation, unless otherwise specified. When we refer to “you,” we mean the potential holders of our common stock.

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This prospectus contains references to our trademarks and to trademarks belonging to other entities, which are protected under applicable intellectual property laws. Solely for convenience, our trademarks and tradenames referred to in this prospectus supplement appear without the ^® and ^™ symbol, but those references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights, or the right of the applicable licensor to these trademarks and tradenames. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trade names or trademarks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any such companies.

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PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY

This summary provides a general overview of selected information and does not contain all of the information you should consider before buying our common stock. Therefore, you should read the entire prospectus supplement, accompanying prospectus and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering carefully, including the information incorporated by reference, before deciding to invest in our common stock. Investors should carefully consider the information set forth under “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-5 and incorporated by reference to our annual report on Form 10-K and our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.

Our Company

We are a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on providing rapid systemic administration of therapeutics and other bioactive molecules to patients using our proprietary intracutaneous microneedle system.

Corporate Information

We were incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware as ZP Holdings, Inc. in January 2012, and changed our name to Zosano Pharma Corporation in June 2014. Our business was spun out of ALZA Corporation, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, in October 2006. We were originally incorporated under the name The Macroflux Corporation, and changed our name to Zosano Pharma, Inc. in 2007 following the spin-off from Johnson & Johnson. In April 2012, in a transaction to recapitalize the business, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ZP Holdings was merged with and into Zosano Pharma, Inc., whereby Zosano Pharma, Inc. was the surviving entity and became a wholly-owned subsidiary of ZP Holdings. In June 2014, Zosano Pharma, Inc. changed its name to ZP Opco, Inc. ZP Group LLC, a former subsidiary that was originally formed as a joint venture with Asahi Kasei Pharmaceuticals USA (Asahi), ceased operations in December 2013 and was dissolved on December 30, 2016. On November 1, 2017, ZP Opco, Inc. merged with and into Zosano Pharma Corporation, with Zosano Pharma Corporation as the surviving corporation of the merger. Our principal executive offices are located at 34790 Ardentech Court, Fremont, California 94555, and our telephone number is (510) 745-1200.

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THE OFFERING

Common stock offered by us

Shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $20.0 million.

Manner of offering

“At-the-market” offering that may be made from time to time through our sales agent, BTIG. See “Plan of Distribution” on page S-13.

Use of Proceeds

We currently intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for pre-commercialization activities and for working capital and general corporate purposes. See “Use of Proceeds” on page S-10.

Risk Factors

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should read the “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus supplement and in the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement for a discussion of factors to consider before deciding to purchase shares of our common stock.

Symbol on the Nasdaq Capital Market

“ZSAN”

The number of shares of common stock to be outstanding after this offering is based on 54,361,635 shares of common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2020, and excludes the following, in each case as of such date:

•

23,680,570 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants to purchase common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2020, at a weighted average exercise price of $1.00 per share;

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2,097,401 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstanding under our 2012 Stock Incentive Plan, our Amended and Restated 2014 Equity and Incentive Plan and in connection with inducement awards granted outside of the plans as of March 31, 2020, at a weighted average exercise price of $4.29 per share; and

•

1,047,308 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our Amended and Restated 2014 Equity and Incentive Plan as of March 31, 2020, as well as any automatic increases in the number of shares of our common stock reserved for future issuance under this plan.

Unless otherwise indicated, all information in this prospectus supplement assumes no exercise of the outstanding warrants and options described above.

Unless otherwise stated, all information contained in this prospectus supplement reflects an assumed public offering price of $0.99 per share, which was the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on June 5, 2020.

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RISK FACTORS

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the risks described below and discussed under the section captioned “Risk Factors” contained in our Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2019 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, each of which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus in their entirety, together with other information in this prospectus, and the information and documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering before you make a decision to invest in our common stock. If any of the following events actually occur, our business, operating results, prospects or financial condition could be materially and adversely affected. This could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline and you may lose all or part of your investment. The risks described below are not the only ones that we face. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our business operations.

Risks Relating to this Offering

Management will have broad discretion as to the use of proceeds from this offering and may invest or spend the proceeds in ways with which you do not agree and in ways that may not increase the value of your investment.

Our management will have broad discretion over the use of proceeds from this offering, including for any of the purposes described in the section of this prospectus titled “Use of Proceeds.” You may not agree with our decisions, and our use of the proceeds may not yield any return on your investment. Our failure to apply the net proceeds from this offering effectively could compromise our ability to pursue our business strategy and we might not be able to yield a significant return, if any, on our investment of these net proceeds. In addition, the net proceeds from this offering may not be sufficient for our anticipated uses, and we may need additional resources to progress our product candidates to the stage we expect. You will not have the opportunity to influence our decisions on how to use our net proceeds from this offering.

If you purchase shares of our common stock in this offering, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution in the net tangible book value of your shares.

If you purchase shares of our common stock in this offering, you may experience immediate and substantial dilution, as the public offering price of our common stock may be substantially greater than the net tangible book value per share of our common stock. Assuming that an aggregate of 20,202,020 shares are sold at a price of $0.99 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on June 5, 2020, for aggregate proceeds of $20.0 million in this offering, and after deducting commissions and estimated aggregate offering expenses payable by us, you will suffer immediate and substantial dilution of approximately $0.41 per share, representing the difference between the as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock as of March 31, 2020 after giving effect to this offering and the assumed offering price. For a further description of the dilution that you will experience immediately after this offering, see the section titled “Dilution.”

You may experience future dilution as a result of future equity offerings.

In order to raise additional capital, we may in the future offer additional shares of our common stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock. We cannot assure you that we will be able to sell shares or other securities in any other offering at a price per share that is equal to or greater than the price per share paid by investors in this offering, and investors purchasing shares or other securities in the future could have rights superior to existing stockholders. The price per share at which we sell additional shares of our common stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock in future transactions

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may be higher or lower than the price per share in this offering. A significant portion of our total outstanding shares are eligible to be sold into the market, which could cause the market price of our common stock to drop significantly, even if our business is doing well.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could occur at any time. These sales, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of shares of our common stock intend to sell shares, could cause the market price of our common stock to decline significantly.

Upon completion of this offering, based on 54,361,635 shares of our common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2020 and the assumed public offering price of $0.99 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on June 5, 2020, we will have outstanding a total of approximately 74,563,655 shares of common stock. Other than any shares held by our directors, officers and certain existing investors, all of these are currently freely tradable and the shares to be sold in this offering will be freely tradable, without restriction, in the public market immediately following this offering.

As of March 31, 2020, we had an aggregate of approximately 26,825,279 shares of common stock (i) issuable upon exercise of stock options outstanding, (ii) issuable upon the exercise of warrants, and (iii) reserved for issuance under our Amended and Restated 2014 Equity and Incentive Plan, all of which would result in additional dilution.

The trading price of our common stock has been volatile with substantial price fluctuations on heavy volume, which could result in substantial losses for purchasers of our common stock and existing stockholders.

Our stock price has been and, in the future, may be subject to substantial volatility. During the period from January 2, 2018 through June 5, 2020, for example, our stock has traded in a range with a low of $0.41 and a high of $25.70. The stock market in general and the market for biopharmaceutical companies in particular have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. We do not, for example, have any explanation for the volatility in our stock price or the heavy volume of trading (on some days exceeding six times the number of shares outstanding) that occurred in our common stock in February and March of 2019. As a result of this volatility, investors may not be able to sell their common stock at or above the price paid for the shares. The market price for our common stock may be influenced by many factors, including:

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announcements relating to development, regulatory approvals or commercialization of our product candidates or those of competitors;

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results of clinical trials of our product candidates or those of our competitors;

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announcements by us or our competitors of significant strategic partnerships or collaborations or terminations of such arrangements;

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actual or anticipated variations in our operating results;

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changes in financial estimates by us or by any securities analysts who might cover our stock;

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conditions or trends in our industry;

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changes in laws or other regulatory actions affecting us or our industry;

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stock market price and volume fluctuations of comparable companies and, in particular, those that operate in the biopharmaceutical industry;

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announcements of investigations or regulatory scrutiny of our operations or lawsuits filed against us;

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capital commitments;

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investors’ general perception of our company and our business;

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disputes concerning our intellectual property or other proprietary rights;

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recruitment or departure of key personnel; and

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sales of our common stock, including sales by our directors and officers or specific stockholders.

Moreover, the global stock markets have experienced, and may continue to experience, significant volatility as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic and the significant uncertainties it has caused for the global economy, business activity and business confidence have had, and is likely to continue to have, a significant effect on the market price of securities generally, including our common stock.

In the past, stockholders have initiated class action lawsuits against pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies following periods of volatility in the market prices of these companies’ stock. Such litigation, if instituted against us, could cause us to incur substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources from our business.

Our ability to utilize our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited.

Under Sections 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change” (generally defined as a greater than 50 percentage point change (by value) in the ownership of its equity by certain significant stockholders over a rolling three-year period), the corporation’s ability to use its pre-change net operating loss carryforwards and certain other pre-change tax attributes to offset its post-change income or tax liability may be limited. We have experienced such ownership changes in the past (and derecognized certain deferred tax assets as of December 31, 2019 in connection with ownership changes we determined had occurred prior to such date), and we may have experienced an additional ownership change as a result of equity and warrant issuances in the three months ended March 31, 2020. We may experience ownership changes in the future as a result of future offerings and/or subsequent shifts in our stock ownership, some of which may be outside our control. Because our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards and other tax attributes is limited by ownership changes, we may be unable to utilize a material portion of our net operating losses and other tax attributes.

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering contain forward-looking statements concerning our business, operations and financial performance and condition, as well as our plans, objectives and expectations for our business, operations and financial performance and condition. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “due,” “estimate,” “expect,” “goal,” “intend,” “may,” “objective,” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “positioned,” “seek,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and other similar expressions that are predictions or indicate future events and future trends, or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:

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our expected upcoming milestones;

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our expectations regarding our expenses and revenue, the sufficiency of our cash resources and needs for additional financing;

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our expectations regarding the clinical effectiveness and safety of our product candidate;

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the ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of our product candidate, and the labeling for any approved product;

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our manufacturing capabilities and strategy, and our ability to establish and maintain relationships with contract manufacturing organization(s) to expand our manufacturing capacity;

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the anticipated timing, costs and conduct of our planned clinical trials and preclinical studies;

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our intellectual property position and our ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection for our product candidate;

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our expectations regarding competition;

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the anticipated trends and challenges in our business and the markets in which we operate;

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the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including its impact on us and our operations;

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the scope, progress, expansion and costs of developing and commercializing our product candidate;

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the size and growth of the potential markets for our product candidate and the ability to serve those markets;

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the rate and degree of market acceptance of our product candidate;

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our ability to establish and maintain development partnerships;

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our ability to attract or retain key personnel;

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our expectations regarding federal, state and foreign regulatory requirements;

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regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries; and

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the intended use of proceeds from this offering.

These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about our business and the industry in which we operate and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are in some cases beyond our control. As a result, any or all of our forward-looking statements in this prospectus may turn out to be inaccurate. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, those listed under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus. We also discuss many of these risks in greater detail in the documents incorporated

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by reference herein, including under the heading “Risk Factors,” included in our Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2019 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020. Potential investors are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and as of the dates indicated in these statements. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, even if new information becomes available in the future. Given these risks and uncertainties, you are cautioned not to rely on such forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. You should, however, review the factors and risks we describe in the reports we will file from time to time with the SEC after the date of this prospectus. See “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Information Incorporated By Reference.”

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USE OF PROCEEDS

The amount of proceeds from this offering will depend upon the number of shares of our common stock sold and the market price at which they are sold. There can be no assurance that we will be able to sell any shares under or fully utilize the sales agreement with BTIG as a source of financing. We currently intend to use the net proceeds, if any, from this offering to fund pre-commercialization activities and for working capital and general corporate purposes.

The amounts and timing of our actual expenditures may vary significantly depending on numerous factors, including the amount of cash used in our operations. We therefore cannot estimate with certainty the amount of net proceeds to be used for the purposes described above. We may find it necessary or advisable to use the net proceeds from this offering for other purposes, and we will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds.

Pending the use of the net proceeds from this offering as described above, we may invest the net proceeds in a variety of capital preservation investments, including short- and intermediate-term, interest-bearing obligations, investment-grade instruments or U.S. government securities.

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DILUTION

Our net tangible book value as of March 31, 2020 was approximately $24.0 million, or $0.44 per share. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our total tangible assets, less total liabilities, by the number of shares of our common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2020. Dilution in net tangible book value per share represents the difference between the amount per share paid by purchasers of shares of common stock in this offering and the as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after giving effect to this offering.

After giving effect to the sale of our common stock in the aggregate amount of $20.0 million in this offering at an assumed offering price of $0.99, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on June 5, 2020, and after deducting commissions and estimated aggregate offering expenses payable by us, our as adjusted net tangible book value as of March 31, 2020 would have been approximately $43.1 million, or $0.58 per share. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $0.14 per share to existing stockholders and immediate dilution in net tangible book value of $0.41 per share to new investors purchasing our common stock in this offering. The following table illustrates this dilution on a per share basis:


Assumed public offering price per share			$	0.99
Net tangible book value per share as of March 31, 2020	$	0.44
Increase per share attributable to new investors		0.14

As adjusted net tangible book value per share after this offering				0.58

Dilution per share to new investors			$	0.41

The shares sold in this offering, if any, will be sold from time to time at various prices. An increase of $0.50 per share in the price at which the shares are sold from the assumed offering price of $0.99 per share shown in the table above, assuming all of our common stock in the aggregate amount of $20.0 million is sold at that price, would increase our as adjusted net tangible book value per share after the offering to $0.64 per share and would increase the dilution in net tangible book value per share to new investors to $0.85 per share, after deducting commissions and estimated aggregate offering expenses payable by us. A decrease of $0.50 per share in the price at which the shares are sold from the assumed offering price of $0.99 per share shown in the table above, assuming all of our common stock in the aggregate amount of $20.0 million is sold at that price, would decrease our as adjusted net tangible book value per share after the offering to $0.45 per share and would decrease the dilution in net tangible book value per share to new investors to $0.04 per share, after deducting commissions and estimated aggregate offering expenses payable by us. This information is supplied for illustrative purposes only.

To the extent that outstanding warrants or options are exercised, investors purchasing our common stock in this offering may experience further dilution. In addition, we may choose to raise additional capital due to market conditions or strategic considerations even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the issuance of these securities could result in further dilution to our stockholders.

•

23,680,570 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants to purchase common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2020, at a weighted average exercise price of $1.00 per share;

•

2,097,401 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstanding under our 2012 Stock Incentive Plan, our Amended and Restated 2014 Equity and Incentive Plan and in

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connection with inducement awards granted outside of the plans as of March 31, 2020, at a weighted average exercise price of $4.29 per share; and

•

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We have entered into a sales agreement with BTIG, under which we may issue and sell from time to time up to $20.0 million of our common stock through BTIG as our sales agent. Sales of our common stock, if any, will be made by any method that is deemed to be an “at the market” offering as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act, including sales made directly on the Nasdaq Capital Market or any other trading market for our common stock or through block trades. After consultation with us, BTIG may also sell shares in privately negotiated transactions. In addition, if authorized by us in writing, BTIG may purchase shares of our common stock as principal.

BTIG may offer our common stock subject to the terms and conditions of the sales agreement on a daily basis or as otherwise agreed upon by us and BTIG. We will designate the maximum amount of common stock to be sold through BTIG on a daily basis or otherwise determine such maximum amount together with BTIG. Subject to the terms and conditions of the sales agreement, BTIG will use its commercially reasonable efforts to sell on our behalf all of the shares of common stock requested to be sold by us. We may instruct BTIG not to sell common stock if the sales cannot be effected at or above the price designated by us in any such instruction. BTIG or we may suspend the offering of our common stock being made through BTIG under the sales agreement upon proper notice to the other party. BTIG and we each have the right, by giving written notice as specified in the sales agreement, to terminate the sales agreement in each party’s sole discretion at any time.

The aggregate compensation payable to BTIG as sales agent will be an amount equal to 3% of the gross sales price of the shares sold through it pursuant to the sales agreement. We have also agreed to reimburse BTIG up to $50,000 of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by BTIG, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to BTIG, in connection with the establishment of this offering program and up to $7,500 each quarter thereafter during or with respect to which BTIG conducts bring-down due diligence. We have previously paid BTIG $50,000 for financial advisory services and granted BTIG the right to participate in future financings by the Company, or the Right. In accordance with FINRA Rule 5110 these reimbursed fees and expenses and the advisory fee are deemed underwriting compensation, and the Right is deemed 1% in underwriting compensation, in connection with this offering. We estimate that the total expenses of the offering payable by us, excluding commissions payable to BTIG under the sales agreement, will be approximately $230,000.

The remaining sales proceeds, after deducting any expenses payable by us and any transaction fees imposed by any governmental, regulatory, or self-regulatory organization in connection with the sales, will equal our net proceeds for the sale of such common stock.

BTIG will provide written confirmation to us following the close of trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market on each day in which common stock is sold through it as sales agent under the sales agreement. Each confirmation will include the number of shares of common stock sold through it as sales agent on that day, the volume weighted average price of the shares sold, the percentage of the daily trading volume and the net proceeds to us.

We will report at least quarterly the number of shares of common stock sold through BTIG under the sales agreement, the net proceeds to us and the compensation paid by us to BTIG in connection with the sales of common stock.

Settlement for sales of common stock will occur, unless the parties agree otherwise, on the second business day that is also a trading day following the date on which any sales were made in return for payment of the net proceeds to us. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in an escrow, trust or similar arrangement.

In connection with the sales of our common stock on our behalf, BTIG may be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act, and the compensation paid to BTIG may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have agreed in the sales agreement to provide indemnification and contribution to

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BTIG against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. As sales agent, BTIG will not engage in any transaction that stabilizes our common stock.

Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market and trades under the symbol “ZSAN.” The transfer agent of our common stock is Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

BTIG and/or its affiliates have provided, and may in the future provide, various investment banking and other financial services for us for which services they have received and, may in the future receive, customary fees.

S-14

LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the issuance of the securities offered hereby will be passed upon by our counsel, Latham & Watkins LLP. As of the date of this prospectus supplement, attorneys with Latham & Watkins LLP participating in the preparation of this prospectus supplement beneficially own shares of our common stock representing less than 0.01% of our outstanding common stock as of March 31, 2020. Covington & Burling LLP, New York, New York, is counsel to BTIG in connection with this offering.

EXPERTS

Our 2019 financial statements incorporated in this prospectus supplement by reference from our Annual Report on Form 10-K have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in its report, which is incorporated herein by reference (which report expresses an unqualified opinion on the 2019 financial statements and includes an explanatory paragraph referring to our ability to continue as a going concern). Such 2019 financial statements have been so incorporated in reliance upon the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

Our balance sheet and our related statements of operations and comprehensive loss, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows as of and for the year ended December 31, 2018 have been audited by Marcum LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in its report which is incorporated by reference into this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Such financial statements are incorporated by reference herein in reliance on the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing. The report on the financial statements contains an explanatory paragraph regarding our ability to continue as a going concern. On May 28, 2019, we dismissed Marcum LLP as auditors and, accordingly, Marcum LLP has not performed any audit or review procedures with respect to any financial statements incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement for the periods after the date of dismissal.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act, of which this prospectus forms a part. The rules and regulations of the SEC allow us to omit from this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus certain information included in the registration statement. For further information about us and the securities we are offering under this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, you should refer to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed with the registration statement. With respect to the statements contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus regarding the contents of any agreement or any other document, in each instance, the statement is qualified in all respects by the complete text of the agreement or document, a copy of which has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement.

We file reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC under the Exchange Act. The SEC maintains an Internet website that contains reports, proxy statements and other information about issuers, like us, that file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is www.sec.gov.

S-15

INFORMATION INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information we file with them which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents instead of having to repeat the information in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and later information that we file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any future information filed (rather than furnished) with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Exchange Act between the date of this prospectus and the termination of this offering, provided, however, that we are not incorporating any information furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of any current report on Form 8-K:

•

our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on March 13, 2020;

•

our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A (other than information furnished rather than filed), filed with the SEC on May 29, 2020;

•

our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020, filed with the SEC on May 14, 2020;

•

our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 8, 2020, February 11, 2020 (at 16:43:11), February 13, 2020, March 4, 2020 (at 17:25:02), March 4, 2020 (at 17:27:09), March 6, 2020, March 27, 2020, April 23, 2020, May 1, 2020 and May 28,2020 and our amended Current Reports on Form 8-K/A filed with the SEC on March 4, 2020 and April 21, 2020; and

•

the description of our common stock contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A, filed with the SEC on July 25, 2014 (File No. 001-36570), including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.

These documents may also be accessed on our website at www.zosanopharma.com. Except as otherwise specifically incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, information contained in, or accessible through, our website is not a part of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.

We will furnish without charge to you, upon written or oral request, a copy of any or all of the documents incorporated by reference, including exhibits to these documents by writing or telephoning us at the following address:

Zosano Pharma Corporation

34790 Ardentech Court

Fremont, CA 94555

(510) 745-1200

Attention: Chief Financial Officer

S-16

PROSPECTUS

LOGO

Zosano Pharma Corporation

$74,500,000

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Debt Securities

Warrants

Units

We may offer and sell up to $74,500,000 in the aggregate of the securities identified above from time to time in one or more offerings. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities.

Each time we offer and sell securities, we will provide a supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the offering and the amounts, prices and terms of the securities. The supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus with respect to that offering. You should carefully read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement before you invest in any of our securities.

We may offer and sell the securities described in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement to or through one or more underwriters, dealers and agents, or directly to purchasers, or through a combination of these methods. If any underwriters, dealers or agents are involved in the sale of any of the securities, their names and any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement between or among them will be set forth, or will be calculable from the information set forth, in the applicable prospectus supplement. See the sections of this prospectus entitled “About this Prospectus” and “Plan of Distribution” for more information. No securities may be sold without delivery of this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of such securities.

INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES INVOLVES RISKS. SEE THE “RISK FACTORS” ON PAGE 5 OF THIS PROSPECTUS AND ANY SIMILAR SECTION CONTAINED IN THE APPLICABLE PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT CONCERNING FACTORS YOU SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES.

Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “ZSAN.” On March 12, 2020, the closing price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market was $0.4720 per share.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is April 16, 2020.

TABLE OF CONTENTS


	Page
About This Prospectus		1

Where You Can Find More Information; Incorporation by Reference		2

The Company		4

Risk Factors		5

Use of Proceeds		6

Description of Capital Stock		7

Description of Debt Securities		11

Description of Warrants		19

Description of Units		21

Global Securities		22

Plan of Distribution		26

Legal Matters		28

Experts		28

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), using a “shelf” registration process. By using a shelf registration statement, we may sell securities from time to time and in one or more offerings up to a total dollar amount of $74,500,000 of securities as described in this prospectus. Each time that we offer and sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the securities being offered and sold and the specific terms of that offering. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you that may contain material information relating to these offerings. The prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus with respect to that offering. If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, you should rely on the prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, as applicable. Before purchasing any securities, you should carefully read both this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement (and any applicable free writing prospectuses), together with the additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information; Incorporation by Reference.”

We have not authorized anyone to provide you with any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectuses prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. We will not make 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 and the applicable prospectus supplement to this prospectus is accurate only as of the date on its respective cover, that the information appearing in any applicable free writing prospectus is accurate only as of the date of that free writing prospectus, and that any information incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, unless we indicate otherwise. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates. This prospectus incorporates by reference, and any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus may contain and incorporate by reference, market data and industry statistics and forecasts that are based on independent industry publications and other publicly available information. Although we believe these sources are reliable, we do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this information and we have not independently verified this information. In addition, the market and industry data and forecasts that may be included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any applicable free writing prospectus may involve estimates, assumptions and other risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement and any applicable free writing prospectus, and under similar headings in other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on this information.

This prospectus contains references to our trademarks and to trademarks belonging to other entities, which are protected under applicable intellectual property laws. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus, including logos, artwork and other visual displays, may appear without the ^® or ™ symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate that we or their respective owners will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensor to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trade names or trademarks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any such companies.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION; INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Available Information

We file annual, quarterly and other reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information about issuers, such as us, who file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is http://www.sec.gov.

Our website address is www.zosanopharma.com. The information on our website, however, is not, and should not be deemed to be, a part of this prospectus.

This prospectus and any prospectus supplement are part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC and do not contain all of the information in the registration statement. The full registration statement may be obtained from the SEC or us, as provided below. Forms of the indenture and other documents establishing the terms of the offered securities are or may be filed as exhibits to the registration statement or documents incorporated by reference in the registration statement. Statements in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement about these documents are summaries and each statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the document to which it refers. You should refer to the actual documents for a more complete description of the relevant matters. You may obtain a copy of the registration statement through the SEC’s website, as provided above.

Incorporation by Reference

The SEC’s rules allow us to “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus, and subsequent information that we file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede that information. Any statement contained in this prospectus or a previously filed document incorporated by reference will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus or a subsequently filed document incorporated by reference modifies or replaces that statement.

This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement incorporate by reference the documents set forth below that have previously been filed with the SEC (but excluding any information in such documents that has been furnished to, rather than filed with, the SEC):

•

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on March 13, 2020.

•

Our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 8, 2020, February 11, 2020 (at 16:43:11), February 13, 2020 , March 4, 2020 (at 17:25:02), March 4, 2020 (at 17:27:09) and March 6, 2020, and our amended Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed with the SEC on March 4, 2020.

•

The description of our Common Stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A, dated July 25, 2014, filed with the SEC on July 25, 2014 (File No. 001-36570) and any amendment or report filed with the SEC for the purpose of updating the description.

All reports and other documents we subsequently file pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), prior to the termination of this offering, including all such documents we may file with the SEC after the date of the initial registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement, but excluding any information furnished to, rather than filed with, the SEC, will also be incorporated by reference into this prospectus and deemed to be part of this prospectus from the date of the filing of such reports and documents.

You may request a free copy of any of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus by writing or telephoning us at the following address:

Zosano Pharma Corporation

34790 Ardentech Court

Fremont, CA 94555

(510) 745-1200

Exhibits to the filings will not be sent, however, unless those exhibits have specifically been incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement.

THE COMPANY

We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing products where rapid administration of approved molecules with established safety and efficacy profiles may provide substantial benefit to patients, in markets where patients remain underserved by existing therapies. Our intracutaneous microneedle system technology consists of titanium microneedles coated with drug that are designed to enable rapid systemic administration of therapeutics to patients. Our lead product candidate is Qtrypta^™ (M207), which is a proprietary formulation of zolmitriptan delivered via our intracutaneous microneedle system technology, as an acute treatment for migraine. We anticipate that many of our current and future development programs may enable us to utilize a regulatory pathway that would streamline clinical development and accelerate the path towards commercialization.

Our principal executive offices are located at 34790 Ardentech Court, Fremont, California 94555. Our telephone number is (510) 745-1200. Our website address is www.zosanopharma.com. The information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus. We have included our website address as an inactive textual reference only.

RISK FACTORS

Investment in any securities offered pursuant to this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement involves risks. You should carefully consider the risk factors incorporated by reference to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and any subsequent Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K we file after the date of this prospectus, and all other information contained or incorporated by reference into this prospectus, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act, and the risk factors and other information contained in the applicable prospectus supplement and any applicable free writing prospectus before acquiring any of such securities. The occurrence of any of these risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment in the offered securities.

USE OF PROCEEDS

We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

The following is a summary of all material characteristics of our capital stock as set forth in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws. The summary does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, each of which are incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and the applicable provisions of Delaware law.

General

Our authorized capital stock consists of 250,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share, all of which shares of preferred stock are undesignated. As of March 12, 2020, we had 54,361,635 shares of common stock issued and outstanding, which were held by 11 holders of record. This number of holders of record does not include beneficial owners whose shares are held by nominees in street name.

Common Stock

Voting rights. Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote per share held of record on all matters to be voted upon by our stockholders. The election of directors by our stockholders is determined by a plurality of the votes cast by the stockholders entitled to vote on the election. Other matters subject to a vote by our stockholders are decided by the affirmative vote of our stockholders having a majority in voting power of the votes cast by the stockholders present or represented and voting on such matter. Our common stock does not have cumulative voting rights.

Dividend rights. Subject to preferences that may be applicable to the holders of any outstanding shares of our preferred stock, the holders of our common stock are entitled to receive such lawful dividends as may be declared by our Board of Directors.

Liquidation and dissolution. In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, and subject to the rights of the holders of any outstanding shares of our preferred stock, the holders of shares of our common stock will be entitled to receive pro rata all of our remaining assets available for distribution to our stockholders.

Other rights and restrictions. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not permit us to redeem shares of our common stock at our election, provide for a sinking fund with respect to our common stock or provide for the granting of preemptive rights to any stockholder. All outstanding shares are fully paid and nonassessable.

Preferred Stock

Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our Board of Directors is authorized, without stockholder approval, from time to time to issue up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series, each of the series to have such rights and preferences, including voting rights, dividend rights, conversion rights, redemption privileges and liquidation preferences, as the Board of Directors may determine. The rights of the holders of common stock will be subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of holders of any preferred stock that we may issue in the future. The issuance of preferred stock, while providing desirable flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could have the effect of making it more difficult for others to acquire, or of discouraging others from attempting to acquire, a majority of our outstanding voting stock. We have no current plans to issue any shares of preferred stock.

Options and Warrants

As of March 12, 2020, options to purchase 2,097,401 shares of our common stock were outstanding under our 2012 Stock Incentive Plan, our Amended and Restated 2014 Equity and Incentive Plan and in connection

with June 2017, September 2019 and October 2019 inducement awards, at a weighted average exercise price of $4.29 per share.

As of March 12, 2020, we had an outstanding warrant, held by Hercules, to purchase 2,035 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $147.40 per share. This warrant is exercisable by Hercules at any time, in whole or in part, until June 23, 2020. The exercise price is subject to proportional adjustment upon the subdivision or combination of shares of the common stock, or an appropriate adjustment by the board at the time of a merger event, as defined in the warrant agreement, or a reclassification of shares (by combination, reclassification, exchange or subdivision of securities or otherwise).

In August 2016, we completed a private placement to certain investors of 239,997 shares of our common stock and Series A and Series B warrants to purchase an aggregate of 480,000 shares of our common stock. The Series A warrants are no longer exercisable as of August 2017. As of March 12, 2020, we had outstanding Series B warrants to purchase 195,906 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $31.00 per share. The exercise price is subject to proportional adjustment upon the subdivision or combination of shares of the common stock (by any stock split, stock dividend, recapitalization, reverse stock split, or otherwise), but the exercise price cannot be reduced below the par value of the common stock. The Series B warrants are exercisable at any time, in whole or in part, until August 19, 2021.

On September 25, 2018, we issued a warrant to Trinity Capital Fund III, L.P. (“Trinity”) to purchase 75,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $3.5928 per share. The warrant is immediately exercisable, in whole or in part, upon issuance, and excluding certain mergers or acquisitions, expires on September 25, 2025. The exercise price is subject to proportional adjustment upon the subdivision or combination of shares of common stock, including for dividends declared or paid on the outstanding shares of common stock payable in common stock, or a reclassification of shares (by reclassification, exchange, combination, substitution or replacement of securities or otherwise).

On February 14, 2020, we closed an underwritten offering with H.C. Wainwright & Co. (“H.C. Wainwright”) for the issuance and sale of (i) 10,146,154 Class A Units, each consisting of one share of common stock and one Series C Warrant (“Series C Warrant”) to purchase one share of common stock, at a public offering price of $0.65 per Class A Unit, and (ii) 2,161,539 Class B Units, each consisting of one Series D Pre-Funded Warrant (“Series D Warrant”) to purchase one share of common stock and one Series C Warrant to purchase one share of common stock, at a public offering price of $0.6499 per Class B Unit. The Series C Warrants have an exercise price of $0.65 per share, are exercisable at any time and expire on February 14, 2025. The exercise price and the number of shares issuable upon exercise of the Series C Warrants is subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of recapitalization events, stock dividends, stock splits, stock combinations, reclassifications, reorganizations or similar events affecting our common stock. The Series D Warrants had an exercise price of $0.0001 per share and were fully exercised in connection with the closing of the offering. We granted the underwriter a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,846,153 shares of common stock and/or additional Series C Warrants to purchase up to 1,846,153 shares of common stock. The underwriter fully exercised its option to purchase the additional shares and Series C Warrants. As of March 12, 2020, Series C Warrants to purchase up to 11,504,123 shares of our common stock were outstanding.

On March 4, 2020, we closed a registered direct offering with certain institutional investors of 11,903,506 shares of our common stock and Series E Warrants (“Series E Warrants”) to purchase up to a total of 11,903,506 shares of common stock at an offering price of $0.9275 per share and accompanying warrant. The Series E Warrants have an exercise price of $0.8025 per share, are exercisable at any time and expire on March 6, 2025. The exercise price and the number of shares issuable upon exercise of the Series E Warrants is subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of recapitalization events, stock dividends, stock splits, stock combinations, reclassifications, reorganizations or similar events affecting our common stock.

Registration Rights

On October 20, 2017, we entered into the registration rights agreement with Lincoln Park Capital Fund LLC (“LPC”) pursuant to which we agreed to file with the SEC one or more registration statements as necessary to register for sale under the Securities Act shares of common stock that we issued or may issue to LPC under the LPC Purchase Agreement. We registered 392,104 shares of common stock for resale pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-1 on November 13, 2017 and which was declared effective on November 21, 2017. On August 22, 2019, we terminated the LPC Purchase Agreement. No sales of common stock were made under the agreement.

In August 2016, we entered into a securities purchase agreement, or the Securities Purchase Agreement, in connection with a private placement, pursuant to which we granted certain investors certain registration rights with respect to the shares purchased as well as the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants. In particular, the Securities Purchase Agreement required us to file a registration statement with the SEC to register the sale of such shares within 30 days of the consummation of the private placement and to maintain continuous effectiveness of the registration statement. A registration statement relating to such shares was filed on September 9, 2016 and declared effective by the SEC on September 23, 2016.

On June 23, 2015, we issued a warrant, or the Warrant, to Hercules to purchase 2,035 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $147.40 per share. Pursuant to the Warrant, we agreed, among other things, that we would file with the SEC a registration statement to register the sale of the shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrant within 30 days of the Company becoming eligible to use a Form S-3 registration statement to register such shares. A registration statement relating to such shares was filed on September 9, 2016 and declared effective by the SEC on September 23, 2016.

In connection with the February 2020 offering described above, we entered into an underwriting agreement with H.C. Wainwright, which provides that if at any time following the date of the underwriting agreement, the registration statement registering the sale or resale of the shares issuable upon the exercise of the Series C Warrants is not effective or is not otherwise available for the sale of such shares (the “Trigger Date”), the Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to file a registration statement within six (6) months from the Trigger Date and to cause the such registration statement to remain effective with a current prospectus until the date on which the Series C Warrants are no longer outstanding.

In connection with the March 2020 registered direct offering described above, we entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain institutional investors, which requires us to use our best efforts to keep a registration statement registering the issuance or resale of the shares issuable upon the exercise of the Series E Warrants effective during the term of the Series E Warrants.

Anti-Takeover Effects of Provisions of Delaware Law and Our Charter and By-laws

Provisions of Delaware law and our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws could make it more difficult to acquire us by means of a tender offer, a proxy contest, open market purchases, removal of incumbent directors and otherwise. These provisions, summarized below, are expected to discourage types of coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids and to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to first negotiate with us. We believe that the benefits of increased protection of our potential ability to negotiate with the proponent of an unfriendly or unsolicited proposal to acquire or restructure us outweigh the disadvantages of discouraging takeover or acquisition proposals because negotiation of these proposals could result in an improvement of their terms.

We must comply with Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, an anti-takeover law. In general, Section 203 prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years following the date the person became an interested

stockholder, unless the business combination or the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder is approved in a prescribed manner. Generally, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset or stock sale, or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to an interested stockholder. An “interested stockholder” includes a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns, or did own within three years before the determination of interested stockholder status, 15% or more of the corporation’s voting stock. The existence of this provision generally will have an anti-takeover effect for transactions not approved in advance by the Board of Directors, including discouraging attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares of common stock held by stockholders.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws require that any action required or permitted to be taken by our stockholders must be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of the stockholders and may not be effected by a consent in writing. In addition, special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by the Board of Directors and some of our officers. Our amended and restated bylaws establish an advance notice procedure for stockholder proposals to be brought before an annual meeting of stockholders, including proposed nominations of candidates for election to our Board of Directors. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws also provide for our Board of Directors to be divided into three classes, with each class serving staggered three-year terms. These provisions may have the effect of deterring hostile takeovers or delaying changes in our control or management.

Listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market

Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “ZSAN.”

Authorized but Unissued Shares

The authorized but unissued shares of common stock and preferred stock are available for future issuance without stockholder approval, subject to any limitations imposed by the Nasdaq Listing Rules. These additional shares may be used for a variety of corporate finance transactions, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved common stock and preferred stock could make it more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, summarizes certain general terms and provisions of the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus. When we offer to sell a particular series of debt securities, we will describe the specific terms of the series in a supplement to this prospectus. We will also indicate in the supplement to what extent the general terms and provisions described in this prospectus apply to a particular series of debt securities.

We may issue debt securities either separately, or together with, or upon the conversion or exercise of or in exchange for, other securities described in this prospectus. Debt securities may be our senior, senior subordinated or subordinated obligations and, unless otherwise specified in a supplement to this prospectus, the debt securities will be our direct, unsecured obligations and may be issued in one or more series.

The debt securities will be issued under an indenture between us and a third party to be identified therein, as trustee. We have summarized select portions of the indenture below. The summary is not complete. The form of the indenture has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement and you should read the indenture for provisions that may be important to you. In the summary below, we have included references to the section numbers of the indenture so that you can easily locate these provisions. Capitalized terms used in the summary and not defined herein have the meanings specified in the indenture.

General

The terms of each series of debt securities will be established by or pursuant to a resolution of our board of directors and set forth or determined in the manner provided in a resolution of our board of directors, in an officer’s certificate or by a supplemental indenture. (Section 2.2) The particular terms of each series of debt securities will be described in a prospectus supplement relating to such series (including any pricing supplement or term sheet).

We can issue an unlimited amount of debt securities under the indenture that may be in one or more series with the same or various maturities, at par, at a premium, or at a discount. (Section 2.1) We will set forth in a prospectus supplement (including any pricing supplement or term sheet) relating to any series of debt securities being offered, the aggregate principal amount and the following terms of the debt securities, if applicable:

•

the title and ranking of the debt securities (including the terms of any subordination provisions);

•

the price or prices (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount) at which we will sell the debt securities;

•

any limit on the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities;

•

the date or dates on which the principal of the securities of the series is payable;

•

the rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable) per annum or the method used to determine the rate or rates (including any commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index) at which the debt securities will bear interest, the date or dates from which interest will accrue, the date or dates on which interest will commence and be payable and any regular record date for the interest payable on any interest payment date;

•

the place or places where principal of, and interest, if any, on the debt securities will be payable (and the method of such payment), where the securities of such series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange, and where notices and demands to us in respect of the debt securities may be delivered;

•

the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which we may redeem the debt securities;

•

any obligation we have to redeem or purchase the debt securities pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provisions or at the option of a holder of debt securities and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and in the terms and conditions upon which securities of the series shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;

•

the dates on which and the price or prices at which we will repurchase debt securities at the option of the holders of debt securities and other detailed terms and provisions of these repurchase obligations;

•

the denominations in which the debt securities will be issued, if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof;

•

whether the debt securities will be issued in the form of certificated debt securities or global debt securities;

•

the portion of principal amount of the debt securities payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity date, if other than the principal amount;

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the currency of denomination of the debt securities, which may be United States Dollars or any foreign currency, and if such currency of denomination is a composite currency, the agency or organization, if any, responsible for overseeing such composite currency;

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the designation of the currency, currencies or currency units in which payment of principal of, premium and interest on the debt securities will be made;

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if payments of principal of, premium or interest on the debt securities will be made in one or more currencies or currency units other than that or those in which the debt securities are denominated, the manner in which the exchange rate with respect to these payments will be determined;

•

the manner in which the amounts of payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the debt securities will be determined, if these amounts may be determined by reference to an index based on a currency or currencies or by reference to a commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index;

•

any provisions relating to any security provided for the debt securities;

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any addition to, deletion of or change in the Events of Default described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities and any change in the acceleration provisions described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities;

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any addition to, deletion of or change in the covenants described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities;

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any depositaries, interest rate calculation agents, exchange rate calculation agents or other agents with respect to the debt securities;

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the provisions, if any, relating to conversion or exchange of any debt securities of such series, including if applicable, the conversion or exchange price and period, provisions as to whether conversion or exchange will be mandatory, the events requiring an adjustment of the conversion or exchange price and provisions affecting conversion or exchange;

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any other terms of the debt securities, which may supplement, modify or delete any provision of the indenture as it applies to that series, including any terms that may be required under applicable law or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of the securities; and

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whether any of our direct or indirect subsidiaries will guarantee the debt securities of that series, including the terms of subordination, if any, of such guarantees. (Section 2.2)

We may issue debt securities that provide for an amount less than their stated principal amount to be due and payable upon declaration of acceleration of their maturity pursuant to the terms of the indenture. We will provide you with information on the federal income tax considerations and other special considerations applicable to any of these debt securities in the applicable prospectus supplement.

If we denominate the purchase price of any of the debt securities in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, or if the principal of and any premium and interest on any series of debt securities is payable in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, we will provide you with information on the restrictions, elections, general tax considerations, specific terms and other information with respect to that issue of debt securities and such foreign currency or currencies or foreign currency unit or units in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Transfer and Exchange

Each debt security will be represented by either one or more global securities registered in the name of The Depository Trust Company (the “Depositary”), or a nominee of the Depositary (we will refer to any debt security represented by a global debt security as a “book-entry debt security”), or a certificate issued in definitive registered form (we will refer to any debt security represented by a certificated security as a “certificated debt security”) as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Except as set forth under the heading “Global Debt Securities and Book-Entry System” below, book-entry debt securities will not be issuable in certificated form.

Certificated Debt Securities. You may transfer or exchange certificated debt securities at any office we maintain for this purpose in accordance with the terms of the indenture. (Section 2.4) No service charge will be made for any transfer or exchange of certificated debt securities, but we may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection with a transfer or exchange. (Section 2.7)

You may effect the transfer of certificated debt securities and the right to receive the principal of, premium and interest on certificated debt securities only by surrendering the certificate representing those certificated debt securities and either reissuance by us or the trustee of the certificate to the new holder or the issuance by us or the trustee of a new certificate to the new holder.

Global Debt Securities and Book-Entry System. Each global debt security representing book-entry debt securities will be deposited with, or on behalf of, the Depositary, and registered in the name of the Depositary or a nominee of the Depositary. Please see “Global Securities.”

Covenants

We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement any restrictive covenants applicable to any issue of debt securities. (Article IV)

No Protection in the Event of a Change of Control

Unless we state otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities will not contain any provisions which may afford holders of the debt securities protection in the event we have a change in control or in the event of a highly leveraged transaction (whether or not such transaction results in a change in control) which could adversely affect holders of debt securities.

Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets

We may not consolidate with or merge with or into, or convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all of our properties and assets to any person (a “successor person”) unless:

•

we are the surviving corporation or the successor person (if other than Zosano Pharma Corporation) is a corporation organized and validly existing under the laws of any U.S. domestic jurisdiction and expressly assumes our obligations on the debt securities and under the indenture; and

•

immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no Default or Event of Default, shall have occurred and be continuing.

Notwithstanding the above, any of our subsidiaries may consolidate with, merge into or transfer all or part of its properties to us. (Section 5.1)

Events of Default

“Event of Default” means with respect to any series of debt securities, any of the following:

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default in the payment of any interest upon any debt security of that series when it becomes due and payable, and continuance of such default for a period of 30 days (unless the entire amount of the payment is deposited by us with the trustee or with a paying agent prior to the expiration of the 30-day period);

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default in the payment of principal of any security of that series at its maturity;

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default in the performance or breach of any other covenant or warranty by us in the indenture (other than a covenant or warranty that has been included in the indenture solely for the benefit of a series of debt securities other than that series), which default continues uncured for a period of 60 days after we receive written notice from the trustee or Zosano Pharma Corporation and the trustee receive written notice from the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series as provided in the indenture;

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certain voluntary or involuntary events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of Zosano Pharma Corporation;

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any other Event of Default provided with respect to debt securities of that series that is described in the applicable prospectus supplement. (Section 6.1)

No Event of Default with respect to a particular series of debt securities (except as to certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization) necessarily constitutes an Event of Default with respect to any other series of debt securities. (Section 6.1) The occurrence of certain Events of Default or an acceleration under the indenture may constitute an event of default under certain indebtedness of ours or our subsidiaries outstanding from time to time.

We will provide the trustee written notice of any Default or Event of Default within 30 days of becoming aware of the occurrence of such Default or Event of Default, which notice will describe in reasonable detail the status of such Default or Event of Default and what action we are taking or propose to take in respect thereof. (Section 6.1)

If an Event of Default with respect to debt securities of any series at the time outstanding occurs and is continuing, then the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may, by a notice in writing to us (and to the trustee if given by the holders), declare to be due and payable immediately the principal of (or, if the debt securities of that series are discount securities, that portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of that series) and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all debt securities of that series. In the case of an Event of Default resulting from certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization, the principal (or such specified amount) of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all outstanding debt securities will become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the trustee or any holder of outstanding debt securities. At any time after a declaration of acceleration with respect to debt securities of any series has been made, but before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the trustee, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may rescind and annul the acceleration if all Events of Default, other than the non-payment of accelerated principal and interest, if any, with respect to debt securities of that series, have been cured or waived as provided in the indenture. (Section 6.2) We refer you to the prospectus supplement relating to any series of debt securities that are discount securities for the particular provisions relating to acceleration of a portion of the principal amount of such discount securities upon the occurrence of an Event of Default.

The indenture provides that the trustee may refuse to perform any duty or exercise any of its rights or powers under the indenture unless the trustee receives indemnity satisfactory to it against any cost, liability or expense which might be incurred by it in performing such duty or exercising such right or power. (Section 7.1(e)) Subject to certain rights of the trustee, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee with respect to the debt securities of that series. (Section 6.12)

No holder of any debt security of any series will have any right to institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, with respect to the indenture or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee, or for any remedy under the indenture, unless:

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that holder has previously given to the trustee written notice of a continuing Event of Default with respect to debt securities of that series; and

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the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have made written request, and offered indemnity or security satisfactory to the trustee, to the trustee to institute the proceeding as trustee, and the trustee has not received from the holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series a direction inconsistent with that request and has failed to institute the proceeding within 60 days. (Section 6.7)

Notwithstanding any other provision in the indenture, the holder of any debt security will have an absolute and unconditional right to receive payment of the principal of, premium and any interest on that debt security on or after the due dates expressed in that debt security and to institute suit for the enforcement of payment. (Section 6.8)

The indenture requires us, within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year, to furnish to the trustee a statement as to compliance with the indenture. (Section 4.3) If a Default or Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to the securities of any series and if it is known to a responsible officer of the trustee, the trustee shall mail to each Securityholder of the securities of that series notice of a Default or Event of Default within 90 days after it occurs or, if later, after a responsible officer of the trustee has knowledge of such Default or Event of Default. The indenture provides that the trustee may withhold notice to the holders of debt securities of any series of any Default or Event of Default (except in payment on any debt securities of that series) with respect to debt securities of that series if the trustee determines in good faith that withholding notice is in the interest of the holders of those debt securities. (Section 7.5)

Modification and Waiver

We and the trustee may modify, amend or supplement the indenture or the debt securities of any series without the consent of any holder of any debt security:

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to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency;

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to comply with covenants in the indenture described above under the heading “Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets”;

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to provide for uncertificated securities in addition to or in place of certificated securities;

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to add guarantees with respect to debt securities of any series or secure debt securities of any series;

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to surrender any of our rights or powers under the indenture;

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to add covenants or events of default for the benefit of the holders of debt securities of any series;

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to comply with the applicable procedures of the applicable depositary;

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to make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any holder of debt securities;

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to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of debt securities of any series as permitted by the indenture;

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to effect the appointment of a successor trustee with respect to the debt securities of any series and to add to or change any of the provisions of the indenture to provide for or facilitate administration by more than one trustee; or

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to comply with requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act. (Section 9.1)

We may also modify and amend the indenture with the consent of the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series affected by the modifications or amendments. We may not make any modification or amendment without the consent of the holders of each affected debt security then outstanding if that amendment will:

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reduce the amount of debt securities whose holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver;

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reduce the rate of or extend the time for payment of interest (including default interest) on any debt security;

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reduce the principal of or premium on or change the fixed maturity of any debt security or reduce the amount of, or postpone the date fixed for, the payment of any sinking fund or analogous obligation with respect to any series of debt securities;

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reduce the principal amount of discount securities payable upon acceleration of maturity;

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waive a default in the payment of the principal of, premium or interest on any debt security (except a rescission of acceleration of the debt securities of any series by the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding debt securities of that series and a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such acceleration);

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make the principal of or premium or interest on any debt security payable in currency other than that stated in the debt security;

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make any change to certain provisions of the indenture relating to, among other things, the right of holders of debt securities to receive payment of the principal of, premium and interest on those debt securities and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment and to waivers or amendments; or

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waive a redemption payment with respect to any debt security. (Section 9.3)

Except for certain specified provisions, the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may on behalf of the holders of all debt securities of that series waive our compliance with provisions of the indenture. (Section 9.2) The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may on behalf of the holders of all the debt securities of such series waive any past default under the indenture with respect to that series and its consequences, except a default in the payment of the principal of, premium or any interest on any debt security of that series; provided, however, that the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may rescind an acceleration and its consequences, including any related payment default that resulted from the acceleration. (Section 6.13)

Defeasance of Debt Securities and Certain Covenants in Certain Circumstances

Legal Defeasance. The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, we may be discharged from any and all obligations in respect of the debt securities of any series (subject to certain exceptions). We will be so discharged upon the deposit with the trustee, in trust, of

money and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of debt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. Dollars, government obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money or U.S. government obligations in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay and discharge each installment of principal, premium and interest on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities.

This discharge may occur only if, among other things, we have delivered to the trustee an opinion of counsel stating that we have received from, or there has been published by, the United States Internal Revenue Service a ruling or, since the date of execution of the indenture, there has been a change in the applicable United States federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion shall confirm that, the beneficial owners of the debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit, defeasance and discharge and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit, defeasance and discharge had not occurred. (Section 8.3)

Defeasance of Certain Covenants. The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, upon compliance with certain conditions:

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we may omit to comply with the covenant described under the heading “Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets” and certain other covenants set forth in the indenture, as well as any additional covenants which may be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement; and

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any omission to comply with those covenants will not constitute a Default or an Event of Default with respect to the debt securities of that series (“covenant defeasance”).

The conditions include:

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depositing with the trustee money and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of debt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. Dollars, government obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay and discharge each installment of principal of, premium and interest on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities; and

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delivering to the trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit and related covenant defeasance and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit and related covenant defeasance had not occurred. (Section 8.4)

No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees or Stockholders

None of our past, present or future directors, officers, employees or stockholders, as such, will have any liability for any of our obligations under the debt securities or the indenture or for any claim based on, or in respect or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. By accepting a debt security, each holder waives and releases all such liability. This waiver and release is part of the consideration for the issue of the debt securities. However, this waiver and release may not be effective to waive liabilities under U.S. federal securities laws, and it is the view of the SEC that such a waiver is against public policy.

Governing Law

The indenture and the debt securities, including any claim or controversy arising out of or relating to the indenture or the securities, will be governed by the laws of the State of New York.

The indenture will provide that we, the trustee and the holders of the debt securities (by their acceptance of the debt securities) irrevocably waive, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to the indenture, the debt securities or the transactions contemplated thereby.

The indenture will provide that any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon the indenture or the transactions contemplated thereby may be instituted in the federal courts of the United States of America located in the City of New York or the courts of the State of New York in each case located in the City of New York, and we, the trustee and the holder of the debt securities (by their acceptance of the debt securities) irrevocably submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of such courts in any such suit, action or proceeding. The indenture will further provide that service of any process, summons, notice or document by mail (to the extent allowed under any applicable statute or rule of court) to such party’s address set forth in the indenture will be effective service of process for any suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court. The indenture will further provide that we, the trustee and the holders of the debt securities (by their acceptance of the debt securities) irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or other proceeding in the courts specified above and irrevocably and unconditionally waive and agree not to plead or claim any such suit, action or other proceeding has been brought in an inconvenient forum. (Section 10.10)

DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

We may issue warrants for the purchase of shares of our common stock or preferred stock or of debt securities. We may issue warrants independently or together with other securities, and the warrants may be attached to or separate from any offered securities. Each series of warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and the investors or a warrant agent. The following summary of material provisions of the warrants and warrant agreements are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the warrant agreement and warrant certificate applicable to a particular series of warrants. The terms of any warrants offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, as well as the complete warrant agreements and warrant certificates that contain the terms of the warrants.

The particular terms of any issue of warrants will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to the issue. Those terms may include:

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the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock purchasable upon the exercise of warrants to purchase such shares and the price at which such number of shares may be purchased upon such exercise;

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the designation, stated value and terms (including, without limitation, liquidation, dividend, conversion and voting rights) of the series of preferred stock purchasable upon exercise of warrants to purchase preferred stock;

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the principal amount of debt securities that may be purchased upon exercise of a debt warrant and the exercise price for the warrants, which may be payable in cash, securities or other property;

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the date, if any, on and after which the warrants and the related debt securities, preferred stock or common stock will be separately transferable;

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the terms of any rights to redeem or call the warrants;

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the date on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence and the date on which the right will expire;

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United States Federal income tax consequences applicable to the warrants; and

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any additional terms of the warrants, including terms, procedures, and limitations relating to the exchange, exercise and settlement of the warrants.

Holders of equity warrants will not be entitled:

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to vote, consent or receive dividends;

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receive notice as stockholders with respect to any meeting of stockholders for the election of our directors or any other matter; or

•

exercise any rights as stockholders of the Company.

Each warrant will entitle its holder to purchase the principal amount of debt securities or the number of shares of preferred stock or common stock at the exercise price set forth in, or calculable as set forth in, the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants at any time up to the specified time on the expiration date that we set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. After the close of business on the expiration date, unexercised warrants will become void.

A holder of warrant certificates may exchange them for new warrant certificates of different denominations, present them for registration of transfer and exercise them at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or any

other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement. Until any warrants to purchase debt securities are exercised, the holder of the warrants will not have any rights of holders of the debt securities that can be purchased upon exercise, including any rights to receive payments of principal, premium or interest on the underlying debt securities or to enforce covenants in the applicable indenture. Until any warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock are exercised, the holders of the warrants will not have any rights of holders of the underlying common stock or preferred stock, including any rights to receive dividends or payments upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding up on the common stock or preferred stock, if any.

DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

We may issue units consisting of any combination of the other types of securities offered under this prospectus in one or more series. We may evidence each series of units by unit certificates that we will issue under a separate agreement. We may enter into unit agreements with a unit agent. Each unit agent will be a bank or trust company that we select. We will indicate the name and address of the unit agent in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of units.

The following description, together with the additional information included in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes the general features of the units that we may offer under this prospectus. You should read any prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you related to the series of units being offered, as well as the complete unit agreements that contain the terms of the units. Specific unit agreements will contain additional important terms and provisions and we will file as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from another report that we file with the SEC, the form of each unit agreement relating to units offered under this prospectus.

If we offer any units, certain terms of that series of units will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement, including, without limitation, the following, as applicable:

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the title of the series of units;

•

identification and description of the separate constituent securities comprising the units;

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the price or prices at which the units will be issued;

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the date, if any, on and after which the constituent securities comprising the units will be separately transferable;

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a discussion of certain United States federal income tax considerations applicable to the units; and

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any other terms of the units and their constituent securities.

GLOBAL SECURITIES

Book-Entry, Delivery and Form

Unless we indicate differently in any applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, the securities initially will be issued in book-entry form and represented by one or more global notes or global securities, or, collectively, global securities. The global securities will be deposited with, or on behalf of, The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York, as depositary (“DTC”), and registered in the name of Cede & Co., the nominee of DTC. Unless and until it is exchanged for individual certificates evidencing securities under the limited circumstances described below, a global security may not be transferred except as a whole by the depositary to its nominee or by the nominee to the depositary, or by the depositary or its nominee to a successor depositary or to a nominee of the successor depositary.

DTC has advised us that it is:

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a limited-purpose trust company organized under the New York Banking Law;

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a “banking organization” within the meaning of the New York Banking Law;

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a member of the Federal Reserve System;

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a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code; and

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a “clearing agency” registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Exchange Act.

DTC holds securities that its participants deposit with DTC. DTC also facilitates the settlement among its participants of securities transactions, such as transfers and pledges, in deposited securities through electronic computerized book-entry changes in participants’ accounts, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. “Direct participants” in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, including underwriters, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other organizations. DTC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, or DTCC. DTCC is the holding company for DTC, National Securities Clearing Corporation and Fixed Income Clearing Corporation, all of which are registered clearing agencies. DTCC is owned by the users of its regulated subsidiaries. Access to the DTC system is also available to others, which we sometimes refer to as indirect participants, that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a direct participant, either directly or indirectly. The rules applicable to DTC and its participants are on file with the SEC.

Purchases of securities under the DTC system must be made by or through direct participants, which will receive a credit for the securities on DTC’s records. The ownership interest of the actual purchaser of a security, which we sometimes refer to as a beneficial owner, is in turn recorded on the direct and indirect participants’ records. Beneficial owners of securities will not receive written confirmation from DTC of their purchases. However, beneficial owners are expected to receive written confirmations providing details of their transactions, as well as periodic statements of their holdings, from the direct or indirect participants through which they purchased securities. Transfers of ownership interests in global securities are to be accomplished by entries made on the books of participants acting on behalf of beneficial owners. Beneficial owners will not receive certificates representing their ownership interests in the global securities, except under the limited circumstances described below.

To facilitate subsequent transfers, all global securities deposited by direct participants with DTC will be registered in the name of DTC’s partnership nominee, Cede & Co., or such other name as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. The deposit of securities with DTC and their registration in the name of Cede & Co. or such other nominee will not change the beneficial ownership of the securities. DTC has no knowledge of the actual beneficial owners of the securities. DTC’s records reflect only the identity of the direct participants to whose accounts the securities are credited, which may or may not be the beneficial owners. The participants are responsible for keeping account of their holdings on behalf of their customers.

So long as the securities are in book-entry form, you will receive payments and may transfer securities only through the facilities of the depositary and its direct and indirect participants. We will maintain an office or agency in the location specified in the prospectus supplement for the applicable securities, where notices and demands in respect of the securities and the indenture may be delivered to us and where certificated securities may be surrendered for payment, registration of transfer or exchange.

Conveyance of notices and other communications by DTC to direct participants, by direct participants to indirect participants and by direct participants and indirect participants to beneficial owners will be governed by arrangements among them, subject to any legal requirements in effect from time to time.

Redemption notices will be sent to DTC. If less than all of the securities of a particular series are being redeemed, DTC’s practice is to determine by lot the amount of the interest of each direct participant in the securities of such series to be redeemed.

Neither DTC nor Cede & Co. (or such other DTC nominee) will consent or vote with respect to the securities. Under its usual procedures, DTC will mail an omnibus proxy to us as soon as possible after the record date. The omnibus proxy assigns the consenting or voting rights of Cede & Co. to those direct participants to whose accounts the securities of such series are credited on the record date, identified in a listing attached to the omnibus proxy.

So long as securities are in book-entry form, we will make payments on those securities to the depositary or its nominee, as the registered owner of such securities, by wire transfer of immediately available funds. If securities are issued in definitive certificated form under the limited circumstances described below and unless if otherwise provided in the description of the applicable securities herein or in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will have the option of making payments by check mailed to the addresses of the persons entitled to payment or by wire transfer to bank accounts in the United States designated in writing to the applicable trustee or other designated party at least 15 days before the applicable payment date by the persons entitled to payment, unless a shorter period is satisfactory to the applicable trustee or other designated party.

Redemption proceeds, distributions and dividend payments on the securities will be made to Cede & Co., or such other nominee as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. DTC’s practice is to credit direct participants’ accounts upon DTC’s receipt of funds and corresponding detail information from us on the payment date in accordance with their respective holdings shown on DTC records. Payments by participants to beneficial owners will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is the case with securities held for the account of customers in bearer form or registered in “street name.” Those payments will be the responsibility of participants and not of DTC or us, subject to any statutory or regulatory requirements in effect from time to time. Payment of redemption proceeds, distributions and dividend payments to Cede & Co., or such other nominee as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC, is our responsibility, disbursement of payments to direct participants is the responsibility of DTC, and disbursement of payments to the beneficial owners is the responsibility of direct and indirect participants.

Except under the limited circumstances described below, purchasers of securities will not be entitled to have securities registered in their names and will not receive physical delivery of securities. Accordingly, each beneficial owner must rely on the procedures of DTC and its participants to exercise any rights under the securities and the indenture.

The laws of some jurisdictions may require that some purchasers of securities take physical delivery of securities in definitive form. Those laws may impair the ability to transfer or pledge beneficial interests in securities.

DTC may discontinue providing its services as securities depositary with respect to the securities at any time by giving reasonable notice to us. Under such circumstances, in the event that a successor depositary is not obtained, securities certificates are required to be printed and delivered.

As noted above, beneficial owners of a particular series of securities generally will not receive certificates representing their ownership interests in those securities. However, if:

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DTC notifies us that it is unwilling or unable to continue as a depositary for the global security or securities representing such series of securities or if DTC ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act at a time when it is required to be registered and a successor depositary is not appointed within 90 days of the notification to us or of our becoming aware of DTC’s ceasing to be so registered, as the case may be;

•

we determine, in our sole discretion, not to have such securities represented by one or more global securities; or

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an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing with respect to such series of securities,

we will prepare and deliver certificates for such securities in exchange for beneficial interests in the global securities. Any beneficial interest in a global security that is exchangeable under the circumstances described in the preceding sentence will be exchangeable for securities in definitive certificated form registered in the names that the depositary directs. It is expected that these directions will be based upon directions received by the depositary from its participants with respect to ownership of beneficial interests in the global securities.

Euroclear and Clearstream

If so provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, you may hold interests in a global security through Clearstream Banking S.A. (“Clearstream”), or Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V., as operator of the Euroclear System (“Euroclear”), either directly if you are a participant in Clearstream or Euroclear or indirectly through organizations which are participants in Clearstream or Euroclear. Clearstream and Euroclear will hold interests on behalf of their respective participants through customers’ securities accounts in the names of Clearstream and Euroclear, respectively, on the books of their respective U.S. depositaries, which in turn will hold such interests in customers’ securities accounts in such depositaries’ names on DTC’s books.

Clearstream and Euroclear are securities clearance systems in Europe. Clearstream and Euroclear hold securities for their respective participating organizations and facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions between those participants through electronic book-entry changes in their accounts, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of certificates.

Payments, deliveries, transfers, exchanges, notices and other matters relating to beneficial interests in global securities owned through Euroclear or Clearstream must comply with the rules and procedures of those systems. Transactions between participants in Euroclear or Clearstream, on one hand, and other participants in DTC, on the other hand, are also subject to DTC’s rules and procedures.

Investors will be able to make and receive through Euroclear and Clearstream payments, deliveries, transfers and other transactions involving any beneficial interests in global securities held through those systems only on days when those systems are open for business. Those systems may not be open for business on days when banks, brokers and other institutions are open for business in the United States.

Cross-market transfers between participants in DTC, on the one hand, and participants in Euroclear or Clearstream, on the other hand, will be effected through DTC in accordance with the DTC’s rules on behalf of Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, by their respective U.S. depositaries; however, such cross-market transactions will require delivery of instructions to Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, by the counterparty in such system in accordance with the rules and procedures and within the established deadlines (European time) of such system. Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, will, if the transaction meets its settlement requirements, deliver instructions to its U.S. depositary to take action to effect final settlement on its behalf by delivering or receiving interests in the global securities through DTC, and making or receiving payment in accordance with normal procedures for same-day fund settlement. Participants in Euroclear or Clearstream may not deliver instructions directly to their respective U.S. depositaries.

Due to time zone differences, the securities accounts of a participant in Euroclear or Clearstream purchasing an interest in a global security from a direct participant in DTC will be credited, and any such crediting will be reported to the relevant participant in Euroclear or Clearstream, during the securities settlement processing day (which must be a business day for Euroclear or Clearstream) immediately following the settlement date of DTC. Cash received in Euroclear or Clearstream as a result of sales of interests in a global security by or through a participant in Euroclear or Clearstream to a direct participant in DTC will be received with value on the settlement date of DTC but will be available in the relevant Euroclear or Clearstream cash account only as of the business day for Euroclear or Clearstream following DTC’s settlement date.

Other

The information in this section of this prospectus concerning DTC, Clearstream, Euroclear and their respective book-entry systems has been obtained from sources that we believe to be reliable, but we do not take responsibility for this information. This information has been provided solely as a matter of convenience. The rules and procedures of DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear are solely within the control of those organizations and could change at any time. Neither we nor the trustee nor any agent of ours or of the trustee has any control over those entities and none of us takes any responsibility for their activities. You are urged to contact DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear or their respective participants directly to discuss those matters. In addition, although we expect that DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear will perform the foregoing procedures, none of them is under any obligation to perform or continue to perform such procedures and such procedures may be discontinued at any time. Neither we nor any agent of ours will have any responsibility for the performance or nonperformance by DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear or their respective participants of these or any other rules or procedures governing their respective operations.

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We may sell the securities from time to time pursuant to underwritten public offerings, negotiated transactions, block trades or a combination of these methods or through underwriters or dealers, through agents and/or directly to one or more purchasers. The securities may be distributed from time to time in one or more transactions:

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at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed;

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at market prices prevailing at the time of sale;

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at prices related to such prevailing market prices; or

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at negotiated prices.

Each time that we sell securities covered by this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement or supplements that will describe the method of distribution and set forth the terms and conditions of the offering of such securities, including the offering price of the securities and the proceeds to us, if applicable.

Offers to purchase the securities being offered by this prospectus may be solicited directly. Agents may also be designated to solicit offers to purchase the securities from time to time. Any agent involved in the offer or sale of our securities will be identified in a prospectus supplement.

If a dealer is utilized in the sale of the securities being offered by this prospectus, the securities will be sold to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may then resell the securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by the dealer at the time of resale.

If an underwriter is utilized in the sale of the securities being offered by this prospectus, an underwriting agreement will be executed with the underwriter at the time of sale and the name of any underwriter will be provided in the prospectus supplement that the underwriter will use to make resales of the securities to the public. In connection with the sale of the securities, we or the purchasers of securities for whom the underwriter may act as agent, may compensate the underwriter in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions. The underwriter may sell the securities to or through dealers, and those dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters and/or commissions from the purchasers for which they may act as agent. Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement, an agent will be acting on a best efforts basis and a dealer will purchase securities as a principal, and may then resell the securities at varying prices to be determined by the dealer.

Any compensation paid to underwriters, dealers or agents in connection with the offering of the securities, and any discounts, concessions or commissions allowed by underwriters to participating dealers will be provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. Underwriters, dealers and agents participating in the distribution of the securities may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and any discounts and commissions received by them and any profit realized by them on resale of the securities may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions. We may enter into agreements to indemnify underwriters, dealers and agents against civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments they may be required to make in respect thereof and to reimburse those persons for certain expenses.

Any common stock will be listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, but any other securities may or may not be listed on a national securities exchange. To facilitate the offering of securities, certain persons participating in the offering may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the securities. This may include over-allotments or short sales of the securities, which involve the sale by persons participating in the offering of more securities than were sold to them. In these circumstances, these persons would cover such over-allotments or short positions by making purchases in the open market or by exercising their over-allotment

option, if any. In addition, these persons may stabilize or maintain the price of the securities by bidding for or purchasing securities in the open market or by imposing penalty bids, whereby selling concessions allowed to dealers participating in the offering may be reclaimed if securities sold by them are repurchased in connection with stabilization transactions. The effect of these transactions may be to stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. These transactions may be discontinued at any time.

We may engage in at the market offerings into an existing trading market in accordance with Rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act. In addition, 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 stock, and may use securities received from us in settlement of those derivatives to close out any related open borrowings of stock. The third party in such sale transactions will be an underwriter and, if not identified in this prospectus, will be named in the applicable prospectus supplement (or a post-effective amendment). In addition, we may otherwise loan or pledge securities to a financial institution or other third party that in turn may sell the securities short using this prospectus and an applicable prospectus supplement. Such financial institution or other third party may transfer its economic short position to investors in our securities or in connection with a concurrent offering of other securities.

The specific terms of any lock-up provisions in respect of any given offering will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

The underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in transactions with us, or perform services for us, in the ordinary course of business for which they receive compensation.

LEGAL MATTERS

Latham & Watkins LLP will pass upon certain legal matters relating to the issuance and sale of the securities offered hereby on behalf of Zosano Pharma Corporation. Additional legal matters may be passed upon for us or any underwriters, dealers or agents, by counsel that we will name in the applicable prospectus supplement.

EXPERTS

The 2019 financial statements incorporated in this Registration Statement by reference from the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report, which is incorporated herein by reference (which report expresses an unqualified opinion on the 2019 financial statements and includes an explanatory paragraph referring to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern). Such 2019 financial statements have been so incorporated in reliance upon the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

The balance sheet of Zosano Pharma Corporation and the related statements of operations and comprehensive loss, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows as of and for the year ended December 31, 2018, have been audited by Marcum LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report which is incorporated by reference into this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Such financial statements are incorporated by reference herein in reliance on the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing. The report on the financial statements contains an explanatory paragraph regarding the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. On May 28, 2019, Zosano Pharma Corporation dismissed Marcum LLP as auditors and, accordingly, Marcum LLP has not performed any audit or review procedures with respect to any financial statements incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement for the periods after the date of dismissal.