Item 1.01. |
Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
|
On June 30, 2022, 9 Meters Biopharma, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”)
for the purchase of senior secured convertible notes with an institutional investor (the “Holder”). The principal
amount for the initial note is expected to be $21 million (the “Convertible Note”), with an option for the Company
to issue additional convertible notes to the Holder with principal amounts of up to an aggregate of $70 million, subject to certain
limitations, including that the price of the Company’s common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (the “Common Stock”),
is not less than 130% of the Fixed Conversion Price (as defined below).The 36-month Convertible Note will bear interest equal
to the three-month benchmark rate plus 5% (with a floor of 6%) (18% upon an event of default). The Convertible Note will rank
senior to all outstanding and future indebtedness of the Company and its subsidiaries, and will be secured by a first priority
perfected security interest in all of the existing and future assets of the Company; however, the Company may use its intellectual
property collateral in certain strategic transactions with companies in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry, subject
to certain collateral requirements being met. The Agreement is expected to close and the Convertible Note is expected to be issued
in early July 2022 (the “Closing Date”), subject to customary closing conditions.
For the first 12 months following the Closing
Date, the Company will make interest payments to the Holder but will not be required to make any scheduled principal payments
on the Convertible Note. Beginning with the first calendar month thereafter, the Convertible Note amortizes (1/24th) each month
until maturity and each amortization installment payment will equal 105% of par.
The Convertible Note will be optionally
convertible by the Company or the Holder, subject to certain limitations as described below. The Company can elect to make principal
or interest payments (or accelerated payments) in Common Stock instead of cash, by providing a notice to the Holder specifying
the dollar amount of such election for any given month’s scheduled amortization and, in the case of any earlier accelerated
payment(s), a conversion period of not less than ten trading days, but no more than forty trading days, during which the Holder
is to convert such portion of the Convertible Note into Common Stock. Pursuant to such optional conversion, the conversion price
will equal 92.0% of the lowest daily VWAP during the three-trading day period immediately prior to the payment date determined
by the Holder during the conversion period, provided however, that the Company can elect to set a conversion floor price. If the
Holder elects to convert the Convertible Note, the conversion price per share will be $0.3531, subject to customary adjustments
and anti-dilution protection described below (the “Fixed Conversion Price”). The conversion of the Convertible Note
is subject to certain conditions, including that the shares are registered, the Holder is not in possession of material non-public
information provided by or on behalf of the Company, no fundamental change of the Company has been announced or is pending, the
Holder remains within the Beneficial Ownership Limitation (as defined below), and no event of default has occurred and is continuing
(the “Equity Conditions”).
As long as the Company remains in compliance
with the Convertible Note, and subject to certain limitations described in the Convertible Note, the Company will have two optional
redemption rights to repay the Convertible Note in cash. First, after 180 days following the Closing Date, so long as the market
price of the Common Stock has been no less than 140% of the Fixed Conversion Price for the immediately preceding 20 trading days,
the Company can elect to redeem the Convertible Note for an amount equal to 105% of the principal amount elected to be redeemed,
plus accrued and unpaid interest. Second, at any time following the Closing Date, the Company can elect to repay the Convertible
Note at the greater of (i) the Fixed Conversion Value (the daily VWAP
of the Common Stock on the date of the redemption notice
multiplied by the number of shares that would result from the conversion of the principal amount being redeemed at the Fixed Conversion
Price), plus accrued and unpaid interest or (ii) 125% of par before the first anniversary of the Closing Date, 115% of par before
the second anniversary of the Closing Date, and 105% of par before the third anniversary of the Closing Date, each plus accrued
and unpaid interest.
The conversion price with respect to the
Convertible Notes is subject to a weighted average anti-dilution adjustment in the event the Company issues, or is deemed to have
issued, shares of Common Stock, other than certain excepted issuances, at a price below the conversion price then in effect.
Additionally, for 90 days following the Closing Date, if the Company grants, issues or sells any shares of Common Stock, then
immediately after such dilutive issuance, the conversion rate of such Convertible Note will be decreased to an amount equal to the
average of the daily VWAPs of the Common Stock for each of the five trading days immediately following the date of public disclosure
of such issuance.
The Convertible Note may not be converted
into shares of Common Stock if such conversion would result in the Holder and its affiliates owning an aggregate of in excess
of 4.99% of the then-outstanding shares of Common Stock, provided that upon 61 days’ notice, such ownership limitation may
be adjusted by the Holder, but in any case, to no greater than 9.99% (the “Beneficial Ownership Limitation”).
The Convertible Note provides
for standard and customary events of default, such as the Company failing to make timely payments under the Convertible Note
and failing to timely comply with the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The
Purchase Agreement and Convertible Note also contain customary affirmative and negative covenants, including limitations on
incurring additional indebtedness, the creation of additional liens on the Company’s assets, and entering into
investments, as well as a subsequent financing requirement to raise at least $25,000,000 by March 31, 2023 (the
“Subsequent Financing”) and a minimum liquidity requirement (110% of the outstanding principal amount, which may
be reduced upon consummation of a Subsequent Financing to the greater of (i) the outstanding principal amount, less 7.5% of
the Company’s total market capitalization and (ii) 50% of the outstanding principal amount).
Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, the
Company has agreed to prepare and file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) within 30 days
following the Closing Date, a registration statement covering the resale of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise
of the Convertible Note, and to use commercially reasonable efforts to cause such registration statement to be declared effective
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), as soon as practicable, and in any event
within 30 days of filing the registration statement (or 60 days if reviewed and commented on by the SEC).
In addition, the Company must seek the
approval of its stockholders for the issuance of all shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Convertible Note,
and any subsequent convertible notes, in compliance with the rules of the Nasdaq Capital Market (the “Stockholder Approval”).
In connection therewith, the Company has entered into voting agreements (the “Voting Agreements”) with each of its
officers and directors (each, a “Stockholder”). Pursuant to the Voting Agreements, each Stockholder has agreed, with
respect to all of the voting securities of the Company that such Stockholder beneficially owns as of the date thereof or thereafter,
to vote in favor of the Stockholder Approval.
The description of the Purchase Agreement
and Convertible Note above is not complete and is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the form of Purchase Agreement
and the form of Convertible Note, filed herewith as Exhibits 10.1 and 10.2, respectively, which are incorporated
by reference herein.
The disclosure contained in this Current
Report on Form 8-K does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of the Company, and
is made only as required under applicable rules for filing current reports with the SEC.