ESPR shelf offering disclosed; Japan approval and 2040 exclusivity noted
Filing Impact
Filing Sentiment
Form Type
424B5
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. is offering additional shares of its common stock on a shelf registration, with the final public offering price to be set at pricing. The company reported a closing Nasdaq price of $3.30 per share on October 3, 2025 and had 202,149,464 shares outstanding as of June 30, 2025. The prospectus details intended uses of proceeds for commercialization of NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET, pipeline development, working capital and general corporate purposes. Recent corporate developments include a settlement with Dr. Reddy’s delaying generic entry in the U.S. until April 19, 2040 under specified conditions. The company reported a pro forma net tangible book deficit of approximately $(433.5) million (about $(2.14) per share) as of June 30, 2025, and discloses material dilution and volatility risks for investors.
Positive
- Settlement with Dr. Reddy's delays U.S. generic competition for NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET until April 19, 2040 under agreed terms
- FDA and other regulatory approvals in 2020 and expanded indications in March 2024 support commercial positioning
- Japanese approval of NEXLETOL in September 2025 with expected National Health Insurance pricing in Q4 2025
Negative
- Pro forma net tangible book deficit of approximately $(433.5)M (about $(2.14) per share) as of June 30, 2025
- Immediate dilution is disclosed for investors purchasing in the offering; outstanding options, RSUs and warrants could cause further dilution
- High market volatility and litigation risk are specifically called out as factors that could materially reduce share value
- Losses since inception and ongoing need for capital; management has broad discretion over use of proceeds
Insights
TL;DR: Offering raises equity with material dilution risk; proceeds earmarked for commercialization and R&D.
Issuing shares from a shelf registration provides Esperion with flexible access to capital to fund commercialization of NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET and advance the pipeline. The prospectus states net proceeds will be used for marketing, clinical development, working capital and general corporate purposes.
Key near-term dependencies include the final public offering price and exercise of the underwriters' option, both of which determine dilution and cash raised. With a pro forma net tangible book deficit of $(433.5)M and a stated outstanding share base of 202,149,464 shares, investors face immediate dilution and balance-sheet leverage considerations over the next 30 days (underwriter option window) and through the offering close.
TL;DR: Patent settlement materially extends U.S. exclusivity through April 19, 2040, reducing near-term generic risk for marketed products.
The disclosure describes a settlement with Dr. Reddy's that resolves ANDA litigation and delays U.S. generic entry for NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET until April 19, 2040 unless specified carve-outs apply. This converts active litigation risk with that filer into contractual exclusivity for the company.
Material dependencies include any limited circumstances in the agreement that could permit earlier entry and the status of other ANDA filers (the filing states no remaining challenges to U.S. Patent No. 7,335,799 with respect to the remaining ANDA filers). Monitor regulatory approvals, reimbursement developments, and any further IP challenges over the medium term as they may affect commercial value.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prospectus Supplement
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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
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PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY
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THE OFFERING
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RISK FACTORS
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
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USE OF PROCEEDS
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DILUTION
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DIVIDEND POLICY
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MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
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UNDERWRITING
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LEGAL MATTERS
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EXPERTS
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
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INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
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Prospectus
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PAGE
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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS
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RISK FACTORS
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
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THE COMPANY
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USE OF PROCEEDS
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SECURITIES THAT MAY BE OFFERED
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DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK
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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES
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DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS
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DESCRIPTION OF UNITS
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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
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LEGAL MATTERS
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EXPERTS
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
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INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
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Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. and other trademarks or service marks of Esperion Therapeutics appearing in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are the property of Esperion Therapeutics. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus may refer to brand names, trademarks, service marks or trade names of other companies and organizations, and those brand names, trademarks, service marks and trade names are the property of their respective holders. Our use or display of third parties’ trademarks, service marks, trade names or products in this prospectus supplement is not intended to, and does not imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship by us. Solely for convenience, the trademarks, service marks and trade names referred to in this prospectus supplement may appear without the ®, SM and ™ symbols, but the omission of such references is 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 owner of these trademarks, service marks and trade names.
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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are part of a “shelf” registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-286631) that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on April 18, 2025 and which became effective on April 29, 2025.
This prospectus supplement, including the documents incorporated by reference herein, describes the specific terms of this offering. The second part, the accompanying prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference therein, provides more general information, some of which may not apply to this offering. Generally, when we refer to the “prospectus,” we are referring to both parts combined. This prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus we authorize for use in connection with this offering may add to, update or change information in the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. If the information in this prospectus supplement is inconsistent with the accompanying prospectus or with any document incorporated by reference herein or therein that was filed with the SEC prior to the date of this prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in this prospectus supplement; provided, that if any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in another document having a later date, the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement.
We and the underwriters have not authorized anyone to provide you with any information or to make any representations other than those included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and any relevant free writing prospectus. If you receive any information not authorized by us, we and the underwriters take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, such information. We are not making an offer to sell the securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus or any relevant free writing prospectus is accurate as of any date other than its respective date.
It is important for you to read and consider all of the information contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus in making your investment decision. We include cross-references in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus to captions in these materials where you can find additional related discussions. The table of contents in this prospectus supplement provides the pages on which these captions are located. You should read both this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, together with the additional information described in the sections entitled “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation by Reference” of this prospectus supplement, before investing in our common stock.
We are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, securities only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The distribution of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and the offering of the securities in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the securities and the distribution of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus outside the United States. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus do 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 supplement and the accompanying prospectus by any person in any jurisdiction in which it is unlawful for such person to make such an offer or solicitation.
As used in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus, unless the context otherwise requires, “Esperion,” “Esperion Therapeutics,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” “our” and similar names refer to Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
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PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY
The following summary is qualified in its entirety by, and should be read together with, the more detailed information and financial statements and related notes thereto appearing elsewhere or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. Before you decide to invest in our securities, you should read the entire prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus carefully, including the risk factors and the financial statements and related notes included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.
Overview
We are a commercial stage biopharmaceutical company currently focused on bringing new medicines to patients that address unmet medical needs. We have developed and are commercializing U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) approved oral, once-daily, non-statin medicines for patients who are at risk for cardiovascular disease (“CVD”), and are struggling with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (“LDL-C”). Through commercial execution, international partnerships and collaborations, and advancement of our pre-clinical pipeline, we continue to evolve into a leading global biopharmaceutical company.
Our lead products NEXLETOL® (bempedoic acid) tablets and NEXLIZET® (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe) tablets are oral, once-daily, non-statin medicines indicated to reduce the risk of myocardial infarction and coronary revascularization in adults who are unable to take recommended statin therapy (including those not taking a statin) with established CVD, or at high risk for a CVD event but without established CVD, and to reduce LDL-C in adults with primary hyperlipidemia. Our products were approved by the FDA, the European Commission (the “EC”), and Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products in 2020. The FDA approved expanded indications for NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET tablets in March 2024. The EC approved expanded indications for NILEMDO® (bempedoic acid) tablets and NUSTENDI (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe) tablets in May 2024. In addition, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (“Otsuka”), our Japanese collaborator, announced that the primary endpoint of LDL-C reduction from baseline at Week 12 was achieved with statistical significance in the Phase 3 clinical trial in Japan for bempedoic acid as a treatment for hypercholesterolemia. Otsuka filed a New Drug Application (“NDA”) in Japan in November 2024 and received approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to market NEXLETOL as a treatment for hypercholesterolemia and familial hypercholesterolemia in September 2025, with expected National Health Insurance pricing approval in the fourth quarter of 2025. We filed supplemental NDAs for product approvals in Canada in November 2024, with expected approval in the fourth quarter of 2025. Our collaboration partners filed for regulatory approval in Israel in March 2025, with expected approval in the first half of 2026, and in Australia in July 2025, with expected approval in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Since our inception, we have focused substantially all of our efforts and financial resources on developing and commercializing bempedoic acid and the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe tablet. In February 2020, the FDA approved NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET. NEXLETOL was commercially available in the U.S. on March 30, 2020 and NEXLIZET was commercially available in the U.S. on June 4, 2020. While we began to generate revenue from the sales of our products in 2020, we have funded our operations to date primarily through proceeds from sales of preferred stock, convertible promissory notes and warrants, public offerings of common stock and warrants, the incurrence of indebtedness, through collaborations with third parties, revenue interest and royalty purchase agreements. We have incurred losses in each year since our inception.
Corporate Information
We were incorporated in Delaware in January 2008 and commenced our operations in April 2008. Our principal executive offices are located at 3891 Ranchero Drive, Suite 150, Ann Arbor, MI 48108 and our telephone number is (734) 887-3903. Our website address is www.esperion.com. The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, our website does not constitute a part of this prospectus supplement and is not incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement or in any other filings we make with the SEC. Our website address is included in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus as an inactive textual reference only. Our common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “ESPR.”
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Recent Updates
On October 2, 2025, we entered into a settlement agreement with Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Inc. and its affiliate Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. (together, “Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories”). This agreement resolves the patent litigation brought by us against Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories in response to Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories’ Abbreviated New Drug Application (“ANDA”) filed with the FDA seeking approval to market a generic version of each of NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET prior to the expiration of the applicable patents. Pursuant to the agreement, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories has agreed not to market a generic version of either NEXLETOL or NEXLIZET in the United States prior to April 19, 2040, unless certain limited circumstances customarily included in these types of agreements occur.
Bempedoic acid is claimed in our U.S. Patent No. 7,335,799, which is scheduled to expire in December 2030. With this latest settlement with Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, there are no remaining challenges regarding the validity or infringement of U.S. Patent No. 7,335,799 in the pending patent litigation with the remaining ANDA filers.
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THE OFFERING
Common stock offered by us
shares of common stock.
Option to purchase additional shares
We have granted the underwriters an option for a period of 30 days from the date of this prospectus supplement to purchase up to additional shares of common stock.
Common stock to be outstanding after this offering
shares of common stock (or shares of common stock if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full).
Use of Proceeds
We estimate that the net proceeds to us from this offering will be approximately $ million (or approximately $ million if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full). We currently intend to use the net proceeds from this offering, together with our existing cash and cash equivalents, primarily to fund the ongoing commercialization efforts for NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET, research and clinical development of current or additional pipeline candidates, working capital, capital expenditures, and general corporate purposes. See “Use of Proceeds” on page S-12 of this prospectus supplement.
Risk Factors
Investing in our common stock involves risks. See “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus supplement beginning on page S-6 and page 2 of the accompanying prospectus, and under similar headings in the other documents, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, for a discussion of factors to consider carefully before deciding to invest in shares of our common stock.
Nasdaq Global Market Symbol
Our common stock is listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “ESPR.”
Unless otherwise indicated, all information in this prospectus supplement related to the number of shares of our common stock to be outstanding immediately after this offering is based on 202,149,464 shares of our common stock outstanding as of June 30, 2025. The number of shares outstanding as of June 30, 2025 as used throughout this prospectus supplement, unless otherwise indicated, excludes:
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6,864,243 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstanding as of June 30, 2025, at a weighted average exercise price of $6.01 per share as of such date;
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624,000 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise and achievement of the performance criteria of our performance-based stock options outstanding as of June 30, 2025, at a weighted average exercise price of $5.01 per share as of such date;
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8,034,122 shares of our common stock issuable upon the vesting of restricted stock units;
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6,043,365 shares of our common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, as amended (the “2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan”), as of June 30, 2025;
•
962,158 shares of our common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2022 Stock Option and Incentive Plan, as amended (the “2022 Stock Option and Incentive Plan”), as of June 30, 2025;
•
1,120,271 shares of our common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2017 Inducement Equity Plan, as amended (the “2017 Inducement Equity Plan”), as of June 30, 2025; and
•
26,071,429 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants outstanding as of June 30, 2025.
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Unless otherwise indicated, all information in this prospectus supplement assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares of common stock from us and no exercise of outstanding stock options or outstanding performance-based stock options or settlement of unvested restricted stock units or shares issued from the 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan after June 30, 2025, and no exercise of outstanding warrants.
In addition, the number of shares outstanding immediately after this offering does not include shares of our common stock that we may offer and sell in the future pursuant to our Controlled Equity OfferingSM Sales Agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., as sales agent.
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RISK FACTORS
Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risk factors described below, together with the risks under the heading “Risk Factors” beginning on page 2 of the accompanying prospectus, and the risks described under Part I, Item A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, under Part 1, Item A of our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2025 and June 30, 2025, and all other information contained or incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including our financial statements and the related notes, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and in any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering before acquiring any of our common stock. If any of these risks is realized, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you could lose part or all of your investment. Additional risks and uncertainties that are not yet identified or that we currently believe to be immaterial may also materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects and could result in a complete loss of your investment. Please also read carefully the section titled “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”
Risks Related to This Offering
If you purchase shares of our common stock in this offering, you may experience immediate and substantial dilution.
The effective public offering price per share in this offering may exceed the net tangible book value per share of our common stock outstanding prior to this offering, in which case you may incur an immediate and substantial dilution in the net tangible book value of the shares of common stock you purchase in this offering. After giving effect to the sale by us of shares of our common stock at the public offering price of $ per share of common stock, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, you will experience immediate dilution of $ per share, representing the difference between the effective public offering price per share and our pro forma net tangible book value per share as of June 30, 2025. The exercise of outstanding warrants, exercise of outstanding stock options and vesting of other stock awards may result in further dilution of your investment. Furthermore, if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares, you will experience further dilution. See the section entitled “Dilution” appearing elsewhere in this prospectus supplement for a more detailed illustration of the dilution you would incur if you participate in this offering.
The trading price of our common stock could be highly volatile, which could result in substantial losses for purchasers of our common stock in this offering. Securities class action or other litigation involving our company or members of our management team could also substantially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The trading price of our common stock has been, and may continue to be, volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. The stock market in general and the market for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in particular have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. As a result of this volatility, you may not be able to sell your common stock at or above the public offering price and you may lose some or all of your investment. The market price for our common stock may be influenced by many factors, including:
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announcements by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, collaborations or capital commitments;
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the timing and results of clinical trials of product candidates, or our competitors’ product candidates;
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regulatory actions with respect to our product candidates or our competitors’ products and product candidates;
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commencement or termination of collaborations for our development programs;
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failure or discontinuation of any of our development programs;
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regulatory or legal developments in the United States and other countries;
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developments or disputes concerning patent applications, issued patents or other proprietary rights, including challenges to the validity, scope or enforceability of our issued patents, litigation or other proceedings arising from ANDA filings or similar regulatory submissions, and our ability to defend and enforce our intellectual property rights;
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the recruitment or departure of key personnel;
•
the level of expenses related to any of our product candidates or clinical development programs;
•
the results of our efforts to develop additional product candidates;
•
our ability to expand and advance our pipeline through business development activities, including collaborations, licensing arrangements or other strategic transactions, and our ability to execute and realize the anticipated and potential benefits of any such transactions we may pursue;
•
actual or anticipated changes in estimates as to our commercial performance, financial results or development timelines;
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announcement or expectation of additional financing efforts;
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sales of our common stock by us, our insiders or other stockholders, including shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding stock options and upon vesting of stock units under our stock incentive plans;
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variations in our financial results or results of companies that are perceived to be similar to us;
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whether an active trading market for our shares is sustained;
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changes in estimates, evaluations or recommendations by securities analysts, that cover our stock or the failure by one or more securities analysts to continue to cover our stock;
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changes in the structure of healthcare payment systems;
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market conditions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors;
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general economic, industry and market conditions, including rising interest rates and inflation; and
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the other factors described in this “Risk Factors” section.
In the past, securities class action litigation has often been brought against a company following a decline in the market price of its securities. This risk is especially relevant for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, which have experienced significant stock price volatility in recent years.
We have broad discretion in the use of the net 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 yield a return on your investment.
Although we currently intend to use the net proceeds from this offering in the manner described in the section titled “Use of Proceeds” in this prospectus supplement, our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from this offering and could spend the proceeds in ways that do not improve our business, financial condition or results of operations or enhance the value of our common stock. Furthermore, you will not have the opportunity as part of your investment decision to assess whether such proceeds are being used appropriately. Because of the number and variability of factors that will determine our use of our cash and cash equivalents, including the net proceeds from this offering, their ultimate use may vary substantially from their currently intended use. Our management might not apply our cash and cash equivalents, including the net proceeds from this offering, in ways that ultimately increase the value of your investment. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could result in financial losses that could have a material adverse effect on our business, cause the price of our common stock to decline and delay the development of our product candidates. Pending their use, we may invest the net proceeds from this offering in a manner that does not produce income or that loses value.
You may experience future dilution as a result of future equity offerings. In addition, this offering and future equity offerings and other issuances of our common stock or other securities may adversely affect the price of our common stock.
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 at prices that may not be the
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same as the price per share in this offering. We may sell shares or other securities in any other offering at a price per share that is less 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. If we sell common stock, convertible securities, or other equity securities, investors may be materially diluted by subsequent sales. In addition, the sale of shares of common stock in this offering and any future sales of a substantial number of shares of common stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales may occur, could adversely affect the price of our common stock.
We cannot predict the effect, if any, that market sales of those shares of common stock or the availability of those shares for sale will have on the market price of our common stock.
The sale of our common stock in this offering and any future sales of our common stock, or the perception that such sales could occur, may depress our stock price and our ability to raise funds in new stock offerings.
We may from time to time issue additional shares of common stock at a discount from the current trading price of our common stock. As a result, our stockholders would experience immediate dilution upon the purchase of any shares of our common stock sold at such discount. In addition, as opportunities present themselves, we may enter into financing or similar arrangements in the future, including the issuance of debt securities, preferred stock or common stock. Sales of shares of our common stock in this offering, or the perception that such sales could occur, may lower the market price of our common stock and may make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities or equity-related securities in the future at a time and price that our management deems acceptable, or at all.
We may raise money through additional public or private offerings of our equity securities or equity-linked securities. For example, in February 2023, we entered into a Controlled Equity OfferingSM Sales Agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., as sales agent, to provide for the issuance and sale by us of up to $70 million of common stock from time to time in “at-the-market” offerings (the “2023 ATM Program”). As of the date of this prospectus supplement, we may issue and sell shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to approximately $51 million under the 2023 ATM Program. Any sales of our equity or equity-linked securities could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the documents that we incorporate by reference, contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. Any statements about our expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not historical facts and may be forward-looking. These statements are often, but are not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “projects,” “potential,” “continue,” and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms. Accordingly, these statements involve estimates, assumptions and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in them. Any forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the factors discussed throughout this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and in particular those factors referenced in the section “Risk Factors.”
This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus contain forward-looking statements that are based on our management’s belief and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:
•
our ability to successfully commercialize NEXLETOL (bempedoic acid) tablet and NEXLIZET (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe) tablet in the United States and any other jurisdictions where we or our ex-U.S. partners may receive marketing approval in the future;
•
our ability and the timeline to obtain and maintain regulatory approval for our approved drugs or obtain and maintain regulatory approval for any of our current or future drug candidates, and any related restrictions, limitations, and/or warnings in the labels of NEXLETOL, NEXLIZET, NILEMDO (bempedoic acid) tablet and NUSTENDI (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe) tablet, or any of our current or future drug candidates that may receive marketing approval;
•
the rate and degree of market acceptance for our approved drugs or any current or future drug candidate for which we may receive marketing approval;
•
our ability and plans in managing our commercial infrastructure and successfully launch, market, and sell our approved drugs and any current or future drug candidate (or additional indications) for which we may receive marketing approval;
•
our ability to achieve clinical, regulatory or commercial milestones with our existing cash resources;
•
our ability to obtain applicable milestone payments from our partners and generate additional revenue as a result of the expanded indications for our products;
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our ability to realize the intended benefits of the commercial collaboration and license arrangements with Daiichi Sankyo Europe GmbH (“DSE”), Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (“Otsuka”), and Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd (“DS”), and our other partners, including receiving potential milestone or royalty payments from collaboration partners;
•
our ability to replicate positive results from a completed clinical study in a future clinical study;
•
the potential benefits, effectiveness or safety of bempedoic acid and the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe combination tablet, as compared to statins and other low density lipoprotein cholesterol (“LDL-C”), or cardiovascular risk lowering therapies, either those currently available or those in development;
•
our ability to respond and adhere to changes in regulatory requirements, including any requirement to conduct additional, unplanned clinical studies of bempedoic acid and the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe combination tablet;
•
guidelines relating to LDL-C levels and cardiovascular risk that are generally accepted within the medical community, including recent changes and any future changes to such guidelines;
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reimbursement policies, including any future changes to such policies or related legislative, executive, or administrative actions, and their impact on our ability to market, distribute and obtain payment for bempedoic acid and the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe combination tablet in the United States and in Europe, and in other territories;
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the accuracy of our estimates of the size and growth potential of the LDL-C and cardiovascular risk lowering markets and the rate and degree of bempedoic acid and the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe combination tablet’s market acceptance in the United States and in Europe, and in other territories;
•
our ability to comply with healthcare laws and regulations in the U.S. and any foreign countries, including, without limitation, those applying to the marketing and sale of commercial drugs;
•
our ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection for bempedoic acid and the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe combination tablet without infringing on the intellectual property rights of others in the U.S., Europe and other territories;
•
our ability to attract and retain key personnel, including scientific, clinical, commercial or management personnel;
•
our ability to maintain existing collaborations and partnerships and our ability to establish any future collaboration or commercialization arrangements on favorable terms, if at all;
•
our ability to expand and advance our pipeline through business development activities, including collaborations, licensing arrangements or other strategic transactions, and our ability to execute and realize the anticipated and potential benefits of any such transactions we may pursue;
•
our ability to meet our payment obligations under our credit agreement and to service the interest on our convertible notes and repay such notes, to the extent required;
•
the impact of national or global economic and geopolitical developments on our business, including economic slowdowns or recessions and market disruptions that may result from, among others, global conflicts, tariffs (including tariffs that have been or may in the future be imposed by the United States or other countries), sanctions, trade protection measures or other trade barriers (including further legislation or actions taken by the United States or other countries that restrict trade), economic sanctions, or an inflationary environment, which could harm our commercialization efforts, as well as the value of our common stock and our ability to access capital markets;
•
our ability to compete with other companies that are, or may be, developing or selling products that may compete with bempedoic acid and the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe combination tablet, in the United States and in Europe and in other territories;
•
our estimates of our expenses, capital requirements, and needs for additional financing; and
•
our anticipated use of proceeds from this offering.
The foregoing list of forward-looking statements made in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents we have filed with the SEC that are incorporated herein and therein by reference is not exclusive. In addition, these forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees of future performance due to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including, without limitation the risk factors and cautionary statements described in other documents that we file from time to time with the SEC, specifically under “Item 1A: Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K, as applicable, and the section of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus titled “Risk Factors.”
The forward-looking statements in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, any related free writing prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference represent our views as of their respective dates. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our views to change. However, while we may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements except to the extent required by applicable law. You should, therefore, not rely on these forward-looking statements as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the dates on which they were made.
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This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, any related free writing prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference also contain estimates, projections and other information concerning our industry, our business, and the markets for certain diseases, including data regarding the estimated size of those markets, and the incidence and prevalence of certain medical conditions. Information that is based on estimates, forecasts, projections, market research or similar methodologies is inherently subject to uncertainties and actual events or circumstances may differ materially from events and circumstances reflected in this information. Unless otherwise expressly stated, we obtained this industry, business, market and other data from our own internal estimates and research, as well as from reports, research surveys, studies and similar data prepared by market research firms and other third parties, industry, medical and general publications, government data and similar sources. While we are not aware of any misstatements regarding any third-party information presented in this prospectus, their estimates, in particular, as they relate to projections, involve numerous assumptions, are subject to risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors.
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USE OF PROCEEDS
We estimate that the net proceeds from this offering will be approximately $ million (or approximately $ million if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full), after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.
We currently intend to use the net proceeds from this offering, together with our existing cash and cash equivalents, to primarily fund the ongoing commercialization efforts for NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET, research and clinical development of current or additional pipeline candidates, working capital, capital expenditures and general corporate purposes. The expected use of the net proceeds from this offering represents our intentions based upon our current plans and business conditions, which could change in the future as our plans and business conditions evolve. The amounts and timing of our actual expenditures will depend on numerous factors, including the factors described under “Risk Factors” in this prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference herein, as well as the amount of cash used in our operations. We may find it necessary or advisable to use the net proceeds for other purposes, and we will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds. Pending the uses described above, we plan to invest the net proceeds from this offering in short- and intermediate-term, interest-bearing obligations, investment-grade instruments, certificates of deposit or direct or guaranteed obligations of the U.S. government.
The amounts and timing of our use of the net proceeds from this offering will depend on a number of factors, such as the timing and progress of any collaborative or strategic partnering efforts, and the competitive environment for our products. As of the date of this prospectus supplement, we cannot specify with certainty all of the particular uses for the net proceeds to us from this offering. Accordingly, our management will have broad discretion in the timing and application of these proceeds.
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DILUTION
If you invest in our common stock in this offering, your ownership interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the effective public offering price per share of our common stock in this offering and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after this offering. The net tangible book value of our common stock as of June 30, 2025 was approximately $(433.5) million, or approximately $(2.14) per share of common stock based upon 202,149,464 shares of our common stock outstanding as of that date. Net tangible book value per share is equal to our total tangible assets, less our total liabilities, divided by the total number of shares of common stock outstanding as of June 30, 2025.
Net tangible book value dilution per share to investors participating in this offering represents the difference between the effective public offering price per share paid by purchasers of common stock in this offering and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after this offering.
After giving effect to the sale of shares of our common stock in this offering at a public offering price of $ per share, and after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses payable by us, our pro forma net tangible book value as of June 30, 2025 would have been approximately $ million, or $ per share. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $ per share to existing stockholders and immediate dilution of $ per share to investors purchasing our common stock in this offering at the public offering price. The following table illustrates this dilution on a per share basis:
| |
Public offering price per share
|
| | | $ | | | |
| |
Historical net tangible book value per share as of June 30, 2025
|
| | | $ | (2.14) | | |
| |
Increase in pro forma net tangible book value per share attributable to this offering
|
| | | | | | |
| |
Pro forma net tangible book value per share after giving effect to this offering
|
| | | | | | |
| |
Dilution in net tangible book value per share to investors participating in this offering
|
| | | $ | | | |
If the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase up to an additional shares of our common stock, the pro forma net tangible book value after this offering would be $ per share, representing an increase in net tangible book value of $ per share to our existing stockholders and immediate dilution in net tangible book value of $ per share to new investors purchasing securities in this offering.
The above discussion and table are based on 202,149,464 shares of our common stock outstanding as of June 30, 2025. The number of shares outstanding as of June 30, 2025 excludes:
•
6,864,243 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstanding as of June 30, 2025, at a weighted average exercise price of $6.01 per share as of such date;
•
624,000 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise and achievement of the performance criteria of our performance-based stock options outstanding as of June 30, 2025, at a weighted average exercise price of $5.01 per share as of such date;
•
8,034,122 shares of our common stock issuable upon the vesting of restricted stock units;
•
6,043,365 shares of our common stock reserved for future issuance under the 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan as of June 30, 2025;
•
962,158 shares of our common stock reserved for future issuance under the 2022 Stock Option and Incentive Plan;
•
1,120,271 shares of our common stock reserved for future issuance under the 2017 Inducement Equity Plan as of June 30, 2025; and
•
26,071,429 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants outstanding as of June 30, 2025.
To the extent that outstanding stock options or performance-based stock options as of June 30, 2025 are exercised, outstanding warrants as of June 30, 2025 are exercised, unvested restricted stock units are
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settled, new options are issued, or we otherwise issue additional shares of our common stock in the future at a price less than the public offering price, 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 additional capital is raised through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the issuance of these securities could result in further dilution to our stockholders.
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DIVIDEND POLICY
We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our capital stock. We currently plan to retain all of our future earnings, if any, to finance the operation, development and growth of our business. We do not expect to pay any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. Payment of future dividends, if any, will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, restrictions contained in current or future financing instruments, provisions of applicable law and other factors the board deems relevant. Our ability to pay dividends on our common stock may be restricted by the terms of any of our future indebtedness.
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MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following is a discussion of certain material U.S. federal income tax considerations of the ownership and disposition of our shares of common stock issued pursuant to this offering. This discussion applies only to shares of our common stock that are held as capital assets for U.S. federal income tax purposes and is applicable only to holders who are receiving shares of our common stock in this offering.
This discussion is a summary only and does not describe all of the U.S. federal income tax considerations that may be relevant to you in light of your particular circumstances, including but not limited to any alternative minimum tax, the Medicare tax on certain investment income and the different considerations that may apply if you are subject to special rules that apply to certain types of investors (such as the effects of Section 451 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”)), including but not limited to:
•
financial institutions or financial services entities;
•
broker-dealers;
•
governments or agencies or instrumentalities thereof;
•
regulated investment companies;
•
real estate investment trusts;
•
expatriates or former long-term residents of the U.S.;
•
persons that actually or constructively own five percent or more of our voting shares;
•
insurance companies;
•
dealers or traders subject to a mark-to-market method of accounting with respect to the shares of our common stock;
•
persons holding the shares as part of a “straddle,” hedge, wash sale, conversion transaction, integrated transaction or similar transaction or persons entering into a constructive sale with respect to the shares;
•
U.S. holders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar;
•
partnerships or other pass-through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes and any beneficial owners of such entities; and
•
tax-exempt entities.
This discussion is based on the Code, administrative pronouncements, judicial decisions and final, temporary and proposed Treasury regulations, in each case, as of the date hereof, and all of which are subject to change, possibly on a retroactive basis, and changes to any of which subsequent to the date of this prospectus may affect the tax considerations described herein. This discussion does not address any aspect of state, local or non-U.S. taxation, or any U.S. federal taxes other than income taxes (such as gift and estate taxes).
We have not sought, and will not seek, a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) as to any U.S. federal income tax consequence described herein. The IRS may disagree with the discussion herein, and its determination may be upheld by a court. Moreover, there can be no assurance that future legislation, regulations, administrative rulings or court decisions will not adversely affect the accuracy of the statements in this discussion. You are urged to consult your tax advisor with respect to the application of U.S. federal tax laws to your particular situation, as well as any tax considerations arising under the laws of any state, local or non-U.S. jurisdiction.
This discussion does not consider the tax treatment of partnerships or other pass-through entities or persons who hold our common stock through such entities. If a partnership (or other entity or arrangement classified as a partnership or other pass-through entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes) is the beneficial owner of our common stock, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner or member in the partnership or other pass-through entity generally will depend on the status of the partner or member and the activities
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of the partnership or other pass-through entity. If you are a partner or member of a partnership or other pass-through entity holding our common stock, we urge you to consult your own tax advisor.
THIS DISCUSSION IS ONLY A SUMMARY OF CERTAIN MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR COMMON STOCK. EACH PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR IN OUR COMMON STOCK IS URGED TO CONSULT ITS OWN TAX ADVISOR WITH RESPECT TO THE PARTICULAR TAX CONSIDERATIONS TO SUCH INVESTOR OF THE OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR COMMON STOCK, INCLUDING THE APPLICABILITY AND EFFECT OF ANY U.S. FEDERAL NON-INCOME, STATE, LOCAL, AND NON-U.S. TAX LAWS.
U.S. Holders
This section applies to you if you are a “U.S. holder.” A U.S. holder is a beneficial owner of our shares of common stock who or that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
•
an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States;
•
a corporation (or other entity taxable as a corporation) organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia;
•
an estate the income of which is includible in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardless of its source; or
•
a trust, if (i) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons (as defined in the Code) have authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (ii) it has a valid election in effect under Treasury regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.
Taxation of Distributions on our Common Stock.
If we pay distributions in cash or other property (other than certain distributions of our stock or rights to acquire our stock) to U.S. holders of shares of our common stock, such distributions generally will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. Distributions in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits will constitute a return of capital that will be applied against and reduce (but not below zero) the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in our common stock. Any remaining excess will be treated as gain realized on the sale or other disposition of the common stock and will be treated as described under “U.S. Holders — Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock” below. Dividends we pay to a U.S. holder that is a corporation generally will qualify for the dividends received deduction if the requisite holding period is satisfied. With certain exceptions (including, but not limited to, dividends treated as investment income for purposes of investment interest deduction limitations), and provided certain holding period requirements are met, dividends we pay to a non-corporate U.S. holder may constitute “qualified dividends” that will be subject to tax at the favorable rates accorded to long-term capital gains. If the holding period requirements are not satisfied, then a corporation may not be able to qualify for the dividends received deduction and would have taxable income equal to the entire dividend amount, and non-corporate holders may be subject to tax on such dividend at regular ordinary income tax rates instead of the preferential rates applicable to qualified dividend income. U.S. holders of our common stock are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the application of reduced rates and the dividends received deduction in their particular circumstances.
Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock.
Upon a sale or other taxable disposition of our common stock, a U.S. holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized and the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in the common stock. Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. holder’s holding period for the common stock so disposed of exceeds one year. If the holding period requirements are not satisfied, any gain on a sale or taxable disposition of the shares would be subject to short-term capital gain treatment and would be taxed at regular ordinary income tax rates.
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Long-term capital gains recognized by non-corporate U.S. holders will be eligible to be taxed at reduced rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.
Generally, the amount of gain or loss recognized by a U.S. holder is an amount equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received in such disposition and (ii) the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its common stock disposed. A U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its common stock generally will equal the U.S. holder’s acquisition cost for the common stock, reduced by any prior distributions treated as a return of capital.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding.
In general, information reporting requirements may apply to dividends paid to a U.S. holder and to the proceeds of the sale or other disposition of our shares of common stock, unless the U.S. holder is an exempt recipient. Backup withholding may apply to such payments if the U.S. holder fails to provide a taxpayer identification number, a certification of exempt status or has been notified by the IRS that it is subject to backup withholding (and such notification has not been withdrawn).
Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules are not additional taxes and may be allowed as a refund or a credit against a U.S. holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
Non-U.S. Holders
This section applies to you if you are a “Non-U.S. holder.” As used herein, the term “Non-U.S. holder” means a beneficial owner of our common stock who or that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
•
a non-resident alien individual (other than certain former citizens and residents of the U.S. subject to U.S. tax as expatriates);
•
a foreign corporation; or
•
an estate or trust that is not a U.S. holder;
but generally does not include an individual who is present in the U.S. for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition. If you are such an individual, you should consult your tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal income tax considerations of the ownership, sale or other disposition of our common stock.
Taxation of Distributions on our Common Stock.
In general, distributions of cash or other property we make to a Non-U.S. holder of shares of our common stock, to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles), will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, provided such dividends are not effectively connected with the Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States, we will be required to withhold tax from the gross amount of the dividend at a rate of 30%, unless such Non-U.S. holder is eligible for a reduced rate of withholding tax under an applicable income tax treaty and provides proper certification of its eligibility for such reduced rate (usually on an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E). Any distribution of cash or other property not constituting a dividend will be treated first as reducing (but not below zero) the Non-U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its shares of our common stock, and, to the extent such distribution exceeds the Non-U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis, as gain realized from the sale or other disposition of the common stock, which will be treated as described under “Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock” below. The withholding tax does not apply to dividends paid to a Non-U.S. holder who provides a Form W-8ECI certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States. Instead, the effectively connected dividends will be subject to regular U.S. income tax as if the Non-U.S. holder were a U.S. person, subject to an applicable income tax treaty providing otherwise. A Non-U.S. corporation receiving effectively connected dividends may also be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” imposed at a rate of 30% (or a lower treaty rate).
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Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock.
Subject to discussions below under “Non-U.S. Holders — Information Reporting and Backup Withholding” and “Non-U.S. Holders — FATCA,” a Non-U.S. holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax in respect of gain recognized on a sale, taxable exchange or other taxable disposition of our common stock, unless:
•
the gain is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business by the Non-U.S. holder within the U.S. (and, under certain income tax treaties, is attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the Non-U.S. holder); or
•
we are or have been a “U.S. real property holding corporation” for U.S. federal income tax purposes at any time during the shorter of the five-year period ending on the date of disposition or the period that the Non-U.S. holder held our common stock, and, in the case where shares of our common stock are regularly traded on an established securities market, the Non-U.S. holder has owned, directly or constructively, more than 5% of our common stock at any time within the shorter of the five-year period preceding the disposition or such Non-U.S. holder’s holding period for the shares of our common stock. If we are or were a U.S. real property holding corporation during the relevant period and the foregoing exception does not apply, the Non-U.S. holder generally will be taxed on its net gain derived from the disposition at the regular U.S. federal income tax rates applicable to U.S. persons, except that the branch profits tax generally will not apply. Generally, a corporation is a U.S. real property holding corporation only if the fair market value of its “U.S. real property interests” (as defined in the Code) equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market value of its worldwide real property interests plus its other assets used or held for use in a trade or business. Although there can be no assurance, we do not believe that we are, or have been, a U.S. real property holding corporation, or that we are likely to become one in the future. No assurance can be provided that our common stock will be regularly traded on an established securities market for purposes of the rules described above. Non-U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors with respect to the application of the foregoing rules to their ownership and disposition of our common stock.
Unless an applicable treaty provides otherwise, gain described in the first bullet point above will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates as if the Non-U.S. holder were a U.S. resident. Any gains described in the first bullet point above of a Non-U.S. holder that is a foreign corporation may also be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” at a 30% rate (or lower treaty rate). If the second bullet point above applies to a Non-U.S. holder, gain recognized by such holder on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our common stock will be subject to tax under the regular graduated U.S. federal income tax rates applicable to U.S. persons and Non-U.S. holders could be subject to withholding at a 15% rate on the amount realized on such sale or disposition.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding.
We (or the applicable paying agent) must report annually to the IRS and to each Non-U.S. holder the gross amount of the distributions on our common stock paid to such holder and the tax withheld, if any, with respect to such distributions A Non-U.S. holder may have to comply with specific certification procedures to establish that the holder is not a U.S. person in order to avoid backup withholding at the applicable rate with respect to dividends on our common stock. Dividends paid to Non-U.S. holders subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax generally will be exempt from U.S. backup withholding.
Information reporting and backup withholding will generally apply to the proceeds of a disposition of our common stock by a Non-U.S. holder effected by or through the U.S. office of any broker, U.S. or foreign, unless the holder certifies its status as a Non-U.S. holder and satisfies certain other requirements, or otherwise establishes an exemption. The certification procedures required to claim a reduced rate of withholding under a treaty will generally satisfy the certification requirements necessary to avoid the backup withholding as well. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. The amount of any backup withholding from a payment to a Non-U.S. holder will be allowed as a credit against such holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle such holder to a refund, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
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FATCA.
Provisions commonly referred to as “FATCA” impose withholding of 30% on payments of dividends on our common stock to “foreign financial institutions” (which is broadly defined for this purpose and in general includes investment vehicles) and certain other non-U.S. entities unless various U.S. information reporting and due diligence requirements (generally relating to ownership by U.S. persons of interests in or accounts with those entities) have been satisfied by, or an exemption applies to, the payee (typically certified as to by the delivery of a properly completed IRS Form W-8BEN-E or IRS Form W-8BEN). Under proposed regulations promulgated by the Treasury Department, which state that taxpayers may rely on the proposed regulation until final regulations are issued, FATCA withholding will not apply to the gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition of our common stock. Foreign financial institutions located in jurisdictions that have an intergovernmental agreement with the United States governing FATCA may be subject to different rules. Under certain circumstances, a Non-U.S. holder might be eligible for refunds or credits of such withholding taxes, and a Non-U.S. holder might be required to file a U.S. federal income tax return to claim such refunds or credits. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the effects of FATCA on their investment in shares of our common stock.
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UNDERWRITING
Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the underwriting agreement, dated , 2025, between us and Piper Sandler & Co. and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. as the representatives of the underwriters named below, we have agreed to sell to the underwriters, and each of the underwriters has agreed, severally and not jointly, to purchase from us, the respective number of shares of common stock shown opposite its name below:
|
UNDERWRITER
|
| |
NUMBER OF
SHARES |
|
|
Piper Sandler & Co.
|
| |
|
|
|
Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.
|
| | | |
|
Total
|
| | | |
The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the several underwriters are subject to certain conditions precedent such as the receipt by the underwriters of officers’ certificates and legal opinions and approval of certain legal matters by their counsel. The underwriting agreement provides that the underwriters will purchase all of the shares of common stock if any of them are purchased. If an underwriter defaults, the underwriting agreement provides that the purchase commitments of the nondefaulting underwriters may be increased or the underwriting agreement may be terminated. We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters and certain of their controlling persons against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and to contribute to payments that the underwriters may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.
The underwriters have advised us that, following the completion of this offering, they currently intend to make a market in the common stock as permitted by applicable laws and regulations. However, the underwriters are not obligated to do so, and the underwriters may discontinue any market-making activities at any time without notice in their sole discretion. Accordingly, no assurance can be given as to the liquidity of the trading market for the common stock, that you will be able to sell any of the common stock held by you at a particular time or that the prices that you receive when you sell will be favorable.
The underwriters are offering the shares of common stock subject to their acceptance of the shares of common stock from us and subject to prior sale. The underwriters reserve the right to withdraw, cancel or modify offers to the public and to reject orders in whole or in part.
Commission and Expenses
The underwriters have advised us that they propose to offer the shares of common stock to the public at the public offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus supplement and to certain dealers, which may include the underwriters, at that price less a concession not in excess of $ per share of common stock. After the offering, the public offering price and concession to dealers may be reduced by the representative. No such reduction will change the amount of proceeds to be received by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus supplement.
The following table shows the public offering price, the underwriting discounts and commissions that we are to pay the underwriters and the proceeds, before expenses, to us in connection with this offering. Such amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares.
| | | |
PER SHARE
|
| |
TOTAL
|
| ||||||||||||||||||
| | | |
WITHOUT
OPTION TO PURCHASE ADDITIONAL SHARES |
| |
WITH
OPTION TO PURCHASE ADDITIONAL SHARES |
| |
WITHOUT
OPTION TO PURCHASE ADDITIONAL SHARES |
| |
WITH
OPTION TO PURCHASE ADDITIONAL SHARES |
| ||||||||||||
|
Public offering price
|
| | | $ | | | | | $ | | | | | $ | | | | | $ | | | ||||
|
Underwriting discounts and commissions paid by us
|
| | | $ | | | | | $ | | | | | $ | | | | | $ | | | ||||
|
Proceeds to us, before expenses
|
| | | $ | | | | | $ | | | | | $ | | | | | $ | | | | |||
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We estimate expenses payable by us in connection with this offering, other than the underwriting discounts and commissions referred to above, will be approximately $ . We have also agreed to reimburse up to $ of the underwriters’ legal expenses in connection with this offering.
Listing
Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Market under the trading symbol “ESPR.”
Option to Purchase Additional Shares
We have granted to the underwriters an option, exercisable for 30 days from the date of this prospectus supplement, to purchase, from time to time, in whole or in part, up to an aggregate of shares from us at the public offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus supplement, less underwriting discounts and commissions. If the underwriters exercise this option, each underwriter will be obligated, subject to specified conditions, to purchase a number of additional shares proportionate to that underwriter’s initial purchase commitment as indicated in the table above.
No Sales of Similar Securities
We, our officers and directors have agreed, subject to specified exceptions, not to directly or indirectly:
•
sell, offer, contract or grant any option to sell (including any short sale), pledge, transfer, establish an open “put equivalent position” within the meaning of Rule 16a-l(h) under the Exchange Act,
•
otherwise dispose of any shares of common stock, options or warrants to acquire shares of common stock, or securities exchangeable or exercisable for or convertible into shares of common stock currently or hereafter owned either of record or beneficially, or
•
publicly announce an intention to do any of the foregoing for a period of 90 days after the date of this prospectus supplement without the prior written consent of each of Piper Sandler & Co. and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.
This restriction terminates after the close of trading of the common stock on and including the 90th day after the date of this prospectus supplement.
Piper Sandler & Co. and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. may, in their sole discretion and at any time or from time to time before the termination of the 90-day period release all or any portion of the securities subject to lock-up agreements. There are no existing agreements between the underwriters and any of our shareholders who will execute a lock-up agreement, providing consent to the sale of shares prior to the expiration of the lock-up period.
Stabilization
The underwriters have advised us that they, pursuant to Regulation M under the Exchange Act, certain persons participating in the offering may engage in short sale transactions, stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions or the imposition of penalty bids in connection with this offering. These activities may have the effect of stabilizing or maintaining the market price of the common stock at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. Establishing short sales positions may involve either “covered” short sales or “naked” short sales.
“Covered” short sales are sales made in an amount not greater than the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares of our common stock in this offering. The underwriters may close out any covered short position by either exercising their option to purchase additional shares of our common stock or purchasing shares of our common stock in the open market. In determining the source of shares to close out the covered short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of shares available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase shares through the option to purchase additional shares.
“Naked” short sales are sales in excess of the option to purchase additional shares of our common stock. The underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing shares in the open market.
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A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the shares of our common stock in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in this offering.
A stabilizing bid is a bid for the purchase of shares of common stock on behalf of the underwriters for the purpose of fixing or maintaining the price of the common stock. A syndicate covering transaction is the bid for or the purchase of shares of common stock on behalf of the underwriters to reduce a short position incurred by the underwriters in connection with the offering. Similar to other purchase transactions, the underwriter’s purchases to cover the syndicate short sales may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our common stock or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our common stock. As a result, the price of our common stock may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. A penalty bid is an arrangement permitting the underwriters to reclaim the selling concession otherwise accruing to a syndicate member in connection with the offering if the common stock originally sold by such syndicate member are purchased in a syndicate covering transaction and therefore have not been effectively placed by such syndicate member.
Neither we, nor any of the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of our common stock. The underwriters are not obligated to engage in these activities and, if commenced, any of the activities may be discontinued at any time.
The underwriters may also engage in passive market making transactions in our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market in accordance with Rule 103 of Regulation M during a period before the commencement of offers or sales of shares of our common stock in this offering and extending through the completion of distribution. A passive market maker must display its bid at a price not in excess of the highest independent bid of that security. However, if all independent bids are lowered below the passive market maker’s bid, that bid must then be lowered when specified purchase limits are exceeded.
Electronic Distribution
A prospectus supplement in electronic format may be made available by e-mail or on the web sites or through online services maintained by one or more of the underwriters or their affiliates. In those cases, prospective investors may view offering terms online and may be allowed to place orders online. The underwriters may agree with us to allocate a specific number of shares of common stock for sale to online brokerage account holders. Any such allocation for online distributions will be made by the underwriters on the same basis as other allocations. Other than the prospectus supplement in electronic format, the information on the underwriters’ web sites and any information contained in any other web site maintained by any of the underwriters is not part of this prospectus supplement, has not been approved and/or endorsed by us or the underwriters and should not be relied upon by investors.
Other Activities and Relationships
The underwriter and certain of its affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities. The underwriter and certain of its affiliates have, from time to time, performed, and may in the future perform, various commercial and investment banking and financial advisory services for us and our affiliates, for which they received or will receive customary fees and expenses.
In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriter and certain of its affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers, and such investment and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments issued by us and our affiliates. If the underwriters or their respective affiliates have a lending relationship with us, they routinely hedge their credit exposure to us consistent with their customary risk management policies. The underwriters and their respective affiliates may hedge such exposure by entering into transactions which consist of either the purchase of credit default swaps or the creation of short positions in our securities or the securities of our affiliates, including potentially the common stock offered hereby.
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Any such short positions could adversely affect future trading prices of the common stock offered hereby. The underwriters and certain of their respective affiliates may also communicate independent investment recommendations, market color or trading ideas and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.
Disclaimers About Non-U.S. Jurisdictions
European Economic Area
In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area (each a Relevant State), no shares have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offering to the public in that Relevant State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the shares which has been approved by the competent authority in that Relevant State or, where appropriate, approved in another Relevant State and notified to the competent authority in that Relevant State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, except that the shares may be offered to the public in that Relevant State at any time:
(a)
to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under Article 2 of the Prospectus Regulation;
(b)
to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under Article 2 of the Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of representatives for any such offer; or
(c)
in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation,
provided that no such offer of the shares shall require us or any of the representatives to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the Prospectus Regulation.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to the shares in any Relevant State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any shares to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any shares, and the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.
United Kingdom
No shares have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offering to the public in the United Kingdom prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the Shares which has been approved by the Financial Conduct Authority, except that the shares may be offered to the public in the United Kingdom at any time:
(a)
to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation;
(b)
to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the representatives for any such offer; or
(c)
in any other circumstances falling within Section 86 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, or FSMA.
provided that no such offer of the shares shall require the Issuer or any Manager to publish a prospectus pursuant to Section 85 of the FSMA or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the UK Prospectus Regulation. For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to the shares in the United Kingdom means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any shares to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any shares and the expression “UK Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.
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Canada
(A) Resale Restrictions
The distribution of common shares in Canada is being made only in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia on a private placement basis exempt from the requirement that we prepare and file a prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in each province where trades of these securities are made. Any resale of our common shares in Canada must be made under applicable securities laws which may vary depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made under available statutory exemptions or under a discretionary exemption granted by the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authority. Purchasers are advised to seek legal advice prior to any resale of common shares.
(B) Representations of Canadian Purchasers
By purchasing our common shares in Canada and accepting delivery of a purchase confirmation, a purchaser is representing to us and the dealer from whom the purchase confirmation is received that:
•
the purchaser is entitled under applicable provincial securities laws to purchase our common shares without the benefit of a prospectus qualified under those securities laws as it is an “accredited investor” as defined under National Instrument 45-106 — Prospectus Exemptions or Section 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), as applicable,
•
the purchaser is a “permitted client” as defined in National Instrument 31-103 — Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations,
•
where required by law, the purchaser is purchasing as principal and not as agent, and
•
the purchaser has reviewed the text above under Resale Restrictions.
(C) Conflicts of Interest
Canadian purchasers are hereby notified that certain of the underwriters are relying on the exemption set out in section 3A.3 or 3A.4, if applicable, of National Instrument 33-105 — Underwriting Conflicts from having to provide certain conflict of interest disclosure in this document.
(D) Statutory Rights of Action
Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if the prospectus (including any amendment thereto) such as this document contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser of these securities in Canada should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.
(E) Enforcement of Legal Rights
All of our directors and officers as well as the experts named herein may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible for Canadian purchasers to effect service of process within Canada upon us or those persons. All or a substantial portion of our assets and the assets of those persons may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible to satisfy a judgment against us or those persons in Canada or to enforce a judgment obtained in Canadian courts against us or those persons outside of Canada.
(F) Taxation and Eligibility for Investment
Canadian purchasers of common shares should consult their own legal and tax advisors with respect to the tax considerations of an investment in our common shares in their particular circumstances and about the eligibility of our common shares for investment by the purchaser under relevant Canadian legislation.
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Australia
This prospectus is not a disclosure document for the purposes of Australia’s Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) of Australia, or Corporations Act, has not been lodged with the Australian Securities & Investments Commission and is only directed to the categories of exempt persons set out below. Accordingly, if you receive this prospectus in Australia:
You confirm and warrant that you are either:
•
a “sophisticated investor” under section 708(8)(a) or (b) of the Corporations Act;
•
a “sophisticated investor” under section 708(8)(c) or (d) of the Corporations Act and that you have provided an accountant’s certificate to the Company which complies with the requirements of section 708(8)(c)(i) or (ii) of the Corporations Act and related regulations before the offer has been made;
•
a person associated with the Company under Section 708(12) of the Corporations Act; or
•
a “professional investor” within the meaning of section 708(11)(a) or (b) of the Corporations Act.
To the extent that you are unable to confirm or warrant that you are an exempt sophisticated investor, associated person or professional investor under the Corporations Act any offer made to you under this prospectus is void and incapable of acceptance.
You warrant and agree that you will not offer any of the securities issued to you pursuant to this prospectus for resale in Australia within 12 months of those securities being issued unless any such resale offer is exempt from the requirement to issue a disclosure document under section 708 of the Corporations Act.
Hong Kong
None of our common shares have been offered or sold, and none of our common shares may be offered or sold, in Hong Kong, by means of any document, other than to persons whose ordinary business is to buy or sell shares or debentures, whether as principal or agent; or to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) of Hong Kong, or the SFO, and any rules made under that Ordinance; or in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32) of Hong Kong, or the CO, or which do not constitute an offer or invitation to the public for the purpose of the CO or the SFO. No document, invitation or advertisement relating to our common shares has been issued or may be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public of Hong Kong (except if permitted under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to our common shares which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” as defined in the SFO and any rules made under that Ordinance.
This prospectus has not been registered with the Registrar of Companies in Hong Kong. Accordingly, this prospectus may not be issued, circulated or distributed in Hong Kong, and our common shares may not be offered for subscription to members of the public in Hong Kong. Each person acquiring our common shares will be required, and is deemed by the acquisition of our common shares, to confirm that he is aware of the restriction on offers of our common shares described in this prospectus and the relevant offering documents and that he is not acquiring, and has not been offered any of our common shares in circumstances that contravene any such restrictions.
Israel
This document does not constitute a prospectus under the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968, or the Securities Law, and has not been filed with or approved by the Israel Securities Authority. In Israel, this prospectus is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, and any offer of shares is directed only at, (i) a limited number of persons in accordance with the Israeli Securities Law and (ii) investors listed in the first addendum, or the Addendum, to the Israeli Securities Law, consisting primarily of joint investment in
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trust funds, provident funds, insurance companies, banks, portfolio managers, investment advisors, members of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, underwriters, venture capital funds, entities with equity in excess of NIS 50 million and “qualified individuals,” each as defined in the Addendum (as it may be amended from time to time), collectively referred to as qualified investors (in each case, purchasing for their own account or, where permitted under the Addendum, for the accounts of their clients who are investors listed in the Addendum). Qualified investors are required to submit written confirmation that they fall within the scope of the Addendum, are aware of the meaning of same and agree to it.
Japan
The offering has not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (Law No. 25 of 1948 of Japan, as amended), or FIEL, and the underwriters will not offer or sell any securities, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan (which term as used herein means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the FIEL and any other applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines of Japan.
Singapore
This prospectus has not been and will not be lodged or registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the common stock may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the common stock be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore, or the SFA, (ii) to a relevant person pursuant to Section 275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275, of the SFA, or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.
Where our common shares are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is:
•
a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or
•
a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an individual who is an accredited investor, securities (as defined in Section 239(1) of the SFA) of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired our common shares pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except:
•
to an institutional investor or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person arising from an offer referred to in Section 275(1A) or Section 276(4)(i)(B) of the SFA;
•
where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer;
•
where the transfer is by operation of law;
•
as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA; or
•
as specified in Regulation 32 of the Securities and Futures (Offers of Investments) (Shares and Debentures) Regulations 2005 of Singapore.
Switzerland
The securities may not be publicly offered, directly or indirectly, in Switzerland within the meaning of the Swiss Financial Services Act and will not be listed or admitted to trading on the SIX Swiss Exchange or on any trading venue (exchange or multilateral trading facility) in Switzerland. Neither this document nor
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any other offering or marketing material relating to the securities constitutes a prospectus as such term is understood pursuant to the Financial Services Act, and neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the securities may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.
Neither this prospectus nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, us or the securities have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this prospectus will not be filed with, and the offer of securities will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA, and the offer of securities has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes, or the CISA. The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of securities.
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LEGAL MATTERS
Certain legal matters in connection with this offering and the validity of the securities offered by this prospectus will be passed upon for us by Goodwin Procter LLP, Boston, Massachusetts. Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, New York, New York is acting as counsel to the underwriters in connection with this offering.
EXPERTS
Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, has audited our financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024, as set forth in their reports, which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement. Our financial statements are incorporated by reference in reliance on Ernst & Young LLP’s reports, given on their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities offered by this prospectus supplement. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus do not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement and its exhibits and schedules in accordance with SEC rules and regulations. For further information with respect to us and the securities being offered by this prospectus supplement, you should read the registration statement of which this prospectus supplement is a part, including its exhibits and schedules. Statements contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including documents that we have incorporated by reference, as to the contents of any contract or other document referred to are not necessarily complete, and, with respect to any contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the registration statement or any other such document, each such statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the corresponding exhibit. You should review the complete contract or other document to evaluate these statements. You may obtain copies of the registration statement and its exhibits via the SEC’s EDGAR database or our website.
We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other documents with the SEC under the Exchange Act. The SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers, including us, that file electronically with the SEC. You may obtain documents that we file with the SEC at www.sec.gov.
We also make these documents available on our website at www.esperion.com. Our website and the information contained in, or that can be accessed through, our website is not a part of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus and is not incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. We have included our website address in this prospectus supplement solely as an inactive textual reference.
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INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus much of the information and reports we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those publicly available documents. 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 the information already incorporated by reference. We are incorporating by reference the documents listed below, which we have already filed with the SEC (SEC File No. 001-35986), and any future filings we make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, including all filings made after the date of the filing of this prospectus supplement, except as to any portion of any future report or document that is not deemed filed under such provision, after the date of this prospectus supplement and prior to the termination of this offering:
•
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on March 7, 2025;
•
The information specifically incorporated by reference into our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 from our definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A (other than information furnished rather than filed), filed with the SEC on April 17, 2025;
•
Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2025 and June 30, 2025, filed with the SEC on May 8, 2025 and August 13, 2025, respectively;
•
Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on April 1, 2025, April 4, 2025, June 2, 2025, July 1, 2025, and October 7, 2025 (in each case, excluding information furnished pursuant to Item 2.02 or 7.01, or corresponding information furnished under Item 9.01 or included as an exhibit); and
•
The description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A (File No. 001-35986), filed with the SEC under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act on June 25, 2013, including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description, including Exhibit 4.4 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on February 27, 2024.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, unless specifically stated to the contrary, information that we furnish (and that is not deemed “filed” with the SEC) under Items 2.02 and 7.01 of any Current Report on Form 8-K, including the related exhibits under Item 9.01, is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement or the registration statement of which this prospectus supplement is a part.
Any statement contained in a document that is incorporated by reference will be modified or superseded for all purposes to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus supplement, or in any other document that is subsequently filed with the SEC and incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement, modifies or is contrary to that previous statement. Any statement so modified or superseded will not be deemed a part of this prospectus supplement, except as so modified or superseded. Since information that we later file with the SEC will update and supersede previously incorporated information, you should look at all of the SEC filings that we incorporate by reference to determine if any of the statements in this prospectus supplement or in any documents previously incorporated by reference have been modified or superseded.
Upon request, we will provide, without charge, to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a copy of this prospectus supplement is delivered, a copy of the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement but not delivered therewith. You may request a copy of these filings, and any exhibits we have specifically incorporated by reference as an exhibit in this prospectus supplement, at no cost by writing or telephoning us at the following address or telephone number:
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
3891 Ranchero Drive, Suite 150
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
Attention: Investor Relations
(734) 887-3903
3891 Ranchero Drive, Suite 150
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
Attention: Investor Relations
(734) 887-3903
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You may also access these documents, free of charge on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or on our website at www.esperion.com. Information contained in, or that can be accessed through, our website does not constitute a part of this prospectus supplement and is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement. We have included our website address solely as an inactive textual reference.
This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are part of a registration statement we filed with the SEC. We have incorporated exhibits into the registration statement. You should read the exhibits carefully for provisions that may be important to you.
You should rely only on the information incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not making an offer of these securities in any state where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus supplement or in the documents incorporated by reference is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus supplement or those documents.
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PROSPECTUS
$400,000,000
![[MISSING IMAGE: lg_esperion-4c.jpg]](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001434868/000110465925097524/lg_esperion-4c.jpg){kind=small}
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Debt Securities
Warrants
Units
Preferred Stock
Debt Securities
Warrants
Units
We may from time to time issue, in one or more series or classes, up to $400,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of our common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants and/or units, in any combination, together or separately, in one or more offerings in amounts, at prices and on the terms that we will determine at the time of the offering and which will be set forth in a prospectus supplement to this prospectus and any related free writing prospectus. We may offer these securities separately or together in units. Each time we sell securities described herein, we will specify in the applicable accompanying prospectus supplement the terms of the securities being offered. We may sell these securities to or through underwriters or dealers and also to other purchasers or through agents. We will set forth the names of any underwriters or agents, and any fees, conversions or discount arrangements, in the applicable accompanying prospectus supplement. We may not sell any securities under this prospectus without delivery of the applicable prospectus supplement.
You should read this document and any prospectus supplement or amendment carefully before you invest in our securities.
Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “ESPR.” On April 14, 2025, the closing price for our common stock, as reported on the Nasdaq Global Market, was $1.00 per share. Our principal executive office is located at 3891 Ranchero Drive, Suite 150, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108. The applicable prospectus supplement will contain information, where applicable, as to any other listing on The Nasdaq Global Market or any securities market or other exchange of the securities, if any, covered by the prospectus supplement.
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should review carefully the risks and uncertainties referenced under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in this prospectus beginning on page 2 and any applicable prospectus supplement, and under similar headings in the other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this Prospectus is April 29, 2025.
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Page
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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS
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RISK FACTORS
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
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THE COMPANY
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USE OF PROCEEDS
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SECURITIES THAT MAY BE OFFERED
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DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK
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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES
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DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS
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DESCRIPTION OF UNITS
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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
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LEGAL MATTERS
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EXPERTS
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
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INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS
This prospectus is part of a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), using a “shelf” registration process.
Under this shelf registration process, we may from time to time sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings for an aggregate offering amount of up to $400,000,000. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities, we will provide one or more prospectus supplements that will contain specific information about the terms of the offering. The applicable prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. This prospectus, together with any accompanying prospectus supplement, contains important information you should know before investing in our securities, including important information about us and the securities being offered. You should read both this prospectus, any applicable accompanying prospectus supplement, and any related free writing prospectus, together with the additional information described under the headings “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation by Reference” beginning on page 29 of this prospectus.
You should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement or in any related free writing prospectus filed by us with the SEC. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the securities described in any accompanying prospectus supplement or an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy such securities in any circumstances in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement, the documents incorporated by reference and any related free writing prospectus is accurate only as of their respective dates. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed materially since those dates. This prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement and the information incorporated herein or therein by reference contains market data, industry statistics and other data that have been obtained or compiled from information made available by independent third parties. We are responsible for all of the disclosures contained in this prospectus, and we believe that these sources are reliable; however, we have not independently verified the information contained in such publications.
THIS PROSPECTUS MAY NOT BE USED TO OFFER AND SELL SECURITIES UNLESS IT IS ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADDITIONAL PROSPECTUS OR A PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT.
As used in this prospectus, unless the context suggests otherwise, all references to “us,” “our,” “Esperion,” “Esperion Therapeutics,” “we,” the “Company” and similar designations refer to Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
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RISK FACTORS
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks set forth in our filings with the SEC that are described in the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement, as well as other information we include or incorporate by reference into this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement, before making an investment decision. Our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected by the materialization of any of these risks. The trading price of our securities could decline due to the materialization of any of these risks, and you may lose all or part of your investment. This prospectus and the documents incorporated herein by reference also contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including the risks described in the documents incorporated herein by reference, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as revised or supplemented by our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or our Current Reports on Form 8-K, as applicable, and the other documents we file with the SEC that are deemed incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also adversely affect our operations.
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement, any related free writing prospectus and the documents that we incorporate by reference herein or therein contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Any statements about our expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not historical facts and may be forward-looking. These statements are often, but are not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “projects,” “potential,” “continue,” and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms, or similar expressions.
Accordingly, these statements involve estimates, assumptions, risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in them. Any forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the factors discussed throughout this prospectus, and in particular those factors referenced in the section “Risk Factors.”
This prospectus contains forward-looking statements that are based on our management’s belief and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:
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our ability to successfully commercialize NEXLETOL® (bempedoic acid) tablet and NEXLIZET® (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe) tablet in the United States and any other jurisdictions where we or our ex-U.S. partners may receive marketing approval in the future;
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our ability and the timeline to obtain and maintain regulatory approval for our approved drugs or obtain and maintain regulatory approval for any of our current or future drug candidates, and any related restrictions, limitations, and/or warnings in the labels of NEXLETOL, NEXLIZET, NILEMDO® (bempedoic acid) tablet and NUSTENDI® (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe) tablet, or any of our current or future drug candidates that may receive marketing approval;
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the rate and degree of market acceptance for our approved drugs or any current or future drug candidate for which we may receive marketing approval;
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our ability and plans in managing our commercial infrastructure and successfully launch, market, and sell our approved drugs and any current or future drug candidate (or additional indications) for which we may receive marketing approval;
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our ability to achieve clinical, regulatory or commercial milestones with our existing cash resources;
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our ability to obtain applicable milestone payments from our partners and generate additional revenue as a result of the expanded indications for our products;
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our ability to realize the intended benefits of the commercial collaboration and license arrangements with Daiichi Sankyo Europe GmbH (“DSE”), Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (“Otsuka”), Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd (“DS”), and our other partners, including receiving potential milestone or royalty payments from collaboration partners;
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our ability to replicate positive results from a completed clinical study in a future clinical study;
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the potential benefits, effectiveness or safety of bempedoic acid and the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe combination tablet, as compared to statins and other low density lipoprotein cholesterol (“LDL-C”), or cardiovascular risk lowering therapies, either those currently available or those in development;
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our ability to respond and adhere to changes in regulatory requirements, including any requirement to conduct additional, unplanned clinical studies of bempedoic acid and the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe combination tablet;
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guidelines relating to LDL-C levels and cardiovascular risk that are generally accepted within the medical community, including recent changes and any future changes to such guidelines;
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reimbursement policies, including any future changes to such policies or related legislative, executive, or administrative actions, and their impact on our ability to market, distribute and obtain payment for bempedoic acid and the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe combination tablet in the United States and in Europe, and in other territories;
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the accuracy of our estimates of the size and growth potential of the LDL-C and cardiovascular risk lowering markets and the rate and degree of bempedoic acid and the bempedoic acid /ezetimibe combination tablet’s market acceptance in the United States and in Europe, and in other territories;
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our ability to comply with healthcare laws and regulations in the U.S. and any foreign countries, including, without limitation, those applying to the marketing and sale of commercial drugs;
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our ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection for bempedoic acid and the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe combination tablet without infringing on the intellectual property rights of others in the U.S., Europe and other territories;
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our ability to attract and retain key personnel, including scientific, clinical, commercial or management personnel;
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our plan and ability to establish strategic relationships or partnerships, as needed;
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our ability to meet our payment obligations under our credit agreement and to service the interest on our convertible notes and repay such notes, to the extent required;
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the impact of global economic and geopolitical developments on our business, including economic slowdowns or recessions and market disruptions that may result from, among others, global conflicts, tariffs (including tariffs that have been or may in the future be imposed by the United States or other countries), sanctions, trade protection measures or other trade barriers (including further legislation or actions taken by the United States or other countries that restrict trade), economic sanctions, an inflationary environment, which could harm our commercialization efforts, as well as the value of our common stock and our ability to access capital markets; and
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our ability to compete with other companies that are, or may be, developing or selling products that may compete with bempedoic acid and the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe combination tablet, in the United States and in Europe, and in other territories.
These forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees of future performance due to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including the risks outlined under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in this prospectus and any related free writing prospectus, and in any other documents incorporated herein or therein (including in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings we make with the SEC pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act).
The forward-looking statements in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference represent our views as of their respective dates. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our views to change. However, while we may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements except to the extent required by applicable law. You should, therefore, not rely on these forward-looking statements as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the dates on which they were made.
This prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference also contain estimates, projections and other information concerning our industry, our business, and the markets for certain diseases, including data regarding the estimated size of those markets, and the incidence and prevalence of certain medical conditions. Information that is based on estimates, forecasts, projections, market research or similar methodologies is inherently subject to uncertainties and actual events or circumstances may differ materially from events and circumstances reflected in this information. Unless otherwise expressly stated, we obtained this industry, business, market and other data from reports, research surveys, studies and similar data prepared by market research firms and other third parties, industry, medical and general publications, government data and similar sources.
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THE COMPANY
Overview
We are a commercial stage biopharmaceutical company currently focused on bringing new medicines to patients that address unmet medical needs. We have developed and are commercializing U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) approved oral, once-daily, non-statin medicines for patients who are at risk for cardiovascular disease (“CVD”), and are struggling with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (“LDL-C”). Through commercial execution, international partnerships and collaborations, and advancement of our pre-clinical pipeline, we continue to evolve into a leading global biopharmaceutical company.
Our lead products NEXLETOL® (bempedoic acid) tablets and NEXLIZET® (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe) tablets are oral, once-daily, non-statin medicines indicated to reduce the risk of myocardial infarction and coronary revascularization in adults who are unable to take recommended statin therapy (including those not taking a statin) with established CVD, or at high risk for a CVD event but without established CVD, and to reduce LDL-C in adults with primary hyperlipidemia. Our products were approved by the FDA, the European Commission (the “EC”), and Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products (“Swissmedic”) in 2020. The FDA approved expanded indications for NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET tablets in March 2024. The EC approved expanded indications for NILEMDO® (bempedoic acid) tablets and NUSTENDI (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe) tablets in May 2024. In addition, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (“Otsuka”), our Japanese collaborator, announced that the primary endpoint of LDL-C reduction from baseline at Week 12 was achieved with statistical significance in the Phase 3 clinical trial in Japan for bempedoic acid as a treatment for hypercholesterolemia. Otsuka filed a New Drug Application (“NDA”) in Japan in November 2024, with expected approval and National Health Insurance (“NHI”) pricing in the second half of 2025. We filed supplemental NDAs for product approvals in Canada in November 2024 and our collaboration partners plan to file in Australia and Israel in the first half of 2025.
We completed a global cardiovascular outcomes trial, or CVOT, known as Cholesterol Lowering via BEmpedoic Acid, an ACL-inhibiting Regimen (“CLEAR”) Outcomes. The trial was designed to evaluate whether treatment with bempedoic acid reduced the risk of cardiovascular events in adult patients who are statin averse and who have CVD or are at high risk for CVD. We initiated the CLEAR Outcomes CVOT in December 2016 and fully enrolled the study with nearly 14,000 patients in August 2019. The primary endpoint of the study was the effect of bempedoic acid on four types of major adverse cardiovascular events, or MACE, (cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke, or coronary revascularization; also referred to as “four-component MACE”). CLEAR Outcomes was an event-driven trial and concluded once the predetermined number of MACE endpoints occurred. The study showed that bempedoic acid demonstrated significant cardiovascular risk reductions and significantly reduced the risk of heart attack and coronary revascularization as compared to placebo. These results were seen in a broad population of primary and secondary prevention patients who are unable to maximize or tolerate a statin. The proportions of patients experiencing adverse events and serious adverse events were similar between the active and placebo treatment groups. Bempedoic acid, contained in NEXLETOL (bempedoic acid) tablets and NEXLIZET (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe) tablets, became the first LDL-C lowering therapy since statins to demonstrate the ability to lower hard ischemic events, not only in those with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (“ASCVD”), but also in the large number of primary prevention patients for whom limited therapies exist.
We were incorporated in Delaware in January 2008, and commenced our operations in April 2008. Since our inception, we have focused substantially all of our efforts and financial resources on developing and commercializing bempedoic acid and the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe tablet. In February 2020, the FDA approved NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET. NEXLETOL was commercially available in the U.S. on March 30, 2020 and NEXLIZET was commercially available in the U.S. on June 4, 2020. While we began to generate revenue from the sales of our products in 2020, we have funded our operations to date primarily through proceeds from sales of preferred stock, convertible promissory notes and warrants, public offerings of common stock and warrants, the incurrence of indebtedness, through collaborations with third parties, revenue interest and royalty purchase agreements. We have incurred losses in each year since our inception.
We have never been profitable and our net losses were $51.7 million, $209.2 million and $233.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022 respectively. Our net loss for the year ended
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December 31, 2024 was primarily due to the loss on extinguishment on the Oberland RIPA and convertible notes Exchange Transaction, interest expense and costs incurred in connection with research and development programs and selling, general and administrative costs associated with our operations, offset partially by the Settlement Agreement with DSE and other revenue from our net product sales and collaboration agreements. Substantially all of our net losses for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 resulted from costs incurred in connection with research and development programs and selling, general and administrative costs associated with our operations. We expect to incur significant expenses and operating losses for the near term future in connection with our ongoing activities, including, among others:
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commercializing NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET in the U.S.; and
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pursuing other research and development activities.
Accordingly, we may need additional financing to support our continuing operations and further the development and commercialization of our products. We may seek to fund our operations and further development activities through collaborations with third parties, strategic alliances, licensing arrangements, permitted debt financings, permitted royalty-based financings, permitted public or private equity offerings or through other sources.
Adequate additional financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. Our failure to raise capital as and when needed would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and our ability to pursue our business strategy or continue operations. We will need to generate significant revenues to achieve profitability, and we may never do so.
Corporate Information
Our principal executive offices are located at 3891 Ranchero Drive, Suite 150, Ann Arbor, MI 48108 and our telephone number is (734) 887-3903. Our website address is www.esperion.com. The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, our website, does not constitute a part of this prospectus, and is not incorporated by reference in this prospectus or in any other filings we make with the SEC. We have included our website in this prospectus solely as an inactive textual reference. Our common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “ESPR.”
We use various trademarks and trade names in our business, including without limitation our corporate name and logo. This prospectus may also contain trademarks, service marks and trade names of third parties, which are the property of their respective owners. Our use or display of third parties’ trademarks, service marks, trade names or products in this prospectus is not intended to, and does not imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship by us. Solely for convenience, the trademarks and trade names in this prospectus may be referred to without the ® and ™ symbols, but the omission of such references should not be construed as any indicator that their respective owners will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, their rights thereto.
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USE OF PROCEEDS
We will retain broad discretion over the use of the net proceeds from the sale of the securities offered hereby. Except as described in any applicable prospectus supplement or in any free writing prospectuses that we may authorize to be provided to you in connection with a specific offering, we currently intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of any securities offered hereby for general corporate purposes. General corporate purposes may include, without limitation, costs associated with the ongoing commercialization efforts for NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET; research and development and clinical development costs to support the advancement of our current or future drug candidates and the expansion of our research and development programs; working capital; capital expenditures; and other general corporate purposes. We may temporarily invest the net proceeds in a variety of capital preservation instruments, including short-term, investment-grade, interest-bearing instruments and U.S. government securities, or may hold such proceeds as cash, until they are used for their stated purpose. We have not determined the amount of net proceeds to be used specifically for such purposes. As a result, management will retain broad discretion over the allocation of net proceeds.
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SECURITIES THAT MAY BE OFFERED
We may offer shares of common or preferred stock, various series of senior or subordinated debt securities, warrants, or units consisting of combinations of the foregoing, in each case from time to time under this prospectus, together with the applicable prospectus supplement, at prices and on terms to be determined by market conditions at the time of offering. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer from time to time. At the time we offer a particular type or series of securities, we will provide an applicable prospectus supplement describing the specific amounts, prices and other important terms of the securities, including, to the extent applicable:
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designation or classification;
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aggregate principal amount or aggregate offering price;
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voting or other rights;
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rates and times of payment of interest, dividends or other payments, if any;
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liquidation preference;
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original issue discount, if any;
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maturity date, if applicable;
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ranking;
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restrictive covenants, if any;
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redemption, conversion, exercise, exchange, settlement or sinking fund terms, including prices or rates, if any, and, if applicable, any provisions for changes to or adjustments in such prices or rates and in the securities or other property receivable upon conversion, exercise, exchange or settlement;
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any securities exchange or market listing arrangements; and
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important U.S. federal income tax considerations, if any.
This prospectus may not be used to offer or sell securities unless accompanied by an applicable prospectus supplement. The applicable prospectus supplement may add, update or change information contained in this prospectus or in documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus. You should read the prospectus supplement related to any securities being offered.
We may sell the securities directly to or through underwriters, dealers or agents, directly to purchasers or through a combination of any of these methods of sale or as otherwise set forth below under “Plan of Distribution.” We and our underwriters, dealers or agents reserve the right to accept or reject all or part of any proposed purchase of securities. If we do offer securities through underwriters or agents, we will include in the applicable prospectus supplement (i) the names of the underwriters or agents and applicable fees, discounts and commissions to be paid to them; (ii) details regarding over-allotment options, if any; and (iii) net proceeds to us.
The following descriptions are not complete and may not contain all the information you should consider before investing in any securities we may offer hereunder; they are summarized from, and qualified by reference to, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, second amended and restated by-laws and the other documents referred to in the descriptions, all of which are or will be publicly filed with the SEC, as applicable. See “Where You Can Find More Information.”
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DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK
The following description of our capital stock, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes the material terms and provisions of our capital stock that we may offer under this prospectus. The following description of our capital stock does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (our “certificate of incorporation”) and our second amended and restated by-laws (our “by-laws” and, together with our certificate of incorporation, our “Charter Documents”), in each case, as amended and supplemented, which are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, and applicable provisions of Delaware corporate law.
Authorized Capital Stock
Our authorized capital stock consists of 480,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share, all of which are undesignated preferred stock. As of December 31, 2024, we had 197,846,661 shares of common stock outstanding and approximately 5 stockholders of record of our common stock, and no shares of preferred stock outstanding.
Common Stock
Dividends
Holders of our common stock are entitled to receive dividends ratably, if any, as may be declared by our board of directors out of legally available funds, subject to any preferential dividend rights of any preferred stock then outstanding.
Voting
Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share of common stock held of record for the election of directors and on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders. The holders of our common stock do not have any cumulative voting rights.
Our by-laws provide that, except as required by law or our Charter Documents and other than with respect to the election of a director or directors, all matters will be decided by the vote of the majority of the votes properly cast for and against such matter. Any election of directors by stockholders shall be determined by a plurality of the votes properly cast on the election of directors.
Other Rights
In the event of our dissolution, liquidation or winding up, holders of our common stock are entitled to share ratably in our net assets legally available after the payment of all our debts and other liabilities, subject to the preferential rights of any preferred stock then outstanding. The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of shares of any series of preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future. Holders of our common stock have no preemptive, subscription, redemption or conversion rights and no sinking fund provisions are applicable to our common stock.
When we issue shares of common stock under this prospectus, the shares will fully be paid and nonassessable and will not have, or be subject to, any preemptive or similar rights.
Listing
Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “ESPR.” On April 14, 2025, the closing price for our common stock, as reported on the Nasdaq Global Market, was $1.00 per share.
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Computershare Trust Company, N.A. The transfer agent and registrar’s address is 150 Royall Street, Canton, MA 02021, and its telephone number is (781) 575-2000.
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Undesignated Preferred Stock
Our board of directors is authorized to issue up to 5,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock in one or more series without stockholder approval. Our board of directors may determine the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions, including voting rights, dividend rights, conversion rights, redemption privileges and liquidation preferences, of each series of preferred stock.
The purpose of authorizing our board of directors to issue preferred stock in one or more series and determine the number of shares in the series and its rights and preferences is to eliminate delays associated with a stockholder vote on specific issuances. Examples of rights and preferences that the board of directors may fix are:
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dividend rights;
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dividend rates;
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conversion rights;
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voting rights;
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terms of redemption; and
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liquidation preferences.
The existence of authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock may enable our board of directors to render more difficult or to discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise. For example, if in the due exercise of its fiduciary obligations, our board of directors were to determine that a takeover proposal is not in the best interests of us or our stockholders, our board of directors could cause shares of preferred stock to be issued without stockholder approval in one or more private offerings or other transactions that might dilute the voting or other rights of the proposed acquirer, stockholder or stockholder group. The rights of holders of our common stock described above, will be subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of any preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future. The issuance of shares of preferred stock could decrease the amount of earnings and assets available for distribution to holders of shares of common stock. The issuance may also adversely affect the rights and powers, including voting rights, of these holders and may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change in control of us.
We will incorporate by reference as an exhibit to the registration statement, which includes this prospectus, the form of any certificate of designation that describes the terms of the series of preferred stock we are offering. This description and the applicable prospectus supplement will include:
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the title and stated value;
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the number of shares authorized;
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the liquidation preference per share;
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the purchase price;
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the dividend rate, period and payment date, and method of calculation for dividends;
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whether dividends will be cumulative or non-cumulative and, if cumulative, the date from which dividends will accumulate;
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the procedures for any auction and remarketing, if any;
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the provisions for a sinking fund, if any;
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the provisions for redemption or repurchase, if applicable, and any restrictions on our ability to exercise those redemption and repurchase rights;
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any listing of the preferred stock on any securities exchange or market;
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whether the preferred stock will be convertible into our common stock, and, if applicable, the conversion price, or how it will be calculated, and the conversion period;
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whether the preferred stock will be exchangeable into debt securities, and, if applicable, the exchange price, or how it will be calculated, and the exchange period;
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voting rights, if any, of the preferred stock;
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preemptive rights, if any;
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restrictions on transfer, sale or other assignment, if any;
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whether interests in the preferred stock will be represented by depositary shares;
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a discussion of any material United States federal income tax considerations applicable to the preferred stock;
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the relative ranking and preferences of the preferred stock as to dividend rights and rights if we liquidate, dissolve or wind up our affairs;
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any limitations on issuance of any class or series of preferred stock ranking senior to or on a parity with the series of preferred stock as to dividend rights and rights if we liquidate, dissolve or wind up our affairs; and
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any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of, or restrictions on, the preferred stock.
When we issue shares of preferred stock under this prospectus, the shares will fully be paid and nonassessable and will not be subject to any preemptive or similar rights.
Antitakeover Effects of Delaware Law and Provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation and By-laws
Certain provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law and of our certificate of incorporation and by-laws could have the effect of delaying, deferring or discouraging another party from acquiring control of us. These provisions, which are summarized below, are expected to discourage certain types of coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids and, as a consequence, they might also inhibit temporary fluctuations in the market price of our common stock that often result from actual or rumored hostile takeover attempts. These provisions are also designed in part to encourage anyone seeking to acquire control of us to first negotiate with our board of directors. These provisions might also have the effect of preventing changes in our management. It is possible that these provisions could make it more difficult to accomplish transactions that stockholders might otherwise deem to be in their best interests. However, we believe that the advantages gained by protecting our ability to negotiate with any unsolicited and potentially unfriendly acquirer outweigh the disadvantages of discouraging such proposals, including those priced above the then-current market value of our common stock, because, among other reasons, the negotiation of such proposals could improve their terms.
Delaware Takeover Statute
We are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. In general, Section 203 prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a three-year period following the time that this stockholder becomes an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. Under Section 203, a business combination between a corporation and an interested stockholder is prohibited unless it satisfies one of the following conditions:
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before the stockholder became interested, our board of directors approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;
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upon consummation of the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the voting stock outstanding, shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers, and employee stock plans, in some instances, but not the outstanding voting stock owned by the interested stockholder; or
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at or after the time the stockholder became interested, the business combination was approved by our board of directors and authorized at an annual or special meeting of the stockholders by the
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affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder.
Section 203 defines a business combination to include:
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any merger or consolidation involving the corporation and the interested stockholder;
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any sale, transfer, lease, pledge, exchange, mortgage or other disposition involving the interested stockholder of 10% or more of the assets of the corporation;
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subject to exceptions, any transaction that results in the issuance or transfer by the corporation of any stock of the corporation to the interested stockholder;
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subject to exceptions, any transaction involving the corporation that has the effect of increasing the proportionate share of the stock of any class or series of the corporation beneficially owned by the interested stockholder; or
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the receipt by the interested stockholder of the benefit of any loans, advances, guarantees, pledges or other financial benefits provided by or through the corporation.
In general, Section 203 defines an interested stockholder as any entity or person beneficially owning 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation and any entity or person affiliated with or controlling or controlled by the entity or person.
Provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation and By-laws
Our certificate of incorporation and by-laws include a number of provisions that may have the effect of delaying, deferring or discouraging another party from acquiring control of us and encouraging persons considering unsolicited tender offers or other unilateral takeover proposals to negotiate with our board of directors rather than pursue non-negotiated takeover attempts. These provisions include the items described below.
Board composition and filling vacancies. Our certificate of incorporation provides that directors may be removed only for cause and then only by the affirmative vote of the holders of 75% or more of the shares then entitled to vote at an election of directors. Furthermore, any vacancy on our board of directors, however occurring, including a vacancy resulting from an increase in the size of our board, may only be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of our directors then in office even if less than a quorum.
No written consent of stockholders. Our certificate of incorporation provides that all stockholder actions are required to be taken by a vote of the stockholders at an annual or special meeting, and that stockholders may not take any action by written consent in lieu of a meeting.
Meetings of stockholders. Our by-laws provide that only a majority of the members of our board of directors then in office may call special meetings of stockholders and only those matters set forth in the notice of the special meeting may be considered or acted upon at a special meeting of stockholders. Our by-laws limit the business that may be conducted at an annual meeting of stockholders to those matters properly brought before the meeting.
Advance notice requirements. Our by-laws establish advance notice procedures with regard to stockholder proposals relating to the nomination of candidates for election as directors or new business to be brought before meetings of our stockholders. These procedures provide that notice of stockholder proposals must be timely given in writing to our corporate secretary prior to the meeting at which the action is to be taken. Generally, to be timely, notice must be received at our principal executive offices not less than 90 days or more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary date of the annual meeting for the preceding year. The notice must contain certain information specified in the by-laws.
Amendment to certificate of incorporation and by-laws. As required by the Delaware General Corporation Law, any amendment of our certificate of incorporation must first be approved by a majority of our board of directors and, if required by law or our certificate of incorporation, thereafter be approved by a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, and a majority of the outstanding shares of each class entitled to vote thereon as a class, except that the amendment of the provisions relating to
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stockholder action, directors, limitation of liability and the amendment of our by-laws and certificate of incorporation must be approved by not less than 75% of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, and not less than 75% of the outstanding shares of each class entitled to vote thereon as a class.
Our by-laws may be amended by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in office, subject to any limitations set forth in the by-laws; and may also be amended by the affirmative vote of at least 75% of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, or, if the board of directors recommends that the stockholders approve the amendment, by the affirmative vote of the majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, in each case voting together as a single class.
Undesignated preferred stock. Our certificate of incorporation provides for authorized shares of preferred stock. The existence of authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock may enable our board of directors to render more difficult or to discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise. For example, if in the due exercise of its fiduciary obligations, our board of directors were to determine that a takeover proposal is not in the best interests of us or our stockholders, our board of directors could cause shares of preferred stock to be issued without stockholder approval in one or more private offerings or other transactions that might dilute the voting or other rights of the proposed acquirer or insurgent stockholder or stockholder group. In this regard, our certificate of incorporation grants our board of directors broad power to establish the rights and preferences of authorized and unissued shares of preferred stock. The issuance of shares of preferred stock could decrease the amount of earnings and assets available for distribution to holders of shares of common stock. The issuance may also adversely affect the rights and powers, including voting rights, of these holders and may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change in control of us.
Exclusive jurisdiction for certain actions. Our by-laws provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United Stated will be the sole and exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. In addition, our by-laws provide that any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our common stock is deemed to have notice of and consented to the foregoing provision. The enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation and by-laws has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that a court could find these types of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable.
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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES
This section describes the general terms and provisions of our debt securities that we may issue from time to time. We may issue debt securities, in one or more series, as either senior or subordinated debt or as senior or subordinated convertible debt. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any future debt securities we may offer under this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus will describe the specific terms of any debt securities offered through that prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus. The terms of any debt securities we offer under a prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus may differ from the terms we describe below. Unless the context requires otherwise, whenever we refer to the “indentures,” we also are referring to any supplemental indentures that specify the terms of a particular series of debt securities.
We will issue any senior debt securities under the senior indenture that we will enter into with the trustee named in the senior indenture. We will issue any subordinated debt securities under the subordinated indenture that we will enter into with the trustee named in the subordinated indenture. We have filed forms of these documents as exhibits to the registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, and supplemental indentures and forms of debt securities containing the terms of the debt securities being offered will be filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part or will be incorporated by reference from reports that we file with the SEC.
The indentures will be qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “Trust Indenture Act”). We use the term “trustee” to refer to either the trustee under the senior indenture or the trustee under the subordinated indenture, as applicable.
The following summaries of material provisions of the senior debt securities, the subordinated debt securities and the indentures are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all of the provisions of the indenture applicable to a particular series of debt securities. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus and any related free writing prospectuses related to the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus, as well as the complete applicable indenture that contains the terms of the debt securities. Except as we may otherwise indicate, the terms of the senior indenture and the subordinated indenture are identical.
General
We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus the terms of the series of debt securities being offered, including:
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the title;
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the principal amount being offered, and if a series, the total amount authorized and the total amount outstanding;
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any limit on the amount that may be issued;
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whether or not we will issue the series of debt securities in global form, and, if so, the terms and who the depository will be;
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the maturity date;
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whether and under what circumstances, if any, we will pay additional amounts on any debt securities held by a person who is not a United States person for tax purposes, and whether we can redeem;
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the debt securities if we have to pay such additional amounts;
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the annual interest rate, which may be fixed or variable, or the method for determining the rate and the date interest will begin to accrue, the dates interest will be payable and the regular record dates for interest payment dates or the method for determining such dates;
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whether or not the debt securities will be secured or unsecured, and the terms of any secured debt;
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the terms of the subordination of any series of subordinated debt;
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the place where payments will be payable;
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•
restrictions on transfer, sale or other assignment, if any;
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our right, if any, to defer payment of interest and the maximum length of any such deferral period;
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the date, if any, after which, the conditions upon which, and the price at which, we may, at our option, redeem the series of debt securities pursuant to any optional or provisional redemption provisions and the terms of those redemption provisions;
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the date, if any, on which, and the price at which we are obligated, pursuant to any mandatory sinking fund or analogous fund provisions or otherwise, to redeem, or at the holder’s option, to purchase, the series of debt securities and the currency or currency unit in which the debt securities are payable;
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whether the indenture will restrict our ability or the ability of our subsidiaries to:
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incur additional indebtedness;
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issue additional securities;
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create liens;
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pay dividends or make distributions in respect of our capital stock or the capital stock of our subsidiaries;
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redeem capital stock;
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place restrictions on our subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends, make distributions or transfer assets;
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make investments or other restricted payments;
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sell or otherwise dispose of assets;
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enter into sale-leaseback transactions;
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engage in transactions with stockholders or affiliates;
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issue or sell stock of our subsidiaries; or
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effect a consolidation or merger;
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whether the indenture will require us to maintain any interest coverage, fixed charge, cash flow-based, asset-based or other financial ratios;
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a discussion of certain material or special United States federal income tax considerations applicable to the debt securities;
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information describing any book-entry features;
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provisions for a sinking fund purchase or other analogous fund, if any;
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the applicability of the provisions in the indenture on discharge;
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whether the debt securities are to be offered at a price such that they will be deemed to be offered at an “original issue discount” as defined in paragraph (a) of Section 1273 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended;
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the denominations in which we will issue the series of debt securities, if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof;
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the currency of payment of debt securities if other than U.S. dollars and the manner of determining the equivalent amount in U.S. dollars; and
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any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of, or restrictions on, the debt securities, including any additional events of default or covenants provided with respect to the debt securities, and any terms that may be required by us or advisable under applicable laws or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of the debt securities.
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Conversion or Exchange Rights
We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus the terms on which a series of debt securities may be convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock, our preferred stock or other securities (including securities of a third-party). We will include provisions as to whether conversion or exchange is mandatory, at the option of the holder or at our option. We may include provisions pursuant to which the number of shares of our common stock, our preferred stock or other securities (including securities of a third-party) that the holders of the series of debt securities receive would be subject to adjustment.
Consolidation, Merger or Sale
Unless we provide otherwise in the prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus applicable to a particular series of debt securities, the indentures will not contain any covenant that restricts our ability to merge or consolidate, or sell, convey, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets. However, any successor to or acquirer of such assets must assume all of our obligations under the indentures or the debt securities, as appropriate. If the debt securities are convertible into or exchangeable for other securities of ours or securities of other entities, the person with whom we consolidate or merge or to whom we sell all of our property must make provisions for the conversion of the debt securities into securities that the holders of the debt securities would have received if they had converted the debt securities before the consolidation, merger or sale.
Events of Default Under the Indenture
Unless we provide otherwise in the prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus applicable to a particular series of debt securities, the following are events of default under the indentures with respect to any series of debt securities that we may issue:
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if we fail to pay interest when due and payable and our failure continues for 90 days and the time for payment has not been extended;
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if we fail to pay the principal, premium or sinking fund payment, if any, when due and payable at maturity, upon redemption or repurchase or otherwise, and the time for payment has not been extended;
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if we fail to observe or perform any other covenant contained in the debt securities or the indentures, other than a covenant specifically relating to another series of debt securities, and our failure continues for 90 days after we receive notice from the trustee or holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the applicable series; and
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if specified events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization occur.
We will describe in each applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus any additional events of default relating to the relevant series of debt securities.
If an event of default with respect to debt securities of any series occurs and is continuing, other than an event of default specified in the last bullet point above, the trustee or the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series, by notice to us in writing, and to the trustee if notice is given by such holders, may declare the unpaid principal, premium, if any, and accrued interest, if any, due and payable immediately. If an event of default specified in the last bullet point above occurs with respect to us, the unpaid principal, premium, if any, and accrued interest, if any, of each issue of debt securities then outstanding shall be due and payable without any notice or other action on the part of the trustee or any holder.
The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of an affected series may waive any default or event of default with respect to the series and its consequences, except defaults or events of default regarding payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest, unless we have cured the default or event of default in accordance with the indenture. Any waiver shall cure the default or event of default.
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Subject to the terms of the indentures, if an event of default under an indenture shall occur and be continuing, the trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under such indenture at the request or direction of any of the holders of the applicable series of debt securities, unless such holders have offered the trustee reasonable indemnity or security satisfactory to it against any loss, liability or expense. 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, provided that:
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the direction so given by the holder is not in conflict with any law or the applicable indenture; and
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subject to its duties under the Trust Indenture Act, the trustee need not take any action that might involve it in personal liability or might be unduly prejudicial to the holders not involved in the proceeding.
A holder of the debt securities of any series will have the right to institute a proceeding under the indentures or to appoint a receiver or trustee, or to seek other remedies if:
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the holder has given written notice to the trustee of a continuing event of default with respect to that series;
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the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have made written request, and such holders have offered reasonable indemnity to the trustee or security satisfactory to it against any loss, liability or expense or to be incurred in compliance with instituting the proceeding as trustee; and
•
the trustee does not institute the proceeding, and does not receive from the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series other conflicting directions within 90 days after the notice, request and offer.
These limitations do not apply to a suit instituted by a holder of debt securities if we default in the payment of the principal, premium, if any, or interest on, the debt securities, or other defaults that may be specified in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus.
We will periodically file statements with the trustee regarding our compliance with specified covenants in the indentures.
Modification of Indenture; Waiver
Subject to the terms of the indenture for any series of debt securities that we may issue, we and the trustee may change an indenture without the consent of any holders with respect to the following specific matters:
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to fix any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency in the indenture;
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to comply with the provisions described above under “Description of Our Debt Securities — Consolidation, Merger or Sale;”
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to comply with any requirements of the SEC in connection with the qualification of any indenture under the Trust Indenture Act;
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to add to, delete from or revise the conditions, limitations, and restrictions on the authorized amount, terms, or purposes of issue, authentication and delivery of debt securities, as set forth in the indenture;
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to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of the debt securities of any series as provided under “Description of Our Debt Securities — General,” to establish the form of any certifications required to be furnished pursuant to the terms of the indenture or any series of debt securities, or to add to the rights of the holders of any series of debt securities;
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to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment hereunder by a successor trustee;
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to provide for uncertificated debt securities and to make all appropriate changes for such purpose;
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•
to add to our covenants such new covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions for the benefit of the holders, to make the occurrence, or the occurrence and the continuance, of a default in any such additional covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions an event of default or to surrender any right or power conferred to us in the indenture; or
•
to change anything that does not materially adversely affect the interests of any holder of debt securities of any series.
In addition, under the indentures, the rights of holders of a series of debt securities may be changed by us and the trustee with the written consent of the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series that is affected. However, subject to the terms of the indenture for any series of debt securities that we may issue or as otherwise provided in the prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus applicable to a particular series of debt securities, we and the trustee may make the following changes only with the consent of each holder of any outstanding debt securities affected:
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extending the stated maturity of the series of debt securities;
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reducing the principal amount, reducing the rate of or extending the time of payment of interest, or reducing any premium payable upon the redemption or repurchase of any debt securities; or
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reducing the percentage of debt securities, the holders of which are required to consent to any amendment, supplement, modification or waiver.
Discharge
Each indenture provides that, subject to the terms of the indenture and any limitation otherwise provided in the prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus applicable to a particular series of debt securities, we can elect to be discharged from our obligations with respect to one or more series of debt securities, except for specified obligations, including obligations to:
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register the transfer or exchange of debt securities of the series;
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replace stolen, lost or mutilated debt securities of the series;
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maintain paying agencies;
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hold monies for payment in trust;
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recover excess money held by the trustee;
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compensate and indemnify the trustee; and
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appoint any successor trustee.
In order to exercise our rights to be discharged, we must deposit with the trustee money or government obligations sufficient to pay all the principal of, any premium and interest on, the debt securities of the series on the dates payments are due.
Form, Exchange and Transfer
We will issue the debt securities of each series only in fully registered form without coupons and, unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, in denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof. The indentures provide that we may issue debt securities of a series in temporary or permanent global form and as book-entry securities that will be deposited with, or on behalf of, The Depository Trust Company or another depository named by us and identified in a prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus with respect to that series.
At the option of the holder, subject to the terms of the indentures and the limitations applicable to global securities described in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, the holder of the debt securities of any series can exchange the debt securities for other debt securities of the same series, in any authorized denomination and of like tenor and aggregate principal amount.
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Subject to the terms of the indentures and the limitations applicable to global securities set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, holders of the debt securities may present the debt securities for exchange or for registration of transfer, duly endorsed or with the form of transfer endorsed thereon duly executed if so required by us or the security registrar, at the office of the security registrar or at the office of any transfer agent designated by us for this purpose. Unless otherwise provided in the debt securities that the holder presents for transfer or exchange, we will make no service charge for any registration of transfer or exchange, but we may require payment of any taxes or other governmental charges.
We will name in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus the security registrar, and any transfer agent in addition to the security registrar, that we initially designate for any debt securities.
We may at any time designate additional transfer agents or rescind the designation of any transfer agent or approve a change in the office through which any transfer agent acts, except that we will be required to maintain a transfer agent in each place of payment for the debt securities of each series. If we elect to redeem the debt securities of any series, we will not be required to:
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issue, register the transfer of, or exchange any debt securities of that series during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of mailing of a notice of redemption of any debt securities that may be selected for redemption and ending at the close of business on the day of the mailing; or
•
register the transfer of or exchange any debt securities so selected for redemption, in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any debt securities we are redeeming in part.
Information Concerning the Trustee
The trustee, other than during the occurrence and continuance of an event of default under an indenture, undertakes to perform only those duties as are specifically set forth in the applicable indenture. Upon an event of default under an indenture, the trustee must use the same degree of care as a prudent person would exercise or use in the conduct of his or her own affairs.
Subject to this provision, the trustee is under no obligation to exercise any of the powers given it by the indentures at the request of any holder of debt securities unless it is offered reasonable security and indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities that it might incur.
Payment and Paying Agents
Unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, we will make payment of the interest on any debt securities on any interest payment date to the person in whose name the debt securities, or one or more predecessor securities, are registered at the close of business on the regular record date for the interest.
We will pay principal of and any premium and interest on the debt securities of a particular series at the office of the paying agents designated by us, except that unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, we will make interest payments by check that we will mail to the holder or by wire transfer to certain holders. Unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, we will designate the corporate trust office of the trustee as our sole paying agent for payments with respect to debt securities of each series. We will name in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus any other paying agents that we initially designate for the debt securities of a particular series. We will maintain a paying agent in each place of payment for the debt securities of a particular series.
All money we pay to a paying agent or the trustee for the payment of the principal of or any premium or interest on any debt securities that remains unclaimed at the end of two years after such principal, premium or interest has become due and payable will be repaid to us, and the holder of the debt security thereafter may look only to us for payment thereof.
Governing Law
The indentures and the debt securities will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, except to the extent that the Trust Indenture Act is applicable.
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Ranking of Debt Securities
The subordinated debt securities will be subordinate and junior in priority of payment to certain of our other indebtedness to the extent described in a prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus. The subordinated indenture does not limit the amount of subordinated debt securities that we may issue. It also does not limit us from issuing any other secured or unsecured debt.
The senior debt securities will rank equally in right of payment to all our other senior unsecured debt. The senior indenture does not limit the amount of senior debt securities that we may issue. It also does not limit us from issuing any other secured or unsecured debt.
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DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS
The following description, together with the additional information we may include in any applicable prospectus supplements, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the warrants that we may offer under this prospectus and the related warrant agreements and warrant certificates. While the terms summarized below will apply generally to any warrants that we may offer, we will describe the particular terms of any series of warrants in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. If we indicate in the prospectus supplement, the terms of any warrants offered under that prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below. Specific warrant agreements will contain additional important terms and provisions and will be incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the registration statement, which includes this prospectus.
General
We may issue warrants for the purchase of common stock, preferred stock and/or debt securities in one or more series. We may issue warrants independently or together with common stock, preferred stock and/or debt securities, and the warrants may be attached to or separate from these securities.
We will evidence each series of warrants by warrant certificates that we will issue under a separate warrant agreement. We will enter into the warrant agreement with a warrant agent. We will indicate the name and address of the warrant agent in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of warrants.
We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of warrants, including:
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the offering price and aggregate number of warrants offered;
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the currency for which the warrants may be purchased;
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if applicable, the designation and terms of the securities with which the warrants are issued and the number of warrants issued with each such security or each principal amount of such security;
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if applicable, the date on and after which the warrants and the related securities will be separately transferable;
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in the case of warrants to purchase debt securities, the principal amount of debt securities purchasable upon exercise of one warrant and the price at, and currency in which, this principal amount of debt securities may be purchased upon such exercise;
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in the case of warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock, the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock, as the case may be, purchasable upon the exercise of one warrant and the price at which these shares may be purchased upon such exercise;
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the effect of any merger, consolidation, sale or other disposition of our business on the warrant agreement and the warrants;
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the terms of any rights to redeem or call the warrants;
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any provisions for changes to or adjustments in the exercise price or number of securities issuable upon exercise of the warrants;
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the periods during which, and places at which, the warrants are exercisable;
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the manner of exercise;
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the dates on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence and expire;
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the manner in which the warrant agreement and warrants may be modified;
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federal income tax consequences of holding or exercising the warrants;
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the terms of the securities issuable upon exercise of the warrants; and
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any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of or restrictions on the warrants.
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DESCRIPTION OF UNITS
We may issue units comprised of shares of common stock, shares of preferred stock, debt securities and warrants in any combination. We may issue units in such amounts and in as many distinct series as we wish. This section outlines certain provisions of the units that we may issue. If we issue units, they will be issued under one or more unit agreements to be entered into between us and a bank or other financial institution, as unit agent. The information described in this section may not be complete in all respects and is qualified entirely by reference to the unit agreement with respect to the units of any particular series. The specific terms of any series of units offered will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. If so described in a particular supplement, the specific terms of any series of units may differ from the general description of terms presented below. We urge you to read any prospectus supplement related to any series of units we may offer, as well as the complete unit agreement and unit certificate that contain the terms of the units. If we issue units, forms of unit agreements and unit certificates relating to such units will be incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement, which includes this prospectus.
Each unit that we may issue will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security. The unit agreement under which a unit is issued may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately, at any time or at any time before a specified date. The applicable prospectus supplement may describe:
•
the designation and terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances those securities may be held or transferred separately;
•
any provisions of the governing unit agreement;
•
the price or prices at which such units will be issued;
•
the applicable United States federal income tax considerations relating to the units;
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any provisions for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units or of the securities comprising the units; and
•
any other terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units.
The provisions described in this section, as well as those described under “Description of Capital Stock,” “Description of Debt Securities” and “Description of Warrants” will apply to the securities included in each unit, to the extent relevant and as may be updated in any prospectus supplements.
Issuance in Series
We may issue units in such amounts and in as many distinct series as we wish. This section summarizes terms of the units that apply generally to all series. Most of the financial and other specific terms of a particular series of units will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Unit Agreements
We will issue the units under one or more unit agreements to be entered into between us and a bank or other financial institution, as unit agent. We may add, replace or terminate unit agents from time to time. We will identify the unit agreement under which each series of units will be issued and the unit agent under that agreement in the applicable prospectus supplement.
The following provisions will generally apply to all unit agreements unless otherwise stated in the applicable prospectus supplement:
Modification without Consent
We and the applicable unit agent may amend any unit or unit agreement without the consent of any holder:
•
to cure any ambiguity, including modifying any provisions of the governing unit agreement that differ from those described below;
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•
to correct or supplement any defective or inconsistent provision; or
•
to make any other change that we believe is necessary or desirable and will not adversely affect the interests of the affected holders in any material respect.
We do not need any approval to make changes that affect only units to be issued after the changes take effect. We may also make changes that do not adversely affect a particular unit in any material respect, even if they adversely affect other units in a material respect. In those cases, we do not need to obtain the approval of the holder of the unaffected unit; we need only obtain any required approvals from the holders of the affected units.
Modification with Consent
We may not amend any particular unit or a unit agreement with respect to any particular unit unless we obtain the consent of the holder of that unit, if the amendment would:
•
impair any right of the holder to exercise or enforce any right under a security included in the unit if the terms of that security require the consent of the holder to any changes that would impair the exercise or enforcement of that right; or
•
reduce the percentage of outstanding units or any series or class the consent of whose holders is required to amend that series or class, or the applicable unit agreement with respect to that series or class, as described below.
Any other change to a particular unit agreement and the units issued under that agreement would require the following approval:
•
If the change affects only the units of a particular series issued under that agreement, the change must be approved by the holders of a majority of the outstanding units of that series; or
•
If the change affects the units of more than one series issued under that agreement, it must be approved by the holders of a majority of all outstanding units of all series affected by the change, with the units of all the affected series voting together as one class for this purpose.
These provisions regarding changes with majority approval also apply to changes affecting any securities issued under a unit agreement, as the governing document.
In each case, the required approval must be given by written consent.
Unit Agreements Will Not Be Qualified under Trust Indenture Act
No unit agreement will be qualified as an indenture, and no unit agent will be required to qualify as a trustee, under the Trust Indenture Act. Therefore, holders of units issued under unit agreements will not have the protections of the Trust Indenture Act with respect to their units.
Mergers and Similar Transactions Permitted; No Restrictive Covenants or Events of Default
The unit agreements will not restrict our ability to merge or consolidate with, or sell our assets to, another corporation or other entity or to engage in any other transactions. If at any time we merge or consolidate with, or sell our assets substantially as an entirety to, another corporation or other entity, the successor entity will succeed to and assume our obligations under the unit agreements. We will then be relieved of any further obligation under these agreements.
The unit agreements will not include any restrictions on our ability to put liens on our assets, nor will they restrict our ability to sell our assets. The unit agreements also will not provide for any events of default or remedies upon the occurrence of any events of default.
Governing Law
The unit agreements and the units will be governed by Delaware law.
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Form, Exchange and Transfer
We will issue each unit in global — i.e., book-entry — form only. Units in book-entry form will be represented by a global security registered in the name of a depositary, which will be the holder of all the units represented by the global security. Those who own beneficial interests in a unit will do so through participants in the depositary’s system, and the rights of these indirect owners will be governed solely by the applicable procedures of the depositary and its participants. We will describe book-entry securities, and other terms regarding the issuance and registration of the units in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Each unit and all securities comprising the unit will be issued in the same form.
If we issue any units in registered, non-global form, the following will apply to them.
The units will be issued in the denominations stated in the applicable prospectus supplement. Holders may exchange their units for units of smaller denominations or combined into fewer units of larger denominations, as long as the total amount is not changed.
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Holders may exchange or transfer their units at the office of the unit agent. Holders may also replace lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated units at that office. We may appoint another entity to perform these functions or perform them ourselves.
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Holders will not be required to pay a service charge to transfer or exchange their units, but they may be required to pay for any tax or other governmental charge associated with the transfer or exchange. The transfer or exchange, and any replacement, will be made only if our transfer agent is satisfied with the holder’s proof of legal ownership. The transfer agent may also require an indemnity before replacing any units.
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If we have the right to redeem, accelerate or settle any units before their maturity, and we exercise our right as to less than all those units or other securities, we may block the exchange or transfer of those units during the period beginning 15 days before the day we mail the notice of exercise and ending on the day of that mailing, in order to freeze the list of holders to prepare the mailing. We may also refuse to register transfers of or exchange any unit selected for early settlement, except that we will continue to permit transfers and exchanges of the unsettled portion of any unit being partially settled. We may also block the transfer or exchange of any unit in this manner if the unit includes securities that are or may be selected for early settlement.
Only the depositary will be entitled to transfer or exchange a unit in global form, since it will be the sole holder of the unit.
Payments and Notices
In making payments and giving notices with respect to our units, we will follow the procedures as described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
We may sell the securities offered through this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, if required, in any of the following ways: (i) to or through underwriters or dealers, (ii) directly to purchasers, including our affiliates, (iii) through agents, (iv) in an “at the market offering,” within the meaning of Rule 415(a)(4) of the Securities Act, or (v) through a combination of any of these methods or any other method permitted by law. The securities may be distributed at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed, market prices prevailing at the time of sale, prices related to the prevailing market prices, or negotiated prices, either:
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on or through the facilities of The Nasdaq Global Market or any other securities exchange or quotation or trading service on which such securities may be listed, quoted or traded at the time of sale; and/or
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to or through a market maker otherwise than on The Nasdaq Global Market or such other securities exchanges or quotation or trading services.
In addition, we may issue the securities as a dividend or distribution or in a subscription rights offering to our existing security holders.
We may directly solicit offers to purchase securities, or agents may be designated to solicit such offers. In the prospectus supplement relating to such offering, we will name any agent that could be viewed as an underwriter under the Securities Act and describe any commissions that we must pay to any such agent. Any such agent will be acting on a best efforts basis for the period of its appointment or, if indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, on a firm commitment basis. This prospectus may be used in connection with any offering of our securities through any of these methods or other methods described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
The distribution of the securities may be effected from time to time in one or more transactions:
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at a fixed price, or prices, which may be changed from time to time;
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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 prospectus supplement will describe the method of distribution of the securities and any applicable restrictions.
The prospectus supplement with respect to the securities of a particular series will describe the terms of the offering of the securities, including the following:
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the name of the agent or any underwriters;
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the public offering or purchase price;
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any discounts and commissions to be allowed or paid to the agent or underwriters;
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all other items constituting underwriting compensation;
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any discounts and commissions to be allowed or paid to dealers; and
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any exchanges on which the securities will be listed.
If any underwriters or agents are used in the sale of the securities in respect of which this prospectus is delivered, we will enter into an underwriting agreement, sales agreement or other agreement with them at the time of sale to them, and we will set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such offering the names of the underwriters or agents and the terms of the related agreement with them.
In connection with the offering of securities, we may grant to the underwriters an option to purchase additional securities with an additional underwriting commission, as may be set forth in the accompanying prospectus supplement. If we grant any such option, the terms of such option will be set forth in the prospectus supplement for such securities.
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If a dealer is used in the sale of the securities in respect of which the prospectus is delivered, we will sell such securities to the dealer, as principal. The dealer, who may be deemed to be an “underwriter” as that term is defined in the Securities Act, may then resell such securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by such dealer at the time of resale.
If we offer securities in a subscription rights offering to our existing security holders, we may enter into a standby underwriting agreement with dealers, acting as standby underwriters. We may pay the standby underwriters a commitment fee for the securities they commit to purchase on a standby basis. If we do not enter into a standby underwriting arrangement, we may retain a dealer-manager to manage a subscription rights offering for us.
Agents, underwriters, dealers and other persons may be entitled under agreements which they may enter into with us to indemnification by us against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and may be customers of, engage in transactions with or perform services for us in the ordinary course of business.
If so indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will authorize underwriters or other persons acting as our agents to solicit offers by certain institutions to purchase securities from us pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on the date stated in the prospectus supplement. Each contract will be for an amount not less than, and the aggregate amount of securities sold pursuant to such contracts shall not be less nor more than, the respective amounts stated in the prospectus supplement. Institutions with whom the contracts, when authorized, may be made include commercial and savings banks, insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies, educational and charitable institutions and other institutions, but shall in all cases be subject to our approval. Delayed delivery contracts will not be subject to any conditions except that:
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the purchase by an institution of the securities covered under that contract shall not at the time of delivery be prohibited under the laws of the jurisdiction to which that institution is subject; and
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if the securities are also being sold to underwriters acting as principals for their own account, the underwriters shall have purchased such securities not sold for delayed delivery. The underwriters and other persons acting as our agents will not have any responsibility in respect of the validity or performance of delayed delivery contracts.
Offered securities may also be offered and sold, if so indicated in the prospectus supplement, in connection with a remarketing upon their purchase, in accordance with a redemption or repayment pursuant to their terms, or otherwise, by one or more remarketing firms, acting as principals for their own accounts or as agents for us. Any remarketing firm will be identified and the terms of its agreement, if any, with us and its compensation will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Remarketing firms may be deemed to be underwriters in connection with their remarketing of offered securities.
Certain agents, underwriters and dealers, and their associates and affiliates, may be customers of, have borrowing relationships with, engage in other transactions with, or perform services, including investment banking services, for us or one or more of our respective affiliates in the ordinary course of business.
Certain underwriters may use this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement for offers and sales related to market-making transactions in the securities. These underwriters may act as principal or agent in these transactions, and the sales will be made at prices related to prevailing market prices at the time of sale. Any underwriters involved in the sale of the securities may qualify as “underwriters” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(11) of the Securities Act. In addition, the underwriters’ commissions, discounts or concessions may qualify as underwriters’ compensation under the Securities Act and the rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”).
In order to facilitate the offering of the securities, any underwriters may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the securities or any other securities the prices of which may be used to determine payments on such securities. Specifically, any underwriters may over allot in connection with the offering, creating a short position for their own accounts. In addition, to cover overallotments or to stabilize the price of the securities or of any such other securities, the underwriters may bid for, and purchase, the securities or any such other securities in the open market. Finally, in any offering
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of the securities through a syndicate of underwriters, the underwriting syndicate may reclaim selling concessions allowed to an underwriter or a dealer for distributing the securities in the offering if the syndicate repurchases previously distributed securities in transactions to cover syndicate short positions, in stabilization transactions or otherwise. Any of these activities may stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities above independent market levels. Any such underwriters are not required to engage in these activities and may end any of these activities 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.
Under Rule 15c6-1 of the Exchange Act, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in two business days, unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise. The applicable prospectus supplement may provide that the original issue date for your securities may be more than two scheduled business days after the trade date for your securities. Accordingly, in such a case, if you wish to trade securities on any date prior to the second business day before the original issue date for your securities, you will be required, by virtue of the fact that your securities initially are expected to settle in more than two scheduled business days after the trade date for your securities, to make alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement.
The securities may be new issues of securities and may have no established trading market. The securities may or may not be listed on a national securities exchange. We can make no assurance as to the liquidity of or the existence of trading markets for any of the securities.
The specific terms of any lock-up provisions in respect of any given offering will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Any 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.
The anticipated date of delivery of offered securities will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to each offer.
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LEGAL MATTERS
Certain legal matters in connection with this offering will be passed upon for us by Goodwin Procter LLP, Boston, Massachusetts. Any underwriters will also be advised about the validity of the securities and other legal matters by their own counsel, which will be named in the prospectus supplement.
EXPERTS
Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, has audited our financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024, as set forth in their reports, which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement. Our financial statements are incorporated by reference in reliance on Ernst & Young LLP’s reports, given on their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities offered by this prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement and its exhibits and schedules in accordance with SEC rules and regulations. For further information with respect to us and the securities being offered by this prospectus, you should read the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, including its exhibits and schedules. Statements contained in this prospectus, including documents that we have incorporated by reference, as to the contents of any contract or other document referred to are not necessarily complete, and, with respect to any contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the registration statement or any other such document, each such statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the corresponding exhibit. You should review the complete contract or other document to evaluate these statements. You may obtain copies of the registration statement and its exhibits via the SEC’s EDGAR database or our website.
We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other documents with the SEC under the U.S. Exchange Act. The SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers, including us, that file electronically with the SEC. You may obtain documents that we file with the SEC at www.sec.gov.
We also make these documents available on our website at www.esperion.com. Our website and the information contained in, or that can be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement, and you should not consider it part of this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement. We have included our website address in this prospectus solely as an inactive textual reference.
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INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference in this prospectus the information and reports we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to these documents. The information that we incorporate by reference in this prospectus is considered to be part of this prospectus. Because we are incorporating by reference future filings with the SEC, this prospectus is continually updated and those future filings may modify or supersede some of the information included or incorporated in this prospectus. This means that you must look at all of the SEC filings that we incorporate by reference to determine if any of the statements in this prospectus or in any document previously incorporated by reference have been modified or superseded. This prospectus incorporates by reference the documents listed below and any future filings we make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, including all filings made after the date of the filing of this registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of this registration statement, except as to any portion of any future report or document that is not deemed filed under such provisions until we sell all of the securities:
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Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on March 7, 2025;
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The information specifically incorporated by reference into our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 from our definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A (other than information furnished rather than filed), filed with the SEC on April 17, 2025;
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Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on April 1, 2025 and April 4, 2025 (in each case, excluding information furnished pursuant to Item 2.02 or 7.01, or corresponding information furnished under Item 9.01 or included as an exhibit); and
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The description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A (File No. 001-35986), filed with the SEC under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, filed with the SEC on June 25, 2013, including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description, including Exhibit 4.4 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on February 27, 2024.
In addition, all reports and other documents filed by us pursuant to the Exchange Act after the date of the initial registration statement and prior to effectiveness of the registration statement shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, unless specifically stated to the contrary, information that we furnish (and that is not deemed “filed” with the SEC) under Items 2.02 and 7.01 of any Current Report on Form 8-K, including the related exhibits under Item 9.01, is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
Upon request, we will provide, without charge, to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a copy of this prospectus is delivered, a copy of the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus but not delivered with the prospectus. You may request a copy of these filings, and any exhibits we have specifically incorporated by reference as an exhibit in this prospectus, at no cost by writing or telephoning us at the following address: Esperion Therapeutics, Inc., 3891 Ranchero Drive, Suite 150, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, Attention: Investor Relations, or by telephone request to 734-887-3903.
You may also access these documents, free of charge on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or on our website at www. esperion.com. Information contained in, or that can be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement, and you should not consider it part of this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement. We have included our website solely as an inactive textual reference.
This prospectus is part of a registration statement we filed with the SEC. We have incorporated exhibits into this registration statement. You should read the exhibits carefully for provisions that may be important to you.
You should rely only on the information incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not making an offer of these securities in any state where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus or in the documents incorporated by reference is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus or those documents.
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Shares of Common Stock
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
Joint Book-Running Managers
Piper SandlerCantor
, 2025
FAQ
What does Esperion (ESPR) intend to use the offering proceeds for?
The company intends to use net proceeds primarily to fund commercialization of NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET, research and clinical development, working capital, capital expenditures and general corporate purposes.
What is the disclosed net tangible book value for ESPR?
Net tangible book value was approximately $(433.5) million, or about $(2.14) per share as of June 30, 2025.
What exclusivity protection did Esperion secure for NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET?
Esperion entered a settlement with Dr. Reddy’s agreeing not to market a generic version in the U.S. prior to April 19, 2040, subject to limited customary exceptions.
What was Esperion’s Nasdaq closing price reported in the prospectus?
The prospectus reports a Nasdaq closing price of $3.30 per share on October 3, 2025.