As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 11, 2018
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 75-3254381 |
| (State or other jurisdiction of | (I.R.S. Employer |
| incorporation or organization) | Identification Number) |
999 Skyway Road, Suite 150
San Carlos, California 94070
(Address of registrant’s principal executive offices, including zip code)
Maria Fardis, Ph.D., M.B.A.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc.
999 Skyway Road, Suite 150
San Carlos, California 94070
(650) 260-7120
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
With copies to:
Emilio Ragosa
DLA Piper LLP (US)
51 John F. Kennedy Parkway, Suite 120
Short Hills, New Jersey 07078
(973) 520-2550
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after the effective date of this registration statement.
If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box. ¨
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box. þ
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. þ
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨
If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ¨
If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | ¨ | Accelerated filer | þ |
| Non-accelerated filer | ¨ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) | Smaller reporting company | ¨ |
| Emerging growth company | ¨ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ¨
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
|
Title of each class of securities to be registered
|
Proposed maximum aggregate offering price (1)
|
Amount of registration fee (2) | ||
| Common Stock, $0.000041666 par value | $50,000,000.00 | $6,060.00 |
| (1) | The registrant previously registered securities at an aggregate offering price not to exceed $250,000,000 on a Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-227241), which was filed by the registrant on September 7, 2018 and declared effective on October 3, 2018 (the “Prior Registration Statement”). In accordance with Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, an additional number of securities having a proposed maximum aggregate offering price of $50,000,000 is hereby registered, which includes shares issuable upon the exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares, representing no more than 20% of the maximum aggregate offering price of unsold securities under the Prior Registration Statement. In no event will the maximum aggregate offering price of all securities issued pursuant to this Registration Statement and the Prior Registration Statement exceed that registered under such registration statements. |
| (2) | Pursuant to Rule 457(o) of the rules and regulations under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registration fee has been calculated on the basis of the maximum aggregate offering price and the number of securities being registered has been omitted. |
EXPLANATORY NOTE AND INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE
This Registration Statement is being filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. This Registration Statement relates to the public offering of common stock of the Registrant contemplated by the shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-227241) originally filed with the Commission by the Registrant on September 7, 2018 (the “Prior Registration Statement”), and is being filed for the sole purpose of registering additional securities of the same class as were included in the Prior Registration Statement. The contents of the Prior Registration Statement, including each of the documents filed by the Registrant with the Commission and incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein and all exhibits thereto are hereby incorporated by reference.
The required exhibits, opinion, and consents are listed on the Exhibit Index attached hereto and filed herewith.
EXHIBIT INDEX
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of San Carlos, State of California, on October 11, 2018.
| IOVANCE BIOTHERAPEUTICS, INC. | ||
| By: | /s/ Maria Fardis, Ph.D., M.B.A. | |
| Maria Fardis, Ph.D., M.B.A. | ||
| President and Chief Executive Officer | ||
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated on October 11, 2018.
| Signature | Title | |
| /s/ Maria Fardis, Ph.D., M.B.A. | President and Chief Executive Officer and Director | |
| Maria Fardis, Ph.D., M.B.A. | (Principal Executive Officer) | |
| /s/ Timothy E. Morris | Chief Financial Officer | |
| Timothy E. Morris | (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) | |
| * | Director | |
| Iain Dukes, D. Phil. | ||
| * | Director | |
| Ryan Maynard | ||
| * | Director | |
| Merrill A. McPeak | ||
| * | Director | |
| Wayne Rothbaum | ||
| * | Director | |
| Michael Weiser, M.D., Ph.D. |
| * By: | /s/ Maria Fardis, Ph.D., M.B.A. | ||
| Maria Fardis, Ph.D., M.B.A. | |||
| Attorney-in-fact |
EXHIBIT 5.1
| DLA Piper LLP (US) | |
| 51 John F. Kennedy Parkway, Suite 120 | |
| Short Hills, New Jersey 07078 | |
| www.dlapiper.com | |
| T: 973-520-2550 | |
| F: 973-520-2551 | |
| Attorneys Responsible for Short Hills Office: | |
| Andrew P. Gilbert | |
| Michael E. Helmer |
October 11, 2018
Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc.
999 Skyway Road, Suite 150
San Carlos, California 94070
We have acted as counsel to Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the filing of the Registration Statement on Form S-3 filed on October 11, 2018 pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Shares Act of 1933, as amended (the “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement”). The Rule 462(b) Registration Statement incorporates by reference the contents of the Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-227241) originally filed by the Company with the Commission on September 7, 2018 (the “Registration Statement”), and declared effective on October 3, 2018, including a base prospectus (the “Base Prospectus”), which provides that it will be supplemented by one or more prospectus supplements (each such prospectus supplement, together with the Base Prospectus, a “Prospectus”), under the Shares Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The Rule 462(b) Registration Statement covers an underwritten public offering of up to $50,000,000.00 of the Company’s securities, including shares (the “Shares”) of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.000041666 per share (“Common Stock”). The Shares are being sold to the several underwriters named in, and pursuant to, an underwriting agreement among the Company and such underwriters.
In connection with the preparation of this opinion, we have examined such documents and considered such questions of law as we have deemed necessary or appropriate. We have assumed the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to originals of all documents submitted to us as copies thereof and the genuineness of all signatures. As to questions of fact material to our opinions, we have relied upon the certificates of certain officers of the Company.
We render this opinion only with respect to, and express no opinion herein concerning the application or effect of any laws other than, the existing Delaware General Corporation Law.
In connection with our opinions expressed below, we have assumed that, (i) at or prior to the time of the issuance and delivery of any of the Shares, there will not have occurred any change in the law or the facts affecting the validity of the Shares, any change in actions of the Company’s board of directors or the Company’s stockholders, or any amendments to the Company’s certificate of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws, and (ii) at the time of the offer, issuance and sale of any Shares, no stop order suspending the Registration Statement’s effectiveness will have been issued and remain in effect, and that the Registration Statement will not have been modified or rescinded. We also have assumed that the issuance and delivery of the Shares subsequent to the date hereof and the compliance by the Company with the terms of such Shares will not result in a violation of the Company’s certificate of incorporation or any provision of any instrument or agreement then binding upon the Company or any restriction imposed by any court or governmental body then having jurisdiction over the Company.
The foregoing opinions are qualified to the extent that the enforceability of any document, instrument or the Shares may be limited by or subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer or conveyance, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally, and general equitable or public policy principles.
Based upon the foregoing, we are of the opinion that when the Shares are issued, sold and delivered in the manner and for the consideration stated in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the resolutions adopted by the Company’s board of directors approving issuance and delivery of the Shares, such Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and the reference to us under the caption “Legal Matters” in the Prospectus. In giving this consent, we do not admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Shares Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.
Our opinion is expressly limited to the matters set forth above, and we render no opinion, whether by implication or otherwise, as to any other matters relating to the Company, the Shares or the Registration Statement.
Very truly yours,
/s/ DLA Piper LLP (US)
DLA Piper LLP (US)
Exhibit 23.1
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm’s Consent
We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement of Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc. on Form S-3MEF of our report dated March 12, 2018, with respect to our audits of the consolidated financial statements of Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc. as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 and for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2017, and our report dated March 12, 2018 with respect to our audit of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting of Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc. as of December 31, 2017 appearing in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc. for the year ended December 31, 2017. We also consent to the reference to our firm under the heading “Experts” in such Prospectus.
/s/ Marcum llp
Marcum llp
New York, NY
October 11, 2018
Exhibit 23.2
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement on Form S-3 (Registration No. 333-227241) of Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc. (formerly known as Lion Biotechnologies, Inc.) of our report dated March 11, 2016, with respect to the financial statements of Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc. (formerly known as Lion Biotechnologies, Inc.) for the year ended December 31, 2015, which appear in Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 12, 2018. We also consent to the reference to our firm under the heading “Experts” in the Registration Statement.
/s/ Weinberg & Company, P.A.
Los Angeles, California
October 11, 2018