As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 14, 2020

Registration No. 333-               

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

ANNOVIS BIO, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware     26-2540421
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
    (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)
       

1055 Westlakes Drive, Suite 300

Berwyn, PA 19312

(Address of principal executive offices, Zip Code)

 

Annovis Bio, Inc. 2019 Equity Incentive Plan

QR Pharma, Inc. 2018 Equity Incentive Plan

(Full title of the plan)

 

Maria Maccecchini, Ph.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Annovis Bio, Inc.
1055 Westlakes Drive, Suite 300
Berwyn, PA 19312

(Name and address of agent for service)

 

(610) 727-3913

(Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

Copies to:

 

Kathleen M. Shay, Esq.
Darrick M. Mix, Esq.
Duane Morris LLP
30 South 17th Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103
(215) 979-1227

 

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 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    ¨
Non-accelerated filer    x       Smaller reporting company    x
            Emerging growth company    x

 

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 to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. x

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

Title of securities to be registered  

Amount to be

registered (1) 

   

Proposed

maximum

offering price

per share 

   

Proposed

maximum

aggregate

offering price 

   

Amount of

registration

fee

 
Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share                                
To be issued pursuant to future awards under the Annovis Bio, Inc. 2019 Equity Incentive Plan (“2019 Plan”)     1,000,000     $ 5.23 (2)   $ 5,230,000.00 (2)   $ 678.85  
To be issued pursuant to outstanding options under the QR Pharma, Inc. 2018 Equity Incentive Plan (“2018 Plan”)     353,565 (3)   $ 0.19 (4)   $ 67,177.35 (4)   $ 8.72  
Total     1,353,565             $ 5,297,177.35     $ 687.57  

 

(1) Pursuant to Rule 416(a), under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), this Registration Statement on Form S-8 also covers additional shares of the common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Common Stock”), of Annovis Bio, Inc. (the “Registrant”) that may be offered or issued by reason of certain corporate transactions or events, including any stock splits, stock dividends, recapitalization or any other similar transactions.
(2) Estimated solely for purposes of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(c) and (h) under the Securities Act based on the average of the high and low prices of the shares of Common Stock, as reported by NYSE American on February 11, 2020.
(3) Represents shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock options awards under the 2018 Plan as of the date of this Registration Statement. No further grants will be made under the 2018 Plan. To the extent outstanding awards granted under the 2018 Plan are cancelled, forfeited or held back upon exercise or settlement of an award to satisfy the exercise price or tax withholding, reacquired by the registrant prior to vesting, satisfied without any issuance of stock, expire or are otherwise terminated (other than by exercise) subsequent to the date of this Registration Statement, the shares of common stock reserved for issuance pursuant to such awards will become available for issuance as shares of common stock under the 2019 Plan.
(4) Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(h) under the Securities Act, based upon the weighted-average exercise price per option currently outstanding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

PART I

 

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

 

The information specified in Item 1 and Item 2 of Part I of Form S-8 is omitted from this Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”) in accordance with the provisions of Rule 428 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and the introductory note to Part I of Form S-8. The documents containing the information specified in Part I of Form S-8 will be delivered to the participants in the respective plans. Such documents are not required to be, and are not, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) either as part of this Registration Statement or as a prospectus or prospectus supplement pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act.

 

PART II

 

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

 

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

 

The following documents filed with the Commission pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), are incorporated into this Registration Statement by reference:

 

(a) The Registrant’s Prospectus dated January 30, 2020 filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act, relating to the offering of the Registrant’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Common Stock”), (File No. 333-232529); and

 

(b) The description of the Registrant’s Common Stock contained in the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 8-A (File No. 001-39202) filed with the Commission on January 28, 2020, pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description.

 

In addition, all documents filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date hereof, but prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement that indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or that deregisters all such securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents. Notwithstanding the foregoing, unless specifically stated to the contrary in such filing, none of the information that the Registrant discloses under Items 2.02 or 7.01 of any Current Report on Form 8-K that it may from time to time furnish to the Commission will be incorporated by reference into, or otherwise be included in or deemed to be a part of, this Registration Statement.

 

For purposes of this Registration Statement, any document or any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated herein by reference shall be deemed to be modified or superseded to the extent that a subsequently filed document or a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document that also is or is deemed to be incorporated herein by reference modifies or supersedes such document or such statement in such document. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement. Subject to the foregoing, all information in this Registration Statement is so qualified in its entirety by the information appearing in the documents incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 4. Description of Securities.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

 

Not applicable.

 

 

 

 

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

 

Section 102 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware permits a corporation to eliminate the personal liability of directors of a corporation to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for a breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except where the director breached his duty of loyalty, failed to act in good faith, engaged in intentional misconduct or knowingly violated a law, authorized the payment of a dividend or approved a stock repurchase in violation of Delaware corporate law or obtained an improper personal benefit. Our restated certificate of incorporation provides that no director of the Registrant shall be personally liable to it or its stockholders for monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duty as a director, notwithstanding any provision of law imposing such liability, except to the extent that the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware prohibits the elimination or limitation of liability of directors for breaches of fiduciary duty.

 

Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware provides that a corporation has the power to indemnify a director, officer, employee, or agent of the corporation, or a person serving at the request of the corporation for another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise in related capacities against expenses (including attorneys' fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with an action, suit or proceeding to which he was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, ending or completed action, suit or proceeding by reason of such position, if such person acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, in any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful, except that, in the case of actions brought by or in the right of the corporation, no indemnification shall be made with respect to any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or other adjudicating court determines that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all of the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.

 

Our restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will indemnify each person who was or is a party or threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (other than an action by or in the right of us) by reason of the fact that he or she is or was, or has agreed to become, a director or officer, or is or was serving, or has agreed to serve, at our request as a director, officer, partner, employee or trustee of, or in a similar capacity with, another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise (all such persons being referred to as an "Indemnitee"), or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, against all expenses (including attorneys' fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with such action, suit or proceeding and any appeal therefrom, if such Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, our best interests, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, he or she had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful. Our restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will indemnify any Indemnitee who was or is a party to an action or suit by or in the right of us to procure a judgment in our favor by reason of the fact that the Indemnitee is or was, or has agreed to become, a director or officer, or is or was serving, or has agreed to serve, at our request as a director, officer, partner, employee or trustee of, or in a similar capacity with, another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, against all expenses (including attorneys' fees) and, to the extent permitted by law, amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, and any appeal therefrom, if the Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, our best interests, except that no indemnification shall be made with respect to any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to us, unless a court determines that, despite such adjudication but in view of all of the circumstances, he or she is entitled to indemnification of such expenses. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent that any Indemnitee has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, he or she will be indemnified by us against all expenses (including attorneys' fees) actually and reasonably incurred in connection therewith. Expenses must be advanced to an Indemnitee under certain circumstances.

 

We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and officers. These indemnification agreements may require us, among other things, to indemnify our directors and officers for some expenses, including attorneys' fees, judgments, fines and settlement amounts incurred by a director or officer in any action or proceeding arising out of his or her service as one of our directors or officers, or any of our subsidiaries or any other company or enterprise to which the person provides services at our request.

 

We maintain a general liability insurance policy that covers certain liabilities of directors and officers of our corporation arising out of claims based on acts or omissions in their capacities as directors or officers.

 

 

 

 

Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 8. Exhibits.

 

The following Exhibits are filed as part of this Registration Statement:

 

Exhibit
No.
  Description
4.1   Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to Amendment No. 1 to Form S-1 filed August 8, 2019.)
     
4.2   Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Registrant. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.4 to Amendment No. 1 to Form S-1 filed August 8, 2019.)
     
4.3   Annovis Bio, Inc. 2018 Equity Incentive Plan. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Form S-1 filed July 3, 2019.)
     
4.4   Annovis Bio, Inc. 2019 Equity Incentive Plan. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.8 to Amendment No. 1 to Form S-1 filed August 8, 2019.)
     
5.1*   Opinion of Duane Morris LLP regarding the legality of the securities being registered.
     
23.1*   Consent of WithumSmith+Brown, PC.
     
23.2*   Consent of Duane Morris LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1).
     
24.1*   Power of Attorney (included on the signature page of this Registration Statement).

 

 

* Filed herewith.

 

Item 9. Undertakings.

 

(a)       The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

 

(1)        To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

 

(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

 

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective Registration Statement;

 

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement.

 

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.

 

(2)        That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new Registration Statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

 

 

 

(3)     To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

 

(b)      The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act)  that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new Registration Statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

(c)       Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

 

 

 

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-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Berwyn, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, on February 14, 2020. 

 

  ANNOVIS BIO, INC.
   
  By: /s/ Maria Maccecchini
    Name: Maria Maccecchini
    Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

POWER OF ATTORNEY

 

We, the undersigned officers and directors of Annovis Bio, Inc. (the “Company”), hereby constitute and appoint Maria Maccecchini and Jeffrey McGroarty, and each of them, his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, each with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments, including post-effective amendments, to this Registration Statement, and any registration statement relating to the offering covered by this Registration Statement and filed pursuant to Rule 462 under the Securities Act, and to file the same, with exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorneys-in-fact and agents or their substitute or substitutes may lawfully so or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.

 

Signature   Title   Date
         
/s/  Maria Maccecchini   President and Chief Executive Officer   February 14, 2020
Maria Maccecchini   (principal executive officer)    
         
/s/  Jeffrey McGroarty   Chief Financial Officer   February 14, 2020
Jeffrey McGroarty   (principal financial and accounting officer)    
         
/s/  Michael Hoffman   Chairman of the Board and Director   February 14, 2020
Michael Hoffman        
         
/s/  Claudine Bruck   Director   February 14, 2020
Claudine Bruck        
         
/s/  Robert Whelan   Director   February 14, 2020
Robert Whelan        
         
/s/  Mark White   Director   February 14, 2020
Mark White        

 

 

 

Exhibit 5.1

 

NEW YORK

LONDON

SINGAPORE

PHILADELPHIA

CHICAGO

WASHINGTON, DC

SAN FRANCISCO

SILICON VALLEY

SAN DIEGO

SHANGHAI

TAIWAN

BOSTON

HOUSTON

LOS ANGELES

HANOI

HO CHI MINH CITY

 

 

ATLANTA

BALTIMORE

WILMINGTON

MIAMI

BOCA RATON

PITTSBURGH

NEWARK

LAS VEGAS

CHERRY HILL

LAKE TAHOE

MYANMAR

OMAN

A GCC REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE

OF DUANE MORRIS

 

ALLIANCES IN MEXICO

AND SRI LANKA

 
FIRM and AFFILIATE OFFICES
 
 
 
www.duanemorris.com
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
     

February 14, 2020

 

Annovis Bio, Inc.

1055 Westlakes Drive, Suite 300

Berwyn, PA 19312

Re: Exhibit 5.1 to Registration Statement on Form S-8

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

We are acting as counsel to Annovis Bios, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with its registration statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), relating to the offering by the Company of up to 1,353,565 shares of the Company’s common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (the “Shares”). 1,000,000 of the Shares subject to the Registration Statement are reserved for issuance pursuant to future awards under the Annovis Bio, Inc. 2019 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2019 Plan”) and 353,565 of the Shares subject to the Registration Statement are reserved for issuance upon the exercise of outstanding stock options awards under the QR Pharma, Inc. 2018 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2018 Plan” and, together with the 2019 Plan, the “Plans”).

 

We have examined the originals, or photostatic or certified copies, of such records of the Company and certificates of officers of the Company and of public officials and such other documents as we have deemed relevant and necessary as the basis for the opinions set forth below. In our examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity and competency of all natural persons, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals and the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as copies. We have also assumed that there are no agreements or understandings between or among the Company and any participants in the Plans that would expand, modify or otherwise affect the terms of the Plans or the respective rights or obligations of the participants thereunder. Finally, we have assumed the accuracy of all other information provided to us by the Company during the course of our investigations, on which we have relied in issuing the opinion expressed below.

 

Duane Morris llp    
30 SOUTH 17TH STREET    PHILADELPHIA, PA 19103-4196 PHONE: 215.979.1000    FAX: 215.979.1020

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 14, 2020

Page 2

 

This opinion letter is based as to matters of law solely on the Delaware General Corporation Law, as amended. We express no opinion herein as to any other laws, statutes, ordinances, rules, or regulations. As used herein, the term “Delaware General Corporation Law, as amended” includes the statutory provisions contained therein, all applicable provisions of the Delaware Constitution and reported judicial decisions interpreting these laws.

 

Based upon, subject to and limited by the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the Shares when issued and sold in accordance with the terms set forth in the Plans and against payment therefor, and when the Registration Statement has become effective under the Securities Act, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable

 

The opinion expressed herein is rendered as of the date hereof and is based on existing law, which is subject to change. Where our opinion expressed herein refers to events to occur at a future date, we have assumed that there will have been no changes in the relevant law or facts between the date hereof and such future date. We do not undertake to advise you of any changes in the opinion expressed herein from matters that may hereafter arise or be brought to our attention or to revise or supplement such opinion should the present laws of any jurisdiction be changed by legislative action, judicial decision or otherwise.

 

Our opinion expressed herein is limited to the matters expressly stated herein, and no opinion is implied or may be inferred beyond the matters expressly stated.

 

We consent to the filing of this opinion as Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration Statement, and we consent to the reference of our name under the caption “Legal Matters” in the prospectus forming a part of the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not admit that we are “experts” within the meaning of Section 11 of the Securities Act or within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act.

 

  Very truly yours,
 
  /s/ Duane Morris LLP

 

 

 

Exhibit 23.1

 

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

We hereby consent to incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-8 of the Prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) (File No. 333-232529) on January 30, 2020, which includes our report dated May 15, 2019, except for the effects on the financial statements of the restatement described in Note 12, as to which the date is July 2, 2019, and the reverse stock split described in Note 2(j), as to which the date is August 8, 2019, relating to the balance sheets of Annovis Bio, Inc. as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, and the related statements of operations, changes of redeemable convertible preferred stock and stockholders’ equity (deficit) and cash flows for each of the two years in the period then ended.

 

We also consent to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in such Prospectus.

 

 

/s/ WithumSmith+Brown, PC

 

East Brunswick, New Jersey

February 14, 2020