SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 13D
Under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(Amendment No. 3)
NeuroBo
Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
(Name of
Issuer)
Common
Stock, par value $0.001 per share
(Title of
Class of Securities)
64132R107
(CUSIP
Number)
Dong-A ST Co.,
Ltd.
64
Cheonho-daero,
Dongdaemun-gu,
Seoul, Korea
Attn.: Hyung
Heon Kim
Telephone:
82-2-920-8111
Copies to:
Matthew
Berger
Michael
Brandt
Willkie Farr
& Gallagher LLP
1801 Page Mill
Road
Palo Alto,
California 94304
Telephone:
(650) 887-9300
(Name,
Address and Telephone Number of Person Authorized to Receive
Notices and Communications)
September 14,
2022
(Date of
Event which Requires Filing of this Statement)
If the filing person has previously filed a statement on
Schedule 13G to report the acquisition which is the subject of this
Schedule 13D, and is filing this schedule because of Rule 13d-1(e),
13d-1(f) or 13d-1(g), check the following box. [ ]
*
|
The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a
reporting person’s initial filing on this form with respect to the
subject class of securities, and for any subsequent amendment
containing information which would alter the disclosures provided
in a prior cover page.
|
The information required on the
remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed to be “filed” for
the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(“Act”) or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of
the Act but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act
(however, see the Notes).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.
|
|
Names of
Reporting Persons
(S.S. or
I.R.S. Identification No. of Above Person)
Dong-A
ST Co., Ltd.
|
2.
|
|
Check
the Appropriate Box If a Member of a Group (See Instructions)
a. ☐
b. ☒
|
3.
|
|
SEC Use
Only
|
4.
|
|
Source
of Funds:
OO
|
5.
|
|
Check if
Disclosure of Legal Proceedings Is Required Pursuant to Items 2(d)
or 2(e): ☐
|
6.
|
|
Citizenship or Place of Organization
Republic
of Korea
|
Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned By
Each
Reporting
Person
With
|
|
7.
|
|
Sole
Voting Power
96,020
|
|
8.
|
|
Shared
Voting Power
0
|
|
9.
|
|
Sole
Dispositive Power
96,020
|
|
10.
|
|
Shared
Dispositive Power
0
|
11.
|
|
Aggregate Amount Beneficially Owned by Each Reporting Person
96,0201
|
12.
|
|
Check
Box If the Aggregate Amount in Row (11) Excludes Certain Shares
(See Instructions) ☐
|
13.
|
|
Percent
of Class Represented By Amount in Row (11)
10.7%2
|
14.
|
|
Type of
Reporting Person (See Instructions)
CO
|
1
These numbers reflect a 1-for-30 reverse stock split of the
Issuer’s common stock, effective September 12, 2022 (the
“Reverse Stock Split”).
2
Percentage of class calculated based on an aggregate of
approximately 900,000 shares of the Issuer’s common stock
outstanding as of September 14, 2022, which reflects the Reverse
Stock Split.
Pursuant to Rule 13d-2
promulgated under the Act, this Amendment No. 3 to Schedule
13D (this “Amendment No. 3”) is being filed with respect to
the common stock, par value $0.001 per share (“Common Stock”), of
NeuroBo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Issuer”), to amend the Schedule
13D filed on March 11, 2021 (the “Original 13D” and, as amended by
Amendment No. 1 filed on August 30, 2021 (“Amendment No. 1”),
Amendment No. 2 filed on September 1, 2021 (“Amendment No. 2”), and
this Amendment No. 3, the “Schedule 13D”). Capitalized
terms used but not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings
ascribed to them in the Schedule 13D.
Item 4.
|
|
Purpose of
Transaction.
|
|
|
Item 4 of
this Schedule 13D is hereby amended and supplemented to include the
following:
License Agreement
On
September 14, 2022, the Reporting Person and the Issuer
entered into an exclusive license agreement (the “License
Agreement”) pursuant to which, subject to the conditions set
forth therein, the Issuer would receive an exclusive license (other
than in the Republic of Korea and certain other Asian countries) to
two proprietary compounds for specified indications. The License
Agreement covers the rights to a compound referred to as DA-1241
for treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (“NASH”) and a
compound referred to as DA-1726 for treatment of obesity and NASH.
The Issuer may also develop DA-1241 for the treatment of Type 2
Diabetes Mellius. The effectiveness of the License Agreement is
contingent upon the Issuer closing the Qualified Financing as
described below.
Under the
terms of the License Agreement, the Reporting Person will
(i) receive an upfront payment of $22,000,000, which will be
paid in shares of a new series of preferred stock designated as
“Series A Convertible Preferred Stock”, par value $0.001 per
share (the “Series A Preferred
Stock”), of the Issuer under the terms of the Securities
Purchase Agreement (as defined below) (the “Upfront License
Payment”), which will be convertible into common stock upon
the Issuer obtaining the Stockholder Approval (as defined below);
(ii) be eligible to receive single digit royalties on net
sales received by the Issuer from the commercial sale of products
covering DA-1241 or DA-1726; (iii) be eligible to receive
commercial-based milestone payments, dependent upon the achievement
of specific commercial developments; and (iv) be eligible to
receive regulatory milestone payments of up to $178 million for
DA-1726 and $138 million for DA-1241, be eligible to receive
regulatory milestone payments of up to $178 million for DA-1726 and
$138 million for DA-1241, dependent upon the achievement of
specific regulatory developments.
The term of
the License Agreement continues on a product-by-product and
country-by country basis until the later of (i) the fifth
anniversary of the first commercial sale of such product in such
country, (ii) the expiration or termination of the last valid
patent claim that covers a product in such country and
(iii) the loss of regulatory exclusivity for such product in
such jurisdiction. Either the Reporting Person or the Issuer may
terminate the License Agreement (i) if the other party is in
material breach of the agreement and has not cured or started to
cure the breach within 60 days of notice of such breach; provided
that if the breach cannot be cured within the 60-day period and the
breaching party started to remedy the breach, if such breach is not
cured within 90 days of receipt of written notice, (ii) if the
other party is subject to a bankruptcy or insolvency event (subject
to a 30-day cure period in the case of a petition for bankruptcy)
or (iii) if the Issuer fails to complete the Qualified
Financing (as defined below) by December 31, 2022 (or
January 31, 2023 under specified circumstances set forth in
the License Agreement).
The foregoing
description of the License Agreement is qualified in its entirety
by the terms and conditions of the License Agreement, which is
filed as Exhibit 99.1 hereto.
Shared
Services Agreement
On
September 14, 2022, in connection with the License Agreement,
the Reporting Person and the Issuer entered into a shared services
agreement (the “Shared Services
Agreement”) pursuant to which the Reporting Person will
provide technical support, pre-clinical development, and clinical
trials support services in exchange for payment to the Reporting
Person as set forth therein. In addition, the Shared Services
Agreement provides that the Reporting Person will manufacture all
of the Issuer’s clinical requirements of DA-1241 and DA-1726 under
the terms provided in the Shared Services Agreement.
Either party
may terminate the Shared Services Agreement for the other party’s
material breach that is not cured within 30 days of notice. The
Reporting Person may also terminate the Shared Services Agreement
in part on a service-by-service or product-by-product basis upon a
breach by the Issuer which is not cured within 30 days.
The foregoing
description of the Shared Services Agreement is qualified in its
entirety by the terms and conditions of the Shared Services
Agreement, which is filed as Exhibit 99.2 hereto.
Securities
Purchase Agreement
On
September 14, 2022, in connection with the License Agreement,
the Reporting Person and the Issuer entered into a Securities
Purchase Agreement (the “Securities Purchase
Agreement”) pursuant to which, upon the consummation of the
License Agreement and a Qualified Financing (as defined below)
(i) the Reporting Person will receive the Upfront License
Payment and (ii) the Reporting Person will purchase from the
Issuer $15 million in value of shares of Series A Preferred
Stock and a number of warrants to purchase shares of the Issuer’s
common stock (the “Warrants”)
substantially equivalent to those issued to investors in respect of
the Qualified Financing (the “Dong-A
Financing”). The closing of the Dong-A Financing is
contingent upon (i) the Issuer’s issuance and sale of common
stock or other shares and instruments convertible into or
exercisable for shares of the Issuer’s common stock to investors
other than the Reporting Person resulting in gross proceeds of at
least $15 million (a “Qualified
Financing”), (ii) delivery of lock-up agreements by all of
the Issuer’s directors and officers and their affiliates and
support agreements from certain stockholders agreeing to vote their
shares of common stock in favor of the proposals to obtain the
Stockholder Approval, and (iii) satisfaction or waiver of the
other conditions described in the Securities Purchase Agreement.
The stockholders party to the support agreements hold, in the
aggregate, approximately 34% of the voting power of the Issuer’s
common stock outstanding.
At such time
as the Issuer obtains the requisite stockholder approval under
Nasdaq listing rule 5635 (or its successor) for the issuance
of the common stock underlying the Series A Preferred Stock
(the “Stockholder
Approval”), such shares of the Series A Preferred Stock
will automatically convert into shares of the Issuer’s common stock
at a conversion price equal to the price per share in the Qualified
Financing. The rights and preferences of the Series A
Preferred Stock will be designated by the Issuer’s board of
directors (the “Board”) in a
certificate of designations which will be filed with the Delaware
Secretary of State in the form attached to the Securities Purchase
Agreement. The Warrants may not be exercised by the Reporting
Person prior to the Issuer’s receipt of the Stockholder
Approval.
Pursuant to
the Securities Purchase Agreement, the Issuer agreed to call a
special meeting of stockholders not later than 60 days after the
closing under the Securities Purchase Agreement to obtain the
Stockholder Approval, with respect to the shares of the Issuer’s
common stock issuable upon the conversion of the Series A
Preferred Stock and the exercise of the Warrants issued under the
Securities Purchase Agreement. The Issuer agreed to prepare and
file a proxy statement with respect to such special meeting of
stockholders within 10 days after the closing under the Securities
Purchase Agreement. In the event that the Issuer does not obtain
the Stockholder Approval at the first stockholder meeting, the
Issuer is obligated to hold a meeting every four months
thereafter.
The
Series A Preferred Stock and any Warrants sold under the
Securities Purchase Agreement, together with any common stock
issuable upon conversion or exercise thereof, as the case may be,
are being sold and issued without registration under the Securities
Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”)
in reliance on the exemptions provided by
Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act as transactions not
involving a public offering and Rule 506 promulgated under the
Securities Act as sales to accredited investors, and in reliance on
similar exemptions under applicable state laws.
The foregoing
description of the Securities Purchase Agreement is qualified in
its entirety by the terms and conditions of the Securities Purchase
Agreement, which is filed as Exhibit 99.3 hereto.
Registration
Rights Agreement
In connection
with the Securities Purchase Agreement, on September 14, 2022,
the Issuer entered into a registration rights agreement with the
Reporting Person and certain other stockholders (the “Registration Rights
Agreement”). The Registration Rights Agreement provides the
Reporting Person with demand and piggyback registration rights,
including the right to two long-form registration statements. In
addition, the Issuer agreed to file, within 30 days following the
Stockholder Approval, a registration statement to register the
shares of common stock issuable upon: (i) the conversion of
the Series A Preferred Stock, (ii) shares of the Issuer’s
common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Warrants; and
(iii) any other common stock held by the parties to the
Registration Rights Agreement (the “Registrable
Securities”); and to use commercially reasonable efforts to
cause each registration statement to be declared effective under
the Securities Act as promptly as possible after the filing
thereof, but in any event no later than the 60th
day after Stockholder Approval (or in case the Securities and
Exchange Commission reviews the registration statement, the
90th
date after Stockholder Approval); provided that if the Issuer is
notified that the registration statement is not being reviewed or
is no longer subject to comment, the Issuer is required to make the
registration statement effective by the fourth trading day after
such date. The Issuer agreed to use its commercially reasonable
efforts to keep such registration statement continuously effective
under the Securities Act until the date that all Registrable
Securities covered by such registration statement have been sold or
are otherwise able to be sold pursuant to Rule 144.
The foregoing
description of the Registration Rights Agreement is qualified in
its entirety by the terms and conditions of the Registration Rights
Agreement, which is filed as Exhibit 99.4 hereto.
Investor
Rights Agreement
On
September 14, 2022, the Reporting Person and the Issuer
entered into an investor rights agreement (the “Investor Rights
Agreement”) pursuant to which, following the Issuer’s
receipt of the Stockholder Approval, the Reporting Person will have
the right, subject to the terms thereof, to designate for
appointment to the Board that number of directors commensurate with
the Reporting Person’s and its affiliates’ beneficial ownership of
the Issuer’s common stock, with the number of directors that the
Reporting Person is entitled to designate rounded up to the nearest
whole number (the “DA Designees”).
Upon obtaining the Stockholder Approval, to the extent necessary to
permit the designation of the DA Designees, the size of the Board
shall be increased to that number of directors that would permit
the Reporting Person to designate a number of directors to fill the
vacancies created thereby that is commensurate with the Reporting
Person’s and its affiliates’ collective beneficial ownership of the
common stock outstanding at such time (taking into account any DA
Designees already serving on the Board at such time). The
compensation (including equity-based compensation) and rights to
indemnity of, and reimbursement of expenses incurred by, the DA
Designees that are members of the Board will be the same as those
provided to other non-employee directors generally. When evaluating
a prospective DA Designee for membership on the Board, the Board
and the Nominating and Governance Committee shall apply the same
review processes and standards as each of them, respectively,
applies to other prospective non-employee directors
generally.
In addition,
the Investor Rights Agreement provides for a customary standstill
for nine (9) months following the Issuer’s receipt of the
Stockholder Approval. Furthermore, for so long as the Reporting
Person has the right to designate any DA Designee to the Board, the
Reporting Person will vote their shares of the Issuer’s common
stock in favor of any Company Director (as defined in the Investor
Rights Agreement) or any nominee designated by the Nominating and
Corporate Governance Committee of the Board and against the removal
of any Company Director, in each case, at any meeting of the
stockholders of the Issuer.
The foregoing
description of the Investor Rights Agreement is qualified in its
entirety by the terms and conditions of the Investor Rights
Agreement, which is filed as Exhibit 99.5 hereto.
Item 6.
|
|
Contracts,
Arrangements, Understandings or Relationships With Respect
to
Securities of the Issuer.
|
|
|
Item 6 of this
Schedule 13D is hereby amended and supplemented to include the
following:
The
information set forth in Item 4 hereof is incorporated by reference
into this Item 6.
Exhibit
Nos. 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4 and 10.5 of the Issuer’s Current Report
on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
September 14, 2022 is incorporated by reference into this Item
6.
Item 7. Material
to Be Filed as Exhibits.
Item 7 of this
Schedule 13D is hereby amended and supplemented to include the
following documents filed as exhibits to this Schedule 13D:
99.1 License
Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the
Issuer’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September
14, 2022)
99.2 Shared
Services Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to
the Issuer’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on
September 14, 2022)
99.3 Securities
Purchase Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to
the Issuer’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on
September 14, 2022)
99.4 Registration
Rights Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the
Issuer’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September
14, 2022)
99.5 Investor
Rights Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the
Issuer’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September
14, 2022)
SIGNATURE
After reasonable inquiry and to the
best of my knowledge and belief, the undersigned certifies that the
information set forth in this statement is true, complete and
correct.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date: September 16,
2022
|
|
|
|
DONG-A ST CO., LTD.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
|
/s/ Min Young Kim
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name: Min Young Kim
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Title: Chief Executive Officer
|