Exhibit 10.23
THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN
REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE
“SECURITIES ACT”), OR REGISTERED OR QUALIFIED UNDER ANY
APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THESE SECURITIES MAY NOT BE
TRANSFERRED UNLESS (A) COVERED BY AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION
STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT AND REGISTERED OR QUALIFIED
UNDER APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR (B) EXEMPTIONS FROM
SUCH REGISTRATION OR QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS ARE AVAILABLE. AS A
CONDITION TO PERMITTING ANY TRANSFER OF THESE SECURITIES, THE
COMPANY MAY REQUIRE THAT IT BE FURNISHED WITH AN OPINION OF COUNSEL
ACCEPTABLE TO THE COMPANY TO THE EFFECT THAT NO REGISTRATION OR
QUALIFICATION IS LEGALLY REQUIRED FOR SUCH TRANSFER.
WARRANT TO
PURCHASE
SHARES OF COMMON
STOCK
OF
INVERNESS MEDICAL INNOVATIONS,
INC.
Issuance Date: March 31,
2005
Void after 5:00 p.m.., Eastern
Standard Time, on March 31, 2015
This Warrant is executed and
delivered by Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc., a Delaware
corporation (the “Company” ), pursuant to that
certain Employment Agreement of even date herewith (the
“Employment Agreement” ) between the Company and
Roger Piasio ( “Piasio” ), pursuant to which the
Company has agreed to issue to Piasio a warrant to purchase up to
75,000 shares of Common Stock (as defined herein).
Capitalized terms used herein, and not otherwise defined herein,
shall have the respective meanings given to such terms in the
Employment Agreement.
In consideration of the mutual promises, representations,
warranties, covenants and conditions set forth in this Warrant and
the Employment Agreement, the Company and Piasio agree as
follows:
1.
The Warrant . The Company hereby certifies that Roger
Piasio, or his successors and permitted assigns (the
“Registered
Holder” ), is entitled to purchase
from the Company, subject to the terms and conditions of this
Warrant, up to 75,000 shares (as such shares may be adjusted
pursuant to the provisions of Section 6 hereof, the
“Warrant Shares”
) of common
stock, par value $0.001 per share, of the Company (the
“Common Stock”
), at an exercise
price of $24.00 per share (as such price may be adjusted pursuant
to the provisions of Section 6 hereof, the “Exercise Price” ), but only to the extent
that such Warrant Shares have become Vested Shares (as defined in
Section 2(b) hereof) and only prior to the Expiration Date (as
defined below) applicable to such Vested Shares. When used
herein, the term “Expiration Date”
means, with
respect to each Vested Share, the earlier of (a) the fifth
anniversary of the date such share became a Vested Share and (b)
March 31, 2015.
2.
Vesting of Warrant Shares .
(a)
The provisions of Sections 2.4.1, 2.4.2 and 2.4.6 of the Merger
Agreement (as defined below) (including, without limitation, any
references therein to Exhibits to the Merger Agreement) are hereby
incorporated by reference to this Warrant and made and integral
part hereof. Any breach by the Company of the provisions of
Section 2.4.2 of the Merger Agreement (as incorporated by reference
to this Warrant), shall be deemed and constitute a breach by the
Company of the provisions of this Warrant. When used
herein “Merger
Agreement” means that certain Agreement
and Plan of Merger dated February 8, 2005, by and among the
Company, BNX Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation and a wholly
owned subsidiary of the Company, Binax, Inc., a Delaware
corporation ( “Binax” ), certain Principal
Stockholders of Binax, and Piasio in his capacity as Stockholder
Representative, which provides for the merger of Binax with and
into Merger Sub, the resulting entity to be a wholly-owned
subsidiary of the Company.
(b)
Upon its issuance, this Warrant shall not be exercisable or vested
with respect to any Warrant Shares. This Warrant shall vest
and become exercisable with respect to 25,000 Warrant Shares (up to
an aggregate of 75,000 Warrant Shares) upon each occurrence of a
Vesting Event (as such shares may be adjusted pursuant to the
provisions of Section 6 hereof). A “Vesting Event” shall occur upon the
completion of a First Commercial Sale with respect to a Product
(which First Commercial Sale must occur prior to the expiration of
the Commercialization Period). For purposes of clarity, a
Vesting Event shall occur only once for a particular Product,
regardless of how many times that Product may be altered, improved,
redesigned, repackaged or reintroduced. Warrant Shares with
respect to which this Warrant becomes vested and exercisable in
accordance with the terms hereof are referred to herein as
“Vested
Shares.”
For example, in the event that a
First Commercial Sale is completed with respect to two Products
during the Commercialization Product, and no First Commercial Sale
is completed with respect to a third Product during the
Commercialization Period, then, (i) 25,000 Warrant Shares shall
vest and become Vested Shares on the date of the completion of the
First Commercial Sale with respect to the first Product, (ii)
25,000 additional Warrant Shares shall become exercisable on the
date of the completion of the First Commercial Sale with respect to
the second Product, and (iii) with respect to the remaining 25,000
Warrant Shares, this Warrant shall expire and be of no further
force and effect upon expiration of the Commercialization
Period.
(c)
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Warrant,
the Company shall have the right, in its sole and absolute
discretion, to terminate the R&D Activities (and, consequently,
the applicability of the provisions of Section 2.4.2 of the Merger
Agreement) with respect to any one or more Products during the
Commercialization Period; provided, however, that for
purposes of the vesting of the Warrant Shares hereunder, any such
termination shall be deemed a Vesting Event for such Product or
Products.
3.
Effect of Termination of Employment .
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(a)
In the event that during the Initial Term (as defined in the
Employment Agreement), the Employment Agreement and the employment
relationship created thereby are terminated (i) by the Company
without Cause (as defined in the Employment Agreement), or (ii) by
Piasio in accordance with Section 4(c)(iii) because of a material
breach by the Company, the vesting under this Warrant shall
accelerate such that all Warrant Shares that as of the date of such
termination have not become Vested Shares, shall immediately vest
and become Vested Shares for all purposes hereunder.
(b)
In the event that during the Initial Term, the employment of Roger
Piasio with the Company is terminated because of his death or is
terminated by the Company because of his Disability (as defined in
the Employment Agreement), this Warrant shall remain in full force
and effect and shall continue to vest subject to the terms and
conditions thereof.
(c)
In the event that during the Initial Term, the employment of Roger
Piasio with the Company is terminated under any circumstances not
described in Sections 3(a) or 3(b) hereof, this Warrant shall
terminate and be of no further force or effect with respect to any
Warrant Shares which have not become Vested Shares prior to the
date of such termination.
4.
Exercise .
(a)
This Warrant may be exercised by the Registered Holder with respect
to all or any part of the Vested Shares, at any time prior to the
Expiration Date applicable to such Vested Shares, by surrendering
this Warrant with the Purchase Form attached as Exhibit A
hereto duly executed by the Registered Holder, at the principal
office of the Company, or at such other office or agency as the
Company may designate, accompanied by payment in full, as provided
in Section 4(b) hereof, of the aggregate Exercise Price payable in
respect of the number of Vested Shares purchased upon such
exercise.
(b)
The aggregate Exercise Price may be paid, at the election of the
Registered Holder (i) by cash (including by wire transfer of
immediately available funds to an account designated by the
Company) or certified or bank check in lawful money of the United
States, or (ii) by exercise of the “net issuance” right
described below in this Section 4(b) ( “Net Issuance” ). If the Registered
Holder elects the Net Issuance method, the Company will issue
Warrant Shares to the Registered Holder upon exercise of this
Warrant in accordance with the following formula:
X = Y(A-B)
A
Where:
X = the number of Warrant Shares
that shall be issued to the Registered Holder.
Y = the number of Vested Shares
requested to be purchased under this Warrant.
A = the current fair market value of
one (1) share of Common Stock at the time of issuance of such
Warrant Shares.
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B = the Exercise Price in effect at
the time of exercise.
For purposes of the above
calculation, current fair market value of each share of Common
Stock shall be determined as follows: (i) if the Common Stock is
traded on the American Stock Exchange or another national
securities exchange, the fair market value shall be deemed to be
the average of the closing prices of the Common Stock over the 10
trading day period ending immediately prior to the day as of which
the current fair market value of the Common Stock is being
determined; or (ii) if the Common Stock is traded over-the-counter,
the fair market value shall be deemed to be the average of the
closing bid and asked prices of the Common Stock quoted on the
NASDAQ System (or similar system) over the 10 trading day period
ending immediately prior to the day as of which the current fair
market value of the securities is being determined; or (iii) if at
any time the Common Stock is not listed on any national securities
exchange or quoted in the NASDAQ System (or similar system) or the
over-the-counter market, the current fair market value of the
Common Stock shall be as determined in good faith by the Board of
Directors of the Company. The Net Issuance method may only be
used with respect to exercise of this Warrant if the current fair
market value of one share of the Common Stock at the time of
issuance of the Warrant Shares is greater than the Exercise Price
then in effect.
(c)
Each exercise of this Warrant shall be deemed to have been effected
immediately prior to the close of business on the day on which this
Warrant and the Purchase Form shall have been surrendered to the
Company as provided in Section 4(b) hereof. At such time, the
person or persons in whose name or names any certificate(s) for
Warrant Shares shall be issuable upon such exercise as provided in
Section 4(d) hereof, shall be deemed to have become the holder or
holders of record of the Warrant Shares represented by such
certificates.
(d)
As soon as practicable after each exercise of this Warrant, and in
any event within 30 days thereafter, the Company, at its expense,
will cause to be issued in the name of, and delivered to, the
Registered Holder, or, subject to the terms and conditions hereof,
as such Registered Holder (upon payment by such Registered Holder
of any applicable transfer taxes) may direct: (i) a certificate or
certificates for the number of full Warrant Shares to which such
Registered Holder shall be entitled upon such exercise, and (ii) in
case such exercise is in part only (whether because not all Warrant
Shares have become Vested Shares, or because this Warrant is
exercised only with respect to a portion of the Vested Shares, or
otherwise), a new Warrant evidencing the number of Warrant Shares
remaining unexercised.
(e)
To the extent not all Vested Shares are exercised prior to the
Expiration Date applicable to such Vested Shares, and if the then
fair market value of one share of the Common Stock is greater than
the Exercise Price then in effect, this Warrant shall be deemed
automatically exercised with respect to all such Vested Shares
pursuant to the Net Issuance method as provided in Section 4(b)
hereof (even if not surrendered) immediately before the Expiration
Date applicable to such Vested Shares. For purposes of such
automatic Net Issuance exercise, the fair market value of one share
of Common Stock shall be determined pursuant to the Net Issuance
provisions of Section 4(b) hereof. To the extent this Warrant
is deemed automatically exercised pursuant to this Section 4(e),
the Company shall promptly notify the Registered Holder of the
number of Warrant Shares that the Registered Holder is to receive
by reason of such automatic exercise.
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5.
Rule 144 . With a view to making available the
benefits of certain rules and regulations of the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the “SEC” ) which may at any time
permit the sale of the Warrant Shares to the public without
registration, the Company agrees to use its commercially reasonable
best efforts to:
(a)
make and keep public information available, as those terms are
understood and defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act of
1933, as amended (the “Securities Act” );
(b)
file with the SEC in a timely manner all reports and other
documents required of the Company under the Securities Act and the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the
“Exchange Act”
);
and
(c)
furnish to the Registered Holder forthwith upon request a written
statement by the Company as to its compliance with the reporting
requirements of such Rule 144 and of the Securities Act and
the Exchange Act, a copy of the most recent annual or quarterly
report of the Company, and such other reports and documents so
filed by the Company as the Registered Holder may reasonably
request in availing itself of any rule or regulation of the SEC
allowing the Registered Holder to sell any Warrant Shares without
registration.
6.
Adjustments .
(a)
If outstanding shares of Common Stock shall be subdivided into a
greater number of shares or a dividend in Common Stock shall be
paid in respect of Common Stock, the Exercise Price in effect
immediately prior to such subdivision or at the record date of such
dividend shall simultaneously with the effectiveness of such
subdivision or immediately after the record date of such dividend
be proportionately reduced. If outstanding shares of the
Common Stock shall be combined into a smaller number of shares, the
Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to such combination
shall, simultaneously with the effectiveness of such combination,
be proportionately increased. When any adjustment is required
to be made in the Exercise Price pursuant to this Section 6(a), the
number of Warrant Shares purchasable upon the exercise of this
Warrant shall be changed to the number determined by dividing (i)
an amount equal to the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon the
exercise of this Warrant immediately prior to such adjustment,
multiplied by the Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to
such adjustment, by (ii) the Exercise Price in effect immediately
after such adjustment.
(b)
If there shall occur any capital reorganization or reclassification
of the Common Stock (other than a change in par value or a
subdivision or combination as provided for in Section 6(a) above),
then, as part of any such reorganization or reclassification,
lawful provision shall be made so that the Registered Holder shall
have the right thereafter to receive upon the exercise hereof the
kind and amount of shares of stock or other securities or property
which the Registered Holder would have been entitled to receive if,
immediately prior to any such reorganization or reclassification,
the Registered Holder had held the number of shares of Common Stock
which were then purchasable upon the exercise of this
Warrant. In any such case, appropriate adjustment (as
reasonably determined by the Board of Directors of the Company)
shall be made in the application of the provisions set forth herein
with respect to the rights and interests thereafter of the
Registered Holders such that the provisions set forth in this
Section 6 (including provisions with respect to adjustment of the
Exercise Price) shall thereafter
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be applicable, in
as nearly equivalent a manner as may be practicable, in relation to
any shares of stock or other securities or property thereafter
deliverable upon the exercise this Warrant.
(c)
If there shall be a merger or consolidation of the Company with or
into another corporation (other than a merger or reorganization
involving only a change in the state of incorporation of the
Company or the acquisition by the Company of other businesses where
the Company survives as a going concern), or the sale of all or
substantially all of the Company’s capital stock or assets to
any other person, then as a part of such transaction, provision
shall be made so that the Registered Holder shall thereafter be
entitled to receive the number of shares of stock or other
securities or pro
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