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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

 

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of

The Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

Date of Report (Date of Earliest Event Reported):  May 30, 2024

 

Commission File No. 001-14778

 

Soligenix, Inc.

(Exact name of small business issuer as specified in its charter)

 

DELAWARE

 

41-1505029

(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 

 

 

29 Emmons Drive,

Suite B-10

Princeton, NJ

 

08540

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

(Zip Code)

(609) 538-8200

(Issuer’s telephone number, including area code)

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

 

  Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

  Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class

 

Trading Symbol(s)

 

Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock, par value $.001 per share

 

SNGX

 

The Nasdaq Capital Market

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

 

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 13(a) of the Exchange Act.

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Item 3.03Material Modification to Rights of Security Holders.

To the extent required by Item 3.03 of Form 8-K, the information contained in Item 5.03 of this Current Report on Form 8-K (this “Current Report”) is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 5.02Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

To the extent required by Item 5.02 of Form 8-K, the information contained in Item 5.03 of this Current Report is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 5.03Amendment to Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws; Change in Fiscal Year.

On May 30, 2024, Soligenix, Inc. (the “Company”) filed a Certificate of Amendment to Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Certificate of Amendment”) with the Secretary of State of Delaware to effect a 1-for-16 reverse stock split of the shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), issued and outstanding, effective as of 4:00 p.m. EST on June 5, 2024 (the “Reverse Stock Split”). As reported below under Item 5.07 of this Current Report, the Company initially convened its 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) on May 23, 2024 and reconvened it on May 30, 2024, at which meeting the Company’s stockholders approved the amendment to the Company’s Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended (the “Certificate of Incorporation”), to effect a reverse stock split of the Company’s Common Stock at a ratio in the range of 1-for-2 to 1-for-20, with such ratio to be determined by the Company’s board of directors (the “Board”) and included in a public announcement. Following the Annual Meeting, the Board determined to effect the Reverse Stock Split at a ratio of 1-for-16 and approved the corresponding final form of the Certificate of Amendment.

As a result of the Reverse Stock Split, every 16 shares of issued and outstanding Common Stock will be automatically combined into one issued and outstanding share of Common Stock, without any change in the par value per share. No fractional shares will be issued as a result of the Reverse Stock Split. Any fractional shares that would otherwise have resulted from the Reverse Stock Split will be rounded up to the next whole number. The Reverse Stock Split will reduce the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding from 15,799,837 shares to approximately 987,490 shares, subject to adjustment for the rounding up of fractional shares. The number of authorized shares of Common Stock under the Certificate of Incorporation will remain unchanged at 75,000,000 shares.

Proportionate adjustments will be made to the per share exercise price and the number of shares of Common Stock that may be purchased upon exercise of outstanding stock options and warrants issued by the Company. The maximum number of shares of Common Stock available for issuance under the Company’s 2015 Equity Incentive Plan will remain unchanged at 6,000,000 shares.  Similarly, the maximum number of shares of Common Stock for which stock options may be granted to any person in any calendar year, the maximum benefit that may be paid to any person under performance awards in any calendar year, and the aggregate number of shares of unrestricted stock that may be granted or sold for a purchase price that is less than their fair market value (unless granted in lieu of cash compensation equal to such fair market value) will remain unchanged, in each case at 200,000.

The Common Stock will begin trading on a reverse stock split-adjusted basis on The Nasdaq Capital Market on June 6, 2024. The trading symbol for the Common Stock will remain “SNGX.” The new CUSIP number for the Common Stock following the Reverse Stock Split is 834223 604.

For more information about the Reverse Stock Split, see the Company’s definitive proxy statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on April 29, 2024 (the “Proxy Statement”), the relevant portions of which are incorporated herein by reference. The information set forth herein is qualified in its entirety by reference to the complete text of the Certificate of Amendment, a copy of which is filed as Exhibit 3.1 to this Current Report and is incorporated by reference herein.

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Item 5.07Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.

The Company initially convened the Annual Meeting on May 23, 2024 and reconvened the Annual Meeting on May 30, 2024. As of the close of business on April 10, 2024, the record date for the Annual Meeting, there were 10,524,437 shares of Common Stock outstanding and entitled to vote on the proposals described below. The matters described below were submitted to a vote of the Company’s stockholders at the Annual Meeting. Each proposal, the voting power of the shares, the required voted for each proposal, and the quorum requirement are described in detail in the Proxy Statement.

At the Annual Meeting, the proposals set forth below were submitted to a vote of the Company’s stockholders. The final voting results are as follows:

Proposal 1:

Election of Directors

 

The following five nominees were elected as directors to serve until the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders by votes as follows:

 

Name

 

For

 

 

Withheld

 

Christopher J. Schaber, PhD

 

 

2,905,999

539,886

 

Gregg A. Lapointe, CPA, MBA

2,989,703

456,182

Diane L. Parks, MBA

 

 

2,932,841

513,044

 

Robert J. Rubin, MD

 

 

2,960,951

484,934

 

Jerome B. Zeldis, MD, PhD

 

 

2,921,504

524,381

 

 

There were 1,827,125 broker non-votes in the election of directors.

Proposal 2

Reverse Stock Split Proposal

 

The proposal to approve an amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation, in substantially the form attached as Annex A to the Proxy Statement, to, at the discretion of the Board, effect a reverse stock split with respect to the issued and outstanding Common Stock at a ratio of 1-for-2 to 1-for-20, with the ratio to be determined at the discretion of the Board and included in a public announcement, was approved, and the votes were as follows:

 

For

 

Against

 

Abstain

3,787,407

 

1,303,691

 

181,912

 

There were no broker non-votes on this proposal.

Proposal 3:

Non-binding Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation

 

The proposal to approve, by a non-binding advisory vote, the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers as disclosed in the Company’s 2024 proxy statement was approved, and the votes were as follows:

 

For

 

Against

 

Abstain

2,686,742

 

631,462

 

127,681

 

There were 1,827,125 broker non-votes on this proposal.

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Proposal Four

Ratification of the Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

The proposal to ratify the appointment of Cherry Bekaert, LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024 was approved by votes as follows:

 

For

 

Against

 

Abstain

4,702,784

 

371,664

 

198,562

 

There were no broker non-votes on this proposal.

Proposal 5:

Adjournment Proposal

 

The proposal to approve an adjournment of the Annual Meeting, in whole or in part as to any particular proposal(s), to a later date or dates, if necessary, to permit further solicitation of proxies in the event there are not sufficient shares voted to constitute a quorum or votes in favor of a particular proposal for approval, was approved, and the votes were as follows:

 

For

 

Against

 

Abstain

4,349,068

 

763,040

 

160,902

 

There were no broker non-votes on this proposal.

For more information about the foregoing proposals, see the Proxy Statement, the relevant portions of which are incorporated herein by reference. The results reported above are final voting results. No other matters were considered or voted upon at the Annual Meeting.

Item 7.01Regulation FD Disclosure.

On May 31, 2024, the Company issued a press release announcing the Reverse Stock Split. A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.

In accordance with General Instruction B.2 of Form 8-K, the information in this Item 7.01 of this Current Report, including Exhibit 99.1, shall not be deemed “filed” for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Exchange Act or the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, except as shall be expressly set forth by reference in such a filing. Furthermore, the furnishing of information under Item 7.01 of this Current Report is not intended to constitute a determination by the Company that the information contained herein, including the exhibits hereto, is material or that the dissemination of such information is required by Regulation FD.

Item 9.01.Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d)      Exhibits.

Exhibit No.

 

Description

3.1

Certificate of Amendment to Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Soligenix, Inc.

99.1

Press release dated May 31, 2024

104

Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document).

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SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

Soligenix, Inc. 

May 31, 2024 

By:

/s/ Christopher J. Schaber 

 

 

Christopher J. Schaber, Ph.D.

President and Chief Executive Officer

(Principal Executive Officer)

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EXHIBIT 3.1

CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT

TO

SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

 

THE UNDERSIGNED, being a duly appointed officer of Soligenix, Inc. (the “Corporation”), a corporation organized and existing under and by virtue of the Delaware General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”), for the purpose of amending the Corporation’s Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended to the date hereof (the “Certificate of Incorporation”), hereby certifies, pursuant to Sections 242 and 103 of the DGCL, as follows:

 

FIRST: The name of the Corporation is Soligenix, Inc.

 

SECOND: The amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation set forth below was duly adopted in accordance with the provisions of Section 228 and 242 of the DGCL.

 

THIRD: The Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, of the Corporation is hereby amended by striking out the first introductory paragraphs of Article IV thereof, and by substituting in lieu thereof, the following new introductory paragraphs:

 

“The total number of shares of capital stock of all classes which the Corporation shall have authority to issue is seventy five million three hundred fifty thousand (75,350,000) shares, of which (a) seventy five million (75,000,000) shares, of par value of $.001 per share, shall be of a class designated “Common Stock,” (b) two hundred thirty thousand (230,000) shares, of a par value of $.001 per share, shall be of a class designated “Preferred Stock,” (c) ten thousand (10,000) shares, of a par value of $.05 per share, shall be of a class designated “Series B Convertible Preferred Stock,” (d) ten thousand (10,000) shares, of a par value of $.05 per share, shall be of a class designated “Series C Convertible Preferred Stock,” and (e) one hundred thousand (100,000) shares, of a par value of $.001 per share, shall be designated “Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock.  The total number of shares of capital stock of all classes which the Corporation shall have authority to issue will not change as a result of the Reverse Stock Split (as defined below).

Upon this Certificate of Amendment to Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation becoming effective pursuant to the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “Effective Time”), every 16 shares of the Corporation’s Common Stock, par value $.001 per share (the “Old Common Stock”), issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time, will be automatically reclassified as and converted into one share of Common Stock, $.001 per share (the “New Common Stock”), of the Corporation (the “Reverse Stock Split”).

No fractional shares of New Common Stock of the Corporation shall be issued. The Board of Directors shall make provision for the issuance of that number of fractions of New Common Stock such that any fractional share of a holder otherwise


resulting from the Reverse Stock Split shall be rounded up to the next whole number of shares of New Common Stock. Any stock certificate that, immediately prior to the Effective Time, represented shares of the Old Common Stock will, from and after the Effective Time, automatically and without the necessity of presenting the same for exchange, represent the number of shares of the New Common Stock into which such shares of Old Common Stock shall have been reclassified plus the fraction, if any, of a share of New Common Stock issued as aforesaid.

Upon the Effective Time, the terms of outstanding equity awards granted under the Corporation’s 2005 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2005 Plan”) and the Corporation’s 2015 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2015 Plan”), including (i) the number of shares and type of common stock subject to outstanding awards; and (ii) the per share exercise price of each outstanding award, shall be proportionally adjusted to the end that the same proportion of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock in each instance shall remain subject to exercise at the same aggregate exercise price; subject to adjustments for any fractional shares as described herein and provided, however, that the number of shares of Common Stock (or other securities or property) subject to any award shall always be a whole number.

Immediately prior to the Effective Time, under the 2015 Plan (a) the maximum number of shares of Common Stock available for issuance is 6,000,000 shares; and (b) (i) the maximum number of shares of Common Stock for which stock options may be granted to any person in any calendar year, (ii) the maximum benefit that will be paid to any person under performance awards in any calendar year, and (iii) the aggregate number of shares of unrestricted stock that may be granted or sold for a purchase price that is less than their fair market value (unless granted in lieu of cash compensation equal to such fair market value), in each case is 200,000 (collectively, the “Plan Limitations”).  None of the Plan Limitations will change as a result of the Reverse Stock Split. Thus, the Reverse Stock Split will effectively increase the Plan Limitations.

 

The designations, powers, preferences, privileges, and relative, participating, option, or other special rights and qualifications, limitations or restrictions of the above classes of capital stock shall be as follows:”

 

FOURTH: This Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation shall be effective at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on June 5, 2024.

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has made and signed this Certificate of Amendment this 30th day of May, 2024 and affirms the statements contained herein as true under penalty of perjury.

 

 

Soligenix, Inc.

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Christopher J. Schaber

 

 

Christopher J. Schaber, Ph.D.

 

 

President and Chief Executive Officer

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EXHIBIT 99.1

Graphic

Soligenix Announces Reverse Stock Split

Common Stock Will Begin Trading on Split-Adjusted Basis

on June 6, 2024

PRINCETON, NJ – May 31, 2024 Soligenix, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNGX) (Soligenix or the Company), a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing products to treat rare diseases where there is an unmet medical need, announced today that it intends to effect a reverse stock split of its common stock at a ratio of 1 post-split share for every 16 pre-split shares. The reverse stock split will become effective at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. Soligenix’s common stock will continue to be traded on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol SNGX and will begin trading on a split-adjusted basis when the market opens on Thursday, June 6, 2024. The new CUSIP number for the Company’s common stock following the reverse stock split will be 834224 604.

At the 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders initially convened on May 23, 2024 and reconvened on May 30, 2024, Soligenix’s stockholders granted the Company’s Board of Directors the discretion to effect a reverse stock split of Soligenix’s common stock through an amendment to its Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation at a ratio of not less than 1-for-2 and not more than 1-for-20, with such ratio to be determined by the Company’s Board of Directors.

At the effective time of the reverse stock split, every 16 shares of Soligenix’s issued and outstanding common stock will be converted automatically into one issued and outstanding share of common stock without any change in the par value per share. Stockholders holding shares through a brokerage account will have their shares automatically adjusted to reflect the 1-for-16 reverse stock split. It is not necessary for stockholders holding shares of the Company’s common stock in certificated form to exchange their existing stock certificates for new stock certificates of the Company in connection with the reverse stock split, although stockholders may do so if they wish.

The reverse stock split will affect all stockholders uniformly and will not alter any stockholder’s percentage interest in the Company’s equity, except to the extent that the reverse stock split would result in a stockholder owning a fractional share. Any fractional share of a stockholder resulting from the reverse stock split will be rounded up to the nearest whole number of shares. The reverse stock split will reduce the number of shares of Soligenix’s common stock outstanding from 15,799,837 shares to approximately 987,490 shares, subject to adjustment for the rounding up of fractional shares. Proportional adjustments will be made to the number of shares of Soligenix’s common stock issuable upon exercise or conversion of Soligenix’s equity awards and warrants, as


well as the applicable exercise price. Stockholders with shares in brokerage accounts should direct any questions concerning the reverse stock split to their broker; all other stockholders may direct questions to the Company’s transfer agent, Equiniti Trust Company, LLC, toll-free at (877) 248-6417 or at (718) 921-8317.

About Soligenix, Inc.

Soligenix is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing products to treat rare diseases where there is an unmet medical need. Our Specialized BioTherapeutics business segment is developing and moving toward potential commercialization of HyBryte™ (SGX301 or synthetic hypericin sodium) as a novel photodynamic therapy utilizing safe visible light for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). With successful completion of the second Phase 3 study, regulatory approvals will be sought to support potential commercialization worldwide. Development programs in this business segment also include expansion of synthetic hypericin (SGX302) into psoriasis, our first-in-class innate defense regulator (IDR) technology, dusquetide (SGX942) for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, including oral mucositis in head and neck cancer, and (SGX945) in Behçet’s Disease.

Our Public Health Solutions business segment includes development programs for RiVax®, our ricin toxin vaccine candidate, as well as our vaccine programs targeting filoviruses (such as Marburg and Ebola) and CiVax™, our vaccine candidate for the prevention of COVID-19 (caused by SARS-CoV-2). The development of our vaccine programs incorporates the use of our proprietary heat stabilization platform technology, known as ThermoVax®. To date, this business segment has been supported with government grant and contract funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

For further information regarding Soligenix, Inc., please visit the Company’s website at https://www.soligenix.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter at @Soligenix_Inc.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements that reflect Soligenix’s current expectations about its future results, performance, prospects and opportunities, including but not limited to, potential market sizes, patient populations, clinical trial enrollment, the expected timing for closing the offering described herein and the intended use of proceeds therefrom. Statements that are not historical facts, such as “anticipates,” “estimates,” “believes,” “hopes,” “intends,” “plans,” “expects,” “goal,” “may,” “suggest,” “will,” “potential,” or similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results in future periods to differ materially from what is expressed in, or implied by, these statements, and include the expected amount and use of proceeds from the offering and the expected closing date of the offering. Soligenix cannot assure you that it will be able to successfully develop, achieve regulatory approval for or commercialize products based on its technologies, particularly in light of the significant uncertainty inherent in developing therapeutics and vaccines against bioterror threats, conducting preclinical and clinical trials of therapeutics and vaccines, obtaining regulatory approvals and manufacturing therapeutics and vaccines, that product development and commercialization efforts will not be reduced or discontinued due to difficulties or delays in clinical trials or due to lack of progress or positive results from research and development efforts, that it will be able to successfully obtain any further funding to support product development and commercialization efforts, including grants and awards, maintain its existing grants which are subject to performance requirements, enter into any biodefense procurement contracts with the U.S. Government or other countries, that it will be able to compete with larger and better financed competitors in the biotechnology industry, that changes in health care practice, third party reimbursement limitations and Federal and/or state health care reform initiatives will not negatively affect its business, or that the U.S. Congress may not pass any legislation that would provide additional funding for the Project BioShield

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program. In addition, there can be no assurance as to the timing or success of any of its clinical/preclinical trials. Despite the statistically significant result achieved in the first HyBryte™ (SGX301) Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, there can be no assurance that the second HyBryte™ (SGX301) Phase 3 clinical trial will be successful or that a marketing authorization from the FDA or EMA will be granted. Additionally, although the EMA has agreed to the key design components of the second HyBryte™ (SGX301) Phase 3 clinical trial, no assurance can be given that the Company will be able to modify the development path to adequately address the FDA’s concerns or that the FDA will not require a longer duration comparative study.  Notwithstanding the result in the first HyBryte™ (SGX301) Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and the Phase 2a clinical trial of SGX302 for the treatment of psoriasis, there can be no assurance as to the timing or success of the clinical trials of SGX302 for the treatment of psoriasis. Further, there can be no assurance that RiVax® will qualify for a biodefense Priority Review Voucher (PRV) or that the prior sales of PRVs will be indicative of any potential sales price for a PRV for RiVax®. Also, no assurance can be provided that the Company will receive or continue to receive non-dilutive government funding from grants and contracts that have been or may be awarded or for which the Company will apply in the future. These and other risk factors are described from time to time in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including, but not limited to, Soligenix’s reports on Forms 10-Q and 10-K. Unless required by law, Soligenix assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events.

COMPANY CONTACT:

Jonathan Guarino, CPA, CGMA,

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer,

(609) 538-8200 | www.soligenix.com

Soligenix, Inc.

29 Emmons Drive, Suite B-10

Princeton, NJ 08540

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v3.24.1.1.u2
Document and Entity Information
May 30, 2024
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]  
Document Type 8-K
Document Period End Date May 30, 2024
Entity File Number 001-14778
Entity Registrant Name Soligenix, Inc.
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code DE
Entity Tax Identification Number 41-1505029
Entity Address, Address Line One 29 Emmons Drive
Entity Address, Adress Line Two Suite B-10
Entity Address, City or Town Princeton
Entity Address, State or Province NJ
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code 08540
City Area Code 609
Local Phone Number 538-8200
Written Communications false
Soliciting Material false
Pre-commencement Tender Offer false
Pre-commencement Issuer Tender Offer false
Title of 12(b) Security Common Stock, par value $.001 per share
Trading Symbol SNGX
Security Exchange Name NASDAQ
Entity Emerging Growth Company false
Entity Central Index Key 0000812796
Amendment Flag false
Current Fiscal Year End Date --12-31

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