UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. )
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Filed by a party other than the Registrant |
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Preliminary Proxy Statement |
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Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) |
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Definitive Proxy Statement |
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Definitive Additional Materials |
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Soliciting Material under §240.14a-12 |
BIOVIE INC.
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other
than the Registrant)
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Fee paid previously with preliminary materials. |
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Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing. |
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BIOVIE INC.
680 W Nye Lane, Suite 201
Carson City, NV 89703
(775) 888-3162
NOTICE OF INTENT TO CONVENE IN VIRTUAL MEETING FORMAT THE ANNUAL MEETING OF
THE STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON November 8, 2023
Dear Stockholders of BioVie Inc.:
You are invited to participate in the 2023 Annual Meeting (the “Annual
Meeting”) of stockholders of BioVie Inc., a Nevada corporation (“BioVie” or the “Company”), to be held on
Wednesday, November 8, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. The Board of Directors has determined to convene and conduct the Annual Meeting
on Wednesday, November 8, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, in a virtual meeting format at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/BIVI2023.
Stockholders will NOT be able to attend the Annual Meeting in-person. The accompanying Proxy Statement includes instruction on how to
access the virtual Annual Meeting and how to listen, vote, and submit questions from home or any remote location with Internet connectivity.
At the Annual Meeting, we will consider and vote upon the following items:
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To elect seven (7) Directors to hold office until the next annual meeting and until their respective successors are elected and qualified (the “Board Election Proposal”); |
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To ratify the appointment of EisnerAmper LLP as BioVie’s independent registered public accounting firm for the 2024 fiscal year (the “Auditor Ratification Proposal”); and |
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To transact any other business that may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournments or postponements of the Annual Meeting. |
These items of business are more fully described in
the Proxy Statement accompanying this Notice.
YOUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS
THAT YOU VOTE FOR THE NOMINEES AND IN FAVOR OF THE OTHER PROPOSALS OUTLINED IN THE ACCOMPANYING PROXY STATEMENT.
The board of directors of BioVie has fixed the close of business on October
2, 2023 as the record date for the Annual Meeting. Only stockholders of record on the record date are entitled to notice of and to vote
at the Annual Meeting. Further information regarding voting rights and the matters to be voted upon is presented in the accompanying Proxy
Statement.
You are cordially invited to participate in the Annual Meeting. Whether
or not you expect to participate in the Annual Meeting, please complete, date, sign and return the enclosed proxy or submit your proxy
through the internet or by telephone as promptly as possible in order to ensure your representation at the Annual Meeting. If you have
requested physical materials to be mailed to you, a return envelope (which is postage prepaid if mailed in the United States) is enclosed
for your convenience to use if you choose to submit your proxy by mail. Even if you have voted by proxy, you may still vote online if
you attend the virtual Annual Meeting. Please note, however, that if your shares are held of record by a broker, bank or other agent and
you wish to vote at the Annual Meeting, you must obtain a proxy issued in your name from that record holder. Only stockholders of record
at the close of business on the record date may vote at the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof. This notice is
being mailed to all stockholders of record entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting on or about October 9, 2023.
By order of the Board of Directors,
Jim Lang
Chairman
Carson City, Nevada
September 29, 2023
BIOVIE INC.
PROXY STATEMENT
FOR THE 2023 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy
Materials for the 2023 Annual Meeting
This proxy statement and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended June 30, 2023 (the “2023 Annual Report”) are available for viewing, printing and downloading at https://bioviepharma.com/investors.html.
Certain documents referenced in the proxy statement are available on our website. However, we are not including the information contained
on our website, or any information that may be accessed by links on our website, as part of, or incorporating it by reference into, this
Proxy Statement.
The Notice of Annual Meeting, Proxy Statement and proxy card and the
2023 Annual Report are first being mailed to our stockholders on or about October 9, 2023.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THIS PROXY STATEMENT,
THE VIRTUAL ANNUAL
MEETING AND VOTING
Why did I receive these proxy materials?
We are providing these proxy materials in connection with the solicitation
by the Board of Directors of BioVie Inc., a Nevada corporation (sometimes referred to as “we,” “our,” “us,”
the “Company,” the “Corporation” or “BioVie”), of proxies to be voted at our 2023 Annual Meeting of
Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) and at any adjournment or postponement thereof.
How may I participate in the virtual Annual Meeting?
To participate in the virtual Annual Meeting, go to www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/BIVI2023
at 10:00 a.m. PDT on November 8, 2023 and use the 16-digit control number that appears on the accompanying proxy card (printed in the
box and marked by the arrow) and the instructions that accompanied these proxy materials. If you are a stockholder of record as of October
2, 2023, the record date (the “Record Date”) for the Annual Meeting, you will need to log-in to www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/BIVI2023
using the 16-digit control number on the proxy card or voting instruction form.
If your shares are held in “street name” through a broker,
bank or other nominee, in order to participate in the virtual annual meeting you must first obtain a legal proxy from your broker, bank
or other nominee reflecting the number of shares of BioVie’s Class A common stock, or “common stock,” you beneficially
held as of the Record Date, your name and email address. You then must submit a request for registration to West Coast Stock Transfer,
Inc.: (1) by email to fbrickell@wcsti.com; (2) by facsimile to (760)-452-4423 or (3) by mail to West Coast Stock Transfer, Inc., 721 N.
Vulcan Ave. 1st FL, Encinitas, CA 92024 Attn: Frank Brickell. Requests for registration must be labeled as “Legal Proxy” and
be received by West Coast Stock Transfer, Inc. no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on November 2, 2023.
If I already submitted a proxy, do I have to vote again?
No. If you already submitted a proxy, your vote will
be counted and you do not need to submit a new proxy or vote online at the virtual Annual Meeting.
If I have not yet submitted a proxy, may I still do so?
Yes. If you have not yet submitted a proxy, you may do so by (a) visiting
www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/BIVI2023 and following the on screen instructions (have your proxy card available when you access the
webpage), or (b) calling toll-free 1-800-690-6903 in the U.S., or (c) submitting your proxy card by mail by using the previously provided
self-addressed, stamped envelope.
May I revoke a previously submitted proxy or otherwise change my vote
at the virtual Annual Meeting?
Yes. You may change or revoke your vote by writing to us, by submitting
another properly signed proxy card with a more recent date, or by voting again by the telephone or Internet voting options described below.
If your shares are held in “street name” through a bank, broker or other nominee, any changes need to be made through them.
Your last vote will be the vote that is counted.
Unless revoked, a proxy will be voted at the virtual meeting in accordance
with the stockholder’s indicated instructions. In the absence of instructions, proxies will be voted FOR the election of the seven
nominees identified in the Proxy Statement as directors and FOR the ratification of EisnerAmper LLP as BioVie’s independent registered
public accounting firm for the 2024 fiscal year.
How do I vote at the virtual Annual Meeting?
Stockholders of record; Shares registered directly in your name.
If you are a stockholder of record, you may vote online at the virtual
Annual Meeting on November 8, 2023 or vote by proxy using the enclosed proxy card, the Internet or telephone. Whether or not you plan
to participate in the Annual Meeting, we urge you to vote by proxy to ensure your vote is counted. Even if you have already voted by proxy,
you may still attend the virtual Annual Meeting and vote online at the virtual Annual Meeting on November 8, 2023, if you choose.
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To vote online at the virtual Annual Meeting on November 8, 2023, go to www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/BIVI2023 at 10:00 a.m. PDT on November 8, 2023 and use the 16-digit control number that appears on the accompanying proxy card (printed in the box and marked by the arrow) and the instructions that accompanied these proxy materials. |
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To vote using the proxy card, please complete, sign and date the proxy card and return it in the prepaid envelope. If you return your signed proxy card to us before the Annual Meeting, we will vote your shares as you direct. If you do not have the prepaid envelope, please mail your completed proxy card to Vote Processing, C/O Broadridge, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717. |
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To vote via the telephone, you can vote by calling the telephone number on your proxy card. Please have your proxy card handy when you call. Easy-to-follow voice prompts will allow you to vote your shares and confirm that your instructions have been properly recorded. |
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To vote via the Internet, please go to www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/BIVI2023 and follow the instructions. Please have your proxy card handy when you go to the website. As with telephone voting, you can confirm that your instructions have been properly recorded. |
Telephone and Internet voting facilities for stockholders of record will
be available 24 hours a day until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 7, 2023. After that, telephone and Internet voting will be closed,
and if you want to vote your shares, you will either need to ensure that your proxy card is received by the Company before the date of
the Annual Meeting or attend the virtual Annual Meeting to vote your shares online.
Beneficial owner; Shares held in account at brokerage, bank or other
organization.
If your shares are registered in the name of your broker, bank or other
agent, you are the “beneficial owner” of those shares and those shares are considered as held in “street name.”
If you are a beneficial owner of shares registered in the name of your broker, bank or other agent, you should have received a proxy card
and voting instructions with these proxy materials from that organization rather than directly from us. Simply complete and mail the proxy
card as instructed by your broker, bank or other agent to ensure that your vote is counted. You may be eligible to vote your shares electronically
over the Internet or by telephone depending on your broker, bank or other agent. A large number of banks and brokerage firms offer Internet
and telephone voting. If your bank or brokerage firm does not offer Internet or telephone voting information, please complete and return
your proxy card in the self-addressed, postage-paid envelope provided. To vote in person at the virtual Annual Meeting, you must first
obtain a valid legal proxy from your broker, bank or other agent and then register in advance to attend the Annual Meeting. Follow the
instructions from your broker or bank included with these proxy materials, or contact your broker or bank to request a legal proxy form.
After obtaining a valid legal proxy from your broker, bank or other agent,
to then register to attend the Annual Meeting, you must submit proof of your legal proxy reflecting the number of your shares along with
your name and email address to West Coast Stock Transfer. Inc. Requests for registration should be directed to fbrickell@wcsti.com
or to facsimile number (760)-452-4423. Written requests can be mailed to:
West Coast Stock Transfer, Inc.
Attn: Frank Brickell
721 N. Vulcan Ave. 1st FL
Encinitas, CA 92024
Requests for registration must be labeled as “Legal Proxy”
and be received no later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on November 2, 2023.
You will receive a confirmation of your registration by email after we
receive your registration materials. You may attend the Annual Meeting and vote your shares at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/BIVI2023
and use the 16-digit control number that appears on the accompanying proxy card (printed in the box and marked by the arrow) during the
meeting. We encourage you to access the meeting prior to the start time leaving ample time for the check in.
Who can help answer any other questions I might have?
If you have any questions concerning the virtual Annual Meeting (including
accessing the meeting by virtual means) or would like additional copies of the Proxy Statement or need help voting your shares of the
Company’s common stock, please contact our transfer agent:
West Coast Stock Transfer, Inc.
The Notice of Annual Meeting, 2023 Annual Report, Proxy Statement and form
of Proxy Card are available at:
https://www.westcoaststocktransfer.com/proxy-bivi/
Who is entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting?
Only stockholders of record at the close of business on October 2, 2023
(the “Record Date”), are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. On the Record Date, there were shares of BioVie’s common
stock outstanding and entitled to vote. Each share of common stock is entitled to one vote on each matter properly brought before the
Annual Meeting.
What is the difference between holding shares as a stockholder of record
and as a beneficial owner?
If on October 2, 2023 your shares were registered directly in your name
with BioVie’s transfer agent, West Coast Stock Transfer, Inc., then you are the “stockholder of record.” Whether or
not you plan to participate in the Annual Meeting, we urge you to fill out and return the enclosed proxy card or vote via the Internet
or by telephone to ensure your vote is counted.
If on October 2, 2023 your shares were held in a stock brokerage account
or by a bank or other similar organization, then you are considered the “beneficial owner” of those shares. These proxy materials
have been forwarded to you by that organization. The organization holding your account is considered the stockholder of record for purposes
of voting at the Annual Meeting. As the beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your broker, bank or other agent how to vote the
shares in your account. You are also invited to participate in the Annual Meeting. However, because you are not the stockholder of record,
you may not vote your shares online at the virtual Annual Meeting unless you request and obtain a valid proxy from your broker, bank or
other agent.
What am I voting on?
There are two matters scheduled for a vote:
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To elect seven (7) Directors to hold office until the next annual meeting and until their respective successors are elected and qualified (the “Board Election Proposal”); |
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To ratify the appointment of EisnerAmper LLP as BioVie’s independent registered public accounting firm for the 2024 fiscal year (the “Auditor Ratification Proposal”); and |
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To transact any other business that may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournments or postponements of the Annual Meeting. |
What if I return a proxy card but do not make specific choices?
If your card does not indicate your voting preferences, the persons named
in the proxy card will vote the shares represented by your proxy card as recommended by the Board of Directors, unless your shares are
held in street name and you fail to provide your broker, bank or other agent, as applicable, with voting instructions on proposal 1, in
which case your shares will be voted as “broker non-votes” on such proposal as described below. BioVie does not expect that
any matters other than the election of Directors and the other proposals described herein will be brought before the Annual Meeting. If
any other matter is properly presented at the Annual Meeting, your proxy (one of the individuals named on your proxy card) will vote your
shares using their best judgment.
What can I do if I change my mind after I vote?
If you are a stockholder of record, you can revoke your proxy at any time
before the final vote at the Annual Meeting by:
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giving written notice that you are revoking your proxy to the Secretary, BioVie Inc., 680 W Nye Lane, Suite 201, Carson City, NV 89703; |
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delivering a properly completed proxy card with a later date, or vote by telephone or on the Internet at a later date (we will vote your shares as directed in the last instructions properly received from you prior to the Annual Meeting); or |
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attending and voting online at the virtual Annual Meeting (note, simply attending the Annual Meeting will not, by itself, revoke your proxy). |
If you are a beneficial owner of shares, you may submit new voting instructions
by contacting your broker, bank or other agent that is the holder of record and following its instructions.
Please note that to be effective, your new proxy card, internet or telephonic
voting instructions or written notice of revocation must be received by the Secretary prior to the Annual Meeting and, in the case of
internet or telephonic voting instructions, must be received before 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 7, 2023.
What shares are included on the proxy card?
If you are a stockholder of record, you will receive only one proxy card
for all the shares you hold of record in certificate and book-entry form. If you are a beneficial owner, you will receive voting instructions
from your broker, bank or other agent that is the holder of record.
Is there a list of stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting?
The names of stockholders of record entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting
will be available ten days prior to the Annual Meeting for any purpose relevant to the Annual Meeting, by contacting the Secretary of
BioVie Inc.
How are votes counted?
Votes will be counted by the inspector of election appointed for the Annual
Meeting, who will separately count “For” and “Against” votes, and broker non-votes.
What is a broker non-vote?
If you are a beneficial owner whose shares are held of record by a broker,
you must instruct the broker how to vote your shares. If you do not provide voting instructions, your shares will not be voted on any
proposal on which the broker does not have discretionary authority to vote. This is called a “broker non-vote.” In these cases,
the broker can register your shares as being present at the Annual Meeting for purposes of determining the presence of a quorum but will
not be able to vote on those matters for which specific authorization is required.
If you are a beneficial owner whose shares are held of record by a broker,
your broker has discretionary voting authority to vote your shares on Proposal No. 2, the Auditor Ratification Proposal, even if the broker
does not receive voting instructions from you. However, your broker does not have discretionary authority to vote on Proposal No. 1, the
Board Election Proposal. Accordingly, it is important that beneficial owners instruct their brokers how they wish to vote their shares.
What is the quorum requirement for the Annual Meeting?
A quorum of stockholders is necessary to hold a valid Annual Meeting.
A quorum will be present if the holders of majority of the outstanding shares are represented by proxy or by stockholders present
and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. On the Record Date, there were 36,920,560 shares outstanding and entitled to vote. Thus,
18,460,280 shares must be represented by proxy or by stockholders present and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. Abstentions
and broker non-votes are counted as present and entitled to vote for purposes of determining a quorum.
If there is no quorum, a majority of the shares so represented may adjourn
the Annual Meeting to another time or date.
How many votes are required to approve each proposal?
Proposal |
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Vote Required |
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Broker Discretionary
Voting Allowed? |
Proposal No. 1 -- Board Election Proposal |
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Plurality of votes cast |
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No |
Proposal No. 2 – Auditor Ratification Proposal |
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Majority of votes cast |
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Yes |
If you abstain from voting or there is a broker non-vote on any matter,
your abstention or broker non-vote will not affect the outcome of such vote, because abstentions and broker non-votes are not considered
votes cast under our Amended and Restated Bylaws or under the laws of Nevada (our state of incorporation).
Proposal No. 1 - Board Election Proposal; plurality vote
Directors are elected by a plurality of votes cast. This means that Directors
who receive the most “For” votes are elected. There is no “Against” option and votes that are “withheld”
or not cast, including broker non-votes, are not counted as votes “For” or “Against.” If a Director nominee receives
a plurality of votes but does not, however, receive a majority of votes, that fact will be considered by the Compensation and Nominating
Committee of the Board in any future decision on Director Nominations.
Proposal No. 2 - Auditor Ratification Proposal; majority vote
The votes cast “For” must exceed the votes cast “Against”
to approve the Auditor Ratification Proposal. Abstentions will not be counted as votes cast and accordingly, will not have an effect on
this Proposal No. 2.
How will my shares be voted at the Annual Meeting?
At the Annual Meeting, the persons named in the proxy card will vote your
shares as you instruct. If you sign your proxy card and return it without indicating how you would like to vote your shares, your proxy
will be voted as the Board of Directors recommends, unless your votes constitute broker non-votes, which is:
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FOR the election of each of the Director nominees named in this Proxy Statement; |
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FOR the ratification of the appointment of EisnerAmper LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the 2024 fiscal year; |
Do I have cumulative voting rights?
No, our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation does not provide
for cumulative voting.
Am I entitled to dissenter rights or appraisal rights?
No, our stockholders are not entitled to dissenters’ rights or appraisal
rights under the Nevada General Corporation Law for the matters being submitted to stockholders at the Annual Meeting.
Could other matters be decided at the Annual Meeting?
At the date of this Proxy Statement, we did not know of any matters to
be considered at the Annual Meeting other than the items described in this Proxy Statement. If any other business is properly presented
at the Annual Meeting, your proxy card grants authority to the proxy holders to vote on such matters in their discretion.
Can I access the Notice of Annual Meeting and Proxy Statement and the
2023 Annual Report via the Internet?
Yes, this Notice of Annual Meeting, Proxy Statement and the 2023 Annual
Report are available on our website at www.bioviepharma.com. Instead of receiving future proxy statements and accompanying materials by
mail, most stockholders can elect to receive an e-mail that will provide electronic links to them. Opting to receive your proxy materials
online will save us the cost of producing documents and mailing them to your home or business, and also gives you an electronic link to
the proxy voting site.
Stockholders of Record: You may enroll in the electronic proxy delivery
service at any time by accessing your stockholder account at www.amstock.com and following the enrollment instructions.
Beneficial Owners: You also may be able to receive copies of these
documents electronically. Please check the information provided in the proxy materials sent to you by your broker, bank or other holder
of record regarding the availability of this service.
Who will pay for the cost of this proxy solicitation?
BioVie will pay the cost of soliciting proxies. Proxies may be solicited
on our behalf by directors, officers or employees in person or by telephone, electronic transmission and facsimile transmission or by
other means of communication. Directors, officers or employees will not be paid any additional compensation for soliciting proxies. We
may also reimburse brokerage firms, banks and other agents for the cost of forwarding proxy materials to the beneficial owners.
How can I find out the results of the voting at the Annual Meeting?
Preliminary voting results will be announced at the Annual Meeting. Final
voting results will be reported in a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
PROPOSAL NO. 1
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
The Nominees
We currently have a Board consisting of seven directors. There are seven
(7) nominees for director to be voted on at the 2023 Annual Meeting. All of the nominees are current Directors and have consented to serve
as Directors. Each Director to be elected will hold office until the next annual meeting and until his or her respective successor is
elected and qualified. If any of the nominees declines to serve or becomes unavailable for any reason, or if a vacancy occurs before the
election (although we know of no reason to anticipate that this will occur), the proxies may be voted for such substitute nominees as
we may designate. Should a nominee become unable to serve or should a vacancy on the Board occur before the 2023 Annual Meeting, the Board
may either reduce its size or designate a substitute nominee. If a substitute nominee is named, your shares will be voted for the election
of the substitute nominee designated by the Board, unless your shares are treated as a broker non-vote. In the vote on the election of
the Director nominees, stockholders may vote “FOR” nominees or “WITHHOLD” votes from nominees. The seven (7) Director
nominees receiving the highest number of “FOR” votes will be elected as Directors. Votes that are withheld, abstentions and
broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of the election.
The persons appointed by the Board as proxies intend to vote for the election
of each of the below director nominees, unless you indicate otherwise on the proxy or voting instruction card or if your vote is treated
as a broker non-vote. Set forth below is biographical and other information about the Director nominees. Following each nominee’s
biographical information, we have provided information concerning the particular experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills
that led the Nominations and Governance Committee and the Board to determine that each nominee should serve as a Director.
Our Board unanimously recommends that you vote “FOR” the nominees
named below.
Name |
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Age |
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Position |
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Director
Since |
Jim Lang |
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58 |
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Chairman of the Board, Chairman of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, and Member of the Audit Committee |
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2016 |
Cuong Do |
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57 |
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Director, President and Chief Executive Officer |
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2016 |
Michael Sherman |
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64 |
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Director, Chairman of the Compensation Committee and Member of the Audit Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee |
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2017 |
Richard J. Berman |
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81 |
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Director, Chairman of the Audit Committee and Member of the Compensation Committee |
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2019 |
Steve Gorlin |
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86 |
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Director and Compensation Committee Member |
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2020 |
Robert Hariri, M.D. Ph.D. |
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64 |
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Director and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee |
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2020 |
Sigmund Rogich |
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79 |
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Director and Audit Committee Member |
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2020 |
Mr. Jim Lang, Chairman of the Board of Directors since March 2023
and has served as the Company’s director since 2016. He is currently CEO of EVERSANA, the leading commercialization services company
for the life sciences industry. In five years since he founded EVERSANA, it is now over $1B in revenue, with >7000 employees across
40 global locations. He formerly served as the CEO of Decision Resources Group (DRG), which he transformed into a leading healthcare data
and analytics firm. Prior to that, Jim was CEO of IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates (IHS CERA), a recognized leader in energy industry
subscription information products, and formerly the President of Strategic Decisions Group (SDG), a leading global strategy consultancy.
Mr. Lang holds a BS summa cum laude in electrical and computer engineering from the University of New Hampshire and an MBA with Distinction
from the Tuck School of Business. Jim Lang currently also serves as a Director at OptimizeRX (OPRX), a Nasdaq listed Company.
Jim Lang’s qualifications to serve on our Board of Directors are
primarily based on his decades of experience as a strategy consultant, broad industry expertise, and senior-level management experience
running several healthcare and information technology companies.
Mr. Cuong Do, has served on the Company’s board of directors
since 2016 and effective April 27, 2021 was appointed the Company’s CEO and President. He served as the President, Global Strategy
Group, at Samsung from February 2015 to December 2020. Mr. Do helped set the strategic direction for Samsung Group’s diverse business
portfolio. He was previously the Chief Strategy Officer for Merck from October 2011 to March 2014, and Tyco Electronics from June 2009
to October 2011, and Lenovo from December 2007 to March 2009. Mr. Do is a former senior partner at McKinsey & Company, where he spent
17 years and helped build the healthcare, high tech and corporate finance practices. He holds a BA from Dartmouth College, and an MBA
from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
We believe Mr. Do’s qualifications to serve on our Board of Directors
and as the CEO are primarily based on his decades of experience as an executive in the pharma, biotech, and other high technology industries
and his extensive experience in strategy, corporate finance practice and the development of companies in all stages.
Mr. Michael Sherman JD has served as the Company director since
2017. He retired from his position as a Managing Director at Barclays Plc in 2018, where he had worked since 2008. Previously he was a
Managing Director at Lehman Brothers, Inc. He has worked in investment banking for 30 years. Mr. Sherman has significant experience in
healthcare finance, most recently assisting on a $450 million convertible transaction for Neurocrine Biosciences. He has worked on successful
financial transactions for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Amgen Inc., Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Merck & Co., and Cardinal Health, among
other companies. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Michael Sherman received his JD, cum laude, from the Harvard Law
School.
Michael Sherman’s qualifications to serve on our Board of Directors
are primarily based on his decades of finance industry experience and investment banking. Mr. Sherman has significant experience in healthcare
finance including having worked on successful financial transactions for several pharmaceutical and healthcare focused companies.
Mr. Richard J. Berman has served as the Company’s director
since June 2019. Mr. Berman has over 35 years of venture capital, senior management, and merger & acquisitions experience. He currently
is a director of four public companies including; Cryoport Inc., Genius Group, Context Therapeutics, and over the last decade served on
the boards of six companies that reached a market capitalization over one billion including Cryoport, Advaxis, EXIDE, Internet Commerce
Corporation, Kapitus and Ontrak. From 1998-2000, he was employed by Internet Commerce Corporation (now Easylink Services) as Chairman
and CEO and was a director from 1998-2012. Previously, Mr. Berman was Senior Vice President of Bankers Trust Company, where he started
the M&A and Leveraged Buyout Departments; created the largest battery company in the world in the 1980’s by merging Prestolite,
General
Battery and Exide and advised on over $4 billion of M&A transactions
(completed over 300 deals). He is a past Director of the Stern School of Business of NYU where he obtained his BS and MBA. He also has
US and foreign law degrees from Boston College and The Hague Academy of International Law, respectively.
We believe Richard J. Berman’s qualifications to serve on our board
of directors include his experience in the healthcare industry, and his current and past experience in numerous private and publicly traded
companies.
Mr. Steven Gorlin has served as the Company’s director since
June 2020. He has founded many biopharma companies including Hycor Biomedical, Theragenics, Medicis Pharmaceutical, EntreMed, MRI Interventions,
DARA BioSciences, MiMedx, Medivation (sold to Pfizer for $14 billion) and NantKwest. Mr. Gorlin served for many years on the Business
Advisory Council to the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and on The Johns Hopkins BioMedical Engineering Advisory Board. He is currently
a member of the Research Institute Advisory Committee (RIAC) of Massachusetts General Hospital. He started The Touch Foundation, a nonprofit
organization for the blind, and was a principal contributor to Camp Kudzu for diabetic children.
Steve Gorlin’s qualifications to serve on our Board of Directors
are primarily based on his over 45 years of experience in founding and investing in several biopharma companies, leading multiple NASDAQ
AND NYSE companies to their success.
Dr. Robert Hariri MD, PhD, has served as the Company’s director
since June 2020. Dr Hariri is the Chairman, founder, and CEO of Celularity, Inc., a leading cellular therapeutics company. He was the
founder and CEO of Anthrogenesis Corporation, and after its acquisition served as CEO of Celgene Cellular Therapeutics. Dr. Hariri co-founded
the genomic health intelligence company, Human Longevity, Inc. Dr. Hariri pioneered the use of stem cells to treat a range of life-threatening
human diseases. He is widely acknowledged for his discovery of pluripotent stem cells and for assisting with discovering the physiological
activities of tumor necrosis factor (TNF). He holds over 170 issued and pending patents.
Robert (Bob) Hariri’s qualifications to serve on our Board of Directors
are primarily based on his decades of founding and leading several companies in the cellular therapeutic space, as well as pioneering
in the use of stem cells to treat a range of life-threatening human diseases and discoveries in the physiological activities of tumor
necrosis factor. He has authored over 150 publications and garnered numerous awards for contributions to the fields of biomedicine and
aviation.
Mr. Sigmund (Sig) Rogich, has served as the Company’s director
since June 2020. Sig is the CEO and President of The Rogich Communications Group and serves on the Board of Keep Memory Alive, a philanthropic
organization which raises awareness about brain disorders and Alzheimer’s disease. Keep Memory Alive funds clinical trials to advance
new treatments for patients with Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s disease, as well as multiple sclerosis. Mr.
Rogich was formerly the US Ambassador to Iceland. He has served as a senior consultant to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
Mr. Rogich serves on multiple boards of directors for charitable causes.
We believe Mr. Rogich’s qualifications to serve on our Board of Directors
are based on his experience in the Communications sector and philanthropic organization raising awareness about brain disorders. His experience
in service as a senior consultant to candidates of the highest office.
Plurality Voting
Under Nevada law and BioVie’s Amended and Restated Bylaws, a vote
by a plurality of the shares voting is required for the election of Directors. Under plurality voting, nominees who receive the most “For”
votes are elected; there is no “Against” option and votes that are “withheld” or not cast are disregarded in the
count. If a nominee receives a plurality of votes but does not, however, receive a majority of votes, that fact will be considered by
the Compensation and Nominating Committee in any future decision on nominations.
YOUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A
VOTE “FOR”
THE ELECTION OF EACH OF THESE NOMINEES AS DIRECTORS.
Role and Composition of the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors, which is elected by the stockholders, is the ultimate
decision-making body of the Company, except with respect to those matters reserved to the stockholders. It selects the President and Chief
Executive Officer, or person or persons performing similar functions, and other members of the senior management team, and provides an
oversight function for the President and Chief Executive Officer’s execution of overall business strategy and objectives. The Board
acts as an advisor and counselor to senior management and validates business strategy and direction. The Board’s primary function
is to monitor the performance of senior management and facilitate growth and success by providing mentoring and actionable business advice
honed by substantial substantive knowledge of the Company’s business and history tempered with significant outside business experience.
Our Amended and Restated Bylaws state that the number of Directors shall
be determined from time to time by the Board of Directors. Directors shall be elected at the annual meeting of stockholders and each director
shall be elected to serve until his successor shall be elected and shall qualify. In all elections for Directors, every stockholder shall
have the right to vote the number of shares owned by such stockholders for each director to be elected. A director or the entire Board,
may be removed, with or without cause, by the holders of a majority of the shares then entitled to vote at the election of directors.
Vacancies in the Board may be filled by a majority of the Directors or by an election either at an annual meeting or at a special meeting
of the stockholders called for that purpose. Any directors elected by the stockholders to fill the vacancy shall hold office for the balance
of the term for which he or she was elected. A director appointed by the Board to fill the vacancy shall serve until the next meeting
of stockholders at which directors are elected.
A director need not be a stockholder. Directors shall not receive any stated
salary for their services as directors or as members of committees, but by resolution of the Board of Directors a fixed fee and expenses
of attendance may be allowed for attendance at each meeting. Our Amended and Restated Bylaws shall not be construed to preclude any director
from serving the Company in any other capacity as an officer, agent or otherwise, and receiving compensation therefor.
There are no familial relationships among any of our directors or officers.
Except as described under “The Nominees” above or “Executive Officers” below, none of our other directors or officers
is or has been a director or has held any form of directorship in any other U.S. reporting companies. None of our directors or officers
has been affiliated with any Company that has filed for bankruptcy within the last five years. We are not aware of any proceedings to
which any of our officers or directors, or any associate of any such officer or director, is a party that are adverse to the Company.
We are also not aware of any material interest of any of our officers or directors that is adverse to our own interests.
Code of Ethics
We have adopted a code of conduct and ethics meeting the requirements of
Section 406 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. We believe our code of conduct and ethics is reasonably designed to deter wrongdoing and
promote honest and ethical conduct; provide full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosure in public reports; comply with
applicable laws; ensure prompt internal reporting of violations; and provide accountability for adherence to the provisions of the code
of ethic. Our code of ethics is accessible under the “Investors-Governance” section of our website at www.bioviepharma.com.
Disclosure regarding any amendments to, or waivers from, provisions of the code of ethics will be included in a Current Report on Form
8-K that will be filed with the SEC within four business days following the date of the amendment or waiver.
Independence of the Board of Directors
Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market. The Board of Directors
has determined that six of the members of the Board of Directors qualify as “independent,” as defined by the listing standards
of the Nasdaq. Consistent with these considerations, after review of all relevant transactions and relationships between each director,
or any of the director’s family members, and the Company, its senior management and its independent auditors, the Board has determined
further that Messrs. Lang, Sherman, Berman, Gorlin, Hariri and Rogich are independent under the listing standards of Nasdaq. In making
this determination, the Board of Directors considered that there were no new transactions or relationships between its current independent
directors and the Company, its senior management and its independent auditors since last making this determination.
2023 Meetings and Attendance
During fiscal year 2023, the Board held five Board of Directors meetings, four Audit Committee meetings,
five Compensation Committee meetings and one Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee meeting. All Directors attended at least 75%
or more of the aggregate number of meetings of the Board and Board Committees on which they served.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors has three standing committees: an audit committee,
a compensation committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee. Both our audit committee and our compensation committee
will be composed solely of independent directors. The audit committee is comprised solely of independent directors, and the compensation
committee and the nominating and corporate governance committee are comprised solely of independent directors. Each committee operates
under a charter approved by our Board of Directors and have the composition and responsibilities described below. The charter of each
committee is available on our website.
Audit Committee
We have established an audit committee of the Board of Directors.
The members of our audit committee are Richard Berman, Michael Sherman, Jim Lang and Sigmund Rogich each of whom is an independent director
within the meaning of the Nasdaq rules. Mr. Berman has served as chairman of the audit committee since October 2020 and qualifies as an
“audit committee financial expert” as defined by Item 401(h)(2) of Regulation S-K.
We have adopted an audit committee charter, detailing the principal functions
of the audit committee, including:
|
● |
assisting board oversight of (1) the integrity of our financial statements, (2) our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (3) our independent auditor’s qualifications and independence, and (4) the performance of our internal audit function and independent auditors; the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent auditors and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us; |
|
● |
pre-approving all audit and non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures; reviewing and discussing with the independent auditors all relationships the auditors have with us in order to evaluate their continued independence; |
|
● |
setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations; |
|
● |
obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent auditors describing (1) the independent auditor’s internal quality-control procedures and (2) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the audit firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities, within the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm and any steps taken to deal with such issues; |
|
● |
meeting to review and discuss our annual audited financial statements and quarterly financial statements with management and the independent auditor, including reviewing our specific disclosures under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”; reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and |
|
● |
reviewing with management, the independent auditors, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. |
Compensation Committee
We have established a compensation committee of the Board of Directors.
The members of our Compensation Committee are Richard Berman, Michael Sherman and Steve Gorlin. Mr. Sherman has served as chairman of
the compensation committee since October 2020.
We have adopted a compensation committee charter, which details the principal
functions of the compensation committee, including:
|
● |
reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation; |
|
● |
reviewing and making recommendations to our Board of Directors with respect to the compensation, and any incentive-compensation and equity-based plans that are subject to board approval of all of our other officers; |
|
● |
reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans; |
|
● |
implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans; assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements; |
|
● |
approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our officers and employees; and |
|
● |
producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors. |
The charter also provides that the compensation committee may, in
its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, independent legal counsel or other adviser and will be
directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving
advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence
of each such adviser, including the factors required by Nasdaq and the SEC.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None of our officers currently serves, or in the past year has served,
as a member of the compensation committee of any entity that has one or more officers serving on our Board of Directors.
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
We have established a nominating and corporate governance committee
of the Board of Directors. The members of our nominating and corporate governance committee are, Jim Lang, Michael Sherman and Robert
Hariri. Mr. Lang has served as chair of the nominating and corporate governance committee since August 2021.
We have adopted a nominating and corporate governance committee charter,
which details the purpose and responsibilities of the nominating and corporate governance committee, including:
|
● |
identifying, screening and reviewing individuals qualified to serve as directors, consistent with criteria approved by the Board of Directors, and recommending to the Board of Directors candidates for nomination for election at the annual meeting of stockholders or to fill vacancies on the Board of Directors; |
|
● |
developing and recommending to the Board of Directors and overseeing implementation of our corporate governance guidelines; |
|
● |
coordinating and overseeing the annual self-evaluation of the Board of Directors, its committees, individual directors and management in the governance of the company; and |
|
● |
reviewing on a regular basis our overall corporate governance and recommending improvements as and when necessary. |
The charter also provides that the nominating and corporate governance
committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of, and terminate, any search firm to be used to identify director
candidates, and will be directly responsible for approving the search firm’s fees and other retention terms.
We have not formally established any specific, minimum qualifications that
must be met or skills that are necessary for directors to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, the
Board of Directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional
reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our stockholders. Prior to our initial business combination,
holders of our public shares will not have the right to recommend director candidates for nomination to our Board of Directors.
Set forth below is information concerning the gender and demographic background
of each of our current directors, as self-identified and reported by each director. This information is being provided in accordance with
Nasdaq’s board diversity rules.
Board Diversity Matrix (As of August 11, 2023)
Total Number of Directors: |
7 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Did Not |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Non- |
Disclose |
|
|
Female |
Male |
|
Binary |
Gender |
Part I: Gender Identity |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Directors |
0 |
|
7 |
0 |
|
0 |
|
Part II: Demographic Background |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
African American or Black |
— |
|
— |
— |
|
— |
|
Alaskan Native or Native American |
— |
|
— |
— |
|
— |
|
Asian |
— |
|
1 |
— |
|
— |
|
Hispanic or Latinx |
— |
|
— |
— |
|
— |
|
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander |
— |
|
— |
— |
|
— |
|
White |
— |
|
3 |
— |
|
— |
|
Two or More Races or Ethnicities |
— |
|
— |
— |
|
— |
|
LGBTQ+ |
— |
|
— |
— |
|
— |
|
Did Not Disclose Demographic Background |
— |
|
3 |
— |
|
— |
|
Code of Ethics
We have adopted a code of conduct and ethics meeting the requirements of
Section 406 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. We believe our code of conduct and ethics is reasonably designed to deter wrongdoing and
promote honest and ethical conduct; provide full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosure in public reports; comply with
applicable laws; ensure prompt internal reporting of violations; and provide accountability for adherence to the provisions of the code
of ethic. Our code of conduct and ethics is available on our website.
A copy of our code of conduct and ethics is filed as an exhibit to this
Form 10-K.
Executive Officers
The following table sets forth certain information regarding our executive
officers and some of our key employees, as of September 28, 2023. For information regarding
Cuong Do, our President & Chief Executive Officer, see “The Nominees” above.
Name |
|
Age |
|
|
Director Since |
|
|
Position |
Cuong Do |
|
|
57 |
|
|
|
2016 |
|
|
CEO & President and Director |
Joanne Wendy Kim |
|
|
68 |
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
Chief Financial Officer |
Joseph M. Palumbo, MD |
|
|
63 |
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
Chief Medical Officer |
Ms. Joanne Wendy Kim has served as the Company’s Chief
Financial Officer since October 2018. Ms. Kim previously served as CFO for several companies throughout her career, previously with Landmark
Education Enterprises, and prior to that, other public entities in the entertainment and financial services industry sectors. She provided
interim CFO services to various organizations through Group JWK from 2016 to 2018. In her various roles, Ms. Kim oversaw corporate finance
and operational groups, closed eight acquisitions, secured bank financings, developed and implemented new business strategies, managed
risk and implemented new financial policies and procedures. As a CPA professional, she advised on accounting transactions, SEC reporting
matters and other regulatory matters to clients serving as a Director at BDO USA, LLP’s National Office SEC Department and sat the
US desk in London for BDO LLP UK Firm in 2008-2016 and as a Senior Manager at KPMG in earlier part of her career. She brings more than
35 years of accounting and finance experience to this position. Ms. Kim earned her BSA in accounting and finance at California State University,
Long Beach.
Wendy Kim’s qualifications to serve as our Chief Financial Officer
are primarily based on her 35 years of accounting and finance experience both as a CFO and as a CPA in major global accounting and consultancy
firms.
Dr. Joseph M. Palumbo has served
as our Chief Medical Officer since November 2021. Formerly he served as the CMO at Zynerba Pharmaceuticals from July 2019 to October 2021,
responsible for clinical operations, development, regulatory, and medical affairs. Prior to his time at Zynerba, Dr. Palumbo held senior
worldwide governance roles at Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma in both the United States and Japan from April 2012 to June 2019, where he led
medical science and translational research across multiple therapeutic areas, and guided successful registrational programs for
Radicava® (edaravone) for the treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. From April 2003 to March 2012,
Dr. Palumbo was Global Head and Franchise Medical Leader for Psychiatry, and the Interim Head of Global Neuroscience at Johnson
& Johnson, where he led the medical teams who achieved successful global registrations for Risperdal® (risperidone); Concerta®
(methylphenidate HCL); and Invega® (paliperidone). He was Head of Psychiatry and Neurology at Pharmanet for from April 2002 to April
2003. Dr Palumbo previously held industry positions in European Pharma with Sanofi-Synthelabo from April 1999 to April 2002, Biotech at
Cephalon, from April 1997 to April 1998, and from July 1989 to April 2002, he held senior leadership and hospital administration roles
at prestigious academic research institutions including Yale, Cornell, and the University of Pennsylvania. He holds a Bachelor of Arts
at the University of Pennsylvania and received his Doctor of Medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine. He was a
Biological Sciences Training Program Fellow of the National Institutes of Health and Chief Resident for the Abraham Ribicoff Clinical
Neuroscience Research Unit at Yale University. Dr Palumbo has received Board Certification in Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry.
Dr. Palumbo’s qualifications to serve as our Chief Medical Officer
is based on the decades and depth of experiences in the roles he has served in his medical profession and commercial experience in the
healthcare industry and biopharma industries.
Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Exchange
Act), requires our directors and executive officers, and persons who own more than 10% of our outstanding Common Stock, to file with the
SEC, initial reports of ownership and reports of changes in ownership of our equity securities. Such persons are required by SEC regulations
to furnish us with copies of all such reports they file.
To our knowledge, based solely on a review of the copies of such reports
furnished to us regarding the filing of required reports, we believe that, except for the reports filed by Clarence Ahlem (Form 4s filed
on January 18, 2023 and February 22, 2023), Richard J. Berman (Form 4s filed on January 18, 2023, April 6, 2023 and June 15, 2023), Cuong
Do (Form 4s filed on July 7, 2022, January 18, 2023, February 22, 2023 and June 26, 2023), Steve Gorlin (Form 4 filed on January 18, 2023),
Robert J. Hariri (Form 4 filed on January 18, 2023), Wendy Kim (Form 4s filed on January 8, 2023 and February 22, 2023), James Lang (Form
4 filed on January 18, 2023), Penelope Markham (Form 4s filed on January 18, 2023 and February 22, 2023), Joseph M Palumbo (Form 4s filed
on January 18, 2023, February 22, 2023 and July 3, 2023), Terren Peizer (Form 3 filed on August 16, 2022 and Form 4s filed on August 26,
2022 and January 18, 2023), Christopher Reading (Form 4s filed on January 18, 2023 and February 22, 2023), Sigmund Rogich (Form 4 filed
on January 18, 2023) and Michael Sherman (Form 4 filed on January 18, 2023), all Section 16(a) reports applicable to our directors, executive
officers and greater-than-ten-percent beneficial owners with respect to fiscal 2023 were timely filed.
Anti-Hedging Policy
We have adopted an insider trading policy that includes a provision restricting
trading of any interest or provision relating to the future price of our securities, such as a put, call or short sale.
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Summary Compensation Table
The following table sets forth the total compensation paid during the last
two fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 to the following executive officers of the Company, who are referred to as our “named
executive officers”:
|
● |
Cuong Do, our President and Chief Executive Officer |
|
● |
Joanne Wendy Kim, our Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary |
|
● |
Joseph Palumbo, our Chief Medical Officer |
Name and Principal Position | |
Year | |
Salary | |
Bonus | |
Stock Awards (1) | |
Option Awards (1) | |
Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation | |
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings | |
All Other Compensation | |
Total |
Cuong Do (2) | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Chief Executive Officer and President | |
| 2023 | | |
$ | 618,000 | | |
$ | 463,500 | | |
$ | 734,668 | | |
$ | 521,500 | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | 2,337,668 | |
| |
| 2022 | | |
$ | 300,000 | | |
$ | 400,000 | | |
$ | 210,439 | | |
$ | 3,632,382 | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | 4,542,821 | |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Joanne Wendy Kim (3) | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Corporate Secretary | |
| 2023 | | |
$ | 246,750 | | |
$ | 150,625 | | |
$ | 242,499 | | |
$ | 84,000 | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | 723,874 | |
| |
| 2022 | | |
$ | 235,000 | | |
$ | 127,656 | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | 582,343 | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | 944,999 | |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Joseph Palumbo (4) | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Chief Medical officer | |
| 2022 | | |
$ | 525,000 | | |
$ | 197,000 | | |
$ | 242,499 | | |
$ | 126,000 | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | 1,090,499 | |
| |
| 2022 | | |
$ | 333,333 | | |
$ | 239,167 | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | 244,465 | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | 816,965 | |
|
(1) |
The aggregate grant date fair value of such awards were computed in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board ASC Topic 718, Stock Compensation (ASC Topic 718), and do not take into account estimated forfeitures related to service-based vesting conditions, if any. The valuation assumptions used in calculating these values are discussed in Note 10 of our Notes to Financial Statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2023. These amounts do not represent actual amounts paid or to be realized. Amounts shown are not necessarily indicative of values to be achieved, which may be more or less than the amounts shown as awards may subject to time-based vesting. The stock awards in form of RSUs and Stock Option Awards were awarded pursuant to the 2019 Omnibus Incentive Plan, (the “2019 Plan”). |
|
(2) |
Mr. Do’s salary from April 27, 2021 (date of his appointment as CEO) through December 31, 2021 was paid through RSUs. The aggregate grant date fair value of the award was $454,794 and the total 58,759 RSUs awarded allows Mr. Do to receive one shares of Common Stock for each RSU. |
|
(3) |
Ms. Kim served as the Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary and Treasurer on a full time basis effective July 1, 2021. |
|
(4) |
Dr. Palumbo joined the Company on November 1, 2021 and served as the Chief Medical Officer. |
Narrative Disclosures to Summary Compensation Table
Employment Agreements
All employment arrangements are “at will” agreements.
OUTSTANDING EQUITY AWARDS AT FISCAL YEAR-END
The following table sets forth all outstanding equity
awards held by our named executive officers as of June 30, 2023:
| |
| |
Options | |
| |
Stock Awards |
Name | |
Grant Date | |
Number of securities underlying unexercised options exercisable | |
Number of securities underlying unexercised options unexercisable | |
Equity incentive plan awards: number of securities underlying unexercised unearned options | |
Option exercise price | |
Option expiration date | |
Number of shares or units of stock that have not vested | |
Market value of shares or units of stock that have to vested | |
Equity incentive plan awards: number of unearned shares, units or other rights that have not vested | |
Equity incentive plan awards: market or payout value of unearned shares, units or other right that have not vested |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
Cuong Do, CEO | |
01-19-19 | |
| 800 | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | 3.75 | | |
01-19-24 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
01-19-20 | |
| 800 | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | 2.80 | | |
01-19-25 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
12-18-20 | |
| 24,375 | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | 13.91 | | |
12-18-25 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
08-20-21 | |
| 387,400 | | |
| — | | |
| 357,600 | | |
$ | 7.74 | | |
08-20-31 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
06-21-22 | |
| 41,506 | | |
| — | | |
| 83,014 | | |
$ | 1.69 | | |
06-21-32 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 83,014 | | |
$ | 357,790 | |
| |
11-23-23 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | | |
| |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 59,436 | | |
$ | 256,169 | |
| |
06-29-23 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 175,000 | | |
$ | 4.09 | | |
06-29-33 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 149,500 | | |
$ | 644,345 | |
| |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Joanne W. Kim, CFO | |
10-01-18 | |
| 800 | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | 8.75 | | |
10-01-23 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
10-01-19 | |
| 800 | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | 8.75 | | |
10-01-24 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
10-01-20 | |
| 800 | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | 9.54 | | |
10-01-25 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
08-20-21 | |
| 40,726 | | |
| — | | |
| 83,441 | | |
$ | 7.74 | | |
08-20-31 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
11-23-22 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | | |
| |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 29,718 | | |
$ | 128,085 | |
| |
06-07-23 | |
| 5,000 | | |
| — | | |
| 15,000 | | |
$ | 5.78 | | |
06-07-33 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Joseph M. Palumbo, CMO | |
02-01-22 | |
| 24,833 | | |
| — | | |
| 99,334 | | |
$ | 3.20 | | |
02-01-32 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
11-23-22 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | | |
| |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 29,718 | | |
$ | 128,085 | |
| |
06-07-23 | |
| 7,500 | | |
| — | | |
| 22,500 | | |
$ | 5.78 | | |
06-07-33 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
Named executive officers held stock options to
purchase a total of 1,371,729 shares of Common Stock as of June 30, 2023, with an aggregate grant date fair value of approximately $5.4
million, the last of which vests in 2027. Stock options granted prior to August 20, 2021, vested on the grant date; the stock options
granted on August 20, 2021 vested 20% on the grant date, with the remaining stock options vesting in five equal annual installments beginning
on the first grant date anniversary; the stock options granted on June 7, 2023, vested 25% on the grant date, with the remaining stock
options vesting in four equal annual installments beginning on the first grant date anniversary; and the stock options and stock awards
in the form RSUs granted to the CEO on June 21, 2022 and June 29, 2023 vests in three equal annual installments beginning on the first
grant date anniversary. The RSU awarded on November 23, 2022 vested 25% on the grant date with the remaining RSU vesting in three equal
annual installments beginning on the first grant date anniversary. The total RSUs outstanding awarded to the named executive officers
totaled 351,386 with a market value totaling approximately $1.5 million as of June 30, 2023.
POTENTIAL PAYMENTS UPON TERMINATION OR CHANGE-IN-CONTROL
There are no arrangements with the named executive officers or our equity
incentive plan or individual award agreements thereunder providing for certain payments to our named executive officers at or following
or in connection with a termination of their employment or a change of control of the Company.
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
There are no arrangements pursuant to which our directors are or will be
compensated in the future for any services provided to the Company.
The following table provides information regarding compensation that was
earned or paid to the individuals who served as non-employee directors during the year ended June 30, 2023. Except as set forth in the
table, during the fiscal year 2023, directors did not earn nor receive cash compensation or compensation in the form of stock awards,
options awards or any other form:
Name | |
Stock awards (1) | |
Option awards(1) | |
Non-equity incentive plan compensation | |
Change in pension value and nonqualified deferred compensation | |
All other compensation | |
Total |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
Jim Lang | |
$ | 266,697 | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | 266,697 | |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Michael Sherman | |
| — | | |
| 304,500 | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | 304,500 | |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Richard Berman | |
$ | 266,697 | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | 266,697 | |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Steve Gorlin | |
$ | 209,549 | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | 209,549 | |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Robert Hariri MD, Phd | |
$ | 209,549 | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | 209,549 | |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Sigmund Rogich | |
$ | — | | |
| 223,300 | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | 223,300 | |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Terren Piezer (2) | |
$ | — | | |
| 263,900 | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | 263,900 | |
|
1) |
The aggregate grant date fair value of such awards were computed in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board ASC Topic 718, Stock Compensation (ASC Topic 718), and do not take into account estimated forfeitures related to service-based vesting conditions, if any. The valuation assumptions used in calculating these values are discussed in Note 9 of our Notes to Financial Statements included in our proxy statement for the year ended June 30, 2023. These amounts do not represent actual amounts paid or to be realized. Amounts shown are not necessarily indicative of values to be achieved, which may be more or less than the amounts shown as awards may subject to time-based vesting. |
|
2) |
Mr. Piezer resigned from the Board of Directors effective March 2, 2023. |
Our directors are eligible to participate
in our equity incentive plans, which are administered by our Compensation Committee under authority delegated by our Board of
Directors. The terms and conditions of the option grants to our non-employee directors under our equity incentive plans are and will
be determined in the discretion of our Compensation Committee, consistent with the terms of the applicable plan. The fiscal year
2023 annual compensation granted to existing board members consisted of either an award of RSUs at one unit per share of Common
Stock, a total of 155,636 RSU at a grant date market value of $952,492 or stock options to purchase a total of 195,000 shares of
commons stock with a grant date fair value totaling $791,700. The former chairman of the Board of Directors, the chairman of the
compensation committee and a member of the audit committee received stock options to purchase 65,000, 75,000 and 55,000 shares of
Common Stock, respectively. The chairmen of the audit committee and the corporate governance and nominating committee each received
43,758 RSUs and the members of those committees each received 34,240 RSUs.
Outstanding equity awards held by non-employee directors as of June 30,
2023 were as follows:
| |
| |
Options (1) | |
| |
Stock Awards (2) |
Name | |
Grant Date | |
Number of securities underlying unexercised options exercisable | |
Number of securities underlying unexercised options unexercisable | |
Equity incentive plan awards: number of securities underlying unexercised unearned options | |
Option exercise price | |
Option expiration date | |
Number of shares or units of stock that have not vested | |
Market value of shares or units of stock that have to vested | |
Equity incentive plan awards: number of unearned shares, units or other rights that have not vested | |
Equity incentive plan awards: market or payout value of unearned shares, units or other right that have not vested |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
James Lang | |
01-19-19 | |
| 800 | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | 3.13 | | |
01-19-24 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
01-19-20 | |
| 800 | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | 2.80 | | |
01-19-25 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
12-18-20 | |
| 74,250 | | |
| — | | |
| 24,750 | | |
$ | 13.91 | | |
12-18-25 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
04-05-22 | |
| 63,950 | | |
| — | | |
| 63,950 | | |
$ | 7.74 | | |
04-05-32 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
11-23-22 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | | |
| |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 21,789 | | |
$ | 93,911 | |
| |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Richard J. Berman | |
01-19-20 | |
| 800 | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | 2.80 | | |
01-19-25 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
12-18-20 | |
| 76,875 | | |
| — | | |
| 25,625 | | |
$ | 13.91 | | |
12-18-25 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
04-05-22 | |
| 64,525 | | |
| — | | |
| 64,525 | | |
$ | 5.04 | | |
04-05-27 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
11-23-22 | |
| | | |
| — | | |
| | | |
$ | — | | |
| |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 21,789 | | |
$ | 93,911 | |
| |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Steve Gorlin | |
12-18-20 | |
| 72,225 | | |
| — | | |
| 24,075 | | |
$ | 13.91 | | |
12-18-25 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
04-05-22 | |
| 61,125 | | |
| — | | |
| 61,125 | | |
$ | 5.04 | | |
04-05-27 | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
| |
11-23-22 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | | |
| |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 17,120 | | |
$ | 73,787 | |
| |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Robert Hariri | |
12-18-20 | |
| 71,925 | | |
| — | | |
| 23,975 | | |
$ | 13.91 | | |
12-18-25 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
04-05-22 | |
| 61,125 | | |
| | | |
| 61,125 | | |
$ | 5.04 | | |
04-05-27 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
11-23-22 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | | |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| 17,120 | | |
$ | 73,787 | |
| |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Sigmund Rogich | |
12-18-20 | |
| 72,975 | | |
| — | | |
| 24,325 | | |
$ | 13.91 | | |
12-18-25 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
04-05-22 | |
| 61,700 | | |
| — | | |
| 61,700 | | |
$ | 5.04 | | |
04-05-27 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
11-23-22 | |
| 27,500 | | |
| — | | |
| 27,500 | | |
$ | 6.12 | | |
11-23-27 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Michael Sherman | |
10-13-18 | |
| 800 | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | 6.25 | | |
10-13-23 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
10-13-19 | |
| 800 | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | 7.13 | | |
10-13-24 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
10-13-20 | |
| 800 | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | 9.90 | | |
10-13-25 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
12-18-20 | |
| 77,325 | | |
| — | | |
| 25,775 | | |
$ | 13.91 | | |
12-18-25 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
04-05-22 | |
| 65,075 | | |
| — | | |
| 65,075 | | |
$ | 5.04 | | |
04-05-27 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
| |
11-23-22 | |
| 37,500 | | |
| — | | |
| 37,500 | | |
$ | 6.12 | | |
11-23-27 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
(1) | | There was a total of 1,483,300 stock options outstanding
to directors as of June 30, 2023, with an aggregate grant date fair value of approximately $13.2 million, the last of which vest in 2027.
Stock options granted on December 18, 2020 and April 5, 2022 vest 25% on grant date with the remaining stock options vesting in three
annual equal installments beginning on the first grant date anniversary. Stock options granted on November 23, 2022 vest in four equal
quarterly installments beginning February 9, 2023. |
(2) | | Equity awards granted the Board of Directors on November
23, 2022 were in the form of RSUs, one unit for one share of Common Stock, vest in four equal quarterly installments beginning February
9, 2023. There were 77,460 RSUs outstanding as of June 30, 2023, with an aggregate market value of approximately $335,000. |
Long-Term Incentive Plans and Awards
Other than the options granted as described above, we do not currently
have any long-term incentive plans that provide compensation intended to serve as incentive for performance. Since prior to such grants,
no individual grants or agreements regarding future payouts under non-stock price-based plans had been made to any executive officer
or any director or any employee or consultant since our inception, no future payouts under non-stock price-based plans or agreements
had been granted or entered into or exercised by our officer or director or employees or consultants.
2019 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan
On April 20, 2019, our Board of Directors and our stockholders approved and adopted the 2019 Plan.
The 2019 Plan allows us, under the direction of our Board of Directors or a committee thereof, to make grants of stock options, restricted
and unrestricted stock and other stock-based awards to employees, including our executive officers, consultants and directors. The 2019
Plan allows for the issuance of up to 6,540,000 shares of common pursuant to new awards granted under the 2019 Plan and as of June 30,
2023, there were 2,269,952 shares of Common Stock available for new awards granted under the 2019 Plan.
EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION
The following table provides certain aggregate information with respect
to all of the Company’s equity compensation plans in effect as of June 30, 2023:
| |
(a) | |
(b) | |
(c) |
Plan Category | |
Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights | |
Weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights | |
Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation pans (excluding securities reflected in column (a)) |
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders |
|
|
4,530,121 |
|
|
$ |
6.71 |
|
|
|
2,269,952 |
|
Equity compensation not approved by security holders | |
| — | | |
$ | — | | |
| — | |
Total | |
| 4,530,121 | | |
$ | 6.71 | | |
| 2,269,952 | |
(1) |
We adopted our 2019 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan (the “2019
Plan”) in 2019. Under the 2019 Plan, we can grant incentive stock options, non-qualified stock option, restricted and unrestricted
stock awards and other stock-based awards. On August 13, 2021, the number of securities available under the 2019 Plan was adjusted to
6,540,000. The remaining number securities available under the 2019 Plan at June 30, 2023 was 2,269,952. |
PAY VERSUS PERFORMANCE
As required by Item 402(v) of Regulation S-K,
we are providing the following information regarding the relationship between executive compensation and our financial performance for
each of the last two completed calendar years. In determining the “compensation actually paid” to our named executive officers
(“NEOs”), we are required to make various adjustments to amounts that have been previously reported in the Summary Compensation
Table in previous years, as the SEC’s valuation methods for this section differ from those required in the Summary Compensation
Table.
Pay Versus Performance Table
The table below summarizes compensation values
both previously reported in our Summary Compensation Table, as well as the adjusted values required in this section for fiscal years 2022
and 2023. Note that for our NEOs other than our principal executive officer (the “PEO”), compensation is reported as an average.
Year |
Summary Compensation Table Total for PEO
($)(1)(2) |
Compensation Actually Paid to PEO
($)(1)(3) |
Average Summary Compensation Table Total for Non-PEO
Named Executive Officers
($)(1)(4) |
Average Compensation Actually Paid to Non-PEO Named
Executive Officers
($)(1)(5) |
Value of Initial Fixed $100 Investment Based on Total
Shareholder Return
($)(6) |
Net Loss
($)(7)
(in thousands) |
2023 |
$2,337,668 |
$3,434,517 |
$1,185,289 |
$1,185,289 |
$25.43 |
$(50,256) |
2022 |
$4,542,821 |
$916,050 |
$605,653 |
$605,653 |
$8.55 |
$(25,084) |
(1) | | During fiscal years 2023 and 2022, the PEO was Cuong Do. During fiscal years 2023 and 2022,
the non-PEO NEOs were Joanne W Kim and Joseph M Palumbo M.D. |
(2) | | The dollar amounts reported are the amounts of total compensation reported for Mr. Do and
the average total compensation reported for Non-PEO Named Executive Officers for the applicable fiscal year in the “Total”
column of the Summary Compensation Table (SCT). |
(3) | | The following table sets forth the adjustments made to the SCT total for each year represented
in the pay versus performance table to arrive at “compensation actually paid” to our PEO, as computed in accordance with
Item 402(v) of Regulation S-K: |
|
2023 |
2022 |
SCT Total for PEO |
$2,337,668 |
$4,542,821 |
Less: Amount reported under the “Stock Awards” column in the SCT |
$(1,256,168) |
$(3,842,821) |
Add: Fair value as of fiscal year-end of awards granted during the fiscal year that are outstanding and unvested as of the end of the fiscal year |
$2,770,583 |
$- |
Add: Change in fair value as of fiscal year-end, compared to prior fiscal year-end, of awards granted in any prior fiscal year that are outstanding and unvested as of the end of the fiscal year |
$(1,545,275) |
$- |
Add: Fair value as of vest date of awards granted and vested in the fiscal year |
$1,186,095 |
$1,153,260 |
Add: Change in fair value as of vesting date, compared to prior fiscal year-end, of awards granted in any prior fiscal year for which all vesting conditions were satisfied at fiscal year-end or during the fiscal year |
$(58,386) |
$(937,210) |
Less: Forfeitures during fiscal year equal to prior fiscal year-end value |
$- |
$- |
Total Adjustments |
$1,096,849 |
$(3,626,771) |
Compensation Actually Paid to PEO |
$3,434,517 |
$916,050 |
(4) | | The following table sets forth the adjustments made to the SCT total for each year represented
in the pay versus performance table to arrive at “compensation actually paid” to our PEO, as computed in accordance with
Item 402(v) of Regulation S-K: |
|
2023 |
2022 |
Average SCT Total for Non-PEO NEOs |
$907,186 |
$880,982 |
Less: Amount reported under the “Stock Awards” column in the SCT |
$(347,499) |
$(413,404) |
Add: Fair value as of fiscal year-end of awards granted during the fiscal year that are outstanding and unvested as of the end of the fiscal year |
$551,399 |
$144,034 |
Add: Fair value as of vest date of awards granted and vested in the fiscal year |
$96,750 |
$135,839 |
Add: change in fair value as of vesting date, compared to prior fiscal year-end of awards granted in any prior fiscal year for which all vesting conditions were satisfied at fiscal year-end or during the fiscal year |
$(22,548) |
$(141,798) |
Less: Forfeitures during fiscal year equal to prior fiscal year-end value |
$- |
$- |
Total Adjustments |
$278,102 |
$(275,329) |
Average Compensation Actually Paid to Non-PEO NEOs |
$1,185,289 |
$605,653 |
(5) | | The amounts reported represent the measurement period value of an investment of $100 in our
stock on June 30, 2021 (the last trading day before the 2022 fiscal year), and then valued again on each of June 30, 2022 (the last trading
day of the 2022 fiscal year) and June 30, 2023 (the last trading day of the 2023 fiscal year), based on the closing price per share of
the Company’s common stock as of such dates and assuming the reinvestment of dividends. |
(6) | | The amounts reported represent net loss for the applicable fiscal year calculated in accordance
with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. |
Relationship Between CAP Amounts and Performance Measures
The following charts show graphically the relationships over the
past two years of the CAP Amounts for the PEO and the Other NEOs as compared to our (i) cumulative total shareholder return and (ii) net
loss.
While the Compensation Committee makes executive compensation decisions
in consideration of a variety of factors, including corporate and individual performance, the decisions of the Compensation Committee
and Board of Directors in 2022 and 2023 were made independently of these disclosure requirements.
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
AND
MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
Based solely upon information made available
to us, the following table sets forth information as of August 9, 2023 regarding the beneficial ownership of our Common Stock by:
|
● |
each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding shares of Common Stock; |
|
● |
each of our named executive officers and directors; and |
|
● |
all our executive officers and directors as a group. |
The percentage ownership information shown in the
table is based upon 36,765,035 shares of Common Stock outstanding as of August 9, 2023.
Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance
with the rules of the SEC and includes voting or investment power with respect to the securities. Except as otherwise indicated, each
person or entity named in the table has sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of our capital shown as beneficially
owned, subject to applicable community property laws.
In computing the number and percentage of shares
beneficially owned by a person as of a particular date, shares that may be acquired by such person (for example, upon the exercise of
options or warrants) within 60 days of such date are counted as outstanding, while these shares are not counted as outstanding for computing
the percentage ownership of any other person.
The address of each holder listed below, except as
otherwise indicated, is c/o BioVie Inc., 680 W Nye Lane, Suite 201, Carson City, Nevada 89703.
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner |
|
Number of Common Shares of Beneficial Ownership |
|
|
Percentage of Beneficial Ownership |
|
Named executive officers and directors: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
James Lang (1) |
|
|
170,570 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Richard Berman (2) |
|
|
110,738 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Steve Gorlin (3) |
|
|
178,468 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Robert Hariri (4) |
|
|
119,895 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Sigmund Rogich (5) |
|
|
145,075 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Michael Sherman (6) |
|
|
202,525 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Cuong Do (7) |
|
|
738,312 |
|
|
|
2.0 |
% |
Joanne Wendy Kim (8) |
|
|
80,397 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Joseph Palumbo (9) |
|
|
38,263 |
|
|
|
* |
|
All directors and executive officers as a group (9) |
|
|
1,784,243 |
|
|
|
4.8 |
% |
5% Stockholders |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Acuitas Group Holdings (10) |
|
|
30,503,938 |
|
|
|
69.1 |
% |
* Less than 1%
(1) | | Includes warrants to purchase 17,333 shares of Common Stock and options to purchase 134,636
shares of Common Stock, all of which are exercisable within 60 days of August 9, 2023. |
(2) | | Includes options to purchase 109,138 shares of Common Stock, all of which are exercisable
within 60 days of August 9, 2023. |
(3) | | Includes options to purchase 102,788 shares of Common Stock, all of which are exercisable
within 60 days of August 9, 2023. 50,000 shares of common stock is held by Mr. Gorlin’s wife. |
(4) | | Includes options to purchase 102,775 shares of Common Stock, all of which are exercisable
within 60 days of August 9, 2023. |
(5) | | Includes options to purchase 145,175 shares of Common Stock, all of which are exercisable
within 60 days of August 9, 2023. |
(6) | | Includes warrants to purchase 13,333 shares of Common Stock and options to purchase 168,513
shares of Common Stock, all of which are exercisable within 60 days of August 9, 2023. Common stock held of record by Sherman
Children’s Trust Brian Krisber, Trustee. All shares of common stock, warrants and options are deemed to be beneficially owned or
controlled by Michael Sherman. |
(7) | | Includes warrants to purchase 70,666 shares of Common Stock and options to purchase 455,681
shares of Common Stock, all of which are exercisable within 60 days of August 9, 2023. 211,965 shares of Common Stock and warrants
are held of record by Do & Rickles Investments, LLC, a limited liability company 100% owned by Cuong Do and his wife, and as such,
Mr. Do may be deemed to beneficially own or control. |
(8) | | Include options to purchase shares 70,967of Common Stock, all of which are exercisable
within 60 days of August 9, 2023. |
(9) | | Includes options to purchase 30,833 shares of Common Stock, all of which are exercisable
within 60 days of August 9, 2023. |
(10) | | Includes warrants to purchase 7,272,728 shares of Common Stock and options to purchase 65,000
shares of Common Stock, all of which are exercisable within 60 days of August 9, 2023. All shares held of record by Acuitas
Group Holdings, LLC, a limited liability company 100% owned by Terren Peizer, and as which Mr. Peizer may be deemed to beneficially own
or control. Mr. Peizer disclaims beneficial of any such securities. |
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS,
AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
The following includes a summary of transactions
since June 30, 2022, to which we have been a party in which the amount involved exceeded or will exceed the lesser of (i) $120,000 and
(ii) one percent (1%) of the average of our total assets at year-end for the prior two fiscal years, and in which any of our directors,
executive officers or beneficial owners of more than 5% of our capital stock or any member of the immediate family of any of the foregoing
persons had or will have a direct or indirect material interest.
On July 15, 2022, the Company, entered into a
Securities Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Acuitas, pursuant to which Acuitas agreed to purchase from the
Company, in a private placement (the “Private Placement”), (i) an aggregate of 3,636,364 shares of the Company’s Class
A Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share at a price of $1.65 per share, and (ii) a warrant to purchase 7,272,728 shares of Common Stock,
at an exercise price of $1.82, with a term of exercise of five years; (collectively, the “Securities”). The aggregate purchase
price for the Securities sold in the Private Placement was $6 million. The Private Placement closed on August 15, 2022.
Review and Approval of Transactions with Related
Persons
Either the audit committee or the Board of Directors
approves all related party transactions. The procedure for the review, approval or ratification of related party transactions involves
discussing the proposed transaction with management, discussing the proposed transaction with the external auditors, reviewing financial
statements and related disclosures, and reviewing the details of major deals and transactions to ensure that they do not involve related
party transactions. Members of management have been informed and understand that they are to bring related party transactions to the audit
committee or the Board of Directors for pre-approval. These policies and procedures are evidenced in the audit committee charter and our
code of ethics.
REPORT OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
As more fully described in its Charter, the Audit Committee assists the
Board of Directors in its oversight of BioVie’s corporate accounting and financial reporting process and interacts directly with
and evaluates the performance of BioVie’s independent registered public accounting firm.
In the performance of its oversight function, the Audit Committee has reviewed
BioVie’s audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2023 and has met with both management and BioVie’s
independent registered public accounting firm, EisnerAmper LLP (“EisnerAmper”), to discuss those consolidated financial statements.
The Audit Committee has discussed with EisnerAmper those matters related to the conduct of the audit that are required to be communicated
by the independent registered public accounting firm to the Audit Committee under Auditing Standard 1301, Communications with Audit Committees,
issued by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”), including EisnerAmper’s judgments as to the quality,
not just the acceptability, of BioVie’s accounting principles. In addition, the Audit Committee has reviewed and discussed with
management the assessment of the effectiveness of BioVie’s internal control over financial reporting.
The Audit Committee discussed with BioVie’s independent registered
public accounting firm the overall scope and plans for its audit. The Audit Committee met separately with the independent registered public
accounting firm, without management present, to discuss the results of its audit, BioVie’s internal controls and the overall quality
of BioVie’s financial reporting.
The Audit Committee has received from EisnerAmper the required written
disclosures and letter regarding its independence from BioVie as required by the PCAOB Rule 3526, and has discussed with EisnerAmper its
independence.
Based on these reviews and discussions, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board of Directors,
and the Board of Directors approved, that the audited financial statements of BioVie for the year ended June 30, 2023 be included in BioVie’s
Annual Report on Form 10-K, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 16, 2023.
It is not the duty of the Audit Committee to conduct audits, to independently
verify management’s representations or to determine that BioVie’s financial statements are complete and accurate, prepared
in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles or fairly present the financial condition, results of operations
and cash flows of BioVie. Management has the primary responsibility for the financial statements and the reporting process, including
the system of internal control over financial reporting. The independent registered public accounting firm retained by the Audit Committee
is responsible for performing an independent audit of the consolidated financial statements, and for reporting the results of their audit
to the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee reviews and monitors these processes. In giving its recommendation to the Board of Directors,
the Audit Committee has expressly relied on (i) management’s representation that such financial statements have been prepared in
conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles and (ii) the report of the Company’s independent registered
public accounting firm, with respect to such financial statements.
The Audit Committee
Richard J. Berman, Chairman
Michael Sherman
Jim Lang
Sigmund Rogich
PROPOSAL NO. 2
RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The following table presents fees for professional audit services rendered
by EisnerAmper LLP (“EisnerAmper”) for the audit of the Company’s annual financial statements for the years ended June
30, 2023 and 2022 and fees billed for other services rendered during those periods:
|
|
2023 |
|
|
2022 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Audit Fees |
|
$ |
317,772 |
|
|
$ |
223,102 |
|
Audit - Related Fees |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Tax Fees |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
All other Fees |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
|
$ |
317,772 |
|
|
$ |
223,102 |
|
Audit Fees—This category includes
the audit of the Company’s annual financial statements, review of financial statements included in the Company’s Form 10-Q
Quarterly Reports and services that are normally provided by the independent auditors in connection with engagements for those years.
Audit-Related Fees—N/A
Tax Fees—N/A
All Other Fees—N/A
Policy on Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and Permissible Non-audit
Services of Independent Public Accountant
Consistent with SEC policies regarding auditor independence, the Audit
Committee has responsibility for appointing, setting compensation and overseeing the work of our independent registered public accounting
firm. In recognition of this responsibility, the Audit Committee has established a policy to pre-approve all audit and permissible non-audit
services provided by our independent registered public accounting firm.
Prior to engagement of an independent registered public accounting firm
for the next year’s audit, management will submit an aggregate of services expected to be rendered during that year for each of
four categories of services to the Audit Committee for approval.
|
1. |
Audit services include audit work performed in the preparation of financial statements, as well as work that generally only an independent registered public accounting firm can reasonably be expected to provide, including comfort letters, statutory audits, and attest services and consultation regarding financial accounting and/or reporting standards. |
|
2. |
Audit-Related services are for assurance and related services that are traditionally performed by an independent registered public accounting firm, including due diligence related to mergers and acquisitions, employee benefit plan audits, and special procedures required to meet certain regulatory requirements. |
|
3. |
Tax services include all services performed by an independent registered public accounting firm’s tax personnel except those services specifically related to the audit of the financial statements, and includes fees in the areas of tax compliance, tax planning, and tax advice. |
|
4. |
Other Fees are those associated with services not captured in the other categories. The Company generally does not request such services from our independent registered public accounting firm. |
Prior to engagement, the Audit Committee pre-approves these services by
category of service. The fees are budgeted and the Audit Committee requires our independent registered public accounting firm and management
to report actual fees versus the budget periodically throughout the year by category of service. During the year, circumstances may arise
when it may become necessary to engage our independent registered public accounting firm for additional services not contemplated in the
original pre-approval. In those instances, the Audit Committee requires specific pre-approval before engaging our independent registered
public accounting firm.
The Audit Committee may delegate pre-approval authority to one or more
of its members. The member to whom such authority is delegated must report, for informational purposes only, any pre-approval decisions
to the Audit Committee at its next scheduled meeting.
YOUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A
VOTE “FOR”
THE RATIFICATION OF EISNERAMPER LLP AS OUR INDEPENDENT
REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR THE FISCAL
YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2024.
STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS OR NOMINATIONS TO BE PRESENTED
AT
NEXT ANNUAL MEETING
Stockholders may submit proposals on matters appropriate for stockholder
action at the 2024 annual meeting of our stockholders (“2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders”) consistent
with Rule 14a-8 promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).
To be considered for inclusion in proxy materials for our 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, a stockholder proposal must be submitted
in writing no later than June 11, 2024 (120 days prior to the anniversary of this year’s mailing date), to our Corporate Secretary,
c/o BioVie Inc., 680 W Nye Lane, Suite 201, Carson City, NV 89703.
HOUSEHOLDING OF PROXY MATERIALS
The SEC has adopted rules that permit companies and intermediaries (e.g.,
brokers) to satisfy the delivery requirements for proxy statements and annual reports with respect to two or more stockholders sharing
the same address by delivering a single proxy statement and annual report addressed to those stockholders. This process, which is commonly
referred to as “householding,” potentially means extra convenience for stockholders and cost savings for companies.
This year, a number of brokers with account holders who are BioVie stockholders
will be “householding” our proxy materials. A single annual report and proxy statement will be delivered to multiple stockholders
sharing an address unless contrary instructions have been received from the affected stockholders. Once you have received notice from
your broker that they will be “householding” communications to your address, “householding” will continue until
you are notified otherwise or until you revoke your consent. If, at any time, you no longer wish to participate in “householding”
and would prefer to receive a separate proxy statement and annual report, or, if you share an address with another Company stockholder
and are receiving multiple copies of annual reports and proxy statements but only wish to receive a single copy of such materials, you
may:
|
● |
if you are a stockholder of record, direct your written request to our transfer agent, West Coast Stock Transfer, Inc. (in writing: Attn: Frank Brickell, 721 N. Vulcan Ave. 1st FL, Encinitas, CA 92024.; or by telephone: in the United States, (619)-664-4780); or |
|
● |
if you are not a stockholder of record, notify your broker. |
BioVie will promptly deliver, upon request, a separate copy of the annual
report and proxy statement to a stockholder at a shared address to which a single copy of the documents was delivered. If you currently
receive multiple copies of the proxy statement at your address and would like to request “householding” of these communications,
please contact your broker if you are not a stockholder of record; or contact our transfer agent if you are a stockholder of record, using
the contact information provided above.
OTHER MATTERS
The Board of Directors knows of no other matters that will be presented
for consideration at the Annual Meeting. If any other matters are properly presented at the Annual Meeting, it is the intention of the
persons named in the accompanying proxy to vote on such matters in accordance with their best judgment, pursuant to the discretionary
authority granted by the proxy.
By order of the Board of Directors,
/s/ Cuong Do
Cuong Do
President and Chief Executive Officer
Carson City, Nevada
September 29, 2023
A copy of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended June 30, 2023 as filed with the SEC is available without charge upon written request to: Corporate Secretary, c/o BioVie Inc., 680
W Nye Lane, Suite 201, Carson City, NV 89703.
BioVie (NASDAQ:BIVI)
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BioVie (NASDAQ:BIVI)
過去 株価チャート
から 1 2024 まで 1 2025